Mitch P's 75 Gallon Jungle ( UPDATED 2/9/13)

[mitch p]

Well guys after a few months of waiting, I have finally completed the setup! Here are some pictures of the setup


Had to first start out by cleaning out the tank! Switching from Mbuna to Plants is quite the amount of work! After a good shop vac use we have this!



Next I wiped down the glass and cleaned it up pretty well


Next came adding the Penac W and Penac P. I was very gracious with these! Doing a little research showed that some people ( in larger tanks ) use entire bottles of the stuff! And also add the stuff to their filters! But I chose to use about 1/4 of each bottle and just spread evenly as I could!!!




Next comes adding the Powersand Special S Medium, TOURMALINE BC, CLEAR SUPER and BACTER 100. Now I know that the PS has these in it but with a little research I found that people still added more! So thats what I went for!



Next came adding the Aqua Soil and getting a nice scape down that I liked. After some serious time spent on this, I decided to go for a setup that wasnt overcrowded with rocks. By doing so I feel like I got a little more elegant right side with more swimming space!



Of course after that came filter placement and other equipment placement ( Co2 and Lighting).

For the 2 Eheims I ordered extra Coarse Pads. And added seeded media from the previously attached filters on the mbuna tank. This should help with the cycle time of the Aqua Soil. So my media basket in both Eheims looks like this ( from bottom to top):

[Coarse Pad||Ceramic Bio Media|| Coarse Pad || Eheim Polishing Ceramic Beads || Coarse Pad|| Eheim Polishing Pad ||Bag of Purigen]





So after that of course came planting! Here is what my 15g looked like from the top down ( so you can see why I needed to upgrade ). You can see that I had some pretty good growth in there!



So after all that work and replanting the plants I wanted, here is the final product! More to come soon!!!!!


I will post another picture tomorrow after my 50% water change so its a bit clearer!

Please feel free to comment!!!!

[mitch p]

So my next additions are going to be:

1(Maybe): A 2nd Co2 System ( have a Co2 Cylinder laying around) to add to the left of the tank. Hoping this will give more Co2 distribution.

2: A less powerful powerhead. The Hydor Nano ( 240 gph) that I planned to use as a way to push/chop up more Co2 makes the tank look like a hurricane.

[bonaparte]

Solid start! I'm going to be setting up a similar 75g jungle in March so I'll be very interested to see how yours progresses. Please post plenty of updates!

I've got a couple of questions:

Love rams. Never had any, though, because my other tank has shrimp. Are rams really mellow enough to hang with fancy guppies?

You're dropping an impressive dime on gear and set up but if you don't mind my saying so, your plant choice seems a little predictable. Have you thought about popping for something less common? Hygro pinnatifida and Crypt nuhrii Pahang Mutated get tossed around this forum a lot, but there are so many other options. Filling a gorgeous set up like yours with swords and ludwigias seems like a missed opportunity to me. (But I'm a hopeless plant snob so ignore me if you like.)

Seriously, though, I can't wait to see how your tank fills out!

[mitch p]

Originally Posted by bonaparte

Solid start! I'm going to be setting up a similar 75g jungle in March so I'll be very interested to see how yours progresses. Please post plenty of updates!

I've got a couple of questions:

Love rams. Never had any, though, because my other tank has shrimp. Are rams really mellow enough to hang with fancy guppies?

You're dropping an impressive dime on gear and set up but if you don't mind my saying so, your plant choice seems a little predictable. Have you thought about popping for something less common? Hygro pinnatifida and Crypt nuhrii Pahang Mutated get tossed around this forum a lot, but there are so many other options. Filling a gorgeous set up like yours with swords and ludwigias seems like a missed opportunity to me. (But I'm a hopeless plant snob so ignore me if you like.)

Seriously, though, I can't wait to see how your tank fills out!

As for the rams: Rams are generally regarded as one of the most peaceful and shy cichlids there are. However that being said, they can get aggressive during breeding time! Many people put them with tetras or guppies/danios etc. The more docile the tankmates they have, the more lively and comfortable they will be!

And heres my response to your plant question :

But of course! These are the current plants I had in my 15g. I did not pay for any extras yet! I will be gathering a BUNCH of plants now as a get more settled with this setup if you know what I mean. I just didn't want to drop a dime on plants and then not be prepared for them entirely! I actually talk a lot with a member on this forum known as BitfuuL and he is very helpful and has told me some plants to look into. Once this tank is completely settled, I will def be going for some more "out there" plants !!!!

Are there any plants that you are looking into by chance? I am not exactly versed in all the great plants there are .

[bitFUUL]

Awesome tank Mitch, those rocks look sweet! Plants will look great in a few weeks, can't wait to see pics. Keep us posted!

[bonaparte]

Originally Posted by mitch p

Are there any plants that you are looking into by chance?

I think I'm going with lots of light. I think. I have a low light, lo-tech 30 now with the usual suspects (java fern, windelov, lace fern, anubias nano, crypt Tropica, hygro polysperma and a bacopa that doesn't get enough light) and for the new one, I wanted to go bigger.

I'm a big fan of limnophila aromatica and pogostemon helferi "Downoi". I may start with those and build out from there. I also really do like the two I mentioned earlier: Hygro pinnatifida and Crypt Pahang mutated.

But if I decide to go with discus as the fauna, then I'm probably back to low light.

I have lots of decisions to make.

[ChadRamsey]

hey Mitch, your tank is looking great.


i see that your in Canton, so am i, maybe we can trade plants down the road


where do you get your co2 filled as well?

[mitch p]

Originally Posted by ChadRamsey

hey Mitch, your tank is looking great.


i see that your in Canton, so am i, maybe we can trade plants down the road


where do you get your co2 filled as well?

Thanks! I would love to trade/buy plants if you have any!

I get my Co2 filled at a place called Smith Welding! Here is the website!
http://www.smithwelding.com/

[mitch p]

Originally Posted by bonaparte

I think I'm going with lots of light. I think. I have a low light, lo-tech 30 now with the usual suspects (java fern, windelov, lace fern, anubias nano, crypt Tropica, hygro polysperma and a bacopa that doesn't get enough light) and for the new one, I wanted to go bigger.

I'm a big fan of limnophila aromatica and pogostemon helferi "Downoi". I may start with those and build out from there. I also really do like the two I mentioned earlier: Hygro pinnatifida and Crypt Pahang mutated.

But if I decide to go with discus as the fauna, then I'm probably back to low light.

I have lots of decisions to make.

I am currently looking into these plants! Thanks for the heads up. I LOVE Downoi but I am afraid I wont be able to keep it alive LOL

[mitch p]

Originally Posted by bitFUUL

Awesome tank Mitch, those rocks look sweet! Plants will look great in a few weeks, can't wait to see pics. Keep us posted!

AWWW YA! Bit in the house! Thanks man!

[mitch p]

Hey guys, I have some question about Lily Pipes.

Does anyone know which size lilypipe I should get for the OUTFLOW of the Eheim 2217s? I think they would be pretty neat to have!

[mitch p]

Quick update. Looks like my seeded media is doing its job nicely! The AquaSoil is leaching a lot of ammonia due to using so much but thats is A OK!





Also tested my GH today using the API Test Kit for GH. Took 5 drops to turn the water green . So thats a pretty good thing too!

[mitch p]

Just a quick 2 week update:

Still have not done any trimming but the ammonia is really coming down! Almost to 0 from where it was! So getting close to getting fish!

[hedge_fund]

wow, that's looks pretty good. I like it!

[Tomasz]

How do you find the Catalina light set up? I'm thinking of ordering the exact same. 2 6.5K lights and 1 plant grow.

A few questions:
(1) How did you test for the ammonia (you mentioned it went down?)
(2) What size bag aqua soil
(3) Did you find the powersand special M was enough or would you have prefered L?