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

[ICEEGRL]

FINALLY!!! I have wanted this thing for so long! Now I just need to get the 60g from Wendy...

I robbed plants and substrate and a few other items from the 29g. Now the 29 has all the old stuff, and the 55 has all the newer stuff. I am planning on changing out a lot of the plants and I think the hardscape needs a little something. I'm just not sure what. I am also going to get some more eco-complete. I don't think it is deep enough.

I need suggestions and ideas.
I do think that this one looks better than the 29 did. (and I just threw stuff in without even thinking about where it went this time)

I have to get a shopping list together so what do I need? I want to go natural. No co2 (I am using the liquid stuff) I am planning to go up to about 1 1/2 to 2 wpg light.

Here is what it looks like right now...
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a few more on the way...

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What do you think I need to do from here?

Thanks!

 

[Dave Spencer]

How about getting some of the twigs more upright? Theywould look pretty good with stems growing around them.

Pointing the tallest piece of wood towards the centre of the tank might work a little better.

With the tank still lightly planted you should be able to play around with things a bit until you get things just how you want.

In terms of lighting, I would err towards 1.5 WPG on a tank this size, particularly if you want to avoid CO2. You could always try overstocking on fish a little as a means of providing nutrients for your plants, but that will involve some overfiltration to compensate.

Dave.

 

[ICEEGRL]

Hi stock and extra filtration is kind of what I was leaning toward.

I tried to get the sticks to stand up, but they won't. Maybe when I get the extra substrate that will help. It is only about 1 inch deep right now. Is there a trick to getting them to stand up? What kind of stems would you put around them?

The big piece won't stand up without being propped. How would you turn it? It is the same piece that was the "cliff" in the 29g. I had it laying down and partly buried. It takes a lot of planting room away that way though.

Thanks

 

[Dave Spencer]

I tried to get the sticks to stand up, but they won't.

Try lead weights around the end you want at the bottom. The other end should naturally try to float upwards. 1" is not a lot of substrate to bury the weighted end in and you might find the wood migrating around the tank a little.

What kind of stems would you put around them?

Rotala sp. would look OK growing in and around the branches. I have found that by constantly pruning my Rotala the stems get thinner. Somebody called Stephen Chong recently did a fantastic scape using upright twigs and thin stems to give a bamboo jungle type effect. It may not be a look to your tastes, but it is just a thought.

The big piece won't stand up without being propped. How would you turn it? It is the same piece that was the "cliff" in the 29g. I had it laying down and partly buried. It takes a lot of planting room away that way though.

The large piece of wood is pointing to the top right of the tank, leading the eye away from the picture. Maybe balancing it with a piece pointing to the opposite direction would help. It is hard to tell from the photo of the wood, but I just feel that it would be better suited pointed in to the centre of the picture. It may take a lot of planting room away, but at least it is a major part of the whole scheme, rather than an afterthought just thrown in.

At the end of the day, it is your tank and all about what you are happy with.

Dave.

 

[Biulu]

I think you have the basics to get a nice scape, however everything seems to be in 1 line, with the same height. Try to create different heights, and the illusion of depth by trying to ensure that not everything is standing at 1 line

 

[ICEEGRL]

Ok. I will shift things around some and see what I can do. I am not good at this though. That is why I am asking for help so much. I want it to look good to others that see it. As long as it looks clean and relaxing I will pretty much like it. This tank is the first thing you see when you come in my house. I want it to look good.
I like the neat look best. I like the curly vals, soft grasses, most rotala, most ludwigia, most swords, the thin leaf java ferns, bacopa, nana petite, algae balls, lilies, hc, egeria, mosses, wood and branchy twigs. (I like pretty much everything.)
I have soft water, and will have low/medium light. (when I find a lid that will work for new lighting.)
The brace in the center sticks up so one big one won't fit. The other thing is that it is black. It is going to put a line through the light. It holds 2 10g hoods. I am hunting a way around that...

suggestions and even pics would be great! I don't decorate well when left to do it alone.

All help is greatly appreciated!

 

[nry]

At the end of the day you go for what you like. Planted tanks seem to go for one of three main themes that I can see:

1) Aquascaped in the style of Amano
2) What is called the 'Dutch' style which is usually a regimented layout with specific areas of each plant type
3) A mix of both

 

[ICEEGRL]

I didn't have a filter in it yet. While I was working on setting up the filter I moved the wood around a little. I don't like it. I have to drain it most of the way down this weekend so I can try to level it. I noticed that it is off a little. Will about 1/8 to 1/4 inch lower on one side cause a lot of problems? I am going to find my level and see if I can fix it. I just don't know what I am going to find to do it with. I used cardboard under the stand of a smaller tank one time, but I really don't see cardboard holding up to the weight of this tank and stand. While I have the water down I will move things around and see what I can come up with.

I need to go look in the laundry room. I have a box out there with some more sticks in it. I just remembered that I put them out there to keep them dry. They have been drying for over a year now. They are from my holly bush when we trimmed it in March of 2006. If I remember right... there should be some curly branchy ones. I tried to find out if they would be safe to use in the tank, but I could never find anyone that knew for sure. They went into the box to keep them safe until I could find out. That is what the small ones in the tank now are too. The ones in the tank have been boiled for 3 days, baked for 5 hours 2 times, scrubbed with a wire brush every time I changed the soak water (almost daily), and soaked for almost a month. That was a lot of work for a few little twigs!

I plan on ordering the extra substrate this weekend too. I guess I will try to get 2 10g glass tops where I can just set my lights on top on each side and I can set the extra one either in front or behind them.
The brace is plastic though. Will the light going across it make it get too hot and damage it?
Would it be better to get 2 smaller lights and put one on each side?
It would be cool if I could find some that are about 45 or 50 watts and would be about 22 or 23 inches long. The holes that the top sets in is 23 inches wide. The indented part is any way. I guess I will do some more looking.

I am also looking at some more plants. I am thinking of ordering some from the aguadisestore and some from aquatic magic. Are they good? Do y'all know anything about them? Anything I should know about? Do any of y'all use them?

I would love to find some tropica plants, but I can't find any. Does anyone sell them in the states?

The substrate and lids and things like that will come from bigals and drsfostersmith. I like them.

There are so many decisions to make. I am off to do some more research.

Thanks everyone!

 

[nry]

According to the Tropica website:


"TROPICA PLANTS ARE NOT AWAILABLE IN UNITED STATES BECAUSE OF AGRICULTURAL REGULATIONS"

 

[ICEEGRL]

Apparently I missed that. I will stop looking for them I guess. Is there another kind that is really good or a place that sells really good plants in the US?
I just don't want to order plants that are going to come half dead or die in a matter of days. I am still new when it comes to plants. If I am going to have a chance with them, I really need them to be healthy when I get them.
Thanks for helping.

 

[ICEEGRL]

Will it be ok to get a glass top to put in each side then run a light all the way across?

Will it get too hot on the plastic brace in the middle?

Anyone know anything about the aquadise store and aquatic magic?

Anyone know about using shrub limbs? (holly)

Thanks for helping!

 

[JamieH]

Will it be ok to get a glass top to put in each side then run a light all the way across?

Will it get too hot on the plastic brace in the middle?

Anyone know anything about the aquadise store and aquatic magic?

Anyone know about using shrub limbs? (holly)

Thanks for helping!

your tank is looking lovely!

Well done!

Don't use anything 'off the tree' or still green in anyway - inside or out. it will rot

i would only ever use certified aquatic stock to decorate any tank

 

[lljdma06]

Apparently I missed that. I will stop looking for them I guess. Is there another kind that is really good or a place that sells really good plants in the US?
I just don't want to order plants that are going to come half dead or die in a matter of days. I am still new when it comes to plants. If I am going to have a chance with them, I really need them to be healthy when I get them.
Thanks for helping.

I've had success with Aquariumplants.com. I haven't dealt with them in over a year though, which is a good thing, as all the plants from there are still going strong. Shipping is a pain, but it is almost always a pain with any online site. Be sure you have a big order, it makes no sense to pay $35 in shipping for two plants.

llj

 

[ICEEGRL]

Thanks! The shipping was why I wanted to know about those 2 places. The shipping is only $5.00 for usps priority. I saw a thread somewhere on here saying they were good, but I can't seen to find them now. I can't seem to find anyone that will tell me about them either. I hate it when that happens! I know that thread is around here somewhere. That was were I got the names of the sites from.

I did check aquariumplants out a few times. There are several plants that I want that they don't carry. Do you know if they do requests?

Another thing... Where can I find branchy wood and limbs instead of chunks and pieces of chunks? By the way... the trimmings I mentioned earlier have been drying for over a year. How long do you have to wait?

Again... Will the light laying across the plastic brace in the center hurt it? What can I do to make it safe?

Thanks...

 

[lljdma06]

Thanks! The shipping was why I wanted to know about those 2 places. The shipping is only $5.00 for usps priority. I saw a thread somewhere on here saying they were good, but I can't seen to find them now. I can't seem to find anyone that will tell me about them either. I hate it when that happens! I know that thread is around here somewhere. That was were I got the names of the sites from.

I did check aquariumplants out a few times. There are several plants that I want that they don't carry. Do you know if they do requests?

Another thing... Where can I find branchy wood and limbs instead of chunks and pieces of chunks? By the way... the trimmings I mentioned earlier have been drying for over a year. How long do you have to wait?

Again... Will the light laying across the plastic brace in the center hurt it? What can I do to make it safe?

Thanks...

I've never heard of the two store you mentioned. Other online sources are Dr. Fosters and Smith and that Fish place. All of which have links to live plants you can buy. I don't really shop online for plants anymore. I kind of rely on friends and believe it or not, PetSupermarket and PetsMart. If you know your plants, you can get some very nice ones. You have to be able to sift through non-aquatics though.

For branchy wood, try ADA's website. It could be pricey. PetsMart sells Mopani now, but that's not what you want.

I figure as long as it's not a live, it should be good to go, but I've never taken wood from outside before.

There was a thread when I first joined about some one with the same situation, another 55g. He ended up breaking the plastic brace by mounting the light directly on it. It cracked and he had to fix it, so no, I do not recommend this. I'd get mounting legs, if I were you. His tank began to bow when the brace broke and he was in a lot of trouble . $15 for mounting legs may save you a world of hurt later on.

llj

EDIT: Priority is a crapshoot. Sometimes you can get really lucky and I've had wonderful success with Priority mail and plant swaps with friends. Other times, it can take forever and your plants will suffer. However, when paying for a load of expensive plants, I'd rather use overnight USPS. I hate UPS, they never get my address right. Anubias ship very well in Priority, as do crypts. Emmersed growth ships much better than submerged. Tough-leaved stemplants ship much better than fine-leaved stemplants. Mosses ship pretty well too, as does java fern. Priority is bad when the weather is either too hot or too cold. A lot of factors need to be considered when choosing Priority. Many websites do not guarantee plants shipped Priority, they'll only guarantee live arrival when shipped over night and perhaps Second day air, depending on the vendor.