# Curt's 55 Gallon SA Tank



## curt_914 (Sep 28, 2007)

Ok guys I am just getting everything togeather for this tank and am currently building it. Here is a list of what I am doing in my 55, Pics to follow as soon as I can.

Tank- 55 gallon AGA

Lighting- DIY T-5 with 2 54w Geissman 6000k middays 1-54watt current 10000k bulb over driven to 80Watts (188 watts total light, 10000k only running for 4 hour a day to start) All bulbs have individual ICECAP Parabolic reflectors

Substraight- 40lbs Eco complete, 20lbs Taheation moon sand, 15.7 each Florite Black, and Black Sand

Heating- Hydor 300 watt inline

Filtration- eheim 2217, Pentiar aquatics Customflo kit

Co2- 10lbs tank, jbj regulator/buble counter and selinoide, DIY inline Reactor

Driftwood- Manzanitta

Rock- River and Slate

Caves- Coconut

Flora to include;
Echinodorus Parviflorus tropica
Echinodorus Quadricostatus 
Eleocharis Acicularis Giant and dwarf
Vallisneria Gigantica
Hydrocotyle leucocephala/ Brazilian Pennywort
Heteranthera Zosterifolia (Stargrass) 

Fauna to include;
15-Apistograma Cacatoides Double and tripple reds juvies (will be thined to 2 small harems in the next few months)
1 pair- L144a Ancistrus temminckii
12- Rummy Nose Tetras, Hemigrammus rhodostomus
12- Glowlight Tetras, Hemigrammus erythrozonus
12- Neon or cardinal Tetras or Black neon tetras
12- Masked Corys
6- Otocinclus Affinis

Let me know what you think of this set up. It will all be coming togeather in the next month with build pics to folow. I would like to give a big thank you to travis at Aquamartonline here in lakewood for all his help, as well as fishandturtlejunkie for my manzanita, and jessie for some plants.

Curt


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## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

Sounds like it will be a great set-up. Can't wait to see it all put together.


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## bratyboy2 (Feb 5, 2008)

wow and they yelled at me about my stocking list!!! wow i would cut that down a bit really. maybe just one harem and maybe two schools of tetras and the cories and otos.


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## aquamancanada (Apr 19, 2008)

i think I would agree with bratboy on the schools of tetras. Maybe even choose one species for your upper school and do 18 of them instead of 36 fish split into three groups. But hey thas just my humble opinion, either way im looking forward to seeing more.


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## fishlover (Jan 2, 2007)

To my mind,There would be too many fish in the tank. I suggest one school of 10-15tetras,(neons are really nice), with only 1 harem of cichlids, a few otos, corys and 1 or 2 ancistrus,
two many fish will upset the ecological balance of the tank as well as the visual harmony, not to mention all those apisto would have serious territory issues.
Other than that, the project is interesting and if you change your fish list you will have a very nice regional tank.


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## curt_914 (Sep 28, 2007)

Thanks for the input guys. I am still working on my fish list. All the apistos will be split up as soon as they are old enough to sex and pair off. My age ranges are between 3-6 months. I am hopeing to start breeding them in this tank as I think it would add to the tank dynamics. Also the rummys are a shoe in for my tank. All the others I am still debateing about putting in the tank. I am also tossing around the idea of some hatchet fish for my upper region. I am deffinitly going to do 6 otos and a pair of bristle nose pleco's. I am also includeing the corries. 

So I guess the fauna list as of now is,

1 pair - L144a Ancistrus temminckii
6- Otocinclus Affinis
12- Masked Corys
10- Rummy Nose Tetras, Hemigrammus rhodostomus
6-8 - Apistograma Cacatodies

And mabye 6 hatchet fish but I am not sure yet. 

I am hooking in the reactor and heater, tomorrow morning as well as picking up some of my plants. Will try to have some pics up monday night.

Curt


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## bratyboy2 (Feb 5, 2008)

curt_914 said:


> So I guess the fauna list as of now is,
> 
> 1 pair - L144a Ancistrus temminckii
> 6- Otocinclus Affinis
> ...


okay the list is looking much better. but i want to tell you still if you want to add the hatchets then i would seriously cut back on the cories...thats just to many for the tank, plus that will take up a lot of room on the floor of the tank. and not give the apistos any room to "add" to the appeal of breeding in the tank. just cut back on them and i bet you will enjoy your tank even more.


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## curt_914 (Sep 28, 2007)

Update time,

Filter and reactor are running. I also got the lights up and going. Have 1 pair of L144a, in the tank as well as a good # of my plants. Will get pics up in about a week. Also need to run my reactor in a closed loop as filtration has droped to 100 gph. Will see you all soon,

Curt


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## travis (Oct 5, 2004)

I'm anxious to see some pics of this thing with your custom fixture fired up Curt. I know you've got a lot of plants and fish to add yet but, being the hardware geek that I am, I take a lot of pleasure in seeing a well-designed lighting system fired up and causing the first symptoms of macular degeneration for the poor fish below it who aren't able to find protective cover 

And, having a bit of insider knowledge of your stocking scheme and hardware design, I think the fish load you've got planned should be just fine to start out with. The L-144a bushynose is a small pleco, even when full-grown, rarely exceeding 4" in length and has a thin sleek body compared to most plecos. Six Otocinclus affinis will hardly make a blip on the bio-filter's radar. And if my memory serves me correctly the masked Cories you're looking at are dwarf Cories, possibly C. panda or C. axelrodi, both maxing out at 2", but commonly a little less than that. Ten rummynose will make a perfect school for the mid-water of a 55G. I also know that the Apistos you've got are just a starter group of high-quality juveniles that are only 3-4 months old right now with several coconut shell caves already in place to house them, are going in as a large group to better allow them to pair off, and will be separated out to a few select breeding pairs once they couple up. 

Sure, at a glance it may look like a big load of fish, but when you stop to consider their relative mass it doesn't total up to much more than would a few large angels or a handful of African cichlids; well within the capabilities of the Eheim 2217 to take care of. And all but the two plecos and the Apistos are schooling fish which really should be kept in numbers to do their best. The individual species were also chosen to be complimentary in that each one inhabits a different area of the water column and/or hardscape. Given their small size relative to the tank's volume and dimensions they will have plenty of room and ample cover - be it wood, rock, caves, or plants - in this 55G. Throw in the fact that this tank will be heavily planted with weekly large volume water changes, featuring very high light and an enriched substrate, using a reactor-driven, high-flow-rate, custom-built, closed-loop CO2 system on a completely separate circuit from the bio-filter loop allowing the Eheim to run full-bore, the two circulation loops combining to turn the 55 gallon tank volume over six times an hour on a bad day and creating ideal water flow, circulation, and aeration through the use of a tweaked Pentair Aquatics Custom Flo water handling system, with overdriven photosynthesis producing 100% O2 saturation in the water column before Curt even finishes his breakfast, and I don't think the fish load will be anything to worry about, even if you include a school of hatchetfish desperately braving the riptides and blistering sunlight at the surface. Trying to keep all the plants trimmed down to manageable size so that he can even see his fish may be his biggest concern


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## JustOneMore21 (Mar 19, 2007)

I agree ^^.  The tank is a 55g, 4ft tank and the fish are all pretty small. The numbers looks like alot, but its a good stocking IMO.

Just out of personal preference, I'd probably pick 2 schools of tetras and have about 17.  They look awesome in large numbers.



bratyboy2 said:


> wow and they yelled at me about my stocking list!!! wow i would cut that down a bit really. maybe just one harem and maybe two schools of tetras and the cories and otos.


Yes, because you were gonna put fish that grow too large in a small tank.


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## curt_914 (Sep 28, 2007)

Ok Guys I got some pics taken and here they are finnaly!! 

















































Sorry for the quality but it is hard to get a straight on shot of the tank, Plus I am looking for a new camera. Let me know what you think. Water is still a bit cloudy but it should clear up in a few days with a couple more water changes.

Current list of whats in the tank:
Flora;
Echinodorus Parviflorus tropica
Echinodorus Quadricostatus 
Eleocharis Acicularis Giant and dwarf
Hydrocotyle leucocephala/ Brazilian Pennywort
Blood Star Grass
Tonina sp. Belem Type 2
Chain Sowrd
Micro Chain Sowrd

Fauna;
1 pair- L144a Ancistrus temminckii
6- Corydoras axelrodi
11-Hyphessobrycon amandae (Ember/Amanda Tetra)
1- Paracheirodon axelrodi (Cardinal Tetra) Soon to be 10

Thanks to travis for helping me get this tank going. Will post more details later.

Curt


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## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

The driftwood looks GREAT! Are you going to put any moss on it, or leave it as is for now. Either way, the layout is very nice. 

What plant is that tied to the stones?


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

Your driftwood makes quite a statement. Wish I could see this in person so I could see the real colors. Will watch for this one as it grows up!


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## foofooree (Mar 11, 2007)

glad to finally see some pictures . Looks good :thumbsup:


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## curt_914 (Sep 28, 2007)

Hey guys thanks for the comments. Driftwood is staying as is for the moment, Though I may tie some flame moss on it as soon as I get a better crop growing. And dave it is ricca that I have tied to the stones. Give it about 3 weeks and I should have a nice bush of it growing. Please do keep an eye on this thread as I will have some more pics up in a couple weeks. I think I finnaly have my fungus and bacteria bloom under control.

Curt


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## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

Hey Curt,
I got the bulbs you sent me installed today. Thanks! :yo:


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## curt_914 (Sep 28, 2007)

No the fun problem I have is green Water!!! LOL... Any ideas other then mass water changes. Glad to hear you got the lamps dave!
Curt


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## inareverie85 (May 5, 2008)

That is a LOVELY piece of driftwood.


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## curt_914 (Sep 28, 2007)

inareverie85 said:


> That is a LOVELY piece of driftwood.


It is actually 6 pieces that I got from FISHANDTURTLEJUNKIE here on the forum. and they have been in and out of the tank several times to finnaly get them to lay just right. Thanks again guys, I will have more pics up before I go out of town next week.

Curt


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## curt_914 (Sep 28, 2007)

hey guys been fighting green water and my co2 for the last couple weeks. I have a 20lbs co2 bottle that seems to be gassing out way to quick. I have checked for leaks and cant find any so I am going to check again on thursday. I am becoming very frusturated. And cant do much as I just paid all the bills and have squat. Dave thanks for the moss!! It will look great in the 20 as soon as I get a couple days to work on this stuff.

Curt


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## travis (Oct 5, 2004)

If there's anything we can do to ease your frustration just let us know


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## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

You're welcome for the moss! I'm just glad it got to you in good shape.  Sorry to hear about the CO2 and green water problems. 

-dave


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## wrkucera (Jan 6, 2008)

As I observed the layout of your tank, I couldn't help but keep thinking about going down to the creek to do some flyfishing! awesome!


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## travis (Oct 5, 2004)

No new pics lately Curt. My curiosity grows . . .


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## curt_914 (Sep 28, 2007)

Hey Guys no new pics still fighting green water. Will get some tomorrow at some point after I do a water change. one change though, I did take out the brazillian pennywort and replaced it with Vallisneria sp. The ricca is growing like a weed, and the dwarf chain sowrd and the dwarf hairgrass is growing well. I am looking to also pull out the Ec. quadricostaus. Cant move the cichlids in yet as I had my betta come down with a bacterial infection and I have to dose my 20 gallon now. Talk at you all later,

Curt


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## curt_914 (Sep 28, 2007)

Update Time:

I cleaned the tank last week, and cleaned the filter. I changed the orientation of one of my filter mats in the eheim and lo and behold I have been green water free for a week!! I dont get it but any way, here are some pics.


















































tank is about 1 month at this point. I have more pics here,
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v369/curtw_944/1962 Bug For Sale/Curts 55 Gallon SA Tank/

Curt


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## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

Lookin' good...real good.

-Dave


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## curt_914 (Sep 28, 2007)

Wow hard to believe it has been a month since my last update! Well not much has changed with the tank other then I know have a hair algee outbreak. I have pulled most of it and the affected plants out. I will have some pics up on saturday night. I am doing some more work on the tank on friday. I should also be working on the 20 after I get back from picking up my truck in the morning. Take care all.

Curt


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## travis (Oct 5, 2004)

I really like the wood arrangement and the plants look great, very healthy. Hope the hair algae isn't too bad.


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## curt_914 (Sep 28, 2007)

Hey guys update on the tank!! I lost all but 6 of my cacatoides, after a water change. Not really sure what happened. Have 2-4 males and a couple females. Hope to have the breading eventually. Also I cant seem to grow Tonina SP. Belem in my tank. the 2 bunchs i have bought have both died. I also lost my blood stargrass. I put my Nympha micriantha bulbs in and they are doing well! Hairgrass is doing well and my vails are coming back. I will get some pics up towards the end of the week. 

Curt


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## curt_914 (Sep 28, 2007)

So at long last here are some pics of the tank. Been running about 4 months now hard to believe. Here you go,


















































Just did a cleaning yesterday and puled up quite a bit of hair grass. Also moved my little tropica sorwd. Changed the arrangement of the wood a bit. Temp has been between 80-82 on avrage which is why I think I am haveing a problem with some algea. Hope you enjoy the pics. I am hopeing to get some plants from travis and need to see if I can get some from jessie as well to fill in the tank some more.

Curt


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## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

Good to hear from you again, Curt. Is that still the Riccia on the stones that has blown up to the size of melons?!!?!

I don't notice any algae problems, but one thing I did to keep my temp down was to remove the glass canopy to allow evaporation and heat dissipation. I just put the glass back on for the winter (so I don't need to run a heater).

Your fish look comfy and happy in there!

-Dave


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## adechazal (Nov 12, 2008)

Looks great, I'm especially impressed that there is NO sign of algae on the wood???? How ya doin' that?

At first glance I thought the Riccia were moss balls (ok so I'm not so good yet with plant identification), man they're huge.


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## foofooree (Mar 11, 2007)

That riccia is awesome. Is that the regular variety or the dwarf riccia?


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## curt_914 (Sep 28, 2007)

Hey guys thanks. That should be regular Ricca. That is the size I get at the end of one month after a trim. Just took two 4x4 mats of it in to the LFS for store credit. I will have 3 mellons again this time next month!! Lol... so let me know if your intrested. The algae is hard to spot I pulled most of it out the day before I took the pics. It has taken up residence in the dwarf hair grass and I am having a hard time getting rid of it. As for the wood the otos and my 2 L144a plecos take good care of it. there is a little algae in the cracks and crevises you just have to know where to look. I tend to be over critical on my tanks once they are up and going.

I should have my overflow built in a month or so to get rid of the sponges in the tank. then the plumbing is going to be re done underneath the tank to make things eaiser to get at. I will get some pics up of the current arangement soon. 

Fish do seem happy after the big unexplained die off a couple months ago. I am hopeing that the cacatoides will start breading. I am also thinking about some bigger fish 4" or so that will stay in the middle of the water column. Any way thanks again and I will get some more pics up soon.

Curt


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