setting up my 1st planted tank

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crispo069

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Mar 13, 2007
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Thanks to many of you, my first planted tank is finally set up!!!! I have posted some pics of the process, and should be able to post some updates as things progress.....

Thanks everyone for all your great advice and please be easy on my tank....its my first one!!!

I will post some more shots tonight....with the first inhabitants....( the pics listed here are 3 weeks old...the tank has been cycled utilizing BioSpira--24 hour turnaround!)

Let me know what you guys think!!!

:roll:
 

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The scape looks like it has some real potential to be a really nice scape.

I am a bit concerned about the number of plants that you have starting out. If this is a higher light tank with lots of ferts, you'll want to get some fast growing stem plants in there right away. These don't have to be plants that you'll keep long term, just something to help get the tank established. As things progress you can slowly remove these and add more of the plants that you want to keep long term. With a lower light tank this would be less of a concern.
 
I actually thought about that.....so 2 days later I added some more plants:

I also have some crypts on the way, vals, blyxa japonica, and some more anubias.....should be here sometime this week....
 

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added some otos over the weekend. and was planning on the following fish:

Zebra and Turquoise Danios
Harlequin Rasboras
Cherry Barbs
Skunk Cories
Cardinal Tetras

And I have some Cherry Shrimp and another bunch of plants that should be arriving next week.

Here is a pic from last night.
 

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well considering that I have 20 cherry shrimp on the way, I didnt want to overcrowd the bottom of the tank...so I was considering no less than 3 and no more than 5.
 
they should help me keep a clean house....I originally wanted the Pandas, but someone said they arent very hardy. So I switched over to the Skunks.
 
coralife compact 2 X 65w 6700k (130w total). Its a 72 gallon bowfront. So I was kind of limited in my plant choice due to the low light...and I also didnt want to do CO2 just yet. Here's a pic of one of my otos
 

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ahhh yes...the good ole doctors....I love those guys. Bought about 95% of my current set up from them. Cant beat those prices. I bought the 48". Depending on your setup, if you are using a glass hood you may want to get the NON adjustable legs. The fixture gets a bit warmer than you would like. I think they had em for 4 or 5 bucks.
 
did you consider hanging it??? That always looks super cool....and high tech too. You dont even have to do it from the ceiling...you could always put a shelf above it and hang it from there.....but again, I dont know your setup. Just throwing out some ideas at ya.
 
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Hanging it from a shelf over the tank would be awesome. I might look into that!
 
You could even use raw wood to match the stand....

heres a pic of how this other dude did it....he sent me this pic from Brazil. The only thing is you have to make sure you secure it realllllly well to the wall.
 

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the only problem with the lid is that its gonna look like an oversized hat....like a kid with a pot on his head....at least the separation between the tank and the light wouldnt make the difference so obvious. The stand looks great, but in the pic its hard to see that its stained...thats why I said raw wood...I wish I had the skills to build my own stuff. You get ripped off when you buy it from the stores.
 
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