# First planted tank....progress thread.



## DLM

Was pointed to this forum today (thanks gil_ong) so I figured I'd start off with a few pics of what I'm currently trying to do. Monday the tank had african cichlids that had lived there for around 4 years. Gave them all way to a friend Monday evening so I could attempt to build a planted tank. Tank on Monday with a few of the remaining cichlids (yeah...it's dirty):









Tuesday:









Thursday:









The plan is to figure out which plants my catfish won't eat....then fill the tank up with plenty of green stuff. So far, the amazon swords have survived so I'll add more. Going to try a few more types of plant this weekend. 

Tank currently has 12 Penguin Tetras and 6 neons. I have 25 more neons arriving on Tuesday. The long term resident of the tank is "Hoover" the catfish. He's been there almost 5 years. Lived with an oscar for a while, then the cichlids.....now he gets to live in a nice peaceful tank. :lol:



















I'm sure I'll be posting up some question soon as I try to figure this planted thing out...


----------



## gil_ong

hey!!!

bring on the oontz!

you will find that this forum is not nearly as rambunctious or abrasive as OT; mostly very friendly and helpful. just watch you for "the old man." he can be surly at times.


----------



## Obsidian

OMG those teeth make me think twice about catfish LOL. That is like from a horror flick! Mostly because their small size, but yellowish color makes them more creepy. Yes, I'm a freak. And a squeamish freak at that.


----------



## COM

OT? Is that the car forum? Is it just Subaru or do they do other stuff? I want to find a car forum other than the dumpy one I'm on now.


----------



## gil_ong

COM said:


> OT? Is that the car forum? Is it just Subaru or do they do other stuff? I want to find a car forum other than the dumpy one I'm on now.


OT is the off-topic forum within NASIOC.


----------



## COM

Oh. I'm looking at it now. Much better site than bimmerforums and it seems like people are actually having discussion instead of just trying to one-up each other.

That's a bigggg catfish. Looks cool.


----------



## blcknwitecuban

the tank looks really nice. And that catfish is cool. what kind is he?
& welcome to the forums.


----------



## Ricker

Looks good. I like mine with alittle more substrate but it is all up to the owner i guess,.


----------



## blcknwitecuban

hi substrate looks fine. a little under 2'' i assume


----------



## DLM

I'll be adding some substrate soon. Going to put flourite in the areas I put a plant. I'll just blend it in with the existing substrate. If that ends up looking like crap I'll just get rid of the old stuff and go with straight flourite. 


The catfish is a Lace Synodontis (false upside down).

http://www.aquariumlife.net/profiles/african-catfish/lace-synodontis/100136.asp

He used to have long "feathers" coming off his dorsal fin and tail.....but the cichlids kept tearing it off. Hopefully they'll grow back soon. Old pic with really bad camera:


----------



## Guest

Great start! Those wood pieces are really cool looking. I can tell they will really make the tank look nice when planted.


----------



## Guest

The colors of the decor looks great so far. The wood looks awesome . I'm not too sure about the stack of rocks under the wood on the left though, but if you like it, keep it. I'm sure it'll look great with plants!

Good luck.


----------



## DLM

Ichthius said:


> I'm not too sure about the stack of rocks under the wood on the left though, but if you like it, keep it. I'm sure it'll look great with plants!
> 
> Good luck.


Yeah...I'm still trying to figure something out with that. I want a cave in there for the catfish so he can get out of the light. He stays in the cave 95% of the time when the lights are on. It just doesn't look right though. 


Picked up a few more plants and added some flourite to the substrate. Dug holes in the existing substrate and filled them with flourite for each plant, then covered the existing stuff with some more. My power compact hood came in today too....now the plants should get enough light (four 65watt bulbs. (2) 10K Plant Grow, (2) 6700K. The water is still a little cloudy in this pic from adding the flourite a few hours earlier.


----------



## gil_ong

looks great!


----------



## trashion

You know what would, IMO, look better? There are some aquarium-safe screws...if you screwed the wood into a piece of slate and then buried the slate in the substrate, that would look really good, so you wouldn't have those rocks on the top of the wood


----------



## COM

Exactly what kind of screw?

I would think that you can use Trex decking screws for aquariums since they are completely waterproof.

The problem would most likely be that the drilling would fracture rock that thin and break it apart.


----------



## DLM

Hopefully the rocks will only be there for a few weeks or so (if that). If the wood still wants to float after that period of time, I do plan on doing something else. The rocks are most definitely not a permanent solution.


----------



## DLM

I think this is going to be the final arrangement for a while. I added a bunch of neons (supposed to be 25, I think it was 30-35 in the bag), some java moss, and some other "weedy" plant in the back that I can't remember right now. I'm pretty happy with it right now so we are going to see how things go before we add any more plants....just want to make sure I have a green thumb. We do plan on adding a few more fish...just haven't decided on what kind. Hope you like it:


----------



## gil_ong

looking awesome!


----------



## welchrock

keep up the good work and the pictures coming!


----------



## Guest

Looks good! I like those Penguin tetras (?). They look awesome.

What size tank is this? I probably missed it somewhere, but I was just wondering.


----------



## DLM

JustOneMore20 said:


> Looks good! I like those Penguin tetras (?). They look awesome.


I got lucky with those penguins. The LFS near me really only deals in high dollar exotic fresh water fish. Due to a screw up, he ended up with a bunch of those penguins. He sold them to me for $1 each just to try and get his shipping costs back. He also sold me all my neons for $1.20 each. Best prices I could find by far....really nice guy to talk to also. 



> What size tank is this? I probably missed it somewhere, but I was just wondering.


When I bought it I was told it was a 110gallon. I've had it for several years and just got around to measuring it the other day when I started hunting for driftwood. The inside dimensions measure 17.25"W x 48"L x 28"H.....which only equals 100 gallons. Guess I need to change what I tell people from now on.


----------



## Lindsey

where did you pick up that driftwood at? it's VERY cool!


----------



## DLM

Lindsey said:


> where did you pick up that driftwood at? it's VERY cool!


A local fish store had a piece.....then he ordered some more. Very quick, and the prices were reasonable compared to what I've seen online (couldn't find that type of wood online though).


----------



## DLM

Well...at least one of the plants is doing good. That plant in the middle seems to grow about 3/4" a day. I'm sure it will be at the top of the tank by the morning. 

Took this one today just to compare the plants to what they looked like 6 days ago (post 18 of the thread):










I don't think the plant in the front right of the tank is doing very good. Seems to have some new pink leaves at the top...but the other leaves are turning brown and it's really not growing. Added some Flourish today to see if that will help...and I'll leave all 4 lamps on for a little longer each day (vs just the two 10K bulbs that are on the rest of the day).


----------



## Good Wolf

Light might not be the issue. I use Flourish for growth and API leaf zone when I see browning or holes in the leafs. It seems to work pretty well.

I'm sure someone could explain the difference in the two.


----------



## DLM

Good Wolf said:


> and API leaf zone when I see browning or holes in the leafs. It seems to work pretty well.




I'll pick some of that up. Thanks for the suggestion.


----------



## gil_ong

got the driftwood today, DLM. thanks again.


----------



## DLM

gil_ong said:


> got the driftwood today, DLM. thanks again.


Hope it's what you wanted.

You might want to boil it if you have a pot big enough. Some white moldy, bubbly crap started forming on one of my pieces where the wood was cut....probably sap of some kind, or at least a nasty looking mold. All my neons are dying too....so I'm wondering if that has something to do with it. I pulled that piece out tonight and it's going into a pot in few minutes...


----------



## gil_ong

i don't have a pot that big, but i'm soaking it in a bleach solution. will rinse and wiped off with hot water in a few.

EDIT: so the driftwood is soaking now in a fresh bucket of water. i'm gonna let it soak for a few days, and let it absorb some water. and maybe get rid of some of the tannins. i also had to trim off a few of the branches. i stuck it in the tank for maybe 1 min just to see if it'll fit and it was not fitting in.


----------



## Chaos553

wow, your tank looks absolutely stunning. maybe you should add in some harlequin rasboras for some serious color, you know what i mean? you could probably also afford getting a good 10 in there as well so they can school pretty nicely. just thought id put that out there, keep up the good work!


----------



## DLM

Chaos553 said:


> wow, your tank looks absolutely stunning. maybe you should add in some harlequin rasboras for some serious color, you know what i mean? you could probably also afford getting a good 10 in there as well so they can school pretty nicely. just thought id put that out there, keep up the good work!




Thanks.  I'll look into those plants you suggested.

As far as the fish go, I had over 30 of the neons in the tank....and now I'm down to 9. I'm guessing the batch I received was infected with neon tetra disease, but it SEEMS that the remaining 9 are going to live through it.

On Tuesday (15th), I'll be receiving 20 Cardinal Tetras and 15 Emperor tetras to go with the 9 neons and 14 Penguin Tetras that are currently in the tank.


----------



## pog0

Your tank looks beautiful, but I'm going to have nightmares about that catfish picture.


----------



## DLM

Pic from today. A few of the plants are doing well...a few are struggling. I'm still having a hell of a time keeping fish alive. I'm down to 8 emperor tetras (started off with 15), and maybe 6-8 of my cardinals (started with 20). Still have about 5 or 6 neons. None of the penguin tetras have died though.....and the cat and snails are all very healthy. Not sure what's going on with the emperors as I thought they were pretty hardy fish. 










I'm really liking the emperors.....very active, the males get into little "flare the fins" battles with each other, and they look great. Hopefully I won't lose anymore:


----------



## jakeychs

I Really like the neon's and your tank is really nice.
good job


----------



## Good Wolf

That is some awesome drift wood you have there.


----------



## gil_ong

dammit rashed, every time i see your tank, i wanna get fish again.


----------



## DLM

gil_ong said:


> dammit rashed, every time i see your tank, i wanna get fish again.



With all the $ and dead fish I have gone through the past few weeks...I'd think reading my posts would scare most people away from getting fish. LOL


----------



## COM

The tank looks good. I've always had trouble with Neons, ease with Cardinals.

If interested, why not add some big schools of Harlequin Rasboras and Porkchop Rasboras? They are fantastic and have amazing color patterns. They are also very hardy.

Gil - what happened to your fish?


----------



## DLM

COM said:


> If interested, why not add some big schools of Harlequin Rasboras and Porkchop Rasboras? They are fantastic and have amazing color patterns. They are also very hardy.




Nice suggestions. I haven't seen either of those at the LFS's around here, but I'll see what it would cost to order some.


----------



## gil_ong

COM said:


> Gil - what happened to your fish?


i turned them all in for an all-shrimp tank.

i think i'll have to get me some Harlequin Rasboras. my wife would really like to see some fish.


----------



## gil_ong

i had a dream last night about having harlequin rasboras in my tank, so i went to the LFS this morning and bought a dozen.

they started working on the little white specks and the little white worms the moment i released them into the tank.


----------



## trashion

Boy, Gil, I'm looking to get rid of mine! I would have sent them to you.


----------



## gil_ong

trashion said:


> Boy, Gil, I'm looking to get rid of mine! I would have sent them to you.


hmmm.... you still could.


----------



## trashion

16 harlies is a lot in a 20 gal  But I suppose I could. I'll PM you when I get the specifics figured out.


----------



## DLM

COM said:


> If interested, why not add some big schools of Harlequin Rasboras and Porkchop Rasboras? They are fantastic and have amazing color patterns. They are also very hardy.



My fish deaths have stopped...finally. Out of the 50+ neons/cardinals I put in...I'm left with a combo of 10. Only 7 of my emperor tetras are left (out of 15)....and I still have all 14 penguin tetras. Since things stabalized, I added some more plants earlier this week...and decided to try more fish. I couldn't decide on which Rasbora to try....so I went with two types. Ordered the fish Wed., picked them up yesterday.  21 Hengelis, and 12 Harlequins....hopefully they will be stronger than the other fish I've tried. Thanks again for the suggestion....I love the look of those hengelis and harlequins.









A few pics from last night:


















Hengelis:

















Harlequin:









The emperors and penguins begging for food.....and the penguins are the only fish that seem to eat what I give them:










Not sure why my fish are so picky about eating. I can't tell if they are afraid to hang out at top long enough to eat (very tall and open tank), or they just don't like what I'm giving them. I watch every fish other than the penguins spit their food out after they taste it. They are still alive...so they must be eating something.  I'm trying regular "tropical fish flakes", spirulina flakes, tube worm cubes, and frozen brine shrimp (emperors actually like this). The fish I have in my office tank aren't picky at all and eat whatever they see (neons, rasboras...and a brevis in a 12 gallon tank).







I'll keep treating them like I do my kid.....give them plenty of choices and let them eat what they eat.


----------



## fishboy689

Very nice 

Scary catfish


----------



## DLM

Came home yesterday and found a box from gil_ong. 

It contained these:









And these: 









I just hope they do as good in my tank as they are in his. 

Guess I'll go ahead and post yet another pic of my tank with the new additions from Gil up front on the far left, and far right of the tank (and a few more Amazon Swords in the middle):











I almost threw out all the hornwort I had...pulled it out of the trash can and wrapped it around my filter pieces though (top left and right of the tank). Some of the fish like to use it to hide when they are in the upper area of the tank....guess it doesn't look too bad just floating around in the corner. Plan on keeping it trimmed though because the stuff had gone nuts and was taking over the tank.  Still need something tall in the middle...I'm hoping the wisteria will get tall and I'll plant some more on the right to balance things out.


----------



## Guest

Your tank is beautiful! It's progressed nicely. Love it.


----------



## gil_ong

DLM, did you get any Vals from Fish on t3h OT? those things are supposed to grow up to 12 inches, so it might work well for filling in the bare spot.


----------



## DLM

Ichthius said:


> Your tank is beautiful! It's progressed nicely. Love it.



Thanks. It's been a learning experience for sure.. 




gil_ong said:


> DLM, did you get any Vals from Fish on t3h OT? those things are supposed to grow up to 12 inches, so it might work well for filling in the bare spot.


I got some, but by the time it got here it was in rough shape. Mostly brown and the tips already rotting. The pieces had nice roots so I still have hope for the small chunks that survived. Leaves are green now...just not growing. If they don't show some growth soon, I'll try putting them in a different spot with more light.


----------



## gil_ong

mine look similarly sad.

they're recovering, but aren't really growing. between the 4 vals that i received, i think i'm getting 2 new shoots. hope they hang in there and come around.


----------



## blcknwitecuban

your tank is beautiful! very nice for your first planted.


----------



## DLM

blcknwitecuban said:


> your tank is beautiful! very nice for your first planted.




Thanks. Took a new pic last night. Still haven't planted one of the potted cryps or the baby tears. We're moving next month so I figure I'll just plant them at the new home. Moving this tank is going to be a freakin' nightmare.... If I had known we were going to move 3 months ago, I wouldn't have started this tank. :lol:











The problem I'm having now is the green algae takeover... I have to clean the glass every other day, and it's starting to cover the leaves of the plants and the snails. The driftwood is practically green now...



Gil's plants are doing great (plants on far right and left of the tank). Thanks again Gil!


----------



## gil_ong

the tank looks fantastic. glad you like the plants, D.

i've recently been looking into Malaysian Trumpet Snails to help with the algae and to keep the substarte loose. haven't really looked into where to get them. let me know if you come across any.


----------



## UroStealth

I'm loving it.


----------



## weezee

wow i love your setup! the driftwood looks amazing.


----------



## oliesminis

Great setup, what are the bigger fish in the latest picture?


----------

