Rozbod's Rimless 17 gal
 

Background:

Well first off i'm new to the scene of planted tanks but have been lurking around this forum for about 6-8 months now. About 3 months ago I got my very first tank and it has been sitting empty since. It has been empty because I have been preparing for it since, doing countless hours of research trying to make this the smoothest possible experience. While trying to do this I have already hit bumps in the road due to budget because i'm only 17 and well funds are limited to say the least. I have been trying to get the best possible equipment i can afford.
My idea is that if I do enough homework and learn through the experiences of others I can counter act the lesser quality equipment. Of course there is no better teacher than experience and i'm sure I will make plenty of mistakes along the way but who doesn't ? The good thing is I feel I am a new component to this great community and hope that you guys will help me along the way.

Equipment list:

Do!aqua 17 gallon tank
Fishneedit 4x24 T5HO light (I was surprised at how nice the light is)
ADA style light bar thanks to Tom Barr
Two bags of aquasoil amazonia
DIY stand
Aquatek premium CO2 regulator
Atomic CO2 Diffuser by GLA
5Lb CO2 cylinder
Driftwood from Tom Barr
Ehiem 2215 and a set of lily pipes

Invertebrates Stocking list (subject to change):

Amano shrimp
Cherry red shrimp


Flora (subject to change)

Hair grass or dwarf baby tears its a throw up between the two for the foreground but if you guys have an opinion let me know.
Microsorum pteropus - Java fern
Taxiphyllum barbieri - Java moss
Taxiphyllum montagnei - Christmas moss

This is what I think I want for sure but i'm looking for community suggestions!

A few pics of the setup
 

Just a suggestion, you might want to get Sakura red cherry shrimp or Painted fire red shrimp. They are a higher grade cherry shrimp with a more solid red coloration and they are just as easy to take care of. You can sometimes find them for sale on this site for around $2 per shrimp.

Great setup you have by the way! Can't wait to see it with plants and shrimp!

Thanks a lot for the advice on the shrimp! I will look into this for sure since they are a higher quality. Thanks a lot for the kind words about the setup to it means a lot!

A little update
 

I received the driftwood from Tom today and I was very impressed with the wood and if anyone is looking for some good pieces get into contact with him. I'll try to post pictures tomorrow can't tonight because I have been out all day and am exhausted.

A few pieces of the driftwood
 

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Here is a pic of a few pieces of the wood I got. I know the iPhone camera isn't the best in picking up detail but in person these pieces have a lot of character.

Thy driftwood has some nice twists in it, looking forward to seeing what you do with it.

First Attempts At The Aquascape
 

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I did this in the few minutes of free time I had today. Exams are coming up so not much time to update. I feel like the photos don't do the "scape" justice because these pieces of wood have so much character in person. My iPhone just cant pick up the details sadly. If anyone has any tips on how to improve iPhone photos it would be very appreciated. Let me know what you guys think.

Nice setup, I think you have the placement of the wood right.. I would only suggest trying to bring them in closer so that it looks like one complex piece, you can fill in the gaps with some lava rock or seiryu stone.

Thanks for the advice. I agree with that. I haven't been able to get my hands on any decent rock but i'm on the look out.

Scaping Take Two
 

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I ended up removing the piece of wood from the left side of the tank because it just didn't go. After I removed that I added a thicker piece to the right side of the tank just to give it a bit more "flare". In the end I feel like removing the piece from the left side was the right move because it was really messing with the balance.

On a side note if anyone has recommendation on where to get a few pieces of rock let me know because i'm on the look out. Thanks again for taking a look guys and girls.

Scape changes
 

I'm back again with a few more pictures of the scape this time with a few added pieces. Would love if you guys would give me some input on what you think about it any changes that you would suggest etc. Thanks again for taking a look.

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(Sorry about the crummy quality of the the first picture I didn't know it looked so bad)

wood looks awesome. Just keep it away from the glass so you have room to scrape.

Good point I didn't even think of that. What do you use to scrape just razor blades or do you use one of those float mag things?

Just an idea...if you wanna put the wood on one side of the scape, you should create the slope for the substrate...higher on the side of the wood and lower on the other side...
Anyway, you got a great start!!!