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117 Posts
Info on stocking, plant species, equipment, etc at the bottom of this novel.
Looking back on how this tank started to how it's finally shaping up... man it's been a long progress and tbh had a lot of really not so proud looks.
This glorious scape was the beginning. Transferred over from another tank... beautiful isn't it, all the fabulous plants.
![1031471]()
(I had no supplies yet when I upgraded tank sizes, so this was what I moved over from another tank)
Thought I'd try out some pennywort. Added some more wood.
![1031472]()
... no. The pennywort didn't like the lighting in that tank. Granted at the time it was just cruddy T8 bulbs, cheap ones at that.
So that pennywort got moved to another tank where it is thriving now.
Those swords... yeah they can't say the same.
![1031473]()
Yeah, they gave up on me. Can see the cruddy lights, but with less tannins and better bulbs... but still swords said no. And I tried vals, they said no too.
![1031474]()
I wanted to keep this tank south american at first. But, I ended up getting a rather nice log, and it screamed anubias at me. And I even upgraded my lighting as well.
Upgraded to a JC&P Full Spectrum 12" on one side and a 12" Nicrew Planted Plus on the other. It's here where the tank starts fully evolving.
![1031475]()
Can see I finally gave up on them swords lol got a little fancy and even tried out some buce up on the left upper corner of the log tree thing
![1031476]()
![1031478]()
![1031479]()
I scrapped the lettuce, the roots were clashing with my plants.
![1031481]()
As of today, this is where I am at with this tank, and to be honest I am more than thrilled with how it's come along. I added another couple of logs to the other side and middle and it's a jungle of epiphytes and branches.
![1031480]()
Aside from the floating salvinia and duckweed, the tank is all anubias, buce, moss, Java fern, and homalomena. At first I was a bit bummed that I wasn't gonna get my nice big south american biotope, but honestly it was failing when I tried to push it, and went with what the tank was pushing towards. I do have my south american biotope now, in another, smaller tank, so that's a win there at least.
I can say now I adore this tank, at first I had a lot of hate towards it because I was fighting it a lot.
------------------------
Tank size: 55 gallons, 48"L 13.5"D 21"H
Lighting: Nicrew Planted Plus, JC&P Full Spectrum
Filtration: Sunsun Canister filter + Pennplax cascade 300 internal (for extra flow)
Heater: Eheim 300w
Substrate: Play Sand
Fertilizer: ThriveS 1x Weekly
Plants: Anubias Barteri Nana, Anubias Golden Nana, Anubias Coffeefolia, Anubias Caladiifolia, Anubias Congensis, Anubias Barteri, Anubias, Lanceolata, Anubias Hastifolia, Bucephalandra Wavy Green, Bucephalandra Aurora, Taiwan Moss, Homalomena sp Sedakau South, Java Fern, Salvinia Minima, Duckweed
Fish: 12 Corydoras Schultzei, 4 Corydoras Aeneus "albino", 9 Corydoras Sterbai, 9 corydoras pygmaeus, 1 Farlowella Platorynchus, 1 Farlowella Vittata, 1 Farlowella Mariaelenae, 1 L240 Vampire Pleco, 11 Black Neon Tetras, 6 Skirt Tetras, 1 Bolivian Ram
Inverts: 2 Bamboo Shrimp, Assassin Snails
Temperature: 76-78F
pH: 7
GH: 6
KH 5
Looking back on how this tank started to how it's finally shaping up... man it's been a long progress and tbh had a lot of really not so proud looks.
This glorious scape was the beginning. Transferred over from another tank... beautiful isn't it, all the fabulous plants.
(I had no supplies yet when I upgraded tank sizes, so this was what I moved over from another tank)
Thought I'd try out some pennywort. Added some more wood.
... no. The pennywort didn't like the lighting in that tank. Granted at the time it was just cruddy T8 bulbs, cheap ones at that.
So that pennywort got moved to another tank where it is thriving now.
Those swords... yeah they can't say the same.
Yeah, they gave up on me. Can see the cruddy lights, but with less tannins and better bulbs... but still swords said no. And I tried vals, they said no too.
I wanted to keep this tank south american at first. But, I ended up getting a rather nice log, and it screamed anubias at me. And I even upgraded my lighting as well.
Upgraded to a JC&P Full Spectrum 12" on one side and a 12" Nicrew Planted Plus on the other. It's here where the tank starts fully evolving.
Can see I finally gave up on them swords lol got a little fancy and even tried out some buce up on the left upper corner of the log tree thing
I scrapped the lettuce, the roots were clashing with my plants.
As of today, this is where I am at with this tank, and to be honest I am more than thrilled with how it's come along. I added another couple of logs to the other side and middle and it's a jungle of epiphytes and branches.
Aside from the floating salvinia and duckweed, the tank is all anubias, buce, moss, Java fern, and homalomena. At first I was a bit bummed that I wasn't gonna get my nice big south american biotope, but honestly it was failing when I tried to push it, and went with what the tank was pushing towards. I do have my south american biotope now, in another, smaller tank, so that's a win there at least.
I can say now I adore this tank, at first I had a lot of hate towards it because I was fighting it a lot.
------------------------
Tank size: 55 gallons, 48"L 13.5"D 21"H
Lighting: Nicrew Planted Plus, JC&P Full Spectrum
Filtration: Sunsun Canister filter + Pennplax cascade 300 internal (for extra flow)
Heater: Eheim 300w
Substrate: Play Sand
Fertilizer: ThriveS 1x Weekly
Plants: Anubias Barteri Nana, Anubias Golden Nana, Anubias Coffeefolia, Anubias Caladiifolia, Anubias Congensis, Anubias Barteri, Anubias, Lanceolata, Anubias Hastifolia, Bucephalandra Wavy Green, Bucephalandra Aurora, Taiwan Moss, Homalomena sp Sedakau South, Java Fern, Salvinia Minima, Duckweed
Fish: 12 Corydoras Schultzei, 4 Corydoras Aeneus "albino", 9 Corydoras Sterbai, 9 corydoras pygmaeus, 1 Farlowella Platorynchus, 1 Farlowella Vittata, 1 Farlowella Mariaelenae, 1 L240 Vampire Pleco, 11 Black Neon Tetras, 6 Skirt Tetras, 1 Bolivian Ram
Inverts: 2 Bamboo Shrimp, Assassin Snails
Temperature: 76-78F
pH: 7
GH: 6
KH 5
