CryptKeepers 75gal MTS/Clay Loam*Updated Pics *5/30/10* Last Page

[TheCryptKeeper]

the T grade is the one you want to use for aquarium use. the S grade from what I understand is too fine of a grade and will compact too much and cause problems.

[sewingalot]

Too awesome!

[CL]

Very nice! I'm lovin' the new scape!

[bartak]

great work, I really like it.

[MikeS]

Wow, Ken. Tank is looking Awesome. Really like the ground cover.

[ICPjuggla]

wow, good work looks really nice!!

[Coltonorr]

Ken, the tank looks great! It's filling in nicely!

[kali]

ken ..looking good ..i loving it
KALI

[monkeyruler90]

looking good ken!

[TheCryptKeeper]

wow.. thanks everyone for the comments! since I took those pics it has almost completely filled in and has begun to grow on top of itself and getting thick. I have already had to pull some that was growing under the stems and replant them. looks like I am going to have to have a weekly glosso sale thread.. lol

I am thinking about getting rid of the torpedobarbs and keeping just one of them. I have 6 of them total. most of them are 2.5" or so. the one I am going to keep is 4.5" and it will be a show piece. I would like to get more congo tetras to maybe have a school of about 25 of them. if anyone is interested in them who might be in chicagoland let me know.. I have never shipped fish before so I don't know how it would fair.

Ken

[Gatekeeper]

Tank looks outstanding! The May 29th FTS is awesome. I was concerned for you collectoritis you had going, but man it filled in nicely.

[spiralin]

yes , WOW in the shots awile back, I thought that looks like my tank .. lol with the collectoritis , lol but OMG ~~ the outcome is GREAT !! I wish I could get my 75 up tis nice, looks way bigger than a 75 !! I LOVE your substrate !! right now I am using old- eco, and I just bought black gravel to fill it in, did not have enough left over from my 45 gal, so now in the 75 I am right now in the process of adding more black gravel, I will put root tabs, and maybye some laterite ice cubes later, but this is all I could afford for now I know I cant grow any foreground except blxa jap, and I have grown stargrass into a nice foreground but it alwasy gets back ends, and eventually I have to pull it out . I know I couldent grow glosso, are you running pressurized co2 ? I cant afford that yet ethier ,. but I am dosing dry ferts & some liquids, and I also do root tabs every other mth. Your tank looks AWESOME !!! GREAT JOB !! ~~ I cant wait to see the next pic .... I love that pc of wood, great find there. I have a few stump pc's that I am going to tie together & probally use a little silicone too . but nothing as tall & nice as that pc ! I agree abotu the moss, I dont like it in this kind of set up ethier, its great for breed out tanks, and some long tanks on a huge long pc of wood, TW moss looks good like that but you have to cut it down often , and keep filtration on it , also loads of shrimpys to keep it clean ...... YOu have done a great tank here !! nice work ! how much did the substrate cost in all ? just wondering incase I ever get the nerve' to do a glosso covered tank ... lol ~~ I will keep up on this thread for the newest pix !! wish I lived closer I would love to get those fish ... good luck and great job its very nice planted tank

ps.. my only IMO ~ I would remove the myro from the middle back center, and put in a diff stem, *( like a flowing over the water green sag, helferi, somthing like that , or even aromatica. ) but this is just my taste, other than that I think everything is awesome !

PPS ~ what is your lighting , ?? I am sorry if you said, but I have read several of the pages now, and havent read it yet , please tell me as detailed as you can, like I said I have a 75 gallon, and I have a 4 light coralife over it, (needs new bulbs) and I dont have any co2, all my plants are growing well, but ofcorse they would boom if I coudl upgrade!) just wondering what you are using . thanxs

[TheCryptKeeper]

Originally Posted by gmccreedy

Tank looks outstanding! The May 29th FTS is awesome. I was concerned for you collectoritis you had going, but man it filled in nicely.

Thanks Glenn! I tried to not get out of control.. but when Drinda sends you plants.. I couldn't just throw them out! LOL

Originally Posted by spiralin

yes , WOW in the shots awile back, I thought that looks like my tank .. lol with the collectoritis , lol but OMG ~~ the outcome is GREAT !! I wish I could get my 75 up tis nice, looks way bigger than a 75 !! I LOVE your substrate !! right now I am using old- eco, and I just bought black gravel to fill it in, did not have enough left over from my 45 gal, so now in the 75 I am right now in the process of adding more black gravel, I will put root tabs, and maybye some laterite ice cubes later, but this is all I could afford for now I know I cant grow any foreground except blxa jap, and I have grown stargrass into a nice foreground but it alwasy gets back ends, and eventually I have to pull it out . I know I couldent grow glosso, are you running pressurized co2 ? I cant afford that yet ethier ,. but I am dosing dry ferts & some liquids, and I also do root tabs every other mth. Your tank looks AWESOME !!! GREAT JOB !! ~~ I cant wait to see the next pic .... I love that pc of wood, great find there. I have a few stump pc's that I am going to tie together & probally use a little silicone too . but nothing as tall & nice as that pc ! I agree abotu the moss, I dont like it in this kind of set up ethier, its great for breed out tanks, and some long tanks on a huge long pc of wood, TW moss looks good like that but you have to cut it down often , and keep filtration on it , also loads of shrimpys to keep it clean ...... YOu have done a great tank here !! nice work ! how much did the substrate cost in all ? just wondering incase I ever get the nerve' to do a glosso covered tank ... lol ~~ I will keep up on this thread for the newest pix !! wish I lived closer I would love to get those fish ... good luck and great job its very nice planted tank

ps.. my only IMO ~ I would remove the myro from the middle back center, and put in a diff stem, *( like a flowing over the water green sag, helferi, somthing like that , or even aromatica. ) but this is just my taste, other than that I think everything is awesome !

PPS ~ what is your lighting , ?? I am sorry if you said, but I have read several of the pages now, and havent read it yet , please tell me as detailed as you can, like I said I have a 75 gallon, and I have a 4 light coralife over it, (needs new bulbs) and I dont have any co2, all my plants are growing well, but ofcorse they would boom if I coudl upgrade!) just wondering what you are using . thanxs

I like aromatica but I have had bad luck with it.. like when you look at it wrong it dies! some of the plants in here are only to grow them out and see how they do in this setup.

the substrate only cost me the topsoil and time it takes to do it. the clay loam I got from a member here. the clay loam is an additive I put it. The 3m Colorquartz was 19.00 per 50lb bag which I made a deal with a fellow member (thanks Jason!) for a soil kit.

as for the setup. I am running a Catalina Solar 216W T5 fixture with a 10hr photoperiod. 6700K bulbs for the duration with a 5hr noon burst of 10k bulbs. I am running 2 rena xp3's with purigen as a water polisher. I have a UV sterilizer (coralife 9w turbotwist) that runs for a few hrs every few days. it is ran inline with one of the filters.

I do have pressurized co2 which is diffused by a Danner Mag Pump Needle Wheel with a venturi system. it is ran inline on the other filter. it is the 350gph model. flow is kickin!

I would have to say that so far I haven't had any trouble with growth. I would like to try blyxa jap. again. I would like to have some in front of the rocks. the crypts are growing like crazy and they will look nice behind the others.


thank you for the compliments. believe it or not this is only my second aquarium dating back to Jan of 08. so I have only been doing this for 1.5yrs. the 75gal I got last April. so just over a year with this one.

Ken

[sewingalot]

In just a 1.5 years and you have this amazing tank? Why o' why can't I have one just as nice? Looking good, Ken.

[TheCryptKeeper]

Originally Posted by sewingalot

In just a 1.5 years and you have this amazing tank? Why o' why can't I have one just as nice? Looking good, Ken.

are you crazy... you tank looks awesome!