Amanda's Redoing The 38 Gallon

[coldcazzie]

I really love the pile of rough rocks on the left... but I confess I don't like the round ones.... they don't really fit with the rest of it and the colours are all wrong... you find yourself looking at the red ones and the white one and your eyes are all over the tank. It just seems a little confused in my opinion... which is a shame because I really like how the rest of it is going. Anubias emmersed is great... it might take a while to adjust back to being emmersed after being submerged for a while. Where are you putting the banana plant?

 

[ace61502]

Yea, I really don't like the white one. It would go better in the 75 (until this wild hair has me switching it over to black beauty, too) so I'll probably drop it in there. The red I DO like for the contrast, and as the plants fill in they will lose some of their prominence. The black one I could go either way on, and the gray one I'm just meh, it'll probably go to the 75, too. The red was my 4 year old's idea, and for the price I just grabbed rocks, TBH. LOL I may settle the red ones into a group of some sort rather than scattered. I really don't intend to leave the one really round one in front of the cave, though I may move it back come Easter time.

No idea where the banana will go yet.

The anubias were actually only submersed for about a week. They were in one of those tubes with gel.

 

[coldcazzie]

As a group I think they would look much better

 

[This Old Spouse]

That's my suggestion too. I don't like the random look of all the river rocks all over the place. I think I'd like them better grouped around the grey one on the right. But other than that it's looking incredible!

I have some bolbitis that I got from Liz, and I really like it. It's a darker green than most of the other plants, and it seems like a cross between a fern and a giant fungus. I love it. Really easy to work with, too, and grows well. I don't have enough to send you any, but I'm sure you can get some online.

And FWIW, I think you should keep the play sand in the 75g.

 

[ace61502]

Ignore the java moss covered driftwood on top of the cave. It's not going to stay there. Just put it there till I figure out what I'm gonna do with it.

 

[This Old Spouse]

Getting there! I like this much better.

 

[ace61502]

I think I'm going to throw that black rock back there with the red ones.

 

[Dieses Madchen]

You fishtank is looking great. I am loving the naturalness. But I have to ask. What kind of fish is that in your signature? Your child looks so cute in there lol

 

[JenCliBee]

Wow, what a transformation since the last time i looked lol.... looking great hun

 

[ace61502]

Just adding some new pics. Seeing some growth in there!

Lots of new leaflets on the sword

The banana plant makes me think of a hot air balloon tethered down. LOL

 

[This Old Spouse]

Looking good! I really like the banana plant. I've never even seen one before! I like how you have the pennywort scooting along the substrate too. I tried that once long ago, but now they just do their own thing.

I have to try and find a place for my anubia and driftwood that I re-inherited from my husband's tank. We put it in there because he has 2 firemouth cichlids and 2 Jack Dempseys and they tear everything else apart. But they were killing this too, so I took it back.

I've decided that my next big tank will have corys and a large shoal of something like neon tetras. But we'll see. Getting ahead of meself.

Here's quick shots of my 3 tanks. Not great shots but you get the idea.

The 55g:

The 29g with tiger barbs and BN pleco. There's the anubia just floating on the top (which is really irritating the barbs).

And here's the 20g that's got loads of cory and 6 red eye tetras that I rescued. Didn't realize it was so blurry! This is my problem tank ... the big piece of driftwood in the back seems to be a magnet for snails and just crap that clogs up my filter! I hate to get rid of it because it's so darn cool, but I might have to. I have a Whisper 40 filter (yes, for a 40g tank!) and ALSO an Eheim 2234 canister! Yet you can still see all those chunks floating around in the water. I'm about to post a question about cleaning java moss!

 

[This Old Spouse]

Amanda ... I thought this was our personal convo ... sorry I hijacked it!!

 

[ace61502]

LOL It's ok! Love your tanks!

To get the pennywort to stay put I took one of those lead wrappers and broke it into 4 smaller pieces that would go around the stem one good time and sunk them just below the surface of the sand. The left side has grown a LOT since I put it in and it looks like it's trying to root in on its own pretty well. I don't delude myself into believing that part would stay if the rest wasn't anchored, though. LOL

After Christmas I'm going to get real aquarium lighting. What I'm using now looks great to the naked eye, but does not photograph well at ALL. For the 38 I'm going to get a Db Solarmaxhe2 Double T5 10000k Strip W/led. This tank sits in my bedroom and I think the moonlights would be nice to have on so I can see the fishies as I read or just watch them as I drift off. I may do the 36" and rig a way for it to work since the tank is 48" and shallow compared to what most 48" lights sit on top of. Thoughts? The 48" would be about 1.5w/g. The 36" would be a little over 1, just a smidge more wattage than I have now, but better coverage of the tank. The 48" is currently unavailable at Amazon, but that is always subject to change. I've seen them find stuff that has been out of production for over 2 years before (boy was that stressful, it was one of those "I've GOT to have that" items for my son and they sold out right before I went to place my order, had been watching it for MONTHS, then suddenly they had more a week later and Amazon was the ONLY place to get them).

For the 75 I'm trying to decide between Odyssea 48" T5 HO Aquarium Light Dual Fluorescent Hood Fixture - Plant 2x54W and Aqueon Coralife 05611 Aqualight Dual Linear Strip T5 Aquarium Lighting Fixture. Leaning towards the Odyssea. The 75 is currently just over .5w/g, so the Odyssea would ramp it up to 1.44. The Aqueon listing doesn't say what the wattage is. Anyone know?

 

[ace61502]

Finally got some new pictures... The crypts aren't bulking up near as quickly in this tank as they did the 75, but they are growing. The Amazon swords are doing great considering they didn't do anything but melt in the 75. They are thriving now. The pennywort now stretches the entire length of the tank. I think I this tank. I really, really wish it wasn't in my bedroom, the room I spend the least time in. Including sleep time. LOL

The ambulia that disappeared from the 75 gallon tank, save one tiny sprig, is doing quite well in the 38.

The java moss covered driftwood I stuck on top of the cave until I figured out what to do with it? Still there. There are so many platy fry in this tank that it will probably stay. Will have a TON of fish to trade in at the LFS.

The banana plant will probably wind up in the 75 gallon soon. The lily pads it shoots out are on nearly 2 foot long stems, which will soon make for quite a mess of stem in this short tank. LOL

And closer left and ride side pics...

 

[This Old Spouse]

Very nicely done! I'm amazed at how the pennywort looks. SO much different than mine!

I'm hoping one day to get a tank in this configuration. My 29g tall tank is not my favorite. Next spring my plan is to go to the north shore of Lake Superior and get a bucket of gravel to put on the bottom. It's a red rock that's tiny little orbs from being smashed and polished on the shore from the waves. It's really, really cool. And since I don't have any cory in this tank I think I'd like to try it! Could be stunning or could be crap, hard to tell!

Way to go on yours! I really like it. I think the plants doing better here than in the 75g has lots to do with the depth, but not sure how it all works.