Planted 5 Gallon Video/Picture Diary.

[FishCrazyBenBOMB]

For updates, i've moved my otto over to my 5, it has a lot more algae for him and a lot more hiding spots for him so he doesn't feel so stress.


Also when I tear everything out to replace the sand. Just I temp. move the cichlids somewhere like in a bucket or something? I don't want to give them a lot of stress and such with me moving everything out.

 

[FishCrazyBenBOMB]

Total Recreation of the tank, pics and video explains it all so check it out!!!

Before

After

The Video!!

[=http://s373.photobucket.com/albums/oo180/FishCrazyBenBOMB/?action=view&current=DSCN1218.flv]

 

[elwaine]

Now that hardscape has a very interesting potential. The plateau you constructed on the right is interesting. I like the way you did that. I'd leave the hardscape as is and get down to work on plants.(*)

(* next week)

 

[FishCrazyBenBOMB]

Now that hardscape has a very interesting potential. The plateau you constructed on the right is interesting. I like the way you did that. I'd leave the hardscape as is and get down to work on plants.(*)

(* next week)

Yeah I really liked how it turned out, I just need the plants to start growing and filling in better.

If I can get my hands on some new plants I could try to work something out, I know one plant for sure I want to get is some dwarf hairgrass along the sides of the "river". I think that would be pretty cool.

 

[fort384]

looking good Ben.

 

[FishCrazyBenBOMB]

looking good Ben.

Thanks, took me like 2 hours

 

[runninwoof]

GREAT!! dont touch it now! it looks very good! add plants to the background, upgrade lighting maybe a few small plants around the base of the tree thing on the left... but w/e you do! do not touch the hardscape, i can tell u spent time on it, and it paid off buddy!

 

[FishCrazyBenBOMB]

GREAT!! dont touch it now! it looks very good! add plants to the background, upgrade lighting maybe a few small plants around the base of the tree thing on the left... but w/e you do! do not touch the hardscape, i can tell u spent time on it, and it paid off buddy!

Lol, thanks man. Yeah I spent a lot of time on that hardscape. The only bad thing now is that my cichlids are starting to pick up and spit out sand (cichlids do that all the time) but now they are messing up my river. Later on when my plants grow out and stuff I might have to do something about the river, or change it in some way somehow.

I would just remove the cichlids but got no where to put them since they are deff not ready for my big cichlid tank, they would get kill in an instant.

I'm looking for some plants now, what do you suggest for plants? I was thinking about putting some dwarf hairgrass in the tank somewhere. Like I said what do you suggest for plants?

 

[FishCrazyBenBOMB]

Well what I worried about happened, my stupid cichlids spit tons of sand into the river so it's turning plant lol.

Anyways I finally got a test kit and so I tested this tank today. Tell what you think of the numbers

pH: 7.6-7.7
Nitrate: 40
Nitrite: 0
Ammonia: 0-0.25 (It wasn't zero or 0.25 so I think it was between.)

Are these good numbers? I honestly don't know since I never use to check my water.

 

[Jnam]

Idealy nitrites and amonia should be 0 nitrates at 40 is fine for a planted tank.

 

[FishCrazyBenBOMB]

Idealy nitrites and amonia should be 0 nitrates at 40 is fine for a planted tank.

Well it seems like everything is fine except for the amonia, I think I might have read it wrong, i'll do a water change when I can and check again.

Thanks.

 

[Jnam]

I always have trouble reading the color regants for ammonia.

 

[FishCrazyBenBOMB]

Yeah, it just looked between, like neither color so I just guess inbetween.

 

[FishCrazyBenBOMB]

Well here is my tank from the 23rd (today) As you can tell my cichlids ruined my river lol. I need to know what to do about that.

Anyone got suggestions on plants?
Anyone got suggestions about my river?


Here is a pic of the tank today.

Anyone got suggestions on plants?
Anyone got suggestions about my river?

 

[Jnam]

Instead of using hardscape for the effect try doing it with some plants. I dont know if you posted it (too lazy to read back trhough thread) what kind of lighting do you have now? and are you doing the DIY CO2? I would love to see the black portions covered in a foreground plant like HC or Glosso. Or some peeps are using RIccia tied to stones or such for carpet.

 

[Jnam]

Like this

 

[Jnam]

Gives you that nice concave feature and sitll follow the golden rule. And i think it draws the eyed from right to left to your cool DW cave thing

 

[FishCrazyBenBOMB]

Love the picture you made, thanks. That's almost exactly what I was picturing besides the right side plant, I haven't thought of anything on that side so that helps.

I do use DIY co2 and you have been in my other thread so I think you know my light, but it's a 20W Florucent bulb 6500K, but it's screw it so it shines on the left side mostly. ^
(I spell this word different everytime I type it. Haha)

I have a silver light that I could put the bulb it and hang it above the tank so my tank gets the light more evenly and the plants get it more evenly aswell.

 

[Jnam]

Yeah thats why i put the crypts on the right. ANd the plants that need light on the left.

 

[FishCrazyBenBOMB]

Yeah thats why i put the crypts on the right. ANd the plants that need light on the left.

Ok cool, I think I might use this silver light fixture thing. I'm going to be leaving soon for christmas stuff, but i'll try to get it setup and get a picture up here of it tonight.