Delapool's 150 gallon tank

[Delapool]

Finally I have decided to create one thread where I can record progress on this tank and keep some notes.

The tank is 4 x 2 x 2.5ft for about 150 gal. It's been established for a number of years now as a planted, tropical community tank and I've included an early shot below.



At the moment lighting is a quad t5ho with CO2 injection. Tank substrate is gravel with some api laterite clay in there.

Last time I added a kilogram of api laterite I didn't wash it well and got this:

ImageUploadedByAquarium Advice1429920886.224144.jpg

[Delapool]

Recently I have decided to re-do the tank and stack all the ornaments centrally. This was mainly to try and give the BBA less places to grow but also it was getting hard to trim plants around carefully stacked driftwood and fake rocks.


So a few weeks back, a day on the tank was spent to clean it up. The sunken plane now sits on the rocks and driftwood was used to break up some of the lines.
Still plotting to get more driftwood but really there is about 5 pieces in there now.




http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums...9&d=1444480275


http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums...0&d=1444480541


http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums...5&d=1444489976


http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums...6&d=1444489996

[Delapool]

A snapshot of some of the tank inhabitants over the years. I also have one or two smaller tanks.

[Delapool]

Will post some tank chemistry later on but fast forward at today and 14 kilograms of red seachem fluorite finally arrived in the post. I realised though that there must be about 60 kilograms (130 pounds I think) of gravel in there already (yet another reason for keeping better notes).


And about 500 diy root tabs of clay and ferts in the gravel as well.


Plan is to pull out most of the plants except maybe the val on the right side of tank and redo the substrate.


I think I'll get some extra buckets and there is a fish shop nearby so thinking of popping in just in case they have planted substrates in. The only lfs nearby to stock planted substrates does so for nano tanks so not too hopeful but will see.

[54seaweed]

Very nice looks like you have a lot of hard work into that tank glad you shared

[brennae]

It looks great! Laterite is a pain to wash. I'd be hesitant to use it again but doesn't seem like you had much of a choice really.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Aquarium Advice mobile app

[Delapool]

Thanks for the compliments! Tank got away from me today. Thank goodness I'm only doing this once!


Stopped off at the local fish shop and bought some nano substrate (6 kg). Its a volcanic ash pellet and hideously expensive. Nothing else in shop. I've posted pics of both red fluorite and this volcanic substrate as it's all bit of a novelty here. I must confess that as Australia does have laterite clays and gravels I could probably go and find this myself but job done. I'm also wondering how a bag of hydroponics expanded clay pellets which is then broken up would go as well.








After several hours I had removed most of the plants (included the large val after all) and a fair bit of water. Gravel vac'd a lot of the gravel and removed a fair bit of muck plus white clay, red clay (API?) and greenish clay from all the substrate tabs I'd added. Oh well.


However, disaster struck as I broke one of the air stones in the tank. Raced off to shops but all 5 had shut an hour ago


By this stage I was starting to think of bringing forward the idea of discus in a bare bottom tank..... something peaceful lol.





By this time we were meant to be going out trick or treating soon so I pulled all the airlines and air-stones out. Added the gravel which just made a mess straight away with the first handful so just added the rest, water back in and got this mess.





Added seachem clarity and I'm hoping it will clear in 12 hours so I can smooth out the gravel. Maybe another water change/clean some filters and add plants. So I'm guessing I could spend another 3 or 4 hours easily but that should get it done this weekend.

[Delapool]

It did take about 4 hours but plants are mostly in. Will have to tidy up but list is below (yet another reason to put in thread as there was a handful of plastic tags and scribbled notes in front of me that I found in the drawers).


Vallisneria (narrow and broad leaf) - about 3 pots (each pot has 3 to 5 good stems).


Alternanthera reineckii (red alt) - about 3 pots (hopefully does better in new spot).


Ceratophyllum demersum (foxtail) - about 2 pots. Free floating around filter pipes.


Willow(?) - 4 pots picked up on weekend.


Giant hygro - replanted about 4 pots of stem tips saved from tank rebuild.


Ambulia - 9 pots picked up on weekend plus some I had.

[Delapool]

Tank on Sunday night. Much improved. Tonight it is fairly clear but still a bit murky. Sorry about the glare.


Val and ambulia up the back. Willow and red alt on right with giant hygro on left.

[ImACoolguy]

Looking good man ideally like that center hard scape.


Caleb

[Delapool]

Thanks!

So much easier to work around. Before was rocks balanced on rocks and stacked driftwood that was all pretty precarious.

I did pull one piece of driftwood out thinking I could improve but 5 minutes later was back to square one. Like some terrible jigsaw puzzle that is far smarter than me

Thinking of going to an auction tomorrow night but going to definitely not buy anything. Probably.

I did set up for the bottle idea and thought this would be great. The project got a bit swamped in the end with having to go out.

[Delapool]

Tank has cleared up nicely now. It was very clean for a bit. Probably the gravel vacs and double water change helped.

[Brookster123]

Zeee plane!!!! Zeee plane!!! Looking good man!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Aquarium Advice mobile app

[Delapool]

Lol, lol - maybe that's where the plane ended up.

Got a new 4 or 5 inch bumblebee catfish from the auction but it's very shy so far. Hoping it gets used to the light and I get to see more than the tail

[sinibotia]

My 150 gallon at home is the same dimensions as this. I always wanted to do real plants for it but it seemed like too much cost and hassle to light a tank that deep. But yours looks so beautiful I regret thinking that!

[Delapool]

Originally Posted by sinibotia

My 150 gallon at home is the same dimensions as this. I always wanted to do real plants for it but it seemed like too much cost and hassle to light a tank that deep. But yours looks so beautiful I regret thinking that!

Thanks! Must admit it is too much hassle and it's too deep. 😀 Some of the guys here with planted 6ft tanks must have deep pockets as its all LEDs, ph controllers, backup co2 bottles and lots of punnets of plants.

I did clean the plants up of bad leaves and bleach the ornaments. But after a week it seems to be settling down well. Fingers crossed over the next few months. I'm hoping to take some pics charting growth and not a BBA over-run 😱

I do find it gets expensive until the plants get going and trimmings can be replanted. There's some loss from fish and algae, and I've found its either all in so there's heaps of plants to spread the damage around or just bear it.

I did look around here for LED lights to replace the LED light that went, however the cost was 4 times a t5ho. I tried ordering one with led moonlights that was a good deal but they wouldn't ship to here

Everything is working well though so it's been really nice to work in the tank and then watch it at night.

All the mystery snails are in a small tank. Seeing if their shells improve and might see if neighbour wants them. I think they worked ok on algae(?), but it seemed like as algae went, then plant stems seemed to be getting eaten out or something.

[skylane]

Very nice job, the fish look great too!!! my 90gal, seems deep too but l got uses to cleaning it.

Clem

[Delapool]

Boring stuff - tank readings

Lights are on 7 hours and CO2 8 hours in split periods.

Tap is GH = 6, KH = 6 and phosphate/nitrate = 0.

Tank is GH = 8, KH = 6, phosphate = 1ppm, nitrates 10-20ppm. Potassium is 78ppm (not sure if I trust test there but most times the test reads 70 to 120ppm). Now I can throw out the scribbled notes

Also added (Hygrophila difformis) Wisteria (hope I have that right) according to the shop. There are few plants I have to replant on weekend but there seems to be some growth going on so will have to get some pics as well.

[RockyMtn.guy]

Nice tank. I bet you guys have great selections of rainbowfish there in Australia.

[54seaweed]

I've been wanting to put a shipwreck in my SW predator tank but with macro's around it ,
you just gave me a good direction