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Lullafishi's 40 Gallon Adventure

26K views 45 replies 18 participants last post by  amcoffeegirl 
#1 · (Edited)
This is the story of my first planted tank and the wild adventure that ensued.

Tank Shot as of: 8/16/13



40 gallon breeder
Eheim 2217
Hydor 200w in-line
Finnex Fugeray 36"
Black Diamond 20/40 blasting grit with Pfertz root tabs
No C02

Water
100% tap water
pH: 8.0
KH: 6
GH: 9

Flora
Alternanthera reineckii
Rotala roundifolia
Rotala macrandra
Bacopa Caroliniana
Hygrophila sp. 'Brown'
Hygrophila corymbosa (Green Temple)
Dwarf Sagitaria
Limnophila sessiliflora
Limnophila aromatica 'hippuroides'
Limnophila aquatica
Ludwidgia repens x arcuata
Water Sprite
Red Tiger Lotus
Baby Tears (HM)
Mayaca fluviatilis
Hydrocolyte 'japan'
Clinopodium brownei
Java fern: regular, narrow leaf, and needle leaf
Moss: java mixed with christmas

Fauna
Malaysian Trumpet Snails / Pond Snails / Ramshorn Snails
2x Amano shrimp
1x male guppy, Maki
5x kerri tetras


Misc. Notes
The Eheim spray bar and intake pieces were painted black using Plasti-Dip rubber spray paint. It took multiple thin coats and cured for a month as I waited for the last of my supplies before filling the tank with water.

The stand was made by a family friend using my own design and dimensions.

Progression

6/14/13


6/22/13


7/19/13


8/16/13
 
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#2 · (Edited)
The Stand

My stand is made by a family friend using a design I provided. It is made of 3/4" birch panels and is inspired by ADA-style stands and mid-century modern furniture. I would have liked more mid-century flare to it, but the style's signature hairpin legs would be a disaster with that much weight. Instead of thin legs, I settled for a recessed base that wouldn't compromise the ability to withstand a lot of weight.



The doors use invisible hinges so that when closed, are completely flush with the rest of the stand. The cabinet is divided into two chambers that have pinholes on the sides for adjustable shelves. And that thicker panel on the upper right? Totally a drawer the carpenter made for me. :)



There are semi-circle hand holds on the sides and cut opening in the bottom back for hoses and cords. In hindsight, I would have had the openings at the top as it takes more length of the hose/cord to run to the bottom of the stand and then back up to the tank. Oh well, my hoses and cords are all fortunately long enough.

The doors are currently unstained as I wasn't sure if I wanted to leave them such or have them stained to match. I rather like the contrast, so I may just give them a clear coat for protection against water drips. I'm also debating between installing linear pull handles or seeing if I can install a push-magnetic system.

First Hardscape Attempt

Last time I visited my parents, we scavenged their property for pieces of collected driftwood and rocks I could "borrow" for my aquascaping. We found a reeeeeally neat piece of knotted pine, but when we baked it int he oven it oozed sap and so I wasn't sure if it was safe to use. But my visit produced two other pieces of driftwood along with a variety of rocks collected from Lake Michigan and Lake Superior.

Before I had any plants, I went a bit heavy on the hardscape to fill in the empty spaces.





My first attempt received some constructive criticism that it appeared too artificially arranged, which I agreed with and revised.



But then I realized I hadn't really sterilized the rocks, so just to be safe, they got a bleach bath and were rinsed thoroughly before going back in the tank. It was also at this time that I was able to finnnnnnaaally fill 'er up with water! I had also recently watched a YouTube Aquascaping video that recommended going with your gut instinct in 'scaping instead of over-thinking it. So I went with it and stopped agonizing over every little placement. In went the rocks, in went the plants, in went the water!



OMG planting from scratch was so not easy. My plant package had spent too much time in a bucket with Prime-treated water (and also being subjected to a potassium permanganate bath) and the majority of my planting was actually me just sulking and whining that all my plants were dying or going to die and they wouldn't stay in the substrate and this water sprite has no leaves anymore and WHY IS THIS SO. HARD. But I pushed through it and when I was able to start filling the tank with more water, I started seeing the plants as they naturally are (y'know... not all limp and lifeless out of water). Then I went from annoying my husband with my complaining to annoying my husband with cries of "STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING AND COME SEE HOW BEAUTIFUL THIS IS. My plants! Let me show you them!"

Even my cat wouldn't pay attention. She becomes too preoccupied with water changes because it involves BUBBLES.


 
#3 · (Edited)
Last week I received a very generous variety package of plants from OVT, who is my hero for putting up with (and answering) all my incessant questions about the plants and how to identify them and how to plant them. Huge thank you and shout out, OVT! :D

I also acquired some stems of Bacopa Caroliniana through a RAOK, which promptly went into the tank yesterday.

Which brings the tank to it's current state:



There's a little red tiger lotus hiding between the driftwood pieces that I'm hoping will recover from transplant stress and start poking its leafy head out. Right now, though, my favorites are the dwarf sag and the L. Aquatica. I'm hoping both flourish and fill in with their grassy and feathery goodness.

The pump in the middle is being seeded with the cycling of my tank and will be going into a quarantine tank as soon as my cycle finishes (and I can set one up). So that's just a temporary visual distraction.

I'm currently pleased with thelayout on the right side, but the rocks and plants need work on the left. I'm thinking I may let the plants recover and fill in a bit before 'scaping it, unless someone has some ideas right now? Oh, just to note, a few of the rocks on the left are currently weighting down the driftwood until it becomes fully waterlogged.


(his shell is minty green! love it!)

A trip to the LFS resulted in some free malaysian trumpet snails, so my tank HAS FAUNA, YAY. The long-nosed little guys are much more endearing in person than online photos led me to believe, and now I find myself singing Barry White to them in hopes that they breed. They are much too occupied with escaping my horrible water conditions at the moment. Sorry, little guys, I want my nitrites to come down and the cycle to be finished as much as you do.

I gave the tank a huuuuuuge water change that brought my nitrites down from 5.0++ to .50 ppm. But I bet they'll be just as high again tomorrow. The BB can handle 4ppm of ammonia in 24 hours, so I'm just waiting on the nitrite-munching bacteria to catch up.
 
#9 ·
Thanks for the kind words, everyone!

... Also enjoyed the kitty pics, she is gorgeous!
This cat is so photogenic it's ridiculous. She has these huge mint green eyes that get her just about whatever she wants!


Beautiful set up. So my cat isn't the only one out there chasing the bubbles through my python hose? lol What fauna will you be housing in this tank?
haha, I guess not!

This is my current plan for stocking, subject to change and learning of course:

10-15 rummynose tetra
10-15 harlequin rasbora
8-10 corydoras habrosus
a few other cories (maybe sterbai or adolfoi)
3-5 otos
some centerpiece, non-schooling fish... pair of rams if I can pull it off

I'm also open to suggestions. I definitely want a swarm of cories.


I just don't know what to look at first: the tank, the plants, the furry girl, or the driftwood. Hate to admit, but the kitty cat steals my heart :).

The driftwood is epic, it would have pushed ME to the edge if insanity with all the endless permutations.

Plants? Um, they did take a beating but do seem to be on their way to recovery.

Are some of the stones on the right Marble? I can't remember of the top of my head if that's good or bad.

Overall, I am a bit lost for words (not that common). I get that feeling if serenity..
That strange sense if peace and of inner calm. Weird, especially from a tank that young. Somehow, with so few plants, the visual balance is just there. I just can see this tank a month from now.

Well done!

via Droid DNA Tapatalk 2
Lol, that's ok, the kitty steals my heart every day. :)

I am so ashamed of the beating the poor plants took, but I'm much more confident they'll recover now (as long as they like my lighting and params). The ludwigia and hygro are in great shape. The dwarf sag managed pretty well overall by the time I got it planted, but it has some spots of melting now. I'm hoping it's just from adjusting because I love this plant.

The stones are a mixture of conglomerates with a lot of quartz. I don't think there's any marble in there (which, you're right, often has calcite in it) but now that you've mentioned it, I'll ask my dad if he thinks any of them are. We did a very basic white vinegar test on them, but I think it was pretty weak because I tested it on limestone and the fizz bubbles were very slight. I avoided any rocks that were chalky or had rust stains.

Thank you! I was really surprised and pleased that it didn't feel too empty to me. I was expecting it to look pretty sparse starting out, but I owe so much to your lovely plants. :)

I pursued visual balance by tackling the layout as I might with a 2-D art composition.
 
#8 ·
I just don't know what to look at first: the tank, the plants, the furry girl, or the driftwood. Hate to admit, but the kitty cat steals my heart :).

The driftwood is epic, it would have pushed ME to the edge if insanity with all the endless permutations.

Plants? Um, they did take a beating but do seem to be on their way to recovery.

Are some of the stones on the right Marble? I can't remember of the top of my head if that's good or bad.

Overall, I am a bit lost for words (not that common). I get that feeling if serenity..
That strange sense if peace and of inner calm. Weird, especially from a tank that young. Somehow, with so few plants, the visual balance is just there. I just can see this tank a month from now.

Well done!

via Droid DNA Tapatalk 2
 
#10 ·
Just tested my water params and the results are in:

Ammonia: 0
Nitrites: 0!! (had to test twice because I didn't believe the first one)
Nitrates: 5 ppm
pH: 8.0

The nitrites were off the charts yesterday, then dropped to 0.5 ppm after I did a 95% water change. I was expecting them to be high again today, but they're at 0. I'm thinking this may mean my cycle is complete!

I'm dosing the ammonia back up to 4 ppm and will give it the 24 hour test to see if it's truly cycled. I'm so excited. :)
 
#12 ·
Got another package of beautiful and healthy plants from OVT! :)



Unfortunately my stocking schedule has been set back due to a possible outbreak of Neon Tetra Disease in my quarantine tank. I'm waiting to see if my remaining two neons (culled one) and three guppies exhibit symptoms. In the meantime, I'm wondering if I can set up a spare 5 gallon tank with my seeded, uncontaminated sponge filter as a quarantine tank so I can start the process of acquiring and quarantining new fish that I actually want to stock my 40b with.
 
#14 ·
o_O nice new plants, what all did ya get? I notice a few different plants added, but unsure on all the names.
OVT created a variety pack for me and I'm still identifying them (a fun challenge!) so I couldn't tell you what everything is quite yet. This is what I know so far:

More ludwigia repens x arcuata
Mayaca fluviatilis
Hydrocolyte 'japan'
Java fern: regular, narrow leaf, and needle leaf

I'm still working on identifying the pink plant, the broad leaf plant in the back right, and the tall lily-pad shaped plant on the left.
 
#19 ·
Isn't it?! OVT is the best. :D

My favorites right now are the Alternanthera reineckii (so pink and colorful!) and the Limnophila aquatica (love the soft texture of this plant). But I also adore my dwarf sag, the HC, and the Green Temple plant (Hygro corymbosa) because they offer such a different visual shape/texture in contrast with the other stem plants.

Unfortunately my dwarf sag is yellowing and melting at the tips. I've got dry fertilizers on the way, so I'm hoping this remedies the problem so it can flourish. I want a nice grassy bed around the wood base!
 
#20 ·
The Reineckii is gorgeous! If only my lighting could handle those lovely reddish plants... One day. ;)

I too am loving my Limnophila, mine is growing crazy fast, how about yours? I've been thinking of trying my hand at some drawf sag. I think I'll hold off till I see if you get yours to recover. Good luck with it BTW.
A lot of plants have been hit or miss with me so far. I don't wanna try anything too demanding just yet.

Agree on the Green Temple.. very cool vibe it gives off! HC is always loved!
 
#22 ·
My lighting is borderline low-medium, so we'll see what colored plants I can get away with (and more importantly, if I can get away with no algae problems!). So far the Reineckii is still nice and bright! The R. Macranda is more brown than red, but there are a few new spots of growth that are bright so I'm curious to see what it does.

I've got ferts coming in this week. Hoping that will take care of the yellowing in my dwarf sag and some pinholes I've been getting in my ludwigia and hygro. I'll let you know how the dwarf sag does so you can decide if you want to try it. :)



Thanks! When I was asked if I wanted shelves and a drawer I thought, sure, why not? Now I can't imagine not having them and I'm considering adding another shelf! They add so much storage for all the little things... test kits, nets and tongs, siphons, extra equipment, fish food...
 
#23 ·
My plants have grow quite a bit over the last 3 weeks so I'll be updating the photo soon.

But the most exciting news is that I was able to, at long last, buy my first fish from my stock list! I took home 6 kerri tetras (Inpaichthys kerri) that are being drip acclimated for my quarantine tank right now. I fell in love with these guys after seeing them at my LFS last month, and they won against Harlequin rasboras for my 'must-have'. I currently have three males and three females, and I look forward to adding to their numbers once I know these guys are doing well.

I also took home two amano shrimp, who are happily exploring the 40b. I'm pretty excited to have something other than snails to watch in there. And they're pretty excited to have real plants and an entire 40 gallon tank to explore. :)
 
#26 · (Edited)
Photo update time! The technical qualities of this photo look like crap compared to my last one, so I'll have to play with my camera settings and try again a different night. But you get the gist. Sorry if it hurts your eyes as much as it's hurting mine, haha.



It's been almost a month since the last FTS and the plants have really been filling in nicely. I've trimmed the ludwigia and re-planted the tops twice. The dwarf sag was having some decay and BBA issues, so at OVT's suggestion I pulled them up, trimmed the rotting old roots that was causing the problem, and re-planted. I'm still waiting for it to really take off, but they all have healthy roots now and haven't been melting since the root treatment. No more algae on them, either!

My red tiger lotus lost all leaves while adjusting, but it now has five healthy leaves that are slooooooowly getting larger. It seems to be a slow grower and I'm still waiting for it to peek up between the driftwood, but it's getting direct light from above and looks happy.

I started noticing some staghorn algae on a few leaves and some BBA on my spray bar, but a few spot treatments of Excel have cleared it up. I have been dosing Excel every other day and dry fertilizers on a weekly low-light/EI regime.

I also moved the spray bar over to the left side to improve my water circulation.

Still figuring out what I want to do with the left side. I'm thinking of getting rid of the large round rock in the left back and trying to decide on a foreground plant to create a visual hierarchy for that chaos. I'm hoping my Alternanthera reineckii will continue to grow and propagate so I can bring some of that gorgeous pink over to the other side.

I just tied the moss on to the driftwood today, but I'm not pleased with the placement. It doesn't look natural to me. I'll have to look at some examples to mimic how and where moss would grow naturally. I'm trying to avoid covering up too much of the wood because I like the contrast of the dark wood against the green background.

In fauna-related news, one of my Amano shrimp pranked me into thinking he had died... until I realized it was a molt. My lone guppy is having the time of his life reigning over the snails and trying to eat/play with the Amanos, whom have been named Bubba and Forrest by my husband. :)
 
#28 ·
I'm sure you're right and that's contributing to it! I think another part of my problem with the moss is that it ends so abruptly and isn't repeated anywhere else. I'll have to attach a small amount to another spot.

It's a mixture of java moss and another kind. Will it grow upward or will it creep along? I don't have any prior experience with moss so not sure what to expect.

I'm also becoming more and more keen with the idea of planting a bunch of dwarf sag between and around the rocks on the left side.
 
#29 ·
That's a nice green jungle :),(happy).
Don't worry about the lotus: it will take off, all the way to the surface. The moss will creep along the wood and then spread out, drooping a bit. Enjoy it now as in a couple in months at will be all over the tank. Same goes for the sag.

Looks like time for some fins. Somehow, I see a lot of corys in that tank.

via Droid DNA Tapatalk 2
 
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