Scheming - El Natural

DataGuru · 06-24-2006, 10:24 PM

I'm thinking about trying to turn my 55 gallon cichlid tank into a NPT. It's currently hooked to my plant filter/trickle tower.

What I'm thinking about is using a combination of sand and potted plants. More specifically, I'm considering running a line of these planted baskets along the back of the tank and adding an amazon sword at one end and some sunset hygro at the other end. Then use sand and holey rock in the middle/front of the tank. Do you think that's enough plant mass and soil?

DataGuru · 06-26-2006, 09:15 PM

Bump

The tank has azurius, yellow labs and red top zebras. Here's how it looks currently.

John N. · 06-26-2006, 11:39 PM

Betty I'm definately no expert in this field, and I'll let others chime in. But I have to say your tank looks amazing! I've never seen a planted tank with a "live rock", coral wall type appearance. It simply looks like a saltwater type setup, but really a freshwater tank. Well done!

I'll add that I also think you should run with your amazon sword and hydro sunset at each end idea. Though an sword might need some room to spread.

-John N.

goldielovr · 06-27-2006, 09:34 AM

Hey Betty? Been looking at your plant filters and thinking . . . I seem to recall the woman who sort of co-ran the Pure Gold list had something like that on their outdoor goldie pond...I remember at the time thinking how wonderful and amazing that plants could do that and that I wish I understood as much as those two did about how to do that sort of thing--I know now the plants already know all they need to know, I just need to turn 'em loose and let them do their thing! Well...

That person's filter was a lo-ong box full of pothos and other plants similar to yours (she llived somewhere warm. Ga. or Fla. or somewhere.) I was thinking of taking your idea and turning it into somthing visually more attractive:

What if you went to your local glass cutters and had an 'aquarium' cut that was only about 8 inches high, but as long as your longest aquarium, and plumbed at each end to accomodate whatever piping and pumps you need. Wouldn't that be about the right height to place your plant filter above the aquarium like an aquatic window box, and be more visually attractive? Then you could elect to fit it up with the net or not, plant whatever plants you wanted in it and yet have it be more attractive than a tupperware tub with a gooseneck thingy over it? You could build any sort of wood or metal support behind it you liked--or I guess it could even be right *over* the aquarium if you were worried about a pump out!--and it could have its own bank of lights or share the aquariums' lights.

Does that sound nice? Do-able?

Melis

DataGuru · 06-27-2006, 07:31 PM

Thanks John. That's mostly texas holey rock (limestone). You're right on the amazon sword. The one in my 125 NPT takes up a LOT of space. Perhaps I should go with a kleiner bar or a barthii.

Hi Melis: Yea, that should work.

or one of those plastic window boxes. Wouldn't add much water volume to the tank tho.

goldielovr · 06-28-2006, 08:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DataGuru

Hi Melis: Yea, that should work.

or one of those plastic window boxes. Wouldn't add much water volume to the tank tho.

and is adding more volume part of the reason for having one of these?

DataGuru · 06-28-2006, 09:39 PM

I figure that the same amount of fish in more water dilutes nitrAtes.

DataGuru · 06-29-2006, 06:09 AM

Back on topic... In the cichlid tank, the planted basket idea would result in soil in less than half the tank. Rocks and sand in the rest of the tank. I'm worried that wouldn't be enough soil, especially given the fish load. But given that cichlids dig, I can't see adding soil to the entire tank.

Miss Fishy · 07-05-2006, 03:12 AM

Lovely tank, Betty! Often I don't like the look of cichlid tanks but yours is beautiful.

So, you are thinking of removing the plant filter and trickle tower, and just using potted plants in the tank to filter the water, right? If you think the amount of soil and plants in the pots may not provide enough filtration, why not just get rid of the trickle filter and keep the plant filter? Also, how deep do the cichlids dig? If you had a two inch layer of gravel over the top of the soil, would they still be able to get to the soil and stir it up?

From Alex.

DataGuru · 07-05-2006, 08:13 AM

I redid the cichlid tank yesterday.
Ran a row of the baskets along the back of the tank. They're 10" long by 2.5" wide with around an inch of soil covered by gravel covered by rocks. one has sunset hygro, two have sag subulata and one has jungle vals. There's also a 6"x6" corner basket with a decent sized amazon sword in it with around 2" of soil, then craft mesh, then gravel and rocks on top. and another potted amazon sword at the other end. The tank has 576 square inches of bottom space and I'm estimating the soil only covers about 25% of that. So you're probably right that it isn't enough to handle the fish load.

In front of that are the holey rocks sitting on egg crate. I added play sand in front.

The trickle tower/plant filter is still hooked up and I'm mulling over the best way to set it up to be able to lose the trickle tower.

When I pulled the corner pot to replant it (It had sag subulata in kitty litter planted thru craft mesh to keep the goldies out), the cichlids had removed ALL the gravel from on top of the craft mesh and it was at least an inch thick. So I'm not optimistic that any reasonably sized layer of gravel would keep them from excavating up the soil.