This is my very messy 40B tank. It needs some tender love and care but I'm not sure what I should do to it? It just looks messy.... What do you suggest i do to move it to an ugly duckling to a nice tank ?
My very messy tank needs something but what does it need ?
- Thread starter anewbie
- Start date
"A Newbie" here, too.
But I'd trim it down.
Granted that is only based on what I've seen on the internet's favorite informational/slapstick channel, YouTube, but I've seen guys revamp their whole tank with a little trimming.
Maybe lose some snails, too? How close do you live? lol
But I'd trim it down.
Granted that is only based on what I've seen on the internet's favorite informational/slapstick channel, YouTube, but I've seen guys revamp their whole tank with a little trimming.
Maybe lose some snails, too? How close do you live? lol
Looks to me that it is overgrown and could use a heavy trimming. What inhabitants are in the tank Many fish need a good amount of room for swimming.
OP
OP
I'm in the southeast. For a while i was mailing them out to people for free but that got expensive after 15 or 20 priority packages. I think i'll end up feeding them to the clown loaches (another tank); I'm really sick of them. I don't try to breed them but they periodically lay a sack i miss and too often they hatch.... real headache - worse than ram snails.
Remove the snails, Let the rainbowfish breed prolifically because they are rare and potentially endangered in the wild. Enjoy the jungle look.
Can you tell use about the lights, fertiliser and anything you use in the tank to grow the plants?
Can you tell use about the lights, fertiliser and anything you use in the tank to grow the plants?
OP
OP
I'm lazy plant grower. I have a wrgb 2 on the tank; i use inert substrate; but feed the plants nilgoc root tabs (maybe 6 tablets every 3 or 4 months); nilgoc thrive+ once a week 4 pumps; nilgoc iron (will switch to sachem when i run out) once a week 4 pumps. I do a 50% water change once a week (tuesdays). The tank does have co2 injection.
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Today i gave 7 of the 10 rainbows to the lfs (i have 2 females and one male left; i really dont' care for them). Tomorrow I will had a pair of borelli apiso and 8 more kubotai rasbora (I love this fish). You have good eyes to have caught the rainbows. The tank also has some Laetacara araguaiae which are extremely lovely;
and probably 100 pleco frys. No I'm not breeding the pleco but someone forgot to tell them and they are popping up everywhere - they look like this:
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Back to the plants I run the lights for 8 hours a day but an hour and 15 min are ramp up/down.
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I'm finding some plants don't quite grow right in the inert substrate even with root tabs; something is missing. My singular favorite plant right now is the prinz kleiner sword; i'm mixed about the h'ra rotala; it grows like a weed at the top and adds a *lot* of red but it well grows like a weed. I'd like to find a plant similar to the Pogostemon Stellatus Octopus. I mean the plant grows great and it is one of the easier stem plants since it stays rooted - you just have to trim the tops - and it create a wonderful place for the fishes to swim in the lower levels - i just wish it had a touch more colour. The mini reineckii is still fairly new so the verdict is still out if it will like the tank. I think i've had it for 3 weeks but i won't know for sure for another 8 weeks. Oh almost forgot i also really like the red spiralis crypt - hum the name is Spiralis red crypt - fantastic plant.
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OP
OP
Well if you ever drive down south you can have a hand full and a few more - if you want. Actually I think the min i sell for $0.00 is 12; so you would have to but them in lots of 12. Oh and you can have some mini lemon blue eye pleco if i can catch them.yeah, I was joking about wanting them. Mostly
Just my way of say thatsa lotta snails
What really stands out to me about your tank (aside from the snails haha) is that all your plants are very fine leaved and “wispy“. If it were me, i would get some large growing, broad leaved plants for the back of the tank, such as Amazon Sword. I would arrange them along the back of the tank, trim down all those wispy fine leaved stem plants Then arrange them just in front of the amazon swords, then do your shorter plants in groups in front of that. I think it would give a more orderly, balanced look to your tank.
OP
OP
There are a few large plants in the back but they are hidden by the front plant. There is a huge coffeia anubia on the left and in the center there is an extremely large crypt that i estimate (never measure) takes up 6 to 8 inches square; though this plant might fit your defn of wavy. the problem with the sword suggestion is finding ones that will stay under 14 inches. Most of the swords with nice broad leaves will grow to 22-30+ inches in a tank with co2. I know because i have several different types in my 120 and all are exceeding 24 inch leaves (melon - i think; behari; ruffle; queen). I do have a flame sword near the front in the 120 that is only 8 inches or so high. In the 40B picture i have tropica parv sword that is lovely (very front) and that prinz kleiner. I had an Uruguayensis sword but had to move it to the 120 when it out grew the tank. I had a lace plant in there but it turned out to be one of the large variety and also had to remove it. Perhaps I could add a Aponogeton boivinianus; but then i would have to remove something to make room for it. Part of the problem is that bloody large crypt in the back middle. It takes up so much space. The Aponogeton boivinianus is really a fantastic plant i have several in my 29s.
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ok. Then I guess a good trim is all I could recommend. Maybe a trim, then reassess the situation!
I think it looks great!
I would just trim some down on the sides and the back.
I would just trim some down on the sides and the back.
Bruce Leyland-Jones
Fish Aficionado
What does the tank look like now?
FishHobby99
Fish Gatherer
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