Newman's 40 Gallon Planted Tank

What do you think of the tank as a whole?

  • "I don't really understand what youre doing here...it looks weird"

    Votes: 5 12.2%
  • "The idea is half decent, but could use some improvements"

    Votes: 9 22.0%
  • "Overall it looks natural and good"

    Votes: 16 39.0%
  • "Awsome habitat for the fish and looks outstanding"

    Votes: 19 46.3%

  • Total voters
    41

Newman

Elite Fish
Sep 22, 2009
4,668
0
0
Northern NJ
#1
This is a work in progress. Used to be a Goldfish ornamental tank, and is now going planted (with a slight chance of livebearers.) The Pleco and Raphael will stay, but the GF must go. (referring to my sig)

Tank is still in cycling process at the moment.
Next step is slow introduction of plants.
Plants planned to include:
BACKGROUND
2 Cabomba
1 Anacharis
Center peice of driftwood w/ a Java Fern along w/ java(or christmas) moss attached
MIDGROUND
1 Java Fern
3 rocks with java(or christmas) moss
FOREGROUND
Dwarf Hairgrass carpeting floor in middle
a patch of java(or christmas) moss on each side of the tank.

I will soon post up a picture of the tank as it is finishing its cycling, to show what i will be starting with, and later w/ what i ended up with.
Of course ill include pics later of all the middle steps involved.
now if i could only find my camera :mad:
 

Newman

Elite Fish
Sep 22, 2009
4,668
0
0
Northern NJ
#2
Well i couldnt find my camera, so i just used my cellphone's. sorry if its not clear enough to see evrything.
This is basically what im starting with (or rather already started)

In this pic i have ALREADY changed the backdrop from a gross old coral reef one to "that good old green theme" that you see a lot on the net these days. I have already added Java Fern and the Anacharis elodia. before it just had plastic plants (which are still there) and the unidentified live plants seen on the left.

the water has cleared, and i have changed the old light to this special light that concentrates on plant growth (dont know if itll be enough but i guess ill find out)
I'm still in the cycling process (adding live bacteria cycling compound every now and then)
And here is the way it is now:
 

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Newman

Elite Fish
Sep 22, 2009
4,668
0
0
Northern NJ
#3
So far I've moved that java fern to the far corner to limit the light it gets (too much bright light isnt good as i just learned) It has started to make baby java ferns lol)

I've bought two batches of Cabomba, seen on both sides of the tank. It really hard to tell if anything is growing, but so far in the first week that ive had all these plants, the Unidentified swords have put out a few more leaves.
 

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no.1chuy

Large Fish
May 22, 2009
272
0
0
Las Vegas
#4
i like the set up i think in a few months when it grows in its gonna look great i like how you left them swiming space in the center maybe i should have done that. just some pointers that might help you out... the plant bunch next to the rock it looks like it still bunched up like it comes from the store i have had this plant befor and when i left it bunch up the base would just rot and turn black you should separate them and plant each plant so that it roots in (goggle the name of the plant some plants do better tied down to something) same thing with the cabomba and i think the one in the conor is gonna need more light. you'll find out if its not happy when it starts turning black and cloging your filter i had this plant too but switched it for a hornwort the hornwort is a lot easyer to take care of but the cabomba looks better in my opinion. once your sword plants start to grow in they'll make great hiding spots for fish and they look good i like when the leaves start to overlap but thats just me
 

Newman

Elite Fish
Sep 22, 2009
4,668
0
0
Northern NJ
#5
Thanks man :) i know its a work in progress but im having high hopes for at least some success.

the swimming area is mostly due to the fact that all that space is affected by the current from my external filter (it literally sends the small golfish flying downward when it swimps past.)

I assume youre talking about the dark green, hornwort-looking plant on the right. thats just plastic filler and will be removed later. there are two other plastics there: one on far right that you cant see, and one on the far left that you can barely see. those resemble corkscrew...plants(dont remember the name lol) and will be removed eventually.

Im thinking about your tip with my Cabomba...So you suggest i separate each stem and plant it about an inch apart into the gravel? should i do the same with that Anacharis? both the cabomba bunches and the anacharis bunch still are tied together with a weight each.

So should i move the cabomba on the right and plant it right next to the green center rock (to the right of it) ? thats where the java fern was before i moved it to save it from the light. theres quite a lot of light there. I do see it bending towards the light, telling me it wants to move...

I really appreciate your opinions/advice, thank you :)
 

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no.1chuy

Large Fish
May 22, 2009
272
0
0
Las Vegas
#6
i meant thet anacharis like just remove the wight and cut off any that is turning brown or black and plant it you dont have to plant them all separate put a few steams together you might still have to anchor it down but dont put the weight on so tight that it crushes the stem bucaus then your back at step one (a floating plant) if you do use the weight make sure that some of the stem is still planted so that it roots it self in and wont need the weigh any more same thing with the cabomba and i would put it where it gets the most light. what kind of light do you have? how many watts? are you gonna put that drift wood you have soaking in your tank?
 

Newman

Elite Fish
Sep 22, 2009
4,668
0
0
Northern NJ
#7
The light is a "Zoo-Med Flora-Glow" bulb which is 5000K concentrating in red and blue color emission. its 33 Watts. I CANNOT fins a higher wattage light that is 24" long. if i could, i would have bought it.

Ill follow your suggestion on the cabomba and elodia (i was actually thinking of the same thing, having read some articles on correctly planting bunched plants)

Yes that Mopani driftwood is going to replace the green rock, making it the new center piece. Ill attempt to tie some Marimo moss to it in hoping of growing that on top of the wood. but thats waaay in the future.

I am also soaking and rinsing some Flourite substrate that i will add in a few weeks, making a bottom layer and covering it with that white gravel.
 

no.1chuy

Large Fish
May 22, 2009
272
0
0
Las Vegas
#8
you gotta be a lil careful if you get a lamp with more watts that is way over what the ballest is rated for you're gonna burn it out. i like drift wood i think i wanna get some. so is flourite white? or are you gonna have two diffrent color substrate?
 

Newman

Elite Fish
Sep 22, 2009
4,668
0
0
Northern NJ
#9
The Flourite is the original color (brown with some red)
The idea is to spread a layer of it at the bottom, and cover it with a good layer of white gravel. this will look exactly as before (white gravel wise) i have tested it. And theoretically it'll also reduce upkick of the substrate dust when ever the gravel is moved.

But if i have enough of the flourite i might ditch the white gravel all together.
But i wonder how im going to gravel vac the gravel from now on...since it automatically mixes the two together. (it also produces a LOT of mud when gravel vaccuuming)
What do you think i should do?
 

Newman

Elite Fish
Sep 22, 2009
4,668
0
0
Northern NJ
#10
As an update i have added a DIY CO2 system, and have started to dose some of the Kent fert that i had.

I have a very important question:
I have a tank-back aquaclear filter in my tank (not a powerhead filt.) Is what i'm doing with the bubbles wrong by aiming them at the intake like that? should i continue doing this or should i just let the bubbles rise up to the surface?

Thanks for any advice.
 

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Newman

Elite Fish
Sep 22, 2009
4,668
0
0
Northern NJ
#12
Also, as I just found out from an online volume calc, my tank isnt exactly 40 gal, its more like 37.5 gal. Its filled with 35 gal of water. (I knew my mom was lying about the volume all these years lol)
 

emmanuelchavez

Superstar Fish
Feb 22, 2008
1,370
0
0
#13
...
But i wonder how im going to gravel vac the gravel from now on...since it automatically mixes the two together. (it also produces a LOT of mud when gravel vaccuuming)
What do you think i should do?
You can just hover over any visible gunk to get that out. You can leave the stuff that gets inbetween the gravel. It helps provide nitrates for your plants. Although, it would give white gravel a dirty look with all the gunk inbetween the pores. It would hide it better if you used only flourite.

...
I have a very important question:
I have a tank-back aquaclear filter in my tank (not a powerhead filt.) Is what i'm doing with the bubbles wrong by aiming them at the intake like that? should i continue doing this or should i just let the bubbles rise up to the surface?

Thanks for any advice.
You can keep aiming them at the intake. The impeller will chop up the bubbles and add the co2 into the water column a bit more efficiently. If yous till have the bubble wand, though, you'll want to remove it, as it outgasses CO2.
 

Newman

Elite Fish
Sep 22, 2009
4,668
0
0
Northern NJ
#14
Thanks for the vaccuuming tip. so you suggest using only flourite? (I hope 2 bags wil be enough. thats 30 lbs for a 40gal)
OK, if by "bubble wand" you mean my long airstone, then thats not a problem. What ive done is i put the airstone (and pump) on a timer) and it turns on only at night to supply the fish and plants with needed oxygen. I find this also helps reduce the impact on the CO2 on the pH at night, since it doesnt let the CO2 dissolve much. Plants dont need the CO2 at night as far as i know. at about 7 am the air pump shuts off and the CO2 concentration goes back to what he plants need in the day time. At least thats the theory. I have no way to prove this yet.

Problem is, as you can see in those last two pics, is that my filter (which is rated for 50 gal i think) puts out one good current, which causes a good mount of oxygen to enter the water always. will this pose a problem for the CO2?if it does, how can i solve that problem?

There is no bubble wall/wand/airstone active in those two last pics. all those air bubbles are caused by the filter.

Thank you all for the help.
 

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no.1chuy

Large Fish
May 22, 2009
272
0
0
Las Vegas
#15
if you're gonna layered substrate you might have to gravel vacum it like sand if you dont wanna mix them. just pass th vac very close to the gravel and move it back and forth quick enouf to stir the trash up and vac it. and with the diy co2 you either wanna get a diffuser or just keep doing what you're doing just make sure the water level high enouf so there isnt a lil waterfall from the water being filtered back in. i have a ceramic bubble stone and it does a good job at diffusing the co2 bubbles maybe you could do both? i think if you let the bubbles rise to the surface it just defeats the porpose
 

Newman

Elite Fish
Sep 22, 2009
4,668
0
0
Northern NJ
#17
Haha thanks. I tried using a ceramic airstone, but it wasnt fine enough, so im going to return it today. The best ive gotten is from the chopstick method, which as you can see from all the above pics produces very fine bubbles. So to sum it up, im diffusing with a chopstick and aiming the fine bubbles at the intake.

thanks for a good description of the vaccuming process. I think if i have enough flourite i will get rid of the white gravel. Any tips on how to lower the flourite into the water and in what, to eliminate massive upkick from the start?

Good call on the waterfall man, i completely ignored that fact. Of course ill do that (DOH!)
 

Newman

Elite Fish
Sep 22, 2009
4,668
0
0
Northern NJ
#18
Did a few things today. Changed substrate out fully. Topped off the water to eliminate current. And added two small peices of driftwood to the 10 Gal for soaking. Tested the water. Everything is perfect except for the damn GH which rose to 31 dGH (550ppm) I tested before i touched the tank today.

This is what it looke like after the change:
 

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Newman

Elite Fish
Sep 22, 2009
4,668
0
0
Northern NJ
#20
Water cleared up perfectly. Still boiling the driftwood pieces, hoping to get all that brown tannin out of them -_- taking so long.

Second pic is all of the tank's inhabitants summed up in one picture. the pleco is enjoying some romaine lettuce. (and yea sorry you have to look at it sideways :p)

Yes, the plant plans can be viewed i think in either the first or second post in this thread.

I will still add Christams moss attached to small peices of driftwood, one on each side. Marimo moss will be attached to a driftwood piece in the center. The rest of the fore-ground will hopefully contain dwarf hairgrass.

Once the cabomba and anacharis have grown tall, i will plant them fully in the background (note how some are way too close up)
 

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