# 20g long planted tank (formerly a 10g)



## Guest (Oct 11, 2007)

I setup my 10g planted tank today. This will be home to my 10 Celestial Pearl Danios and eventually some Red Cherry Shrimp.

Specs: 
10g AGA tank
AGA incandescent hood with 2 20w compact fluorescent bulbs
ADA Aquasoil Amazonia (2x 3L bags)
Pressurized CO2
Cheapo HOB filter

Here are the setup pictures:









Bag of Aquasoil








Just Aquasoil








Filling up








Full and ready for plants

My plant order will be here tomorrow, so I'll post pictures after its planted.


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## Guest (Oct 11, 2007)

Can't wait! Looks good so far Kristin!
I love that substrate. Looks very nice.


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## FinnFan (Aug 28, 2007)

Very cool substrate. Looking forward to seeing the rest of the setup!


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## Guest (Oct 11, 2007)

looks awsome...I can't wait to see it.


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## Guest (Oct 11, 2007)

Thanks!

The tank got really cloudy last night. Aquasoil gives off alot of ammonia in the beginning. I will be doing a 50% water change before planting tonight. I checked the ammonia last night and it was 4ppm! Definitely not safe to add fish right away.  I squeezed some established filter media into the tank and will be doing this again before moving fish over (if the ammonia is 0). Usually with daily water changes, the ammonia will be gone in a short time....looks like I have some work ahead of me. 

More pictures will come tonight after planting.


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

Time really flies.....

I remember just a few short years ago when We had to group order ADA products and they took a month+ to get here (came by boat). Now Many more stores are in the us are carrying the stuff (Larger cities mostly). Good stuff but has its drawbacks (like the high release of Nh3 in the beginning). Great grain size and weight (if a bit light). Look forward to seeing this one when its done!


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## Guest (Oct 11, 2007)

They have a new Aquasoil now as well, called Aquasoil Amazonia II. It supposedly doesn't release as much NH3 in the beginning. They nutrient mixture ratio is supposedly different than AS I. I tried to order it, but they were out, so I settled for the regular kind.



> So this time Aqua Design Amano introduced "Aqua Soil-Amazonia II", a new Amazonia type substrate, produced with different black soil mixture ratio, preventing water coloring or cloudiness. As the base color or plant growing pattern is different from existing lines, we continuously market Aqua Soil Amazonia. Please select according to your needs and preference. But if your base water* is alkaline, we recommend to use Amazonia II.


From http://www.adgshop.com.

I wish I could find this locally. I would have it in more tanks.  The shipping costs for multiple larger bags is too much though, since the places I've ordered from are in California (and I'm in AL). I love the grain size. I have not used the regular size AS before, only tried the powder form (very messy). I may have found a new favorite substrate.


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

I know they carry it in Texas also as well as a few eastern states. A little digging might save you on shipping. Alas for us Midwesterners, there is no such luxury.


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## Guest (Oct 12, 2007)

My plants arrived today! They were waiting on me when I got home from work.

I got:

HC
Dwarf Hairgrass
Anubias nana 'petite'
Rotala rotundifolia
Ludwigia arcuata
Singapore moss

Here is the tank now:









I added some Riccia mats I've been growing out and a few stems of Pogostemon stellatus.

The Ludwigia arcuata was grown emersed, so I will have to wait until those leaves turn into the submerged form for it to look nice. 

I plan to find something smaller to weigh the riccia down (rocks are just temporary). I will fire up my CO2 hopefully tomorrow....had to find airline to reach the tank, since my CO2 tank is in the adjoining room. Hopefully with a daily water change the next few days the tank will clear up.

Updates will come!


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## Guest (Oct 14, 2007)

Looking good, Kristin!  Can't wait to see it finished and grown in.


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## Guest (Oct 18, 2007)

Its been almost a week, so here are some new pics:


























new rotala growth (and pearling)









P. stellata









HC and Riccia


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## shade2dope (Jan 21, 2007)

Looking very nice cant wait till i get more info to do a planted !!!!!!!!!!!


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## Guest (Oct 21, 2007)

Not much change, but I took more pictures, so here they are:



























Rotala growth


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## Guest (Nov 2, 2007)

New growth....especially from the Riccia. 

New pics:









(excuse the little bit of algae on the glass......haven't gotten to that yet)

















Riccia pearling:

















Fish pics (they are really shy....some of the pics are really blurry):


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## Osiris (Jan 18, 2005)

wow awesome Kristin. Could get a pic of the CO2 system you are injecting into the tank..


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## Guest (Nov 3, 2007)

Looks awesome! 

I love the fish. They're so adorable.


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## Dr_House (Aug 15, 2006)

Wow, Kristin. You are an aquascaping genius with live plants. I love the pearl danios (I can't for the life of me remember if that's what those are called), too. Great choice.


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## Ice Prince (Jun 15, 2007)

wow looks awsome. the riccia looks real cool. all the plants have gotten alot of growth.


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## Guest (Nov 3, 2007)

Thanks everyone! I really appreciate the comments.



Osiris said:


> wow awesome Kristin. Could get a pic of the CO2 system you are injecting into the tank..


Yep, sure can.  I'll take one today and post it.



Dr_House said:


> I love the pearl danios (I can't for the life of me remember if that's what those are called), too.


You are right. They are calling them Celestial Pearl Danios now (used to be Galaxy Rasboras), but its easier to just say Pearl Danios.


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## Guest (Nov 3, 2007)

Here is my CO2 setup, for those interested:

Consists of
20lb CO2 tank
Regulator with solenoid from here
Manifold so I can supply CO2 to more than 1 tank
Brass check valves

(I purchased the regulator w/ solenoid, manifold, tubing, needle valves, and check valves from the site above)

Pics:
















co2 tank between my malawi tank and the 29g table(excuse the mess)








regulator








manifold with needle valves (the brass thing)...has 3 holes for supplying 3 tanks








in-line needle valve going to the 10g (which is in the next room)








homemade bubble counter for the 10g (so i can tell how many bubbles per second i'm getting)

And thats about it. I have a powerhead diffusing CO2 into the 29g, a glass diffusor into the 10g and a limewood airstone into the 5.5g.


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## Vinny (Aug 1, 2007)

I love the Riccia mats, Kristin.... they are gorgeous! Some RCS would make a super display in there..... you need to get some! 

Can't wait to see it fill in, hehe.


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## Chaos553 (Apr 2, 2007)

that looks absolutely amazing! i need to start doing something cool like that =D


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## Guest (Nov 15, 2007)

Thanks! Unfortunately, the Riccia mats came loose and the Riccia floated up, so I have to fix that. I will post more pics after that is done, though.


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## Chaos553 (Apr 2, 2007)

what is that riccia plant specifically called? im planning on getting some for a 10g tank i plan on redoing for planted purposed sometime in the future. any requirements or maintenance i should know about?

sorry to get off topic =/


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## Guest (Nov 16, 2007)

Its usually just called Riccia. The whole name is Riccia fluitans.

It prefers higher light and co2, but will grow in medium light without co2, just grows slower and not as compact. It doesn't root, so you'll have attach it to something. I used plastic mesh, that people use for needlework crafts. I put 2 squares together and went around the edges with fishing line. I call it Riccia sandwiches because thats what it kind of looks like.  The Riccia will grow through the small holes. I let mine get too tall and should have trimmed it sooner. I think the weight of it getting taller made part of it come loose and float up from the plastic.

Another option is using a hair net and putting it around some Riccia on a rock. Thats what I'm going to try next. The sandwich thing works, but I'm wondering if the hair net might stay longer. Fishing line won't work because the pieces of Riccia are small, so some will eventually come off.


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## Chaos553 (Apr 2, 2007)

Awesome! Time to experiment. =P Thanks!


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## Guest (Nov 23, 2007)

Here is an updated pic:








The arrow is pointing to 2 CPDs.  I hope to get better pics of them when I get a better camera. 

I netted the Riccia to rocks now, so hopefully it will stay. I'm going to trim it this time when it gets tallish.

The color of the pic isn't great, but the tank does look reddish. I have come to hate the bulbs in there. 

I have a 55w kit lying around (was for another tank that isn't going to be planted now), so I'm going to attempt to make a plywood box/housing for it and put it over the 10g. The bulb is 7800K I believe, so should be better for me to look at. 

I'll post updated pics tomorrow after I scrub the algae, trim a bit, and change the lighting.


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## Dr_House (Aug 15, 2006)

You've got some great growth in there, Kristin. The tank is looking great. Keep us posted!


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## Ice Prince (Jun 15, 2007)

wow looks good with all that growth that you got. cpd's? explain what those are.


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## Guest (Nov 24, 2007)

Thanks everyone!

CPDs=Celestial Pearl Danios.......easier to type CPD.  (Not my pic.....) In my pic of the tank, above, the arrow is pointing to 2 of them. They are small though, about 1/2" to 3/4". The pic quality isn't good either.

http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Fishindx/celestial_pearl_danio.htm

These are the fish I have in the tank. They do a good bit of hiding when I'm near the tank though.


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## Ice Prince (Jun 15, 2007)

oh ok lol.


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## Guest (Dec 9, 2007)

I still haven't made an enclosure for my 55w kit, but plan on doing that tomorrow or sometime this week. I'll take some pics of the tank whenever I upgrade the lighting.

Half of my hood started acting up a couple weeks ago......so I tried unscrewing the bulb and screwing it back in....and it was actually the bulb. So, I had to put in a 10w bulb I had laying around, as the Walmart here doesn't carry the bulbs I was using anymore. Yet another reason to upgrade, but I just haven't had the time or help to build the enclosure yet.

The HC isn't looking good.....but hopefully the increase in lighting will make it perk up again. The Rotala and Ludwigia are growing nicely though.

I took the dwarf hairgrass out and moved it to my 5.5g tank. I replaced it with Blyxa japonica which was just surviving in the 5.5g amongst all the algae, so hopefully it will liven up in more light and co2. Hopefully. 

Pics will come soon!


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## Guest (Dec 16, 2007)

Hehe...I love the trademark, Beki! 

Well I finally got the enclosure done. My mom actually built it (I supervised). I painted it. And today we finally put in the AH supply compact fluorescent kit.

Here are pics:








unfinished box









after a coat of primer









painted









the ballast mounted inside









endcap

I need to trim the plants before I take a tank pic. I'm hoping the increase in light will help my HC (foreground plant) out.....its getting thin.


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## Guest (Dec 17, 2007)

Trimmed today, so I took some pics:










If you're wondering, the red plant in the back is Rotala macrandra 'narrow leaf'. I am just growing it in here until my 40g is setup and ready. I may keep a few stems, if it grows pretty fast......or might add some back later. But, for now the plan is just to keep it in the 10g temporarily.









Rotala pearling a bit









Anubias nana 'petite' is growing, slowly.....has a little algae on it and some food :/

And, one of the newer inhabitants:








Amano shrimp

I added 5 Amanos, but I usually only see 2 at any given time, so hopefully they're all still in there.


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## Chaos553 (Apr 2, 2007)

well at least your anubias is growing faster than mine =/ sadly lol


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## oliesminis (May 7, 2007)

nice tank great setup


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## Guest (Jan 18, 2008)

I haven't updated in awhile...shame on me! :chair: I will be trimming the tank tomorrow (or today... ), so I'll add some pics after that. The tank looks like a jungle right now, so that is why I haven't updated just yet. It has grown in alot since the last pics were posted (of course...it's been a month!).

Changes: I added 10 juvenile Red Cherry Shrimp to the tank.  I'll have to get some pics of them tomorrow after I scrape off the green spot algae.


I will be upgrading this tank to a 20 long next week! I decided to switch this tank and my future shell dweller tank because the Danios really need more room than they have. The shellies should be fine in a 10g, so I'm moving things around.

Pics tomorrow!


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## Guest (Jan 22, 2008)

I still need to take a full tank pic after trimming.......but here are a few pics until then. 

I found something in the tank the other day:








It's a Celestial Pearl Danio fry!!! I just hope it lives...

Here is a pic to see just how tiny it is:








It's about 2mm or so in size.....really tiny.

I also got a semi-decent pic of one of my Cherries. They are coloring up nicely. 









More to come! I'll be moving them all to the 20 long probably tomorrow!


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## Guest (Jan 22, 2008)

NOO!! 

I'm at school...so I have to wait till I get home to see him....

Congrats!!!!!!!!

what's his name :lol:


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## Guest (Jan 22, 2008)

His name is.......Lucky.....because he's lucky he didn't get eaten by the adults. 

And if he lives, he's lucky....hehe. I fed some frozen baby brine shrimp (stinky!) last night and its small enough for him to eat, though I didn't see him eating it. So, we'll see....

I'm going to crush up some NLS grow pellets and make them into powder, so hopefully he can eat that as well.


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## Guest (Jan 22, 2008)

he's sooooooooooo cute!!!

Name him Alfonzo...he looks like an Alfonzo...not a Lucky:lol:

he's adorable...How'd you find him? Find anymore yet?


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## Guest (Jan 22, 2008)

I just happened to be looking at the tank from the top.....because thats the only way I can see my CPDs when I'm near the tank  and I saw something TINY move.....and turned out to be Alfonzo-Lucky. 

I haven't really looked for more, but I'll be moving everyone tomorrow, so maybe I'll see more of them. CPDs are egg eaters (like most egg laying fish), so I'm really surprised he hatched.


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## Guest (Jan 22, 2008)

Congrats on the fry!  That's wonderful. Nice pics. Can't wait to see the tank.


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## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

I have watched my Zebra Danios spawn and then mow the gravel for the eggs. Mostly I am happy about that, with how prolific they are if they did not eat the young I would be spilling over. 

Goodluck finding more CPDs, they are really cuuuutteee  Congratulations


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## Guest (Jan 27, 2008)

Well it's done! The 10g CPD tank is officially a 20 long now. 


Pics:








full tank

The open area to the right will be filled with HC soon. 









plant mound closeup









Cherry Shrimp

More to come later.


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## Guest (Jan 27, 2008)

Very nice  No surprises there. I bet the shrimp love it.


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## iluvcories07 (Jun 18, 2007)

Kristin,
I'm impressed with your setup, and even more impressed with your pictures! Please share what kind of camera you use. I use a Kodak C653 in closeup mode with my balloon mollies, but my pictures are nothing compared to yours! Looking forward to more of your fry pics---hopefully soon! :fish:


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## Guest (Jan 28, 2008)

Thanks iluvcories!

My camera is a Canon Powershot S5IS. I'm still getting used to it and sometimes the colors aren't exactly right, but they are close.  For the closeups I use the macro mode.


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