Amanda's 55g ~~tons & Tons Of Pics!

By the way... Which of these plants would do better on the side with the filter? Do any of them prefer more or less water movement? That will help me know where to put the different kinds. The left side has a pretty good flow and the right has very little. Does it make a difference?
Thanks again

How long does that brown dirt looking stuff last in new tanks? How do I get rid of it? It looks like it is smothering my plants. How do they get light with that stuff all over them? How do I deal with this stuff?

Thanks for helping me

The brown dusty stuff is still in the tank. It is getting in the filter then puffing back in the tank. I have tried cleaning the tank, but it just gets back in and going right back in the tank. I am tired of taking it out and cleaning it. Is there anything I can do to stop this from happening?

Thanks

Well... I finally got the plants put in groups the other day. I am thinking that I should have put the rotalla on the end and the val in the middle. It looks kind of odd to me. Ignore the wood stuck in the middle of my path and the one floating on top. They are waiting for moss so they can go in another tank. These pics aren't very good, but you can get the idea. [attachment=4
145D535012.JPG]Is this looking better? (except for the sticks that will come out soon)What else do I need to change or do?Thanks for helping

Since the tank is still pretty young, 2 months, so right now, I'd pretty much leave things alone. The tank still needs to mature. If a stemplant gets too tall, simply cut and replant the top that you cut. Things may look overgrown for a while, but when the tank is more stable, you should be able to scape they way you want to. This early stage is also a great time to find out what plants do best in your setup.

Leave things alone and let things rest. I really wouldn't worry about scaping at this point.

llj

Most of the plants are growing fairly well. The streight val has made about 4 new plants so far. I have trimmed the rotalla a couple of times. The corkscrew val is just sitting there though. Some of it is kind of melting a little. I don't think it likes me. The hc died off really fast too. You would know it... I love both of them. That is just my luck. The e. tenellus is just sitting there too. It looks healthy, but it doesn't seem to be growing. I really hope it starts growing soon. I really like that one a lot too. The grassy stuff has started growing some too. I figured that would be the one that wouldn't make it. I guess you just never know...

Thanks!

I have a few questions...

Do I have enough plants in there?
If I need more... how much more?
Are the plants spaced about right?
If not... what is too close or too far apart?

If I tried to use christmas moss as a ground cover... how tall would it get?
Would I have to trim it all of the time, or would it stay sort of short?

Thanks for helping!

What can I do to stop the brown dirt looking stuff that has invaded my tank?

It is on everything! It has gotten so bad that I am having to remove my filter and clean it out every day to keep it running. It is even suspended ing the water making it look really nasty! It just won't stop, and water changes don't seam to help. If anything it makes it worse...

Is there anything that I can do or add to make it stop?

Please help me... this is really getting bad!
Thanks!

I have ordered a new light!!

I am also getting a list of supplies together... I may see if a few more plants can sneak on the list...

I had a blow out yesterday on the interstate. Now I have to get a new tire. There went my extra spending money. I guess I will just have to stick to the basics for now.

My light is on the way. It should be here the 13th. I had already paid for it, so I do get that at least. I just can't get the extra plants and co2 that I had planned. (along with a few other items)

Hopefully I will be able to get the money together again soon so I can get them. I need another filter too. The one I have is big enough, but it isn't adjustable. That means that I have to turn it off to feed the fish so it doesn't blow the food everywhere and suck it up before the fish can eat. I need one that I can just turn the flow down during feeding. I don't like having to turn it off and restart it all of the time. I am thinking of getting one for each side so it will filter more evenly. I have to do more research on filters. I just don't know enough about the different kinds to know what to get.

I will up date with pics when the new light gets here.

Thanks!

My light came early!!! Here is what it looks like...
View attachment 46365

This is it with only 2 lights on (1.96wpg)


This is with all 4 lights on (3.92wpg)


This is it with the night lighting on...

Here are a bunch of extra pics... I always get carried away when taking pics! I can never take just a few...View attachment 46369View attachment 46370

The rest of these shows the problems I am fighting. There is brown stuff everywhere, and something odd on the val...View attachment 46374View attachment 46376View attachment 46377
attachment=46379:c._aeneus_8_10_07.jpg]View attachment 46378at
achment=46380:nanna_pe..._8_10_07.jpg]View attachment 46381[a
tachment=46382:narrow_v...10_07__1.jpg]View attachment 46383

High Amanda. This tank isn't particularly old and you've been tweaking and rearranging an aweful lot. If I had to take a guess based on what I know about your tank and from the pictures, I'd say you've got diatoms, a brownish algae that coats decorations and plants and such. Not a huge problem and it usually goes away on its own as the tank matures. It's common in new tanks and tanks that have recently been rescaped. It is actually a preferred algae for many algae eaters, including otoclinus species and some plecos. Another way to curtail it is to reduce lighting a bit, so if I were you, I wouldn't be running the full 3.92WPG in this tank yet. 1.96WPG is totally sufficient to grow what you've got in there. The A. reineckii looks really nice.

llj