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It's been a while since I've set up a new aquarium. My roommate is phobic of fish, but has given me permission to set up an aquarium as long as it's in my room and she doesn't have to come in my room.

I am checking out craigslist and there are quite a few tanks in the area. I think I'm going to go for a 30-gallon one, and set it up with plants. I may spring for one of the LED light fixtures from Big Al's, since they seem to have come down to "reasonable"/"competitive" in price.

I have three "biotopes" (more or less. I'm not one of those people who narrows it down to specific tributaries) that I am interested in doing, but I'm leaning toward one specifically. I plan to plant pretty heavily, so they may sound a little overstocked. Here are my ideas, to also include region-specific plants:

South American (this is the one I'm leaning toward):
1 pair apistos (Agassizi, cacatouides, something else? not sure. Possibly Nannacara anomala)
7 small cories (probably pandas)
12 smallish tetras (probably rummynose, possibly cardinals, lemon tetras, or something else)
1 pair keyhole cichlids
10 ottos (once algae gets going)

Southeast Asian:
12 harlequin/espei rasboras or similar (pearl danios at the largest)
7 smallish barbs (cherry, or odessa or something similar)
1 dwarf gourami or pair of sparkling/licorice gouramis
6 khuli loaches
1 SAE (again, pending algae)

West African:
1 pair kribs (P. pulcher or if I could get my hands on taeniatus... that would be great)
3 upside-down cats
10 african glass catfish

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Well, I went with my roommate to meet the seller from Craigslist, and ended up taking the tank home (along with a ton of related stuff, some of which I can use, some of which is kind of ridiculous - multicolor neon gravel? mixed with polished brown pebbles... etc). When I got it home I measured it... yeah, I thought it seemed smaller than expected - it's only 20 gallons. So I'll downsize my plotting a little. For the SA tank I'll probably nix the keyholes and about 4 ottos, and downsize the tetra school a little unless I get something quite small like cardinals, for example. The african tank is the only one I feel like should be eliminated from the contention, based on lack of space.

So here's what I got with the tank and stand (all for $60! not bad...)

HOB filter (looks somewhat like a Whisper type setup with the fuzzy bag with charcoal in the middle)

Light strip (no hood or tank cover) and Aqua-Glo bulb

200W heater with some crusty stuff built up on it - this may be why the seller's fish died. I think I'll be safe and spring for a new 100W one.

Air pump and air stone

2 nets

siphon

some large seashells

anti-algae chemical (probably copper sulphate?)

empty bottle of goldfish bowl conditioner.

mostly full 8 oz bottle of Kent marine Tech M Magnesium supplement (I have no idea why she had this. She said she had "freshwater sharks" and a type of goldfish called a "Jileppy".)

small bottle/pipe brush

Multicolor neon gravel mixed with somewhat nice brown stones.

Jungle brand fish food

So I'll probably use the filter, and use the air line tubing from the air pump for a DIY CO2 rig. Get/make a glass cover and get an LED light for it. I'll definitely use the nets and siphon and pipe brush, and I think I'll pick out some rocks I like from the neon gravel. I still have a LOT of work to do!

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A southamerican plant tank sounds like JUST the thing

Don't add the otos until the plant tank is well established and you're getting a bit of green algae for them to feed on.

The Amazon Nut...

I've been busy with this so I feel a need for an update .

So far, I've cleaned the tank up quite a bit. I think I should take vinegar to the glass once more, thorougly, before I call it done. I did clean the back extra-well, and painted it black. Hopefully that will last. It looks good. I used three coats of flat black spray paint.

I've bleached the stuff I plan on using that I got on craigslist, rinsed thoroughly, and dried. Apparently the filter is made up of components from two similar Tetra filters. I think it will work ok, but the top of the filter won't fit perfectly. Oh well. I may replace it sometime, but I'm in no hurry, as long as it works (still haven't tried plugging it in).

Yesterday I went to an LFS with a friend from the area who I indirectly influenced into the hobby (I got her ex into it and he got her involved). Their fish selection is decent (and healthy!) but most of their dry goods are overpriced (no way I'm paying $35 for a 100-watt heater!), and they don't have a great selection of most things. I'm told this is the best shop in the area, which is kind of disappointing. I should have asked if they do special orders for fish, because I would be interested in that. A lot of their tanks were pretty bare, with only a few fish of any given species available. Then again they had some pretty neat fish there, like freshwater stingrays and HUGE filamentous barbs in breeding dress. I ended up coming home with a glass cover for the tank, a nitrite test, and dechlorinator.

Today after work I stopped by the local CPS, and picked up a couple pieces of mopani wood, a couple items for a DIY CO2 rig, and fish food. Their fish selection didn't look too bad either, healthwise. I might go there for tetras.

Then this evening I placed an order at aquariumplants.com for the LED lighting, substrate (I'm going to try their planted tank substrate - Amazon color), digital thermometer, heater, and liquid fertilizer (Flourish). That was enough dry goods to qualify for free shipping!

Sometime next week I'll be putting together a plant order!

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How do the following sound for plants?

Red melon swords
Echinodorus tenellus
Pennywort (Hydrocotyle)
Alternanthera reineckii
Dwarf sagittaria subulata
Bacopa myriophylloides

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I've ordered the plants yesterday.

Apparently Marineland has discontinued the 24-36" Double Bright LED, so I ended up not getting that from Aquariumplants.com (I still got other stuff from them though and am happy with it so far). I ordered one from Amazon that arrived yesterday (they still had them). The reviews on Amazon are mixed as to whether the double-bright is sufficient for plants. Since I have a tank on the smaller end of the recommended range, and I don't think any of the plants I want are too ridiculously high light-requiring, like HC or something, I think I'll be ok. If not, maybe I'll get a plant bulb for the hood I got with the tank and run both :-P The LEDs do look pretty bright though. I'm taking pictures along the way! Here it is while I was getting it filled up:



Here it is tonight, full and running, most of the cloudiness has gone away, etc:



I'll get more pictures when I get the plants in there

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I love how there are columns of light shining down into the tank ! I guess once all the sediment settles it won't look that way but it's super cool now .

Jealous of your LED's! The all glass covers do make a big difference IMO, I'd encourage fishstock purchases from the LFS over the chain, if there's a price difference they might pricematch if you mention you saw chainX was carrying fishX for whatever. Especially if the LFS is taking good care of their fish.

Hardware and drygoods usually do get a pretty hefty markup.

^_^

Today I went to my LPS that I had never been to to pick up some silicone sealant for my DIY CO2 rig. based on the name of the store, I assumed that they only carried pet supplies, no livestock. But they have freshwater fish! I'm so excited. I checked out their tanks and the fish look healthy, and a very wide variety (and some fish I don't see often), especially considering they don't have a ton of space for them. I asked the girl at the register if they do special orders, and they DO! She told me who to talk to and what day they put in the order... I'm so excited! This place is about 5 minutes away! The LFS I visited a couple weeks ago is more like 40 minutes away!

They had some beautiful and healthy bettas too, but I'm trying to focus on SA fish and plants for this tank. Maybe one of these days I'll get a bowl or small betta tank...

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Well, I've gotten my plants... about three weeks ago. I just today bothered to take a picture. I've had fish in the tank for over a week. My nitrites spiked, like they're supposed to, and stayed at 0 for three days, then I changed the water and got some fish! I started off with 7 bloodfin tetras and 3 sterbae cories (that was all the sterbaes they had, then I went back about a week later and got 3 more - unfortunately one died, so I only have a total of 12 fish). I also picked up another sword that was labelled as a "red flame sword", and was so pretty I had to have it in my tank it's sort of purple and green. I like it, although it may be hard to see in the picture (behind the driftwood). Sorry for the angle on the picture. It was hard to get one steady enough not to be terribly blurry.



The bacopa I ordered has almost all died. I think there is one stem with a little life in it. It was in pretty sad shape when I got it. All the other plants are doing well. One of the E. tenellus is dying back, but some of the others already have runners with several plantlets on them. One of the dwarf sags has a runner now too. Some of the pennywort has come loose and is floating around, but it seems pretty happy, even though I think it was grown emersed before it came to me. The Alternanthera... well, the leaves that were on it when I got it have mostly died away (probably also grown emersed). But it is putting on new leaves and hopefully it will be successful too.

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Hi Sup,
The descriptions of the plants are pretty much
normal for plants that have just been planted.
Along with the emersed and submerged conflict, they
also have to get acclimated to the conditions of their
new home and make use of what nutrients are available.
During that acclimation period, the old leaves die off,
and new roots are grown, and new (smaller) leaves/buds are
started, all this takes energy and that comes from the
plants' stored reserves. The old leaves die off as the
reserves are used and because they require more energy to
maintain. When the stems become soft and mushy, then
they are truely dead and should be removed, likewise when
the plants are unpacked they should be examined and any
black roots removed. Healthy roots are white and firm.

That one plant on the left side framed, by the arch of
the driftwood, needs to be buried in the gravel some more.
When planted the gravel should come to the crown of
the plant which is the dividing line between the roots
and the leaves. In this case much of the roots are showing.

Are you going to have the driftwood be the focal point of
the tank, or ar you going to have it just peek out through
the plants?

Looking Good!
Frank

-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Very nice!
I like that you've selected a variety of plants but still have enough of the same that it doesn't look too hodge podge.

I see what frank means on that one plant, looks like your substrate might be a little shallow in spots? How deep is it? Non green plants usually need more light, not too good on my plants but you might want to make sure that one is in the brightest part of the tank.

Love how the red on the cards shows up so well against the green of the plants

Tank photos are hard to do, drag a chair over and rest the camera on the top then slowly rock your finger over the shutter release, or if the camera can balance on the chair use the self timer.

^_^

Hi Sup,
In keeping to what Babelfish was aluding to, the picture
of your newly filled tank that shows the cones of light
from your new LED hood gives you and idea of how the light
is distributed throughout the tank. It also helps those
of us who do not have the LED hoods but are thinking of
them. The light is scattered as it travels through the
water column, and the light sources are designed to cover
the substrate completly at the bottom of the tank.

The non-red plants do demand more light to maintain their
reds or color variations in the leaves. Without the more
intense light, they will loose that coloration and, in most
cases, the leaves will just turn green. In other cases
where the light intensity is really lacking the plant could
die off. I'd move the special plants so they are directly
in the center of the LED footprint.

As far as the thickness of your substrate is concerned,
unless you have to squish (a technicial term) the plants
down to the glass and then cover them with gravel, mamy
plants will be fine. The plants will grow roots down into
the substrate to the glass and then branch out along the
glass. The "problem" is the the size of the plant and its
sails (leaves) any currents will cause the leaves to move
around in the currents and that moving will loosen the
plants causing them to come loose and rise to the surface.

Also, note that over time those "hillocks' in time
the substrate will level off and unless you put some
sort of "dam" around the areas of mounded gravel they
will disappear.
Your choices are to simply provide an over all depth
of 3-5 inches of gravel, or design a tiered system
of gravel depth and walls to hold each tier in place,
or, put the larger more demanding plants such as
that Sword, in a pot and hide the pot with
hardscape (rocks or driftwood). Another trick is to
elevate the plant, in a pot, by placing it on a rock
or stand inside the tank bringing it closer to the
surface and in the center of the cone of light, and
hide the supports with rocks or driftwood or other
plants that grow up around the stand.

Just some thoughts...

Frank

-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--