# inareverie85's 29 Gallon - First Planted Tank!



## inareverie85 (May 5, 2008)

Beginning the planting process of my 29 gallon this week. My CO2 system arrives on Tuesday, my plants are on order (many of them from you guys!), and I just finished building my AHS kit today.  However, I am still missing my 9325K bulb (which arrives on Tuesday). As of right now, I only have the substrate laid down, which is pure Seachem Flourite. Pictures of the beginning of my first project are below!

Specs:

29 Gallons
2x55W AHS Bright Kit (6700K 55W + 9325K 55W)
Carbo Plus CO2 System (Yes, I know...)
Rena Smart Filter + Heater
Seachem Flourite Substrate (3 bags)
Flourish Excel and all liquid ferts dosed according to the Seachem dosage chart

Plants and Fish to come!


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## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

Wow, that's gonna be a lot of light. I can't wait to see how it all looks once you've got it planted.

By the way, where did you order your 9325K bulb from, and is it straight pin or square? I've been looking for a couple, but I need square pin and I've only been able to find straight for the 9325's.

Anyway, I look forward to seeing how it turns out.

-Dave


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## inareverie85 (May 5, 2008)

I ordered the bulb from here:

http://www.lightbulbsdirect.com/page/001/PROD/PlugInPLL/F55BX-AR-FS

I can only hope it will work with my AHS kit, as I can't tell what pin setup it has from reading the description.


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## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

I wonder if there are adapters to go from straight to square. Hmmmmm.........Time to do some investigating.


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## inareverie85 (May 5, 2008)

Taken from another post; I thought it would go well in my journal, too:

Well, it took me the better part of 3 hours to plant everything I have so far. It was a bit more difficult than I expected! I tied the little moss I had to some driftwood and tied my anubias plants on as well. After fighting with the fishing line, and planting those, I opted to partially fill the tank to finish planting the stems I had ordered.

To my dismay, the water was rather cloudy, I knew my driftwood was perfectly clean, so I assume the substrate was the culprit. I thought I had washed it very thoroughly though, as it took me well over an hour last week to wash three bags of Flourite, about one cup at a time. I swished it around a strainer I had with my hands and then placed it in the aquarium. I assume over the past week while I had been ordering plants, the substrate collected more dust. Will this problem solve itself now that I have my filter running?

As this is my first planted tank, I already see some mistakes in placement. I placed some of my long rotala stems near the filter area. Once I turned it on, the plants swayed quite a bit, and now none of them are upright. I think I should move them and place a more hardy species in that spot. I'll be able to see what I'm doing much better once the water clears up. Hopefully clear water will solve most of the difficulties I had this evening.

Either way, Im pretty sure I'll receive a LOT of glosso tomorrow. So far I've had some advice telling me to drain the tank to plant this, while others say it doesn't make much of a difference. If draining the tank is easier, I'll try that. What do you guys think? This might also make it easier for me to move everything else around to better locations.

Anyway, no pics tonight as I am way too embarrassed by the cloudiness of my water, but I hope my tank will be in a state that I can share with you all soon!


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## Jareardy (Feb 14, 2008)

@davemonkey, if you find any let me know. They used to exist but I can't find them anywhere now. Hoppy said they don't make them now because of some problems.


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## Bk828 (Mar 25, 2008)

I think hellolights have those adapters.


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## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

inareverie85 said:


> Anyway, no pics tonight as I am way too embarrassed by the cloudiness of my water, but I hope my tank will be in a state that I can share with you all soon!


I think the cloudiness will subside on it's own. I don't have Flourite, but I've got something similar. Anyway, I washed it very well and it still clouded my tank, but only for a few days. It gradually just settled on it's own. Every time I play around with the plants and disturb the substrate, my tank still gets cloudy, but now it clears up in less than an hour.

I can't wait to see pics! Oh, and for glosso, it would probably be wise to drain the water down. Normally I would never recommend this, but hoppycalif is right about it floating and being difficult to plant.

Also, I never was able to locate the adapters (square to straight pin). I guess there really was a problem with them. Oh well.


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## inareverie85 (May 5, 2008)

Aquascaping is a lot harder than it looks when you have some plants that are grown in and others that are stems of other plants and need lots of time to make roots and grow. ~_~ I planted my glosso today, along with the rest of my plant order, but I don't like all of it, really. I do hope it begins to look better as the plants develop. Is it natural for the plants to sort of twist and droop? I just see so many of you guys with aquariums that have stem plants sticking straight up - nice and neat. I was hoping to accomplish that, but the twistiness of some plants seem to make my aquarium look more crowed than it actually is. Will they grow straight up in time? I guess it's a waiting game. I also know that my accent plants need a good trim. I didnt realize this until I filled the aquarium and saw how rugged they look from the middle downward. I don't think shipping was very kind to them. Also, the three plants that was on the front right of the driftwood are going to go. I think it's for the best.

Advice is more than welcome!


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## hpt84 (Apr 8, 2008)

Looking great. i just want to say that if you want the most of your co2 system, I would switch to a canister filter instead of a hob.


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## Afyounie (Aug 10, 2007)

I think it looks all pretty good. I wouldn't trim just yet, as the plants need to get established. It takes awhile, but the plants will look nice and things will be ok. The tanks you see on here are usually after about a few weeks of letting things grow in. I have a tank I setup that I won't be posting till it has grown in and things are established. Have you decided what kinds of fauna you will be adding?


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## inareverie85 (May 5, 2008)

Well, that makes me feel a bit better. I hope I get a fast grow in (especially the bacopa and sunset hygro along the back). My fish will likely be:

6 or so Otos
A small school (10) of Rummynose Tetras
A pair of showcase fish (I'm deciding between dwarf gouramis and apistos)
Shrimp (If I pick the dwarf Gouramis)
Some Other algae eater (If I pick the Apistos)


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## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

Hey, inarev! That's going to look fabulous as it grows in and settles out. Afyounie is right. It takes time for the plants to adjust to your tank and recover from shipping, etc...

Great job on the glosso, too! 

-Dave


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## inareverie85 (May 5, 2008)

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/aquarium-pictures/showimage.php?i=5472&original=1&c=1

This morning, I rearranged a few things. Since I had initially kept the moneywort in bunches with lead weights, I decided to get rid of the weights and replant them stem by stem, as I've read this promotes faster, healthier growth.

I added a few more stems of Bacopa Carolinia (customdrumfinishes was extremely generous in the amount he sent). I rather enjoy planting the Bacopa, as it gives off a nice minty aroma and it stays in the substrate rather easily. I couldn't say the same for the Moneywort though, as those float up every chance they get.

After rearranging those, I removed the Wisteria from the front of my driftwood, as it didnt seem to really belong there. The leaves were mostly brown and transparent anyway, and I think they were pretty much goners from being replanted so many times. I guess everyone makes mistakes..

In place of the Wisteria, I trimmed down some Baby Tears and placed them on the opposite side - an arrangement that I like a lot better.

I'd like to add some Downoi somewhere, as this plant's appearance would quickly make it a favorite, but I'm not entirely sure where to place it. I'll post a larger picture of the aquarium, and perhaps you guys can help me decide. 

Edit: There's a bit of a glare from the window. :-/ I'll take more quality shots at a later date when the aquarium starts looking a bit nicer. Thanks for any critiques/advice you can offer!


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## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

It just needs time...be patient. 

BTW, what's the plant with the big arrow/heart shaped leaves? (The tall plant at the right side of your wood.) Is that an arrowleaf (_Sagittaria_ sp.)?

-Dave


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## Afyounie (Aug 10, 2007)

Its probably a good thing that you got rid of the wisteria. It is a beautiful plant and one of my favorites, but it is a PITA. I have to trim it every sat, or else the tank will become nothing but a bright green ball of leaves and stems.
Dave, that looks like some sort of lotus, but I'm not too sure.


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## inareverie85 (May 5, 2008)

It's an Anubias Gracilis that I bought here:

http://www.aquariumplants.com/Gracilis_Anubias_gracilis_p/hf1366.htm

It's easily my favorite of all the Anubias.. and probably a favorite of the tank.


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## inareverie85 (May 5, 2008)

In other news, I had so many leftover plants that I went to my LFS, bought a bag of Eco-Complete, and scaped my quarantine tank as well. It's a 14 gallon, and I was delighted to see that it came with two 10W bulbs with a fixture that can accomidate 2x25W bulbs if I can find them to fit. Once I learned of that, I decided then and there that I'd give my quarantine tank a total makeover!

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/aquarium-pictures/showimage.php?i=5473&c=1

My leftover driftwood piece was lain to make a nice little cave up front, which will be nice when I quarantine my Apistos (when I decide to get them). My LFS also have Lacy Java Ferns and Anacharis, which I knew to be rather undemanding plants, so I grabbed some of those, used my leftover Bacopa, Sunset Hygro, Crypts, and Moneywort. I know I should probably get some Anubias and perhaps moss for the driftwood, and I'll likely get to that soon.

About the Bala shark: I know he gets too large for my tank; I bought him before I knew how large he got, as the girl at the LFS said he got to be a max of 5-6 inches. I'm thinking of taking him back to see if they would take him and give him a new home, as I am not equipped to take care of him.


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## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

inareverie85 said:


> It's an Anubias Gracilis that I bought here:
> 
> http://www.aquariumplants.com/Gracilis_Anubias_gracilis_p/hf1366.htm
> 
> It's easily my favorite of all the Anubias.. and probably a favorite of the tank.


I'm jealous. :mrgreen: (that's suppossed to symbolize "green with envy...)

ANYWAY, that's the lovliest quarantine tank I've ever seen. It makes me want to get another aquarium to have a grow-out tank to put all my clippings in so I can grow them out and sell or trade them (or give them away). Lately I've found myself throwing away clippings because I have no room for them and they are too small to even give to anyone (not worth the price or hassel of shipping).

That's a really great idea to 'scape your quarantine. It's only a matter of time now until it becomes your next big project aquarium!  Then you'll need another quarantine...and so on...

-Dave


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## inareverie85 (May 5, 2008)

It's been exactly one week since I've planted my aquarium, so I figured it was time to evaluate my progress. Much improvement over last week as far as looks - some due to tweaks I've made and others because the plants are starting to perk up!

Firstly, I added a few things, but mostly to the left side. There's Wisteria in the back in place of the second bunch of Moneywort, as I wanted that side to get a fuller feel later on. The Moneywort is nice on the left because it's nice and tall, but the Wisteria will really spread out, and I can trim it into a more bushy shape. The left side has more thin, delicate-looking stems, so I figured the thicker, fuller Wisteria would help to balance it out.










I also planted a few bunches of Cadamine Lyrata around the front. I got a few regular Anubias Nana to fill in the areas in the driftwood and rocks that the Petites just couldn't cover. If you look closely between the large Narrow Leaf Anubias (which is also new) and the Red Temple (center right), I also planted an Aponogeton Undulatas. Once it begins to flourish it will really fill out the center area, which currently looks more empty than the rest of the tank.










Also, my glosso is growing already! Only thing is, it seems to be growing upwards more (which is odd for my 3.4 WPG tank), but I'll assume it's still stunned from being shipped and replanted, so I'll give it another week before I do a trim and place those plantlets into the soil.

Any comments/advice/critiques are more than welcome. I could always use some expert advice!


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## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

Looking really great, and your Oto's seem right at home. You've got lots of color going on in there, very warm palette.


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## inareverie85 (May 5, 2008)

Exactly 2 weeks old today. No pictures this time though, as I have algae. :x Turns out I had forgotten to order Phosphorus, so I got little green specs on my glass. In addition, I seem to have a dark green algae collection on my glosso. I'm not sure what this is, so I'm doing all three common treatments at once: Extra excel (5x the recommended), 3 day blackout, and antibiotics. I want it GONE. However, my ottos don't touch it, and that makes me wonder exactly what it is. Do Ottos only eat certain algae? Hopefully, it will be gone soon... I'll post pics once my tank is decent.


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## inareverie85 (May 5, 2008)

Blackout, antibiotics, and siphoning like crazy accomplished nothing aside from killing off three of my Ottos. Q_Q 

All this aside, I decided the best overall course of action would be to remove all the plants, clean them up, and plant what I can salvage once again. 

To my dismay, a few of my plants had gone completely soft at the stem and weren't salvageable, but thankfully, most of them were okay once I pulled off the algae. Does algae cause this softening, or was there insufficient light before? My Bacopa was the really the only plant that did this, and while it did have algae, it was planted somewhat densely, so perhaps these plants needed more light. It's just hard to imagine that since I had enough lighting to make my Sunset Hygro VERY pink, and all of my other reds display some nice color. My biggest losses were probably the glosso, as I siphoned the gravel rather forcibly. Only the very well-rooted plants remained. I dug out a few more from my siphon buckets, but some of them were too algae-ridden to save. I'll be looking to buy another patch of glosso to fill in the gaps. 

Aside from that, the tank is DEFINITELY clean now, but it looks a bit bare again, as I thinned out the plants and gave most of them a nice trim. My quarantine tank has turned into a quarantine/grow-out tank! I guess we'll see what happens in the coming weeks


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## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

Sorry to hear about the algae disaster. At least you got it all cleaned up and re-scaped. Many people give up on plants altogether after something like that. (I've come close).


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## inareverie85 (May 5, 2008)

Well, I still havent figured what kind of algae it was.. Clado seems to form more of a mat, while this algae didn't. It was content to attach itself to substrate and plant alike, but it never made much of a mat. It was more flowy and slimy. However, antibiotics and a blackout with massive excel should have taken care of it if it was hair algae or BBA. Im not even sure how to tell if the algae I had pulled off of my plants was alive or not! 

Anyho, one day later, I'm already seeing brown/dusty specs on my plants, and I'm fearing the worst. I'm going to siphon again tomorrow, so hopefully obsessive tank cleaning will clear it out and give my plants a chance to thrive!

By the way, if any of you are looking to sell a healthy patch of glosso, send a PM my way


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## inareverie85 (May 5, 2008)

In the process of completing my rescape. I've taken my time to find some replacement plants that I like, and now it's just a waiting game. I'm starting to see the return of this algae, but this time Im going to go into my tank every other day and manually remove and spot treat all that I can find. Hopefully this will prevent a huge outbreak long enough for the aquarium to mature. I assume maturity occurs 2-3 months after planting, so I should have an algae-free tank in the fall, I hope. 

Just waiting on some Crypt Lutea to come in the mail for the front right corner of the tank as well as a green ludwigia stem bunch for the far back right, and then it's picture time.  I haven't yet given my reds time to adjust to my water conditions though, so don't expect the Rotala Macrandra to be very stunning for a while! I also bought about 5 Nerite snails, and if my lfs has more, I'm getting some more soon. Wish me luck :x I really adore the plants I have currently, and I hope I don't get another outbreak.


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## inareverie85 (May 5, 2008)

June 26: Update With Pics!










Quite a difference from my previous setup, and I think this one has more room to mature better. I have lots more Rotala behind the wood that hasnt grown tall enough to see yet, but it'll add a very nice bush to the background before long. Comments are welcome.

Also, a bit of a question for y'all.. I purchased Crypt Lutea from aquariumplants.com, but these that I received look nothing like any Lutea picture I've seen, so I'm wondering if I got jipped and was sent the wrong crypts.. They are at the front corners of the tank. Can anyone identify them with this picture?

Thanks for looking!


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

Your tank looks great!!! Pat yourself on the back!!!!


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## AaronT (Apr 26, 2004)

That's a great looking tank, especially for a first timer. I'm impressed with the health of your plants.


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## helgymatt (Sep 12, 2007)

The crypts you bought probably have emmersed leaves. Wait a bit and see if they develop new leaves. Its great to see this tank mature, especially the foreground. All the plants look very healthy. 

I do have one bit of advice...I think you have too many species in that tank which makes it look "busy". If there are some plants you like more than others try to use them more in masses. Whats the species count in there? 25-30?


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## inareverie85 (May 5, 2008)

I agree with the amount of species. It's just so hard to choose only a few  It might look better once the Rotala in the back ground emerges, as it will tie in with the rotala used in the midground. As for plants, I'll list what I can remember:

Cardamine Lyrata
Glosso
HM
Some short corkscrew Val species..
Micro Sword
Giant Hairgrass
Bacopa Carolinia
Rotala sp. Green
Rotala Macrandra
Rotala Macrandra (needle leaf)
Rotala Macrandra (green)
Rotala Naj.
Rotala Viet.
Ludwigia palustris (LOTS of it)
Ludwigia Grandulosa
Ludwigia Repens x ____
Ambulia
Java Fern
Willow Moss
Tonina Fluviatilis
Alternanthera Reineckii "rosaefolia"
Anubias nana 
Anubias nana petite
Crypt Lutea
Stargrass
Lobelia Cardinalis (small)

Yeah that is a lot


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## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

Howdy, Inarev! Tank is looking good. And for the crypts with emmersed leaves, don't freak out if you see all the leaves suddenly melt off and it looks like the plant is dying, it's just changing form to submerged. (I had a couple do that and they came back within a week or two.)

-Davemonkey


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## inareverie85 (May 5, 2008)

July 1 update! No more pics after this for a while!

Need some opinions though.. I'm starting to feel that the Star Grass up front isn't really blending. What do you think?


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## foofooree (Mar 11, 2007)

those reds are intense


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## inareverie85 (May 5, 2008)

I removed the Star Grass up front and just added some more thin rotala stems in its place. I think it'll be a good change.  It also gave my Tiger Lotus more breathing room, and I discovered that the Star Grass was hiding FIVE new leaves.

In addition, I removed my gigantic Red Temple, as the red Ludwigia species in the back have completely blocked it from view anyway. I'm noticing that the Ludwigia gets thick fast, and it needs more room. If my LFS won't take the red temple, I might sell it on here. It's about 14" tall with about 4 daughter plants and healthy!  

I might add more pics in a week or so once the Ludwigia has a chance to fill in more of its newfound space, but I hope the tank evolves into something nice. Any opinions or suggestions on how to improve are welcome. This is, afterall, my first tank. I want to learn!

I hope I don't get algae.


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

What's the large crypt center back? 

Your tank looks great! It's definately not a boring tank! Beautiful color!

Yes a lot of types of plants, but I get it. I never met a plant I could let go of.... That's why I have a plant grow out tank! I have variegated wisteria I got from Inspire91. It's a beautiful plant, green edges white veins!!! Somehow I must work it into my tank. Don't know how!!


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## inareverie85 (May 5, 2008)

The large plant is an Aponogeton Undulatas.  I love it, but it grows so fast! I've trimmed off 3 large leaves in 2 weeks.


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## bratyboy2 (Feb 5, 2008)

i really hate you and your beautiful tank lol jk jk jk but it is beautiful!!!


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## inareverie85 (May 5, 2008)

Thank you, bratyboy


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## cah925 (Jun 23, 2007)

I love the look of your tank! Very nice!


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## inareverie85 (May 5, 2008)

Thanks cah925~


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## inareverie85 (May 5, 2008)

Okay last picture for a while - I promise! I just wanted opinions as to how it looks minus the stargrass. Is it better with or without? I also added fishies today - 5 Harlequin Rasboras and 5 Threadfins 

Comments and critiques welcome!


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## thefishmanlives (Feb 15, 2008)

Looks good so far. Toss that plant that is sticking up in the center by the wood. Looks like a crypt. Def doesnt belong. Also trim your foreground plant (is that glosso?) lower to the substrate, will give it a better look. Lose one of the plants (compact sword?) in the front right corner that is up against the glass, avoid plants pressed up against the front glass. Also trim the plants in the center mid ground between the foreground and wood, lower and tighter so you can see more of the wood, It will add more flair and focus to you tank (I think thats a little group of corkscrew val and the hydrocotyle looks like that need to br timmed down, Id even consider tossing the corksrews). Keep trimming your stems so they fill in bushier, the tank is maturing nicely so far. Consider trimming down the red plants directly behind the wood so you cant see them and you can see more of hte grassy plants behind them in the far back. I like to top my stem plants (trim the tops off and replant them and loss the lower part of the plant) to keep them looking tip top. This layout is nice so far, just need to tighten up a few parts.


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## inareverie85 (May 5, 2008)

Thanks for the advice, fishmanlives. I've tried to take some of it through more aggressive trimming. 

I am going to rearrange a few things this evening, as some of my mid-ground plants are getting too big for their specific places. I'll post pics later today if I don't cloud up the water too much!


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## inareverie85 (May 5, 2008)

I moved all of my reds (aside from my now gigantic Tiger Lotus of course) to the back of the tank, as they're all getting too tall and bushy to be in front of the wood comfortably. I may add three macrandras back up front where they used to be.. Haven't decided yet. I'm also completely removing the Crypts and HM bushes in my two front corners, as they've become rather unattractive and stick out like a sore thumb. More dwarf lobellia is on order to fill those gaps. 









Also, my CO2 system stopped working, as many of you predicted, so I've been without CO2 for about 2 weeks. You can tell in the color of the reds, as they aren't quite as brilliant as they were. Once I get my next paycheck next week, I'll splurge on a pressurized CO2 system.









Also bought the centerpiece fish of my tank: a pair of German Blue Rams! ^_^ I had no idea how to sex them reliably, so I took my chances, and they seem to get along somewhat decently - mild nipping when any occurs at all. This allows me to hope that perhaps I got a male and a female! Aren't they beautiful??

My cat has discovered the new fish as well, and is enjoying the new additions to her afternoon entertainment. That's all for now!


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## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

That tank is just stunningly beautiful! And the Rams look good (of coarse, I found myself focusing on the Oto in the picture at first  . I guess they are still my fav!).


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## inareverie85 (May 5, 2008)

Thank you, Dave  What I am going for at the left part of the wood is a bowl-shaped planting arrangement where the rotala does a slight wrap-around, if you get my drift. Some of it still needs growing before I can trim it to the shape I want though  However, if that doesn't work, I'll be putting a few macrandra stems back where they used to be.  What do you guys think?


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## wrkucera (Jan 6, 2008)

The fact you have quite a diverse species of plants is the exact theme or idea I am currently going for. Something extremely busy yet thoughtfully arranged.


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## inareverie85 (May 5, 2008)

Thanks for the comment, wrkucera.  I look forward to seeing the progress of your tank as well! I have a hard time selecting only a few species, but I've been working hard to make everything tie in. It's definitely even more of an evolutionary process than the standard tank with 10 or so species as things have to be moved more and more as they grow. Hopefully, my next large project will have some better planning so that less rearranging is necessary. This is a learning process!


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## dirrtybirdy (May 22, 2007)

Wow the tank looks very good. I like how it all flows together. The plants, the color and the lay out! good job!


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## inareverie85 (May 5, 2008)

Thank you, dirrtybirdy


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## dooboogoo (Jul 1, 2007)

Your tank looks awesome!! I'll be setting up my 29g in about a week. Just looking at your pics makes me excited. Hope mine'll look as awesome as yours!


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## inareverie85 (May 5, 2008)

Thanks, dooboogoo ^_^


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## inareverie85 (May 5, 2008)

Due to CO2 issues and some of my plants doing poorly, I am doing another clean and rescape (hopefully for the last time) over the next week or two. I hope that this new scape will be even better than my previous, as I'd like to continue to grow as an aquascaper!  Stay tuned, folks!


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## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

It's sounds frustrating and exciting all at once. I'll be keeping my eyes open for your new scape!


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