Jones' 10 Usg Planted Journal

[pennjones]

Alright well I started my other joural. As I stated in my last journal I got that tank at Christmas of '05 (4 months ago). Well my dad said that he had a heater and a hood after i got my 20g set up, and he said I could have anything fish related that I found in our shed. I found the hood, but it was incandescant. Well I decided to use it anyway along with his old gravel and plastic plants. I used half of the filter media that was in my twenty gallon so as to clone the tank. This is how it looked when I first set it up (about Feb. 14 or so):

Well I decided to first stock it with some Blue paradise fish, so I got 3 (1 male, 2 female):

Since my plants were doing so good in my 20g, I decided to grow some aponogeton bulbs in my 10g as well. I also planted some microsword and cabomba in this tank. Here's a few of those shots:

A few weeks later I decided to buy some oto's. I bought 4 originally, but 1 died shortly after I introduced them, so I was left with 3 (which I still have).

I also decided shortly after I introduced my oto's that my other tank looked so good with sand, that I decided to change my substrate in this tank as well to sand. Here's a few of how that phrase progressed:

I added DIY CO2 shortly after that phase and my plants were growing like crazy. I love CO2! Here's 2 after that:

As with my 20g, my sand was too deep, so I got rid of some of it. I also decided that the blue paradise fish were too large for my 10g, especially 3 of them (I was new, forgive me), so I took the fish back to the lfs who gladely gave me 6 guppys for free in exchange!! I also bought some anacharis on that visit to Elmer's, because the stuff looked so good in my 20g. I also removed one of the large lava rocks. This is how that went:

My plants are doing absolutely great and the rocks were just getting in the way, so I completely took all of the rocks out and I just have my tiny piece of driftwood in there with the plants. The guppy are spawning like crazy and the fry aren't all being eaten since the tank is so heavily planted. What I'm not giving to my bolivian rams are being taken to the lfs for store credit ! Anyway, this is a shot taken tonight:

Fish stock in this tank consists of 6 adult guppies, 3 oto's, and about 20 guppy fry (which are temporary residents). Well thanks for looking! Any and all comments and critiques are welcome, and as with my other journal, I will keep you all updated!

 

[lljdma06]

This is a 10g? I was just a little confused because you referred to your 20g as well. Are you using an incadescent bulb or a flourescent (sp)?

It's good that you removed the large rocks, they were a bit much for a 10g. The substrate change was a big improvement as well. I would try a foreground plant if I were you, but I am more curious about your lighting right now and whether or not you add any fertilisers.

llj

 

[pennjones]

This is a 10g. I was referring my 20g which I have also recently made a journal for. I'm sorry I wasn't clearer about the lighting, when I was writing the journal I forgot to add that. I changed the lighting almost immediately after I set up the tank to flourescant, but it needs upgraded again. I currently have 1 18" flora-sun bulb in the tank, but it's only 15w, and although it is working superbly, I would like more light for my plants. I do add flourish excel to the plants as well, usually twice a week.

 

[Luke_e]

I think it would benefit from a piece of bogwood to break it up slightly as it seems very tight and compact imo.
Whats popping out from the sand at the front, is that a small piece of bogwood?

 

[Themuleous]

Once again, much better. You hoping to have plants of different heights? The egeria looks very much like a forest, could do with being of different heights, but thats just MHO

Sam

 

[pennjones]

Well the tank started to get little white algae looking things on the sand one night and when I went to scoop them out, the sand that came up underneath them was black. So I Took all the plants out and found that everywhere that I left in one of those little lead things attatched to a plant, the sand had turned black, and there was definite decay in the tank. So I pulled all of the plants out and thoroughly cleaned the sand and water (the fish were out of the tank at this time too). After I ensured all of the lead things were out, I put everything back in the tank with a more clean look to it....and the guppies gave birth that night! Here is a shot from today. You can sort of see all the little guppies swimming around. Oh and by the way, that thing in the middle is just a little piece of driftwood I found last year!

 

[Qays]

looking nice! Your guppy fry may get eaten by their parents!

What are the tank dimentions?

Do you add CO2 and fert? What plants do you have?

 

[pennjones]

Thanks! I don't think the fry are going to get eaten, as they have been in there for about 2 weeks now. The tank dimentions are 20"x10"x12" . I do add diy Co2 as well as seachem flourish and seachem flourish excel. Lighting is going to be upgraded to 2x15w 6700k tubes as soon as my new lighting fixture for my other tank gets here (hopefully soon).

 

[Themuleous]

I like the latest layout, very nice I think the egeria was taking over a bit in the other one, but the re-scape and trim seems to have done the trick.

Sam

 

[pennjones]

I'm sorry to report but this tank ahs been dismantled and donated to my girlfriend. I kept all of the plants and replanted them in my 20g high tank. The fish are currently living peacefully in my new 20g long tank that I've replaced this tank with. I will start a tank journal on that one soon and will post a link to it in this journal. Thanks for everyone's thoughts on this one though! Hopefully I'll get as many or more on the next one!

 

[Themuleous]

Bye byee tank