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So, I thought I would post pictures of what my tank looks like pre-fish, since I just lost all the fish I had, and I am now in the process of fixing the problems that caused me to lose the fish in the first place.

Anyway, these are the pictures of my tank:









Sorry that these are not better quality. I took these with my camera phone. I am very proud of this tank. It is the biggest one I have ever had. My previous tank was 20 gallon. I did keep two bala sharks, five tiger barbs, a beautiful beta, and a cute little cory catfish in it (the 20 gallon). They mostly got along except for the tiger barbs and the beta. That was interesting to watch. The tiger barbs stayed at the rear left of the tank behind some plants, and the beta stayed at the front right side, and every so often the smallest of the tiger barbs would swim to the beta\'s side and pick a fight with the beta by annoying him. The beta (I really thought betas were a bit brighter than this) would chase the tiger barb to the far left side of the tank where the rest of the tiger barbs lay waiting to ambush the beta. There would be a giant scuffle and the beta would eventually re-emerge, none the worse for wear, and swim back to his side, where within five minutes the same little tiger barb would swim back over to the beta...

Yeah...

Anyway, so I now have this 37 gallon and I am eager to get cool new fish as soon as I can!


Um, can anyone please tell me why \\ keep embedding itself when I use the apostrophes???? This is rather annoying. Thanks!

OK, I've got two sets of photos. One set is of the fish from my first attempt, and the second set is some pictures I took just a while ago after getting the tank re-set up. I am really pleased with how everything turned out!


Set 1:





So, that's some of the pictures of my fish from the first attempt.


Set 2:







So, that's what the tank looks like with the new decorations and plants in it. I really hope that's enough plants and gives enough density and coverage. I also really like the way the log looks between the two dragons.

Comments? Please?

You've done a nice job Delenn. Very clean looking. Places to hide, but also plenty of swimming room.

Looking forward to seeing it when it's ready for your fish.

Cheers
TW

Nice tank, not sure about the betta though, he looks a little lost in such a large tank!

Thank you very much TW and Mez!

I've actually added more plants since the second set of pics, and I moved that "log". I even bought two more short plants to form a new clumping group (and I'm thinking of getting yet another tall plant for the back wall, even though I just bought a tall plant. I just feel that the back corner of plant clumps needs more). I want to make sure they have lots of places to feel comfortable. The log now rests on an angle against a thin piece of something called "wonder rock" and it forms an almost cave-like appearance. I have a piece of black slate beneath it to form a kind of smooth "floor" and I'm planning to get another small piece of slate to act as a "wall" so that it's like a mini-cave. The fish will still be able to swim up into the log from beneath because there are holes in the log, and the "wonder rock" has a hole in it as well, so they'll be able to swim through there too. In spite of all the plants I added, there is still PLENTY of open swimming space. I am amazed at how much I have been able to "cram" into that tank in the way of plants and decorations, and it still looks big and open, lol.

Anyway, thank you very much. I feel reassured now that I've done a good job setting up the tank.

And Mez, unfortunately the betta (along with the other fish that were in the tank) died about six/seven weeks ago due to fin and tail rot (initially they got ich which the betta did die of, but I managed to clear that up in the other fish only to have them die of fin and tail rot), so the tank is currently empty. Once the tank finishes cycling (god I hope it happens SOON!!!!!) I'll be adding new fish.

And yes, I will definitely post new pics if the tank ever finishes cylcling and I can get new fish in there.

I'm planning for:

3 gold longfin danios (these will be the "test" fish. Once the tank has cycled, these will go in and if they survive, then I will get the following: )
3 dwarf honey sunset gouramis
3 German Blue Rams (or 2 Bolivian Rams. I keep going back and forth between these two)
2 dwarf African frogs
2 Kuhlii loaches

I also recently added ten more bags of the decorative stones to the tank. It really made all the difference in the world! All of my plants FINALLY stick in place where I initially "planted" them. That also tells me that the loaches should have good burrowing space.

It also amazes me at how clean the water stays. That filter I have really does a nice job! Course, I know that it won't stay that clear once I get fish successfully added, but I'm enjoying the crystal clarity of the water for now, lol.

I am amazed at how much I have been able to "cram" into that tank in the way of plants and decorations, and it still looks big and open, lol.

all sounds good

I will definitely post new pics if the tank ever finishes cylcling and I can get new fish in there

Yeah, it can seem like such a long wait! Been there, done that (haven't we all). What are you using to cycle the tank with?

I'm planning for:

3 gold longfin danios (these will be the "test" fish. Once the tank has cycled, these will go in and if they survive, then I will get the following: )
3 dwarf honey sunset gouramis
3 German Blue Rams (or 2 Bolivian Rams. I keep going back and forth between these two)
2 dwarf African frogs
2 Kuhlii loaches

I haven't had most of the fish you've chosen, except for the gouramis and the bolivian rams. I made the mistake of having 2 male gouramis and the fighting was constant. I was a fish newbie & the fighting distressed me, so I took them both back to the LFS. I think a male & 2 females works better, but the males are so much prettier. I enjoyed my Bolivan Ram. I've always liked the german blue ram too, but because they had a reputation of being sensitive, I never did get one. I will one day though - maybe sooner rather than later.

Sounds like you are having fun & are passionate about making your tank just right

Cheers
TW

Even the dwarfs? I thought they were supposed to be more peaceful. Well, I'll ask the fish store when I'm ready to pick them out. I trust them. This fish store was recommended to me and they have yet to steer me wrong. Fish is the only thing they do, and their store is huge. They even have signs up in their store by the betta tanks that says, "Only one betta per customer unless you are a betta shower or breeder. Ask sales assistants for details" or something like that. I inquired about why they will only sell one to a customer and the gal said it's because they fight (well duh!). I said, "Yeah, but if you keep them in seperate tanks, it's not a problem." She then said that sometimes they'll make exceptions if you've had bettas before and know that they cannot be kept together. I really, honestly thought everyone knew that. Though I suppose that like dog fighters there might be some idiots that know it and purposefully get several to do what dog fighters do and fight the fish, but instead of to make money with large groups of people, they probably do it for their own "amusement." Now, I admit, when I had bettas, I would sometimes hold a mirror up to it so it could see itself, but not often, and never to the point of trying to see it so stressed that it killed itself. Usually just once every few months or so and only for about a minute. Enough to ensure that he could still puff up and all his "equipment" was functioning.

Anyway, back on track. Yeah, regarding the German Blue Rams vs. the Bolivian Rams, that's why I've been going back and forth. They're both sensitive, just in different areas. If I do the Bolivian Rams, I have to make sure that they're the last fish I add to the tank so that the tank is fully established. The German Blues I could add sooner but are more susceptible to disease and are very sensitive to nitrates. So, though I fell in love with them when I saw them at the fish store, and thought it was really cute the way they were butting heads with each other, and are small enough that I could have three of them, while with the Bolivians I can only have two, I am still hesitant to make a final decision on them. I am set for sure though on the danios, the loaches, the frogs, and the gourami (dwarf honey sunset). Plus, the German Blues are in stock, while they'd have to order in the Bolivians. *sigh* I'll make a decision eventually, lol, and info from the fish store will help me determine which ones I do for sure.

I've had zebra danios before. Except for this last batch, they're usually really easy to care for, and they're about the same size as fancy guppies, maybe a teeny bit bigger. I chose the gold longfins because they're kind of a pale off-white color and I thought they'd be a nice contrast to the gourami. I've never had frogs (of course, then I read up on gobys last week, and found out what they're like and started thinking about maybe doing one or two of them instead of the frogs and, yeah...) or kuhlii loaches before, but I've always wanted them. I've always thought frogs are cute, and the loaches are eel-like and I would love to get an eel but they get too big, so I can't do an eel, so I thought these guys would be the next best thing, plus they're bottom feeders so that will be perfect.

Btw, the Bolivians you've had, did they do what the German Blues do and butt heads? Cause I might lean more toward the Bolivian over the German if they do. Sorry, I'm not eager for my fish to fight or hurt each other, but the fish guy said that they aren't trying to do that, they're just playing with each other, and I thought it was neat and adorable, so if the Bolivians do that too, it might make it easier to make a decision.

Thanks!

And yeah, in spite of a few setbacks (both in the fish department and the decoration department) I am having fun getting it setup. I have a couple of reasons for continuously adding/moving things around in the tank prior to the fish being added. One is to make sure that the tank is as perfect (for me) as I can make it, and the other reason is because this way, I don't feel like I'm staring at an empty tank, lol.

I look at the tank with everything in it and I try to envision the different fish in there and where they might go, and who might go where and how, and I try to decide if it's good as is, or if it might need a little tweaking. Hence why I keep adding more plants in small clumps.

OK, I'm going to go watch the Russian Space Launch now and then I'm going to bed.

Thanks again for your input and help!


Edit:

In addition to the waste provided by the fish (before they died), I'm using a product called Cycle. It worked pretty quickly to get the ammonia levels down to 0.00 from 0.25 (less than a week, and that was around two Thursdays ago), and in the same time frame the nitrites jumped from 0.25 to 1.00 (which the fish guy said is as high as it's supposed to spike and he said that now it's just a waiting game and I need to be patient). And I'm on week two of waiting for the nitrites to come down from 1.00.

It's just driving me crazy because I've now had the tank for about 7 weeks. One week with fish in it, and 6 weeks so far without fish. So yeah, I'm sure from that timeframe and the fact that I had fish initially, you can deduce what went wrong (not that I knew that at the time) and what I've done to correct the problem since then. Hence the waiting game.

Even the dwarfs? I thought they were supposed to be more peaceful.

Sorry, I don't remember what sort of gourami I had. It may not have been a dwarf.

The German Blues I could add sooner but are more susceptible to disease and are very sensitive to nitrates.

I'd be adding the geman blues towards the end, since they are very sensitive.

Btw, the Bolivians you've had, did they do what the German Blues do and butt heads?

I think the Bolivians I had did the head butting thing. I don't think it's playing. It's a dominance thing & fairly common, especially among cichlids. My discus do it too but they never take it far enough to hurt each other.

In addition to the waste provided by the fish (before they died), I'm using a product called Cycle.

You need a source of ammonia. Although you did start off with ammonia from the dead fish, once the beneficial bacteria ate up that source, it needs a fresh supply or it will die. Cycle is meant work with or increase the beneficial bacteria, but without a source of ammonia - your bacteria will die & the tank won't cycle.

Have you read this? It gives some help about doing a fishless cycle (which is what you are doing). http://fishprofiles.com/articles/Cycling_Without_Fish/31/
Don't worry about the bit about potted plants - I know you don't like plants LOL. Just keep adding the cycle as well as the ammonia.

When looking for your ammonia, you are looking for clear ammonia, not cloudy. It shouldn't have any added detergents. I have heard of some people using fish food as the source too.

If you do a google search on fishless cycle, lots of articles on this will come up.

HTH

Cheers
TW

Yeah, I'm adding a bit of food (as Babel instructed) everyday now, so I'm hoping this does the trick and I added a bit more Cycle (even though the fish store guy said not to).

Anyway, here is what the tank looks like now (without any fish).



As you can see, I raised the log up so that it gives a cave-like feel, and the fish (if I am ever able to get any) will still be able to swim over, under, and through it.

And here's a close up of the "cave":



Also, as I mentioned in my original thread, I figured out that despite having the tank for about 8 weeks now, it's actually only been seriously cycling for about four or five weeks now, so I figure I have at least two, maybe three more weeks to go. It's just been seeming like longer because of all the hassle I went through with losing the original fish and medicating for a week, and then cleaning out the tank, etc. in the third week. Hopefully adding the food will help and the tank will finish cycling in the next few weeks.


I'll try to get some better pics with more detail tomorrow. My camera phone pretty much died on me, so it's charging right now.

When I saw the first pic I though, 'dear god' darken that substrate, my eyes hurt and I can't see those cool dragons due to the glare. Then you made it darker & I can see those cool dragons

The tank looks cheery and bright, and an interesting place for your fish to play. May I suggest a dark background around the back and sides ?
Black construction paper, dull side in.

I would have went pure black on the substrate to set off those dragons further, I like dragons..

Make sure to add new fish a couple/few at a time and let each group stay a week or 2 before adding the next, this way you won't get mini-cycles and the tank can get used to the load.

The Amazon Nut...

The only thing I can do to the back is to add more tall plants (but there isn't really room to do so) because it's a mirrored back.

Yeah, lol, it was bright because I took the pictures on my camera phone and the settings on it are very limited. I'm planning to take more pictures using my digital camera and play with the camera settings to get everything to show off as nicely as possible.

Can I ask why I'd add black construction paper to the sides (I'm assuming I'd do this to the outside)? I like being able to look in on the sides of the tank and see the different angles.

I like dragons too (hence why bought those two, lol). All I have left to do is go back to the fish store and pick up one more thin piece of slate (black/grey) to help form the back of the cave-like structure I'm trying to build under the log. Actually, I may need two pieces. I'm planning to take out that red and white rock thing because I think it's totally raising my PH level and I don't like that. I did have dark "gems" in there that made everything look darker, and I didn't like it because I thought it was too dark, so when I found out I needed more of the decorative gravel I went and got a lot of lighter colored gravel. I like it better a little lighter and brighter. Plus, once I'm able to start adding fish and clean out the tank on a regular basis, the gravel will mix up better and hopefully a little more evenly.

I'm also getting very frustrated because I just did another nitrite test and it's STILL sitting at 1.00 even though I've been adding food everyday to try and help the cycle push along. I know I technically have about two weeks left, but I was hoping it would be quicker.

Thank you for the advice on the fish. I was only planning to add the danios first and wait a week or two, then add bolivian rams and wait another week or two, and then add the frog or goby (white-cheeked) or maybe both, and then wait a week or two, and then add the kuhlii loaches. I wanted to add them last to ensure that there would be food on the bottom of the tank for them, and I was planning to supplement them with food at night to ensure that they're eating. After a while (when green algae starts growing) I was planning on getting an siamese algae eater to complete the tank.

It's a nice dream, right? I mean, so far that's all it is... a dream. I'm waiting and waiting and waiting to make it a reality, but until the nitrites convert to nitrates, I'm just stuck waiting. And it sucks.

Anyway, thank you for the kind words, I really appreciate it.

"Can I ask why I'd add black construction paper to the sides (I'm assuming I'd do this to the outside)? I like being able to look in on the sides of the tank and see the different angles."

Do what you like the best. The paper will make the photos stand out a bit as well as make the fish feel more secure. Having said that, it's not a neccessity

Mine is only covering the back wall, for the same reason you said.

You're doin good, listening to the pple here and not rushing. German blues are real fun to keep, dang now I'm missing mine !


The Amazon Nut...

Thank you Damossman.

My fish list changed quite a bit since my posting of the one I originally put here, lol. My new and hopefully final list is:

3 gold longfin danios
4 Bolivian (not German Blue) Rams (they're hardier than German Blues)
3 or 4 kuhlii loaches
1 dwarf African frog
1 white-cheeked Goby
and finally, 1 bristlenose pleco (if needed in case of algae)

I was looking into a siamese algae eater but they get to be at least 6" and the bristlenose pleco (according to the profile here) only gets to be about 4.7" which is much more in line with the other fish I'm getting. I was also looking at a Acanthocobitis botia (or zipper/mottled loach) as an alternative to the bristlenose pleco for two reasons. 1) it says it only gets to be 4.3" and 2) it eats algae wafers (amongst other things) and I thought, "if it eats algae wafers, it will probably eat any algae in my tank..." but I need more info on this loach before I decide on it over the bristlenose.

Yeah, I'm trying to listen to everyone here who's given me advice. I do appreciate everything everyone has told me. I'm just getting VERY frustrated that my tank is STILL cycling. I know I'm within the 4 - 6 week time frame, but I was really hoping I'd be done at week 4, not continuing on into week 5. *sigh*

Thanks again!

Algae wafers are eaten by carnivores too. A lot of algae wafers contain fish or shrimp meal to up the protein content. I had a 5-6" catfish that would swallow algae wafers whole! It had to go, because I didn't want my plecs competing with that... Most loaches feed on invertebrates, not algae.

Size is not the only thing that matters. Even if the siamese algae eater and the bristlenose plec got to the same size, I'd go for the bn plec anyday because they are FAR less active; siamese algae eaters are like mini bala sharks in that they swim around a lot in the water column. I've got three in my 125 gallon and they're all over the place.

I can't speak too much on having 4 bolivian rams as I'm not a cichlid keeper... There is possibly cause for concern if two of them pair off and start chasing off the other two.

--------------------------------------------
The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

Isn't activity a good thing?

The loaches aren't for algae, lol. I'm getting them as bottom feeders. I'm hoping they'll burrow into the gravel and help me with leftover food.

I hadn't thought about the rams in that sense. I'll talk to the fish store about that. Thank you. I was planning to get 1 male and 3 females if they are able to tell the difference between them if that is a true cause for concern.

Right now though, it's a moot point. I can't get anything cause the tank is STILL cycling. I did another water test today, and the nitrites are STILL at 1.00. I'm starting to get really really, REALLY annoyed and angry.

Activity is a good thing, but it means you need a bigger tank for the fish to play in. Bristlenoses sit around a lot more and don't need all that room to play as SAEs do, simply because SAEs are more active swimmers.

--------------------------------------------
The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

Oh, I see. Then yes, a Bristlenose Pleco seems the way to go. Because I've invested WAY too much time & money in this tank to start all over with a newer, bigger tank...

Anyway, thanks Shinigami!

OK, I took out that "Wonder"/Texas rock and threw it out. I bought API PH 7.0 (but I'm not adding it until the tank finishes cycling because I really don't want to screw anything up) to bring my PH level back down. I also bought a 8" bubble wand (and it really looks nice in the back left corner of the tank), and I bought a rock cave to replace the "wonder rock." After getting everything set up, I am looking at it, and I think I can get away with one or two more medium-sized plants. When it's all done, I'll post one pic of it because I want to save the other pics for the Aquascape Competition, lol.

Anyway, I bought the bubble wand because the fish store I'm planning to buy my fish from told me that I probably need more aeration in the tank, and the bubble wand should help the nitrites convert to nitrates. So, I'm giving it a shot. The water is moving more than it was, so maybe she was right.

Well, I now have fish in my tank, and I added plants and a new Rock Cave, so here are 20 photo links (I didn't want to overload anyone who might have a slow loading system):

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/SataiDelenn/Fish%20Tank/IMG_1544.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/SataiDelenn/Fish%20Tank/IMG_1591.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/SataiDelenn/Fish%20Tank/IMG_1592.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/SataiDelenn/Fish%20Tank/IMG_1585.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/SataiDelenn/Fish%20Tank/IMG_1586.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/SataiDelenn/Fish%20Tank/IMG_1572.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/SataiDelenn/Fish%20Tank/IMG_1581.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/SataiDelenn/Fish%20Tank/IMG_1571.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/SataiDelenn/Fish%20Tank/IMG_1563.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/SataiDelenn/Fish%20Tank/IMG_1573.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/SataiDelenn/Fish%20Tank/IMG_1583.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/SataiDelenn/Fish%20Tank/IMG_1584.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/SataiDelenn/Fish%20Tank/IMG_1570.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/SataiDelenn/Fish%20Tank/IMG_1554.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/SataiDelenn/Fish%20Tank/IMG_1552.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/SataiDelenn/Fish%20Tank/IMG_1520.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/SataiDelenn/Fish%20Tank/IMG_1519.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/SataiDelenn/Fish%20Tank/IMG_1505.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/SataiDelenn/Fish%20Tank/IMG_1496.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/SataiDelenn/Fish%20Tank/IMG_1589.jpg
This last picture is of one of my frogs (I named him Killroy). I'm sorry it's so blurry, but it was really hard to get a picture of him. And the other one (whom I've named Kermie) almost never comes out. In fact, I was worried that I'd accidentally killed him when I was rearranging the tank and putting new plants in to make the left side of the tank denser in plant clusters, but he's OK. I saw him and Killroy a little later on.

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/SataiDelenn/Fish%20Tank/IMG_1544.jpg

I will try to stick to this photo.
To be honest I dont know where to start.

First impression it is a mass bright colours my eyes just do not know where to start.
They want to start of at the left side but then I am suddenly raced across to the small red and yellow plant in the bottom RH front corner, then back again to the pale blue plant front LH side. Next it is the tall reddish plant at the back center. Finally the highlights on the dragons heads. At this point I am thinking what am I looking at.

Forgetting all the colours it is a different and interesting theme tank to look at.
I saved it in my Photo Shop and then removed all the colours Making it a B&W photo it changed the tank completely. It was actually slightly scary it was like looking into the dark moon light waters in ancient Eastern times.

All those different coloured blue glass beads is just too much. This is a perfect tank for a quality 1-3 mm natural black gravel to take away the glare. I think that would be a first for me recommending black but in this it would work wonders

Now for the layout.
I would like to see the tall Dragon moved to the left so that its head is 1/3rd from the LH side and looking towards the RH side. This would give you the start of a natural flow of site.
I would then move the Rocks and Cave as close as possible to it but turning the caves opening to the right.
Next I would move the other Dragon so that its tail the curve is sitting around the base of the cave rocks and its head is close to the front RH corner.

The reasoning behind this is. Tall green plants LH side. The tall Dragon would be softened by the tall plant and give the impression he is looking into the cave. The Dragon laying down would then look like it is escaping from the tall Dragons eyes.
What I am trying to achieve is a natural flow of site.
Then I would remove that blue plant also the bright red plant. The benefit of that would be removing the distractions from the front.

Delenn
I hope I have not offended you with my criticism but I have also given you the reasons for them and what can be achieved with a few alterations.
To finalize your tank is spectacular to look at for a short time and I think after a time you will be looking at ways to improve what you have with what you have. (if that makes sense) in other words little or no cost at all.

I am sure most of the posters have done this over the years some times it might be as simple moving or looking for another stone that just has something that makes it more interesting.

Keith



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