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

[john starkey]

Hi icee nice work i hope you have all the luck going, you deserve it with all the hard work you have put in its coming along nicely should be good when the rest of the plants are in. regards john

i like the path in the middle btwl

 

[ICEEGRL]

I got an e-mail saying that part of my plants were out of stock, but the others should get here Monday or Tuesday. That was from aquarium gardens. I still haven't heard from the aquadise store, so I have no idea when to expect the ones from them.
I still haven't made a decision about which moss to get. I am kind of leaning toward weeping moss, willow moss, flame moss, or star moss. What do you think? Does anyone have experience with any of these? I have to decide soon. I want to get it ordered at the same time as the replacements for the things that were out of stock.

Also... what is the best place to get mosses in the US? (keeping in mind that it will be a small order... shipping can't be outrageous.)

Thanks

 

[lljdma06]

Also... what is the best place to get mosses in the US? (keeping in mind that it will be a small order... shipping can't be outrageous.)

Thanks

Get it from me, you silly girl. Unless you absolutely hate Christmas moss. Where are you in the US?

llj

 

[ICEEGRL]

I'm in north Louisiana.
What all plants do you have that you are getting rid of or have spair?

 

[ICEEGRL]

I don't know anything about christmas moss. I will soon though...
Thanks!

 

[ICEEGRL]

View attachment 45207
View attachment 45208

This is what it looks like after adding some of the new plants. I am still waiting on some to get here, and a few that I am still hunting.

I know they are short, but how is it looking so far? Is it getting better? What would you change. (sorry the pics aren't better)
I will try to get some better pics later.

Thanks

 

[lljdma06]

It looks really nice. The path is very clear to see without being distracting. I got your message. Now that I am looking at the tank, I do think some Bolbitis heudelotii would be good for you. If things work out, I'll throw some in the package.

llj

 

[ICEEGRL]

I am finding that it is really hard to keep the gravel on the plastic under the path. It is too slippery. I am going to have to find another way to do it. The rocks didn't work either. I have a feeling that the two are going to end up being mixed.
I am working on trying to come up with something that will keep the path in place so it don't mix and don't show. I just haven't found anything yet. The problem is that it has to go all the way to the top to prevent mixing, but if it is high enough to keep them apart... it sticks out and shows.
I am now thinking maybe some net or something. I still don't know how to hide the edges and have it look clean though.
I am also considering making a fake path. I could just glue some rocks to the clear plastic and lay it in place. Then it could be removed and cleaned and put back. I could even do one with sand. That would solve all of the problems. I would just have to make sure it is properly weighted to make it stay down where I put it. Has anyone tried this? If so... how did it work out?

I can't seem to get any decent pictures of this tank. If I turn the flash off the pics come out way too bright, and you can't tell anything about what is in it. If I use the flash they come out dark and dull. I got lucky with the angled one on here. I am going to have to play with the lighting to see what works. I usually turn all the lights off and just have the tank lights on. That doesn't work with this tank. I can't light from behind because of the background. I don't know what else to do. The tank really looks better than the pics show.

Thanks everyone

 

[Dave Spencer]

Most people take the dividers out because they will always show.

You could try bordering the path with moss covered stones to blend the path in to the aquascape. This should also prevent the two different coloured substrates from mixing. The appearance may become a little messy where the path meets the front of the glass, but it should be simple enough to tidy up if you are posting on the forum or want to show off to visitors.

Once this tank has grown in and concealed some of the path as it meanders in to the distance it should look great.

Dave.

 

[ICEEGRL]

Thanks.
My plants just came from aquadise store.
THEY ARE INFESTED WITH SNAILS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They are the healthiest looking plants I have ever seen! On top of that they sent me a free amazon sword 'nana'. Beautiful plants! It is just too bad that I hate snails so much that I refuse to take a chance of getting them in my tank!
What would you do? I put them in a bowl for now. I don't want to hurt the plants, but those snails have got to die!
Help!!!

 

[Dave Spencer]

Soak the plants in a mild bleach solution for a two or three minutes.

My first tank had pest snails. I have since then deliberately added them to my two new tanks. I see very few snails because there is not much food around for them, which in a lot of cases comes from overfeeding fish. The few snails that my tanks manage to sustain are only eating detritus, which is a good thing in my opinion. I now have one Ramshorn snail in my first tank that is 1cm across, and I see him roaming around with four or five threads of algae hanging off his shell. IMO, he adds something to the tank, and is not an eyesore. I rarely see more than one or two snails at a time.

Dave.

 

[ICEEGRL]

You are welcome to my snails
I personally can not stand them. They lay eggs all over everything and make the tank look like ####!!!!!
You can't even see through the glass once they get started! Everything just looks slimey!

How much bleach and how much water?
How do I know if they are all gone and there are no remaining eggs?

Thanks for helping.
Snails are my nightmare.

 

[Dave Spencer]

I would use a ratio 1:10 bleach and water for two minutes. Any longer and it may harm your plants. Rinse the plants thoroughly afterwards in warmish water and give them a little dechlorination.

Snail populations tend to explode at first (mine did), but provided there isn`t excessive food laying around for them, the numbers soon dwindle. I have Ramshorn snails above the substrate, and Malaysian Trumpet snails burrowing below, all of whom benefit my tanks. We are all God`s little creatures you know......except for algae which is spawn of the devil!...which snails eat.

Dave.

 

[ICEEGRL]

I love God's creatures... as long as they don't mess up my tank!
I didn't dislike snails until I got some in my tank and they slimed everything with eggs. My tank looked like garbage, and I couldn't stop them. I ended up having to trash everything in the tank! I got really tired of having to clean the tank twice a day just to get a half way clear view of my fish. I learned to hate them. Well... not them... I hate the slime and mess they make!
A dirty looking tank makes me crazy. I just can't stand it.

I did the dip/soak. I lost a lot of leaves. I hope they bounce back. I have some in with my betta, and the others are in glass bowls. I am still afraid to put them in my tank. I have now become paranoind. I am afraid that one may have been missed and try to sneak into the tank.

How can I be positive that they are all gone?

Dave... Do your snails not slime your tank?

Thanks

 

[Biulu]

View attachment 45077
This is another.

Thanks!

I have this white gravel, and it does change your pH! Make sure you wash it really well before using...