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65 Gallon Low Tech Journal [56K]

13K views 59 replies 21 participants last post by  PeterN1986 
#1 · (Edited)
Intro

This is my first attempt at a planted aquarium. I previously had a 20 gallon aquarium that was fish-only with fake plants. I had to take it down when I moved two years ago. I had the itch to set it up again for a while, but I couldn’t find a stand that I liked (or that the wife would approve of). So, I waited.

My boss has a 30 gallon saltwater aquarium, and he was in the midst of upgrading to a 65, when his wife became pregnant. Needless to say, the upgrade was abandoned, and he was left with a brand new Marineland 65 Gallon Corner-Flo aquarium and stand. I went over to his place to take a look at it, and knew it would fit perfectly in my apartment. So, I bought it and brought it back home.

Set-Up

Display Tank: 65 Gallon with Pre-Drilled Interior Overflow (36”x18”24”)
Substrate: Miracle Gro Organic Choice Potting Mix (MGOCPM) capped with Pool Filter Sand (PFS)
Lighting: AquaticLife Dual T5HO 39w (1x 6000K & 1x 650nm Roseate)
Filtration: 20 Gallon Long Sump with 3 Compartments (30”x12”x12”)


  • Intake: Pond Filter Sponge Material, BioMax, and Filter Floss
  • Refugium: Emergent/Emersive Plants
    • Substrate: MGOCPM capped with PFS
    • Lighting: Dual T8 17w 6500K
    • Heater: 200w set to 76 degrees
  • Return: Rio 2500 Submersible Pump

Flora (Ordered from aquariumplants.com. Expected delivery: Friday, February 1)

Vallisneria Spiralis (Leopard Vals)
Microsorium Pteropus (Java Fern)
Cryptocoryne Wendtii, Red
Cryptocoryne Wendtii, Green
Anubias Barteri v. Nana
Egeria Densa (Anacharis)
Didiplis Diandra (Diandra)
Hygrophila Difformis (Wisteria)
Echinodorus Amazonicus (Amazon Swordplant)
Java Moss

Fauna (Undecided at the moment)

Big school of 10-20 small rasboras/tetras
A small school of Cories or Otos
Lots of Red Cherry Shrimp
A couple of Nerite/Trumpet/Assassin Snails
2 or 3 Angels or maybe a Gourami/Betta as centerpiece fish

Goals

I have a friend who has been running a Walstad setup for about 2 years now that was my main inspiration. He has had a few setbacks, but overall his plants grow like wild and his fish are very happy and healthy. He actually recently had his German Blue Rams spawn, which was pretty exciting considering he wasn’t even trying! Either way, I’ve always been jealous of his tank and decided to go for a similar setup. Maybe even show him up!

My main goals with this tank are to keep it as low tech and low maintenance as possible. I am willing to add fertilizers and do some kind of DIY CO2 system, although I would like it best if it could be kind of a “Set it and forget it” type of tank. I really do like the overgrown/jungle look, so that is what I am shooting for. I even like the look of some types of algae; I’m not trying to go for a picture perfect Amano artistic aquarium. I kind of want to just see what the plants want to do, trimming when things begin to “get out of hand.”

Concerns

I am concerned that my lighting may be too low light. It comes in at only 1.2 watts per gallon, although I know that is not an effective way of gauging lighting anymore. According to Hoppy’s research on the PAR of certain light fixtures, I would put my light at about 45 PAR for the distance it is from the substrate. From what I understand, this should be sufficient for most low to moderate level plants. I do have a glass canopy for aesthetic, noise, and anti-cat reasons, so I am hoping that as long as I am good about keeping it clean, it won’t affect the level of lighting too much. If anyone wants to chime in on their theories considering the plants I have picked in conjunction with my lighting, I am all ears.

I guess my overall biggest concern is failure. Some people make the low tech approach seem so simple, but I understand how easy it can be to spend 90 bucks on plants and have them all look like crap and then die in a month. I have a tendency to be very hands on, especially in the beginning. I worry that I will be constantly troubleshooting, rather than just “letting things be.” Hopefully, you all will be able to offer advice when I need it, and tell me to chill out when I’m overreacting.

Future Plans

I am expecting the plants to arrive on Friday. Between now and then, any suggestions on where to plant which species would be very helpful. Also, any tips on how to plant each type of species would also be appreciated. I got a nice pair of 10” tweezers, so that should hopefully make planting such a tall tank less of a hassle.

I will probably start adding fish towards the end of February, once the tank has settled and finished its cycle.

Thanks for reading and I will try to be vigilant about updating the journal as I go.

Pics to come!
 
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#2 · (Edited)
Pictures From Setup Phase [56K]

Everyone knows a tank journal is no fun without pics! This is obviously a work in progress as you can tell by the tannins and other junk floating all around. I am going to do a total water change and big clean up when I add the plants. Enjoy!

The Beginning



Installing the baffles in the sump.



Original hardscape after adding substrate.



Re-scape Part 1



Re-scape Part 2



"Final" scape



Tank in room.



Some sump images.





This is the digital timer I got. It's pretty sweet. Half of the outlets are on a timer, the other half run constantly. Only 20 bucks at Lowe's.



Here's the Amazon sword I picked up from my LFS. I trimmed the roots and planted it like this. Does it look like I planted it correctly?



Here's the java moss and the raw shrimp inside nylon pantyhose that I'm using to cycle the tank.

 
#5 ·
I'm liking the sump idea lately. I've seen various setups and I've been making some plans as to how to create the proper sump design. I'm a bit curious about your sump baffle design. It seems that there really isn't any trickle effect that you would generally see. Did you use a plan for your sump or did you come up with your own design? I'm really just trying to learn. Thanks!
 
#6 ·
My main reasoning for the sump was to have a place to hide filtration, heating, wires, etc. The extra volume is a bonus, too. In retrospect, I may have gone with a wet/dry "trickle" filter in lieu of the baffles. It is a pretty cost effective method of filtration, and it seems like a good way to get a lot of biological filtration.

This article is awesome for sump ideas and basics. Some of it is saltwater specific, but there's a lot there on function and design of any sump.

This article was a big help in learning how to plumb the system. I didn't end up using PVC pipes, but the author, Cliff, has a lot of knowledge and is very thorough. Definitely worth reading.

I guess a lot of people with planted tanks don't use a sump design because of gas exchange and the loss of CO2. I am hoping my sump won't require the use of CO2, but we'll see. :icon_roll
 
#7 · (Edited)
Latenight Planting Session - Very Happy with the Results!

The plants came a day early, so I threw them in the tank until I was ready to plant them after the wife went to bed. :icon_smil









I knew I wanted to add some rocks to my hardscape, so I picked up a bag of pond stones from Lowe's for $3.50. They came in handy when planting the Java Fern and Anubias, as well. They were dirty, though! Took a while to clean them in the tub.



While I was cleaning stuff, I decided to clean off the driftwood, too. It had begun to grow that white filmy stuff that usually comes with a new piece of wood in the tank.



Threw the rest of the crypts, Java Fern, and moss down in the sump. So many tannins leeched from the driftwood; the water looks like tea!











So this is what it looked like while I was planting... quite the elaborate setup.



Drained the tank.



The Anubias looked super healthy.





Some nice laves on the Wisteria.





Anacharis was good and chunky.





Diandra was super delicate, but definitely healthy and lush.





Java Fern was nice and sturdy.



I love the little brown dots running up the leaves.



Nice roots and rhizomes, too.



The green and red Crypts were nice and big, with big sturdy root systems.







I'm psyched about the red ones :icon_smil.







Here's the Amazon Sword that I bought from my LFS. It held up for the past week down in the sump. I love the flower up at the top. The roots are small, but look promising.







Here's the Java Moss that I bought from my LFS. It's nice and sturdy and thick.





Aquariumplants.com was nice enough to throw in this big hunk of Java Moss with my order. It's not as nice as all the other stuff they sent, but it came in handy when I decorated the driftwood.





So this is everything all laid out and trimmed. This is probably my favorite picture of the setup process. I felt like Takashi Amano with all these plants to pick from in setting up the tank :icon_surp.







Covered everything up with wet paper towels, misting it every once in a while so things wouldn't dry out.



Decided to bust out the sewing thread and tackle what I figured would be the most time consuming, tedious part of the setup. It was tricky tying down the Java Moss to the driftwood, but after a while you learn a few tricks and it goes a bit faster. Keep in mind it's probably around midnight/1am as I'm doing this.









Here's the finished product. I am REALLY happy with the way things turned out. I'm hoping it will grow out to completely cover the wood. Probably took me about an hour to do it all.



So cool!





Makes me want to have a riparium...





Threw in some rocks to liven up the boring substrate. I'm not crazy about it, but it's something.





Started planting the Vals first.



Put in the Java Fern and Anubias next. It's probably around 3am at this point and I'm pretty deliriously tired. I was definitely getting frustrated tying them to little rocks to bury in the substrate.



Added the Crypts in the corners and filled up the tank a little bit more.



Lulu was not happy with all of the latenight commotion. She was running all over the place. She didn't know what to think! :tongue:



Wasn't crazy about the placement of the Java Ferns when I started to see everything coming together.



Still wasn't totally sold on the final scape at this point, but it was 4:30am and I knew my wife was going to be getting up for work in half an hour. And my alarm is set for 7:45. Scrambled to clean things up and took a few minutes to snap some pics and admire the hard work.











I put the Anacharis down in the sump, by the way.





Here's a closeup of the Crypts and Vals on the left side of the tank.



I tucked the Amazon Sword in the back left corner behind the driftwood. I know it's going to get big, so I want it to stay in the background of the driftwood centerpiece.



These are the crypts on the right side of the tank.



All the cute little Anubias.





Here's the Diandra and Wisteria in the back/midground on the right. These were the plants I was the least excited about, and I think I like them the best. So light and fluffy.



Java Fern.



A little yellowing on the Crypt leaves. I've read that Crypts will almost always melt when moved to a new tank. Then they regrow new leaves in a month or two. I'll be sad to see them go, the leaves are so big and healthy :icon_frow.



Here is a closeup of the planted Vals; I hope they aren't in too deep. They really make the look of the tank, so I am hoping that they are successful. I put some API root tabs (I know they're not the best) underneath them in the hopes that it will help them establish roots faster.





As I was staring at my tank today, I noticed this on one of the Vals. I think it might have been snail or fish eggs? It was slimy and pretty sticky. I took it out just in case it was something weird.



Okay... so here it is. The final scape! Leave some comments and tell me what you think.





 
#9 ·
Thanks! I hope I can keep it that way. The plants have been in for about 4 days now.

The Crypts are still holding up, as are the Anubias. My friend is afraid the light might be a little too intense for the Anubias and Java Fern. As long as I don't get any algae, I'm happy for now.

The Vals still don't look very strong - some of the tips are browning and getting very "flimsy". I'm hoping that they will establish some roots and make a turnaround soon.

On the bright side, the Diandra and Wisteria are looking great.
 
#13 ·
Love it.
Vals are notorious for melting as well, so if they go away on you just wait it out, they'll be back.

Once a few of those plants get established you'r going to have a lot of trimming to keep up ;)

Those were snail eggs by the way.

Also I would do the cories and otos both, corys stay on the bottom and otos on the glass.
 
#16 ·
Water Testing, Cycling, and Petco Discrepancies

Okay, so I have been using two pieces of raw shrimp to cycle this tank for about a month now.

About two weeks before planting, I used my API Liquid Master Test Kit to check the water parameters. The results came back confirming that there was a healthy amount of Ammonia, still no NitrItes or NitrAtes.

The day before planting, I checked the water again using my API Liquid Master Test Kit, and the results came back with no Ammonia, plenty of NitrItes, and still no NitrAtes.

Then, I did a complete water change while planting. I knew this would set back the cycle a bit, but I wanted to get rid of the tannins in the water, etc. The decaying shrimp has remained in the tank the whole time.

Yesterday (4 days after planting), I checked the water parameters again. I figured that since the tank was now heavily stocked with plants, they might be absorbing/using all of the excess NitrItes and NitrAtes. Once again, the results came back showing no Ammonia, some NitrItes, and no NitrAtes.

I was a little disappointed with the results, but not totally surprised. However, my API Liquid Master Test Kit is around 3 years old, give or take. I have heard that they become less reliable, and expire after about 3 or 4 years. So, I decided to take a sample of my water to Petco to have them test it.

Much to my disappointment, they used the API Test Strips to test the water. I know that if the strips are exposed to any moisture at all, the results that they give are pretty much totally bogus. Either way, I was curious, and the test strips came back reading nothing across the board.

So, should I trust the crappy test strips, or my old liquid test kit? I'm not used to cycling with plants, so I'm not sure how to proceed. I would like to start adding some fauna, but want to make sure everything is safe and not have to change the water a million times until the tank is fully cycled.

(I know the short answer is to buy another Master Test Kit, but I'm looking to see if you have any insights on cycling with plants and where you think my tank might be in its cycle, given the information above.)
 
#18 ·
Wow, a subscriber! The blind leading the blind, I guess! :red_mouth Thanks for following along.

Thanks for your comments on the layout, as well.

I will be trying my best to stay vigilant about posting pics of the tank's progress, even when it looks less than presentable. I have a feeling that the first month may look a little melty/brown, but once things get more established, it will take off.
 
#23 ·
Thanks! Yeah, I ordered the main piece of wood in the foreground from eBay. When it arrived it was a lot smaller than I was expecting, but now that everything is in place, I wouldn't want it any bigger. It really worked out.

The wood in the back is actually three different pieces ziptied together at the base. I am really happy with the way that, from the front, they combine with the piece in the front to look like one big piece with lots of branches. Can't wait to see tons of red cherry shrimp chilling on it all day :icon_cool.
 
#24 · (Edited)
I too am a sucker for the Val wall look. The Vals really make the look of the tank, so I am most worried about their success. I know it won't look as good if I have to rip it all out. Not to mention it will have been 30 bucks down the drain :icon_conf. Time will tell.

I guess that goes for the cycle of the tank, as well. Patience is a virtue, especially in the aquarium hobby. I'm just starting to get tired of the thick film of protein that builds up on the surface of the sump from the decaying shrimp. I know that any fish I add at this point would be fine, especially if I stocked lightly at first, but I hate to think I'm stressing them unnecessarily. I've told myself to wait until Friday to measure the parameters again. Then, take it from there.
 
#25 · (Edited)
So, it's been one week since I planted. Been running it with a 9 hour photo period. No CO2, no ferts.

The Diandra and Wisteria are both showing growth.

The Anubias, Java Fern, and Java Moss are looking essentially the same as when I first planted.

The Crypts had about one leaf/branch melt per plant, but the other remaining leaves are looking good! Is it possible that they are past the point of melting away completely???

The Vals are doing okay. I did a heavy trimming last night to get rid of all the brown/melty strands. What remains looks good, and a bunch of them have shot up some new little flowers :smile:.

Anacharis also shows a little growth, and looks healthy and happy down in the sump.

Tested the water paramaters tonight, and it looks like the tank has finally cycled! :icon_smil Adding the plants has removed everything - zeroes across the board. pH is at 7.4.

I will be adding some fish this Saturday. I am thinking I will keep the decaying shrimp in the tank until Friday. I will do a 50% water change Thursday night, and then another one on Friday night. Then I'll take the shrimp out and rinse out the sponges in my sump.

Thinking I will probably get a Betta and a school of Tetras - maybe Neons? What do you all think?

I am going to wait to get the Otos, shrimp, and cories until the plants are more established.



(Pardon the ugly tank shot, just took it quickly with all the lights on in the apartment so that you all could see how it's looking at the moment.)
 
#27 · (Edited)
One Week Plant Update

Wanted to start by showing how my lights are currently set up. I had to do a DIY to make the lights for the sump. I took two Aqueon hood lighting fixtures and connected them using leftover strips of acrylic from the sump build. I used super glue for the adhesive.



I used those 3M adhesive hooks on the top.



Connected the bottom in the same way.





Inside the bottom of the stand, I screwed in an old scrap piece of particle board and then screwed in two hooks to that. Then I suspended the lights from the hooks using chain.







For the lights on the display tank, I put a sheet of window screen mesh behind the splash guard. A few of the forum members here suggested I do that so that the light wasn't too strong.



Here's a nice shot of the tank in the context of the whole living room.



Awesome new growth on all of the crypts! :proud:











The swordplant is going nuts! All of the leaves growing on the main stalk about 3/4 of the way up this shot are new. :icon_mrgr






The Vals are flowering!





Diandra and Wisteria showing steady growth. :icon_bigg



Anubias not looking so hot.



But, some new growth! :icon_wink



Java Fern doing well. I guess it's not too much light for them after all... for now.





Here are the Anacharis down in the sump. Slow, but steady growth down there as well.



 
#29 ·
Fish!

So, water change on Thursday. Water change on Friday. Removed the decaying shrimp and tested the water. Zeroes across the board... it's fauna time.



So, it may seem lame, but I am really happy with what I got.

My wife helped me pick out a beautiful Crowntail Betta at Petco. I've always had this dream of releasing a Betta from those crappy little cups they live in and letting them into a big, lush, planted tank. Life doesn't have to be miserable for the poor Bettas!





This is my favorite picture of him.



Then I got a bunch (or what I thought was a bunch!) of Neon Tetras. I was really tempted to get some nice Rainbows, but they were a little too pricey for me.

Brought them home and started acclimating them. :icon_bigg







Did a DIY drip acclimation.



Airline valves?!?!





Here are the Neons.



And then the Betta.





The Betta looks AMAZING! :icon_mrgr





The Neons look great, as well. But the school of 11 looked so small....





Soooooo, I went back to the LFS and got 18 more! :icon_lol:

Threw in 4 Otos for good measure. I will probably add 2 or 3 more when the store gets more in this week.







And here it is... My cat Lulu loves the tank. It makes me so happy, too. She is home alone while my wife and I are at work, so I wanted to give her something to watch.







Sorry for the crummy pictures. I'll upload some better ones once it gets dark and I can kill all the lights.

Really REALLY happy with the way things have come together.

On the horizon for delivery this week - 15 RCS and 5 MTS. Oh, and a bunch of Frogbit! :bounce:

Thanks for checking it out! Please, let me know what you think. :proud:
 
#33 ·
Ich :(

Bahhh...so I come home today and three Neon Tetras are dead.

Check the parameters - everything is still good. Zeroes across the board. Otos look fine.

But, there are a number of Neons with little white spots. Quick google search tells me it's ICH.

Turned up the heat and did a water change.

Even though it's bad for the plants (supposedly), I added some salt. Not the full dose recommended on most sites for ICH, maybe about 2 tbsp per 5 gallons.

Going to see how the plants (and fish) do with this. Might add some more salt tomorrow.

Not sure if my 200 watt heater can handle keeping the tank at such a high temperature. Might get another one to supplement on my way home tomorrow.

Sigh... just when things were getting good. Always something. I'm glad it's not my water's fault, though. I guess this is why they say you should always quarantine.
 
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