# Continued: Journey of a Dream



## SnakeIce (May 9, 2005)

I had to break all the tanks down in November for a 650 mile move. I found an apartment and began setting tanks up again. I found some plants I'd wanted at a local store, Crypt. pontederiifolia, and some stems to help establish the tank again: Hygrophila corymbosa, and Bacopa caroliniana.

I decided to use some rocks I had with part of the driftwood. Those went in and I proceded to plant all the plants in. I pulled my hose out to fill the tank and found the adapter to attach it to the sink missing. I splashed the plants again and went out in search of a store to buy one in. Four hours later and as many trips back to splash the plants, I was able to buy the adapter I needed. The plants looked pretty bad by this point, but I didn't have much choice but to fill the tank and hope for the best.

I have trimmed damaged leaves and skimmed many leaves from the water, but everything is growing. Nearly all the leaves that were sitting dry that time have algae pretty badly, but the new growth is clean so I think it is just a matter of time till things start looking good.










This last shot is for giggles since the peice of wood looks like something unintended. I did move to the high desert, but I wasn't trying to bring that look to the tank. Even with the moss on it you can still see how it sort of looks like a cow skull.


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## SUBORPHAN (Apr 20, 2006)

what type of moss is that? looks very interesting.


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## SnakeIce (May 9, 2005)

It is just regular java moss as far as I know. It isn't doing very well right now due to moveing and lack of light and all that jazz.


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

Pretty nice looking tank you got there. Plants do look like they are coming back from the hot desert. But I'm sure they'll bounce back into tip top shape. 

The current layout of the tank seems very linear to me. Such that there is only a wall of plants and driftwood. I think it would be nice to somehow use that open foreground and rearrange some plants/wood to add more depth to the layout.

-John N.


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## SnakeIce (May 9, 2005)

I see what you mean, though it doesn't look as much that way from standing rather than the seated this is taken from. I did some work on it today, added some more stone and rearanged the left side. It is still a little cloudy from the stirring around so I'll get a picture when that clears.

In the first layout I intended to have a forground planting, just never found the plants to do it. Anyway the plants I did put in sort of grew over the area I had for forground more than I expected. So this time I made sure to move the hardscape back a little more to give myself room for when I get the forground plants. I think that had a part in making the mid and background seem squashed together which would make it seem like a wall of plants. I also ran out of mental picture of the tank after about half the tank was together. I have since come up with more to implement in the tank.


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## Happy Camper (Jul 22, 2004)

I like that scape, I think it's nicely composed. The moss looks like Xmas moss to me?


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## SnakeIce (May 9, 2005)

Here is a photo of the moss in better condition, pardon the scratched acrylic. If you think it is something different you want I could send you a peice for shipping costs.


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## SnakeIce (May 9, 2005)

Made a few changes. The algae is turning red so that is a good sign. The Rotala rotundifola on the far right is just there temporarily. I intend that end to be open with the Bacopa and java fern as the first things in that area.


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## apistaeasy (Jul 16, 2004)

Thanks for sharing your tank's progress since moving to Utah; I look forward to more. 
In the mean time check out Utah's local site Utah Aquatics.com
and feel free to come by Fish 4 U in SLC to say hi.

ERiK


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## apistaeasy (Jul 16, 2004)

btw, are you using tap or RO water? and what are the specs. on the tank?


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## SnakeIce (May 9, 2005)

I am useing tap water. I checked the water reports for Provo and Orem and haven't paid any more attention to what the water is like since I first set up the holding tanks at grandma's here in town.

I do a modified estimative index for fert additions. With no CO2 and only 96 Watts NO lighting on it I don't go through anything near the amounts suggested by pure EI. At this point I have a cheat sheet that gives amounts in Tsp or ml and the resulting ppm in the tank that I base my doseing on. I am still learning the local water's strong and weak points, but I mostly go by how the plants are behaveing. I think I will need to pick up some Iron specific suppliment since the water here isn't strong on that like where I was. Flourish doesn't seem to supply enough Iron by itself.


75 gallon tank
96 watts NO flourescent
Fluval 304 and penguin? 550 for water movement
about 40 lbs of Soilmaster select "charcoal"
ADA old black wood driftwood
basalt rocks

Java moss
Java fern
Crypt pontederiifolia
Crypt wentii
Bacopa caroliniana
rotala rotundifolia
Round leaf Ludwigia
Anubius barteri var. nana
hygrophila corymbosa?
Narrow leaf Ludwigia temporary holding.

1 Angelfish
3 American flag fish
8 cherry barbs
1 otto
pond snails, ramshorn snails, malaysian trumpet snails.
have two bolivian rams in quarantine to go in later.


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## SnakeIce (May 9, 2005)

I've made some very good trades... bought some rotala rotundifolia and got some hitchhiker limpets with that. Traded some limpets for pelia and other plants. Just today I traded some pelia for glosso and HC!!! I got enough to plant 15 small clumps like in this picture.










The whole tank picture I just took doesn't show the new plants much so I'll wait till it grows in/develops better color.


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## SnakeIce (May 9, 2005)

Those clumps of HC were nice the DAY they lasted, I had to replant it all peice by peice.










I recently got a few chain sword and some H. micranthemoides. The HM placement really improves the look of the right side. I don't see the left as much since it is away from the walkway and the rest of the house, but I think I need to work on that next.


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## apistaeasy (Jul 16, 2004)

Your angel(s) might be making a nice snack of the HC.


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## SnakeIce (May 9, 2005)

it is possible she sampled it. I just didn't have it planted very well the first time. The way the clumps were ment that there was not really anything holding them down besides friction, no weight on them. This time I got them planted a little more like they say to do glosso, part of the stem holds them down and the leaves are out.

I figured out who is pulling it up. Just saw the flag fish pull a peice up.


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## SnakeIce (May 9, 2005)

I took advantage of the afternoon sun to take some decent photos of the tank. This first one is from the front door as you might see it first.









I finally got the other tanks set up again so I could get some of the plants I had in holding in here out. So this is a first photo without temporary plants taking up space. Granted it still could use some more plants, but that won't do more than add texture. No major changes besides growth for a while.









With the extra light I even managed to get a shot of the cherry barbs.


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## apistaeasy (Jul 16, 2004)

SnakeIce said:


> I figured out who is pulling it up. Just saw the flag fish pull a peice up.


Good information, I've been debating on putting a Flag in the show @ work to help me w/the hair algea problem.

Now I won't!

Tank is looking great, how're all the new plants doing?


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## SnakeIce (May 9, 2005)

Time for an update.

I added some plants and some have disapeared/died. I have a couple leaves of glosso left after the algae, and the HC ended up all over the tank instead of planted.

Java moss
Java fern
Crypt pontederiifolia
Crypt wentii
Crypt var balansae
Rotala rotundifolia
Round leaf Ludwigia
Anubius barteri var. nana
Pellia
E. tenellus
taller chaining Echinodorus
Anubius barteri "coffeefolia"
Hemianthus Micranthemoides


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## Jdinh04 (Oct 7, 2004)

Some really nice crypts, anubias and ferns you have growing in there!


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