My 55g Planted Tank Journal

[FreshwaterJeff]

Thanks for filling in the gaps, LWB

[Lonewolfblue]

Well, I think I'm caught up now, lol. Great looking tank. Once the plants start getting bigger and fill in some, will look great. Love the rotala as well. And the striped (zebra) loaches, totally awsome. I love those little guys. And great looking keyholes as well. You are doing pretty awsome so far.

[Breene]

Oh wow I am in love with your tank. Black substrate and everything with the green highlights and driftwood = amazing.

Are you planning on injecting c02? Ive heard that once you get into 3+ watts per gallon you almost need it but I don't see why since more light lets the plants make their own c02.

And jeff how thick is your substrate? how many bags did you use? And how many inches should I use for a planted 55? If I need 8 bags ill go to the poor house on substrate alone

[FreshwaterJeff]

Thanks man. Couldn't have done it without advice from people like you, Pure, Avalon, Froggy, Lotus, and others

I'm not done stocking, either. Looking for a second keyhole cichlid, a pair of GBR's, a school of about 6 rummynose, and then a couple plecos...

[Pure]

Looking great Jeff!

Little advice with the anubias. In a high light tank it's prone to getting algae growth on the leaves if left out in the open. You should think about putting it in a shaded area once you get more plants.

[Lonewolfblue]

Originally Posted by FreshwaterJeff

And, some planning for the future:

When my last bag of Eco-Complete arrives, I'm going to take the opportunity to do some re-arranging. I'm thinking something like:

1. Move the driftwood more towards the center, put a cave (maybe flower pot) to the left of it, and put Jungle Vals behind it.

2. Move the Anubias so it's in front of the driftwood again, and probably leave the crypts about where it is. Leave the Crypt in the front left corner.

3. Move the Hygro to the back right corner, spread it out some, and put the water sprite in the front right corner. Add another cave, possibly another small flower pot.

4. Concentrate the rotala more in the center, possibly with Jungle Vals or something else tall behind it. May move the rocks to the middle and spread the rotala around it - bringing it forward to the mid-ground from the rear in either case. Considering anacharis, cabomba, and some other things like that (suggestions?) for the rear middle.

5. Put the moss balls in the foreground.

Then, I'll look at what open space I have and try and fill it in with some new plants - and maybe give HC a go in the foreground.

Thoughts?

1. Never put anything dead center, lol. Everything looks better when it's off-center. So when you rearrange, you will notice it won't look so well centered. Just play around with it and you'll find the exact spot you like and the look you want.

2. The anubias will look great in the driftwood. As for the crypts, move them as little as possible. Preferably leave them where they are like you mentioned. Everytime you move them, they will possibly melt on you.

3. Good ideas there. The water sprite will get extremely bushy, and would probably do better in a back corner as well. It will completely block anything behind it.

4. The rotala would look great in front of a much larger leafed plant. Also, the jungle vals will grow and spread considerably fast. I was pruning mine every 2-3 days. When I left it a week, I was cutting 20+ inches off each one.

5. Moss balls are great anywhere in the tank to give some character. You can do just about anything with moss balls, rocks, and caves.

HC will need a lot of light in the 55G, as it's a fairly deep tank. Light penetration is a challenge in deeper tanks without getting algae. But give it a try. If it doesn't work, then clover is another great ground cover, but does spread slower than HC.

[Lonewolfblue]

Originally Posted by Breene

Oh wow I am in love with your tank. Black substrate and everything with the green highlights and driftwood = amazing.

Are you planning on injecting c02? Ive heard that once you get into 3+ watts per gallon you almost need it but I don't see why since more light lets the plants make their own c02.

And jeff how thick is your substrate? how many bags did you use? And how many inches should I use for a planted 55? If I need 8 bags ill go to the poor house on substrate alone

A good amount for a 55G is 4 or 5 bags. If you are wanting heavier root feeders like larger swords, then go with 5. But if you are just going with smaller plants that don't need to root as well, then 4 is fine. Also, plan on 2-3 inches up front and slope the rest towards the back.

[FreshwaterJeff]

Originally Posted by Breene

Oh wow I am in love with your tank. Black substrate and everything with the green highlights and driftwood = amazing.

Are you planning on injecting c02? Ive heard that once you get into 3+ watts per gallon you almost need it but I don't see why since more light lets the plants make their own c02.

And jeff how thick is your substrate? how many bags did you use? And how many inches should I use for a planted 55? If I need 8 bags ill go to the poor house on substrate alone

Thanks

I am planning on injecting CO2 - once I can afford to. But I do need it - I'm surprised I don't have horrible algae already (knock on wood).

My substrate is about 2" deep all around - that's with 3 bags. After I add the fourth bag, it'll be around 2.5" deep.

[Lonewolfblue]

Originally Posted by Pure

Looking great Jeff!

Little advice with the anubias. In a high light tank it's prone to getting algae growth on the leaves if left out in the open. You should think about putting it in a shaded area once you get more plants.

I would agree there. They don't like the higher lighting, and do better where it has a little cover from some of the light. Depending on how you place the driftwood, another good place is tie it to a smaller rock and set it on the gravel in a partially shaded area next to the driftwood.

[Lonewolfblue]

I'm thinking adding 1 more bag of Eco and you'll be closer to 3 inches all around.