[scx]

Hi everyone!
Just started a new 29 after much reading and experimentation...
Just wanted some opinions on what other types of plants would be good in here.

Specs:
29 gallon aqeuon 30 x 13 x 18
30'' Ray 2 Finnex Light
aquaclear 50 HOB filter (purigen and 2x ceramic substrate) with sponge filter
ebay 100 watt heater
approx 80lb of eco complete + root tabs
unknown rock... (anyone have an idea what it is? it's slate like but heavier and not as brittle)

Plants:
dwarf baby tear
blyxa japonica
Staurogyne Repens
pogostemon helferi
dwarf hairgrass

Fish:
neon tetra
harlequin rasbora
pristella tetra
guppy
otos
RCS
Amano shrimps


6/24/14 began hardscape

This rock was originally one piece, I ended up smashing it with a bunch of granite to get it the shapes I wanted lolol

didn't like the rock in the back

Planted it while it was still mostly dry and then began filling up the tank!!

Filled!

Here are all the fishes inside! (filter and gravel was from previous cycled aquarium)

With a different camera

One of the most exciting and fun tanks I've started so far... so what do you guys think? I'm open to criticism to help make it look better.

I'm eventually going to get a canister filter, I'm looking at the eheim 2213/15/17. I'm going to see how well my roommate's work out and then make a decision.

Also I need some opinions on deciding between a inline atomic diffusion or a reactor.
The atomizer looks really cool with the mist but I'm worried about the maintenance and cleaning it up. The reactor I'm not very familiar with but I'm worried about the gas building up and eventually flowing 35+ psi of CO2 into the flow return line.

The last thing I'm considering is either another finnex light...
I'm used to the ray 2 over 12'' of substrate and being in high light but now i'm at 18'' which cuts the par by half. Deciding between a monster ray or planted+

So does a monster ray really make even neon tetras pop their colors? I'm pretty happy with the ray 2 color on the fish but I'm curious how much better does it look.

 

[scx]

anyone with recommendations of a
ray 2 + planted+
or
ray 2 + monsterray?

 

[Onyx165]

anyone with recommendations of a
ray 2 + planted+
or
ray 2 + monsterray?

You can go either way on the lighting. Both should add more spectrum to your light, without impacting PAR too much.

I love that rock! I've been drawn to ADA's Sado-Akadama stone (http://www.thegreenmachineonline.com/articles/journals/red-rock-aquascape-journal-james-findley) and yours seems like a grayer version. Where'd you get it?

From a 'scaping standpoint, I'd say you should try and add some more vertical scenery in the background, most likely with plants.

 

[scx]

You can go either way on the lighting. Both should add more spectrum to your light, without impacting PAR too much.

I love that rock! I've been drawn to ADA's Sado-Akadama stone (http://www.thegreenmachineonline.com/articles/journals/red-rock-aquascape-journal-james-findley) and yours seems like a grayer version. Where'd you get it?

From a 'scaping standpoint, I'd say you should try and add some more vertical scenery in the background, most likely with plants.

Oooh I got the rock from an intern's dad that runs a landscaping business.

I have rotala rotundafolia, rotala colorata, and vallesernia. The first two grow really bushy and I'm not sure where to put them. Vals spread like a weed. Do you have any plant recommendations for the verticle guys?

 

[vanish]

Nice score on the rocks. I agree they are very nice.

 

[scx]

Update

So after about a month and a half, most of the dwarf baby tears grew in. The rest of the plants are also filling in nicely.

Here's are the pics

FTS

Close up of the staurogyne repens

Close up of the downoi

and here's an assassin snail looking in the mirror

So I've changed a couple things. The AC50 was doing a great job filtering on this tank but I really wanted to get rid of the inflow/sponge in the center of my tank and also get rid of the atomizers too.

I ended up going with the eheim 2236. I would say it's the perfect amount of flow for the tank. Surprisingly there aren't any dead spots in the tank.

I also made a rex griggs CO2 reactor except that I put my old atomizer inside of the 2'' tube.

The ray 2 wasn't enough light on it is own. After I added the planted +, everything began flourishing like crazy. I may need to trim soon.

Took out a couple fish and put in a couple otos and SAE.
Need to begin culling the pale RCS now..

 

[natiedean24]

Beautiful tank! Just wondering, what's the rationale for letting the algae go wild on the glass?

 

[mistuhmarc]

I'm curious on how you have tons of algae on the glass, but almost no outbreak of it on your plants.

 

[wrenn420]

Get some ottos they live to clean the glass.

 

[scx]

Thanks natiedean24,

I guess my rationale was that I was lazy and thought it looked cool.
I had 4 ottos, 2 SAE and a buncha ramshorns and cherry shrimp to help eat the algae. I guess that's also why I didn't have a crazy outbreak on the plants, all the snails and shrimps were cleaning it up.

I am dealing with a white and green fuzz on top of my repens now though.

In any case... Here's a new update of pictures. I did a trim of the dwarf baby tears and cleaned up that algae!

A few pictures

Berried RCS hanging out in the corner

The dwarf baby tears pearling like crazy

Full tank shot

Pic of the Finnex light reflections

Annnnnd the living room setup (half the tanks belong to my apartment mate)

 

[mistuhmarc]

They're all amazing. Then you have the one on the far left that's full of red, yellow and blue colors haha. I guess it likes to be different .

 

[Powerclown]

Very nice, the only thing what I don't like is that ugly green eheim intake and outflow.You need lilypipes , they make your tank perfect.

 

[scx]

Very nice, the only thing what I don't like is that ugly green eheim intake and outflow.You need lilypipes , they make your tank perfect.

Thanks! Yeah I've been dreaming for a set but they are so expensive for a set of pipes.

If I go that route, I think I would just restart and get a rimless tank as well.

Figured out the repens problem. Turns out I needed to dose done more po4. They've stopped melting now.

Pulled the rotalas and hair grass out of the corner.

 

[Powerclown]

Try "glosso factory" they have nice lilypipes very well made and not overpriced ;-)
www.glossofactory.com

 

[scx]

Ahh it was too expensive. Ended up getting one at ebay

 

[scx]

decommissioned this
going to try my hand at a dutch style with this tank
moved all the rocks to a 20g long

 

[ScubaSteve]

Hate to hear that... I have a 29 gallon and am trying to grow s. Repens and hc and not having much luck. Yours looked great!

 

[scx]

Hate to hear that... I have a 29 gallon and am trying to grow s. Repens and hc and not having much luck. Yours looked great!

Are you dosing csm+b? When repens melt its usually manganese deficiency.

your nitrates also seems really high, I think 15ppm is good

 

[ScubaSteve]

Are you dosing csm+b? When repens melt its usually manganese deficiency.

your nitrates also seems really high, I think 15ppm is good

I dose Flourish...I forgot to mention that I tested my nitrates right after I dosed KN03. Which obviously, wasn't smart.

 

[wrenn420]

I like all the tanks in a row. looks like you are making a fish tank Iwagumi in your living room.