# My Beaslbob Build: The Next Generation



## Amie (Sep 15, 2010)

Okay, so here is the low down on my second attempt at a beaslbob tank. When I figure out how I'm going to sticky this thread to the one about my first build. 

So, I started off with my 15gal tank. It was already cycled and already had fish in it. The plants were coming from Singapore via ebay. 3 Amazon Swords 1 Red Robin and 9 Java Fern. I'm not sure how many fish that will support on it's own without a filter but were not at that point yet anyway.

So, I removed all the water from the tank and the gravel and put it in buckets to add back into the tank after. I figured that it made more sense to put the same water and gravel back in since it has already established the cycle. 

I put the peat moss in another bucket and saturated it with water. It was thicker then a mud but the peat was all obviously soaked and was not longer floating on the water but was soaking it up instead. It took probably 10 minutes or more to mix it together but was much easier then trying to wet it after it's in the tank. I made sure to not mix it too vigorously because the moss is dusty. After it was well mixed I added the peat to the tank and then wiped down the glass to remove any small particles that had gotten on it above the pat moss line. Next I added the sand on top. At this point I planted the plants. Red Robin on one side. Swords on the other and Java Ferns along the back. I made small holes in the sand with my finger to plant the plants. I made the holes to the peat moss but not into it. And I planted them very close to the glass. I did this so that I could see to make sure that the plants take root and start to grow. When I look into the glass and the roots are into the peat then I will know they are growing. 

So, I forgot to add the water on top of the sand and just added the gravel on top of the dry sand. So far it does not seem to have made any difference. 

On top of the gravel I added a few pieces of driftwood and a cave ornament thingy. I VERY slowly added the water back into the tank using my hand to break the water and then letting that broken water hit the cave ornament to break it even further to try to ensure very little disruption. Even so, there was one plant in the back that got uprooted. 

The tank was very cloudy for a few days. It looks like most everything has settled now and there is a light dusting of what looks to be sand on top of the gravel now. There is also a layer on top of the water at the moment. Sort of looks like a thin layer of gasoline on top of water does minus the coloring. It is not gasoline I am just using that to paint you a mental picture of what it looks like. One of the pieces or driftwood looks like it might actually be a decaying piece of wood instead so I'm not sure how much of the layer on the bottom and top might be caused by that. 

I do have a little DIY CO2 system running right now in the tank but NO filter or air stone. And, as of right now, I don't plan on adding one. 

I do think it is going to be a little while before I add any fish though. Like I said the plants came from Singapore and some of them seemed pretty sick on arrival so I'm going to wait to make sure I'm getting some new growth and/or some root growth before adding any fish, just to be on the same side. Before doing that I will test the water and put up the results. I might try testing from 2 or 3 different locations, just because of some comments I have seen on here about water not circulating and building up different things in different areas without a filter. 

I will also get some pics uploaded soon. Both of this tank and other build in the other thread (which is starting to look like a mini jungle!!)


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## automatic-hydromatic (Oct 18, 2010)

pics pics pics 


might I suggest some little inverts? maybe 4 or 5 Cherry Shrimp or Ghost Shrimp


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

None of those plants require anything special for substrate, although not familiar with the rr plant. You may already know this, but even 1 Amazon sword will outgrow a 15gal tank. I would look into Kleiner swords or Ozelot swords if you really like the sword family. They are slow growers and don't believe they get very large.


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## Amie (Sep 15, 2010)

I don't have any experience yet with shrimp but might consider some later. What would be the difference in using shrimp over snails??

I'm counting on the Swords getting too big for the tank!!! Not sure what I will put in there to replace some of them but when they get too big then they will be beaslbobbed into my 55gal.


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## Amie (Sep 15, 2010)

Probably replace with some Wisteria from the other tank, since it's growing like crazy!!! Looks like a jungle in there but the fish seems to love it that way!!


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Kleiner bar swords are really nice and grow much slower and dont get as big. More color also.


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## Amie (Sep 15, 2010)

Okay, I tested the water in the tank because I put in a bladder snail from my first build and he has dies. So, here are my water results:

Ammonia: 0.25-0.50
Nitrites: 0.3
Nitrates: 10-20
PH: 6.0

I will be uploading pics shortly but these results confuse me a little. I was not expecting to get any ammonia and hardly any or no nitrites. I'm thinking there might be a few different reasons: maybe the leaves are rotting off the plants in there. A lot of plants lose their leaves when they are transferred to a new tank and then grow them back. No, actually that's about the only explanation I can come up with. Unless the plants have just died. I'm not sure at this point if I should add the filter back into the tank for awhile until I know the water has improved and then try to take it back out again or just leave it be. The low Ph bothers me too. Perhaps it might be time to take the big piece of driftwood out. Maybe it's just too much for that little tank. Yeah, I'm going to do that-remove the bid piece of driftwood and I might attached some moss from the first tank to the smaller piece of driftwood. 

PS 6.0 is as low as my Ph test goes so it might actually be lower then that.


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## Amie (Sep 15, 2010)

Pics:

First an overview of the tank:


Some of my swords in the back:


My Java Ferns and the big piece of driftwood:


My Red Robin:


Swords along one side and a few of the back ones:


The big driftwood:


My cave:


My........I think I got them mixed up.........I think these are my Swords and the chopped off ones are my Java Ferns. Don't mind me. Have not had any coffee today!!! THESE are my Swords (and any labeled as sword before this is actually Java Fern):


Comments???


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

The pic at the bottom is the ferns, and although I have never seen swords with leaves cut off like that....those are the swords. What is the source of ammonia...I don't see any fish?


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

The last pics are java ferns. If you chopped the leaves off the swords like the pics show. You really didn't do that right. When you remove leaves from a sword you need to remove them alll the way to the crown of the plant. It would have been best to leave them on until they start dying to make room for new growth.
The red robin is probably red rubin sword. Basically all those swords can eventually out grow a 55 gal tank. I had one in my 75 that covered 1/3 of the tank. The same with the bar swords, I had one that took up about a 1/4 of the 75 and grew out the top of the tank.

In a 15 gal it would be best to use crypts so they don't get to big. The ammonia could be leaching from the peat, depending on the kind that you bought. Best to make sure it has no additives to it. You might go ahead and put a filter on the tank till the plants establish themselves then remove the filter.


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## Amie (Sep 15, 2010)

No, I don't think it's coming from the peat moss. I used it in my other tank and it did not let off ammonia like that.

There are no fish in the tank. The gravel and water had already established it's cycle when I planted the tank and I have been adding some fish food to the tank to feed them. 

I know they will out grow the tank but that's sort of what I'm hoping for. The next tank is going to be a 55gal and I would be great to transplant these to that one as the main plants.

As to the chopped off leaves-they came that way from the shipper. What do you suggest? Leaving them be or trying to cut the leaves off now? If you suggest cutting them off please give me some pointers on doing so. 

So, 3 Ferns and 9 Swords then.......I thought they were Narrow Leaf Swords on the sides......Better check my order again

Are all these fast growers or slow growers?


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## mfgann (Oct 21, 2010)

The swords are definitely the ones hacked off at the top. I got mine the same way. One thing to consider, Amie, is that the swords are very heavy root plants, and if you plant them I'm not sure how easy it'll be to pull them outwithout making a mess if you need to transplant them. Might be better to put them in your 55G and pick something else for the 15G. I really recommend corkscrew vals or dwarf sag (the sag will be a good foreground one) Mine grow like wildfire and I think they'll fill in good. 

I have Cherry Shrimp in my 10G, and they're great. They clean up things quite well, like a snail might, but they're much more active and very fun to watch. Ghost shrimp are nice cheap teast subjects if you wanna try them out, but the RCS are easier to see. They're addictive.. now I want CRS 

Have fun with the 15G


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Every leaf cut on the swords is potentially dead. Leaves grow from the center and you peel them off similar to layers on an onion. You could probably peel off a few layers without stressing the plant out too much and the replant. Those swords will not make much of an impact on any of your readings until they are growing and with the way they are it will probably be months before they start getting too big. Another thing about those is they really need to be planted out from the glass a few inches. They are a heavy root plant and when the roots and leaves hit the glass really hard, you'll start getting a lot of browning on that side of the plant.


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## automatic-hydromatic (Oct 18, 2010)

hey I have that same 10 gallon tank and hood setup sitting empty on a shelf  thinking of turning it into a DIY nano reef


that's a nice looking setup!

advice - take one of those Java Ferns and attach it to that log (with a couple wraps of fishing line), and it'll anchor onto the wood and grow a HOLE lot better than in the substrate. it'll grow in the substrate, but it'll grow 5 x's better when anchored to a log


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## Amie (Sep 15, 2010)

Will the Shrimp help give me any idea on water troubles? I know some species of snails will develop holes in their shells or die if the water is not right and they will do it long before the fish feel the effects of the bad water. Does the same apply to the Shrimp?

There is not a lot of choice here when it comes to aquarium plants. I called the store one day and the employee said 'I think we have a couple of bunches of Wisteria' so I'm at a disadvantage for choice. I chose all these plants because they were all available from the same seller on ebay. that way, they would all come together and be able to be planted at the same time. 

I'm also at the disadvantage of not being in the states either. A lo of companies online ship there and some of them will ship to Canada too but I'd be paying $60-80 just for shipping alone!!!

So, that's how these ones came to be in this tank. I can't put them in the 55 yet because I have not done the substrate and I'm still trying to decide which one to do it in as well and hoping nature will make the decision for me and I also don't have the right lighting in the 55 yet either. The plan will probably be to totally wreck the 15gal to get the Swords out then redo the substrate again probably with a lot of Wisteria from the 10gal and some other plants probably from the store-if they have enough to have a selection.

Now, here is what I mean by nature deciding: I have 2 55gal tanks. One houses small community fish and the other has an Oscar with HITH. I'm thinking that it's only a matter of time for him and then I'm turning his tank into an angel tank or possibly a flower horn and think the Swords would be amazing with them. So, I'm hoping to do it in the Oscar but will do it in the community if Oscar is still around. After all, I don't think I want to waste my time planting his tank LOL!!!!


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

Amie said:


> ...
> be *beaslbobbed* into my 55gal.


Hey!

I just made verb status. *old dude

Now have to read the rest. Sounds good so far.

my .02


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

Amie said:


> Okay, I tested the water in the tank because I put in a bladder snail from my first build and he has dies. So, here are my water results:
> 
> Ammonia: 0.25-0.50
> Nitrites: 0.3
> ...


could be the drift wood.

But in a more general apsect, perhaps this is why I wait 1 week. Let's see what values are in a couple of days. with no bioload and fast growing plants the ammonia and nitrItes should drop down quickly. But nitrAtes can last awhile.

Perhaps the peat is causing the initially low pH. You did have cloudiness at first. So perhaps when the peat is "trapped" under the sand the pH would be higher. At any rate it should rise eventually.

pictures looked good also.

my .02


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

Just took a closer look at the pictures.

IMHO you have slower growing plants in there. Which will need to expand to more fully balance out the system.

(now you know why I use the awfull anacharis).

Try some faster growing plants like vals,wisteria, or even. na you don't like those. 

my .02


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## Amie (Sep 15, 2010)

I was thinking about that. I might add in some Wisteria from the first tank. God knows it's growing fast enough!!!


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

Amie said:


> I was thinking about that. I might add in some Wisteria from the first tank. God knows it's growing fast enough!!!


good plan.

thought you might take "those" plants first tank and let them float here also.

my .02


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## Amie (Sep 15, 2010)

Would the Anacharis and the Wisteria do okay floating in the new tank??


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

Amie said:


> Would the Anacharis and the Wisteria do okay floating in the new tank??


don't know about wisteria but anacharis should do fine. It's not so much a rooted plant.


my .02


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## Amie (Sep 15, 2010)

Thanks! Wisteria clipping are floating in the new tank now. Plant them when the kids go to bed. Will add some floating Anacharis to it today too.


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## mfgann (Oct 21, 2010)

My RCS would show signs of stress when my nitrite was spiking by de-coloring quite a bit. Now that the tank is established, the females have turned a nice bright red. When you get them they will likely be brown or clear (juvies don't have a lot of color, and stress of shipping takes away color too). I've found them to be the most interesting cleaner fish so far. The downside is that some fish will eat them and almost all fish will eat the babies. I've decided to make my 10G a shrimp breeding tank, and then when I get it pretty full I'll use it to restock RCS into the 30G so any loses in there won't bother me. Otos are supposed to be shrimp safe, and James has mentioned that kuhlis won't wipe them out, though they may snack on a baby or two if given the chance.

Onto the plants... anacharis and hornwort both float well. Wisteria I think will float for a bit, but wants to be rooted. I'd float the clipping till I saw some roots, then plant. I know your choices are limited up there. I hope you can find some more fast-growers. Wisteria is very very fast from what I've seen. Vals seem to do really well i a beaslbob style, and are common enough that you might could get some up there. If you get shrimp, consider a marimo moss ball. I've heard the shrimp love it (shrimp need little feeding since they feed heavily on microorganisms growing on the plants. This is one reason I love'em in the beaslbob style).


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## Amie (Sep 15, 2010)

I am floating a piece of Anacharis now. It was the only one from the original tank that had good leaf growth. And the did plant the Wisteria. 5 little plants. 

The gravel in this tank is such smaller and finer then the gravel in the first one and I did not wet the sand before putting the gravel in. I'm not sure which one of those factors in but it was MUCH easier to plant the Wisteria in this tank then it is to plant them in the first tank. In the first every time I went to make a little hole it would get filled back in before I could get the plant in but in this tank I make the little hole, put the plant in and cover it back in. It is awesome!!! So much easier then the other one and so much less disturbance of the substrate. Now, I'm thinking of putting in some of my Moss by attaching it to the driftwood. I would like the driftwood to end up completely covered in moss when it starts to grow but have no idea how to properly do it-any suggestions?


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Fish line, cotton thread. I have moss attached to driftwood, but all I did initially was just tuck some under the weight of the driftwood and it took care of the rest.


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## mfgann (Oct 21, 2010)

Hey Amie!
I just found some canadian selling vals. Thought you might be interested!


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## Amie (Sep 15, 2010)

My other moss is growing on a rock but it's so far not covering the whole rock like I would expect it to. Maybe it's just a matter of waiting for it to grow some more. 

Thanks, Matt, I'm going to send her a message.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Will moss attach to rock? There is mesh you can buy to help with that.


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## mfgann (Oct 21, 2010)

jrman83 said:


> Will moss attach to rock? There is mesh you can buy to help with that.


I think moss will attach to almost anything given time.. maybe even glass.

It attaches quite readily to the gravel at the bottom of my tank and I see it attached to rock in tanks often. In fact, this is one reason some people don't want moss, it will grow on everything, including filter intakes and inside filters.


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## Amie (Sep 15, 2010)

I think I read somewhere that Java Moss will only grow on driftwood but Christmas Moss will grow on anything.


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## Amie (Sep 15, 2010)

Okay, a little update. I did not read back through all the posts prior to writing this so please forgive me if I repeat myself. 

I added a snip of Anacharis and 5 little trimming of Wisteria. Most of the Wisteria is now close on the height of the tank but the Anacharis seems to have disappeared. I did have one really neat little thing happen: One of the Wisteria plants lost a leaf and I left it in the tank. It sprouted little roots of it's own and actually ended up planting itself in the tank and is now growing as it's own plant!! I took the two Anuabis plants from the other Beaslbob tank and put them in this one since the Wisteria has taken over that tank LOL. I also took the Java Moss and transplanted it to one of the pieces of driftwood in this tank. I took the other piece of driftwood out and that helped with the ammonia. I also took out the cave decoration finally deciding it was too big for the tank. I did put a filter on the tank and DIY CO2 until the plants all seem healthy and growing well. The red Rubin looks beautiful and is starting to grow. The Ferns are not losing their leaves but I'm not sure if they have actually started growing yet or not but it does look like they might be growing some moss or algae or something on their leaves. The Swords might be dead. I have pulled up a couple to see if there is any new root growth and there is not and the leaves are just decomposing off them with no new leaves growing . Not sure when I should give them up as a lost cause or what to look for as a sign of life. Within a week of setting the tank up the ammonia and nitrite went to zero and I started adding in some of the inhabitants of the first Beaslbob tank. So right now that tank homes countless numbers of fry swordtail, platy, guppy and a few molly. I also transferred over some snails too. I out the snails in first to check and see if it was safe. The first few I put in died so I waited a few days and tried it again and they were fine so I added the fish.

Updated pics to come soon.


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## Amie (Sep 15, 2010)

Just noticed something else about the Ferns. These little moss looking strings hanging from them are attached to tiny little leaves. I'm guessing my ferns have been doing the nasty at night LOL. So, can someone confirm for me that that is how they propagate and also how do I take that little leaf and plant it to make a new plant?


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

If you are talking about Java ferns, the yes, those are little ones hanging from the leaves. Just trim them off and re-locate.


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## Amie (Sep 15, 2010)

Should I wait until they are a certain size or anything like that?


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

I waited until the leaves on them were nearly an inch. May not need to wait that long, but I did. They have grown quite a bit since then.


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## Amie (Sep 15, 2010)

I took 3 off and planted them. At this point they are very small and are barely sticking out of the substrate. But there are so many of them on the leaves they are weighing the plants down and are soon going to be able to plant themselves by sheer gravity!!! Now, the fact that there are baby plants on the ferns does that mean that they are alive and well in the tank? I don't think I have seen much growth from them,other then this. Also, at this point what sign of life should I be looking for from my Swords??


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