[DrinkTheYeastMix]

So getting a tank was my first mistake :icon_wink. My intensely impulsive tendencies have driven me to be consumed by my aquarium, mainly due to me buying this and that, changing my mind about goals and then dealing with problems that pop up as I go...but i know you know what im talking about.

I didn't think I would get down on the forums, but Im actually excited about this journal because I'm a little bored with the lack of interest my girlfriend has when I try and tell her how excited I am about drift wood haha, cant blame her but I know you peoples will actually care and I love it.

So I'm here because I am at a point where a lot has changed in the tank in a short time and I have some serious (and some silly) questions. But first...
What I am (we are) dealing with:
-29 gallon tall
-Penguin150 no carbon extra floss
-Yeast co2 on airstone
-Hagen GLO 2x24w t5 ho (on times have varied lately)
-Standard gravel medium sized around 3"
Fish
-1 Koi angel who is awesome and getting brighter
-5 neons
-2 zebra loaches
-1CAE who is leaving soon
Plants
pennywart
amazon sword
crypt spir
nana, nana narrowleaf and couple other anubias
java
water wisteria
imnophila aromatica (not sure if its the right plant ill take pics later)

I'll post questions later today, and pics when the GW clears up.
Looking forward to this little experiment/experience.
Hello and Goodbye
Jake

 

[bigboij]

......... I'm a little bored with the lack of interest my girlfriend has when I try and tell her how excited I am about drift wood haha, .....

LOL, my girlfriend was a good sport and acted interested for the first few times i went on about it, now i just get the :icon_roll. Luckily i got my buddie/neighbor addicted to planted tanks so i have someone to nerd out on about my new plant.

 

[malaybiswas]

So getting a tank was my first mistake :icon_wink. My intensely impulsive tendencies have driven me to be consumed by my aquarium, mainly due to me buying this and that, changing my mind about goals and then dealing with problems that pop up as I go...but i know you know what im talking about.

been there, done that and still doing....

 

[tolson83]

i agree the girlfriends are hard to please when it comes to bringing them to the LFS and staring at a tank for 20 minutes... lol. thats why i decided to buy her a tank for her birthday that will become my nano tank project hah.

anyways i also have a 29 gallon they can be difficult to work with in scaping and lighting due to their 18 inch depth let me know if you have any questions

also check my journal out i started the other day my tank is around two weeks but it has only been settled in its final set up for about 3 days

 

[Hilde]

So getting a tank was my first mistake :icon_wink. My intensely impulsive tendencies have driven me to be consumed by my aquarium, mainly due to me buying this and that, changing my mind about goals and then dealing with problems that pop up as I go...but i know you know what im talking about.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/members/malaybiswas.htmlI did that too and still do!!:hihi: Now I don't feel so bad since see I not alone. In fact now I have to break the tank down for when I pull plants out I loose a few fish. Probably because I put red bag kitty litter in the substrate.

 

[DrinkTheYeastMix]

Tolson - I dig the sand in the front I may end up with a similar look VERY soon.
Hilde - I've been lurking around here for weeks and see you all over, looking forward to your input/criticisms.

So staying true to my impulsive tendencies I picked up some new stems yesterday and will be getting a bunch of blyxa japonica tomorrow so....rescape time!!! Or scape time, because everything is just planted randomly at the moment. I am gonna leave the questions out of this post and head to the appropriate lobbies for each, just wanna get everyone ready for my first picture posts coming tonight or tomorrow. I'll get a plant list together as well. Get excited cause I can't wait.

 

[Hilde]

Here are some ideas on how to create the illusion of depth
By Craig here

By dg2606 here

 

[DrinkTheYeastMix]

UUUUUUUPDATE: picturas!

So if you've read my first couple posts you know I have no solid idea as to where I want to go with my tank, I just see things I like. Did it again last night/this morning.
Went to petco (its really close to my place haha) just to pick up an airtube t joint and left with a couple bags of substrate that I fully regret buying. Gonna make the best of it and if worst comes to worse I'll break down the 29 and set up the 43 that's just sitting around. So I decided to just layer these two bags on top of my gravel to have something easier to plant in than the huge and ugly gravel that came with the tank. I never planned on getting into the planted hobby but got suuuucked in after lurking forums for info and seeing these tanks...this is where its gone:

The tank prior to full removal of everything, DW already out

Here's what I had to work with. I want to get new rocks soon these are kind of lame.

The Hardscape that will no doubt change slightly but often

See next post for final pic.
So I'm gonna let this set-up run for a week or two and see how my water parameters end up. This is gonna be tough I can barely go two days without moving/adding stuff, but I need to let things play out and decide if I need to buy a substrate to lay on top of what I just bought - its basically dust. This would be fine with me aesthetically but I think my loaches will pretty much ensure constant cloudiness haha love em.
The only thing I'm really concerned about:

 

[DrinkTheYeastMix]

Gotta get rid of those abubias. Picture of the newness tonight.

 

[RedFocks]

i agree the girlfriends are hard to please when it comes to bringing them to the LFS and staring at a tank for 20 minutes...

I have the opposite problem. It's the boyfriend that's uninterested. Haha.

 

[Hilde]

The last picture is a little fuzzy. So is the substrate complete black now?

I have read that the Anglefish like broad leaves or a piece of slate to put their eggs on.

I got my 29 gallon intending to get some Anglefish for it. Then changed my mind for found they need good clean water. In fact LFS said when the power went out they had to put their hands in the tank and move the water around. The anglesfish started leaning on their sides but survived. Sometimes I leave town for a few weeks and have no one check in on the fish. Thus they could die if there was a power outage while I was gone.

 

[DrinkTheYeastMix]

Yeah its a black/grey color. I think I made a huge mistake with this junk, but I'm gonna see how things play out over the next week or so. The angel, loaches, and neons are in another tank for the time being. Four tiger barbs are in the 29 for this trial period to ensure the new substrate cycles if it needs to. Just started a thread explaining the new substrate here: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/substrate/95247-elemental-analysis-new-substrate.html

 

[DrinkTheYeastMix]

Here she is

So here is what she looks like for the time being:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=15817&stc=1&d=1256187455
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=15818&stc=1&d=1256187699
Current plant list:
-Java fern (individual leaves secured to DW pieces)
-Amazon
-Crypt Spir (was separated and planted along back left)
-Rotala green (high hopes)
-Water Wisteria
-Pennywart (grows like mad)
-Giant hygro (purple because it was grown immersed right?)
-Ludwigia Repens (Pretty sure)
-Myriophyllum tuberculatum/Red Watermilfoil (we'll see how that goes)
-Limnophila Aromatica (I REALLY want this one to do well I love it)

Hope all is well and we see some major growth cause I really want all those stems to fill in...I think it will look great when thickened up. For now I'm just gonna let everything stay put and monitor the growth, Im sure much replanting is in my future.

 

[DrinkTheYeastMix]

Oh and getting a bunch of Blyxa J soon to take care of the foreground around the dw love that stuff

 

[Hilde]

Looking good!! Even your fish's color match the plants.

Is this what your are aiming for?

 

[DrinkTheYeastMix]

Not fully, but I like what I see. When everything really thickens up there will likely be massive (and more calculated) re-scape...something with balance like that.

 

[DrinkTheYeastMix]

11/3 Update

Since I'm skipping class right now I need to do something semi-productive so HERE YA GO...excuse the cloudiness GW has made an appearance yet again.

Just couldn't stand the way things were set up so I decided to do alterations to the whole tank. Pulled out eeeeverything, stirred up a hot mess but the fish are fine so here we are:

The tank has been a mixed bag of successes and frustrations lately. Some plants are lovin it and some are just failing. Given I am really winging it here I can't really complain, but the desire for a healthy and thriving tank has me ready to spend the $$$ on what is needed for a new setup (too bad about the $100 ticket I got today). Both species of hygro are growing well, but that's about it aside from the pennywart which will grow no matter what. The myriophyllum tuberculatum is growing, but light must not be high enough b/c its losing color. Have trimmed off a few side stems and replanted them in a relatively open area to avoid shading.

The three stems of L. Aromatica were looking real meager at the crowns...really yellow and very narrow leaves. I just hacked the tops off and will hope they grow in eventually.
Here is the left side

Heres ma boooyyyy

And my jury-rigged anti-surfice-agitation-fantastically-cheap-solution-implementation. yeah I made that word up so what.

That is tupperware, piece of a coat hanger and a rubber band. McGyver aint got nothin.

Getting some Blyxa J tomorrow from zootycoon soon so the foreground/right side will be taken care of, but I am over scaping this tank since Im trying to upgrade soon anyway...rather start new

 

[DrinkTheYeastMix]

New BLYXA!!

Got a BUNCH of blyxa from Zootycoon and it's all huge and gorgeous (thanks Ryan). So here is what we've got goin on for now. Still cloudy water, kind of green, kind of cycling substrate.
FTS

Right side

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=16141&stc=1&d=1257485616

From the side, left

So for the time being, I am just trying to get an idea about how easy some of these plant varieties are to grow, and experimenting with algae issues/solutions.

 

[ZooTycoonMaster]

Good to know you got them quickly Since they are trimmings, they don't have a good root system yet, so some of them may float up and you have to re-plant them :/

 

[DrinkTheYeastMix]

Yeah a couple of them were a little tough to get to stay down but they look great, just hope they survive in the disaster I call a tank.