65g Fahaka Tank (new pic 07/03/2005)

[bred]

last month i rehauled my 65 gal. I had been half-assedly trying to raise a few plants and decided to go full hog. the upgrades included:

- Replaced Penguin 330 w/ Eheim 2215 cannister.
- Upgraded to 4x 55w CF lighting (All-Glass)
- Placed crushed coral in filter to raise KH
- Started heavy DIY CO2 injection

I added a bunch of plants and this is how it's worked out over the last month:


i added the cobomba to the right, and the ludwigia on the front left. oriental swords and a madagascar lace are in the back left corner, vals in the back right, and a lotus out front. i started dosing fertilizers.


as you can see, the water's a little hazy here.


added some crypts. i had spent an hour trying to separate them from the rockwool. my hands were itchy and i was low on patience, so i just plunked them in. the water cleared but some algae appeared on the glass.




after a week or two, the ferts are working. the madagascar lace is shooting up a new leaf each day. i added some more crypts for this pic.


my fahaka puffer likes the extra plants. it gives him plenty of stuff to chew on!! ;D


ouch.... this is 5 days after the last picture, i'd been on vacation away from the tank and came home to this--all kinds of crazy algae i've never even seen before! brown, bristle, even what i think was BGA floating on the surface of the water. pruned and big water change, got dosing back on schedule.

currently i am still trying to get the algae back under control. that's what i get for taking time out of my newly established dosing schedule!


i'm not at all satisfied with the aquascape.
it's too "blocky" for my tastes...
i need another bag or two of eco-complete; the substrate is an inch shy of being deep enough.

suggestions from you talented lot are most welcome.

[PJAN]

Hmm, I ma not a big talent. But here are some thoughts :

- crypto to left front (is now splitting your thank by 1/2)
- stem plants left front : plant them backwards, behind the crypto so i can hide your equipment in time.
- perhaps get rid of the echinodorus in the left-back : it will become to tall for this tank. Or just keep 1 Echinodorus plant and not a bunch. I think in time it will work out better.

Get some open space in the middle.

Well, some fast thoughts.

Gr. PJAN

[bred]

thanks!
when i'm feeling brave, i'm going to follow your suggestions. the open space out front is what i feel is missing most.

you're right about the swords... they take up too much space and do too little for the look of the tank.

[xt87]

Great Set-up! How big is your fahaka? I love puffers. I have a couple myself. Open up the front first and then we will work from there.

[bred]

Originally Posted by xt87

How big is your fahaka?

he's about 5", (standard measurement) and a right lovable wee bastard. he points out to me which leaves need to be pruned by taking large chunks out them with his teeth, or else he just bites them off at the stalk. it's nice having a fellow aquascaper, although i occasionally disagree with his decisions.

[xt87]

LOL.... thats a good way to look at it.

[bred]

i was unsatisfied with how the composition of the tank come together, so i decided to take all the plants and rocks out, add 30lbs of gravel, and rescape. i ended up tossing out a bunch of cobomba (it will be back...) and doing some heavy pruning.

this is the outcome:

the gravel is sloped in the back-left and front-right corners. a little unconventional, perhaps. i think it will be satisfied once the crypts grow out. i am toying with the idea of adding a carpet plant... Glosso or Stargrass.

also i ditched the bubble ladder. i was tired of cleaning it daily. the CO2 tube now feeds into the intake of my powerhead, hidden behind the vals.


during the renovations, my fahaka (Gunther) was a little freaked out and put on his mottled colours:


comments welcome!

[bred]

yeah... the plant density just isn't there yet on the left side. eventually i'd like the crypts to take over that hill... that'd be lush.
good thing i'm a patient man!