Alright, I wanted to make a new thread for my 75 because I kind of left the first thread for it fall into obscurity and get really old and out of date. That and, I feel like I am finally starting to get a hang of the whole planted tank thing now. That and I felt the last thread was also a bit too much of me going on about my fish tank experiences and not enough of well...my fish tank lol.
To start off with, a link to the old thread for any interested http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=179649
Secondly, before I add pics, the stock list/specs.
The Tank - Standard 75 gallon
Substrate
5 bags worth of Eco Complete topped with some larger grain gravel from my pre-planted tank days
Lighting
Catalina Black Solar T5 HO 4x54W with 2 10K and 2 65K, with 8 dimmable moonlights (on for about 8 hours, only 2 bulbs)
Filtration
Eheim 2217 x2
Water Pumps
Koralia 750
Fertilizers
EI Method
Carbon Dioxide
None Currently (working on it :icon_frow )
Aeration
2 air stones on one aerator (kept on from lights off until about an hour before lights on)
Current Fish/Inverts
The Cichlids
Amphilophus citrinellus x Vieja synspila – “Blood Parrot”
Pterophyllum scalare – “Angel Fish” x4
Herotilapia multispinosa – “Rainbow Cichlid” x3
Geophagus brasiliensis – “Pearl Earth Eater”
The Not Cichlids
Trichopodus leerii – “Pearl Gourami” x2:2
Polypterus endlicheri endlicheri – “Endli Bichir”
Polypterus senegalus – “Senegal Bichir”
Hypostomus sp. – “Pleco” @7”
The Invertebrates
Pomacea diffusa – “Mystery Snail” x18
Melanoides tuberculata - “Trumpet Snail” x100+
Current Plants
Foreground
Cryptocoryne parva
Nymphaea zenkeri - “Red Tiger Lotus”
Mid-Ground
Cryptocoryne wendtii – “Green/Brown Crypt”
Crinum calamistratum – “Crinum” x4
Echinodorus angustifolia - “Vesuvius” x2
Nymphoides aquatic – “Banana Plant” x2
Hygrophila polysperma - “Sunset Hygro”
Echinodorus sp. – “Aflame Amazon Sword” x2
Echinodorus sp. – “Rose Amazon Sword”
Background
Vallisneria americana – “Jungle Val”?
Vallisneria asiatica – “Corkscrew Val”
Ludwigia repens – “Ludwigia”
Ludwigia glandulosa – “Red Ludwigia”
Hygrophila corymbosa –“Giant Temple Plant”
Rotala macrandra – “Red Rotala”
Aponogeton madagascariensis – “Madagascar Lace” x3
Non-Substrate
Limnobium laevigatum – “Amazon Frogbit”
Hardscape
Bolbitis heteroclita
Taxiphyllum ferriei – “Weeping Moss”
Microsorum pteropus – “Java Fern Windelov”
Anubias barteri - “Broad-Leaf Anubias” x1
Anubias barteri - “Coffeefolia” x1
Anubias barteri - “Anubias Nana” x1
Anubias barteri – “Petite Anubias” x1 (currently tied on)
Anubias Afzelii “Long Leaf Anubias” x2
Basically, my idea behind this tank is sort of a collectoritis approach to things. Have a little bit of everything. Now, for me, a little bit of everything tends to be a lot of stuff that conflicts. However, I have noticed that certain "rules" have some grey areas, and I love to play in those gray areas. Now, I know that normally it is not advised to keep snails with cichlids, cichlids with plants, or snails with plants, but so far I've had success with keeping those three elements together. Where I haven't had success is actually doing the right things for the plants, but not that I am more or less doing the right thing (having the right lighting, the right flow, planting things properly, using ferts, ect.)
There are only a few things that I still want to do with this tank before I consider myself "done". I just want to add another pair of pearl gouramis and maybe a little shoal of swordtails or something. I still want to play around with my plants though, letting things grow in and supplementing things I already have and getting some other plant species going.
I'll post pics of things soon, just waiting for them to finish downloading.
To start off with, a link to the old thread for any interested http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=179649
Secondly, before I add pics, the stock list/specs.
The Tank - Standard 75 gallon
Substrate
5 bags worth of Eco Complete topped with some larger grain gravel from my pre-planted tank days
Lighting
Catalina Black Solar T5 HO 4x54W with 2 10K and 2 65K, with 8 dimmable moonlights (on for about 8 hours, only 2 bulbs)
Filtration
Eheim 2217 x2
Water Pumps
Koralia 750
Fertilizers
EI Method
Carbon Dioxide
None Currently (working on it :icon_frow )
Aeration
2 air stones on one aerator (kept on from lights off until about an hour before lights on)
Current Fish/Inverts
The Cichlids
Amphilophus citrinellus x Vieja synspila – “Blood Parrot”
Pterophyllum scalare – “Angel Fish” x4
Herotilapia multispinosa – “Rainbow Cichlid” x3
Geophagus brasiliensis – “Pearl Earth Eater”
The Not Cichlids
Trichopodus leerii – “Pearl Gourami” x2:2
Polypterus endlicheri endlicheri – “Endli Bichir”
Polypterus senegalus – “Senegal Bichir”
Hypostomus sp. – “Pleco” @7”
The Invertebrates
Pomacea diffusa – “Mystery Snail” x18
Melanoides tuberculata - “Trumpet Snail” x100+
Current Plants
Foreground
Cryptocoryne parva
Nymphaea zenkeri - “Red Tiger Lotus”
Mid-Ground
Cryptocoryne wendtii – “Green/Brown Crypt”
Crinum calamistratum – “Crinum” x4
Echinodorus angustifolia - “Vesuvius” x2
Nymphoides aquatic – “Banana Plant” x2
Hygrophila polysperma - “Sunset Hygro”
Echinodorus sp. – “Aflame Amazon Sword” x2
Echinodorus sp. – “Rose Amazon Sword”
Background
Vallisneria americana – “Jungle Val”?
Vallisneria asiatica – “Corkscrew Val”
Ludwigia repens – “Ludwigia”
Ludwigia glandulosa – “Red Ludwigia”
Hygrophila corymbosa –“Giant Temple Plant”
Rotala macrandra – “Red Rotala”
Aponogeton madagascariensis – “Madagascar Lace” x3
Non-Substrate
Limnobium laevigatum – “Amazon Frogbit”
Hardscape
Bolbitis heteroclita
Taxiphyllum ferriei – “Weeping Moss”
Microsorum pteropus – “Java Fern Windelov”
Anubias barteri - “Broad-Leaf Anubias” x1
Anubias barteri - “Coffeefolia” x1
Anubias barteri - “Anubias Nana” x1
Anubias barteri – “Petite Anubias” x1 (currently tied on)
Anubias Afzelii “Long Leaf Anubias” x2
Basically, my idea behind this tank is sort of a collectoritis approach to things. Have a little bit of everything. Now, for me, a little bit of everything tends to be a lot of stuff that conflicts. However, I have noticed that certain "rules" have some grey areas, and I love to play in those gray areas. Now, I know that normally it is not advised to keep snails with cichlids, cichlids with plants, or snails with plants, but so far I've had success with keeping those three elements together. Where I haven't had success is actually doing the right things for the plants, but not that I am more or less doing the right thing (having the right lighting, the right flow, planting things properly, using ferts, ect.)
There are only a few things that I still want to do with this tank before I consider myself "done". I just want to add another pair of pearl gouramis and maybe a little shoal of swordtails or something. I still want to play around with my plants though, letting things grow in and supplementing things I already have and getting some other plant species going.
I'll post pics of things soon, just waiting for them to finish downloading.