# 55gallon journal



## TigerLilly (Feb 11, 2007)

This is the tank I'm going to be starting next week. I don't get the stand until next week.

Tank: 55gal 
Type: planted 
Lighting: two 4' long 6500k T12 fluorescent bulbs with ballast.
Substrate: topsoil and play sand
Ferts: none for awhile
Plants: glosso, java fern, creeping jenny, and&#8230;.. melon sword? More to come but not yet.
My plant wish list: 
Vesicularia dubyana, 
Rotala sp. 'Nanjenshan' (Mayaca sellowiana)
Blood stargrass
Heterenthera zosterifolia,
ANUBIAS BARTERI VAR. BARTERI
CERATOPHYLLYM DEMERSUM
CRYPTOCORYNE X WILLISII 'LUCENS'
HYGROPHILA POLYSPERMA
HYGROPHILA DIFFORMIS
LEMNA MINOR
LUDWIGIA REPENS 'RUBIN'
Hydrotriche hottoniiflora
Limnophila aquatica
MICROSORUM PTEROPUS 'TROPICA'
MICROSORUM PTEROPUS 'WINDELOV'
RICCIA SP. 'DWARF'
SAGITTARIA SUBULATA
TAXIPHYLLUM BARBIERI
VESICULARIA FERRIEI
VESICULARIA MONTAGNE
ANUBIAS BARTERI VAR. NANA 'MARBLE'
Hemianthus callitrichoides ''Cuba''
Monosolenium tenerum (''Pellia'')
Java moss
Baby Tears
Green Ozelot Sword(Ech. Ozelot)
Micro Sword (Lilaeopsis nova-zelandiae) 
Pygmy Chain Sword (Echinodorus tenellus) 
Giant Hairgrass (Eleocharis montevidensis) 
Cryptocoryne walkeri (lutea)

The tank









the filtration









I'm going to use one of these heaters









UV sterilizer









I have very hard water with a high ph so I'm going to use this on my tank's water









More to come later&#8230;..stay tuned&#8230;&#8230;


----------



## DataGuru (Mar 11, 2005)

Why the sump/trickle filter?


----------



## TigerLilly (Feb 11, 2007)

DataGuru said:


> Why the sump/trickle filter?


why not?


----------



## bijoon (Nov 20, 2006)

That is quite the list of plants. I doubt I could fit all those in my 58, although mine is a taller and has less floor room I think.


----------



## TigerLilly (Feb 11, 2007)

bijoon said:


> That is quite the list of plants. I doubt I could fit all those in my 58, although mine is a taller and has less floor room I think.


Oh. I wouldn't be putting all of those in that 55gal. That's just my general wish list.


----------



## epicfish (Sep 11, 2006)

TigerLilly said:


> why not?


Depending on how it's plumbed, you'll outgas your CO2. Especially if you plan on doing DIY for the 55 gallon like you said on the other forum.

How many stages is that RODI unit?


----------



## littleguy (Jan 6, 2005)

TigerLilly said:


> why not?


Also, with a healthy el natural tank, the plants take up the ammonia, and there is no need for a biofilter. The biofilter will actually compete with the plants for ammonia, which the plants usually prefer to nitrate. This is not a pie in the sky theory - a great many folks here have very healthy tanks without any artificial filtration other than a powerhead for water movement, and maybe some mechanical filtration to catch floating debris.

Have you read Diana Walstad's book? All this stuff is explained very well there. I cannot emphasize enough how valuable the book is to read before setting up an el natural tank.


----------



## TigerLilly (Feb 11, 2007)

littleguy said:


> Also, with a healthy el natural tank, the plants take up the ammonia, and there is no need for a biofilter. The biofilter will actually compete with the plants for ammonia, which the plants usually prefer to nitrate. This is not a pie in the sky theory - a great many folks here have very healthy tanks without any artificial filtration other than a powerhead for water movement, and maybe some mechanical filtration to catch floating debris..


Can I keep a wide range of plants with a el natural tank?



littleguy said:


> Have you read Diana Walstad's book? All this stuff is explained very well there. I cannot emphasize enough how valuable the book is to read before setting up an el natural tank.


No, I haven't read it. Do they sell it at borders?


----------



## sb483 (May 29, 2006)

TigerLilly said:


> Can I keep a wide range of plants with a el natural tank?
> 
> No, I haven't read it. Do they sell it at borders?


No, and probably not. You can start out with a wide range of plants (and if you remove your filter media and let the plants absorb excess nutrients you'll be surprised how much easier it is to control algae) but eventually certain species will dwindle away. And from what I hear it's probably not available at your nearest bookseller (doesn't hurt to check, though), but it's always available online (amazon.com or similar).


----------



## littleguy (Jan 6, 2005)

Tiger, out of curiosity what prompted you to post in the el natural forum?

Are you planning on using a soil-based substrate? Are you aiming for a low maintenance setup? Just wondering... Good luck!


----------



## TigerLilly (Feb 11, 2007)

littleguy said:


> Tiger, out of curiosity what prompted you to post in the el natural forum?
> 
> Are you planning on using a soil-based substrate? Are you aiming for a low maintenance setup? Just wondering... Good luck!


I'm going to be using topsoil.


----------

