# 75 gal re-do



## Douglas Ingram (Apr 1, 2010)

I've been running this tank in my dining room for a few years now, but it had always been a kind of catch-all. Last week I decided that enough was enough! Time to get serious and have this tank be "something".

I have increasingly become a fan of lots of wood in the tanks. Not just a few giant pieces, or a few small pieces, but lots of branches in a twisty tangled kind of way inspired by looking at some of the videos that can be found on youtube, especially the "fishfromvenezuala" channel. For example, this one about the Diamond Tetra (you cans see the look that I like about 1:30 in) 




Over the summer I had bee collecting interesting branches from around the yard and left them to soak in a large plywood tank that I use as a kind of outdoor pond/tank. I also had a surplus of Giant Vallesneria and decide to use it as the only plant species for the tank.

Last Saturday I emptied the tank and reset it as a NPT. I am a fan of this low-tech approach and I am having the best success with it compared to any other approach that I have ever used and I've been at this for decades. So, everything out, then in. I kept the water as I emptied it, so everything went right back in, including the fish, and I was done withing a few hours. No new tank syndrome to speak of as the plants and driftwood were thoroughly colonized with bacteria already, and 75% of the water was the old tank water.

Fish in here are 4 Blue Acaras, 3 Pristilla Tetras (which I've had for 2-3 years now), and one Festivum. I would like to add a school of Diamond Tetras as they are often found along with the Blue Acaras, and a school of Corydoras.

One simple HOB filter for particulates and water movement, and a 2 bulb 48" shop light are all that are driving this tank. I may add a bit more lighting, but will wait to see how the plants do over the next couple of months. These Vals are pretty tough.

I tried uploading the photos but for some reason I am being told that "This is not a valid image file" Curious, Jpg about 100 kb each, I've never had this issue before. I'll keep trying.

I'm really liking the look!


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## totziens (Jun 28, 2008)

Try to post the photo using a third party site such as Flickr, Photobucket or something similar. We all have been facing uploading photos too.


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## Douglas Ingram (Apr 1, 2010)

I've never used any of those services.

However, if this is an endemic issue, try viewing the photos on the similar thread for my local fish forum

http://winnipegfishforum.info/forum/index.php?topic=43353.0


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## Luffy (Aug 23, 2012)

Hmm... I don't see the pictures on that link. Maybe only members are aloud to see? Usually when I'm posting on here I post on facebook, then come here and enter the url of the facebook page in when I click the little mountain range symbol.


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## Douglas Ingram (Apr 1, 2010)

I just tried the link and it worked for me. I'll try some other options tomorrow.


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## K Randall (Nov 23, 2004)

But you're probably a member.. I couldn't see it either!


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## Douglas Ingram (Apr 1, 2010)

You're right, when I log out and then follow the link the photos don't show. I'll do something later for you all to see. Got family stuff to do today.


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## Douglas Ingram (Apr 1, 2010)

I posted the photos on my website blog: http://www.redrivercanoe.ca/ Entry on the top of the page.


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## mariannep (Mar 18, 2012)

Very nice!! Watched the video, too, and quite liked it. Please report on progress. I'd like to use vallisneria, too, but I'm always scared it'll take over the tank.


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## Douglas Ingram (Apr 1, 2010)

Thanks for the kind words. Giant Val is a great plant if you've got the height. 24" is a nice height of tank as the leaves can easily grow 5-6' long and over 1" wide under ideal conditions, though it stays somewhat smaller under less light. Leaves will float along the surface and you just cut back or pull out whatever you deem to be too much.

Pruning new shoots is the best way to keep it from taking over, but really, the best way to deal with it is to leave it as a single species planted tank and just let it go. If you're going for a lush mulch-species plant tank that has a "kept" quality to it the its probably not the best choice.

For video, do you mean the link to fishfromvenezuala? Yes, very informative. Check out his other videos as well, some good work.

Next step is to re-do the canopy. Actually, re-do is a bit overstating it as I never actually made one to start with. I've just got a shop light strip sitting across the top. I want to build in some halogens as well. The get a lovely spot light effect going on with nice ripples caused by water movement, mimicking sunlight very well.


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

Simple and beautiful, and you are right about the vallisneria. I love it, but it doesn't play well with others.

This will be a very easy tank to take care of, something that anyone who wants a low-maintenance planted tank could imitate successfully.


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