theblondskeleton

So, I had some surgery that kept me from my tank long enough for just about everything to grow a lovely beard of various algaes. So, after some deliberation, I salvaged what I could from the remaining plants and rescaped. The tank is three weeks in, and is filling in FAST. Here are my specs:

HARDWARE:

90 gallon All-Glass tank (with hideous white oak trim and stand)
XP3 Canister
El Cheapo Jebo canister (soon to be modded for CO2)
Pressurized CO2 with Milwaukee Regulator/solenoid and pH controller - CO2 @ ~30+ppm (pH @ 6.5, KH of 4.479)
6x54W T5 HO lights, Photoperiod: 7hrs Full Intensity


IN THE TANK:

Fauna:
5 Angels
11 Harlequin Rasboras
1 Farlowella Acus
1 Bristlenosed Pleco
2 Dwarf Blue Gouramis
2 Dwarf Red Sunset Gouramis
5 White Cloud Minnows
6 Otocinclus

Flora:
Rotala Indica (or Macrandra, whichever of these is accurate)
Limnophila Aromatica
Lobelia Cardinalis
Red Melon Sword
Didiplus Diandra
Ludwigia Brevipes
Narrow Leaf Java Fern
Cryptocoryne Wendtii Red
Crypt Lutea (?)
Hemianthus Callatrichoides
Hemianthus Micranthemoides
Alteranthera Reneckii

Hardscape and Substrate:
Inert resin aquarium gravel (base layer)
ADA Amazonia
Fluorite Black Sand (Top layer foreground)
Zebra Stone
Malaysian Driftwood
I have a long-term plan for this tank, and hopefully I will eventually have the funds and opportunity to realize my desired plant choices soon. Here is my plan for the ultimate layout:



Here is where the tank stands as of today:

Overall, the tank looks good, though it's a little spare on height. When the Limno and Rotala grow in, they'll contribute most of the vertical interest.



The rotala jungle... Ultimately, I'll thin this out and it will be replaced by Pogostemon Stellatus broad leaf. The Crypt here has been trimmed back considerably, and will be growing in much more densely.



The HC is creeping in rather quickly. Now if I could get the Angels to stop ripping it up, I'd be golden... The Lobelia is fun, and I love the rhythm the leaf shape creates with the other plants, but I'd like to replace this bunch with a small grove of blyxa japonica backed by a fence of taller taller aubertii.



Again, I like the didiplis diandra, but I'm going for a different look ultimately. I'll move the driftwood to the left side of the aquarium to give weight to the light brightness that side will have when the other plants are installed.



I’m dosing ferts regularly, but I’m switching to PPS method as soon as my KNO3 arrives. As of now, I’m using the PMDD mix and K2SO4 from aquariumfertilizer.com.

Right now, I’m having another BBA issue, and I’ve cranked up my CO2 to over 30ppm. I’m also spot-treating with Excel. I’m going to cut back my photoperiod to 5 hrs full intensity, and maybe have only 2 bulbs going for a couple hours after that. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks for checking my tank out!

Sean

rjfurbank

Welcome back and thanks for posting!

I have a 90 gallon as well and will enjoy watching yours progress. I really like your long term plan so will be watching to see how it develops.

I really like how you've worked the crypts in among the rocks on the left side in the midground.

Good luck w/ the BBA. I 'm trying to rid this from my tank now as well. Don't have any magic answers--I have been cranking the CO2 and upping nitrates but still have it. Getting tired of spot treating w/ excel. I recently added some purigen to my filter to see if this helps--may have too much of a build up of organics. . .

Anyway--great looking tank--keep us posted!

-Roy

theblondskeleton

Thanks Roy!

Your tank was a bit of an inspiration for me. Your plants always look so healthy, and mine were so spindly that I compared our specs. Most of what I was lacking was adequate lighting. For tanks as deep as 90 gallons are, the T5HO are the only way to go. Since then, I've had amazing growth, so thanks!

davemonkey

Good work, Sean! I REALLY like how you drew out a design/plan for the long-term for us to see. The scape, as it stands now, is also quite nice with rich colors and textures.

-Dave

tex627

I think the 2nd scape would look nicer w/o that piece of DW and that large broad leaved plant behind the piece of driftwood. Besides that I think your scape looks great.

Veloth

Glad to hear you've recovered enough to start an amazing looking tank. Will definitely subscribe to this one.

rjfurbank

Thanks for the kind compliment! And glad you're getting good growth--really looking forward to seeing how your layout progresses.

Keep us posted.

theblondskeleton

09/12/09

Thanks for the encouragement!

Davemonkey: I’m glad you appreciate the map. I drew that up a couple months ago. It’s given me something to focus on in the long term. I borrowed ideas from tanks I have seen here on APC and elsewhere. It helps me a lot to have the plan set before I start throwing things in there, or I tend to let the collectoritis take over

Veloth: Thanks! I hope I keep it interesting

The BBA has stopped advancing thanks to good info found in the ancient forums. I found that some people were finding their CO2 readings/calculations to be inaccurate. I assumed I was experiencing a similar phenomenon and lowered my pH controller another 0.2. The BBA stopped in its tracks. The fish are handling it well, but the gouramis are at the surface more often now. I may raise my spraybar a bit to further agitate the surface and get some more O2 in there, but if I do, I’ll need to come up with a better CO2 reactor. As it stands I have a glass diffuser, and it’s a little less efficient than I’d like.

I visited my LFS today just in time to catch the newest plant shipment. Lo and behold, they had some pogostemon stellatus broad leaf, blyxa japonica, and blyxa aubertii. I hadn’t anticipated this, but I picked them up anyhow. There was only one stem of the aubertii, so I’ll have to separate that out as it grows in, and maybe find more of it later (if I can). There was plenty of the stellatus and japonica, so I loaded up. This is a pretty good step toward the final layout, so I’m pretty jazzed.

Here’s a before and after:




I’m not sure how I feel about the driftwood placement. It wasn’t a part of my original plan, but I love the shape of the piece, and it’s good eatin’ for my bristlenose pleco. Perhaps I should remove the Java fern? Or simply pull the whole piece? Any feedback would help on that one. I’m a little stumped (haha… yeeeeah sorry about that…).

I moved some stuff around, trimmed a lot, and got rid of the bunch of lobelia in the center midground. The stellatus is still in emersed form, so it’s stocky and very green. The blyxa was also a bit leggy, so it’ll take a bit to fill in. I moved the aromatica to the other side. It’s looking amazing, and growing about as fast as I’ve ever seen the stuff grow. It must like what I’m doing. HC is spreading nicely, but I understand high-maintenance now . My crypts melted back a bit after I increased the CO2, but that seems to have stopped. They needed a little reboot anyhow. They seem to grow back stronger and prettier after a little melt-off.

My KNO3 should be arriving tomorrow, so I’m excited to get started with PPS, though I won’t officially start the cycle until Saturday, just to keep the schedule regular and easy to manage.

Anyhow, I’ll let all this fill in and color up and update again in a couple weeks.

dewalltheway

Good to hear you are feeling better and back at it. Your tank looks great and really I like the first scape better then the second. My opinion, I think it would look really nice without the driftwood and just go with the rocks. The DW just seems out of place as does the java fern.

theblondskeleton

Thanks for the comments, guys. I agree about the driftwood. I moved it yesterday a little to the left and the placement is better, but it does still feel out of place. I may wait until the stellatus converts to see how it looks, but it's likely I'll be taking it and the Java Fern out.

As for the broad leaved plant - that's the Pogostemon Stellatus. It does look pretty ridiculous right now. It's currently in it's emersed form, but the crown is already converting to submersed leaves. They will be more slender, plentiful, and (if I dose properly) a much prettier shade of pink/orange. Here is a picture from another APC member's tank of the plant converted and healthy:

http://www.greenstouch.com/images/ga..._stellatus.jpg

I hope mine look that healthy when the time comes!