# Jazzlvr's 75 Gallon planted



## jazzlvr123 (Apr 29, 2007)

Hello I just set this tank up two days ago so the plants still need to grow out. I have a 560 watt lighting system running over a 75 gallon tank, so as you can imagine my photoperiod is really short. I'm giving a shot at dosing EI for this tank, I usually use pps but we will see how things go. the tank has pressurized Co2 about 4 bubbles per second shooting through a inline reactor. The substrate (ADA aquasoil) is sloped pretty well towards the back I'm shooting for a dutch theme. As things start to grow out and settle in its all a matter of trimming correctly after that. I have someHygrophila sp. 'Porto Velho' arriving this week. So I will most likely am swapping out the HC for Hygrophila sp. 'Porto Velho' as the foreground for this tank. I think the compact hygro carpet will look more pleasing in this style of tank I'm shooting for. Comments welcome!


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## StereoKills (Sep 15, 2007)

Very nice! I can't wait to see it once it grows in all the way. Great start.


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## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

Nice assortment of stemmies! I assume you moved most of these from other tanks that you have. It's pretty hard to densely plant a tank this size from venor or even hobbyist sources.

Keep posting some photos. It will be interesting to see how everything grows. It will also be interesting to see if you can maintain the intensity of the reds.


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## AaronT (Apr 26, 2004)

That's a great start. Everyone should look at that tank as an example of how many plants to start with from the get-go.


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## Jessie (Apr 23, 2007)

It'll be nice to see a Dutch-style tank on the forum! I can't wait to see how this turns out.

What is your lighting system?


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## jazzlvr123 (Apr 29, 2007)

guaiac_boy said:


> Keep posting some photos. It will be interesting to see how everything grows. It will also be interesting to see if you can maintain the intensity of the reds.


Ill keep yall updated, people always say low nitrates and high lorn (TE) bring out the reds but im not going to dose low nitrates, I am planning on dosing pretty heavy nitrates- EI says 3/4 a tsp 3x a week. Tom told me dose that much only at the water change and then 1/2 that amount there after. Honestly im not going to worry about it unless the entire tank turns green : )



Jessie said:


> What is your lighting system?


The lighting is 48 inch Current USA Outer Orbit Hood with two 150W 10K HQI-MH and two 130W Dual compact fluorescents & 6 Lunar Lights- a total for 560 watts altogether

Also I'm thinking of completely ditching the hard scape and removing the rocks in there and maybe adding some more mid ground plants instead, what do you guys think?


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

AaronT said:


> That's a great start. Everyone should look at that tank as an example of how many plants to start with from the get-go.


This certainly defines the meaning of "heavily planted" doesn't it? When I watched Kyle plant a tank at our last plant club meeting I was amazed at how many plants he could get into a tank. No wonder I run into algae problems with my "aquascapes".

This should look spectacular when it grows out a little. I like the rocks in it, but I enjoy having eye catching areas in any tank. It is nice to see a "not ADA style" aquascape now and then.


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Marvelous!! I would like to see a plant list when you have a chance, if you have the time, Jazz.....very lovely looking tank!

I would take the hardscape out; not because I don't like the current hardscape, but I am thinking that you probably won't be able to see the rocks too well after everything grows in, EVEN if you trim around them. You might as well throw some more plants in there instead!


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## phishphan (Jan 7, 2008)

What fish will you choose for your new setup?


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## AaronT (Apr 26, 2004)

jazzlvr123 said:


> Also I'm thinking of completely ditching the hard scape and removing the rocks in there and maybe adding some more mid ground plants instead, what do you guys think?


I think you ought to ditch it. The rest of the tank looks so nice, it sorta looks as though the rocks were put in there as a token hardscape. Go pure Dutch and don't look back.


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## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

This is going to be great! I can't wait to see how it fills in. I agree with the opinions above that you should remove the rocks. They don't add anything to the tank and more plants are always good.


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## Jervis (Feb 22, 2008)

Wide spectrum of colours you got there... lovely!


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## Gotfish (Aug 15, 2007)

Very nice. I would also remove the rocks.


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## jazzlvr123 (Apr 29, 2007)

the currect plant list:
Rotala sp. green
Rotala Indica
Limnophila aromatica 'hippuroides'
Rotala magenta (narrow leaf macrandra)
narrow leaf ludwigia
Ludwigia Broad Leaf
Rotala 'Nanjenshan
ammania sp' Bonsai'
anubias nana 'petite'
pogostemon helferi Downoi
Hygrophila sp. 'Pantanal Wavy'
didiplis diandra
Rotala wallichii
red telanthera
proserpinaca palustris
crinum calamistratum
ludwigia peruensis
HC 'cuba'
echinodorus 'compact'
dwarf Sagittaria
Red foxtail (myrio)
some plant I collected out of salmon falls (the green midground plant to the right of the lobelia)

I just finished hanging the light fixture on some 3/4" piping, things are looking nice. I Removed the rocks, I figured I could throw out the hard scape and go purely dutch : ) I also replaced the echinodorus compact with a really nice echinodorus 'red flame' the red leaves are very pleasing to the eye.

I have some hygrophila polysperma coming in that im going to replace with the rotala indica to the right of the tank. I am also planning to extend the lobelia diagonally like you suggested tom, IT will go diagonally about 1/2 of the tank or so. does anyone have any other midground plant suggestions? Im thinking of adding a bunch of rotala sp mini, as a foreground bush.

my only current problem, is that I have been doing daily water changes becuase the water keeps turning a murky white like a bacterial bloom, however I have been running a 9 watt Uv sterilizer on the output of the filter and it doesn't seem to be doing much. My plan is to keep on doing a daily water change before I turn on the lights until things clear up. I'm getting some DE for a Hot Magnum and use it as a diatom filter in a couple days so that should take care of it.


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## travis (Oct 5, 2004)

Beautiful layout you've got. It's going to be very lush when it grows out. I'm also anxious to see some more pics of the progress.



jazzlvr123 said:


> my only current problem, is that I have been doing daily water changes becuase the water keeps turning a murky white like a bacterial bloom, however I have been running a 9 watt Uv sterilizer on the output of the filter and it doesn't seem to be doing much. My plan is to keep on doing a daily water change before I turn on the lights until things clear up. I'm getting some DE for a Hot Magnum and use it as a diatom filter in a couple days so that should take care of it.


Running a UV sterilizer during a tank's cycling process is detrimental to the establishment of the nitrifying bacteria colonies in the biofilter. The UV kills the free-floating bacteria that would normally populate your filter's bio-media and can significantly slow your cycle time. I would turn off the sterilizer until the tank has completed cycling.


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## jazzlvr123 (Apr 29, 2007)

phishphan said:


> What fish will you choose for your new setup?


I'm not totally decided yet but I think I'm going to use Killifish. I think ill have to go do some research and see what the traditional Dutch scapes are stocked with



travis said:


> Running a UV sterilizer during a tank's cycling process is detrimental to the establishment of the nitrifying bacteria colonies in the biofilter. The UV kills the free-floating bacteria that would normally populate your filter's bio-media and can significantly slow your cycle time. I would turn off the sterilizer until the tank has completed cycling.


The filter (an XP3) was running on a crystal clear warm water Discus tank for about 8 months before it was hooked to this tank, so it was established initially. However the tank water is usually in the low seventies or even sixties after a water change, and the tank it was running on before was in the high eighthes. so I think this filters transition from a warm water environment to a cold water one is what did it in. I'm going to remove the UV and just run a diatom filter every time it gets foggy from now on.

however I'm still doing 3 or more water changes a week and heavily dosing at this point to encourage pant establishment and avoid "new tank" algae. so the water has little time to fog up on me.


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## jazzlvr123 (Apr 29, 2007)

the tank has been growing out very nicely
been doing lots of water changes and no algae growth at all : )
way faster than i ever expected 
almost all of the plants have reached the top of the tank now so i just did some major trimming.

I don't want to giveaway my scape until it grows out from its current trimming but heres some macro teaser shots made with a cannon D5:

Proserpinaca palustris:









Rotala indica:









Polygonum sp.

















Rotala Magenta:









Some plant I collected in Salmon Falls Ca.


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

Looks great! Looking forward to the whole tank shot. I have to say, I don't envy how much pruning you'll be doing.


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## cah925 (Jun 23, 2007)

Very nice tank, good assortment of colors and textures. Can't wait to see an update.


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## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

I'm waiting to see how much fun you'll have trying to match the growth rates of everything in there for the standard "perfect moment" tank shot. It's going to take lots of work.

Nice plant health.

You did make a critical error though. I would never recommend making a comment like "no algae growth at all". I started a threat once about having no fish deaths in over a year. Within two weeks I'd lost over 50 to a freakish plague. May the algae gods smile upon you. To be safe though you might try throwing something into a volcano. You never know.


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## D.C._United_Caps_Fan (Mar 11, 2008)

Man that is a nice tank! I cant wait to see it all grown out. Its gonna look GREAT!


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## jazzlvr123 (Apr 29, 2007)

guaiac_boy said:


> I'm waiting to see how much fun you'll have trying to match the growth rates of everything in there for the standard "perfect moment" tank shot. It's going to take lots of work.


honestly i don't think ill ever find that "perfect moment" shot. i think ill get as close to perfect as i can get however its kinda like writing the "perfect" piece of music for me theres always something i can do to improve my work no matter how long I work on it : )


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## Genin (Jan 28, 2007)

just with the initial assortment of plants and colors I can only imagine what the scape will look like. I'll be eagerly awaiting. I think it looks great already and with all that pearling I am sure your growth must be phenominal.


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## Ghazanfar Ghori (Jan 27, 2004)

jazzlvr123 said:


> /hh59/jazzlvr123/_MG_5609.jpg[/IMG]
> 
> Some plant I collected in Salmon Falls Ca.


Looks like Gymnocoronis spilanthoides


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## Adragontattoo (Jun 3, 2007)

Ghazanfar Ghori said:


> Looks like Gymnocoronis spilanthoides


Only Ghaz would be able to see 4 leaves and ID a plant.


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## jazzlvr123 (Apr 29, 2007)

Adragontattoo said:


> Only Ghaz would be able to see 4 leaves and ID a plant.


sorry but i don't think its Gymnocoronis spilanthoides, maybe the four top leafs look like it but if you see a pic of the entire plant it is different. plus that plant is apparently from south America according to tropica, I am pretty sure this plant is native to california. Tom Barr ID it as something else, ill have to ask him again what he said it was


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## slowhand35 (Apr 13, 2007)

Off to a good start, Excellent setup.


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## jazzlvr123 (Apr 29, 2007)

the look of the tank is now drastically different from the original pics posted. the lobelia is running about 2/3 of the tank, about 6 more different bunch plants were added and lots of bunch plants were removed and everything has been vigorously pruned twice (one of my plants is actually growing almost an inch a day).










I swapped out the XP3 I had running on this tank and put in an Ocean clear cannister filter hooked up to a high power mag drive pump, the difference in flow is amazing and it seems the inline reactor is doing a better job and breaking up Co2 also.


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## AaronT (Apr 26, 2004)

Let me know how you end up liking the modular filter system. I am planning on trying that on my 75 gallon as well. I already hooked up an external pump just for the purpose of creating extra flow in the tank.


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

Jazz where are the pxs? Can't wait to see it!


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## Leonard (Mar 4, 2007)

maybe the plant you've collected is Penthorum sedoides ?


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## Ghazanfar Ghori (Jan 27, 2004)

Leonard said:


> maybe the plant you've collected is Penthorum sedoides ?


Cant be - one plant has alternate leaves, the other plant shows opposite leaves.


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## jazzlvr123 (Apr 29, 2007)

I had no idea people were so interested in this plant, its by far the fastest growing plant in my tank, its a true weed. i took it out of a very fast flowing high light part of salmon falls river here in CA, and it seems to love the light, all the shaded leafs melt within a day or two. do you want some trimmings of it to try Ghazanfar ?


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## Ghazanfar Ghori (Jan 27, 2004)

Appreciate the offer - but I'll pass. Space in my farm tank is at a premium right now. Let us know how it does in the long run though.


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## bratyboy2 (Feb 5, 2008)

do you have any pictures of the tank full grown yet?


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## jazzlvr123 (Apr 29, 2007)

Update figured id take a pic before i do my 3rd trim it was taken during the day so there some major glare issues, maybe ill take a another pic this evening when im done trimming


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## jazzlvr123 (Apr 29, 2007)

edit


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## kakkoii (Jan 18, 2008)

WOOOOOW! This is a beautiful tank!


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## jazzlvr123 (Apr 29, 2007)

just did a 3rd trim heres a little update pic for yall, all comments welcome. Thanks for looking


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## chadly (Dec 19, 2005)

that looks great! very nice colors.

I find myself wanting some of your lobelia...


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## krisw (Jan 31, 2005)

I agree that the colors are fantastic, and the scape has a ton of potential. I'd suggest trimming the plants a bit more precisely to round out each plant grouping, but this is a personal preference depending on whether you prefer a more groomed, or more natural look. Overall, it really looks nice, and if you can keep up on the trimming, it'll be superb!


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## AaronT (Apr 26, 2004)

It's looking really good Kyle. I hope you have nice scissors. I know my heavier ones start to tire me out when I'm trimming that many plants at once.


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## Genin (Jan 28, 2007)

That is fantastic. When the foreground fills in completely you could be looking at TOTM potential!!!!


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## jazzlvr123 (Apr 29, 2007)

Gonna do another trim tonight heres the before picture Ill post an after trim picture once im finished:


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## dawntwister (Sep 29, 2007)

What a lovely scene. Perhaps one day my 29 gallon tank will look like that. What is the fussy red plant on the right. Also like the star plant on the left. What is it?


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## didiplants (Jan 20, 2008)

That a beautiful tank.


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## bratyboy2 (Feb 5, 2008)

like it the way it is


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

What's that one lone little plant down in the front mid-right center? He looks lonely. I think he needs some friends!


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## jazzlvr123 (Apr 29, 2007)

update after most recent trim:


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## CmLaracy (Apr 28, 2007)

Looks unbelievable, some of the colors and textures you have in there are just out of this world! Great tank!


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

Your lobelia is absolutely beautiful. What is the red plant, back right near the top? WONDERFUL TANK!


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## CherylH (Jul 22, 2004)

Nice tank. What's the plant in the right, front corner?


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## jazzlvr123 (Apr 29, 2007)

Thanks for the comments everyone!!! keep em coming hehe 



Tex Gal said:


> Your lobelia is absolutely beautiful. What is the red plant, back right near the top? WONDERFUL TANK!


that would be rotala wallichii in its prime 



CherylH said:


> Nice tank. What's the plant in the right, front corner?


the sword plant or the one in front of it? the sword is echinodorus midifluer from aquafluer nursery in the Netherlands

the one in front of it is called Hygrophila sp. 'Pantanal Wavy' which i got from aquaspotworld


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## jasonc (May 2, 2008)

jazzlvr123 said:


> just did a 3rd trim heres a little update pic for yall, all comments welcome. Thanks for looking


WOOO~~~~ Your plants very healthy, I like it.


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## jazzlvr123 (Apr 29, 2007)

thanks for the comment


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

Your rotala wallichii is great! That is such a pretty plant. I was watching my own tank yesterday. I have 2 large SAE's in there. One was just munching away on my rotala wallichii. They love to eat that plant. I'm gonna have to catch those guys and get them out of there. Their algae eating days have long since past. They are just taking up space now. I'm sure it will look much better without being eaten all the time. What they haven't touched is gorgeous like yours!


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## bratyboy2 (Feb 5, 2008)

i think it looks great!


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## jazzlvr123 (Apr 29, 2007)

Tex Gal said:


> Your rotala wallichii is great! That is such a pretty plant. I was watching my own tank yesterday. I have 2 large SAE's in there. One was just munching away on my rotala wallichii. They love to eat that plant. I'm gonna have to catch those guys and get them out of there. Their algae eating days have long since past. They are just taking up space now. I'm sure it will look much better without being eaten all the time. What they haven't touched is gorgeous like yours!


i love the wallichiii becuase of its red color IME its not low nitrates that bring out the reds but very high light (and TE solution with nitroglycerin also brings out reds) the wallichii in that tank is directly under a 150 watt HQI bulb so it was able to get blood red

yup SAE's are notorious for doing that and they lose most of their algae eating capabilies once they mature i guess they just get lazy LOL

Im sad to say that this tank is no more I had to tear it down two days ago because of my move to boston I nominated myself for tank of the month, (its my last chance for a long while :/) so if anyone wants to vote for my tank or nominate it id sure appreciate it  just talk to the moderators thanks for all the kind words everyone


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

Sorry to hear you had to tear it down, it was beautiful! How long before you're settled into Beantown so we can see the start of a new work of art?


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## jazzlvr123 (Apr 29, 2007)

Bert H said:


> Sorry to hear you had to tear it down, it was beautiful! How long before you're settled into Beantown so we can see the start of a new work of art?


Thanks for the kind words Bert it shouldn't be to much longer i shipped my ADA 60p to myself so its here ready to setup when i have time


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## foofooree (Mar 11, 2007)

ooh i cant wait to see it set up again!


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