My 55 gallon re-established planted community lace Rock aquarium.

[Tony blazer]

Hello my name is Tony I have been a member for a month or so but been involved in the hobby for over four decades. I consider myself intermediate in the hobby certainly not an expert and always open to learn new things. I have very strong viewpoints and opinions about the hobby. I will have a conversation and or debate with anyone about the hobby but please let's keep it respectful and follow my first two mottos

My mottos are:
1. Agree to disagree.
2. There is no right way only a wrong way of doing things.
3. You can't put 5 lb of crap in a 4 lb bag.

This 55 gallon tank was first established in 2001 as a community tank mollies platies or swordtails tails Tetris barbs Rams ect.
In 2006 the tank was transferred to a new home with staying intact with the fish and water transferred in a wheeled garbage can. In 2014 when the inhabitants life span ran its course the community tank was transferred into a African cichlid tank. The From 2014 to the end of 2019. I lost my last African cichlid in December 2019 but a few years before I decided not to replace the cichlids as they live out their life cycle. The remaining habitants of the tanks was
2 synodontis petricola catfish 1 King tiger pleco and some java fern that was left from the original 2001 tank due to adding salt for the cichlids and cichlid behavior with live plants.

December 27th I decided to re-establish a community tank. Please I do not want to get into a debate about my stocking decisions. My fish are happy and thriving and most importantly I am satisfied and getting great enjoyment watching my new community tank. I want to keep this thread as a journal of this new tank and hopefully have some intelligent stimulating conversation with other people who are into the hobby.

This tank has been a work in progress for the last 2 months.

Contents of tank:

Decor and hardware:
*Substrate Caribsea Gemstone Creek the
smallest gravel size not sand size.
*Lace Rock 25 years old purchased 1995.
*To hang on the back filter fluval 110 (500GPH) and Tetra whisper 60 (300GPH)
*Air pump Fluval G2 50-160 gallons with a
18 inch bubble stick buried underneath
substrate
* Fluval aquasky 2.0 LED 35 watts light (only a few weeks old).

Plants:
1. Java fern (original plant from 2001)
2. Amazon sword
3. Kleiner bar sword (love this plant)
4. Anubias Nqncon
5. Sagittaria subulata bunch
6. Gaint hair grass
7. Anacharis
8. Water Sprite (not doing well do to fish)
9. Ludwigia super red mini
10. Cabomba Caroliniana

Fish:
2 angelfish (Marlboro and gold)
5 ram cichlids (German Gold Electric blue)
4 dwarf gouramis (powder blue red flame)
4 Tetris (red eye and serpae)
5 fancy tail guppies (Males)
2 Panda Cory cats
1 Chinese algae eater
2 synodontis petricola (original fish)
1 King tiger pleco (original fish)

I don't mind having a conversation with anyone about anything but please respect my views respect on my stocking choices. I've always had tanks that thrived and fish that live a long healthy life span. My fish are happy but what's more important I am happy and I get enjoyment out of watching this current tank setup. Look forward to hearing from you all. Here are some pictures and I will continue to update progress and reports about this aquarium setup. The following pictures is the tank back in 2014 when I converted into a cichlid tank and the pictures with a white substrate was the original gravel from 2001. I replace the gravel net full by net full. What a pain in the ass

 

[KLG1234]

Wow this is gorgeous!

 

[Retired Viking]

I like your tank, the rock formation looks great, it is very bright. I think 55 gallon tanks are the best size, not too big that they take over a room but big enough that you can do a lot with them.

 

[Tony blazer]

On December 28th 2019 I started to convert my old cichlid setup to my current community tank. A week later I added my first group of community fish back into the tank. I was fooling around with silk and the new rubber plastic plants but quickly decided I could not do a fake plant tank

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Wow! Your tanks have so much color, I like that. Do you use fake plants, or a mixture of live and fake?

 

[Retired Viking]

My 55 gallon tank was at one time a cichlid tank too with plastic plants I like your colorful plastic plants, I did the same thing. Now I really like live plants, not as colorful but so much better for the fish and water quality.

 

[Tony blazer]

Over the next few weeks I started replacing the plastic and silk plants with real plants as well as additional fish and purchased a 24-hour LED light system for the aquarium. I don't know how I ever lived without one lol.

Wow! Your tanks have so much color, I like that. Do you use fake plants, or a mixture of live and fake?

I initially only had one original live plant left I attempted to you silk and the new rubber plastic plants but replaced all them with live plants in a few weeks there's nothing like live plants in your aquarium.

 

[Tony blazer]

My 55 gallon tank was at one time a cichlid tank too with plastic plants I like your colorful plastic plants, I did the same thing. Now I really like live plants, not as colorful but so much better for the fish and water quality.

For sure and the silk plants look really nice when you first put them in however only after a week or two I started to see small damaged areas around the edges.

 

[Tony blazer]

Wow! Your tanks have so much color, I like that. Do you use fake plants, or a mixture of live and fake?

I attempted to use fake plants but quickly reversed direction and replace them with all live plants because I started seeing damaged areas around the edges of the silk plants only one that you weeks and you can easily tell they were fake plants from a distance.

 

[Retired Viking]

I like the look of the algae on the rock, gives your tank a natural look to it.

 

[Tony blazer]

As of 2/29/20 I am out my bioload Max at 25 fish. I have 10 species of plants however my water Sprite is not doing well because of dwarf gouramis like to eat its stems. My giant hairgrass is in Fair shape I need to see if it's going to make it. I have one rock that has a significant amount of hair algae. My hair algae is very nice but I need to make sure it doesn't get out of control and spread to the other rocks.

I am still looking for additional plants to add what adjustments here and there with the aquascape that will always be a work in progress.

 

[Retired Viking]

It always seems to be a work in progress. I have a 55 gallon LOTR theme tetra tank (neon, glow light,ember and 1 red eyed tetra. They pretty much leave my plants alone. That algae really looks nice in my opinion but I would worry too about it getting out of control.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Very nice!

 

[Tony blazer]

You know there's some people here will say that you can't just have only one red eye tetra. You're a fish won't thrive and he will be unhappy lol. So please post some pictures of your tank and I strongly recommend you get a 24-hour LED light system it's unbelievable to watch the real changing of the light spectrum within your tank. With the fluval aquasky 2.0 or 3.0 you have full control to set up the light spectrum the way you want it.

 

[FishGuest5123]

Very nice!