[Wet Thumb Forum]-30Gal NPT with DIY Canopy

[onemyndseye]

Tank Details:

water-
-----------
PH 7.2
GH 90ppm or so
KH still invesigating - test kit reads like 20 degress
Temp 75f

Mechanics-
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Cheap-o Jebo Odyssea cs4 Canister filter - sponge only - Horizontal spraybar
Overflow and sump setup for extra circulation and volume (independant from the Canister filter) with DIY verticle spraybar

Lights-
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2x 30watt NO
1x 15watt NO (for sunrise/sunset effect)
Lunar light
Home built canopy (pictured)


Wildlife- (TOOOOO many)
----------------------
1 African dwarf frog
10 Neons
6 Rasboras (uknown sub sp. - has scissor tail)
8 White Clouds
2 Adult Sunburst Platys
3 small offspring from above
8 Z. Danios
5 Glo Lite Tetra
2 Black Shirt Tetra
3 Common Pleco
1 "Chocolate Albino" Pleco
3 Sp Corys
3 Albino Corys
20 or so ghost shrimp
and Countless MTS, Black and Gold Mystery snails and Red Ramshorn

Plants-
-----------------
the "Hard to Kill" package Plus the following:
Rotalia Indica
Red Temple
P. Gayii
L. Repens
Hygro Costata

Substrate is sifted soil from my front yard. VERY VERY finely sifted with a window screen. Came out the texture of river silt. about 1-1.5 inch under a 1-2inch layer of gravel


Tank is about at the 2 month mark as of now. Everything is wonderful. very very easy tank to take care of. No water changes so far and No3 is staying around 8-10ppm.

Everything is growing in nicely and its now time to start re-aranging the plants abit.... suggestions needed please

Enjoy!
-Justin
One Mynds Eye

PICs
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****EDIT TO REPOST PICS****

[onemyndseye]

Tank View 2

[onemyndseye]

Panoram view 1 (starts right to left)

[onemyndseye]

Panoram 2

[onemyndseye]

Panoram 3

[onemyndseye]

Panoram 4

[dwalstad]

The tank looks very much like a good home for the fish. I think your tank is evidence that an El Naturale tank can handle plenty of fish without problems!

Make sure that you prune plants once in awhile, so that the tank continues to do well.

Your "panaram1.jpg" picture looks like the Java Fern (one beind the white rock) is planted in the substrate. Java Fern do much better with their roots not buried. I'd attach these plants with clear plastic thread or fishing line to the driftwood and rocks-- if it were my tank.

If the driftwood is sitting on top of the soil, I'd check it every once in awhile to make sure the underside isn't rotting.

However, these are minor issues. I'm not sure you need to do anything else but enjoy it.

Thanks for posting the photos!

[GuppiesRfun]

Dear Ms. Walstad, That was great news about the Java Fern. I just kind dropped my friend's Java Fern in my tank as I "babysat" it. It is doing superbly. I did pot it in the fancy goldfish tank to keep the fish away from it but I think it's become uprooted there. Anyway, it's all staying in one place, the goldfiah and the other fish aren't bothering it. When and if my friend ever wants it back it will have multiplied beyond my wildest dreams. It is healthy and green and not holey-no ones eating it. There's no algae on it. There's an algae eater in one tank, a clown loach in another tank and the goldfish in the other. Could this be why? Our could the ramshorn snails have something to do with keeping the algae down? There is algae covering the sides of the goldie tank-it gets sun, but not much on the Java-thanx-Paula

Originally posted by Diana Walstad:
The tank looks very much like a good home for the fish. I think your tank is evidence that an El Naturale tank can handle plenty of fish without problems!

Make sure that you prune plants once in awhile, so that the tank continues to do well.

Your "panaram1.jpg" picture looks like the Java Fern (one beind the white rock) is planted in the substrate. Java Fern do much better with their roots not buried. I'd attach these plants with clear plastic thread or fishing line to the driftwood and rocks-- if it were my tank.

If the driftwood is sitting on top of the soil, I'd check it every once in awhile to make sure the underside isn't rotting.

However, these are minor issues. I'm not sure you need to do anything else but enjoy it.

Thanks for posting the photos!