87L & 24L Planted Soil Tank Journal

[greenmumma141]

Sorry to hear that Paradise!!!!     

 

[Paradise3]

Well... I'm ashamed to admit I kind of forgot about this thread

 
I ended up shutting my big tank down and selling it due to not being able to do anything with it

Ori went to someone on a betta facebook group and I've been told is now turning red in his fins and still blue in the body

The WCMM's went to my now fiancée's 300l tank to live with his other WCMM's. I still have my little BBG tank though, he's still here with me! I got the dates wrong at first. I have now officially had him 20 months(got him August 2012) and he's still a monster lol. I have have another small five gallon set up with twelve "mini guppies" in

They are endler/guppies hybrids so smaller than regular guppies but bigger than endlers. I have six "Scarlet Mini Guppies" and six "Snakeskin Mini Guppies".. I'll try to get pics of them at some point but like all guppies they are "Hyperactive flappy things" lol. I plan to see if I can source some more Shadow Catfish for this tank when it is ready for them. It's planted(as is the BBG tank now!) but still growing in so not much to look at right now(will get pics when I get home though lol).
 
Anywho... I don't know whether to have this thread locked and start a new one for these two tanks or just keep this one? For now, here's the most recent picture of the BBG tank and Grumpy(that is his name now!) himself

 
Tank - 26th March 2014.

 
Grumpy - 26th March 2014.

 

[LilyRose Tank]

Hi, sorry to hear you only have the smaller tanks. I am reading your thread as I am thinking of embarking on a new 200L tank project that I hope to plant up. Did you use a Co2 setup as well, ( sorry if I missed that when reading through). Can you give me an honest opinion on substrate please. I am thinking of a soil and sand or fine gravel substrate, as I am still deciding. What would your recommendations be...I shall be fishless cycling the filter before putting anything in the tank, do you think this is a good idea, ie no substrate just water, or should I put substrate in and plant up after cycling. any info would be really appreciated thanks in advance x

 

[Paradise3]

Hi, sorry to hear you only have the smaller tanks. I am reading your thread as I am thinking of embarking on a new 200L tank project that I hope to plant up. Did you use a Co2 setup as well, ( sorry if I missed that when reading through). Can you give me an honest opinion on substrate please. I am thinking of a soil and sand or fine gravel substrate, as I am still deciding. What would your recommendations be...I shall be fishless cycling the filter before putting anything in the tank, do you think this is a good idea, ie no substrate just water, or should I put substrate in and plant up after cycling. any info would be really appreciated thanks in advance x

 
I used Easy Carbo instead of gas Co2
 
Soil and Sand is what I used and still use lol. It has worked really well for the plant growth I would recommend putting the substrate in before cycling and then planting it out after(or possibly while still cycling if you wanted to) as the soil/sand substrate will release a small amount of ammonia at first which will help with the cycle I never had to go through cycling though as I already had my tanks cycled, this is just what I would have done if I had to cycle them.