Kubalik

Hello all !

I am setting up a 22 gal tank for blue german rams . It will be semi-NPT . Semi because i ll be using eco-complete as the topper and there will be not much of sun light. i ll be using canister filter for mostly mechanical filtration plus some bacteria holding media.
Thats how its gonna look ( plus soil, eco-complete, and plants).


The plants will be:
Frazeri (Anubias 'Frazeri')
Sword, Red Melon (Echinodorus Barthii v. "red melon")
Hygrophila balsamica (Hygrophila balsamica)
Ludwigia Peruensis (Ludwigia peruensis)
Dwarf Baby Tears (Hemianthus callitrichoides)(potted)
Subulata, Dwarf (Sagittaria subulata) 10 Plants per order
Telanthera Rosefolia (Alternanthera reineckii)
Wendtii, Red (Cryptocoryne wendtii)
Wendtii, Green (Cryptocoryne wendtii)
Wendtii, Bronze (Cryptocoryne wendtii v. ‘Tropica’)

They will be getting 40 watts for 12-14 hrs and additional 20 watts for for around 4 hours in the mid day(within those 12-14hrs)

Anyone with similar fish/plants setup please share some expieriance.

Thank you .

P.S. Thank you Shiruk for all ur helpful input on PMs . Hope my rams will be as happy as ur goldfish

yum

man, i am so loving the look of these tanks without framed edges.

sorry i don't have any experience to share but it looks like it will be a great set up.

Kubalik

Thank you Yum !
I fell in love with this tank once i saw it . Found out that they have a store in Brooklyn NY , went there and came back with it price wasnt too bad neither 3 bucks per gallon They make them from 5 gallons to 39 gallons.
I am just waiting for the eco complete to come and i ll be setting it up shortly . Soil is being mineralized for about 2 weeks now .Weather has been good so it dries fast . New canister filter c-160 just came in today . This time next week it will be up and running I am gonna wait probobly 2-4 weeks before adding blue rams as i read they need well established water .
I ll keep updating this Thread .
Thanks for stopping by yum

2oto&acory&not.much.else

i'd love updates. i plan on something very similar. I'm going w/ soil and Eco- complete, with a canister as well. I love Blue Rams! Never had them before though so not sure if they'll be in my tank

tames

Curious as to why people are using Eco-Complete as a topper rather than gravel or sand? I have it in one of my tanks (no other substrate), and it is very gravel like. Had quite a nutrient spike for a few weeks too (lots of algae). After about 6 weeks tank is now pretty good.

I would think soil + EcoComplete would be overkill on the ferts. But, I have seen people here use Miracle Grow potting soil as a substrate with success too! They did have a nutrient spike for a while though. I guess what I'm saying is, if you get a lot of algae at first, don't be too concerned. The EcoComplete by itself is quite rich.

cs_gardener

I had Eco-Complete by itself in one tank and my plants grew okay. I then read about a soil underlayer and decided to try it. I liked the look, size, and weight of the Eco so I reused it instead of getting something different. My plants, especially crypts, took off. I had some Eco left over so I used it as a top layer for the next tank I set up.

Then there's the fact that I don't like searching all around town for supplies, I'm lazy and prefer online shopping, so I picked up some more Eco when I saw a good deal since it's worked for me. I have tried a couple other substrates as a cap layer and they're okay but I don't like them as well.

bratyboy2

i have my female german blue ram just kicking it in my 10 gallon NPT and loves it.... should be good

Kubalik

Yeah I like eco-complete for its look and they come with two different colors black and red . I lan to use both colors hoping that its not gonna mix up and stay that way for years .
By the way looks like i am having a spike in my 55 gal which has regular gravel and cheapest soil i could find . every day i see more algees for like 3 days now . i guess i shouldnt worry about it too much but i reduced feeding , hoping fish will eat some of the algea also .

Kubalik

HI all
Just an update on my 22 gal , I got soil in ...:

notice that the rock is sittting on the glass.

and got eco-complete in :



now just waiting on the plants

another update tommorow i hope.

Revernance

Kubalik- Just wondering about that rock in the left corner. Is it sitting on the glass or on top of the substrate? If it's sitting on top of all the substrate, it could cause anaerobic pockets later on.