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*NEW* 75 Gallon journal

6K views 38 replies 18 participants last post by  ChadRamsey 
#1 ·
Ive had this 75 gallon tank setup before, but due to being a novice i rushed into things and the outcome was.......terrible ! Ive decided to take things slowly (even though its killing me) and decide exactly how i want things. The setup im going for is a little bit of everything...Dutch style, Amano & Iwagumi. Im not sure how it will come out but in my head it looks excellent ha ha!

75 Gallon standard
4x 54w Catalina T5ho
Rena XP-3
Pressurized C02 with Rex style reactor
Seachem Flourite (Dark)
Pool Filter Sand

I emptied this tank around 8 days ago, the last setup was a mess, i kept adding plants to it without fully knowing what care was needed for them, so some died whilst some went crazy and blocked everything else from the light.


I decided whilst the tank was empty i would scub the inside of the tank with a bleach mix to kill any nasties that was growing on the silicone or glass itself. This also gave me a chance to connect my reactor.


Next was to decide what i wanted as the main focal point, using the "rule of thirds" i decided that a leftover piece of driftwood i had from another tank would be perfect. The piece seems just the right height and has tons of potential to grow Anubias, java fern and/or moss around the base or the branches.


Next up was to decide the layout of the actual tank. Ive seen lots of "island" & "beach" effects by dividing 2 different color substrates which i like. Making 2 islands would be great to keep Iwagumi away from the Dutch & Amano styles. I decided to use plexi glass and cut them into strips, being 2.5" high. I used a candle to heat the plexi glass and bend it to the shapes i wanted. After i got the correct shapes i just simply siliconed them to the bare bottom of the tank. Once the silicone was dry i decided to pour the flourite from the bag straight into the tank (yep, no rinsing) I dont see the point in rinsing the substrate, you pay all that money for the goodness inside the substrate only to ....wash it all away ! Makes no sense to me.


Turns out im 2 bags short (only used 2 bags in the pics) but hopefully the LFS will have these for me on Friday. I filled the tank with water and will leave it for 24 hours before i switch my filter on. I did have a few suspended particles but i just used kitchen paper towels to soak them up which worked very well.
Underneath the driftwood and the right hand side of the tank i used pool filter sand in some panties to make the "hills". Once i get the other 2 bags of substrate i will make the left side a little more hilly. This picture was taken straight after the water was in........ not too cloudy considering i didnt rinse it !


This is the left side of the tank where i would like a dutch style background with a Amano foreground and around the "tree stump"


This is the right side where im hoping to grow HC in a Iwagumi style.
 
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#5 ·
I'm not sure yet, I was thinking pool filter sand but the only color I can get is too light and I'd like a tan color sand.
 
#7 ·
Thank you, Im getting to a stand still at the moment as im not sure what substrate to place in the middle and i keep changing my mind on plant choices.


Today i bought some HC which will be grown for a couple of weeks using the DSM in a tub, not sure if i want HC or Glosso to carpet the right corner.
 
#8 ·
This weekend i tried not to rush things so went slowly. Managed to get the rest of the flourite and sand , still not sure about the light color of the sand but it will do....for now.
I planted the HC and tried a few stem plants in areas, although not sure exactly where i want the plants just yet. Ive ordered some more stem plants so hopefully i will have a better idea on wednesday when they arrive.......but for now , here are the recent pics. The tank is still a little cloudy because i dont rinse the flourite, why wash the good stuff away ? AThe flat rock is holding the driftwood down and will be moved in a week or 2 once its waterlogged.







 
#10 ·
That looks unreal! I love the look of it


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Thank you ! I took the Riccia out, i cant stand the bits floating around and hanging on to plants....the stuff gets everywhere, even in the drop checker !
 
#11 ·
Update :
I've cut all the stem plants in half to double my plant mass (I'm cheap I know) not entirely sure how to create a Dutch style aquarium as its a lot harder to do than what all the beautiful tanks look like online! I'll have to wait for my plants to get to a good size before it will start taking shape.
I noticed the driftwood trunk has some dark algae on it , not too bad but enough for me to notice. I run only 2 tubes (108watt) for about 7-8 hours a day and my drop checker is very light green . I'm thinking even 2 of these tubes maybe too much light so I'm going to try 4 hours with 1 tube running and 4 hours with 2 tubes , hopefully this will help.
 
#12 ·
Houston we have a problem ! Today i woke up to 2 dead angelfish :-( i thought the tank was cycled , but apparently not. Nitrite was sky high , i just dont understand how last week the params were fine and today they are not. I added some seachem stability so im hoping the angelfish that survived will be ok.
 
#13 ·
Ok , things are back on track and my recent Nitrite spike has sorted itself out and params are all steady (for 5 days now) I have ordered some more stem plants and will arrive this friday so im hoping i can get the planting done then. The HC has not done good, its not dying but its not growing either. I guess its going to take a long time to fill that right hand side. Pictures will be up on Friday/saturday once the plants have arrived.
 
#14 ·
interesting, never really seen dividing barriers like that for the substrate...

sorry to hear about the angels :(

best of luck for getting the cycle sorted
 
#18 ·
looks go so far man.

Do you plan to leave the barriers in there or are you going to remove them down the road?
I siliconed them in so im going to leave it. I could take them out since im in the process of DSM but i figured the Tropica049 will hide the plexiglass anyway. I have a bad habit of moving things around so im thinking the plexiglass will be a good deterrent !
 
#19 ·
So 2-3 months later this is what i have so far. Although its not exactly how i want it, its going to have to do for now ! The Dutch style planting is the hardest part since i cant get them to bunch nicely together. At this stage im basically letting my plants grow so when it comes to trimming them, i can double up on the planting since i didnt buy enough plants to start with and hopefully make them more compact. Anyway, enough talking here are some pics.....


The plants look a lot brighter and healthier in person, my photography skills can be blamed for whats below :)










 
#23 ·
I tore down a lot of plants and began a different approach. I will post pics in a few days once its settled.
 
#26 ·
Great looking tank! I like the mash-up style you are using. Post some more pics soon. I look forward to seeing the progression.
 
#27 ·
Your multiple substrate idea to separate the tanks into parts was brilliant, looks awesome!

I think the only change I would make, if I tried to mimic this, is that I'd try and find a wood piece with a branch long enough to arc over to the right side island. Then moss the whole branch to make it look kinda like the plant life crept over the wood and into the new spot.
 
#28 ·
Your multiple substrate idea to separate the tanks into parts was brilliant, looks awesome!

I think the only change I would make, if I tried to mimic this, is that I'd try and find a wood piece with a branch long enough to arc over to the right side island. Then moss the whole branch to make it look kinda like the plant life crept over the wood and into the new spot.

Ha ha ! Have you been spying on me ? Thats exactly what im in the process of doing LOL
I have a few pieces to work with but none seem to be "perfect" its getting a little annoying .
 
#29 ·
The plane tickets to Georgia get expensive, but in moments like this I think they're worth it. :D
 
#30 · (Edited)
ha ha , i just wish you would have mentioned this months ago when i was going through "this tank is missing something" moment. I will get pictures up as soon as the wood has been added .
 
#31 ·
Played around with the tank a little today, 5 hours later and a bad back.....







 
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