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

My filter is an aqua tech 30/60. I am adding an aqua clear 50 when I get it cleaned up. I got some from Tolak...
I have a small bubble bar going on the side away from the filter. I was having a bad smell... the bubble bar helps move the water a little so it don't sit and smell so bad. The plants appear to be doing a little better with more circulation too.
I have always had algae in this tank of one kind or another. I did have brown then the green hairy/slimy stuff until I got the pleco. Now that is gone and the water is turning green. I think that has to do with me spending so much time at my parents house and not having time to do water changes... I am trying to fix that though now. I am about to go do a big one and see what happens...
I will take a few pics of before and after to post.
I still am hunting more plants for this tank too. I need more vals... If anyone in America has extra... let me know!
I am also considering getting some hornwort or something... I'm not sure yet.
I will add pics when I get them done. If I don't go get started soon I will not be getting the water change done today. I am getting really tired.

Thanks
Amanda

Today is my birthday... I told my husband that he is getting me fish as my gift and thanked him. I told him he gives great gifts... lol

I called this morning and ordered 4 more botia striata and 3 more julii corys. I am also getting some black worms...
Now I will have a decent group of each. That will be much better. I think they will be happier... I hope.

Thanks for looking and postin...
Amanda

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!



...bit ott? lol

Thanks... ott is cool!
Amanda

And the future fish grouping sounds great!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

happy birthday

Thanks everyone!

The green water went away. It was there... then it wasn't. I am not complaining though.
I finally did the water change and did a few changes... For the first time in a very long time... I have a scape that I actually like. Depression appears to help my scaping abilities a lot...

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What do you think of it? Am I really getting better?
There are several plants in the back left that need to grow where you can see them... It is actually fairly full, but you can't see a lot of them due to them being a little short...

Let me know what you think.
Thanks for looking and posting.
Amanda

I do like those tiles!

I like it and I am looking forward to seeing it grow up.

The corys and loaches keep pulling the grass from between the rocks...
I keep replanting it and they keep digging it up. It is almost like they are playing a game with me.
I am determined to get the grasses growing between them, so I guess we will play the game until I win.

It will look a lot better once everything starts growing and filling in.

Thanks for looking and posting...

I found a site called sweet aquatics that may be promising for plants... They are sold out of some of the ones I want, but when they get them in I will order some and see what they are like... I will let you all know how it goes.

I been reading through this journal and I can say that you have come a long way. It looks very nice, keep up the good work.

I wouldn't get hornwort. I've seen it in other ppls tanks, it is very messy and will clog up your filter inlet if you have enough of it. I would suggest planting more on the left side of the background as the right side has many vals and will grow quicky, eventually the leftside will look bare compared to the right. Why not try red plants for the left background? Red ludwigia's would give that side a nice new look. I've found this plant to look awesome when mature: Cryptocoryne crispatula var. balansae
[URL="http/www.tropica.com/productcard_1.asp?id=125"]http/www.tropica.com/productcard_1.asp?id=125[/URL]


For algae or diatom problems I lower the amount of time the lights stay on, 6-8 hours a day now. I dose a few times a week with Flourish trace and excel. Plants have been growing faster and with alot less algae.

P.S. sorry for the recent passing of your father. May he R.I.P.

I have just ordered a bunch of plants yesterday. They won't all be going in this tank though. I will just have to see how much it takes to fill it and what will look best.
I am getting 10 val asiatica var biwaensis that will go on the left side. 1 bunch of alternanthera reineckii to go with the tiny ones in the center left side. 2 bunches of ludwigia natans (repens) to go on the left side.
The rest I am not sure if it will go in this tank or one of the many others.
I also got:
anubias barteri var nana
anubias barteri var coffeefolia
bacopa monieri
cabomba caroliniana
hornwort
crinum thaianum
crinum calamistratum
egeria densa
hc

I have several tanks that could use more plants. I am going to use what I need in this tank, and then the rest will go here and there in my other tanks.
Some of these plants are just because I want to try them. The crinum thaianum (I got 5 of these) are for my 60g cichlid tank I am setting up soon. It has to have some tough plants. It will probably get some anubias too.

I am hunting sunset hygro. I just can't get my hands on any. That is what I really wanted on the left side. What I got will have to do until I can find some. I am still hunting.
I actuall almost got c. balansae. I was afraid of what I keep hearing about crypts melting. I figured I would kill it. It is pretty though. I may still get some later. Does it melt easily?

Thanks for looking and posting. I love getting suggestions and advice. Keep it coming...
Thanks again
Amanda

I tried hornwort. I had no idea what to do with it. It went right up the filter and was gone. POOF!

Well... that's not good. I may have wasted my money on that then. I just really like the look. What if it is on the end away from the filter? Would that help? I ordered 2 bunches of it... Maybe someone that knows how to get it to do well will come along and help me figure out what I need to do. I would hate to kill that many plants. Looks like I may do just that though.
I guess we will see...

Thanks for posting and telling me.

I just threw it in the tank. Put it in a mesh bag or something maybe. I asked the supplier/shipper what to do with it and he said "just throw it in the tank!" So I did.