Coach's 29g Resurrection (Beginning on page 3)

[CAM6467]

Well, it's been about four months since initial setup. The tank is definitely not what I was hoping for. The tannins are constant, the fungus stuff growing on the driftwood is not going away, and the plants are not doing too well.

It's not all bad. The anubias and needle leaf JF seem to be doing ok given the fact that I am not doing ANYTHING to this tank to make it better. I haven't done a water change in about two months! I'm going to tackle this issue this Sunday and see how things look afterwards.

Anybody know if purigen is a good product for tannins? Also, anybody have any experience getting rid of the fuzzy whitish growth on the manzy?

Thanks,

Charlie

[CAM6467]

Last update was over 6 months ago. This dirt tank has been an epic failure for me!

Right now, the tank is a dump. I'm a high school teacher/coach, so my hours during the fall are a tad bit ridiculous. I fell behind in my tank maintenance around the middle of August, and it's been a downward spiral ever since. Right now, the tank smells of something dead. My wife is about to go insane if I can't do something about the awful smell coming from our office!

The anubias and java ferns are actually thriving in this tank. The anubias have put on probably 5-10 new leaves each and the JF has grown out of control! The MTS that I created must not be too bad, given the growth that I've seen in this swamp of a tank. The only issue is that it's more of a pond than an aquarium, and that brings forth the issue of having the pondish smell throughout the house. It really is horrible! I can't stand paying bills in my own office....

Consequently, I have decided to move in an alternate direction. I have ordered 40 pounds of eco-complete to replace the MTS. I have had eco-complete before and had good success with it. I like it because it's ready to use as soon as I cut the bag open. I'm confident that it's going to be a good change for me.

I am going to retain some of the MTS that I made and start up a smaller (10 gallon) dirt tank. This smaller tank will be in my classroom where I can assign its maintenance to my advanced classes. This should prove to be a good project for them!

Once the eco-complete arrives, it will be time to siphon the tank, turn out the MTS, and re-do this tank. The manzi and plants will stay right where they are, as the manzi is glued down with silicone and the plants are anchored firmly to the wood. This really should be a fairly simple process, I hope.

I would imagine that by the end of November, I'll have my tank up and running again. I'm going to stick with the same lighting, filtration, plants, etc.

Two additions that I've been considering are: 1) A hydor koralia pump ; 2) Pressurized CO2 (I have the complete setup, but I haven't used it since I moved to this new house over a year ago).

It's also probably time to buy some new bulbs for my T5HO fixture, as they are almost 2 years old now.

It's going to be fun re-doing this tank. I'll get some pictures up as I go along...

[CAM6467]

Great news! My eco-complete came in today! Dr Foster and Smith is a great company to purchase through. My substrate came in faster than anticipated and was delivered in great shape! I'm a few "small" steps away from getting this 29g up and running again.

I will have the hardscape finished by the end of the day tomorrow. Hopefully, I'll have some plants on order tomorrow evening. Here's a list of what I've got my eye on:

• Lilaeopsis (Brazilian Micro Sword)
• Red Tiger Lotus
• Cryptocoryne Parva
• Lobelia Cardinalis
• Broad Leaf Chain Sword
• Red Sword Melon
• Amazon Sword

I already have some java fern and anubias nana. I'll re-arrange these if needed to get the look that I'm after.

If you have any of the listed species and would like to sell, please send me a PM. Otherwise, it's off to the SNS for me!

Updates and pictures coming soon....

[CAM6467]

Well, I got a good chance to do some work today after church. My wife (pregnant with our 2nd child) took about a four hour nap with our 20 month old daughter! It was perfect timing!!

I started by draining the water from the 29g. It was a nasty task. Once the water was out, I scooped as much of the MTS and capping material out as I could by hand. After that, it was outside to the backyard and a water-hose to finish off the failed MTS project.

In the process, I discovered that the "manzanita" that I purchased is quite decayed. Pretty much every bit of it was sort of spongy...if that makes any sense to you. That being said, it wasn't rotten to the point of falling apart. In fact, this may be a typical stage in the life of manzi in the aquarium. Oh well, it's back in the tank and looks fine.

After I got it cleaned out to my liking, I got it back inside, hooked the plumbing back up, then began the task of arranging my hardscape. As you can see in the following picture, I decided to create a manzi structure on the middle-right of the tank. This is where my anubias and moss will call home. To the left of the tank, I created a tiered look using petrified wood. The EC is about 1-2" deep on the near side of the petrified wood and about 3-4" deep behind the petrified wood. This gives me the ability to keep plants out of each other's areas more effectively and provides nice depth to the tank.

FTS (12/2/12 about 10 minutes after it was filled):


Obviously, I am in need of plants in a bad way. I posted a WTB in the SNS earlier today. It's been a while since I was a regular on TPT, and the SNS has certainly changed over the past couple of years. I've had some good contact via my WTB, and I'm hoping to have some of the plants that I'm after in this tank within a couple weeks.

The anubias, as you can tell from the previous picture, are ready to rock-n-roll. I was shocked at how healthy they each looked after almost a year in what amounts to aquatic hell. I'm pretty confident that I can't kill anubias!

I had initially purchased one large needle java fern when I first established my MTS attempt. That one fern produced five very healthy babies that had 4-5 leaves each. I took all of the fern that was healthy looking and tied it to a rock. This is an idea that I picked up off another TPT'er recently. It should make it easier to make changes in the future. All I have to do is move the rock to make an immediate change in the tank.

Here's what I made using my java ferns:

Here's how it is going to sit in the tank...

....and here it is inside the tank:


And to finish off the post, here's a shot of the tank as it sits right now:


I'm going to eventually move the fava fern rock to the far right-rear corner to help hide the xp1's intake. I like the way it looks like one solid fern with multiple leaves. Hopefully it will continue to grow and eventually look even nicer than it does today!

I'm going to make a trip to a welding supply shop here in Alvarado tomorrow afternoon so I can get my pressurized CO2 up and running again. Anybody have any idea how long CO2 resistant line lasts? Mine is over two years old now (With less than one year of actual use under its belt).

I have a package on its way to my house this week. I'm going to position the koralia nano to flow opposite the flow of my xp1's outflow spray bar. Hopefully this and the CO2 will help me combat algae in this setup.

The water is quite murky at the moment, but I'm sure it'll be cleared up by this time tomorrow.

Thanks for reading my novel! Comments are enjoyed!!

Charlie

[CAM6467]

I'm thinking that a substantial WC is in order for tonight. The water is still pretty milkish, and I'm hoping that it's just part of the process. I don't remember having any issues at all with my 10g using eco-complete. I'm certain that after a 90% WC, I'll have better clarity. It may take a few major WCs, but I'll get what I'm after before too long.

Here's a shot of the tank prior to the WC:


And again after adding fresh, new water:


The java fern rock is in its final resting place, hiding the xp1's intake. Hopefully those ferns will grow larger enough to take over that entire corner.

Here are some ideas that I've come up with for the aquascape here:

• The back-left corner is reserved for a sword of some type. I'm thinking red melon or perhaps a kleiner bar. I'm basically envisioning something with some pop taking up much of that back corner.
• Just to the right of the proposed sword just mentioned, I'm seeing some lobelia cardinalis bunched up in a tight group.
• Just to the right of the lobelia patch, I'm thinking that a nice red tiger lotus would look good.
• The area between that nice chunk of petrified wood and the front glass is reserved for my ground cover plant. I'm considering lilaeopsis brasiliensis. I would like for that area to become dominated by that carpet style plant. I've seen it in others' tanks and it is pretty nice.
• The anubias nana that I already have in place are looking pretty nice, IMO. That being said, I think that I want to get some more to try to cover as much of the low lying manzi as I can.
• I want to put some christmas moss or fissidens on the upper reaches of the manzi branches here and there to create a more natural look.
• The far right-front corner is intended for some cryptocoryne parva or some dwarf sag. I don't know, I just want something that stays about 3-4" high and makes something of a little bush.

As you may have noticed, I'm trying to stay away from the stem plants for now as I have grown to despise the constant, never ending trimming that comes with those plants. However, I am fond of the rotala family and may have to make some changes in my philosophy once that bug bites hard enough!

As always, comments/suggestions/complaints/critiques are ALWAYS welcome and rather enjoyed!!

Charlie

[CAM6467]

So I decided that I should go ahead and hook up my CO2 system seeing as how I took some time during my lunch to get my bottle refilled. That turned out to be a free endeavor because I teach the son of the welding supply manager! This job DOES have its perks!!

Unfortunately, my needle valve was clogged completely. I had to take remove it from the rest of my regulator/solenoid and, using a 1/16" drill bit, drill out the clog. Honestly, this was a simple, ten minute task. Here's a shot of the system up and running (Please try to overlook the nasty, old vinyl tubing):



I'm currently running it at ~1-2 bbs. I can't find my drop checker, so I'm just going to take it easy on the flow rate for the time being. I'm in the market for a good drop checker or a good DIY idea. Let me hear your idea(s).

I have a plant order that should be here tomorrow. I've also picked up some stuff on the SNS. Everything should be here by week's end. Here's a list of what I purchased so far:

• Lilaeopsis Brasiliensis
• Red Melon Sword
• Anubias Nana
• Red Tiger Lotus
• Blyxa Japonica
• Cryptocoryne Parva
• Jungle Val
• Frogbit

I'M STILL LOOKING FOR LOBELIA CARDINALIS, SO LET ME KNOW IF YOU CAN HELP!!!

This, as you probably know, is a very exciting part of keeping a planted tank, the wait for your stuff!!

[CAM6467]

My Koralia nano 240, Seachem Flourish, and root tabs arrived Wednesday evening. The Koralia has made an immediate impact on the flow within my tank. There really isn't much surface film left, and I'm seeing movement in every area. NO DEAD SPOTS!! YAY!!!

I'm hoping that my plant packages begin coming in today. I'm expecting Lilaeopsis Brasiliensis, Red Melon Sword, Anubias Nana, Red Tiger Lotus, Blyxa Japonica, Cryptocoryne Parva, Jungle Val, Frogbit, Crypt Wendtii tropica red, and lobelia cardinalis.

I'm looking forward to having this tank fully planted by the end of the weekend. I'll have PLENTY of picture updates as planting begins...

Charlie

[Bear Sage]

Pictures pictures pictures!

[CAM6467]

I received several packages this morning. In those packages were my frogbit, crypt wendtii tropica red, lobelia cardinalis, anubias nana, rotala sp. "green", ludwigia repens x arcuata, hydrocoryle verticillata, and flame moss. Some of these were a surprise to me upon arrival, but that's what makes shopping for plants on the SNS so great! You're always going to wind up getting either more than you paid for or some bonus extras that you didn't expect! I love it.

I am still waiting on a shipment from aquariumplants.com. I'm not sure what the deal is. I ordered Sunday at 9:00pm with 2nd day air and I'm still waiting almost a week later... I'm a bit upset, but I'll just be patient and see how it unfolds...

Now then, let's get on with the pictures...

FTS (Post planting):


Shot from right side:


Shot from left side:


Aerial view of lobelia cardinals and new anubias nana (Taken underwater using lifeproof case on iPhone):


Close up of original anubias nana:


Lobelia cardinalis patch:


View of c. wendtii tropica red behind the anubias nana and driftwood:


Frogbit and new Koralia Nano 240:


Flame moss that I didn't know I was getting. I decided to tie it up and allow it to sort of grow out before I attach it to the driftwood. I'm sure that it'll probably end up getting tied to the driftwood the day my package from aquariumplants.com arrives. Here's the pic:


That's it for now. I'll have more once my final package arrives.

Comments and suggestions are appreciated,

Charlie

[Bear Sage]

That rotala will help you fill in your tank, the rest has a slower growth rate. The floaters will also grow rather quickly.

I have a lifeproof good to know it works!

[CAM6467]

Yeah Bear, I was actually trying to stay away from stem plants for now due to the high maintenance that I've experienced with them before. However, since I received two little bunches of such nice stem plants I'm going to have to change my plans a bit. I'm sure that I'll be able to have a sizable bush of both the rotala and ludwigia within a couple of months if all goes well.

I'm not too pleased with aquariumplants.com. I placed my plant order on the 3rd and paid for 2nd day air shipping and I'm STILL waiting!!! I'm at a loss here...

I just need to remain patient! That's going to be my biggest challenge this time around, patience.

Tell me your thoughts. Should I try to place the melon sword in the back-left corner or shall I grow the stems out and turn them loose in that corner?

I would like some suggestions here. I want opinions. What would you do with this aquarium?

Thanks for your help!

Charlie

[Bear Sage]

I honestly don't see a melon sword, I'm blind. But if its in there you don't want it too close to the glass considering how fast they grow. Any sword will need lots of room, might even outgrow the tank.
I would reposition the crypt as well for basically the same reason although that shouldn't get too big. My crypts fill in nicely in my 29. Without taking up too much room.

[CAM6467]

I should mention that the melon sword and several other plants are still in route to my house.

[Bear Sage]

Oh, aquariumplants.com. I usually buy from this forum's Sell/trade, most of the time I've had good experience. Locally there's a small community here in SA we tend to trade among each other. D/FW has a club I think but that's a bit of a drive from Alvarado for swappage.

[Bear Sage]

Like your hardscape btw.