# My beaslbob Build



## Amie

I'm going to attempt at build my 10gal tank in the image of Beaslbob's recipe. I am making a few adjustments and I'm planning to journalize the attempt here. That way I can get some input on anything that goes wrong and also on what goes right. Wish me luck. I'll be writing again within a few hours.


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## jrman83

LOL, love the title.

You got the pro select?


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## Amie

Okay, here's the first update. Did the bottom layer with the Peat Moss. And then added water to the top of that layer. I noticed that at first the moss seemed to float on top of the water and it was a little hard to get it to mix at first. Next time I think I will mix the moss with the water and make it into muck before adding it to the tank. Second layer, play sand. Same thing. Added the sand and then leveled it off with water. Didn't take much. It's heavier then the moss so it was sinking into the water anyway. For the third layer I didn't go with the pro select stuff. I decided to just make a layer of regular gravel and see how that goes. The tank already has a step ahead. It's already been cycled and I kept the same water and gravel that was there before. I think the layers might be too big though. I blame the fact that I have trouble distinguishing what an inch really is on my husband hehehe . I'm also going to run the regular filter for awhile too. The plan is to get the plants on Thursday. I'm planning on using this for a breeding tank for my guppies so I'll probably move the first pregnant mommy to the tank Friday or so. I'm not worried about the waiting period because, as I said the tank is already cycled.


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## Amie

jrman83 said:


> LOL, love the title.
> 
> You got the pro select?



That one I'm gonna try with out and just used regular aquarium gravel. He has said before that he thinks that it might go okay without the Pro Select....so we'll see.


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## beaslbob

Gee a beaslbob build. You poor thing. My build is not all that good. *r2

With your adjustments should we call this the amie-bea method?

As you found out the first layer of peat moss is messy. After leveling and clean up, I find the sand kinds holds it in place.

I also add the plants before filling the tank. I find the planting a (mostly) full tank stirs up the substrate and creates initial cloudiness. But then I have found the layering prevents most that initial cloudiness. If you do stirr it up it will settle down in a 2 days.

But then I use no circulation or mechanical filtration. I hope your filter will not stir things up too much.

Keep posting and looking forward to your experiences.

my .02


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## Amie

So far the filtration seems to be helping. The tank was very cloudy yesterday but is nice and clear again today. I was thinking about doing it the way you do: with the putting in the plants before putting in the water but didn't because the store where I can get the plants is over an hour away so all in one day I would have had to do the substrate and then drive over 3 hours total to get the plants and get them back to the house and get them planted and then add the water. An all day job so sure. The plan is to pick up some plants tomorrow. Probably not going to get them all though. I checked on the price and they are almost $10.00 per plant. At that price I would like to move a little slower to make sure that I don't kill them all at that kind of money!!! So, tomorrow I would like to get the ones that should line the back of the tank and probably the sides. So, I'm thinking those should be the bigger ones. Which ones do you suggest for this?? 

Ps I thought about a different name but Beaslbob Build just has such a cool ring to it!!!


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## beaslbob

$10/plant. ouch!!!!!!!!!!

More then anything else the overriding thing is to get a mix of fast growing and slower growing true aquatic plants.

I use anacharis/vals for the fast growers. and small potted and amazon swords for the slower growers. the anacharis is like $2 per bunch here, the rest are like $3-$5 each.

although easy to do you do have to have enough (especially the fast growers) to be in control of the tank.

my .02

ps My tanks clear without the filter in a day also. *old dude


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## jrman83

When you get those potted plants, do you remove the little plastic pots before putting them in your tank? What would be the accepted way to plant those type?


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## Amie

$2!!!!!!! $2!!!!!!! OMG I am getting sooooo ripped off!!! I think some time in the distant future I should take a trip down to the states and get a whole bunch of plants and a bunch of fish I cant get here. Of course, it's a couple of days drive to get to the Canada/US border in the first place.


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## jrman83

You may have a problem with customs on that plan.


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## beaslbob

Amie said:


> $2!!!!!!! $2!!!!!!! OMG I am getting sooooo ripped off!!! I think some time in the distant future I should take a trip down to the states and get a whole bunch of plants and a bunch of fish I cant get here. Of course, it's a couple of days drive to get to the Canada/US border in the first place.


you may want to take a look a:

live plants to US and Canada

They ship to Canada.



aquariumplantswebsite said:


> Canadian (live plant) shipments: Now that we have a distribution center in Canada, NO Phytosanitary Certificate is needed for your orders. (this saves Canadian customers $85 per plant order)


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## beaslbob

jrman83 said:


> When you get those potted plants, do you remove the little plastic pots before putting them in your tank? What would be the accepted way to plant those type?


I remove the plants from the pot. Then remove as much as the cotton wool as possible. 

In planting all rooted plants I remove any brown leaves and cut back the roots ( a little). I then lay the base where I want it planted with the roots all off in one direction. I then pick up the base and move it to twice the root distance away from where I want it planted. And drag the plant toward the final location while digging the base deaper and deaper in the substrate. I then hold the base in place while using fingers to fill in the trench created and in the process covering the roots. Finally I pull the base up to even with the top of the substrate. 

Or I just cram them in. *old dude

my .02


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## beaslbob

In case anyone cares a inch is about the distance from the end of your thumb to your first knuckle.


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## jrman83

Cool, thanks.

That is where I ordered my plants also.


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## Amie

beaslbob said:


> In case anyone cares a inch is about the distance from the end of your thumb to your first knuckle.


LMAO I am soooo not uploading a picture of the 'inch' layers in my build. ROFLMAO Well, this is what first times are for. I'm sure my husband will agree with my measurements though!!!

Thanks for the site. I had my order picked out: 3X5 Java Fern mat, 10 Vals, and 1 Amazon Sword then got to the checkout: UPS Ground (not recommended for plants: $27.68 overnight delivery $83.16

Sign such a big selection too!!! The store here has a very small selection, in fact, when I called and asked them yesterday if they had any Amazon Swords I got the reply 'yeah we have one of those here'

It's a good thing we have such good health care here otherwise it would really suck living in Canada knowing that the States can get so much more delivered and so much more cheaper!!!

Damn!!! Guess it is the store tomorrow. How much is shipping from those guys to the states???


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## Amie

Okay, went to the store today and got 2 bunches of wormwort and 2 bunches of water sprite. The guy said that these were both good for fry (since this is going to be my breeding tank) and low light plants. When I took them apart I found out that each bunch had 5 plants in it. So, the 10 big ones (not sure which is which) are along the back of the tank and the 10 smaller ones are along the sides. Getting them into the tank with really screwing up the substrate was a challenge so now in those places I don't really have 3 distinguishable layers. One thing I did notice though was when I put my finger in the substrate to make a hole when it hit the peat moss layer some bubbles would come out. I'm assuming that this means that the third layer is not breathing. I'm not sure if this is the way it should be at this point or what. The plants are all planted one at a time. I'm not sure if I should have left the 5 together in the bunches but figured it would go better this way. Next move I think is going to be to try to set up some sort of line along the back of the tank. The plants there are taller then the water line and I think it would be nice to have them draping over the top of the water. The fry would like that but right now the water flow is lowering them lower then that. So I was thinking if I could put some sort of line there to help keep them up then maybe they would lean over the top of the water the way I want.


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## beaslbob

There will be air bubbles in the substrate at first.

big ones in back smaller ones in front medium ones down the sides. seperate the bunched into seperate plants.

pushing in the plants creats a little mess. which is why I do that before adding water.

all in all sounds like you're getting it all figured out.

my .02


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## Amie

The mess wasn't too bad. Did totally mess up my layers. Everywhere else there are still 3 separate layers one on top of the other but where the plants are in the layers have run together a lot. They don't cover the back as much as I would like so I think I will get some more of that one later on. That is going to be a bit of a bigger challenge. Trying to put more plants in the back without disturbing the ones already there. Sides look great. Those plants while short at the moment give it a nice and full look. An Amazon Sword or 2 for the middle of the aquarium and that's gonna be it (along with the filling of the back of course).


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## beaslbob

sounds good.

talk about an ego or big head my thought today was how much fun it would be to have a "beaslbob" build contest. *r2


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## Amie

LOL That sounds like fun....but your not allowed to enter


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## beaslbob

Amie said:


> LOL That sounds like fun....but you're not allowed to enter



oh dern.

Actually I do need to (eventually) start a new tank. Just moved into new house.

besides I don't think I need the prize anyway. 


my .02


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## jrman83

Lol


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## Amie

Depends on what the prize is!!! Something aquarium related for sure.......or money to spend on aquarium related things


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## beaslbob

Amie said:


> Depends on what the prize is!!! Something aquarium related for sure.......or money to spend on aquarium related things


As I understand it there is no prize. Which is why I don't need it. *r2


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## HUMAN1ESS

Hey beaslbob, does the peat moss eventually stop floating to the surface? The sand in my tank is doing a pretty good job of holding it down but i have been trying to get all the air bubbles out of the substrate and every time i do a little poking around i get peat moss at the top of the tank.


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## Amie

I haven't been trying to get my bubbles out. I figure they will come out in time when it's all planted.


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## beaslbob

HUMAN1ESS said:


> Hey beaslbob, does the peat moss eventually stop floating to the surface? The sand in my tank is doing a pretty good job of holding it down but i have been trying to get all the air bubbles out of the substrate and every time i do a little poking around i get peat moss at the top of the tank.


Before I used the layered approach I always got a surface scum including "floaters". Yes they do get water logged and settle down. Another thing that helps the scum is the first platy (or guppy). They act as surface vacume cleaners breaking up that scum.

I also don't worry about the air bubbles and just let them alone. 

That last point is in line with the idea to let the tank alone, balance out and establish itself.


my .02


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## jrman83

Bob - care to post some pics of your planted tanks?


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## Ehome357

I wish you are luck!


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## beaslbob

jrman83 said:


> Bob - care to post some pics of your planted tanks?


am at work. will try to remember at home where I can post pictures.

at the current time I do not have a tank setup because we have moved into a new house.

But will find some pictures.

my .02


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## jrman83

Well congrats on the new house then


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## beaslbob

jrman83 said:


> Well congrats on the new house then


Thanks.


Only problem is we also have a new mortgage. And the old mortgage also. :fish-in-a-bag:


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## Amie

Got 3 Anubis plants in the mail today (I love ebay!!). They are now planted in my Beaslbob tank. The company also sent me some free moss as well. Looks like it's all little snips. At least 2 different kinds. Was not sure what to do with it so I tied it to a piece or flat slate rock and it's now it the tank too. 

The plants on the sides of the tank...not sure which ones they are......are looking good. They have little stems or roots or something coming from all different parts of the plant anchoring it to the bottom. Sort of like a tent anchored to the ground with a bunch of ropes. The plants on the back I'm not so sure about. It looks like the leaves might be melting off these ones. They have gotten thin and transparent but there are other leaves on those plants that are new growth and they look very nice and green. Seeing an occasional stem or off shoot or whatever on them too. 

Currently the tank is home to 2 pregnant female guppys and 4 fry. 1 of the fry are guppy (born today!!....but not sure to who) and the other 3 are either platy or swordtail. They are in my fancy schmancy baby net. 

Will get some pics of the tank either today or tomorrow and add them.


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## Amie

Also, just checked my water (since I know I'm over feeding due to the fry).

Ammo 0
Ph about 7.0 maybe 7.2
nitrites 0.3
nitrates about 50

I'm going to replace some of the water later today but since it's only a 15 gal it won't be much. Maybe I should skip the water change and just replace the filter media instead. What do you think. Either one should cut down on the nitrite and nitrate levels.


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## beaslbob

I think you should leave it alone. nitrItes should come down in a day or two especially if you don't add food.

pH should rise and nitrAtes drop as the tank matures.

Some plants do lose leaves but as long as new leaves are being formed the plants are probably ok.

All in all sounds like typical values for one of my new tanks.

Perhaps you win the beaslbob build contest. LOL

My .02


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## jrman83

If the tank is still going through the cycle then don't change your filter media. Wash it out if you like with treated water or water from the tank during your water change, but don't replace. Wait until you are positive the tank is finished cycling.


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## Amie

Would the fry be okay if I don't add food for a few days?? They don't have access to the live plants (they are probably too small to eat from them anyway). 

I've noticed that one of the guppys likes to feast on them a little. 

Next step, when I get around to it, is to put in a nice piece or two of driftwood. The plan is to collect some myself from the beaches and sand, sterilize, soak and neutralize it and then add it to my tanks. I'm thinking the process will probably take about am month. Maybe a little longer. 

Soon going to ebay again to look for some more plants too. Found some thing in one of the ones that came today too. Round and white. Looked like it might have been a small snail. He's dead now


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## jrman83

They should be ok for a day or two. Since the fry are in a net, you could remove what they don't eat.


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## beaslbob

Amie said:


> Would the fry be okay if I don't add food for a few days?? They don't have access to the live plants (they are probably too small to eat from them anyway).
> 
> ...


sure the fry don't eat the plants but they do consume the "bugs" (inforsia) from and around the plants.

the fry should be fine for a few days with no added food.


my .02


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## Amie

Should I remove the dying leaves from the plants??? I'm wondering if that is elevating my nitrites. Also, I think I've found a few more small snails. s it okay to leave them alone or should I kill them?? Basically, what are the good and bad things about them??


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## beaslbob

Amie said:


> Should I remove the dying leaves from the plants??? I'm wondering if that is elevating my nitrites. Also, I think I've found a few more small snails. s it okay to leave them alone or should I kill them?? Basically, what are the good and bad things about them??


the plants are reducing nitrItes even with the dying leaves. You can (and will) remove leaves but it is actually more for appearances then anything else. So every now and then I do a really minor or sometime more extensive cleanup. but that with me is usually every year or two. But you can remove dead leaves as the come up also.

I would leave the snails alone. they eat algae, fish poop, excess food, dead leaves on the plants, and their eggs provide food for fish. Plus I think they are very interesting. Bad thing is that some don't like the way the look and slide around. I usually get a lot the first few months then a year later there are only few left. So I just leave them alone.

If nitrItes are very high (like pegging the api kit at over 5ppm) I would stop adding food untill they drop down. If they are like .5 ppm then stop adding food for a day or two until they drop down to 0. With those low values you may just want to reduce feeding or do nothing and see if they drop down. I did get a .5ppm spike when I measured nitrItes about a day or two after adding the first fish. They dropped down the next day or two. Again in my system I don't add food for the first week after adding the first fish and feed very lightly (1 flake per day) for a few weeks/months after adding more fish.


my .02


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## Amie

Okay, here are the pics (as I said before I suck at measuring though so let's ignore what my inch looks like LOL):

This is a general picture of the tank. You can clearly see the layers. All plants are real except for the purple on in the fry net (which now houses 6 fry!!!)


A closer picture of my side plants. They seem to be getting a little brown to me so I have been thinking about possibly getting them some nutrients. 


My new Anubis plants. Ordered from Chine from ebay and I think they look no worse for the travel!!!


The plants on the other side of the tank.Notice all the small little vine like structures going from the middle of the plant down to the substrate. It's harder to see them on the other side but they are there. 


This is my Christmas Moss also from China and also from ebay but from a different seller. I'm not sure if I should throw it out as a lost cause or not. There is still some green on it. This is the way it arrived. It hasn't gotten any worse since then. 


The little vines like on the plants on the other side


My new moss from ebay. Came with the Anubis


These are the plants in the back. Notice that some of the leaves are transparent and others like dark green (on the little branches like) the green ones are the new growth and the transparent ones are the leaves that were on the plants when I got them)


Any comments, suggestions or criticisms???


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## jrman83

Plants look pretty good. The plants in the corners with the viney stuff coming off of them is wisteria. You could almost cut your anacharis in half and replant they are getting so long.


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## Amie

Whoo whoo whoo what did you say I have?!?!?

Cause the guy at the store said they were Wormwart and Water Sprite. Anacharis and Wisteria are ones I have heard a lot about (all good) and that had been what I wanted in the first place but when I got to the store they didn't have any of the plants marked with their names so I just picked some that looked healthy and were inexpensive. 

I'm assuming the anacharis are the ones in the back. How would I cut them and make them into two (that is, is there anything special to do or just snip with the scissors anywhere and replant the top part)

Also, any idea why I'm getting those vine things?? Is that a good sign or a bad sign or what?? I'm assuming it means that the plant is doing okay and is rooting itself in deeper to the substrate but I could be wrong.


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## jrman83

I'm no plant expert...but the anacharis is the long viney plants in the back by your filter (bottom pic). You could cut them in half and replant the snipped portion.

The water wisteria is the plants in the corners that look like they have roots coming off the stem. another plants you can easily breakoff and start new ones. Very easy to grow - both are.


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## beaslbob

agreed the "vine" things going down to the substrate are roots. very common on many plants.


Although I would have put in more plants *I would like to have everyone's feed back on how the tank looks.*To me it looks like your plants are doing very well and the tank is goregous.

BTW where are all those ugly snails?


my .02


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## Amie

LOL I didn't see any when I took the pics. I have only seen 1 or 2 and they are very small. 

I would like to have more plants too and now I'm thinking maybe I will cut the ones in the back in half and make twice as many plants out of them. 

With the cost of the plants around here I wanted to go slowly with the planting. I didn' want to waste $50-100 on plants just to have them die. I have a brown thumb LOL. So I figured I'd go slow with it and I can add on then as I see fit. Also, was trying to figure out about the groth of the plants that are in there. I didn't want to add too many and have them totally take over the tank when they grow a little. I would like to get the back filled in to the point that it looks like a green wall back there and then I can see what else I want to do with it then.


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## beaslbob

Brown thumbs with house plants do not apply to aquarium plants.

I'm sure the plants you have will fill in nicely.


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## Amie

Thanks!! I hope so. I think the next move now might be to cut a couple of the ones on the back and make 2 of them. I'm only going to do it with a couple just in case it becomes a problem. I'll probably put up some more pictures when finished. Also going to add some drift wood some time in the nearish future. My husband picked up some pieces on the beach for me today and they are currently soaking in boiled water. I'm thinking I've got at least 2 weeks before they can goin the tank and probably even longer but they should make a nice addition to the decor and some of the smaller pieces will hopefully soon home more pieces of moss. PS I don't know if your guys can all find it but it is IMPOSSIBLE to find java moss or Christmas moss around here. The only way to get them in on the internet. Also, what about the Christmas Moss-do you think it's dead or just trying to recover??


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## Big Dog

Are you using any type of fertilizers for the tank? Co2? This will make a big change on how the plants will grow. Here are some of my planted aquariums. I just started a about 5 years ago with live plants. Let me know what you think. Your planted aquarium is off to a great start. Keep up the good work.

This is my first planted aquarium I ever did.









My 2 planted aquarium









Now they look like this.





































One big plant that was about 6 months old. It started out only a few inchs tall.


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## Big Dog

I will tell you this. Not all the plants I ever put in my planted aquariums lived. Some times it is the shock of the water change or for some other reason. I hope this gives you some ideas on what you can do with a planted aquarium. I just love this hobby of ours so much.


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## Big Dog

Amie how did you get into liking planted aquriums? I was at a new aquarium store and they had live plants in one of there aquariums. They helped me so much at getting started with the plants. I then took it from there.


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## Amie

Sorry, I didn't get an email to let me know there were new updates on this thread!!! Your plants look awesome!!! I love that third pic. That's the kind of tank I want to end up with. Something that looks more like your looking at a pond then a tank. I had trouble with this tank before. I decided to have it as my fry tank and had 5 female guppys in there all pregnant. They decided to go on a hunger strike. I was still trying to feed them afraid that they would have the fry and eat them all because they were hungry and ended up losing 3 of them when the ammonia rose. I decided then that I needed some way to stabilize the tank (it's only a 10gal). So I decided on live plants, for a few different reasons: Some of the tanks I have seen on here are absolutely beautiful, I'm sure the fish must like it better then fake stuff or having nothing around, beaslbob runs his tanks without any filtration aeration or water changes and that sounds like something I would like to try later on (that means I can get more tanks and justify it that I have not made the electric bill any higher LOL), I wanted to make sure the fry had good hiding places and lastly I wanted the add to the stability of the tank. I figured a 10gal planted tank would be more stable then one not planted, to help ensure I don't mess it up again. It would be easier with bigger fish but with raising fry in the tank there is always going to be left over food. I am not using any CO2 of fertilizers or anything like that. In fact, so far since I planted the tank I only changed the water once and that was about 3gal or so and only then so I could suction up some of the fry (suckers are fast so I suctioned them up and put them in the baby net). Water testing is on the list for tomorrow though but no signs of distress from the female guppy in there or from the fry (about 30 of them now and have not lost 1). In fact, there are at least 4 swimming around in the big part of the tank that I could not catch. Most of the filter intake has plant leaves in it that came off the plants on the sides and I think that might be stopping them from getting sucked up into it. So, for that reason I'm not going to clean the plants out of the intake yet. Plants are fed strictly from substrate and their lighting right now is just the bulbs originally with the tank. Which was my next question; should I keep the lighting the same or put more watts??? There are 2 35 w bulbs in the tank. 

Now, a tank update: I cut some of the plants on the back (the.....anacharis???) and made them into 2 plants. They seem to be going okay. The leaves that were on them when I purchased them are still getting transparent and the fish seem to enjoy eating them too. They have new growth and the growth is a beautiful green color. I'm going to wait awhile until I cut some more. I want to make sure that these ones have done okay first. The wisteria on one side seems to be growing amazing and the ones on the other side don't seem so impressive. The ones on the right have gotten very tall. A few of them are at the top of the water level and they have roots coming from everywhere going down into the substrate. The ones on the other side have less roots going down and are not so tall and have so browning of some of their leaves. I cut the top off one of the wisteria on the healthy side and planted it on the unhealthy side of the tank. I cut it just under a few new roots that were growing off the plant. I'm going to see how that one goes and if it looks good then I'm probably going to do it with a few more. I planted it tight to the glass so that I can see the new roots going down through the substrate. I figure there are a few possible reasons why the plants one one side might be doing better then the other: 1 the plants on each side are all from the same bundle so it might be possible that one bundle was healthier then the other to begin with 2. the lighting might be a little better on one side then the other or 3. (and the one I think is probably right) the layers of substrate on the healthier side are smaller then the layers on the unhealthy side so I think that is probably what is making the difference. 

Next plans: adding a piece of driftwood when it is ready, pruning wisteria again when I'm sure the first one is good. Not sure what I'm going to do about the back. The anacharis is not filling in the back like I want it to so I'm thinking either just wait it out and as it grows it will fill in more and eventually cover the back or add some other plant to it as well. I think for the sides that I might just keep trimming the wisteria that is there to fill in the tank. There seems something special to having filled in the tank with plants that you have grown yourself instead of purchased. I was thinking about getting an amazon sword or two but I think with the way the wisteria is growing (at least on one side) that might be a little too much. Just gonna see how this goes for awhile first. I also think at that point might be when I attempt to turn off the filtration beaslbob-any suggestions on what I should look for to make sure that the fish are all still healthy when I do that?? Future plan: When I have all the wisteria in this tank that I want I'm going to do another substrate in one of my tanks upstairs. A 15gal tank that's home to 2 small angels. I'll do the substrate then slowly add the plants as the wisteria grows too big. I want to get some plants into my smaller tanks first to help stabilize them.


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## Amie

Bigdog: What kind of plant is that big monster in your hand?? I'd only need one of them to do my 15gal LOL (or my 55 for that matter!!!)


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## Amie

Did the water tonight instead
Ph 7.2
Ammonia 0
Nitrites 0
Nitrates 10

So all is good for the babies


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## Zook

Reading through the thread I kept thinking I have to ask what the nitrate reading is;
I see that it is 10 not bad but 20 might be a little better.If you want to get into fertilizing
this Co.Planted Aquarium Fertilizer - Main, Main, Dry Fertilizers, Dry Fertilizers, is great and much more inexpensive than
wet ferts from the LF. I've been using them for a month now and the cyano algae is disappearing and the sword is flowering.It's made all the difference in the plants..
edit; I'm using the pmdd mix,it kind of the shot gun effect for beginners.Am I right guys?


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## Amie

Not leaning that way at the moment. I might consider a CO2 system later on and probably not for this tank. The purpose of using this substrate is to not have to provide anything extra. My hope when all is said and done is that the plants will take care of the water and the water will take care of the plants. That is probably not going to work for the big tanks but I think I'm going to stick with that idea for the 10 and 15gals. Only thing I might consider would be to add a CO2 system to get them to grow quickly and then take it away when they are where I want them to be but the problem there is I don't know if that will hurt them or kill them or something.


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## jrman83

Why not just do a DIY CO2? Your plants will benefit from it, although they may not "need" it.

I just started using the PMDD stuff yesterday.


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## Amie

I haven't looked into that much but am going to soon and possibly add one. I'd like to know what beaslbob thinks of them first though. After all, this build is patterned after his recipe and he has been doing them much longer then me. Perhaps he has some experience with the CO2 as well with these tanks.


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## beaslbob

did you say you have two 35w lights on this 10g? I presume those are incandescent lights. If so when the burn out you might try 15w 6500k spiral (pig tail) tubes.

It does sound like things are going very well. with a pH of 7.2 and nitrates of 10 I think you are still cycling. Eventually ph should rise and nitrates drop. But the pH could be because you are using the filter and therefore adding co2 from the atmosphere. My uncirculated tank have pH of 8.4-8.8 with the api high range test kit.

my .02


----------



## Amie

They are spiral ones. I'm not sure if that means that they are 6500k or not. Are you thinking I might have too much light?? I don't have any algae growing in the tank and I usually keep the light on all day long and turn it off at night. 

The tank is done cycling. In fact, it was actually finished before I put the plants and the fish in again. I did a fishless cycle and then added the fish and plants. I kept the same water and filter media as was in there to make sure it didn't reboot and the gravel (the top layer) is the same gravel as from before as well. Any suggestions on upping the ph or should this be fine anyway?? It might actually be a little higher then that but not by much. The ph is hard to read on my kit. Makes me a little nervous about adding the driftwood though. I'm under the impression that the driftwood might lower the ph a little. 

Also, what do you think of adding a CO2 system??


----------



## grey816

Looks good Amie! I ordered some plants today on ebay that are coming from Taiwan. They had good reviews on ebay, so I'm hoping they'll be good. 

On your Anubias, make sure the rhizomes are on top of the substrate. The rhizome is the part of the stem that runs horozontally. Bury only the roots and leave the rhizome on top of the gravel, or you can tie the plant to driftwood or stones so that the rhizome doesn't get buried. They say if you bury the rhizome, the plant will die. 

Not sure what to do about the brownish part of the Christmas moss, but I hope it greens up for you. I love moss!


----------



## Zook

Most home or indoor florescent light bulbs are 2700k

I had forgotten that this is the peat type substrate build so my fert suggestion probably does not apply ...


----------



## Amie

Thanks I did not know that about them. I'll have to check them.


----------



## Amie

So are 2 35w 2700k lights good for a 10gal planted tank??


----------



## beaslbob

Amie said:


> So are 2 35w 2700k lights good for a 10gal planted tank??


It sounds like a lot if it is flourescent and the actual (not equilivant) watts. That would be 7 watts/gallon. 

From the GE web site

Standard Bulb____CFL Bulb 
40w_________=___10w 
60w_________=___ 13w-15w 
75w_________=____20w 
100w________=____26w-29w 
150w________=____38w-42w 
250w-300w___=____55w 


So if you have two 35w equilivant that would be about 20w actual wattage and that is a good value.


2700K is low but I had many tanks in that range (I suspect) that were very successful before the K ratings were on the packages. You should have a organgey look but not be noticable unless you tried one 2700k and another 6500k to compair the two. I like the blue-white look of the 6500k.

But the bottom line is you are not getting algae, fish are healthy, and the plants are doing fine. So I wouldn't change anything.


my .02


----------



## Amie

Last night I did some more scaping. The plants that were the tallest on the sides I cut them just below their highest new roots and transplanted them to the substrate as their own plant. This should help to figure out why one side is growing better then the other because I put the 'new' plants on the opposite side of the tank then they were originally. Here are some pics:



That is the left side of the tank. Notice the one farthest to the right and really tall that one is the TOP of one of the plants that was on the right. His color is different too. 



These are on the right. Notice all the roots!!! They are like jungles!!!



Say hello to my little friend. I don't have may snails but there is one on the tip of the leaf there. 



The tank over all. Notice how much taller the plants on the right are and this is AFTER they have all been cut off. A few of them were reaching the top of the water!!



My OTHER little friends hehe

So, questions, comments, quirks or quires appreciated.


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## jrman83

Let them poor things go!!!!



Seriously though, the Wisteria is a great place for fry to hide.


----------



## Amie

LOL Then who would I look at all day?!?! 

I'm finding that too that the fry like the wisteria. The ones in the net I had to catch from the main tank and put in there and when your after them with a net they REALLY love the wisteria LOL!!! There are still 2 in the tank that I can't get.


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## jrman83

I didn't see any adults in the tank, unless they are camera shy? Why are they in a net?


----------



## beaslbob

Amie said:


> LOL Then who would I look at all day?!?!
> 
> I'm finding that too that the fry like the wisteria. The ones in the net I had to catch from the main tank and put in there and when your after them with a net they REALLY love the wisteria LOL!!! There are still 2 in the tank that I can't get.




Oh really. *old dude and a general *w3

Looks like your tank is will on the way to having a very large guppy population. That will last for years.


----------



## Amie

There is one pregnant female guppy in the tank. She has not been bothering the fry that are still in the big tank but better to be safe then sorry. I haven't made up my mind yet on what I'm going to do with the fry. First step is when they get older I'm going to let them play in the big tank. I think I might see if I can set something up with one of the pet stores around here to sell them for either cash or store credit. I'd like to keep them all but I would prefer not to get inbreds for my next batch of fry.


----------



## beaslbob

Amie said:


> There is one pregnant female guppy in the tank. She has not been bothering the fry that are still in the big tank but better to be safe then sorry. I haven't made up my mind yet on what I'm going to do with the fry. First step is when they get older I'm going to let them play in the big tank. I think I might see if I can set something up with one of the pet stores around here to sell them for either cash or store credit. I'd like to keep them all but I would prefer not to get inbreds for my next batch of fry.


Awwww geee.

decisions decisions decisions.

But still IMHO much better to have those decisions than what to buy to replace the fish that died.

See what you get for being so successful. *old dude


FWIW (in case I haven't mentioned it yet) I routinely gave away fish from my 10g. At a doctor's office a few weeks ago I was told the guppies in their tank were from the batch I gave a worker there years ago. All of which were descendants from the original fish in 2003.


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## jrman83

Once an adult Fish, speaking of Guppy/Platy/Molly, gets used to fry being in the tank they "generally" leave them alone. Out of about 50 Platies, only 2 have ever been persistent in pursuing fry, but I don't believe they were ever successful. They are in a tank with two Gouramis where they won't cause any more problems - fish prison.


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## Amie

Give them away........ and it's 8 weeks til Christmas.........LOL this might work!!

I decided to separate them from the adults because the last batch I had they all died. I'm not sure but I think it was a combination of getting eaten by other moms (possibly the platys) and getting sucked into the filter. I've never been able to raise a fry to adulthood (neither has my mother who tried for years) so I'd rather be super safe then sorry.


----------



## jrman83

Amie said:


> Give them away........ and it's 8 weeks til Christmas.........LOL this might work!!
> 
> I decided to separate them from the adults because the last batch I had they all died. I'm not sure but I think it was a combination of getting eaten by other moms (possibly the platys) and getting sucked into the filter. I've never been able to raise a fry to adulthood (neither has my mother who tried for years) so I'd rather be super safe then sorry.


What sucks on what you haven't been successful at yet is they take so long to grow to adulthood - or it seems that way. I have had Platy fry for about 4 months and none have reached full adulthood yet. Out of 4 females producing young, I have about 30-35 Platy fry of various ages. I haven't had the best of luck with Guppies. There is one female that is 3-4 months old and she is nearly old enough to be mated with. I'll be happy when one of my young has her first fry.


----------



## beaslbob

Amie said:


> Give them away........ and it's 8 weeks til Christmas.........LOL this might work!!
> 
> I decided to separate them from the adults because the last batch I had they all died. I'm not sure but I think it was a combination of getting eaten by other moms (possibly the platys) and *getting sucked into the filter*. I've never been able to raise a fry to adulthood (neither has my mother who tried for years) so I'd rather be super safe then sorry.


Hmmmmm




*old dude Oh yea. that's right. I don't use filters. *o2


edit: I have also noticed that my tanks have become either platty or guppy tanks. But whichever is dominate tends to stay that way when a pair of the other are introduced.

.02


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## mfgann

Boy, this beaslbob build thing seems to be catchin'. I needed to move my betta out in preparation for some cherry shrimp coming in, and talked SWMBO into letting me get a 10g w/hood and doing the leiden tank. Woo boy.. here we go!

Gotta go by the depot and pick up the substrate stuff and I'll be all set.
Thanks for the inspiration, Amie, CmdrSlack, and Beaslbob.
*h/b


----------



## beaslbob

mfgann said:


> Boy, this beaslbob build thing seems to be catchin'. I needed to move my betta out in preparation for some cherry shrimp coming in, and talked SWMBO into letting me get a 10g w/hood and doing the leiden tank. Woo boy.. here we go!
> 
> Gotta go by the depot and pick up the substrate stuff and I'll be all set.
> Thanks for the inspiration, Amie, CmdrSlack, and Beaslbob.
> *h/b


Dern

We should've had a contest. *old dude

for local people only. I have 3 50 pounds bags of the pc select in storage. If I can dig them out you are welcome for some. Or I could contact the people I bought them from and you can buy your own package.

You could talk to tomoko also. (again local people)

If you have access to a 2 incandescent bulb hood, I used one with the spiral pig tail bulbs from wall mart and it worked great.

Best of luck.


my .02


----------



## Amie

You'll have to thank beaslbob for the recipe. 

Also, beaslbob have a question for you: My tank is starting to develop a bit of a smell. Any ideas what it might be?? I was thinking it might be the Christmas Moss, since it seemed like it was on it's last legs so I removed that last night but it still smells. I still have some small air bubbles in the peat moss I'm wondering now if that is it and if I should take them out. Also thinking maybe it's the plants in the back, as the leaves are melting off them. What do you think??


----------



## mfgann

beaslbob said:


> Dern
> 
> We should've had a contest. *old dude


Hey, I'll be happy if the prize is that my tank flourishes!



beaslbob said:


> If you have access to a 2 incandescent bulb hood, I used one with the spiral pig tail bulbs from wall mart and it worked great.


That is exactly what I did. Now my wife is complaining the new tank looks like a spotlight next to the old one.. I don't think she knows my "solution" will be to build a new hood for the old tank that takes the spiral pigtails!*r2

Now I just have to let the dust settle.. literally. Looking clearer this morning, but I can see the plants now!

I'll try not to hijack your thread, Amie. Your tank is looking great, BTW.
Hope mine does as well!


----------



## Amie

LOL no problem. I started this thread as a journal of the tank so that if someone else wanted to do one they could see exactly what did and exactly what resulted from that, so I'm happy to have a second set of do's on here as well. I added to new inhabitants to my tank yesterday. A pregnant Micky Mouse Platy and a pregnant Guppy. Today I am adding to fry I convinced my sister to give me. Not 100% sure yet but they look like they might be Dalmatian Mollys and my daughter Dalmatian died a few weeks ago so this should be cool!! They are bigger then my fry but not but a whole lot.


----------



## beaslbob

Amie said:


> You'll have to thank beaslbob for the recipe.
> 
> Also, beaslbob have a question for you: My tank is starting to develop a bit of a smell. Any ideas what it might be?? I was thinking it might be the Christmas Moss, since it seemed like it was on it's last legs so I removed that last night but it still smells. I still have some small air bubbles in the peat moss I'm wondering now if that is it and if I should take them out. Also thinking maybe it's the plants in the back, as the leaves are melting off them. What do you think??


Hopefully the smell will be temporary.

I get no smell on my tanks but once I moved an existing tank and it smelled for a little while when it was resetup. And when I take a tank down the substrate really really smells. Kinds hard to describe but kinda a rotten grass stale smell. (Well the substrate was much much worse).

Perhaps the dying plants. and hopefully just temporary.

I do get air bubles from the substrate for the first few months or so. Just normal.

If you are really going you may notice a string of air bubles from some of your plants. That looks like a string of pearls and is called da da pearling. *old dude . that is a very good sign and is actually oxygen the plants are producing with lights on.


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## beaslbob

mfgann said:


> Hey, I'll be happy if the prize is that my tank flourishes!
> 
> 
> 
> That is exactly what I did. Now my wife is complaining the new tank looks like a spotlight next to the old one.. I don't think she knows my "solution" will be to build a new hood for the old tank that takes the spiral pigtails!*r2
> 
> Now I just have to let the dust settle.. literally. Looking clearer this morning, but I can see the plants now!
> 
> I'll try not to hijack your thread, Amie. Your tank is looking great, BTW.
> Hope mine does as well!


Did you plant the plants before filling the tank? It's much clearer that way. When I add plants with the tank full then the tank is cloudy for a couple of days. Plus you can't see 1/4" into the tank just after setup. Amazing how quick it clears up.

added: Yes the spiral bulbs are amazing.


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## pandorum

If nitrItes are very high (like pegging the api kit at over 5ppm) I would stop adding food untill they drop down. If they are like .5 ppm then stop adding food for a day or two until they drop down to 0. With those low values you may just want to reduce feeding or do nothing and see if they drop down. I did get a .5ppm spike when I measured nitrItes about a day or two after adding the first fish. They dropped down the next day or two. Again in my system I don't add food for the first week after adding the first fish and feed very lightly (1 flake per day) for a few weeks/months after adding more fish.
________________________
Debit cards for ebay


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## Amie

Did I miss a post here?? Who has nitrite problems?? I don't remember any posts about that.....


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## beaslbob

Amie said:


> Did I miss a post here?? Who has nitrite problems?? I don't remember any posts about that.....


I think they meant to post to another thread where there was nitrIte problems. And a discussion of .5 vrs 5 also.

my .02


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## Amie

That's a relief LOL!!!! I thought I was losing my mind for a minute.


----------



## beaslbob

Amie said:


> That's a relief LOL!!!! I thought I was losing my mind for a minute.


You mind seems itact


At least for someone doing a beaslbob build.*old dude


----------



## mfgann

beaslbob said:


> Did you plant the plants before filling the tank? It's much clearer that way. When I add plants with the tank full then the tank is cloudy for a couple of days. Plus you can't see 1/4" into the tank just after setup. Amaxing how quick it clears up.


Nope. I probably did it the worst way possible: did the substrate layers, filled it up, then planted. Yes, visibility was probably 1/4" in.. I don't think I've ever seen a tank of mine so opaque. Still a little hazy today, but not bad at all. I'm not too worried, since I haven't added the fish yet. I also used water siphoned from the big tank to seed it a bit, and added some old filter media.

I'm looking forward to transplanting the betta in there.. I think it'll be a very nice setup. Love the idea of having a good growing 'garden' in there.


----------



## beaslbob

mfgann said:


> Nope. I probably did it the worst way possible: did the substrate layers, filled it up, then planted. Yes, visibility was probably 1/4" in.. I don't think I've ever seen a tank of mine so opaque. Still a little hazy today, but not bad at all. I'm not too worried, since I haven't added the fish yet. I also used water siphoned from the big tank to seed it a bit, and added some old filter media.
> 
> I'm looking forward to transplanting the betta in there.. I think it'll be a very nice setup. Love the idea of having a good growing 'garden' in there.


One of the things with these tanks when planted that way is the new hobbiest sees this mess. Then get (2 days later) almost immediate feedback how good things are going.

Betta should love the tank.

And I do agree the water garden is much better then all the (IMHO) stupid air powered plastic "toys".

my .02


----------



## Amie

Mine was not so bad.I only added 2 bunches of Anacharis and 2 bunches of Wisteria to begin and the new ones are children of those first plants. So, it stirred up the substrate a little but not much. 

I have decided to try a CO2 system in the tank and see how that goes. I'm going with a little DIY system and I think I'm going to start running it probably tomorrow. Going to check the ph before putting it in. The plants are doing well but I'm wondering if maybe they might be struggling a little to do well. I'm going to try the CO2 for a few days and see how that goes. I'm hoping some of the older plants with the brownish leaves will revitalize and the Anacharis will too. The new growth on them all looks good but the older growth still looks pretty bad. Along with the Java Moss as well, I'm hoping it will help that one.


----------



## beaslbob

Amie said:


> Mine was not so bad.I only added 2 bunches of Anacharis and 2 bunches of Wisteria to begin and the new ones are children of those first plants. So, it stirred up the substrate a little but not much.
> 
> I have decided to try a CO2 system in the tank and see how that goes. I'm going with a little DIY system and I think I'm going to start running it probably tomorrow. Going to check the ph before putting it in. The plants are doing well but I'm wondering if maybe they might be struggling a little to do well. I'm going to try the CO2 for a few days and see how that goes. I'm hoping some of the older plants with the brownish leaves will revitalize and the Anacharis will too. The new growth on them all looks good but the older growth still looks pretty bad. Along with the Java Moss as well, I'm hoping it will help that one.


I have heard with with high light tanks the co2 was about the only thing that helped the black algae on java plants.

Keep an eye on pH. Keep posting how it works.


----------



## Amie

I put the CO2 in last night. Checked the ph 7.2. This morning checked again and the ph was 6.6.

I had the CO2 coming into the filter and dispensing that way. I moved the tubing to the other corner of the tank and now this way what comes out will be much bigger bubbles. I rad that the smaller the bubbles the more CO2 gets trapped in the tank. The fish all see perfectly fine. Not sure at this point if I am going to keep the CO2 in the tank or not. Going to keep a close eye and maybe start a thread in the CO2 section to get some opinions if it should come out or not. I also found some good algae growth in the tank last night. All around the plastic of the baby net and in the netting itself. It might soon be time to let them roam in the big tank and get the baby net out of there. I cleaned it out with my fingers. 

Checking ph again tonight and keeping an eye on the fish. Will keep posted. If I have to take out the CO2 I might try changing the lighting instead. Noticed the other day that the lights are not actually pig tail but the ones with the 2 long thin straightened pig tails. 

Cross your fingers for me.


----------



## mfgann

Amie said:


> Checking ph again tonight and keeping an eye on the fish. Will keep posted. If I have to take out the CO2 I might try changing the lighting instead. Noticed the other day that the lights are not actually pig tail but the ones with the 2 long thin straightened pig tails.


FYI, if you fit the florescent ones with the straight bulbs instead of the spirals, I would keep them if the wattage/color is good. From what little I've read in various places the spiral-type actually lose a lot of their effectiveness (about 30%) so to get 20W of light you have to put 30W of CFL in on the spirals. Thats the rumor anyway.


----------



## Amie

PH is 6.6-6.8. Fish seem fine. I'm going to keep everything as is right now unless a problem develops. 

Plan to remove the CO2 permanently after the plants have increased enough to my liking to fill the tank for me. Fry seem to be growing slowly. Snails are definitely growing at a fast pace. Funny, they seem to move much faster in the water then they do on land......


----------



## jrman83

I would leave it.


----------



## Amie

Up, little update on my build. Just changed the CO2 bottle, my first mixture had run out. Plants are looking great. A few of the Wisteria on the right need a trim. They are actually starting to bend because they are up higher then the water level!!!! I still can't figure the Anacharis out. They are still losing their old leaves and growing new 'branches' with new leaves on them!! But the old leaves don't grow back. The Java Moss is taking off as well!!! I've noticed it's a lot longer then it used to be. The Anubis has sprouted a few new leaves and the older leaves have gotten bigger. The Wisteria also has less brown on the leaves then it did before. I'm also getting ready for a big snail explosion. I found out they are bladder snails and I have at least 6 of them right now. BUT, it's not the ones I have that is the problem......it's the ones in the 10 or more egg sacs in the tank that I think might be a problem!!! The plan with them for right now is to let them hatch and eat. There is a lot of crud in the bottom of the tank from the Christmas Moss that was in there and the Java Moss and just general crap so I'm going to let them eat their way through it. Then, when things look cleaner, I'm going to start moving some of them to my other tanks. I figure that if they can predict tank problems for me before they happen they are a welcome companion to my tanks!!!

I'm going to trim some of the Wisteria and some of the longer Anacharis tonight. The plan right now, since the Anacharis is not working out so well, is to make a wall along the back with the Wisteria and then I think I will be done with that tank. I am already thinking about my next build!!!! It will probably be my 15gal. I'm hoping to stay away from Wisteria simply because I've already played with that plant. It is my Angel tank so most likely something with big leaves for eggs. I'm thinking Amazon Swords and a Java Fern. I'm also thinking about my 55gal too. I can't wait to get started on that one!!! Next tank though, I'm going to do all the plants at the same time. I'm just trying to figure out where to get them. I have been looking at some sellers on ebay. One only ships to the US but said he would ship to Canada for me and he is looking into the costs. I'm hoping it's not too much he has a great selection of plants and low shipping charges!!! Another with VERY low prices only ships in the UK!!! I even offered that guy to complete the transaction outside ebay!!! What can I say?? I'm desperate!!! He had 200 plants (no choice in them though) for $20.00 shipping included!!!! Been looking at aqua bid too but have been having some trouble so far even figuring out the site. I see some sellers that ship to Canada but don't have their rates listed. That is a pain in the butt!!! 

Oh well, I'll get it figured out!! I'm going to put up some pics of my tank again after I trim and replant again. I think I'm going to let them float for a few days so they can get a little stem on them before planting. I'm also going to have to be careful where I trim. I have been trimming the very top off the Wisteria. I notice that it is still growing but not at the top anymore-it grows out of the 2 highest sides after being trimmed, so I might trim the side maybe so the top will still grow....not sure yet.


----------



## jrman83

When Anacharis gets tall, as many plants do, all the nutrients in the plant move to the tops of the plant that is getting the most light. I think this is what happens. Mine turn a brownish color toward the bottom. I have some that are over 2ft long and planted (not floating). The top 12-14" are a bright green color, but the bottom is slightly less green or almost brown. As long as the stalk doesn't die, I wouldn't worry about it. Cut the new growth off and discard the rest if you don't like it.


----------



## mfgann

Some thoughts on plants.. I got a little sampler platter from a guy on aquabid when I got my RCS, and bought some more stuff I'm going to add soon. I thought I would compare notes.

The red ludwigia I have is doing great, and is a nice red-purple under the leaves.. The Najas looks like it is either going to be neat, or really annoying. It seems to be growing good, but I worry it will clutter things up. The corkscrew vals have taken hold and are sending off shoots. I think they're working out well. I would avoid hornwort. Mine is doing okay, but when it starts dying I think it drops a bunch of little needle-leaves.. I'm thinking of pulling it out before it makes a big mess. I've put in an ebay order for some dwarf hairgrass and dwarf sag. I think those will add some density closer to the ground so the shrimp have better hidey spots if I decide later to add endlers or guppies. duckweed has stayed pretty well controlled, and a floating plant is supposed to be very good for oxygenating the water. 

My wisteria grows like a weed in the beaslbob tank, and grows pretty good in the 30G with a 20W light and regular gravel.. a real survivor. My java moss is massing up good.. wish I'd gone with something a little prettier, but alive sure beats pretty and dead, huh? My anacharis hasn't lost its leaves, but they look pretty ugly. All the new growth is happening upstairs and on new stems.

Keep up the updates! I like comparing notes.


----------



## Amie

Dwarf hairgrass?!?! I'm jealous!!! That is one of the things that I want to get in my tank but haven't been able to find it yet. It won't be in this one but definitely in the 15 or 55. 

Thanks for the info about the Anacharis. The stems are not dying just bare. I don't think I will be buying them again.

I have been checking around the pet stores here thinking that I might have to break down and buy my plants here at a much bigger price but turns out they have a VERY limited selection (in fact, when I called the guy said 'yeah....I think we have a couple of bunches of Wisteria there') so I HAVE to find someone on ebay or maybe post here for someone that has some.


----------



## mfgann

Amie said:


> Dwarf hairgrass?!?! I'm jealous!!! That is one of the things that I want to get in my tank but haven't been able to find it yet. It won't be in this one but definitely in the 15 or 55.
> 
> Thanks for the info about the Anacharis. The stems are not dying just bare. I don't think I will be buying them again.
> 
> I have been checking around the pet stores here thinking that I might have to break down and buy my plants here at a much bigger price but turns out they have a VERY limited selection (in fact, when I called the guy said 'yeah....I think we have a couple of bunches of Wisteria there') so I HAVE to find someone on ebay or maybe post here for someone that has some.


Hmm.. It isn't dwarf hair grass, but one I've liked is subwassertang (rounded pellia). I know I've seen it and regular pellia from some ebay vendors that probably shop to you. Only thing I haven't liked about it is that it grows relatively slowly. What ebay vendor did you use this last time that you liked better? I'm trying out aquatic magic, but I think that is who you got the dead christmas moss from. 
Good luck


----------



## inspiritid

Amie... about your Christmas moss... if there's anything green left on them at all, snip it off and just toss it into the tank. Any little bit of mine that breaks off lays wherever it catches and starts slowly growing. Once it dies underneath, the stuff on top can't get a foothold. I've taken just a few green strands and laced them tightly to wood and they've started to grow nicely. (I use black cotton sewing thread -- it's nearly invisible on the dark brown dogwood, and eventually rots away to nothing.)


----------



## Amie

Matt: Yeah my Christmas Moss came from AquaticMagic. The Anuabis that was in perfect shape came from cnj0321. I did place another order with AquaticMagic yesterday via aqua bid. The stock for my 15gal: 9 Amazon Swords, 1 Java Fern and 1 other plant that I can't remember it's name. I figured I'd give them another try. I might have added damage to the Moss by putting it in the 55gal for awhile with next to no lighting per gallon. These will be getting great nutrients from my beasblbob 2 build. So, we'll see.

Inspirit: That might have worked but too late now. The rotten stuff started to smelly so I just have the whole thing up for dead and tossed it out.


----------



## inspiritid

> The stock for my 15gal: 9 Amazon Swords, 1 Java Fern and 1 other plant that I can't remember it's name.


9 swords?! I hope they're little! ;D I have 2 swords (unsure of what kind) in my 29 gallon, and they eat up two thirds of the tank, not leaving room for much else!


(To the left of the wood is a single swordplant, with several babies on it (under its feet is 2 anubias, some microsword & a couple undoubtedly nonaquatic plants from Petco .


----------



## Amie

OMG IT'S BEAUTIFUL!!!!! I love it!!!! 

That's one sword!!! I might have my hands full!!! I think they will be small. I might have to transplant some of them to my 55gal after I plant that one but since it's going to be the main plant in the tank I want to make sure that it covers enough. I'm planning on using the Swords as the background. Also, they are coming from Malaysia so I might lose a few of them in transport too and at least if that happens I will still have a tank full. I also wanted to make sure it was enough that I could turn my filter off. This is my angel tank. I would be very very sad if I lost my angels because I had a crappy fish to plant ratio. I'll worry about that stuff when I get to it though. For now the first step is to just get the plants and beaslbob the tank.


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## inspiritid

Sounds like a good plan.


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## Amie

New pics of this tank: 

My moss:


Moss with the newest Wisteria growing at the back of the tank to eventually form a background:


The left side:


The right:


The tank overall:


To think this started out with 2 bunches of Wisteria and 2 bunches of Anacharis!!! (which I don't like and will not buy again)

As you can see, the fry have the run of the tank now and seem to really like it. So do the snails that are in the process of a population explosion. So far, they have gone from the original 4 or so to at least 12 or more!! And I still see egg sacs everywhere. But the fry are picking at the eggs and destroying most of the sacs now. Much more then the mothers did when they were in there!! General plan for now is to keeping things going as is for now and when most of the fry grow up and move out on their own then I'm going to try taking the filter out.


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## jrman83

Great thing about Wisteria...it grows and grows and grows. I like it, don't get me wrong. A few weeks ago some of the branches on mine started running along the bottom like runners. I actually like it more now 

Looks like your Anacharis does the same as mine used to do....whatever it wants. I just recently removed all of it out of all my tanks. Great easy to grow plants, but you spend more time cleaning up pieces everywhere it just gets to be too much.


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## Amie

I'm just going to leave the Anacharis alone and let it do what it wants. I haven't removed any plants pieces from the tank yet-even dead ones.


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## mfgann

My anacharis in one tank would suffer a complete meltdown if I used excel. maybe your CO2 did it in?


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## Amie

Nope, it's been doing this long before the CO2 came into the picture. I was hoping actually that the CO2 would safe it but it's been growing the same. Only thing different about it now is I don't trim it anymore. I used to cut the top off when the to got too big and plant that it the substrate as it's own plant but every time I did that the bottom half of the first plant (the one that did not have leaves to begin with) would simply die and rot away.


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## jrman83

The pieces aren't from it falling apart, it just comes unrooted. I've used plant anchors and it just comes up no matter what.


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## automatic-hydromatic

that's why I just let my Anacharis float around where ever it pleases to

I have one small piece that I poked into the substrate, and surprisingly it's stayed put. but that one little piece hasn't really grown much, and it's only just started to sprout a very small runner off the side

the mass that I have floating around is sprouting new runners daily  but I have it held together in one mass with a closed loop of air line tubing. I tried to just let it freely float, but some of the pieces just hang down too low for my liking...


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## Amie

So, update on this tank. I REMOVED THE FILTER OVER A WEEK AGO YAY!!!! I figured the tank is now overrun with Wisteria so if it's ever going to support itself it would be now so I removed all the fry that I could catch (netting fry in a planted tank is a pain in the *** by the way) which still left at least half a dozen in there and added one of the platys from my 55gal. Yes, if I was going to lose any fish I would prefer it to be my platys then my fry. So, then I took out the filter but left the CO2 and since then, since things have been going so good I added another platy and a guppy. All females and full grown to the tank and they are all fine. I also removed the Moss and the Anuabis plants and put them in the other beaslbob tank. So now the only plant in the tank is the Wisteria. I'm thinking that when all the plants in the other tank grow big enough I'm going to use these plants to plant my 55gal and get some new ones for these tanks and begin again. Will get some pics up again soon. The Wisteria has made full coverage of the sides of the tank and a pretty good background too. Also, some of them are starting to root into the substrate and pull themselves down so they are growing horizontal and it makes it look even fuller.


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