New photo! (still crappy) 11/09/03
It's kind of dark, but it's much brighter in person. You can thank my camera for that!
100g CA Cichlid
2 Jack Dempseys
1 Green Terror
2 Jaguar cichlids (about 3" each)
3 Convict cichlids (all male)
1 Rainbow Shark
3 Clown Loaches
1 Zebra Loach (botia striata)
2 Yo-yo Loaches
1 Albino Pleco
1 Pleco
2 SAE's
1 False SAE
***Tank re-design in progress*** Filtration
1 Ehiem 2028
1 Hagen 802 powerhead with the quick-filter attachment, mainly used for water current and mechanical filtration
1 Aquaclear 500
Lighting
As shown in pics: 160 watts normal flourescent (the tank faces a large window)
The 4 40w bulbs consist of GE Ultra Daylights.
I now have 4-55watt PC bulbs; awaiting one more. All are 6700K.
CO2
None
Heating
Provided by 2-200 watt Ebo Jager heaters in the winter time.
Substrate
Flourite and pool filter gravel (50/50)
Plants
Cryptocorne Wendtii's (red)
Amazon swords
Jungle Val
Echinodorus tennellus
Anubias barteri
Anubias hastifolia
Tiger Lotus
About the tank
The tank is the result of switching from a high-tech tank. I didn't have the time to mess with it, so I left the current plants where they are now, added the Val, and let them grow. I rarely prune, just mainly the jungle val which will grow a good 7 feet long if I let it. I try to do 50% water changes every week or so, but that's about it. I fertilize using Tropica Master Grow and macro nutrient powders (N, P, and K). The tank is pretty much algae-free.
There was a huge Rubin sword on the left side, but it was kind of ugly looking and was blocking the light on the left half of the tank. It had to go, so I plopped some tiny tiger lotus down in its place--but I moved it over to the mid-right side and planted an Anubias Hastifolia (show) in it's place. I used to have E. tennellus growing all over. I wanted a more open look, so I pulled a full 5 gallon bucket of the stuff out. The big crypt was originally front and center, but I bulldozed it to where it is now.
The driftwood you see on the right is much larger than it looks, it could barely fit in the tank and displaced about 10 gallons of water! There's a part of it that runs out behind it. The center section is mostly hollow, and provides a nice hideout. It took about 3 months to get it to stay sunken without anything holding it down. There's a small rock formation in the back center. The loaches own that section! I've recently added a relatively large piece of driftwood on the left side (shown in second pic).
The fish get along well, although the convicts like to spar with one another from time to time. The GT and Dempsey's get along great, and they don't bother any other fish or the plants for that matter.
The jags will be taking over the tank in due time; currently, they are as harmless as my loaches. All other fish will go. I am bound and determined to keep plants with the jags. I know they will rip up what they will, but they can't tear it all up! (i hope)