# 75 gallon journal/help thread



## DMHdispute (Oct 23, 2007)

I figured id start a journal since my tank finally has something to look at. I also wanted a place to put all my questions because im sure ill have a lot.:mrgreen:

The current specs on my tank are...
Size: 48"x18"x18"
Lighting: 2x65 watt 6700k Coralife, 40 watt that came with the tank
Substrate: 140 pounds of Eco complete
Temp: 78F
Ph:6.8

Ferts:Im dosing a cap full of flourish every other day.

Fish:
6 Cardinal Tetra
6 Black Mollies
15+ Guppies (they keep having babies so they are hard to count)
2 corys
1 Blue Ram

As far as plants go i I have four different types, Im not sure of the names of them, i think one is java fern, and the one all the way to the left is pennywort. And the one with the needles and the one all the way to the right im not sure what there called.

Heres a couple pics...
This is how it looks as of now, are the bubbles necessary? Its just something ive always had but im not sure if the fish need actually them or not, id like to get rid of them because the tube looks bad and they make noise.








This is how my java fern leaf looks, for a few days it was growing real good but then all the sudden it started to turn brown, what could be wrong? 








And this plant is also turning brown and seethrough and many of the stems have broken. ID please? And can anybody give me an idea why its dying?


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

Opps


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

You have a good start here. You have chosen some fast growing stem plants that are great for a new tank. I have a few suggestions.
1. Forget the bubbles. They actually work against the plants. They drive CO2 from the water. Your plants need CO2.
2. You need more plants. They will help your tank cycle quicker. If your are short on funds, many people here will give you plants if you pay the shipping. Post in the sale/trade section.
3. Your Java Fern should not be planted. It will rot. Tie it to a rock or something.
4. Your last photo of the dying plant is anacharis (Egeria densa). It is just adjusting to your tank. You can see new growth already. Just cut out the dead parts. Do it before they fall apart and mess up your nice clean tank.
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/plantfinder/details.php?id=92
5. The frilly plant beside the anacharis is hornwort. It's also very hardy and fast growing.

Good luck with your new adventure!


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## DMHdispute (Oct 23, 2007)

wow, thank you very much i knew the java fern needed to tied to my rock im just lazy about it, but now that i know that im killing it ill do it tonight. And ill maybe post in the buy/.sell forums to see if anybody can help me out. Thanks again


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## Nowherman6 (May 1, 2006)

Hi DMH,

Adding to the previous post, yes, I would add A LOT more plants. And not only more plants, but hard scape as well - think driftwood, more rocks, to add height and depth. Your standard 75G is about 20" tall - that's a lot of room to take up to make the tank look full. Some taller, branchier pieces of driftwood would be good. Then scape the plants around that. 

You did well to start with fast growing plants, but try to have an idea in mind of what you eventually want the tank to look like, then start working towards that right away. Do you have any ideas? Other tanks you've seen that have inspired you? We can help you choose other plant species, but it's really tough unless you have kind of a blueprint in your mind. 

Good luck!


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## DMHdispute (Oct 23, 2007)

Ive actually been wanting to put driftwood in there for a while, the probelem is finding it, buying it will be a last resort. Also the rock that is in there will either be covered with moss or removed. I have a general idea of what plants i want, basically things that will grow in real thick and bushy, and also a few mosses like star mass and flame moss. I have a finished product in my mind basically some drift wood where the current rock is and HC around that and along the front of the tank, then bushy plants in the back and hair grass behind the wood. Im not sure if i explained that well but if i have time ill make a sketch soon.


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## DMHdispute (Oct 23, 2007)

oops double post, i guess ill put this post to use...
Speaking of my bubbles i just took them out, which reminded me of one time when my cat was messing around behind my tank and knocked the air line off the air pump. Me and my mom were looking at the computer when i was like why is the tank so loud, then i turned around and realized it was missing about a third of its water!! ut oh! The other end of the line was still in the water and had siponed the water out of the tank and into our carpet. We had to break the tank down and move it foward a couple feet and them take a steam cleaner and try to suck up the water, and then leave it to dry for a few days. Im suprised it dosent stink in this room.


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## reefcrawler (Dec 31, 2007)

I'm also planning a 75G planted tank, keep us posted and good luck to your new tank...and to me


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## DMHdispute (Oct 23, 2007)

I have a little update and a question, first about the update... I have added two new plants to my tank Bacopa and Rotala. They are both doing quite nice. And i no longer have anacharis, for some reason it just would not grow even though its a hardy fast growing plant it just diddnt work out and it all died.
My tank is in the middle of a green water outbreak along with just plain cloudyness. Please excuse my bad photography, ill have to get my brother to show me how to use this new camera some day. But heres a full tank shot taken Feb 02, 2008









I have one plant in my tank that i have had since the begening of the year, im no sure what the name is so if anybody can help me I would be thankfull. I think its bacopa even tho it dosent look quite like the bacopa i just got. 
Here is a picture of it on Jan 10








And heres a pic of i now, it has grown a lot and also all the new growh is al lot different from he leaves that were here when i go it. They are a lot closer together and long and pionty. You can see thatthe old leaves at the bottom are much more rounded.








This is my Bacopa, the leaves at the bottom died due to lack of light but i got a new bulb for my 40 watt and the leaves are no longer dying.








Here is the Rotala, a lot of roots are growing out of the stem ill clip them later sometime








Java Fern on top of rock, its finally starting to grow









And now for my question, i have already gotten my tax return and i want some opinions on what i should get. Would another 2x65watt coralife light fixture (bringing me up to 260 watts or 3.47 wpg), or a co2 setup help me the most as of now? Im leaning towards the co2 because more light will probably be an algae nightmare, but i want some more opinions. Ill eventually get both but i dont want to spend too much money at one time.

I think thats all for now, thanks for looking.


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## DMHdispute (Oct 23, 2007)

No replies, oh well. My green water is starting to clear up, today i left the light off all day so now hopefully it will go away futher tomorrow. Im going to go ahead and get a co2 system, i know im getting a rex griggs regulator and aquatic majic diffuser and drop checker i just need to find a tank locally. Ill post more pics when something new happens even if nobody looks at them, lol.


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## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

I somehow missed your thread before. Glad to hear your getting rid of the green water. In the close-up pics it seems like you have quite a lot of plants and then the whole tank shot shows just how big your tank is and how much room you have.  

Well, I think you'd be better off with the CO2 system. As you said, more light without stable CO2 would likely be an algae nightmare. 

I've been trying to figure out what plant has round emersed leaves and long narrow submersed leaves and I just can't come up with anything. Are the top leaves a soft pink? Well, whatever it is, it's an attractive plant.

And yes, please keep posting. I'd like to see how this progresses. I hope your able to find some wood you like to help fill the height and give you a framework for your plants.


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## DMHdispute (Oct 23, 2007)

I cant for the life of me remember what the sign in the lfs said it was, im thinking of going into the fish store and asking if they rember what they had in stock during that tme. But the very top leaves do actually have a pinkish color to them. And i know my full tank shots look very bare, it just goes to show how much its gunna take to get it fully stocked with plants. Im gunna update with a couple more pics maybe in a couple days now that my water is almost clear.


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## Zippin (Oct 27, 2007)

you post about your cat was very funny ..lol  

You seem to be not rushing things which is good, I like the rock with the java fern on it. I think you tank will look nice in time with some more plants and also of course when they have grown out. 

I was just wondering what pump/filter you use?

Nicely done.


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## DMHdispute (Oct 23, 2007)

I have a penguin 350 bio wheel HOB plus a filter that was used for my 39g which I use for water flow. Im planning to get a canister filter but since I already have filtration its last on the list.
I like the rock somewhat as well but I think its kinda ugly in person bacause its orane and white and swirly and it just doesnt look natural even tho i think it is. But i plan to cover it with moss and the java fern if it ever grows out. (every time it starts to the snails get to it, which reminds me i need to hurry up on getting a clown loach)

And the cat thing is kinda funny now but definently sucked at the time, I thought my parents were gunna sell the tank for sure that time.


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## DMHdispute (Oct 23, 2007)

A little update...

The green water is completely gone, the water is clear as glass. I got a small amount of java moss and tied it to my big rock. I also got four more cardinal tetras, and seven rummynose tetras.
A couple rummynoses








My two corys, Does the one on the right look pregnant?








Full tank shot, the water was still a little hazey because these were taken at the begening of this week.








I cant believe how empty it looks, i need some more plants but im limited to what my lfs's have. Im thinking of getting some swords, im just afraid they will draw too much attention and make the tank look small.


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## Afyounie (Aug 10, 2007)

Don't add more plants to fill in the void. Add some rocks or driftwood. The hardscape will fill in the void and give you some contrast to the green. Go by your local landscape places and they sell nice rocks for pretty cheap. Hope the tank fills in nice.


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## Jareardy (Feb 14, 2008)

You also might want to think about adding some foreground plants, maybe some crypts if you don't have CO2 or heavy lighting in there. As for the tax return I would say invest in a good co2 system. Or a canister filter for sure.


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## Jessie (Apr 23, 2007)

You're off to a good start!

Get some hardscape and also look at the Fore Sale or Trade forum here. TONS of variety, good prices, nice people


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## DMHdispute (Oct 23, 2007)

Thanks for the advice everyone, this is my first time actually putting effort into growing plants so I need all I can get. Ill look into crypts, and what i like, i was also thinking of some glosso and dwarf hairgrass for foreground. 
Ill have to wait until the weather is a little warmer so i can go out and look around all the streams and such for some wood, because i am planning on adding some but I want to at least try to look for it localy before i buy it. 
Ive been planning on getting a co2 setup but since my tank is going pretty smoothly now I think I might hold off for a while before I go that route. Then again the my desire for HC may make me give in and get the co2.
And thanks for the compliments!


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## DMHdispute (Oct 23, 2007)

I got a couple packages of plants shipped in from a couple of our members. So I have a lot of new stuff going on, most of it still has a lot of growing to do so it will look its best then i will rescape it to where it looks its best. I got rid of the hornwart, it was trying to take over.
Now is the time for me to ask for advice on how to scape this. I kinda have a layout going but if anyting looks out of place let me know.

These are the plants that I just put in a couple hours ago:
blyxa jap.
green cabomba
sunset hygro
l. repens
fissidens

And these are what i put in about a week ago:
mermaid weed
moneywort
java fern
salvinia minima and duckweed
dwarf sag
creeping jenny
hygrophila sp

My pictures dont look as good as it does in person but hopefully you all will get the point.
If you want a better shot of anything in particular please ask.

Heres a full tank shot it looks real bad but oh well i dont feel like taking another









Left side








middle The big rock is covered in java moss, and the two little rocks are covered in fissidens.








middle again








right side I have a lot of dwarf sag.








I forgot to turn my moniter off again


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

It's looking much better. I like all the plants you have in there! You're doing a great job. I do think you could still use some more big rocks or wood - some hard scape. It's coming right along. You might want to think about a plant with large leaves like a lotus or a small sword - like a melon or a kleiner bar. There are also some crypts. that have larger leaves. They will look like a big mass, just like a big rock or something. It would be a nice contrast to your other plants.

Be careful about plants from the wild. I have had bugs hatch out in my tank from some wild plants I received. I even soaked them in a bleach dip. I guess it didn't kill the eggs. I won't get wild plants anymore unless I find some potassium permanganate.  It's supposed to kill everything. I think you could also bring in bacteria and illness.


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## MonopolyBag (Jan 11, 2008)

Couple simple beginner mistakes... not sure if you fall under any of these or not... weekly water changes, do not over feed, and make sure your light is on a timer and turns off for a good 12 plus hours each night. Water changes should help a lot.


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## DMHdispute (Oct 23, 2007)

texgal ive been planning on getting dsome more rocks and such, I guess I just need to get myself in gear and quit being lazy. I think some dark colered rocks probably black would look nice since everything else is green. And it would match the substrate

And mbag at first i diddnt have my light on a timer and if you look at my older post my water turned green due to it, lesson learned. My water changes have been pretty consistant so far (about 1/3 once a week). And all the food is gone within five minutes so overfeeding is not a concern.

I ordered a new light so that the plants that are supposed to have purple/red in them will have color but im having trouble getting a light shipped intact. Click her to see what I mean

Thanks for all the advice everyone.


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