The final setup and stock, 3 months in the making! (56g)

[Rokuzachi]

So, back in January I began working on a 56 column tank for my living room. There's been many ups and downs, but we're finally there. Here's a list of everything that's gone into it - stock, equipment, you name it. Pictures will have to wait until next week at earliest I'll just update this thread when that happens.

The Tank - 56g Column by Marineland
Lighting - 4x24w T5HO
Substrate - Mixture of black fluorite, black fluorite sand and black sand
Filtration - Fluval 405 & Aquaclear 110
Circulation - Hydor Koralia 750gph circulation pump

The plants (Bold are not yet in the tank)
Moneywort
Najas Anacharis
Anacharis
Wisteria
Watersprite
Crypt. Petchii
Apon. Crispus
Giant Hygro
Hornwort
Christmas Moss

The Fish (bolded are fish coming in the near future or are ones in quarantine)
3x Hoplosternum littorale (3.5 - 4") Brown Hoplo Catfish
1x Chromidotilapia guntheri (3") - Gunther's Mouthbrooder
2x Ctenopoma acutirostre (1") - Spotted Climbing Perch
3x Aplocheilus lineatus (1-2")- Golden Wonder Killifish
2x Small mystery fish or 1x med. mystery fish

Other Residents
?? Ramshorn snails
4 Nerite snails
2 Mystery snails
?? MTS

There's quite a few candidates for the 'mystery' slot. I figure that's about 2-3 months out, as I'd like to at most introduce a new type of fish once every 2-3 weeks. But the candidates so far are; Badis badis, Apistogramma trifasciata, Lionhead cichlid (Steatocranus casuarius), some kind of Ram, Congo Dwarf cichlid, Jewel cichlid, some kind of small oddball(s). Really, anything interesting that is either small enough to keep in a pair not totaling more than 8", or a single fish of about 6". Open to any suggestions. It's been a rough ride but man is it worth it in the end. I'm so glad to be living in a place that allows me to have aquariums again!

 

[maxwellag]

You may want atleast 4 more snails. I had 2 in my 10 gallon and the didn't clean very much. One of them was on the side and the one that died crawled onto the others shell. It was too heavy, so the one on the side let go. Both snails fell to the gravel. The one that died took the blow. It cracked its shell. I realize that in many cases the snails reproduce, and there are a lot more, but in my experience with them they haven't reproduced at all and all died eventually. Right now I have a black one and it is HUGE!!! It's air tube thing (not sure what its called, but I know it breathes with it cuz I've seen my snail go right below the surface, stick its tube thing up out of the water, and then I think either is air sack or lungs or whatever they have expanded and contracted multiple times.) WOW that was a long parenthesis justification! LOL! Snails are very fun to watch. Just make sure they don't harass each other by climbing on each other, because then there can and possibly will be casualties or injuries. Good Luck!

 

[MABJ]

You may want atleast 4 more snails. I had 2 in my 10 gallon and the didn't clean very much. One of them was on the side and the one that died crawled onto the others shell. It was too heavy, so the one on the side let go. Both snails fell to the gravel. The one that died took the blow. It cracked its shell. I realize that in many cases the snails reproduce, and there are a lot more, but in my experience with them they haven't reproduced at all and all died eventually. Right now I have a black one and it is HUGE!!! It's air tube thing (not sure what its called, but I know it breathes with it cuz I've seen my snail go right below the surface, stick its tube thing up out of the water, and then I think either is air sack or lungs or whatever they have expanded and contracted multiple times.) WOW that was a long parenthesis justification! LOL! Snails are very fun to watch. Just make sure they don't harass each other by climbing on each other, because then there can and possibly will be casualties or injuries. Good Luck!

Your snail was most likely just eating the dead snail.

 

[Batt4Christ]

Pictures!!!!!

 

[Rokuzachi]

I've had pretty good luck with snails so far, but thank you for the warning. I understand that when some snails breed, it involves one mounting the other, which I believe I've been witness to with my Ramshorns. I occasionally see the nerites and mystery snails fall off plants or the glass to the substrate but have yet to see any damage from it.

I saw some pretty spectacular Lionhead cichlids when I was out and about today, so favor has shifted slightly towards them in the competition for the last slot!