Ive been lucky enough to have a 13X10 foot room in my basement dedicated to my fish hobby. This thread will highlight my planted tanks and I will keep it updated as they grow.
5.5 gallon shrimp tank (Top)
Parts
16inch Finnex Stingray
Aqueon preset heater
Sponge filter
Parts
16inch Finnex Stingray
Aqueon preset heater
Sponge filter
Flora
Cryptocorne Wendetii
Dwarf Sag
Micro Sword
Moss Ball
Fauna
None
40 breeder community
Parts
Fluvial 306 canister
36" Finnex 24/7
20 oz paintball co2 with regulator and diffuser
Aqueon Pro 300w heater
Glass Canopy
Flora
Dwarf Sag
Staurogyne Repens
Anubias Nana (on driftwood)
Cryptocorne Wendetii
Broad Leaf Sag.
Ludwigia Repens
Various other plants.
Fauna
1 Mystus Cat
4 Bumblebee Cat
1 Flying Fox
1 Fire Mouth Cichlid
4 Green Corydoras
First off I decided to build a rack system for two 5.5 gallon tanks.
Put some minwax black on the stand and heres the final outcome.
The top tank houses my cherry shrimp and a galaxy rasbora.
Unfortunately my local fish store is going out of business so I picked up these two pieces of driftwood really cheap. One for my bottom 5.5 gallon tank and the larger one for my 40 planted. The small one will be wrapped in some moss from my top tank and house some more shrimp soon.
I took a large liking to this piece and put it in my 40 breeder today. I have some more adjusting to do but this is a start.
I cannot seem to get this tank clear. Ive tried seachem clarity and persistant water changes with no luck. Is it possible that Im just under filtered with my Fluval 50?
I'm always open to positive feedback and corrective criticism. I'm fairly new to the planted tanks and would love to get them stable and healthy
Sorry about all the sideways pictures. Not sure how that happened.
Unfortunately I'm going to be stepping away from the hobby for a few weeks. I've been getting super discouraged with my lack of RCS breeding and lack of foreground plant growth. My dwarf sag seems to have some sort of root disease where it refuses to grow and leaves are dying off. I'm just going to leave the tanks alone for a while and let the plants do their thing.
I would still love to hear everyone's opinions and thoughts (good or bad).
Don't give up! I think your tanks are a great start! Neglecting them for a few weeks will almost certainly cause them to fail.
You posted a good amount of information, however, if you'd like to get some help regarding specific issues, your best bet is to #1 do a search for your issue, then #2 create a post asking for help in a specific sub on this forum ie. for plant issues ask for help in the Plants section, shrimp in the Invertebrates section etc.
Check out some galleries to get some inspiration and set a goal to work towards, but keep pressing on. You put so much work in already.
I should rephrase that. I am going out of town for a few weeks and having family take care of my tanks (lights ~7 hours a day and fish food, no ferts, co2, or trimmings). The dwarf saggitaria seems to be making a little come back since I've been giving the tank co2 at about 2 drops per second. Also noticed that the amazon sword is sending up a flower which should reach the surface in a few more days. Still a novice at this so trying to be patient. Thanks for the feedback.
Shrimp in general don't breed quickly (the process is slow but they drop so many shrimp it becomes exponential growth), especially if they are young. My RCS population took a dive in recent history to one female and 2 males and I waited a month before I even saw her saddled let alone berried. Shrimp are a game of patience. Though it looks like that cherry you took a picture of is saddled, next time she molts she should become berried (which is really cool to watch), and then it's about 3-4 weeks till she drops eggs.
+1 on that for sure. Feeding fish is a hard area for me to trust people to do right. They almost always end up getting over fed and then the water goes to….well, you know what:grin2:
UPDATE: After a 2.5 week ski trip I came home to my tanks looking awesome! The amazon sword has about 5 new plants coming off its stem, the crypt is taking off and I added some more anubias to the large center piece. For the next month Im really going to try and keep my hands out of the tank and let its do its thing. Im going to keep dosing (flourish, trace, iron) and continue with co2 (2 BPS). Keep your eyes open for some new pictures soon!
The RCS finally had babies! As you can see they are extremely small and very hard to photograph. All the plants are doing awesome in all three tanks. Keep your eyes open for a big update!
As you can see the plants are really doing good. The crypts and dwarf sag in the 40 breeder are growing well and the S. Repens in the shrimp tank is doing awesome! Ive got a ton of amazon swords now and the main plant is sending up a third shoot!
Newest addition to the fish room. I am stoked! As you can see I have a lot of work to do before its up and running. The braces on top are cracked. How much structural integrity do these provide? If I super glue them back together will I be okay or should I look into getting a new plastic frame for the top? Tomorrow I will combat the algae and plug the over flows. The tank will have pool filter sand and house my clown loaches. Looking for a large piece of driftwood for the center piece. Probably plant varies anubias species and java fern on a center driftwood piece. Open to opinions and ideas for hardscape, plant choice, and fish...
Ive been doing a lot of work on the new stand and tank. Sanding it down and painting it dark graphite. Replacing the hinges because the old ones were corroded very bad. Also built a pedestal for the stand to sit on because I thought it looked funny sitting right on the ground. The tank cleaned up nicely but Im still looking for a new top frame to replace my cracked one. Heres some pictures.
The great dane approves of the refurbished stand. Progress is slow but soon we will have 5 tanks up and running in the fish room. Can anyone recommend a good sand for the bottom of the tank?
Heres a small update, after this I will more than likely abandon this thread. Feedback is almost non existant which defeats the purpose of posting any progression shots or status'. As you can see the cherry shrimp are taking off and doing really well. I also got a decent shot of one of my bumblebee cats, I think I have about 8 of them but rarely see any of them. Lastely is a full tank shot of the 40b. I spread out the dwarf sag to try and make a more uniform carpet. Also trimmed the amazon word back about 50%. If anyone could identify the small sword looking plant on the right side and the crypt species that would be a huge help. Thanks!
Bump: Also, the 180 is up and running with 2 fire mouth cichlids in it, substrate is pool filter sand but the tank is not planted so I don't find it appropriate to post it here.
I haven't yet put the loaches in the big tank, its still cycling. I don't want to risk losing a 6.5 inch loach. Should be in their new home by next week. I will get a picture up when they inhabit their new home.
I picked up some java fern as you can see on the left of the tank. These came from petco, they have no rhizome or root structure. They also have a bunch of thread holding all the stems together. Will these plants make it? What can I do to help promote growth? Id like to have them for a future low tech build.
Been away at work for 9 months so heres an update on the room!
Im in the process of getting rid of the 180 gallon. Therefore I built a 40 gallon breeder double stand in my utility closet. All this is happening so that I can remodel the fish room in the next few weeks.
The bottom tank is my clown loach holding tank with two fire mouths in it. The top tank will be my planted 40b which now has a new green terror in it.
As you can see the planted tank is doing well with the dwarf sag really taking off and same with the shrimp tank and the s. repens.
As always, comments, concerns and corrective criticisms are always accepted
Tanks look good. Your shrimp appear to have taken off and are doing well. Fire mouths were one of the first fish I successfully bred. I miss having some, they had such cool personalities.
I was able to move my 40b planted onto its stand in the utility closet, now both tanks or on their stand. As you can see there is not much room. That means I can start renovating the fish room! Have to frame in a wall with electrical outlets and put down some new flooring.
I went out today and bought some ammania sp. bonsai. Going to keep this thread updated with its growth. If anyone has any of this plant Id love to see it!
Heres a current picture of the fish closet. The tank on the bottom is experiencing a serious brown diatom algae out break. Ive assuming that this is occurring because the tank is new.
-Will this solve itself or should I take proactive measures?
-What would be the best solution to combat this?
-Any fish that eat this stuff? Ive read ottos do...
Got the large wall framed, wired, and insulated so I will be working on sheet rocking it this afternoon. Flooring should occur this coming week then ill be on the search for a large show tank (120-180 gallons).
On my 40 planted I used a Finnex Planted + 24/7, on my bottom 40 gallon I have a 36 inch Zoo Med Led, and on my 5.5 gallon shrimp tank I run 2 Finnex Stingray 16". Ive been switching lights around a lot lately but this is how they are going to stay for a while.
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