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Marconis' 55g soil/low-light journal

22K views 177 replies 35 participants last post by  Marconis 
#1 · (Edited)
Hi guys, this will be my third aquarium with a soil underlayer. After battling algae problems for months due to nutrient imbalance and too much light, I decided to tear the tank down and swap out the dual T5-HO to a single and do things a little differently. I got a 1x54W HagenGlo, and am using an AC70 as filtration (might need to get a powerhead).


I placed a large plant order on aquariumplants.net over the weekend and am hoping they will ship this week. The list is as follows:

4 of : Cryptocoryne, Retrospiralis (Cryptocoryne retrospiralis)
2 of : Cryptocoryne, Undulatus (Cryptocoryne undulatus)
3 of : Cryptocoryne, Wendtii, Red (Cryptocoryne wendtii)
4 of : Hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum)
4 of : Rotala Indica (Rotala roundifolia)
1 of : Sagittaria, Dwarf Subulata (Sagittaria subulata)(10 plants per order)
1 of : Sword, Amazon (Echinorodus bleheri) Pot Medium
6 of : Water Sprite(Ceratopteris thalictroides)

The hornwort is going to be used as a floater for about a month. I think the water sprite will be the basis of my background, with the others acting as mid-foreground. In my last setup, I had successfully created a nice dwarf sag "carpet" that I'd like to go at again in this tank. I started moving around the DW, and came up with the following: (I do apologize for the reflection in the photo, I forgot my T5 at my parents house ((was a Christmas gift)) and had to have the room lights on).



All of the dirt on the bottom is just what was left over from when I emptied the tank. What do you guys think of this arrangement? My next question is, do you think I should have tall plants around the large piece of DW on the left, or keep fore-midground plants around it?

Thanks!
 
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#176 ·
I will be tearing this tank down probably next weekend. I have always been a cichlid lover, and really want to get back into them (had cichlids in 08). I'm going to upgrade to a 75 or a 90 gallon over the summer to start it up.

I'll be selling this tank with plants, livestock, and all equipment. If anyone is interested let me know...keep an eye out for a huge dwarf sag sale in the classifieds section.
 
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