My 45 and 55 update

[tlfphoto]

45gal:
Specs.
55gal
Filter: Emperor 400, DOUBLEHELIX ULTRAVIOLET STERILIZER- 9 WATT with 126gph power head.
Lighting: two 48" 40watt Gro Lux & two 48" 40watt 6,500K.
Substrate: 2 1/2" of medium sand blasting sand.
Temp: 76
Plant's: Swords, 2 banana plants, aponogetons, hygro & a couple other one I dont remember names of.
Fishes: Mollies, Swordtails, Platies, 2 Black skirt Tetras, & 1 Algae Eater 2 Aussy Rainbows. (lots of mollies & swordtails).
Decor: Driftwood and river rock

[tlfphoto]

Original post on this tank $40.00 what a deal on 04\24\03. 3 weeks growth and no cycle. Tank is doing great!
55gal:
Substrate: 100lbs of med grit sanblasting sand.
River rock: $2.00 for milk crate full.
Plants: Hygro to start, topped it out of 45gal
Filter: Whisper second nature and a penquin 170-DOUBLEHELIX ULTRAVIOLET STERILIZER- 9 WATT with 126gph power head.
Lighting: DIY-Lighting: two 48" 40watt Gro Lux & two 48" 40watt 6,500K.
Fish: Brown Ghost knife, 4 clown loaches, 2 Blue Gouramis, 2 swordtails, 6 mollies, 2 hatchets, 1 pristila tetra, 1 head and taillight tetra, 1 beta, and 2 danios.

[Somonas]

Great looking tank! Do you use fertilizer or co2? on either tank?

[Jawz]

what size are those white/marble mollies in the 2nd tank? they look nice, i might want 1

[tlfphoto]

I use all seachem ferts: Flourish, Potassium, Iron, Excel, & Trace.
No C02 on either tank. The Seachem products are enough. As far as growth rate I have to throw plants away every couple of weeks.
The Mollies are big! The biggest is a Marbled Mollie (Big Momma) look at this thread for a close up of her. Another update on my 55gal

She is about 4"
Thanks everyone.

[Somonas]

You'll find that seachem excel gets expensive over a while, and once you try DIY Co2 you will never look back.

It is not hard to do.

[tlfphoto]

I know how and have tried DIY c02 and I prefer the results from Excel. Look at my tanks . If its not broke dont fix it.