# [Wet Thumb Forum]-New 55gal low-tech tank specs and pics



## WhataMack (Dec 18, 2004)

Hi, all. Just wanted to post some info about my newly planted 55G tank. Also, *thanks* to Diana Walstad for all her invaluable information, both in her book and here on the forums!

Re: plant selection, I basically took Diana's advice and planted a lot of different species, to see what would do well and what wouldn't. It made aquascaping a little difficult, but it looks pretty nice to me. Some of the plants are from Aqua Botanic's "Hard to Kill" collection and the rest are from AquariumPlant.com's "60+ Plant Assortment". The latter package didn't identify the plants, so I haven't been able to identify them all but maybe some of you can from the pics, below.

So, here are a bunch of specs and then the pics. I'm certain to be posting some questions in the future, as this is my first real attempt at a full planted tank...so thanks in advance for any help!









*Hardware*
55 gallon
Fluval 303 canister filter
Small airstone on timer, runs 4AM - 6AM (fish were gasping some around 7AM, so I added the airstone)
110 watt fluorescent in front, on 12-hour timer
64 watt fluorescent in back, on 13-hour timer

*Substrate*
1 1/2" Hyponex potting soil
1 1/2" Estes "Bits of Walnut" gravel

*Water values*
Temp: 76 - 78 deg F typical
pH: 6.8 - 7.0
KH: 4dKH, 72ppm
GH: 5dGH, 90ppm

*Plants*
Anacharis
Anubias coffefolia
Anubias nana
Anubias gigantea
Other large anubias
Bolbitis heudelotii
Cabomba (I think...couple species)
Cryptocoryne wendtii
Other crypts
Didiplis diandra ?
Dwarf lilies
Dwarf sagittaria
Duckweed
Hemianthus micranthemoides ?
Java fern
Java lace fern
Java moss
Ludwigia repens
Micro sword
Milfoils (I think...several species)
Nymphoides aquatica (banana plant)
Vallisneria (2 or 3 species)

*Fish*
Tiger Barbs (3 now, 6 or 8 planned)
Neon Tetras (13)
Siamese Flying Fox / Siamese Algae Eater (Epalzeorhynchus siamensis)

*Full-width*









*Left side*









*Center*









*Right side*


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## WhataMack (Dec 18, 2004)

Hi, all. Just wanted to post some info about my newly planted 55G tank. Also, *thanks* to Diana Walstad for all her invaluable information, both in her book and here on the forums!

Re: plant selection, I basically took Diana's advice and planted a lot of different species, to see what would do well and what wouldn't. It made aquascaping a little difficult, but it looks pretty nice to me. Some of the plants are from Aqua Botanic's "Hard to Kill" collection and the rest are from AquariumPlant.com's "60+ Plant Assortment". The latter package didn't identify the plants, so I haven't been able to identify them all but maybe some of you can from the pics, below.

So, here are a bunch of specs and then the pics. I'm certain to be posting some questions in the future, as this is my first real attempt at a full planted tank...so thanks in advance for any help!









*Hardware*
55 gallon
Fluval 303 canister filter
Small airstone on timer, runs 4AM - 6AM (fish were gasping some around 7AM, so I added the airstone)
110 watt fluorescent in front, on 12-hour timer
64 watt fluorescent in back, on 13-hour timer

*Substrate*
1 1/2" Hyponex potting soil
1 1/2" Estes "Bits of Walnut" gravel

*Water values*
Temp: 76 - 78 deg F typical
pH: 6.8 - 7.0
KH: 4dKH, 72ppm
GH: 5dGH, 90ppm

*Plants*
Anacharis
Anubias coffefolia
Anubias nana
Anubias gigantea
Other large anubias
Bolbitis heudelotii
Cabomba (I think...couple species)
Cryptocoryne wendtii
Other crypts
Didiplis diandra ?
Dwarf lilies
Dwarf sagittaria
Duckweed
Hemianthus micranthemoides ?
Java fern
Java lace fern
Java moss
Ludwigia repens
Micro sword
Milfoils (I think...several species)
Nymphoides aquatica (banana plant)
Vallisneria (2 or 3 species)

*Fish*
Tiger Barbs (3 now, 6 or 8 planned)
Neon Tetras (13)
Siamese Flying Fox / Siamese Algae Eater (Epalzeorhynchus siamensis)

*Full-width*









*Left side*









*Center*









*Right side*


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## imported_Piscesgirl (Feb 19, 2004)

Your tank looks beautiful -- but I wonder about the light levels. Seems like a lot of light for a low-tech tank...


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## WhataMack (Dec 18, 2004)

> quote:Originally posted by Piscesgirl:
> I wonder about the light levels. Seems like a lot of light for a low-tech tank...


Yeah, I was thinking the same thing, but it's been running for about two weeks and algae hasn't been bad. A little on the glass which I've been able to keep under control, and some on the driftwood which I've scrubbed off. I do have *a lot* of duckweed which seems to be helping.

Eventually I want to try adding in some more low grass plants, which is why I added in the 64-watt light in the back. I can always turn that off if it seems like there's too much.


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## DataGuru (Mar 11, 2005)

Very nice!!
3 watts per gallon should be fine. How much sunlight does it get?


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## WhataMack (Dec 18, 2004)

> quote:Originally posted by Betty:
> How much sunlight does it get?


Very little...maybe 1/2 hour tops in the early morning, through the left-side end of the tank.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

Your tank is gorgeous! You've done many things to insure success; especially no skimping on the plants. I would be surprised if this tank doesn't continue to do well for you.

Lighting sounds fine. 

That was smart to add aeration to protect your fish in the wee hours of the morning when plants have not yet started photosynthesizing and producing oxygen. 

Good job!


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## aquabillpers (Apr 13, 2006)

Hi,

What a beautiful tank! You obviously have an feeling for aquascaping. It will be so interesting to see how the tank matures.

The conventional wisdom is that with much over 2 wpg one needs to supply CO2. Your experience with this tank might disprove that.

High light means that the plants will grow faster and need more nutrients. The duckweed will provide some shielding, but I predict that you will get very tired of removing it every week or so. One of my major achievements was ridding one of my tanks of it. It took a while, and there was always one of the little buggers hiding behind the heater. (It's back now, BTW. I don't know how.)

With or without the high light your plants will need water column nutrients. The fish will supply them but you will need a lot more of them than you now have.

I hope you will continue to post your experiences to this forum, along with your excellent photographs.

Lots of luck!

Bill


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## Slippery Fingers (Mar 19, 2003)

Beautiful! I love it.

I have one question though. There is quite a lot of stem plants in this tank. If there is uprooting, trimming and replanting, would there be any problem caused when the soil substrate gets into the water column?

BC


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## aquabillpers (Apr 13, 2006)

I don't have a problem with soil getting into the water column. It's important to have at least an inch of sand over the soil. Then I hold down the sand at the base of the stem 
plant and c a r e f u l l y pull it out.

Another approach is to cut the stem at ground level and leave the roots. Or the stem can be cut in the middle and allowed to regenerate from there.

If a little soil should get into the water column nothing bad will happen. It will soon settle.

Bill


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## imported_BSS (Apr 14, 2004)

Nice looking tank. Well done.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

> quote:
> I have one question though. There is quite a lot of stem plants in this tank. If there is uprooting, trimming and replanting, would there be any problem caused when the soil substrate gets into the water column?
> 
> BC


Make sure you turn off filter when you uproot plants. Any turbidity should quickly settle (within a few hours). If not, there's always the "Quick Filter".


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## WhataMack (Dec 18, 2004)

An update...

Had some extra plants & cuttings friom the 55 gallon tank (see pics above), so I started up the 10 gallon tank I have that wasn't being used and turned it into another low-tech tank. Added those extra plants & cuttings, plus a couple more Micro Swords, along with three Harlequin Rasboras and three High-Fin Black Tetras. This tank's in our dining room, and fits in well with a nice dinner and glass o' wine.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

Very nice!
You have now put my tanks to shame.


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## kenmeyer (Jul 31, 2004)

Very nice job on both tanks. Let us know how its going once in awhile. Ill be curious after about a month when the plant growth starts really kicking in what the 55g tank will look like.


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## WhataMack (Dec 18, 2004)

First, thanks Diana...that's one of the nicest complements I've received in awhile.










The 55g is doing really well. Nearly all the plants are growing nicely. The only ones that seem to be struggling a bit are a couple different Anubias species (they have some brown spotting that can be removed by rubbing the leaves). Some plants, such as the Dwarf Sag in the foreground, are really taking off. And the Echinodorus cordifolius 'Tropica Marble Queen' is about 3x bigger now than what you see in the top pic (the "Left Side" shot). I've also done a little rearranging of the Milfoils on the right, and have removed the Anachris from that side (retaining it in center and left). I'm getting the Hygrophilia on the right to bush out more, too. And the one tiny, tiny Water Lettuce plant is now huuuuuge.









The Echinodorus cordifolius, Nymphaea stellata 'Dwarf Lily' and Nymphoides aquatica 'banana plant' are all sending flower shoots to the surface.

Re: algae, it's not been a problem to this point. There was some green brush (I guess) algae that you can see on the driftwood in the above pics, but that's basically gone after I scrubbed it off a few weeks ago and it hasn't come back. There's some brownish algae that shows up on the glass every few days, but I just scrape that off (takes maybe 10 min. tops). I've also started seening some thread algae in the duckweed roots and I've been pulling that out when I thin out the duckweed (which happens about every two days). I must admit, though, that I'm keeping a very close eye on algae, to avoid any big problems while they're still small.

Overall, I've been very happy with the results to date. I'll try to post some more pics of the 55g this weekend.


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## WhataMack (Dec 18, 2004)

Here's an updated shot of the 55g. The Nymphaea stellata 'Dwarf Lily' emersive stems/leaves have been removed (got tired of waiting for them to flower) and some other plants rearranged a bit (see last post, above). In particular, you can see how the Dwarf Sag and Echinodorus cordifolius 'Tropica Marble Queen' (just to the right of the driftwood) have really taken off.


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