Wingsdlc 55G: UPDATE 11.30.08

[Wingsdlc]

Here are a few pictures of my new set up. Most of the plants came from my 40G set up. Let me know what you think.

Also the background is planted with vals so you have some sort of idea.

[TheOtherGeoff]

looks very deep for a 55. i like it

[skabooya]

Love the rainbow shark and your tank is gonna look quite nice when it all fills in

[Roc]

I really liked the openess of the tank without the background minus the HOB's.

[Wingsdlc]

iroc,

I am soon to move my canister from the storage tank onto the real tank. This will help the look a bit.

I also like the look of the tank without the background when the lights are off and we have a lamp lite in the room. It gives a nice silhouette of the plants and hard scape.

[Wingsdlc]

Tank info:

Lighting ~ 96W for 6 hours, 226W for 1 hour as a burst
Substrate ~ Flourite mixed with regular gravel
Ferts ~ Will be EI using Greg Watson's and Flourish (as of right now I have only dosed flourish once)
Co2 ~ using pressurized with a glass diffuser
Filter ~ 2 Whisper 60, Soon to change over to my Canister. (The canister is on the fish storage tank)

Plants:
Java Fern
Anubias barteri
Anubias b. Nana
Anubias b. n. petite
Amazon Sword
4-LC
ELATINE TRIANDRA
Jungle Val
Crypt Wendtii
Crypt balansae

Fish:
2 Giant Danios
1 Rainbow Shark
2 BN Plecos (male and female)

Sill in storage:
Male and female Convicts
Clown Pleco
2 skunk loaches

I will probably add some more Danios or a big school of large tetras

[Wingsdlc]

Update:

Most of the plants are growing pretty well. The sword has exploded in height and leave size and is currently threatening to grow out of the tank. Both types of crypts (Wendtii + balansae) have filled in rather nicely. Java Ferns and Anubias are growing at expected levels. The few rather small clippings of ET have thickened up quite a bit.

On the down side the 4-LC has shown very little growth. I believe this was the case last time too when I started out with it. Then it over ran my tank. Time will tell.

I am also having a bit of a problem with BBA. It seem to have two different types. One type is very short and thick bushes while the other type is longer and branchy. In the first couple of weeks had just a little amount in the tank and it seemed to go away. Last week I found a ton of it when I was doing my water change. I trimmed off most of what was infested and started dosing Excel all week.

The most of the algae has turned bright red. Does this mean it is dying? Last night I trimmed off most of the infested leaves again. As a result of dosing Excel I have pretty much melted off my vals. They were just starting to thicken up too!

I have not tested my CO2 since I first set up the tank but I was over 30ppm. My dosing schedule has been as follows:

~Saturday - Water change, 1/2 tsp KNO3, 1/8 KH2P04, 1/8 Potassium Sulfate, 10 ml Iron
~Sunday - 10ml micros
~Monday - off
~Tuesday - off
~Wednesday - Same macros as Saturday
~Thursday - 10ml of micros
~Friday - off

I picked this schedule because I had a pretty low plant mass of slower growers in the tank.

Now that things are filling in, should I also start dosing on Mon. and Tues?

[Phil Edwards]

Nice tank! It's great to see another planter local to the region too. Where do you get your plants?

Regards,
Phil

[Wingsdlc]

Phil,

Thanks for the complement on the tank. I should really take some more pictures but I will have to borrow a camera.

Plants have come from allover the place. Many of them came from the LFS I used to work at in MI before moving down here. Others came from other planted tankers both local (Mi) and here on this site. I have yet to buy any locally down here. Any suggestions?

[Phil Edwards]

Online vendors and hobbyists. Stores in the Charlotte area suck for plants.

How often do you get into Charlotte, if at all?

[esarkipato]

Hey Doug, didn't know you had moved out of state!!! what's the occasion, job after college? I'd guess that was the reason for setting up a new tank -- quite the opportunist.

The new tank looks great, very impressive. I'm suprised the aquatic clover isn't sending off some more shoots. Substrate ferts might encourage that, if you haven't already.

And yes, I think BBA is dying when it turns red. You must have been really dosing heavily!!

As for modifying the dosing schedule, I suppose I'd try testing the nitrates twice -> once on Wednesday, then again on WC day. That should give you a really good idea of what the uptake rate for your tank is starting to be.

EDIT: where did you get those rocks? What kind are they? Thanks.

[Subotaj]

very nice and elegant setup!
good work.

[Wingsdlc]

Hey Doug, didn't know you had moved out of state!!! what's the occasion, job after college? I'd guess that was the reason for setting up a new tank -- quite the opportunist.

Finished my teaching degree in April and got my first job down here in July.

The new tank looks great, very impressive. I'm suprised the aquatic clover isn't sending off some more shoots. Substrate ferts might encourage that, if you haven't already.

Not really a new tank but a new set up. I used most of the stuff from previously set up tanks from back home. It took the clover a good couple of months to take off when I first got it. I am running it in flourite. Do you think I need the extra sub. ferts?

And yes, I think BBA is dying when it turns red. You must have been really dosing heavily!!

Maybe just a little.

As for modifying the dosing schedule, I suppose I'd try testing the nitrates twice -> once on Wednesday, then again on WC day. That should give you a really good idea of what the uptake rate for your tank is starting to be.

What smart thinking! This week I am going to go ahead and start the 6 days on and one day off schedule.

EDIT: where did you get those rocks? What kind are they? Thanks.

I picked them up at a Landscaping place down here. They are called Roan Vally thin cut. Super cheap too! $0.14/lb

How is the new house?


Thanks Subotaj! I really should get my hands on a camera so I can how how much it has grown in the pasted couple of months.

[Wingsdlc]

How often do you get into Charlotte, if at all?

I have been down to Charlotte just once since moving down here.

[Wingsdlc]

Some not so great pictures of my baby bristle nose plecos.

The cave they came from with dad hanging out inside.