Diary of the 75G planted tank.... New pics 6/26/06

[rich311k]

Looks good so far. The middle one is an interesting looking piece.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Yes it is. I thought it was going to be bigger though, thought the ad said it was 18 inches wide. But ah well, it will work. The picture looked to have more branches as well.

The caves are going to look great if the sealant holds the granite and slate pieces on. I used a bunch, and tried to force as much into the lava pores as possible, so when it cures, it wil be a strong bond. Never done it on lava before, so not sure how it's going to hold.

As for the lava caves, I had to flatten out the bottoms so I could attach it to the granite. It was actually pretty easy. I just used a butter knife and it cut just like butter, lol. And the lava didn't get all over either, you could actually cut thin sheets off, til it was flat. Pretty cool. That will be the next pic, when I get those in with all the other rock I got. I thought the black and red lave rock I got would float as well, but when I took one piece out and put it in, it sank. So I didn't waste any money there, lol. Thought I was going to have to make another use out of them, lol.

Hopefully this week I'll get some time to go down and get the CO2 bottle. Once I get that, then I'll move my filter, heater, etc., over to the new tank and set up the CO2 system. Then I'll start ordering plants. Any thoughts on some good plants that will work? I was thinking of Hornwort in both corners, and Amazon swords in the back. Then I need to get some reddish or purple plants in the mix as well, to give some color. Going to use some of the java moss from my 26G on the driftwood on the left side of the tank, and maybe some java fern on the middle one, with some moss as well. But not sure about the driftwood on the right. Might do some java fern on it as well. Would also like a smaller red or purple plant under the front of the middle driftwood. Then would like part of the front be covered with clover. And also some medium height plants in front of the swords on the left and right sides of the tank. That's just some ideas, but if anyone else has more suggestions, please post. Thanks..

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Here's my stats....

ph 7.0
Ammonia 1 ppm from adding the couple splashes ammonia to the tank.
Nitrite 0 ppm
Nitrate 0 ppm
Temp, not recorded, waiting to get my shipment from Big Als.

Water cloudy, kind of a white cloud. I think it's just from the minerals in the eco complete. Is that what it's from? And will it clear up when plants are added?

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Ok, now that was a pain in the you-know-what, lol. I got the lava caves mounted onto some marble, lol. I had to use 2 3x5 pieces of marble an inch thick on each cave just to get it to sink, lol. And even then, it was still trying to float, lol. But after I dug holes in the eco complete, put the caves down, and covered the marble, it stayed in place. So here's some more pics. The caves are where I want them, just having a tough time placing the driftwood. If you can give me some suggestions, I'll try them out....

Whole tank view:

Left side:

Middle tank:

Right side:

Whole tank again:

Will be getting CO2 tank this week. Then will order plants, and install my XP3 when the plants come in, then add fish. So any suggestions on driftwood placement?

 

[BlazerFRS]

It looks nice right now; it's gonna be beautiful fully planted with fish.

Eco-Complete looks really nice in there too- I think i'll have to try that on my next tank

 

[Lonewolfblue]

The branchy also looks like a Preying Mantis, lol. I just don't like having the one piece of driftwood in the left corner. Wish there was a better place for it. I also have one more piece in my 55G I'd like to maybe put in. I'll keep thinking....

 

[Purrbox]

My one thought would be to possibly try stacking some of the driftwood over the caves. Make it more of a "hidden" opening. I'd also like to see the really branchy piece more up front. I'm afraid that it'll be really hard to see once you get the plants in there, which would be a shame with how interesting it is.

 

[kaz]

or how about stocking them in the middle making it look like one twisted wood branch.

 

[Wizzard~Of~Ozz]

it's gonna be beautiful fully planted with fish.

does that help the fish grow faster?

Sorry, couldn't resist.

tank looks like it's coming along very well.

 

[BlazerFRS]

ha ha, only the ones with roots Wizzard~Of~Ozz!

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Just bought the CO2 tank today. Got the 5lb tank. After looking at the size, should have I got the 10lb instead? How long will the 5lb last once I get everything dialed in properly?

EDIT: I think I'm glad I got the 5lb. Fits nicely in the base of the tank. I think the 10lb would have been hit or miss, as it's a bit taller, might not have fit.

 

[travis simonson]

I use a 5 LB tank on a 125G and a 30G at the same time. Lasts me about 1.5-2 months (sort of a pita) so I'm guessing a 5 LB on a 75G would last around 3-4 months. Malkore would know best so I will defer to him on this one.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

I moved the driftwood around a little. Looks better in real life than in the pictures, lol. The big piece I have leaning against the back glass, as it has a bend on the end and the flat portion is against the glass. Then the preying mantis looks like he's going to climb the driftwood. The third piece of driftwood is partially hiding the cave on the left. It's going to have java moss to partially hide the entrance of the cave.

The white rock is just some of the rock I have. I got several different kinds of rock, as well as black lava rock and red lava rock. Will be interesting when I get it all planted and all the rock placed.

 

[Jchillin]

Looking good LWB.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

I was looking at an assorted package, and kind of like what it consists of. For the 75G, here's the list. Give me your thoughts on these plants....

2 Red Rubin
3 Ruffled Swords
15 Subulata
3 Hornwort
8 Crypt Petchii
3 Anubias Congensis
6 Nymphea
6 Crypt spiralis
3 Java Moss - Which I don't need, have my own.
3 Wisteria
3 Aponogeton Crispus
5 Rotala

Will also add 3 Amazon Swords as extra, as well as some clover for the foreground.

Let me know some of the pros/cons on this plant assortment. Would like to order this weekend so I can take shipment next week.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Back to the drawing board again. Plant pack was sold out. Will design my own pack I guess.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Looking good LWB.

Oh, and when I get my plants, that powerhead and heater won't be there. I got the 300W Hydor ETH inline heater for my XP3 and a small marineland powerhead which I might use to help diffuse the co2. May just use it for circulation only as well. Still haven't decided. But getting there.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

My new list....

This may seem like a lot, but this will give me something to play with, and add some to my 26G as well as my 55G. So it's not all for my 75G.

6 Banana Plants
1 Set of Marimo Balls (For my 55G only)
1 Red Tiger Lotus
1 Anubias nana "veriegated" (white marbled)
10 Ludwigia, Narrowleaf (repens)
2 Red Foxtails
2 Ludwigia, Peruensis (glandulosa)
1 clump Dwarf and Regular 4-leaf clover
2 Creeping Mint
2 Hairgrass Clumps
2 2"x2" Micro Sword Grass
4 Hornwort
1 Water Sprite
8 Corkscrew Vals
8 Jungle Vals
8 Contortion Vals
5 Med. Amazon Swords
2 Large Red Rubin Swords
2 Anacharis (55G only)
4 Cabomba
2 Med. Ruffle Swords
7 Potted tenellus Chain Swords

The order also comes with some fertalizer included.

Let me know what you think. Once I get it, I can play with it and figure out what to place in the 26G and 55G as well. 55G has to be low light though, as I don't have a good fixture on it yet. But looking at getting a 130W CF for it.

 

[Jchillin]

My goodness, that is a huge list. I've never said this before but you may be overstocked with plants. Guess the deal was too good to turn down?

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Yes, looks like a lot, but I got 3 tanks, lol. Will do some remodifying of the tanks when I get it all in.