HF's 75 // Half wood & Half plants

[halffrozen]

My favorite fish of all time is the Bolivian Ram. So just a heads up.

So I had gone from this in my 40gal breeder:

This was my pride and joy, but personal matters got in my way.


To this when a got a free 75hard scape)

I loved this tank as well, but I didn't like having fake plants, as well as a hardscape when Bolivian Rams really don't live in the African Rift Lakes.. lol


And now to this:


Short(low quality) video of the awesome piece of driftwood.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7N6OAJq0HBw

I had put the fake plants in there to help my impatient self cope with having just wood in there.. lol

But so far I have ordered Vals, and a ton of crypts.

Not looking to do alot of demanding plants this time around, so it will be a simple tank.

Quick stats on tankcurrently)
Tank: 75 gal(got it for free!)
Heater: Aquatop 300W
Light: Odyssea 36" triple bulb 10kx1 6500Kx2
Filtration: Fluval C4 HOB /// EHIEM 2217 Canister(may be getting a second)
Substrate: Quikrete sand from Homedepot in the finest grade
Plants: All fake for now besides the small clumps of Dwarf Hairgrass in the very front right side of the tank
Decor: Rock that a nearby mountain donated to me Driftwood is Mangrove from my LFS
Other equipment: Glass tops, Coralife Digi thermostat

Inhabitants:
8 Bolivian Rams 2M/6F
2 Philippine Blue Angelfish
2 Random petco Angelfish
2 Bristlenose Plecos
Random oddball fish e.g. guppies, mollies

[MikeS]

Love that middle pic! Watching.

[halffrozen]

Got in my new Nikon D3200 today, went a bit crazy with editing... sorry.. haha

Will be posting the video I took with it later.

Also plants are shipping, and some have been shipped already. Should be a fun week, next week!

[halffrozen]

Took some more pictures this morning.

Got in around 10+ vals yesterday, and expecting more today.

Here are some of the edited pictures from this morning.




May have done a bit too much editing on this one.. lol




Here is my album that I will add to when I take pictures. Still trying to get a good video, I have yet to get down the basics to video taking.. lol also picture taking. haha

http://s844.photobucket.com/albums/a...BR%20paradise/

[halffrozen]

Some videos I took of a pair guarding a rock.

Part 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnHir5rIUtI

Part 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9i0LfS2MikU&list=UL

[korbinavery]

I really like this set up. Its so simple but effectively beautiful. I saw the white sand substrate and was like man thats cool and read that it was quikrete from home depots and was like sweet. I've been looking for a cool substrate that proved cost effective. Love the videos and photos of the rams. Keep us posted. I'll be staying tuned

[tharsis]

Hey, good to see you over here at plantedtank haha. I love bolivian rams, they are really cool fish. I miss mine. The tanks look really great!

[halffrozen]

Thanks guys!

The wood is making my tank water quite dark(tanis* color), and proving to be a PITA to work with! Having second thoughts on it. :/

It has created a lot dead spots for crud to build up, and for some reason it seems my filters are having a hard time picking up particles... my Eheim 2217's output is VERY weak.

Even with my Maxijet-600(which is most likely overkill for a planted tank, it sends my tank into a tornado. lol) All I can do with it, is point it towards the surface to keep the tank in some type of circulation.

All this leads me to a few questions...

Do I even need to have a decent circulation in a 75 gallon planted tank?

Would taking out the Substrate Pro and replacing it with foam help with my 2217's output?

What would you do with this piece of wood? It really looks the best in its current position, otherwise it doesn't have that much character.

Sorry for no picture updates.. BUT!

The Angelfish were sold a few days ago.

And the eggs made it! The parents had moved the wigglers into the roots of my vals, and it has been a few days now with them down there.. I am expecting swimmers any day now!

[halffrozen]

Crappy cell phone picture of it in the morning.

I REALLY need help on what should do with the driftwood... lol

Should I cover it in Anubias Nana's, if not Nana's then what? Get it out of there? What?

[halffrozen]

Swimmers as of yesterday!

I am guessing 20+

Excuse the Eheim pipes.. I am trying to get away without using my power head that turns my tank into a mess.

Will be getting some black string to tie the vals to a mat I have to keep them in a nice consolidated area.





FTS from this morning:

[junglefowl]

I would move all the rocks on the left to go along with the driftwood to see how it looks. You can add anubias and long java fern to the DW to make a focal point in the tank.
I know it would be hard to move stuff in the tank since you have sand, just a suggestion!

[halffrozen]

Originally Posted by junglefowl

I would move all the rocks on the left to go along with the driftwood to see how it looks. You can add anubias and long java fern to the DW to make a focal point in the tank.
I know it would be hard to move stuff in the tank since you have sand, just a suggestion!

Ohh... very good idea.. so have rocks all along the front of the dw? Sounds very cool! Will try that for sure! Hoping to order about 25 Anubias Nana's to attach to the dw.. which will be so much fun doing... lol

Sand is easy!

Thanks for the comment!

[halffrozen]

So the babies all got eaten today... of course.. this morning I was in such a rush I forgot to feed all 3 of my tanks.. But I think the parents may had been bickering before hand anyways.

Since that all happened, I did a MAJOR re-scape.

These are just teaser photo's... :p

[BoxxerBoyDrew]

What a HECK-of-a-Find! A 75g for free!!!!

The wood is a AWESOME HUGE PIECE TOO!!!

O liked it the other way with the suggestion of changing the rocks, BUT the teaser pics of the wood standing up like that with the rocks around it looks like it is going to be FREAKIN SWEET!!!

The sand looks pretty darn good too! It is bright, but not too bright with the lighting you have on the tank! I prefer darker substrate to give the fish something to stand out against! I have Black Diamond blasting grit in my 55g and it is good, but not very natural! I WISH there were more natural sands/ small gravel out there!!!

Anyway Awesome deal on the free swimmers! Sorry they got eaten though!!! Are the Bolivian Rams known for eating their young? Never had them myself. I like the German Rams a bit better.

Since you got rid of the Angels are you going with something else?

I am Subscribed here 4sure!

Keep up the GREAT WORK!
Drew

[BoxxerBoyDrew]

P.S.

I have never had a Eheim 2217, and I see it is rated at 264gph w/media, so in the 75g it is turning over the entire volume of the tank about 3.5 times a hour! I am wonder how much the flow is restricted with different kinds of media you can put in a Eheim of that style? I don't know what the flow rate is on the Fluval C4 hob you have, but I bet it isn't enough! With the small bioload you have I would say you have enough filtration, but not enough circulation. Normal power heads have to focused of a output, so I would either put a spray bar on the Maxi-Jet 600, or get a circulation kit for it (if you can for the model you have) so it will spread the flow out! By circulation kit I am talking about the newer MJ power heads can be switched over from a power head, circulating, and another setup too. I have seen them packaged with all 3 options or you can buy the kit to change the output type! IF the MJ you have won't switch over, then I would build a spray bar for it, so you don't have to spend to much more on it, or buy 1 or more of the Circulation style pumps, and forget about it!

If you plan on adding more fish then I would go for a second canister filter, and be done with it!

I hope this helps Ya out some!
Drew

I have 2 Fluval 205 canister filters on my 55g, and they are just about right! They put out about 206gph. So I am turning over the water about 7.5 times each hour. But I have a Co2 Reactor on one of them so I know it is a bit slower! I am going to build spraybars for both outputs to keep everything stirred up, because with just the 2 "normal" outputs I have dead spots still, even with that much water flowing!