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33K views 142 replies 51 participants last post by  vvDO 
#1 ·
This is my first tank journal. The only other planted tank I have had is a 10gallon, which was also "dirted" (for those of you reading who are noobs like me, "dirted" means having dirt as your main substrate so plants will grow better). For this 10g, I had a 24W "daylight" bulb in a reflector I got from walmart. I bought some HC (also known as dwarf baby tears) from PetCo, thinking they'd die after reading how hard they can be to grow, low and behold they grew even with that crappy little light. No CO2, only a little fert. dosing (Seachem Flourish I think). So 6 months later, my wife let me buy a 20g long tank, and for my birthday she upgraded my lighting situation a bit with a T5 HO fixture (it was on sale at PetCo). Starting this tank new, I thought I'd record my experiences for those like me who glean anything they can from tank journals. Here goes...
 
#134 · (Edited)
I kept some glosso that I can replant, but all the HC was algae infested. Hopefully I can find some HC in petco, but until then it'll be glosso, moss, and a few shoots of whatever the tall plant is that I have.

You might notice some driftwood I found DOWN BY THE RIVER (not in a van though). I boiled it and was gonna soak it like the Internet said to, but since it was literally driftwood that I pulled off the bank of the Snake River, it was already waterlogged enough that it sunk! Some of the sticks I got though must have dried out a bit on the shore since they wouldn't sink.
 
#138 ·
Thought I'd say hi and say I've found this thread very interesting indeed. Having spent an absolute fortune since starting fishkeeping last year, it's great to see the success you've had on a budget.

So I don't get over excited and try doing this with my tank, could you please fill me in on your water ph/kh/gh to see if I'm similar.

You might notice some driftwood I found DOWN BY THE RIVER (not in a van though). I boiled it and was gonna soak it like the Internet said to, but since it was literally driftwood that I pulled off the bank of the Snake River, it was already waterlogged enough that it sunk! Some of the sticks I got though must have dried out a bit on the shore since they wouldn't sink.
Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will correct me if this is wrong but boiling helps kill off any parasites / nasties that are in the wood, as much as helping it sink. I would definitely still boil stuff, whether it sinks or not.
 
#140 ·
wtf is that thing at the very bottom of the photo? looks like a tan/orange monster sized spider leg(s)??
btw first photo on first page: awesome-ness, just about every true hobbyist feeling coming home with a new tank and a new project in mind ^^

I was going to de-rim my 20long but i had a nightmare the night i bought it about it collapsing and the glass getting permanently wedged together (at an unusable angle) as a de-rimmed tank.. soo just gutted the silicone and redid it (was globed in their real cheap like, now loks clean and minimal atleast).
 
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