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Newbie's 10g before/after pics (56k) (New pics 10/04/06)

4K views 25 replies 15 participants last post by  the_noobinator 
#1 · (Edited)
I started my first planted tank about 3-4 months ago with no plan. I just threw plants anywhere and hoped that they would grow. I bought some of those bulbs from Wal-Mart and they took off like crazy and the plants were way too big for the tank. Last night I decided to remove them, and in the process uprooted most of the other plants. I knew that I had bit off more than I could chew, but decided to completely redesign the tank anyways. Below are the before and after pictures of the tank. I need more background plants on the left side, but I should be getting more in the upcoming weeks, thanks to some helpful people on the board. I'll post pics when the plants start to grow in. Allow a couple of seconds for downloading, and please let me know what you think.

Before:


After:
 
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#3 ·
Desolas, thanks for the kind words. I really liked the way people's tanks looked when they had multiple heights in the tank. I'm hoping that it will turn into a jungle, but I've had my crypts rot on me sinse I first got them, so I'm thinking they're going to take a long time to get acclimated to their new positions. I'm really looking forward to the e. tenellus on the right filling in.
 
#5 ·
Looks good! My crypts lose a few leaves every time I decide to move them, too. But they always come back strong.

You might think about adding a background to the tank to hide the filter. I was amazed at what a difference it made when I put a black background on my tank. The fish and plants really seem to stand out much more vibrantly.
 
#6 ·
That looks like an in-tank filter, am I correct?
A black background would definitely help hide the wires, but you'll still be able to see the filter.
I like the scaping as well. It's a great start. I especially like the different levels created, and how you used pieces of some sort of stone to build up a terrace effect. Very neat!
It may help to add more plants to your scape. Anubias nana var. petite would be an excellent addition, since it doesn't mind being tied to wood or stones/rocks. Perhaps some floating plants might be good as well?
Also, from what I've read, when starting up a new planted tank, it's recommended that you plant about 75% to 80% of the tank with plants to outcompete algae for nutrients.

The other thing you can do is put plants in your tank using terra cotta pots. That way, you can fill the pot with laterite or some rich substrate, while still having plants...only downside is that you will limit the plant growth because of the pot.

Anyway, blabbering here, but hope this helps!
 
#7 ·
With black background

Thanks for the comments/advice, I appreciate it. I don't have the water too high right now because I just got some amano shrimp and was told they jump out, so I'll wait until I get a glass top before getting the water up high. I have an in-tank filter because the tank is sitting on a shelf in my closet and I have no space between the tank and the wall. Here is a pic with the black background. Thanks for the suggestion. I would like to eventually get rid of the upside down 1-liter bottle bottom that is being used to capture the CO2, but that'll have to wait.
I also added an extra 15 watts by hanging a NO flourescent lid above the tank. So now I have about 4.3 wpg.

 
#10 ·
The background definitely helps. But, you are right. You do need some background plants. Let's see what we can go about that :wink: !

Good start. It'll be fun to watch it develop.
 
#11 ·
I've been worried about the stand for a while. I'm thinking about putting some 4x4's under the shelf to help prevent it from falling.

BSS, I'm glad you came across this thread, and now you can see that I'm in dire need of some background plants. Take care.
 
#12 ·
Yeah, that shelf looks mighty scary. How about cinderblocks and wood?

Guppies are my all time fave. And I like watching as your tank evolves. I also like your choice of plants.

You can solve the problem of fish jumping out by putting a few floating plants on top. This way, you'll be able to raise your water level, and your plants will get more light. Since it's an open tank, you'll be able to enjoy your floating plants and the flowers they produce too. :proud:
 
#13 ·
The background looks great, and I like all the crypts. I have several in my tank, including some crypt-lets that I'm hoping will turn out to be the offspring of my red wendtii. I also have lucens and lutea in there, I believe.

You could also think about getting one of the basic metal aquarium stands. I've seen them for $25-30 and they often are designed to hold two 10-gallon tanks, or a 10 on top and a smaller tank on the bottom, which would not only stabilize your current tank, but also give you room to expand in the future. (I've considered getting such a stand in the future to put a 10 gallon planted dwarf puffer tank up top and a 10 gallon shrimp tank on the bottom...but alas there is no room for another tank right now!)

To build on Sarah's suggestion, I've also seen some stand layouts sketched out online using cinderblocks and inexpensive but thick-and-sturdy wood, so you might do a Google search and see what you come up with in terms of a materials list and plan for that. As I know from my grad school bookcase days, both cheap lumber and cinderblocks can be spraypainted to whatever color suits you.
 
#14 ·
sarahbobarah said:
You can solve the problem of fish jumping out by putting a few floating plants on top. This way, you'll be able to raise your water level, and your plants will get more light. Since it's an open tank, you'll be able to enjoy your floating plants and the flowers they produce too. :proud:
Don't add more water until you get better support for the tanks weight!
 
#15 ·
New plants!

A member of the forum was kind enough to give me some of his trimmings from his tank. I think the tank looks 100X better now, but I probably could have done a better job with the layout. I need to get rid of that internal filter to make room for more plants.

As far as the tank's stand goes, I temporarily fixed the problem by placing numerous books under the tank to help support the closet shelves. I will eventually place the tank on cinder blocks.

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions, and more will always be appreciated.

 
#18 ·
New pictures

It has been quite a while since the original posting of this thread. I've got two new pictures of the tank so you can see how it has progressed. The first was taken about 1.5 months ago, while the second one is how the tank looks now (10/7/05). The pelia(sp?) had grown like crazy, and although I really like the way it looks, it was too bad to maintain, so I removed it completely. My java fern is starting to look real bad, and I'm not sure why. The other plants seem fine, but the new leaves of the java fern have big holes in them. I think the amanos, or some snails may be eating the plant. Has anyone had a similar experience? Well, here are the photos, please feel free to comment.

The older pic:


And the latest one:
 
#20 ·
Same thing happened to my Java Fern, and i tought it was nutrient related. Then I noticed that the salvinia was dissapearing.

I found hundreds of baby pond snails hidding in the salvinia's 'roots' (actually a third leaf, I just learnt).

I moved a trined betta into the tank, and the problem dissapeared.

Thread hijack: I was told at the LFS that holes in leaves with discolored edges (the holes, not the leaves) are nutrient related, holes with smooth color around the edge are vegetarian related. Is this so?
 
#21 ·
New pics

It's been quite a while, but the tank is still going. It currently houses 2 otocinclus, 3 amanos, 3 ghost shrimp, and a ton of cherry shrimp. I started with about 5-6 cherries, and I now have about 30-40. I think the layout is cleaner then it was before.



 
#23 ·
your crypts look amazing! And what cutie shrimp
Nice job!
 
#25 ·
Thanks everyone. The crypts really have gone crazy, and the E. tenellus has also. Wow $20 a piece for them! I have yet to understand why they're so expensive. I found them at the pet store, and they're about $3.50 each, and after a couple months, I had 1 male and about 3 females. I saw that the females had eggs, and in another month or so, I had tons of babies. These things are reproducing way faster than my ghost shrimp, so I have no idea why they're so expensive.

I wish I could get the amano's to breed, but I've read all about their salt requirements and such. But, I do believe that some of the amano eggs actually have hatched before. Every once in a while I will see a tiny shrimp-like thing floating vertically in the water. I never see them get any bigger than this. I actually took a video of one of them while under my microscope. It's pretty cool to watch. Below is the link...
Baby amano shrimp under microscope - Google Video
 
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