Ziggy's 40b Planted Journey

[Sk3lly]

Im not sure on the tiny pebbles all arranged perfectly along the path. Does not look natural to me.

I agree with the wood comments.

Stonework looks good though

Any reason why the lighting looks so blue?


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[Fishperson]

Not all aquascapes are designed to recreate nature, but most are and it certainly is important.

I like the pebbles but they do seem a but too perfect. Just chuck em around a bit and you should be good.

 

[Ziggy953]

Looks better without the wood. It was nice to see those rocks close up. Very nice specimens.

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Thank you!

 

[Ziggy953]

Those certainly are some great looking rocks!

I'm not sure it needs driftwood but if you add it maybe try going from one of the back corners? So the "beginning" of the DW is hidden by rock.

I filled the tank with water and have a media reactor running right now just for some movement and filtration. Trying to let the substrate settle and all that jazz. When I drain it again this weekend I will give your a suggestion a try and see how it looks.

thanks for the feedback!

 

[Ziggy953]

We are all trying to create a piece of nature in a glass box. The best part about nature is that it's not perfect, symmetrical, or balanced. It's created with chaos. Keep doing what you're doing, it will come to you. I was just told by my man IFG on yt, repetition is the father of learning. So true.


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Thank you and I agree!

 

[Ziggy953]

Im not sure on the tiny pebbles all arranged perfectly along the path. Does not look natural to me.

I agree with the wood comments.

Stonework looks good though

Any reason why the lighting looks so blue?


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I'm not sure about the pebbles either. Either more need to be added or those need to come out.

The lighting is LED - custom built for a reef system. Right now I have the white LEDs at 100% and the blue at 15%. I have ordered more white leds to replace some of the blues. I think it is also partly because of the pics. It is not as blue in person as it looks in the pics.

 

[Ziggy953]

Not all aquascapes are designed to recreate nature, but most are and it certainly is important.

I like the pebbles but they do seem a but too perfect. Just chuck em around a bit and you should be good.

Thanks!

I have a 5lb bag of those little pebbles. I saw them in an aquascape once and liked the look. When I put them in I did it in a hurry. I've been looking at them off and on trying to decide which direction I want to go. They will vanish into the plants eventually and nobody will know they are there.

This tank will be a work in progress and is my first true attempt at a complex layout in the FW world. I'm not in any hurry to get plants or fish in the system so I have all the time in the world to change things up until I get the desired look.

 

[Ziggy953]

Thank you all for the comments and feedback! Please keep it coming! Since this is my first real FW planted system (the 54g planted tank is nice but not complex) I want to hear from as many people willing to comment!

 

[Ziggy953]

I just remembered that I wanted to throw out a couple questions for you planted gurus!

Dry Ferts - do you? How do you? What method do you use? What do you use to drip if you are dripping. (I have ferts and have used them on my other FW tank so I'm familiar but want to hear your thoughts and experiences)

Heaters - Inline or in the tank?

I ordered glass lily pipes - pros cons?

CO2 diffuser - what do you use? I've used a few different types before just curious

I am still up in the air on canister filters. There are so many options out but generally are all the same thing. I have a cascade 1000 on my 54g tank and it has done a fine job. I do not want one that big on this system.

Lighting? Just out of curiosity what are you using? Color temp? I've considered going RGBW on my LEDs to get a full spectrum but I don't think it is really necessary.

Thoughts comments experience?

 

[tiger terror]

I just remembered that I wanted to throw out a couple questions for you planted gurus!

Dry Ferts - do you? How do you? What method do you use? What do you use to drip if you are dripping. (I have ferts and have used them on my other FW tank so I'm familiar but want to hear your thoughts and experiences)


I use dry ferts from GLA mixed into solutions in 500ml bottles,currently dosing using the ei method on my 40 and 20...


Heaters - Inline or in the tank?


Hydor has a nice inline Heater that's not too pricey,I myself use a titanium digital in-tank Heater...


I ordered glass lily pipes - pros cons?


Lily pipes are sweet,they just require reg cleaning to keep them looking nice..


CO2 diffuser - what do you use? I've used a few different types before just curious


Currently my favorite is the Sera Flora inline co2 reactor..


I am still up in the air on canister filters. There are so many options out but generally are all the same thing. I have a cascade 1000 on my 54g tank and it has done a fine job. I do not want one that big on this system.


I decided to give the Hydor Canister line a try,currently running the 250 on the 40b and lovin it...easy to prime and not difficult to clean...


Lighting? Just out of curiosity what are you using? Color temp? I've considered going RGBW on my LEDs to get a full spectrum but I don't think it is really necessary.


The 40b is lit by 2 finnex 24/7's... One fixture runs on max,the other with reds and whites only...






sit in silence...

 

[Ziggy953]

I just remembered that I wanted to throw out a couple questions for you planted gurus!

Dry Ferts - do you? How do you? What method do you use? What do you use to drip if you are dripping. (I have ferts and have used them on my other FW tank so I'm familiar but want to hear your thoughts and experiences)


I use dry ferts from GLA mixed into solutions in 500ml bottles,currently dosing using the ei method on my 40 and 20...


Heaters - Inline or in the tank?


Hydor has a nice inline Heater that's not too pricey,I myself use a titanium digital in-tank Heater...


I ordered glass lily pipes - pros cons?


Lily pipes are sweet,they just require reg cleaning to keep them looking nice..


CO2 diffuser - what do you use? I've used a few different types before just curious


Currently my favorite is the Sera Flora inline co2 reactor..


I am still up in the air on canister filters. There are so many options out but generally are all the same thing. I have a cascade 1000 on my 54g tank and it has done a fine job. I do not want one that big on this system.


I decided to give the Hydor Canister line a try,currently running the 250 on the 40b and lovin it...easy to prime and not difficult to clean...


Lighting? Just out of curiosity what are you using? Color temp? I've considered going RGBW on my LEDs to get a full spectrum but I don't think it is really necessary.


The 40b is lit by 2 finnex 24/7's... One fixture runs on max,the other with reds and whites only...






sit in silence...

Wow! Great information! Thank you for sharing!

 

[tiger terror]

Wow! Great information! Thank you for sharing!

No problem Ziggy...

sit in silence...

 

[Ziggy953]

So it has been a while since I've updated anything about the tank. Not much has changed really. I've removed the wood from the tank and added a rock to the back left corner to complete the look. I also topped off the soil with the last of the 'very fine' soil I had left. (1mm).

Something interesting I notice last night while changing water in the tank. I have copepods. I have no idea where they came from but they are in the tank. I didn't even know there were such a thing as FW copepods.

Anyone else have them in their systems?

 

[nkoyko]

I have isopods in my FW setup. I don't have an actual scientific name for them yet but soon I'll know exactly what they are.

But from the research I've done so far they can come from plants, live food, live sand, etc. Pretty much anything you put in your tank can bring them in.

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[Brookster123]

Like scuds??

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[Fresh2o]

I have copepods and seed shrimp in my shrimp tank. I have also had at one time or another hydra, FW limpets, planaria, and detritus worms. Most arrive from plants.


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[Fresh2o]

Like scuds??

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I think scuds are amphipods. Isopods include the "rollie pollie" bugs you find under rocks, parasitic members (I think those are SW), the giant deep sea types (size of a football), and a variety of smaller aquatic types.


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[Ziggy953]

I have copepods and seed shrimp in my shrimp tank. I have also had at one time or another hydra, FW limpets, planaria, and detritus worms. Most arrive from plants.


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Thanks. I suppose this would make more sense if I had put things in the tank unless they are also in my other FW tank where I pulled some DW from. Who knows. They are in there now...

 

[Ziggy953]

So I put the canister filter into service last weekend on the tank. I have not put the glass pipes in the tank just using the plastic stuff that came with the filter, though I changed the intake out to a Fluval with surface skimmer that I can turn on and off. The filter also came with a UV which I have never used on any of my tanks before. I have it running, not that I expect any amazing results but what the heck. I've added the heater to the tank as well. I neglected to change the settings in my RKE so the tank was at 78.5. A little warm for FW lol.

What temp do you all keep your tanks at? My 54g is set to 72 and that is where the new one is right now.

Slowly moving towards adding plants and all that jazz.

 

[TheresaM]

So I put the canister filter into service last weekend on the tank. I have not put the glass pipes in the tank just using the plastic stuff that came with the filter, though I changed the intake out to a Fluval with surface skimmer that I can turn on and off. The filter also came with a UV which I have never used on any of my tanks before. I have it running, not that I expect any amazing results but what the heck. I've added the heater to the tank as well. I neglected to change the settings in my RKE so the tank was at 78.5. A little warm for FW lol.

What temp do you all keep your tanks at? My 54g is set to 72 and that is where the new one is right now.

Slowly moving towards adding plants and all that jazz.

What stock are you planning? My community tank is just over 77, grow out at 78, and the others in the 74-ish range.