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

I just finished reading the entire journal, it looks so good now! It's definitely come a long way, can't wait to see it fill out!

Thanks.
I have actually started to like it a lot better. It still needs something, but when the other wood gets in there and things grow a bit... I may like it a lot more.
I have learned one thing... I don't care for a tank without real wood and real plants. I really have no idea how I kept tanks for over 20 years with all fake stuff. I don't think I could ever go back to the fake stuff.
This algae thing is really driving me crazy though. I have got to figure out how to stop it. I clean it out and it comes right back.
It would help if I had an lfs so I could get some algae eaters of some kind. They have all closed around here. I have no where to get fish, and mail order is so expensive.

Thanks for looking and posting.

Just be patient! It took me 6 months to get my otocinclus, and I had to get them from Mexico city (6 hours drive away). I used the opportunity during a business trip, and picked them up at the lfs.

I am going to a pet shop in the morning. I am selling a tank full of corys. (my peppers and bronze were breeding like rabbits) I have a 29g that is so full! I just don't need that many. I am taking almost all of them. They are the surviving fry. I am also getting rid of the mollys. (and maybe a few guppys)
They are going to show me what they can get and I am going to get something ordered for my tanks. I have it narrowed down to otto, pitbulls, clown plecs, or albino bn. It also depends on price. I am doing some research tonight and will decide for sure in the morning.
Wish me luck!

Thanks for looking and posting.

just wanted to say it looks great , i have not been so great with mine lately after i switched my tanks most died off so i have to go out buy more and start over again with the remaining plants . best of luck and will keep watching for yours its beautiful

Thanks. I am fighting major green algae issues right now. I have no idea how to stop it so I spend a lot of hours cleaning it just trying to keep the plants where they can get light. It only takes a few days for all of the plants to be covered with it. It has turned into a lot of work! I almost hate to look at it. When I do ... I just see more work that I need to do.
I have got to find the problem!

I am glad you like it though. I hope it gets a lot better in the near future. It is not even near what I want it to be.

Thanks for looking and posting.

Hi Amanda, I just read your whole thread. I love the latest pics of your tank. The difference between the beginning and the end is incredible!

I've never done a CO2 tank but did have a low light (2 T8s) 55 gallon that was a lot of fun. I agree that I'd never go back to fake once discovering how fun plants can be. The only thing that frustrates me are the limited options for high end brackish tanks, which are the kind of fish I have been interested in lately.

Anyways, I'm glad I took the time. It was a good read.

Well The plants are not growing well, but the algae is doing great!
Maybe it should be a algae tank instead of planted tank...

Here is what I have right now...

This stuff will not go away! What is the deal? It is growing on everything!!!! My glass even turns green so I can't see in the tank if I don't clean it every day!
I am thinking of taking this tanks all the way down and starting over! I can't find the problem...

If any one with no life or tons of free time needs something to do... you can spend a month or so trying to solve the mystery of what is causing my algae so I can fix it... I would be your friend for ever if you did! I am at the end of my rope with this tank!

Thanks for looking and posting

ICEEGRL said:

View attachment 49762

This stuff will not go away! What is the deal? It is growing on everything!!!! My glass even turns green so I can't see in the tank if I don't clean it every day!
I am thinking of taking this tanks all the way down and starting over! I can't find the problem...

If any one with no life or tons of free time needs something to do... you can spend a month or so trying to solve the mystery of what is causing my algae so I can fix it... I would be your friend for ever if you did! I am at the end of my rope with this tank!

Thanks for looking and posting

Click to expand...

Im having an algae problem too, not half as bad as yours though. Dunno why i have it - stable c02, fixed lighting periods, fast growing plants, 6 otos, 3 amano shrimp.

The algae is killing me. I am thinking of going back to low lighting and see what happens.
With everything going on the maintenance is going to have to get easier. We have recently found out that my Daddy has stage 4 lung cancer. When he gets out of the hospital I will be very busy helping with his care. I won't have time to fight all these algae battles and such for a while. I just hope the val can survive in low lighting. It is my favorite plants.
It is to the point that I am going to have to pull almost everything and try to clean the algae off then replant. I think that is going to be the only way to save some of them.
I am having to rethink all my tanks. I need to get it down to 2 tanks so it won't take so much time and work to keep up with them. I hate taking tanks down, but I just won't have the time or energy to take care of them. I hope to be able to get them up and running again eventually. For now it is manditory to simplify things. It is going to take a lot of work to get it cleaned up. I don't know when I will get to get it done. I am planning to get it done as soon as I can though.
I would like to find some black sand to put over the current substrate. The ecco complete and laterite have mixed and I really don't like the look... I may try to remove some of the laterite, but that would take hours to pick it out piece by piece... I don't know if I am up to it.

Thanks for looking and posting

Sorry to hear about your dad.
Simplifying your tanks is a good idea, though. It seems sometimes, that just leaving the tank alone and letting it sort itself out works wonders. I had some issues with mine last year and I removed a good deal of the offending plants and added some really easy fast growing stems. I stopped worrying about how it looked and just let things grow as they wished. I ended up with a huge mass of very healthy plant life and almost no algae. The vallis was even algae-free where it grow along the top of the water. Hope everything works out ok for you.
-sondra

Sorry to hear about your aglae issues. I must admit Im at five tanks now and I really coudl do with getting rid of on or two, not that I want to.

Sam

I have not managed to make myself take a tank down yet. It is so hard to do...

Thanks... I will keep you up on changes... when I finally make some.

Thanks... My Dad is coming home today for the time he has left. They delivered his hospital bed this morning.

Thanks for looking and posting. I hope to have time in the next week or so to do some work on my tanks.

ICEEGRL said:

My Dad is coming home today for the time he has left. They delivered his hospital bed this morning.

Click to expand...

Sorry to hear that.