About to Kick off the 75.

[spoot]

Alright, been doing more research and reading and the 75G is still empty.

Here's the plan.

I've decided to forgo the high tech set up. It's just too much work. The wife and I are prone to take trips when I have long vacations from work, so I can't get into a daily dosing regime or high maintenance set up.

That means a few things are going to have to be changed in my system.

1. I'm going to ditch the T5s and go with a 3 or 4 bulb T8 set up. With my T5s there's just no way to keep from burning out my plants w/out high dosing/ferts and injected CO2. This was the main problem with my tank before. I was literally melting my plants with light and insufficient nutrients & CO2. My other option was to suspend the lights higher from the tank, but there's not really a good way to do that short of building either a ridiculous looking canopy, hanging them from the ceiling, or building some other support system. Too much work. Instead I went ahead and used up the rest of my in-store cred to get the matching canopy to go with my stand, and I'll mount some fixtures in it. I wanted to go w/out glass tops, but I think I would get too much condensation/splash on the bulbs.

2. I'm going to go with a soil substrate capped with inert gravel. I've been reading up on this extensively which is what has delayed my set up. Last time I just jumped in head first and it got me no where. This time I decided to study as much as I can to circumvent problems in the first place instead of scrambling to fix them. The plan is to use a thin layer of peat covered with a 1" layer of Miracle Gro Organic Choice. I'm also going to try find some red pottery clay at Hobby Lobby dry it out in the sun and powder it. I'll mix it in with the soil to provide iron for reds. I'll cap all of this with around 1.5" of fine gravel that has some flourite mixed in for good measure, or maybe some of that black diamond stuff I've read about, if the local TSC has it. I've also heard of SMS, but not sure what it is, or where to acquire.

3. This will be set up in the tank for a 2 week period before I add plants, and then another 2 weeks before I add fish. During this time I'll be monitoring for ammonia and trying to clear tannin that will undoubtedly leach out from the soil. Probably in the neighborhood of 25-50% water changes every 2 days followed by 25% every 3 days after adding the plants. I will be running my filter during this time to help clean up and also to start bacterial growth in it. I will not be running any type of mesh mechanical filtration, only a media basket full of ceramic cylinders.

Plants will be:
Hygro Corymbosa - Around Driftwood, Left Hand Side
Pygmy Chain Sword - Foreground
Red Tiger Lotus - Middle/Middle
Corkscrew Val - Back Corners to cover Heater, Filter Intake/Output
Wendtii Red Crypts -Scattered
India Red Sword - Middle Right Hand Side
I may see if I can get some Christmas Moss to grow on the driftwood, but have not had good luck with this in the past.

4. After the 1MO period I'll do one final test for ammonia and PH, do another 35-50% change to clean up and stock the fish. This is provided I can find a good supply of Boeseman Rainbows. If not, I'll just have to add those as I can find em. Total fish stocking will be actually really light.

8 Boeseman Rainbows
1 Red-Tailed Black Shark
2 Bristlenose Starlight Plecs [L183] (IF I can find em AND my PH holds in the right range... if not, plain ole BNs)

According to AQ Advisor this puts me at about 65% stocked. I really don't see me adding much more than this. Maybe some trumpet snails or amano shrimp but that'll be about it.

And really that's about it. If I need more water motion I'll add a powerhead.

Hope to actually get started this week. I work Mon -Tues - Weds so Thurs will be the planned start date. Even if the Canopy hasn't made it in I'm gonna go ahead and get the substrate going as that will be the most time consuming part of this set up.

Photos during the set up will be incoming as it goes along.

PS - I checked my calender and if nothing comes up I should be able to come to the meet and swap on the 20th in Mt. J. Good timing as this is when I'll be stocking fish as well. ;D

[kyangelsncorys]

im not sure where you live but if your coming to the swap meet if you will call CHRIS at the aquatic critter and tell him what you want and when you can pick them up he will order them for you and all you have to do is go by and pick them up

[bunnie1978]

1. I think I would keep the light and just change the on time, or if it's a 4 bulb fixture, just use two at a time to spread the life out that much longer.
2. To get the iron, I would recommend getting Oil-Dri ($3) at Walmart and add about 2-3 cups of it into the MG soil - maybe a little more. It's pure Montmorillinite clay - heavy on iron, but also other minerals. Very safe also. I used it as the only substrate for a while in a few tanks. Now I use it in all my regular house plants too. Black Diamond blasting grit. TSC will have it in 50lb bags. Both times I've purchased it, they had two grain sizes, get the bigger one. Trust me.
3. Don't need to do any of that. If the sand is rinsed well before you put in any water, it will be safe for plants and fish immediately (after clearing any cloudiness with your filter.) I've done that probably a dozen times now. I WOULDN'T wait - not even a day without putting the plants in. In fact, I would plant the plants after putting in the sand, before first fill up.

Some rainbows I've had (don't know which kind) ate a few of my more delicate plants.
A planted tank should be OVER STOCKED (compared to AQ's advisor) to be low maintenance. Pygmy Chain Sword has be used to describe a couple different plants... You would have trouble with some of them... can you be more specific? I don't know what a couple of the other plants you mentioned are, but as long as you have a mix of fast and slower growing plants you should be able to keep it low maintenance. I would really keep the T5 light though. You don't have to go high tech, just have to maintain a good mix. All in harmony.

[spoot]

Here's where I am after one water change.

So far the only problems I'm having.
1. The water is filthy. I'm sure this is dirt seeping up through the gravel. Something I will just have to deal with for the time being. For the first time ever, I'm gonna break out the magnum's micron filter and let it rip. If I can polish the water down some, I won't do another WC until I add plants to give time for things to settle.

2. I hate glass tops. It is impossible to keep them clean. After 2 days I already have build up from condensation evaporation.

3. My driftwood completely dried out so as you can see I'm having to weigh it down with some slate.

4. My PH is testing right at a 7.6 - 7.8 out of the tap. I'm hoping the peat in my dirt will bring the it down some, but I'm sure I won't get to true neutral or sub 7. I'll have to go back through my initial plant wishlist and modify. I think. Good news is that's right up Boeseman and Black Tail Shark alley though. Bad news, this kicks Starlight Plecos right out.










And as an extra bonus... I present Marty the Betta. The wife got him for me a few weeks back. He lives in a 3 Gallon sitting on my desk.

[Jess Puff]

Lookin good! I love Marty!

[spoot]

Plants in. Gonna give it a while more to stabilize before I add fish stock. I am starting to waffle ln Boeseman Rainbows slme. I would like skmething that will school a lot. My turquoise rainbows did a little... we'll see. I have a while to think on it. It will depend more on what my water stabilizes in in terms of PH and Hardness than anything.

[bnoel210]

Lookin good

[spoot]

Ya only complaint so far are the plants were a little smaller than expected. My red tiger lotus is actually one of those bulbs that i have never had any luck with. Two of my crypts were super tiny (one was only 3 stems with no roots or mass to speak of) . We'll see how they grow out though. Just croasing my fingers on the lotus. So far though I'm pretty happy with the lay out and rockwork. I am still having to weigh my driftwood down with some slate. It is almost neutral buoyant instead of floating tho. After 4 100% water changes and 2 days with a micron filter the water has went from mudhole to hazy.

[bunnie1978]

IS that vals you've got on the whole right side? They will cover up the bulky side of the driftwood. The sword you have was not grown underwater, so you will see the new leaves come in very different. As soon as you have one good sized leaf and a couple budding leaves on that, just trim out the rounder leaves. Crypts are notorius for melting away when the environment changes. If that happens, just leave it, it'll come back.

[spoot]

Apr 22, 2012 14:15:37 GMT -6 bunnie1978 said:

IS that vals you've got on the whole right side? They will cover up the bulky side of the driftwood. The sword you have was not grown underwater, so you will see the new leaves come in very different. As soon as you have one good sized leaf and a couple budding leaves on that, just trim out the rounder leaves. Crypts are notorius for melting away when the environment changes. If that happens, just leave it, it'll come back.

Ya I figured as much with the IRS. The leaves and stems felt too thick/waxy to have been grown submersed. Since putting them in Friday morning I have had a few red leaves start to bud out. Gonna give it a while more to re-root since I had to trim them to get it put of the pot.

That was the plan with the val and driftwood. The left side is going to be my shady side so i want the val to grow up to the surface. I am not a huge fan of the way the bulky end of that wood is cut. It's too squared so I wanted to camo it a bit.

I have had decent luck with crypts melting. If they do melt tho I'm expecting it.

The only other plants i want to add are either some java ferns or anubias nana on top of the slate on the right hand side. I have never had a whole lot of luck with javas tho for some reason.

Again my biggest worry is the red tiger lotus. It is one of those brown bulbs. Plant had not sprouted at all. I have NEVER been able to grow these. From what i understand you just sit the bulb on the substrate where you want it? You aren't supposed to plant it in the substrate right? I have tried these damn bulbs with regular green lotus, aponogetes and all they did was rot at the bottom of my tank until i took em out.

[bunnie1978]

It's a crap shoot with bulbs... I've had my fair share of rot! But then again, when they do come in, they grow fast and are really great to have behind some of your mid-height bushy plants - it's like they just spring up from nowhere. It wasn't dry when you got it I hope? If it was, it's that much worse. I'm a big fan of the darker reds and purples, but I'm not sure if you have the set up for much of that. There are a couple that can be grown in the mid-light tanks.

[spoot]

No the bulb was wet. I took that as a good sign. I dunno what the dealer i got it from will do if it doesn't grow. I'll give it a couple of weeks to see what happens and take it from there.

[ree123]

So,......do we plant the bulbs or sit them on the substrate or partially bury them ?
I'm not clear on this.

[bunnie1978]

You can plant them, but if you do, keep them very shallow, like just under the surface. That is the way I do it. But you might want to leave it on top until the first sprout if only so that it's where you can see it and it doesn't get lost and rot out in your bed.

[spoot]

What i read was to put them on the substrate until they sprout leaves then push them down in to the substrate. Pretty much what Bunnie said.