# vangel's 29 gallon journey...



## vangel34 (Sep 17, 2009)

I've had this tank for about 3 years and I've always kept live plants but never really focused on trying to keep plants, just fish.

That's changed as you'll see, it's time to get serious!

This is before I got my plant shipment from aquariumplants.com


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## vangel34 (Sep 17, 2009)

This is about a week after scaping with the new plants.

Plants include:
anubias nana and nana petite
crypt wendtii (on steroids)
money wort (this looked and was labeled as moneywort when I bought it, it had pretty little purple flowers on the top, now it resembles rotala)
red tiger lotus
bacopa australis
cabomba green
Lloydiella
pennywort
heteranthera stargrass (not doing well)
telanthera rosefolia
marsilea quadrifolia (dwarf)
sagittaria subulata (dwarf)
rosette sword (parviflorus V. tropica)
red myrio 
java fern

I moved my driftwood around as someone suggested in another thread but I'm considering removing it completely, it's just too big. Maybe making the tiger lotus the center focus, IDK.


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## vangel34 (Sep 17, 2009)

Even though my post is within minutes of each other, these pics really are about a week apart, lol. I've been saving up pics, lol.

I switched from using the small Hagen CO2 container (came with the ladder) to using a large juicy juice bottle and I saw a huge difference in growth within a day or two. I can't wait to do some pruning soon.

I really could use any suggestion you have on placement and if you agree that I should take out the large piece of driftwood. I really don't know where to put the alternanthera reineckii or the best way to prune the myrio or cabomba. I'm open for suggestions and giving forewarning that if no one makes any I'll just "wing it", lol.


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

It's looking good. Trim your alternanthera and make a bigger bunch. I do like the DW. As your plants grow it will be hidden some. Will you put some other hardscape in there?


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## vangel34 (Sep 17, 2009)

Will definitely be doing a big trim this weekend and I need to order more marsilea. Before I do that I really need to decide on the DW. I really do like it, it's a cool piece but I think it may be too big for my 29 gallon. 

I also added a dark purple background and it looks a lot better and cleaner.


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## Vadimshevchuk (Jul 5, 2009)

not bad... i have a 29 gallon also. i love your angel and your dw.

How do you sifuse your co2

how many bags of eco did u use

any ferts u add?

also add a black background. I did and my 29 looks so much nicer with the eco in it and the green plants


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## vangel34 (Sep 17, 2009)

Vadimshevchuk said:


> not bad... i have a 29 gallon also. i love your angel and your dw.
> 
> How do you sifuse your co2
> 
> ...


I use the Hagen ladder to diffuse the CO2 and I also removed my Bio-wheel and that helps too. I think I used 3 bags of eco-complete, it was so long ago I don't really remember if it was 2 or 3 but I'm leaning towards 3.

I used root tabs but will soon be getting liquid ferts to add.


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## Vadimshevchuk (Jul 5, 2009)

i used two bags in my 29 gallon and its not enogh.


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## vangel34 (Sep 17, 2009)

Vadimshevchuk said:


> i used two bags in my 29 gallon and its not enogh.


I'm pretty sure I used 3. It's about 2.5 to 3" deep.

I probably won't have much for pics for a bit, I'm letting the plants get well established. I'm also thinking about changing my malaysian driftwood for manzanita wood but it will be a few weeks before I can afford to get some.


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## Vadimshevchuk (Jul 5, 2009)

also with only one bulb, do your plants lean torwards it? my hygros are and its ticking me off. I guess ill nede to build my own light soon.


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## vangel34 (Sep 17, 2009)

Vadimshevchuk said:


> also with only one bulb, do your plants lean torwards it? my hygros are and its ticking me off. I guess ill nede to build my own light soon.


Not really. I have a coralife fixture with a 21" compact fluorescent bulb that is centered across the top of my tank. I think with good reflectors it doesn't really matter as long as you have the wattage required.

What kind of bulbs do you use?


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## Vadimshevchuk (Jul 5, 2009)

I have a current 65w 6700k. Current has good reflectors. But i cant grow glosso and my hygros lean to much. But my glosso could not be growing because i dont dose dry ferts and i have very hard water.


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## vangel34 (Sep 17, 2009)

I'm pretty sure glosso requires 3wpg so 65 watts is not enough. I can't grow glosso either, but mostly because my rainbows pull it up as soon as I turn my back. However they leave marsilea alone. You should try marsilea, just keep it trimmed low.

I haven't tried hygros so I'm not too familiar what kind of lighting they require.


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## vangel34 (Sep 17, 2009)

Here are some more recent pics. You can see I've added the background and more marsilea. It's coming along nicely. I've also added an extra bottle of DIY CO2.


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## Vadimshevchuk (Jul 5, 2009)

maybe a darker background would be nicer. The blue is a little distracting. Thanks on the comment about foreground plants. =D


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## vangel34 (Sep 17, 2009)

Vadimshevchuk said:


> maybe a darker background would be nicer. The blue is a little distracting. Thanks on the comment about foreground plants. =D


It's actually looks much darker in person and you'd be surprised to learn it's purple poster board, lol.


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