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Post by fermentedhiker on Feb 8, 2017 19:51:18 GMT -5
Wanna do something like this  That might be a tough look to replicate with the plants you've mentioned so far, but dwarf sag or micro sword would work and they don't need a ton of light. |
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Post by Sean (90 reef, fw rack sys) on Feb 8, 2017 19:54:07 GMT -5
Once I break down the reef and clean everything up, I want to slowly start working on it. Made a box the same size as the tank so I can start planning placement of certain items. Have a bunch of rocks and driftwood from her old tank (one of which would be perfect for that tree trunk
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Post by Sean (90 reef, fw rack sys) on Feb 8, 2017 19:56:34 GMT -5
Oh I'm open to any types of plants
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Post by fermentedhiker on Feb 8, 2017 20:03:51 GMT -5
Once I break down the reef and clean everything up, I want to slowly start working on it. Made a box the same size as the tank so I can start planning placement of certain items. Have a bunch of rocks and driftwood from her old tank (one of which would be perfect for that tree trunk Definitely start a build thread to keep us posted when you get started. |
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Post by Sean (90 reef, fw rack sys) on Feb 8, 2017 20:04:33 GMT -5
I just don't want something like this  That's just too much |
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Post by fermentedhiker on Feb 8, 2017 20:07:37 GMT -5
Yeah Dutch style planted tanks can start to look like random jungles. The "natural aquarium" and Iwagumi types are a lot more striking, but more work to maintain as you have to constantly trim to keep it looking that manicured.
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Post by Sean (90 reef, fw rack sys) on Feb 8, 2017 20:14:31 GMT -5
Yeah Dutch style planted tanks can start to look like random jungles. The "natural aquarium" and Iwagumi types are a lot more striking, but more work to maintain as you have to constantly trim to keep it looking that manicured. that's why I was thinking more slow growers so I don't have to deal with so much pruning |
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Post by spotfin on Feb 8, 2017 21:01:41 GMT -5
Any plans yet for fish?
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Post by georgemygoldfish on Feb 20, 2017 11:14:00 GMT -5
Sorry so late to reply. I have a bunch of freshwater planted tanks. Low tech and hi tech. I use pool sand in all of them, except my PRL shrimp tank which has ADA Amazonia. Be careful with doing miracle grow and a sand cap with chichlids and they like to dig and will make a mess. The pretty sand cap will just get mixed in with the soil. They're also a challenge with plants, but ought to be okay with most of the low light plants as most of them are too tough to eat (except crypts). But they will uproot them, and have special water requirements. My favorite tank is my high tech 40g community tank of little schoolers. I've got cardinal tetras, pseudomaguil gertrudae ARU II, threadfin rainbowfish, a boatload of panda cories, Bloody Mary dwarf freshwater shrimp, Otos and a beta. I love that tank. With all the smaller fish I can have a lot of variety and there's always movement and action in the tank. My favorites are the panda cories and threadfins. Cory's are just plain clowns. A good school of them is really comical! But the threadfins are the most elegant of fish. The Japanese call them 'hummingbird fish'. They have long elegand fins, plus one one top that they constantly pop up and down to impress the ladies. Here's a video of them: I love it when people look at that tank. The threadfins always surprise them with their little dances. If you go low tech, no strong lighting or you'll get algae on the slower growing plants. Just enough for display lighting will do fine. Feel free to PM me any time with   -Sharon |
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Post by georgemygoldfish on Feb 20, 2017 11:14:20 GMT -5
Oh and hey, get some rip rap off the side of the road. The rip rap they use here in Maine looks just like seriu stone which is $$$$$ |
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Post by Sean (90 reef, fw rack sys) on Mar 8, 2017 17:25:57 GMT -5
OK...Update Tank has been filled and running for 2 weeks now using RO/DI water.No miracle grow but did put some fertilizer sticks in gravel. The pink flowers on the left are some fake silk flowers. Felt the need for some color.  Plants (added immediately) are: 3 Potted Water Sprite 3 Potted Dwarf hairgrass 2 Potted Moneywort 1 Amazon Sword 2 Anubis sp Nana 1 Packaged unknown "background plant" with really pink leaves for the tree on far right Fish added 6 Glotetras (I know, tacky. They're for the grandkids) 5 Dwarf neon Rainbows 1 really nice looking red tail shark Planning on getting 20 shrimp tomorrow. Forgot em today. Also plan on a trio of rams at some point, but not right off. Looking for some ideas for different/ out of the ordinary that would fit into this mix |
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Post by Vijay Glenburn on Mar 8, 2017 18:17:23 GMT -5
Looks nice Sean. I like the 2 islands and the curving trail in between them.
Vijay
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Post by fermentedhiker on Mar 8, 2017 18:43:42 GMT -5
What kind of shrimp you getting? If they are small like RCS then just know that the praecox rainbows will munch on the smaller ones.
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Post by georgemygoldfish on Mar 9, 2017 8:02:39 GMT -5
Any kind of fish will munch the babies. Except Otos. The key to introducing shrimp is to wait until the plants grow in enough so there are lots of hiding places for the babies, and get Neos. They breed prolifically.... Cardinias need special water parameters and that substrate probably won't provide the lower pH you need. You can also make little hiding places by tying moss onto plastic tubing. And if you 'rough up' the outside of the tubing the moss will grow better on it. I have Bloody Marys in my community tank. The PRLs get their own tank. Moss is the *best* hiding place for babies.... Not sure how the dwarf hair grass will do without high light and CO2. You could use moss for the carpet, and although I've never grown it fermentedhiker said dwarf sag or micro aren't as light/CO2 needy. But I don't know how they'll grow in gravel... I just use pool sand for my whole tank. You can still groom a sand path through it by leaving it unplanted, or using a plastic divider to prevent the roots from spreading. And it gives a nice, smooth bottom. Plants grow just fine in it. Although a few root tabs will help if you're not dosing ferts, which you probably aren't as it's low tech. Amazon swords are heavy root feeders. I've seen some beautiful tanks using moss for the carpet. The key is to have several different kinds for interest. Java can look like grass if it's trimmed, and fissendens looks great but it grows slower than a snail can run. But adding patches of different moss adds interest. Christmas moss, pellia, fissendens, star moss.... lava rock makes great anchors for moss because of all the nooks and crannies. It doesn't float and doesn't get 'slimed' like new wood does. Just make sure it's natural lava rock, not the slag stuff... For a java carpet you can use stainless steel mesh. You can even cut out angles in the mesh for that path. You don't have to use square mesh. You can get sheets of it on eBay. You can make your own root tabs with clay and fertilizers. I get my fertilizers at fertilizer.com. It's enough to last forever, and cheaper than the tabs you buy in the long run. Just make sure the clay is natural clay with no additives. Pottery clay, no ceramics. No sculpty or children's craft stuff... How the sump going? I'm in the process of building a bigger refugium for my Goldie tank. The old one was a 15 gallon, but this one will be a 30 gallon so I'll have more water volume and more room for the deep sand bed in the refugium. That deep sand bed really keeps the nitrates down! I can't wait to see how the larger one works... Crypts are good for low tech tanks. They come in all different shapes and you can even add the red and bronze ones for a little color. The red won't get really red, but it's nice to have a little color other than green. And Buces!! I don't have any yet, but the price is coming down on them and they have some fantastic colored ones! Oh I want some buces!  |
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Post by Sean (90 reef, fw rack sys) on Mar 9, 2017 13:12:40 GMT -5
So I stopped by the LFS on the way home and grabbed ten of the cheap $1.49 shrimp to use as testers. When I put them in, all the fish swam over to investigate, but that was as far as that went. None of the fish are that much bigger than the regular neons you see for sale. I like small fish
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