First planted 10 gallon (update with new pic 12/19 - replanted)

4579 Views 31 Replies 9 Participants Last post by Ugly Genius, Jul 25, 2008

Huntereastin

Discussion Starter · Dec 14, 2007 (Edited)

Sorry for the less than desirable image quality (I haven't figured out the best camera settings yet).

The contrast between the two substrates is really high, but I feel like it will produce a nice result once everything is filled in. I have some hairgrass on the way from swap n shop - any suggestions for other plants or changes?

Edit:

Those scratches are image artifacts or on the lense, I can't tell where its coming from. The glass is as clean as a whistle, though.

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moogoo

· #2 · Dec 14, 2007 (Edited)

doesn't look like lens dust to me. you might need to clean your sensor inside your camera (that's if you can). probably not an option if you have a point and shoot camera but if it's an SLR, it's pretty easy to do. tons of tips on the web to show you how

oh by the way. hardscape looks nice. although the very high contrast seems a bit much at this point... i'd have to see it again when there are plants. i like the rocks though.. where did you find them?

Huntereastin

Discussion Starter · #3 · Dec 14, 2007

moogoo said:
doesn't look like lens dust to me. you might need to clean your sensor inside your camera (that's if you can). probably not an option if you have a point and shoot camera but if it's an SLR, it's pretty easy to do. tons of tips on the web to show you how

oh by the way. hardscape looks nice. although the very high contrast seems a bit much at this point... i'd have to see it again when there are plants. i like the rocks though.. where did you find them?

Thanks for the tips and the compliment. I'll mess around with the camera some more when I get the hairgrass planted.

The rocks came from a stream on some land of my parents'. They appear much bolder in person, especially against the black background. The lighter substrate came in as a way to break some of the monotony of the eco complete and rocks matching. Its actually a little more gray than it looks in the picture.

moogoo

· #4 · Dec 14, 2007

i've never used real rocks like those in my tanks, but did you check to make sure there is no rust and all that stuff? i believe there is a way to determine whether the rocks are ok for tank use. i wouldnt just throw any old rocks in ...

Huntereastin

Discussion Starter · #5 · Dec 14, 2007

moogoo said:
i've never used real rocks like those in my tanks, but did you check to make sure there is no rust and all that stuff? i believe there is a way to determine whether the rocks are ok for tank use. i wouldnt just throw any old rocks in ...

Yeah, I inspected, disinfected, and scrubbed this set down pretty good. There are some reddish spots on the rocks, as you can see, but it does not look like rust in person. Does anyone know how to test this? I won't be adding any livestock for a while, so it won't be an immediate threat, but if they do in fact contain some rust I will be removing them and changing the water.

Edit:

I've removed them until I can do some tests. I may go ahead and start looking for other rocks just in case. Back to square one!

moogoo

· #6 · Dec 14, 2007

i'd do a quick search. i remember reading somewhere about mixing a simple solution and pouring it over the rocks. if there is fizzing then there is rust. basically you mix a household rust eater. i forget what it is or where to find it, but i'm sure google will show you the light. good luck!

i'm also looking for some awesome rocks for my 30 gal. althought i'd like to see if i can find something more rounded but large. i am thinking of doing a riverbed scene... we'll see

jaidexl

· #7 · Dec 14, 2007

Not sure about rust, but you can check if a rock is alkaline by pouring acid on it. Either muriatic, hydrochloric, or 9% pickling vinegar. Scrape off some of the test area because alkaline rocks can become encased in neutral sediment. If it fizzes, it will raise the alkalinity of the tank, good for african cichlid and other hard water tanks, not so ideal for most of the plants going around, but there are quite a few that can handle it.

Not sure how to test for other elements or metals. I know you want to watch out for copper, you can buy copper tests at a decent LFS and test the rocks in a bucket of water if you want. There is a member here that pulled plants, rocks and sediment from his local river and everything kept dying. Turns out he lives in an old copper mining town, and his river gets about ten google hits for scientific testing on elevated copper and nickel levels, and their adverse effects on the river's ecosystem. :icon_roll So, probably a good idea to find out as much as you can about your local streams and rivers.

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Huntereastin

Discussion Starter · #8 · Dec 15, 2007

The stream has been tested and supplies an artesian well that my family has been using for years, but I'm going to let these sit in CLR overnight and see what the water solution looks like in the morning. If everything looks alright I'll boil them a few times and see what happens with some plants. I don't want to risk any livestock. I'm really just curious to see if pieces from that particular stream are safe, so I guess I'll be conducting some experiments.

Thanks for the words of wisdom, guys.

Huntereastin

Discussion Starter · #9 · Dec 15, 2007

The rocks have returned to nature. I don't really think all of the spots were rust, but I don't want to risk shrimp grazing over a possible zinc deposit sometime down the line.

Anyone have any ideas?

jaidexl

· #10 · Dec 15, 2007

If you're into the Seiryu (sp?) stones like the ones used in Iwagami and nature aquariums, there's usually someone unloading some in the swap and shop.

Huntereastin

Discussion Starter · #11 · Dec 15, 2007

Much to my surprise I managed to find some pretty cool rocks along another stream here. I spotted these while driving down the road

I disinfected, rinsed, and put them in a little while ago. I also bought a pot of giant hairgrass. Tell me what you think!

There will be dwarf hairgrass in the foreground whenever it arrives in the mail.

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jaidexl

· #12 · Dec 15, 2007

Nice, wish we had rocks like that around here.

Huntereastin

Discussion Starter · #13 · Dec 19, 2007

2

Just a quick update for anyone that might be interested in the Hagen CO2 canister. I got mine in the mail today and just finished setting it up. Its basically a DIY system in a prettier dress, as most of you probably know

Should work like a charm, though. Here are a couple of pics:

Here's the bubble ladder:

The dwarf hairgrass should be arriving tomorrow, so I will update with more pics once everything is planted.

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Are-Jay

· #14 · Dec 19, 2007

Its coming along quite nice =) I use the Hagen CO2 system as well and it works great =) The refills aren't much expensive either!

Are-Jay

Huntereastin

Discussion Starter · #15 · Dec 19, 2007

Are-Jay said:
Its coming along quite nice =) I use the Hagen CO2 system as well and it works great =) The refills aren't much expensive either!

Are-Jay

Thanks Are-Jay. Where do you get your refills? I planned on doing a DIY recipe once the three months supply runs out.

Edit:

Its been three hours now and still no bubbles! I know it takes time for fermentation to start, but I have no patience :red_mouth

Huntereastin

Discussion Starter · #16 · Dec 20, 2007

The CO2 is rocking now. I removed the giant hairgrass. It really just did not blend in with the dwarf hairgrass. The tank is still a little cloudy from trimming and arranging the new plants. Tell me what you think!

There are some runners tangled in with the grass. I tried trimming them out, but I did not want to disturb the rest of the plant too much. Hopefully it will eventually grow to the top where its easily plucked away.

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Huntereastin

Discussion Starter · #17 · Dec 20, 2007

I noticed that what looks like a little bit of dust from the eco complete settled on the CO2 ladder. Will this affect bubbles moving up and down the ladder? I will probably go ahead and rinse it just in case, but I'm trying to keep my hands out of the tank.

Anyone have any suggestions for fauna?

James From Cali

· #18 · Dec 20, 2007

A betta, White Clouds, Danios(Zebra, Gold, Blue), Rasboras(Harlequin, Espei), Shrimp

I suggest you spread the hairgrass out more. Seperate it into smaller bunches. It will spread alot better!

Huntereastin

Discussion Starter · #19 · Dec 20, 2007

James From Cali said:
A betta, White Clouds, Danios(Zebra, Gold, Blue), Rasboras(Harlequin, Espei), Shrimp

I suggest you spread the hairgrass out more. Seperate it into smaller bunches. It will spread alot better!

I put my betta in a few days ago, but I'm pretty sure he was freaking out. He is not used to being in with a filter, so he kind of just hung out behind a rock for a while. The current isn't very strong, but it was still enough to throw him off. I felt bad and moved him back to his old home.

I will definitely be getting some shrimp. Thanks for the suggestions!

I may spread the hairgrass out more, but the idea is intimidating. Planting this stuff is a huge pain (its worth it, though).

James From Cali

· #20 · Dec 20, 2007

My suggestion is let your plants fill out more and then let them get in front of the current. That will help him out.

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