Fluval Vicenza 180l / 40g Tropical Tank

[aaronnorth]

Tank size - 92cm (L) x 50cm (H) x 40cm(D) - BOW FRONT

Filter - fluval 205 external, peat, carbon, 4 sponges, polishing/ fine pad, lots of biomax

heater - fluval tronic 200w 26d/ 78f

substrate - natural pea gravel

ferts - root tabs next to root feeders, nutrafin plant gro weekly

lighting - 2 x 24w HO T5's, both are power glo, i intend on changing 1 of these to a red or pinkish colour - 1.2WPG or 2.4WPG if HO doubles it like supercoley1 says.

co2 - hagen natural plant system, 6 bubbles per minute

decor - 2 bogwood, thin long peice may go or it may get covered in a moss, rock, plant pot

fish - 2 clown loaches, 1 common plec (10"), 1 bronze cory, 2 bosemani rainbows, 3 silver mollies, 2 x-rays, 2 penguin tetras, 4 endlers & 7 fry (colour should come in about 1 wk, 3 wk old),

The endlers and maybe the x rays will be going a a 3g nano that i have just set up today

plants - green caroliniana cabomba, anubias barterii, hygro difformis/ wisteria, 3 amazon swords, 1 unknown plant that looks like a crypt

on order should arrive next wk - tiger lotus, red ludwigia, red cabomba, sagittara subulata, crypt wendtii, water cabbage

I have had this tank since end of november and my other tank had really poor lighting so all plastics which were then transfered into this one but i am just swapping all them for real so the ones you see on the left will be going as i hope to curve the plants round from the front right corner to the back left.



i had plastics in and then when i got my first few live in, most artificial have been removed , not long untill others follow!
i changed to live because it brings out the best in the fish and they help with nitrates and the don't damage fish. i was getting a lot of algae so this persuaded me more, i still get a little but when the others on order are in, i'll not be seeing much of that any more.

with plastics

with live and few plastics

close up on plants (bit blurry)

 

[SuperColey1]

In photobucket upload a pic by browsing for it on your C:\

Then once uploaded there are 4 links below the picture.

Copy the bottom link directly into your forum post and it should appear as a picture.


I notice you have listed carbon in your filter materials. This needs removing in a planted tank. Even in a normal tank its quite pointless using it unless you are removing meds etc as it only has a short active life.

Lightingwise do you mean you have 4 lights or 2? And be careful when using HO T5 and judging them by the watt per gallon rule as I have found them to be around double the output of T12 (which the rule is based on!!)

Others will post the same but this tank is not big enough for a common plec really. This fish will probably still get bigger and it will end up taking the plants out of the substrate each day, not just by digging but just trying to move. Clown Plecs prefere a larger space and like to be in groups rather than pairs. Corys also like to be in groups as do Tetras. You won't get as natural behaviour from these fish in the numbers you have stocked them and they may also become more susceptible to illness via stress.

The plants will help them in that they give the fish hiding places but this just means they can hide and not display shoaling activity which would be much more preferred.

Another note is that Mollies prefer slightly brackish water (although I have had them in tropical tanks with no problems before)

Andy

 

[aaronnorth]

In photobucket upload a pic by browsing for it on your C:\

Then once uploaded there are 4 links below the picture.

Copy the bottom link directly into your forum post and it should appear as a picture.


I notice you have listed carbon in your filter materials. This needs removing in a planted tank. Even in a normal tank its quite pointless using it unless you are removing meds etc as it only has a short active life.

Lightingwise do you mean you have 4 lights or 2? And be careful when using HO T5 and judging them by the watt per gallon rule as I have found them to be around double the output of T12 (which the rule is based on!!)

Others will post the same but this tank is not big enough for a common plec really. This fish will probably still get bigger and it will end up taking the plants out of the substrate each day, not just by digging but just trying to move. Clown Plecs prefere a larger space and like to be in groups rather than pairs. Corys also like to be in groups as do Tetras. You won't get as natural behaviour from these fish in the numbers you have stocked them and they may also become more susceptible to illness via stress.

The plants will help them in that they give the fish hiding places but this just means they can hide and not display shoaling activity which would be much more preferred.

Another note is that Mollies prefer slightly brackish water (although I have had them in tropical tanks with no problems before)

Andy

I know about plec, i'll give it about 2 more inch to grow and then it will have to go shame because it is interesting to watch, i took it off my uncle last year as he had a small tank at about 40l. when the plec goes, i will get 2 more cory's to make 3, and the penguin tetras may go aswell or i might get 2 more. the x rays and endlers are going in nano, lost an x ray through old age couple wks back (no sign of illness/ parasites etc). i meant i had 2 power glo lights not 4, i have changed it now, thanks for answer to photo. Clown loaches seem fine in their 2, they are always out so i don't think need another.

 

[SuperColey1]

Your tank lightingwise and looking at the pictures is very similar to my journal below - The clearing.

Plants look similar and the overall look is similar so it may be useful to have a quick look through this. Not the whole thing as it did changedrastically but you should see the problems I had and what solutions I was given.

Andy

 

[adamgreen240]

personally i would have sand substrate and live plants , some natural decor too

 

[aaronnorth]

personally i would have sand substrate and live plants , some natural decor too

I have natural plants, if you read info i have just changed them, some plants on order so then i can take rest out

 

[lljdma06]

personally i would have sand substrate and live plants , some natural decor too

I have natural plants, if you read info i have just changed them, some plants on order so then i can take rest out

I'm going to move this topic to the general planted section, as this section is reserved primarily for journals. If you'd like to create a journal for you tank, you may post a new thread in this section.

llj

 

[Themuleous]

I like it as it is, but if you want a 'planted' tank then the key thing to remember is that in many ways the plants come first. The fish are really there to enhance the scape created by the plants not the other way around

But as I said, its a nice tank as it is with nice clean lines, what plants you have seem healthy and so do the fish. As to changing it, it depends what you want the ultimate goal is.

Sam

 

[aaronnorth]

My plants have arrived and this is how it looks now:

right side

close up of plants

small plantlets growing behind rock

full tank shot

i have up rooted the green cabomba and took some cuttings off the bottom, i then placed them more spread out along the bottom. I tried the anubias barterii behind the rock but i didn't like it so i moved it back to the front. I then up rooted the H.difformis and bunched it together to fill the space up so you cant see the back. I then moved all the oxygenating plant and spread it along the rest of the space at the back. I put the red cabomba next to the green cambobma to fill the last space up and to cover the intake tube, i took a stem and cut it in half to make it grow 'from under' the other background plants. i then planted the vallis in front of the oxygenating plant but they are only plantlets. i then put the red ludwigia in front of the vallis. I then put 4 small cryptocoryne wendtii and 4 small sagittara subulata behind the rock, they have to develop more before they are completley visible, i have tried take a picture of them. lastly i put a red liger lotus in the middle.

It looks better now with more plants, once the small plantlets grow and the green cabomba reaches the top, then i will see whether more plants are needed.
All the plastics are gone except them few grasses around the airstone but i will try to replace the one that is seperate, (others are on a rock base)