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had problems with computer, power surge burnt out my power box. now it's fixed i can post the lighter pictures.

[link=close up]http://img45.photobucket.com/albums/v138/shekoi/My setups/new_tank_006.jpg[/link]
[link=close up 2]http://img45.photobucket.com/albums/v138/shekoi/My setups/new_tank_005.jpg[/link]
[link=whole tank view]http://img45.photobucket.com/albums/v138/shekoi/My setups/new_tank_003.jpg[/link]



www.blooming-brilliant.co.uk

Wow, looking even better now. The daylight bulb is really bringing out the color of both the plants and fish. You can see the gorgeous color on the harlequins now.
Thought you might be pleasantly surprised.

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Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

just put my second bulb in, it looks so much brighter.

i've posted some pictures taken with he new bulb in and the room light off. the photos posted above are without bulb and room light on. does it look better?

couldn't find the bulb in any diy shop etc so ended up getting one from lfs cost 16, never mind. it's a life-glo 25W 6700K
[link=new pics 45g]http://img45.photobucket.com/albums/v138/shekoi/My setups/Pond_041.jpg[/link]
[link=new pics]http://img45.photobucket.com/albums/v138/shekoi/My setups/Pond_040.jpg[/link]




www.blooming-brilliant.co.uk

i've put in three crypts, i've gone for beckettii and petchii, even though look the same to me!!]

the beckettii is next to my java fern right-hand side of the tank in front the rock, two petchii on left side in the corner.

i haven't got second bulb yet, just the power connection, the buld will be in tommorrow.

pictures aren't that good,
[link=45g almost complete]http://img45.photobucket.com/albums/v138/shekoi/My setups/Pond_039.jpg[/link]
[link=45]http://img45.photobucket.com/albums/v138/shekoi/My setups/Pond_038.jpg[/link]
[link=45g]http://img45.photobucket.com/albums/v138/shekoi/My setups/Pond_037.jpg[/link]

i'm aquascapping my new 15 gallon tommorrow so i'll post pictures of how that ends up, thinking along lines of large bog wood and java ferns, anubias etc.




[span class="edited"][Edited by shekoi 2004-07-24 12:16][/span]

[span class="edited"][Edited by shekoi 2004-07-24 12:28][/span]

www.blooming-brilliant.co.uk

Shekoi,
Just a comment on the bulbs...bensaf is exactly right on the Daylight...however alot of times, here in the states anyway, they're not marked. If you find some that are "daylight" or "daylight deluxe" or even "sunlight" but don't report a Kelvin or K number, write down the manufacturer, and check their website . That how I ended up paying under $4US for each of my 20w tubes. I did the DIY dealybit with a dual light fixture.

^_^

great tank you have there bensaf, thats sort of what i'm after.

i'll go DIY place later see what i can pick up, now just have to find out how to rewire the light fitings.

i'll post new picture once i've got my crypts and new bulb in.

thanks again.

www.blooming-brilliant.co.uk

Ok understand now. Yeah, that will be fine. The great thing about the flourescents is use a lot less power than the normal screw in bulbs. That's why they are not as hot you can run 2 on one socket no problem.

Yes, if you want you can have one daylight bulb and one gro lux bulb no problem. Really the gro lux are a bit overpriced and as I say the daylight will be just as good for plants but much better for actually looking at the tank and making things look more colorful and realistic. So a lot of people run a mixture , one for the extra plant benefit and the other to also make the tank look better.

BTW, no need to get the daylight from LFS. Just go to any shop hardware store and any normal flourescent, Philips, Osram, GE whatever. Fraction of the price you'll pay in LFS. Just make sure it's marked "daylight" and has a color temperature of between 6000K to 7000K. This will all be marked on the box. Don't get "cool white" or anything else, useless for plants and will make your tank look an ugly yellow.

No problem on the help. I've been thru all this myself before and had a lot of help from the members so I'm just passing it along.

If your interested you can see what my own tank ended up like here:http://www.fishprofiles.com/interactive/forums/thread.asp?id=43134

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Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

What kind of bulb have you got now? Flourescent Tube, Power Compact or those twisty compact bulbs that screw in ? I'd imagine a double connection would be Ok.

i have the long flourescent tube, the connection that goes on either end, i've seen double ones,i was wondering if wiring one of these double sockets in replacement of my single socket would work, or am i over working the fuse/power box?

thanks for all your help bensaf, i'm going to a new LFS on saturday so i'll look for the daylight bulbs! and are you saying i should run the bulb i have now with one of the daylight bulbs??

www.blooming-brilliant.co.uk

If you can afford it yes definately get a second bulb. Not sure of the connections you are talking about. What kind of bulb have you got now? Flourescent Tube, Power Compact or those twisty compact bulbs that screw in ? I'd imagine a double connection would be Ok.

would making it brighter affect the fish or temperature?
Should have no effect on the fish, remember most people who have planted tanks run hundreds of watts with no harm to the fish (I have 144watts). If you are concerned you can have some foating plants to provide a shady spot. Increase temperature depends on the bulb. Incandescent bulbs will definately increase the temp and are lousy for plants anyway. Any kind of flourescent or power compact run a lot cooler and will only raise your temperature very slightly should be no bother for the fish.

and would adding the extra light cause the plants i have now, any problems, or would they just grow even better?

Light is the life source of plants so providing more will not harm them. So yes they will grow better and healthier.There is a risk with additional light of getting algae issues. But even with an extra bulb you are still only at 1WPG which is still low light so algae shouldn't be a major problem.

The plants you have at the moment are all low light (and if you go with Crypts) and should all do well at 1WPG. Only go for even more light if you intend to get plants that need it otherwise a waste of money.

One other thing, the gro lux bulbs while they are good for plant growth are in a spectrum that the human eye can't really see so your tank will look dark. A ordinary "daylight" bulb will be just as good for the plants but it will look a brighter to your eye and will make the tank and fish look more colorful and pleasing to the eye. Any daylight bulb of about 6500K color temp (should be marked on the packet) will do, why not stick one in and see - I think you will be very pleasantly surprised. Later if you get a second fixture you can mix the daylight and gro lux bulb if you like.

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Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

should i get a second bulb then? i've seen the double conections you can get, will one of these connected to my power outlet work, or would i have to get a new setup to take 2 bulbs?

would making it brighter affect the fish or temperature?

and would adding the extra light cause the plants i have now, any problems, or would they just grow even better?

[span class="edited"][Edited by shekoi 2004-07-21 09:04][/span]

www.blooming-brilliant.co.uk

i have a sun-glo 25W 30" bulb, should i get something else?[/qoute]

Nothing wrong with the bulb per se you just need more of them ! Actually plain old "Daylight" (not cool white) would do just as well and be a lot cheaper (make your tank look brighter too).

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Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

I mean the number of leaves the only ones I can find here usually only have about 3 leaves and are very young and small

the ones i had only came with about 4 leaves each, they have grown quickly, i can see about 2 new leaves coming on each plant now.

For red stemplants you really need decent lighting to get away with growing them and I don't think you've mentioned what lighting you have

i have a sun-glo 25W 30" bulb, should i get something else?

i'll look out for the plants mentioned, thanks alot everyone

www.blooming-brilliant.co.uk

Shekoi,

For red stemplants you really need decent lighting to get away with growing them and I don't think you've mentioned what lighting you have. Certainly 2-3 WPG is the minimum, even then you may find that while the plant grows it will only throw out new leaves that are green which kind of defeats the purpose.

But the good news is that you can still have some red with out too much light, just keep away from the stem ones.

A lot of crypts have red coloration variants. Wendtii, Becketii would suit the front of your tank. Crytps tend to grow in thick groves and don't get that tall my own Wendtii get to about 5 inches. Balansae is a taller thinner crypt and get quite tall but takes some time to do so.

Other possibilities are: red Ozelot Sword - would make a nice centrepiece doesn't need too much light. Or Red Tiger Lotus again fairly easy not very demanding on light. These plants would give you a dash of red and would be in line with the look of your tank.

Btw , by the Anubias being big, I mean the number of leaves the only ones I can find here usually only have about 3 leaves and are very young and small.

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Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

if so any easy to grow red plants know of??

Red does always make a rather striking (IMO) contrast. I've had really good success with red temple plant, Alternathera reinekii v. "Rosaefolia" . Plant sucess does depend on your water parameters so I'd suggest looking it up on tropica and check it's requirements against your set up.
HTH a bit .

^_^



[/font]

Great Anubias wish I could find some that big.

i was told they are dwarf anubias, but if you think they are big, i might have the giant anubias, anyway it's growing really well in my tank, hopefully they will cover the rock stucture.

It's got a nice dark natural feel to it and some crypts would keep with the mood

any crypts? i've seen a few differnt types.
how big do the crypts grow??

To be honest if your getting Tenellus for a lawn effect I don't think I'd bother

i agree with not having lawn affect, i just want some small plants in the front, it looks to heavy in plants at the back, want to balance out.

do you think i should add some red plant colour? if so any easy to grow red plants know of??


[span class="edited"][Edited by shekoi 2004-07-20 10:10][/span]

www.blooming-brilliant.co.uk

Nice work Shekoi, looking much much better.
Great Anubias wish I could find some that big.

To be honest if your getting Tenellus for a lawn effect I don't think I'd bother. I think some Crypts at the front would suit the tank better. It's got a nice dark natural feel to it and some crypts would keep with the mood and as an added bonus you'd have a really great looking tank AND a low maintenence one.Just my opinion.

Keep up with the pics

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Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

first of is my tank around 45 ukgallon, told it was 35 then 45. it's 36x15x21 inches.

reight i'm thinking of changing my tank around. being a tall tank it looks odd having low objects, i have tall grasses but thats it.

45g

i would like a mix between a planted and rock tank. i've seen these on the net, mix of this would be nice,

http://img45.photobucket.com/albums/v138/shekoi/ideas/2a940fd9.jpg

http://img45.photobucket.com/albums/v138/shekoi/ideas/7d24d6a9.jpg

http://img45.photobucket.com/albums/v138/shekoi/ideas/382cfc57.jpg

what do you think? any ideas??

i also want to do part gravel part sand, any ideas how to do this??




[span class="edited"][Edited by shekoi 2004-07-17 03:08][/span]

www.blooming-brilliant.co.uk

should i leave the light off for awhile to help them?

Yes. I always leave the light off when transfering, or after such a major disruption such as a complete makeover of the tank, just gives a chance for the fish to settle a bit. Additionally I try to keep the room as dark as possible as the outside the tank lights sometimes upset fish.

"should enter it into the aquascaping contest " How?????

Aquascaping Contest Announcements

Yes it's still in the planning stages, it is moving forward and I hope to be able to make a post shortly with exact deadline info as well as a modified contest rules

~YFB

^_^



[span class="edited"][Edited by Babelfish 2004-07-19 10:35][/span]

could find any e.tenellus yet.

i got a couple spathyllum for the back, should look good when bush out and grow taller.

should enter it into the aquascaping contest

How?????

from what I can see, photo very dark did you have the tank light on?).

light was on, just room dark, it was 22.30 and raining outside making it even darker. i'll take one now and see if any better.



www.blooming-brilliant.co.uk

Good job, looking much better (from what I can see, photo very dark did you have the tank light on?).

The cloudiness should settle in a day or so. Gourami's do change color when stressed, so it's probably just from the moving.

6 hrs to do. Don't you hate how long it takes to re-do a tank. I start to give mine a ten minute prune and tidy up and before you know it 3 hours have gone by.

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Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.