# Design and stocking of a 55g and 29g.



## sneasle (Jun 25, 2008)

_*Current fish on hand:*_

2 Angel Fish (mated pair)
1 Octo catfish algae eater (looks kinda like a flying fox, but not)
2 Swordtails (male and female, Both are a very nice bright orange)
1 Orange Platy
2 Glo Lite Tetras
1 Neon Tetra
2 Serpae Tetras
2 Buenos Aries Tetras
2 Long finned Black Skirt Tetras
1 CAE (or something very similar)

_*Current list of plants:*_

Amazon Swords
Ludwigin Repens
Dwarf Sagittaria
Wisteria
Aponogeton
Anacharis
Foxtail


*
Current stocking thoughts:*

55g:
2 Angel Fish
8 Glo Lite Tetras (and the 1 neon. I don't think the LFS will take him as he is all alone and as common as he is. And I kinda like him.)
6 Swordtails (2 male, 4 female)
6 Guppies
6 oto cat algae eaters
4-6 Zebra/polka dot Loaches.
1-3 BN plecos

29g:
7 Serpae tetras
7 Buenos Aires tetras
1 CAE
3-5 small cories
3 oto cat algae eaters

Back to the LHS:
2 Black skirts

*
Current design ideas:*

55g:










Basically what you see on the right is the big piece of wood I have, with the long tail plants I have behind it. Those same long black plants continue all around the back to the other side. Then around the tree you have the Foxtail style plants, along with the moss like stuff on the substrate. In/under the moss are more wood/rocks that make cave-ish areas. In the middle is a beach-like area section off by rocks (either a slate or rounded river rocks). the left of the tank has those long plants in the back again, with some almost as long, stringy plants in from of them, and then in front of those are more stringy plants that should be a bit shorter. In these stringy grasses will be more rocks/wood caves, along with Moss balls floating just over the grasses (yay for mine field!!). I will also have some free floating plants in the tank to provide surface cover for fishies that want it. I am hoping that this variety will provide lots of cover for any fish or fry that wants it and can get to it.

29g:
TBA


Pictures can be found here for those who want to see what I have:
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v280/sgcool195/Fish Tanks/


Update 7/2/08:

Plants I am thinking about getting for the 55g:

SWORD-Amazon-Sm 6 $2.50 $15.00
BUNCHED-Anacharis 6 $1.19 $7.14
BUNCHED-Cabomba, Purple 3 $1.98 $5.94
MISC-Java Moss 1 $2.98 $2.98
BUNCHED-Rotala Rotundifolia "Green form" 3 $1.59 $4.77
MISC-Willow Moss 1 $2.98 $2.98
MISC-Micro Sword Grass PORTION (appx. 2x2")" 2 $2.98 $5.96
POT-Hairgrass, Dwarf 1 $2.98 $2.98
MISC-Java Fern 5 $2.98 $14.90
BUNCHED-Cabomba, Green 3 $1.98 $5.94


I will continue to update this first thread as the project evolves.


----------



## sneasle (Jun 25, 2008)

The stand for the 29g came in today. I put it together and drained and moved and refilled/water changed the 29g into my room. I'll build the stand for the 55g tmrw before I head home to pick up the 70lbs of sand and gravel mom picked up for me. I should have some picks up by the weekend.

I also reorganized the plants in the 29g.. I think it looks a lot better now.. less cluttered..


----------



## Ghost Knife (Mar 12, 2008)

Everything looks good as far as your compatibility goes. I bought 4 Serpae Tetras from a local pet store a couple months ago and put them in my Semi-Aggressive as I found out they don't do well in Community tanks and they are extremely beautiful and well behaved. Sometimes they do tend to chase the Tiger Barbs, but that doesn't happen very often.


----------



## sneasle (Jun 25, 2008)

I haven't had an issue with the 2 I already have yet. They are gorgeous fish and they seem to hang out at the bottom of the tank in the plants.


----------



## Guest (Jun 27, 2008)

Serpaes don't usually behave. They are well known fin nippers which is why people put them in semi-aggressive tanks. Sometimes there are exceptions though, but usually they are fine community tank fish. They don't make good tankmates for longfinned fish though, usually.


----------



## sneasle (Jun 25, 2008)

Ya, I do beleive I Remember you mentioning that Kristin. I can see where they would be. They are a very fast fish. I had a very very hard time netting them so I could get tme out of the 29g so I could finish draining it to move it into my bedroom.

Before I moved the tank they seemed to enjoy hidding in the plants, but not so much now as when I moved the tank I planted it in a similar style to how I plan on doing th 55g and they have been more in the open since then.

I will keep an eye on them though. We will so how what happens when I up their numbers. 

Any thoughts on the order in which I should bump the school numbers? 

My plan currently is to build up the stand for the 55g tmrw and get it situted where want and then rinse and lay the sand down (I haven't placed my Dr. F&S order yet so I don't have my heaters or the layerite... I've taken the layerite ot of the order because of that, it would of spike the shipping cost anyway. I'll look for something local to replace it with). I'm not sure yet if I will fill the tank or not as I don't have the plants for it yet. I'd rather get water in it and the filters moving sooner rather then later because it will be a week or two before I can get all the fish together (and order the drift wood).

hmm.. decisons decisons....


----------



## sneasle (Jun 25, 2008)

Update:

I got the sand in today. It looks like I didn't do a good enough job rinsing it out as the water in the tank (only about 5" as of now) is very cloudy and there is still lots of sand floating... not sure what to do about that...

I got the rocks rinsed off and boiled and in the tank. I also put the huge stump like piece of wood in.... I had to cut some parts off to get it to sit right.. kinda made me sad, but I'll use those pieces elsewhere. I also had to throw a huge rock on top to weight it down. 

I haven't filled the tank up all the way yet, will do that tmrw and fight with the sand more before I cut the filters on.


I am having to change my plans a bit. The tank isn't deep enough for me to do what I want to do. It would work in a 40g breeder (I will look for one if petco puts them up for sale), but not in this 55g.

So, that being said my plans have changed to this:

I've got the stump in there. I will build a small rock area behind it. (right side of tank).

In the middle area I still plan on doing that sectioned off area, but it may not work out. It will all depend on the wood I'm ordering when I get it.

Off to the left I will build another rock area up to about mid level of the tank. Not sure how it will work out, but I will give it a shot.


I'd like some input on plants I could possibly integrate with the rocks. I like rock structures in tanks, but I don't like how plain they often look. Are their any plants what will grow on the rocks or weave in and out of the rocks?


Also, I need some input on diffusers for my co2 (Sorry JOM20, I'm going with DIY bottles.) Eventually I will go with a power head in the 55g tank, but I will hook up at least 2x 2l bottles on the 55g to begin with and one 2l on the 29g and I need to know what to use to get the gas distributed better.

edit:

Petco has some nice cory's that I think I will get. They don't have any suitable loaches (read, small enough loaches). They've also got a nice selection of swordtails as well. Their guppy stock is almost non existant right now which kinda surprised me.


----------



## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

I'd go with either guppies or swordtails, anyway, not both. A 55 looks like a big tank, but it really doesn't have all that much surface area.


----------



## sneasle (Jun 25, 2008)

Why not? The guppies tend to stick toward the top of the tank and the swordtails are more mid level.


----------



## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

I guess I tend to think of them both as top fish and I've seen swords harass guppies. I also expect the angels to hog the mid/top of half the tank, so the rest of the fish will have a smaller area. I also your think stock list is a little heavy, esp. if the livebearers start reproducing (though I'm sure the angels will eat fry, and the livebearers will eat angel eggs). Its just my opinion, and its not fair of me to judge since I don't know your filtration or water change schedule. Still, I'd rather see you go up to 8 (1m to 3f) of one kind or the other. You don't have to start with all the fish, you can add more later. Although, if you add the tetras later, the angel could decide they are live food. I think cories are a good ideas, but you need 6-8. They will love the sand.

I like your plant plan. There are plants that do best tied to rocks, I just don't know which ones.


----------



## sneasle (Jun 25, 2008)

I see your point. It is possible that once I get them in groups their behavior patters will change. I will keep a close eye on that.

The angels so far have been very very friendly, intermixing and playing with the other fish. The only time they have been hostile at all was when they layed some eggs.

Yes, the stocking is on the heavy side. I may reduce numbers if I feel the fish don't have enough room. I have no intention of attempting to raise any of the fry, and if any survive I will probably sell them off. If/When the angels lay another batch of eggs I may take the time to separate them, but I'm not worried about it at the moment.

The 29g has a single penguin 350 on it, the 55g will have two 350's. I will be ordering a python this weekend and will use that for 10-20% water changes each week, maybe more.

I am looking forward to the cories and loaches, i'm just not sure which will go in which tank. It will end up being based on which fish will grow larger and which fish prefers a larger school.

Thanks for the plan input. That list is what i already have on hand. I will be ordering some more from azgardens.com once I get some input from JOM20 on my choices.


The cories and loaches are a bit harder for me to get locally, so those will be the last to go in once I know the tank is stable.

My stocking will probably start with whichever of the fish I want that petco puts on sale first. I can usually find the glo lites, guppies, swordtails, and the ottco cats for about $1 a fish on a good day.

I am debating on if I want to add a pleco still. I foudn these guys.. they are quite nice and the price is good:

Clown Pleco Panaque Maccus a.k.a. Ringlet Pleco

Bushynose Pleco L-144A Ancistrus sp. a.k.a. Bristlenose Pleco

http://www.azgardens.com/algae_eating_plecos.php


I like these guys just cause they are cool looking. I'm not sure if they need groups or not, hopefully not . 

Hummingbird Tetra Characidium fasciatum
http://www.azgardens.com/tetras.php

I really liek this guy and I think he would be very very cool with all of my sand:

Freshwater Flounder Brachirus panoides aka Tonguefish, Freshwater Sole.

http://www.azgardens.com/misc_fish.php


azgardens has lots of nice fishies that I haven't seen local, especially their cories. They don't have much in the way of Loaches, so that kinda makes me sad. I would rather order from one place and pay one shipping charge then from several


----------



## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Bristlenose Pleco are a nice fish that don't get too large. I have had angels kill plecos when they are guarding a spawn, but that was in a smaller tank without that much in the way of hiding places. Angels have varying temperaments. I've had peaceful ones and I've got one pair that drove all the other fish in a 55 into one little corner and didn't let them out, even to eat. I don't know any thing about the other fish you mentioned. 

Have you thought about keeping the angels alone in the 29 and putting all the rest in the 55? There is a chance they would raise their own spawn in that tank. You'd have to watch for signs of "divorce" though. In a 55, an unhappy pair will just go to opposite sides.


----------



## sneasle (Jun 25, 2008)

If breeding them was my goal, then I would do that, but I don't really have the time or energy for that currently. The 29g tank is in my bedroom and the 55g is in the dining room, so I could do that with the 29g but I'd prefer to keep it a community tank.


----------



## Guest (Jun 28, 2008)

I agree, I would get the Tetras where you want them number-wise, before moving the Angels over. I know you want them to have their space, but by them already being adult size, there is a chance they'd eat small tetras. I think if the tetras are in first, there would be a better chance of them not getting eaten by angels. If you could wait a month before moving the angels over, that would give the tetras some time to grow (though a month wouldn't provide a ton of growth, of course).

Now that I look over your stocking plan for the 55g again, I think it may be better to have Swordtails and not the Guppies. I can see the Angels harrassing the Guppies since they are small and stay small. Swordtails get a nice size to where they'd have a chance against the Angels.


FYI, I've heard bad experiences of people ordering from azgardens.com.....but haven't ordered from them myself (because of that). Their shipping prices are apparently outrageous and their packaging isn't good. Just thought I'd pass that along. I understand the reasoning of wanting to order from only one place though.


----------



## sneasle (Jun 25, 2008)

Ok. hmm.. That kinda puts me in a weird spot. AZ's prices are better then liveaquaria (and the selection is better) but if I loose lots of the plants in shipments.. its not worth it.


edit: I'm really not worried about my angels guys. I know that they are a species that has the ability to get quite aggressive, but these guys are the sweetest things. heck, they even kiss my cat. 

I think they will be fine with the guppies, especially if I move the angels over last so everyone else has a chance to find their own special areas.

I'll gets some pictures posted of the new plant arrangments on the 29g and the 55g setup in a few.


edit 2:

JOM20, do you know of any moss/short plant that will grow on rocks? I figure if I can get some moss/small plant to grow on my huge rock construction it would make it more fish friendly.

Out of my stocking lists what do you think the hardiest fish is? I would like to go ahead and get something in that tank once the water clears so I can get a bio load to aid the bacteria I transfered over in the filter.


----------



## sneasle (Jun 25, 2008)

*Pictures*

The cloudy 55g:

overview









rock









the big @$$ stump being held on the bottom by my two largest rocks.









more rocks, you can also see the cloudyness in the is picture









and another shot of the rocks.











29g on it's new stand:









plant shot:









another plant shot:









and some fish pics:


----------



## sneasle (Jun 25, 2008)

Picked up 5 glo lites and 5 serpaes at petco this evening. Got them acclimated and in the tank. I'll check the levels tmrw, hopefully the bacteria will have enough load to get growing well.

Edit: the 55g had cleared up nicely by this morning. I moved a few plants over to help out as well.


----------



## Ghost Knife (Mar 12, 2008)

sneasle said:


> Picked up 5 glo lites and 5 serpaes at petco this evening. Got them acclimated and in the tank. I'll check the levels tmrw, hopefully the bacteria will have enough load to get growing well.
> 
> Edit: the 55g had cleared up nicely by this morning. I moved a few plants over to help out as well.


Serpae Tetras should not be mixed with community fish because they are semi-aggressive fish. Glo-lites can be mixed with guppies, platys, danios, cories, neon tetras, cardinal tetras, mollies, and african dwarf frogs.


----------



## sneasle (Jun 25, 2008)

Ghost Knife said:


> Serpae Tetras should not be mixed with community fish because they are semi-aggressive fish. Glo-lites can be mixed with guppies, platys, danios, cories, neon tetras, cardinal tetras, mollies, and african dwarf frogs.


I have heard many say they are aggressive, but I have yet to see any aggression from them. The 2 that are in the 29g have been nothing but friendly, no nipped fins anywhere in the tank.

The 5 that I picked up that I am using to help condition the 55g with the glo lites have been nothing but peaceful as well. Heck, they are even schooling with the glo lites (which is really cute).

If I see them acting aggressively or I start finding nipped fins I will relocate, but I am really not worried about them as they will end up in a school of 7 (assuming I don't loose any) in the tank with the buenos aires tetras, which will do a good job keeping them in line.


----------



## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

Buenos Aires tetras are notorious plant eaters, btw...Just letting you know before you put plants in with them.


----------



## sneasle (Jun 25, 2008)

I'll keep that in mind. So far the only fish that has given the plants an eye is the CAE, but he is only interested in sucking stuff off of them.


----------



## akangelfood (Jun 26, 2008)

Just want to add my .02 about the Serpaes. I'm really glad that they've been peaceful so far, but I want to add my agreement to those who say that the Serpaes are fin nippers by nature. Guppys are not the way to go with Serpaes, and I personally wouldn't put angels with them either. They do fine with many fish that do not have long flowing fins, but pretty fins are very tempting to them. They schooled with my guppys for 2 days, then they tore through 3 of them in a day flat. Every fish is different, it's true, and you may have lucked out and gotten, by some stroke of luck, friendly Serpaes.


----------



## sneasle (Jun 25, 2008)

Ok, I will keep that in mind. As I said, I'm not really worried. If you read my stocking lists they will end up with the Buenous aires tetras so I doubt there will be any issues there. They are only in the tanks they are currently while I am waiting for items to come in and for the 55g to cycle.

Once I have the 55g stocked per my list, there shouldn't be any aggression present in the tank at all. In the 29g there might be a little bit of aggression but the two schools should be able to get along reasonably well. Any aggression they serpae's have should be counter acted easily be the larger size of the Benous aires as both fish are very fast and active.


If I'm wrong on this let me know, but I think the end result will be very positive. If it will make ya'll feel better I will move the other two serpaes over to the 55g until I get ready for the final move.


----------



## akangelfood (Jun 26, 2008)

Nope, it sounds like you've put a lot of thought and planning into it, and I'm sure they'll be fine  btw, I love your rock caves, they look awesome! So many hiding spots! Looking forward to later pics as the haze settles down!


----------



## sneasle (Jun 25, 2008)

Thanks!
The haze cleared up within 24hrs. It looks pretty darn good as it is. I'll take some pics and post them tonight.

I need to figure out another way to build some caves, something for the loaches and cories (and maybe pleco?). Maybe I'll go pick up some pvc and have some fun.


----------



## sneasle (Jun 25, 2008)

Pic update:


----------



## BV77 (Jan 22, 2005)

just a thought..I hope you siliconed those rocks together in groups, They could fall and crack the glass, I'd be careful with the ones holding down the wood also. When making large rockpiles, it's a good idea to get some eggcrate material from Lowe's , Home Depot or similiar store....lay that on the bottom before you add substrate, that disperses the weight of the rocks and prevents high pressure areas from the rocks touching the glass bottom directly.


----------



## sneasle (Jun 25, 2008)

rocks are sitting on a small amount of sand for weight dispersal. This is not the final configuration. I will put a sheet of acrylic underneath them when I have a final design.


The rocks are leaning against the sides of the tank right now. The tank is a part of the structure, and it is very very secure.


----------



## sneasle (Jun 25, 2008)

OMG.. I just spent an hour trying to pull the 2 serpaes and 1 neon out of the 29g to join the other tetras in the 55g.... I ended up having to set a trap for them using my huge black net and chasing them into it with my small green net...


----------



## wifishman (Jun 25, 2008)

ahh yes the old dual net trick.... im sure it was worth the effort though


----------



## sneasle (Jun 25, 2008)

ya.. I just could not believe how quick they were, but I guess it gives credit to their overall health that they can outrun me that easily.

edit: It makes me very very glad I bought that bigger net


----------



## sneasle (Jun 25, 2008)

I just placed my order with Dr. F & S... $250 of wonderful fish supplies. Can't wait for it to get here! Hopefully we'll get some pics up by the end of the week.


----------



## wifishman (Jun 25, 2008)

nice... what you get


----------



## sneasle (Jun 25, 2008)

2 thermometers ( I like knowing temps at different depths. They shouldn't vary that much, but I still like knowing.), 25ft python (I hope thats long enough  ), 250ml of Prime, 8oz thingy of algae wafers, API freshwater master kit (I've been using dip strips, I want to compare accuracies.), Maxi-Jet 600 (for co2 diffusion), 2L flourish, 55oz of Laterite, 4 feeding rings (I like them), 12 filter cartridges for the penguin 350s, 3 super cartridge SC5's, 3 media baskets (one SC5 and one media basket for each filter so I can customize my filtration more), the DR. F&S brand filter cartridge pack (24cnt) for my filters (they were on sale, might as well ), airline holders, 50ft or airline, Dual Power center (I like the integrated timers), 40 root tabs, and a mag float for each tank (1 medium and 1 small).


----------



## wifishman (Jun 25, 2008)

thats a nice order. a 25 ft python better be long enough lol


----------



## sneasle (Jun 25, 2008)

I sure hope so. Got an order for plants getting mailed out next week along with some BN plecos. I'm slowly but surely gettign there.


----------



## wifishman (Jun 25, 2008)

alot faster than i am... i need a day off to finish everything... any new pics? and have you changed the rockwork at all?


----------



## sneasle (Jun 25, 2008)

no, not yet. I am waiting on the stump to waterlog so I can remove my big rocks from it since those will be the foundation of the assembly. I am waiting on the laterite so I can get that mixed in with the sand.


----------



## sneasle (Jun 25, 2008)

Got my stuff in today... Everything looks great, but I ran into one problem.. It looks as if somehow the heaters got bumped out of my order... So I need to make another order for my heaters.

I think I will ditch the idea of getting three of the same size and just get the appropriate sized heaters in the Stealths. I'm thinking 150W for the 29g and 250w for the 55g, that sound alright?


I ordered some trays for my penguin 350's with this and I would like some input on what media option would be good for me to have on hand for various situations. I don't expect to need to use them, but if something happens I would like to be prepared.


----------



## Chaos553 (Apr 2, 2007)

that rock structure is pretty awesome if i do say so myself. as long as they're stable enough not to be easily knocked down, your tank should hold up without cracks. 

i saw some of your pics with the serpaes being kind of blurry. it's VERY tough getting a good picture of certain tetras because of how skittish they are, believe me, getting a decent picture of neons is not as hard, but still is pretty difficult if you want a specific amount in the picture.

otherwise your tank looks stunning. i like the middle alot with the pot and the live plants. the wood on the other end is a pretty good piece as well, where did you happen to get it?


----------



## sneasle (Jun 25, 2008)

Thanks! I've always been good at building with rocks. The is a stream near my house and when I was younger I'd go out and build dams at different points.. pissed the neighbors off when it would rain .

My mom's side of the family is from Germany and every 2 years they have family reunions. We try to make it every 4 to 6 years and the last one we made we had it up in the mountains. The cabins we were in didn't have fridges so we had to find places to store the drinks. Well, there was a little steam that ran right by it, but it wasn't deep enough so I took 2 hrs and built a dam that raised the water level in that steam by about 2ft. Needless to say the drinks were nice and cold!

Ya, my serpaes are fast as he11. It's almost scary. I think the CAE is faster when he wants to move.

Wait till I am done with these tanks. I plan on making TOTM and several POTM submissions once I am done.

The wood came from the lady I bought the tank from. Not sure what kind it is, but it is huge. Sadly, it hasn't water logged yet..


Any comments on heater and media choices?


----------



## sneasle (Jun 25, 2008)

Umm.. it looks like my angels laid another batch of eggs.. and these look like they survived... I am seeing eggs with tails stuck to a leaf trying to swim away.............

oh boy....

so... what do I need to add to my DR F & S order to take care of them?


----------



## COM (Mar 15, 2008)

I would order a breeder net to keep the fry in if you want them in that tank and some food designed for babies, like Hikari First Bites. I also feed my fry Cyclop-eeze, recommended by TheOldSalt. Good stuff.

It's always best to get two smaller heaters rather than one big one. That way, in case of failure, there won't be enough wattage to boil the tank. I only have one on each of my tanks but if I were to do a bigger tank (like a 55) I'd get two smaller ones.

I like the pictures of the tank. It looks to be shaping up nicely. Do you plan on keeping all the rocks on that one side?


----------



## sneasle (Jun 25, 2008)

What kind of breeder net do you recommend? I don't find anything from Dr F & S that looks like a breeder net..

Thanks for the food input, I'll check it out and see if I can find it.

Ok, on the heater idea. That's kinda what I was thinking of originally.

I'm not sure on that yet. I'm going to mix in the laterite tonight in the 55g and do a bit of rearranging, so we will see what it looks like in a few hours.


----------



## sneasle (Jun 25, 2008)

Updated stocking lists:

55g:
2 Angel Fish
8 Glo Lite Tetras (and the 1 neon)
6 Swordtails (2 male, 4 female)
6 Guppies
6 oto cat algae eaters
6 Hillstream Loaches.
4 BN plecos

29g:
7 Serpae tetras
5 Buenos Aires tetras
1 CAE
3-5 small cories
3 oto cat algae eaters
3 BN Pleco's

2 Black skirts: wherever they seem to prefer to be.


----------



## COM (Mar 15, 2008)

http://www.bigalsonline.com/StoreCatalog/ctl3684/cp18269/si1380182/cl1/lees_net_breederfinesmall?&query=breeder+net&queryType=0&offset=

That breeder net should do fine. I always buy from Big Al's because since they ship from 25 miles from my house I get my stuff tomorrow.


----------



## sneasle (Jun 25, 2008)

Thanks COM. I ordered something from DR F& S. Lets see if I like it and we will go from there.


----------



## sneasle (Jun 25, 2008)

Well, my angels have laid another batch of eggs... this is set number 3..


but.. I've had to separate the fishes because mr. male angel has been beating the crap out of mrs. female angel..

She is all alone in the tank with the CAE at the moment. I dosed it with stresscoat... I hope she will be ok.


----------



## sneasle (Jun 25, 2008)

Ok.. it is now ~2:30 am saturday morning. I started redoing my tank about 7pm friday night, and I am just now finishing....


I am so tired....


Pics to follow when I wake up. I hope I still like the look in the morning :/


----------



## justintrask (Jun 29, 2008)

I'm excitedd!!!!


----------



## sneasle (Jun 25, 2008)

UPDATES!!!!!

55g pics:
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v280/sgcool195/Fish Tanks/55g Aug 9th 2008/


29g pics:
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v280/sgcool195/Fish Tanks/29g Aug 9th 2008/


----------



## sneasle (Jun 25, 2008)

*55g Pics*

55g overview










big hunk o wood





































rock pile









































































Happy angel










PLECO!










RAVER! (we named the neon)










Pleco on wood!










Swordtail/platy










random fishies:


----------



## sneasle (Jun 25, 2008)

*29G pics*


29g overview:



















Caves:




























Random pics


----------



## RSidetrack (Dec 31, 2007)

I notice on a picture you have the top air intake on your filter shut (I have the same kind of filter) - should this be shut? I have mine half way open figuring it would filter two layers of water then, maybe I am wrong.

BTW Lovely Aquariums and great fish!


----------



## sneasle (Jun 25, 2008)

I vary whether I keep them open, partially open, or closed. I find that those middle level ones tend to get more gunky then the bottom intakes. (Like when my surface plants flow into the filter output and get pushed under the surface right into that mid level input.)

I also vary how I have them open based on how I want the water in the tank to flow.

It doesn't need to be open as you can run these filters without the extension per the manuals, so I don't worry about damaging it if I need to keep it closed


----------



## Blue Cray (Oct 19, 2007)

I really like the 55g sneasle its great but the blue gravel just doesnt work in it IMO but other than that it really looks great.


----------



## Ghosty (Aug 4, 2008)

Nice tanks, I really like your set-ups.


----------



## sneasle (Jun 25, 2008)

Blue Cray said:


> I really like the 55g sneasle its great but the blue gravel just doesnt work in it IMO but other than that it really looks great.



What! Blue Cray doesn't like blue sand? 

What happened is I needed 60+ lbs of sand, and the place only had 40 or so of black.. so I had to get the blue to make up the difference. So by weight, there isn't a lot of blue in there, a 3to1 black to blue ratio total, but the blue stands out so much it's crazy.

I may change it one day, but it won't be in the near future.


----------



## sneasle (Jun 25, 2008)

Ghosty said:


> Nice tanks, I really like your set-ups.



Thanks Ghosty


----------



## sneasle (Jun 25, 2008)

OMG! We have angel fry!

The last batch of eggs they laid I threw some of them in the spare 5g I was cycling with a few guppies. Well, I went to clean it this week and pulled the moss out and three small fry darted out of the moss.

So cute...


----------

