My 14 gallon planted tank

[tom91970]

12/19/07
Set up 14 gallon aquarium. Put about 5 pounds of pool filter sand into aquarium, which is about 1.5 to 2 inches. Took filter sponge from 30 gallon tank and placed into filter. Two female betas from the 10 gallon tank were added.

Added skeleton and treasure tank. This was initially not going to be a planted tank.



12/20/07
Added three guppies to the tank.


12/23/07
Water has cleared up. Added some more rocks to the middle area of the tank.



ammonia= 0
nitrate= 10
nitrite= .5

12/29/07
ammonia=.25
50% water change

Have decided to do a planted tank. Added another light for 2.5 watts per gallon.

Installed 50w Stealth heater. Paid $16.99 (regular $29.99). Also bought wisteria and hornwort (one was $2.19, other was $2.99). (Petsmart)

Went to Petland and bought 20 ghost shrimp @ .20 each. Also bought two cabomba plants and one melon sword. Bought small piece of drift wood for $12.99; began soaking today.

Took out skeleton figure.



12/30/07
Guppy with yellow tail gave birth; counted 8 or 9 fry.

12/31/07
Rearranged rocks; Temp= 79F
Mixed 2 cups of sugar, ½ tsp yeast, and water and connected to intake valve of HOB.






1/1/08

pH= 7.6
Added drift wood and Bronze wendtii (Cryptocornye wendtii v. ‘Tropicana’); was able to separate into one medium and one smaller section. Hooked DIY CO2 up to gang valve.

1/2/08
ammonia- 0
nitrite- 0
nitrate- 5.0
pH- 7.0 (dropped due to added CO2)

1/3/08
Guppy with orange tail gave birth again (31 days after first time)

[tom91970]

1/4/08
Placed java moss and 15 Malaysian Trumpet Snails into tank. Tied moss to driftwood. Noticed one snail had movement, but none have moved from original location.




Close-up of driftwood with rotala indica in foreground. Top of rotala has started to look better since CO2 injection. These plants have been in another tank for about 9 months.





1/5/08
Took petrified wood out of 30 gallon tank and put into 14 gallon. Placed two pieced at the back near filter intake, one on top of the other. Third piece was placed at an angle running alongside the heater. Tied java moss to rocks. Rearranged some of the cabomba. Took out last plastic plant.

Bought six Kuhli loaches and placed three into the tank.


1/6/08
9:08 p.m.- saw one trumpet snail roll over. The picture below shows a group of the MTS in the middle of the front part of the tank.



Close-up of the right side of the tank. Rocks in the middle are stack to provide hiding spots for fry. At the moment there’s no fry in the tank but the kuhli loaches love it.



Close-up of the left side.



1/7/08
Started second batch of CO2 mixture; added Leaf Zone
Ammonia = 0

1/9/08
pH = 7.2

1/16/08
Placed two aponogeton bulbs into the tank. Malaysian trumpet snails are starting to move around the tank and burrow in the sand.

1/16/08
14g ammonia= 0


More pictures will be added as the plants become fuller. I’m also expecting some banana lilies soon.

[jen0910]

It looks good with the plants, I like the driftwood too.
What are you using for a background?

[tom91970]

The background is plain ol' black posterboard. I think it gives it a sense of depth, plus it really makes the green stand out. I think it helps the sand to look better, too.

[tom91970]

Here's a quick summary of what's currently in the tank, as far as flora and fauna:

Plants
hornwort
cabomba
wisteria
melon sword (???)
rotala indica
java fern
java moss

Critters
two female guppies (no fry)
two female bettas
five kuhli loaches
ghost shrimp (probably ten or less)
Malaysian Trumpet Snails



That's about all I'll do for the stocking level of the fish. I may or may not move the bettas to another tank. They do a good job of taking care of any fry that might be in the tank. It's pretty interesting to watch them hang out in the hornwort looking for a quick meal.

[Big Vine]

Wow, nice work Tom!
I really like the way the placement of everything makes it all seem quite natural. I bet those kuhli loaches are absolutely loving that sand! I moved two dojos over to my very first sand-bottomed tank a few weeks ago, but they don't seem to take advantage of the soft bottom in the way that kuhlis would.

The bettas look good in there.
Would you be replacing them with anything if you decide to put them back in their original tank?

BV

[tom91970]

Originally Posted by Big Vine

Wow, nice work Tom!
I really like the way the placement of everything makes it all seem quite natural. I bet those kuhli loaches are absolutely loving that sand! I moved two dojos over to my very first sand-bottomed tank a few weeks ago, but they don't seem to take advantage of the soft bottom in the way that kuhlis would.

The bettas look good in there.
Would you be replacing them with anything if you decide to put them back in their original tank?

BV

Thanks!

Yeah, the kuhli loaches love the sand. It's neat to watch them dig around and throw sand everwhere. And that rock pile I made in the middle is like a playground for them.

As for the original tank for the bettas that's not really an option. I turned their original tank into the QT. Besides, they seem to really enjoy hanging out in the hornwort. If I did replace them it would be with two or three more female guppies.

[pwrmacG4]

i think that it looks really natural. planted tanks look great!

[TheFighterFish]

I like your use of sand and DIY CO2. Wish I were that crafty.

[tom91970]

Ha! I'm not crafty...just cheap! That sand and DIY CO2 together probably cost less than $6.00. But thanks any way!

I wonder how much better the tank would look if I had used some of that high dollar stuff. As I mentioned, I had no plans to make this into a planted tank, which is why I went with pool filter sand. I'm sure with some root tabs that problem will be taken care of.

It's amazing how much that CO2 has helped. My rotala went from looking pitiful to really filling out at the top. All you have to do is compare the top 1/3 and see the difference. That stuff is hard to kill, though. I've had it floating in my 29g for almost a year. The wisteria leaves really gets broader, too.