chrislewistx

Hello,

This is the start of my first tank journal. All the gory details in one convenient place.
I have had planted tanks in the past, along with freshwater fish only tanks, and saltwater tanks with live rock, and fish. Along with tree frogs, and the usual assortment of starter reptiles. However, I haven't had any kind of tank in 6-7 years or longer. My freshwater aquariums from the past would have been considered low tech, and easy plants. Swords, Java ferns, and moss, dwarf sag, Anubias etc.

I am calling this tank, My East Texas Redneck Garden Hodge Podge Garden. It's a little bit of this, and a little bit of that. This is not an aquascape per say, more of an aquatic plant garden. My attempt to see if I can keep plants alive.

Comments, suggestions, etc are always welcome. I would really like to hear some suggestions for fish inverts, or other plants.

• Oceanic 20 gallon long tank
• Flourite substrate
• 1 x Coralife T5NO dual 18 watt bulb fixture, and 1x T12NO 20 watt bulb fixture
  
• Fluval 206 canister filter
• No heater, tank stays aprox. 76f
• Pressurized CO2
  
• Two pieces of driftwood
• No fish at this time, I WOULD LOVE SOME SUGGESTIONS I change my mind every day
• 6.4PH 3dkh, temp 76f
• With the following plants:
• Cabomba, Amazon Sword, Java Fern, Anubias Nana petite, Limnophila Aromatica, Rotala Macrandra, Rotala Sp. Colorata, Ludwigia Inclinata Var. Verticillata Cuba, Ranunculus Inundatus, Ludwigia Arcuata, Ludwigia Sp. Rubin, Rotala Mexicana Goias, Eleocharis Belem, Cyrpt Moiya (supposedly), Lysimachia Nummularia, Rotala sp. 'Green'
  

Start date: July 16th, 2012

I was still in the research stage and couldn’t stand it anymore. I had to get my hands wet, and wanted something to practice and experiment on. Craig’s List is where I found my little gem. It’s old, I would say 2000, or earlier, model Oceanic brand, 20 gallon long tank. It is very old school. That is, it still has the brown, faux, oak wood looking trim, but I like it. Also, $25 for a tank, stand, light, and assorted accessories I could not pass up. In addition to the intial tank, stand, and misc junk purchase I bought the CO2 system, Coralife fixture, Fluval 206, liquid and dry ferts.

I purchased two plant packages from hobbyist via the for sale forum, and a starter package from one of the well-known online retailers. The online retailer, shipped promptly, the shipping charge was fair, and the plant prices seemed reasonable. However, most of the plants arrived in poor condition. Leaves brown, or ripped and torn, broken stems from damage in transit. The packaging was not secure the inner bag with the plants could move all around inside the box. Also, the plants where all in one bag and it was too large and they could slide all around the bag. Hence the broken stems and torn leaves.

The plants from the hobbyist where EXCELLENT. The prices where great, and the plants were very high quality. I recommend to anyone else starting out, and purchasing your first plants to get them via the for sale forum from other hobbyist. or join a local plant club.


The plants went in the tank, and I was off and running.


As you will see from the pictures it was a cloudy nasty looking mess. It did start clearing up progressively every day. However, I still have yellowish water. Tannins from the wood, and things settling in I suppose. I should have taken time to soak/boil the wood to remove tannins, and aid in sinking the wood. Currently I have to use rocks to keep them down. At the end of the second week I was able to remove the rock from the smaller piece of driftwood.

First week, every day I changed 25% of the water daily for the first week. The second week I went to water changes every two to three days.

I did not dose any nutrients or CO2 for the first two weeks.

At the beginning of the third week I started CO2 and dosing dry ferts for macros, and Flourish for micros. I am starting off with very small amounts and trying to ramp up.

Here are the main events of the first two weeks

• · It was hard to keep the newly planted stem plants in place. However, This got better after the first week.

• · Also, at first I planed the stems in bunches, several stems together. However, I found it better to plant them as single stems.
• · The Rotala Macrandra, was nice and red when I got it. However, towards the end of the second week it turned green, and the tops melted. I trimmed away the dead tissue and replanted it.
• · Small bits of thread algae appeared during the second week. Mainly on the driftwood and the rocks holding it down. However, some was on the plants too. I think this was the result of my nitrates and phosphates being out of balance. I have continued to clean it out by hand each day. Also, I have started dosing nutrients and CO2. I will continue this for a while to see if it helps. If not then I will move on to another variable.
  
• · The water is still stained yellow from the tannins, but its not near as bad. Looking at the tank from the front its not as noticeable in person. However, you can see more of the stained water when you look at the tank from the side.
  
• · As early as the end of the first week I can tell the plants are growing. They are getting taller, and putting out new growth.
• The hair or thread algae has not increased. Its about the same amount every day.
  

Below are some full tank pictures that hopefully show some of the progress. Yes you will notice some plants have been moved around. This was the result of my poor planting choices. I'm not having much luck attaching images, so how about a link to a flickr album of the pictures? I will try to edit it with the actual pictures tomorrow.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisle...7630849243118/


Sorry this was so long, but I had two full weeks to catch up on.

Michael

Very nice! It will look ggreat when it grows in.

Flourite is notorious for initial cloudiness, but it always clears quickly.

With your water, Apistograma cichlids would do well. They are small, colorful, rarely damage plants, and have very interesting behavior. You would still have room for several other species--a peaceful schooling fish would be a good combination with the apistos.

Silvering

I like your choice of hardscape, hopefully you'll be able to remove that rock soon!

For fish, smaller is definitely better. (Apologies to the monster fish keepers.) Maybe check out the threads on nano-suitable fish, you could get a huge school of something tiny in there!

As far as posting photos go, flickr requires far more annoying hoops to jump through than a reasonable image host like photobucket. (LOL) Behold the power of Googling instructions: just go to the "Share" menu above the photo, drop down and select "Grab the HTML/BBCode" and select "BBCode". Copy and paste. Ta-da!

080112 021 by chrislewistx, on Flickr

chrislewistx

Thank you for the kind words guys.

Also, thank you Silvering for the photo attachement lesson. I will have to check out the fish for nano tank threads. I like the idea of a big school of tiny fish.

Michael, would any of the LFS in Dallas be a good source for Apistos?

The flow around the tank is starting to bother me. I think the plants at the back and the size of the hardscape makes the setup too dense at the moment. I am going to see how it goes though. I dont really like the Cabomba.

Michael

Chris, apistos tend to sell quickly when they come in, so call ahead. Fish Gallery often has one species or another, and I think Rift-to-Reef also has them from time to time. R-T-R will special order, and will even ship fish to you.

chrislewistx

Thanks Michael,

That was exactly why I was asking. I remember it being the same way on my previous trek through the aquarium hobby.

How about shrimp? Do any of the local stores carry them. I am interested in some "starter" shrimp. Perhaps Amanos or RCS???? I am starting to do some research on keeping shrimp. Perhaps I should let the tank stabilize with fish before adding the shrimps, or maybe I should add the shrimp first.

In the next week or so I am planning to visit Dallas for fish. Although, I really like it with only plants at the moment.. lol Maybe that is some kind of character flaw of mine slipping out. lol

Aquat

I find placing alot of paper towels, and I mean ALOT of paper towels when filling up is a great way to help absorb the discolor. That's what I did with my flourite and "WOW!", it's like crystal clear! It's almost as if though I was looking through a window.

Michael

I suggest red cherry shrimp. Some people say Amanos are just as easy to keep alive (but not breed), but they died like flies on a hot screen door in my tanks. Fish Gallery does carry them, but so many people now breed them that you can get better quality and prices from a hobbyist. Check our own club, or DFW Fish Box.

Put them in the tank before the fish, that way they have a chance to find the hiding places and maybe breed before the predators arrive. But I warn you, virtually all fish regard shrimp as delicious, and apistos are especially diligent shrimp hunters.

chrislewistx

Well I am one month into the setup of my 20 gallon long tank. I think it is going well. I have learned a few things and experienced some troubles and success. It has all been enjoyable though, and I am having a great time with it.

I was planning to add cherry shrimp before I bought fish. However, my cousin surprised me with five glow-light tetras. This was a thank you for working on a house for her mom and dad. She never understood why I didn't have any fish. I explained several times, but I still ended up with five fish I didn't really want.

Also, I had issues with hair/ thread algae. For some reason I never thought to take a picture of that. It has been easy to remove with a toothbrush. Also, I switched to a 4/4/4 siesta lighting schedule. In addition, I am not adding any ferts this week.

The other problem I had was flow. I am using a Fluval 206. However, with the dense plants at the back of the tank, and the large driftwood I didn't feel I was getting enough flow. So I added a HOB filter that came with the Craig's List purchase of the tank.

At first I used two large rocks to hold the driftwood down. I was able to remove the rock from the smaller piece a week ago. This past weekend I removed the rock from the larger piece of driftwood. However, it still floated because I didn't have it buried in the Flourite. I moved a lot of the substrate to secure the driftwood and it stirred up all kinds of junk. I had a good deal of hair algae at that time, and was already considering thinning out the Cabomba on the back wall of the tank. It was time for my weekly water change so it seemed liked a good time to rescape.
Full tank pictures before the rescape
08/03/2012

08032012 by chrislewistx, on Flickr

08/10/2012 after water change, and right before I stirred up the tank messing with the driftwood

08102012 by chrislewistx, on Flickr

I buried the driftwood where it would stay in place, and thinned out the Cabomba. Also, I placed some Ludwigia palustris in the back left corner, from my emersed grow box. Then I cleaned up the tangle of rotala sp. green at the front of tank. I thinned it out, and also moved the taller stems to the background. It is growing well, and the emersed leaves are being replaced by submerged growth. Also, added some Taiwan moss to the driftwood on the right. (a week or so ago)

Full tank shot the day after the rescape 08/13/2012. It looks bare and like all my growth is gone, but I like it. It just needs to grow in some. Also, I want to add something else to the back left corner. Maybe something that looks similar to L. Aromatica, or something that would balance with the Creeping Jenny.

08132012 by chrislewistx, on Flickr

Also, I have what is supposed to be Rotala Mexicana Goias, but I'm not sure it is. Does this look like Rotala Mexicana Goias to anyone? The crypt in this picture is supposed to be Moiya, but I am not sure about it either.

center 08132012 by chrislewistx, on Flickr

Right side of the tank is doing well. Creeping Jenny is growing well, although not my favorite plant. The L. Aromatica is growing well, and I really like it. You can't tell from the photos but the upper growth is starting to turn red. The Bellem hair grass at the front was growing taller but not spreading. Since I was reworking things I pulled it, trimmed the roots and tops to see if it would stimulate growth. Annubias Nana is growing and another little green crypt has emerged from the gravel.


08132012 right side by chrislewistx, on Flickr

As mentioned before on the left side I cleaned out some Cabomba, and added Ludwigia palustris. Also, I moved some Rotala Sp. Green to the back. In an attempt to cover the smooth cut edge of the driftwood I took Hydrocotyle leucocephala and cut it short. Then planted it along the left side. I like the look of it, but want to replace it with Ranunculus inundatus at some point.

08132012 left by chrislewistx, on Flickr

For fish I really want pygmy cories after I add some shrimp. I also keep bouncing back and forth between cardinals and micro rasboras or more likely both.

chrislewistx

Well my aquarium is doing well, at least in my opinion. If nothing else it is very enjoyable. However, colectoritis has really gotten a hold of me. I am cramming plants in everywhere I can.

After the last DFWAPC meeting I added: anubias minima, mini riccia, mini pella, crypt wendtii, h. polysperma sunset, heteranthera zosterfifolia, l. repens, bylxa japonica, anubias bateri coffeefolia, and hydrocotyle sibthorpioides. Also, I was able to acquire some shrimp, and I complied with newbie planted tank guidelines and added some cardinals. So far the fish and shrimp are cohabiting well. Whenever I feed the fish I whisper to them that the shrimp taste horrible, and carry guns.

I do still have some brown, hair like algae, or fungus growth. It is mainly on the driftwood on the right, and in the Cabomba. It is easy to remove with a toothbrush, and seems to be taking longer to grow back now. There are a couple of pictures below. If anyone has any ideas what it is I would appreciate any feedback.

When I started setting up this tank I was determined to only have one tank. However, this one seems to have spawned three nano canisters, a nano betta tank with no fish, and an emersed grow box.

08252012 019 by chrislewistx, on Flickr
Full tank shot as of this evening, 08/25/2012

Planted nano by chrislewistx, on Flickr
planted nano canisters

08252012 039 by chrislewistx, on Flickr
old Azoo betta bowl I still had from the old days.

08252012 003 by chrislewistx, on Flickr
emersed grow box, assorted plants and a homemade wabi-kusa

08252012 022 by chrislewistx, on Flickr
Mystery brown funk, any idea what this is?

08252012 023 by chrislewistx, on Flickr
More of the mystery funk

08252012 007 by chrislewistx, on Flickr
some of my little shrimp friends