Tamelesstgr's 20 Gallon High...Update 12/13/2010

[Tamelesstgr]

I have been wanting to do some creative hardscape and try some new plants. I had an idea to put a pretty large filter on the side of the tank to give lots of flow in the tank. Cut the glass top to fit around. Still deciding if I am going to put 2 strip lights on top if needed.

Substrate is basic sand from Home Depot with Flourish tabs near the crypts and vals. Background is Sky Blue posterboard from Office Max, and it looks suprisingly good behind the glass with the light shining on it. I dose EI, and this has been running for about a week or so.

Needle Leaf Java is new, and I love this plant. Other Java is from my old 10 gallon.

[rountreesj]

I really like it a bunch. What kind of wood is that?

You might want to consider purigen, the water seems a tad cloudy...

or, it may be your lights, what kelvin are your lights?

[Tamelesstgr]

It is probably a little cloudy w/ tanins, I need to do a water change. The Kodak point and shoot probably isn't the greatest camera for pictures either.

Wood is manzanita from Jake (Badcopnotank...) I soaked it for a week and boiled it. It still is a little light on some pieces, and has a little fungus seeping out, so I jsut pull it out and re-boil it as needed.

The bulb is a 15 watt GE plant grow which I believe is a 4,000 k. I have another 15 watt strip I can use, and I wanted to get a 10,000 k bulb for that.

[fastfreddie]

Awesome! Good idea with HOB on the side. Pretty smart! I'm loving the front tank shot.

Do you have future plans for the tank or keeping it simple? It looks great how it is.... just wondering.

[fastfreddie]

I can't get your My Toys link to work. I'm picturing either: classic car, 4 wheeler, boat, motorcycle, or more fish tanks.

[Tamelesstgr]

Originally Posted by fastfreddie

I can't get your My Toys link to work. I'm picturing either: classic car, 4 wheeler, boat, motorcycle, or more fish tanks.

[Tamelesstgr]

Originally Posted by fastfreddie

Awesome! Good idea with HOB on the side. Pretty smart! I'm loving the front tank shot.

Do you have future plans for the tank or keeping it simple? It looks great how it is.... just wondering.

Just put this one together a few weeks ago, it took me 2 weeks to figure out the driftwood together, so it's probably going to stay like this for awhile, especially since it is going to be Summer soon. This is more a winter hobby, just wanted to do something a little different.

[Katydid]

to me, the newbie thats a pretty impressive tank!!!! I love how its almost like a centerpiece. Nice idea for me...

[Tamelesstgr]

This isn't my first tank, but I feel pretty new to the hobby. I have had a 10 gallon set up for about 2 years trying low light stuff. Then I had a 55 gallon tank that I loved, but it sprang a leak after 6 months, so I kind of gave up and sold most of that equipment. Started tinkering again this past winter and wanted to combine my smaller tanks.

I was trying to avoid the centerpiece theme, but I ended up with the driftwood dictating the locations. I like it...

[Tamelesstgr]

My needle leaf java seems to be getting brown in spots, I wonder why I am having this problem, I have always had nothing but super green leaves and growth. EI dosing with weekly water changes. 2 - 15 watt plant grow bulbs.

[Tamelesstgr]

I switched one of the plant grow bulbs (about 4,000k after some research) for the basic white flourescent bulb that comes in the generic hood) Light looks much nicer now all though I have no idea about the range on that bulb.

My crypt balanese has started to perk up a little, it has been laying down and melting off the larger leaves. My hope is that the new leaves will grow more straight up to the top of the water.

I added a few more crypts and some brazilliam micro sword I had from my 10 gallon I tore down. Just going to see how everyting fills in, I need to get a second mini heater in the filter, temp's at 76 which I think is a little low.

Still getting some fungus on the wood, I would use a heavy dose of Excel, but I don't want to melt my vals, I really like those.

[pandapr]

A pleco might help with the fungus on the wood. Perhaps someone will jump and help but I think a rubbernose pleco might do the job.

[organic sideburns]

i love this tank. the wood is placed really nice, did u place tiny branches along the ground to make it look like a trunk or is that part of the larger branches?

how did u arrange the wood?

[Tamelesstgr]

The smaller branches are arranged next to the larger pieces to give that larger stump look. There's actually 12 pieces of driftwood in there. Thanks for the compliments.

[Tamelesstgr]

Picked up a BN Pleco over the weekend. He/She seems to be doing a pretty decent job at working on the alage on the driftwood. Was talking with one of the guys at the LFS and he said they had the same issue with some driftwood in one of their show tanks.