75 gallon build....well, kind of

[angeladawng]

Hey there everyone!!

New to the freshwater board but wanted to share anyway...

Took down my 75 gallon FOWLR and converting to freshwater. Scrubbed my tail feathers off on Monday, boyfriend and I spent 5 hours on Tuesday picking out the 1 lb of fluorescent stones out of 40 lbs of black gravel I had stored (yes, I'm insane...and cheap). Wednesday my 2 new Aquaclear 110's came and I got it all up and running. Dosed up to 3ppm ammonia today and now to play the waiting game.

Does it look ok?? I know it's a little cloudy right now but thinking it will pass....did I miss anything? Going to get maybe 1 or 2 more plants....

Stocking suggestions for end of cycle that doesn't include any real meanies??

 

[venymae]

Great start! I think it looks wonderful with that black gravel (totally worth it to pull all those little neon pieces! Besides you had quality bonding time right?) There are a couple of things I'll suggest. First is try to get more color variety in your plants. They all are about the same color green, and I think getting different hues (they can still be green, just different greens!) would make it look much nicer. The other thing is the way you have your tank layed out is a bit symmetrical, which is not as pleasing to the eye. Try using the "golden rule" of thirds (google tips on aquascaping -it will be on every page). This will make your setup more pleasing to the eye. Other than that I think you have an Awesome start on your set up! (I love the rocks!!!!!) Hope it cycles fast so you can get those fishies in!

 

[angeladawng]

took your advice venymae....added some new plants...same species as the ones that I already had but different hues, and it does look 100% better. Also, found that large bunches look a lot better than just a few spread around.

dosed the ammonia up to 4ppm on friday and it seems to have come down a little...maybe to 3. No nitrites yet and pH is a little high=7.8. Water is still a little cloudy. Lowered the water level to get more air in so we shall see if that helps....

Here's hoping

 

[venymae]

OH yeah! That new color looks great! I like how you took out the center plants and buffed up the left side too. I think it looks good. Funny how such little changes can make a big difference right? What kind of fish are you thinking about for this tank??

 

[ThatTetraGuy]

Cory's will be great with that wood

 

[ThatTetraGuy]

Post another pic I'd love to see what it looks like stocked