# My first 33 gallon planted tank.



## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

This is my old 10 gallon. Thsi is a joined effort between me and my 9 years old daughter who helped me to pick some plants and fish and so on. She is really interested in fish since I have started this .










A few days ago, I came across a very good deal for a 33 gallon. I decided to retire the 10 gallon planted tank and move everything to a 33 gallon--thanks Chuck for a great deal )

I visited several places and had many people offered me some very nice deal on light fixtures (thanks guys) and ended up buying an Odeysea ligth fixture from Canadian Aquatic. His company has always been highly recommended by everyone here on the forum and after paying Charle a visit I now know why.

Charlie has been very helpful and offered me lots of tips on how to take care of my new tank. He was very passionate about his fish and knew so much I ended up spending hours at his store. He re-scheduled his appointment with another client to accommodate me and I really appreciate it.

Anyway, after getting my light from Charle and a couple bags of Flourite black from IPU in Richmond, I purchased 2 bags of ADA powder and a bag of eco complete from another member at a great price and I was ready to go.

Shown here is a couple of woods I picked up from Gary Point in Stevenson, Richmond with my daughter. They are kind of light so I applied some silicon trying to hold them to a big piece of rock.

I intended to use only ADA on the front for the carpet and to use flourite (covered by ADA on top) in the back and midground for Amazon swords, hygro and so on.


















After filling up all the substrates and taking out all my plants from my 10 gallon and planting them in the new tank, this is what they look like.










We have been spraying the plants to keep them moist which is why the glass is so misty.

As you can see the back is quite a bit higher. We added a bag of eco completed on the bottom to make sure we had enough substrate. I got that eco complete at a pretty low price with the ADA. Thank you. 

The front is all filled with just ADA powder.









My original plan was to do dry start but then I chickened out (never done this before so just kind of scared)and just went with the usual way. Here is when I was ready to fill the tank up, all excited!










Unfortunately, the silicon did not hold the wood to the rock and the woods on the right all came up suddenly. In doing so, it scoped up the black substrate underneath and 
got them kind of mixed up with the ADA! What was worst was that the water turned very cloudly so I could nto see what was in the water. Because of that, we could not really fix the problem and just sort of left the water filled up about 25% and sprayed the taller plants while waiting for the water to clear up.

I did nto want to touch the substrate too much as I did nto want to further disturb the layout.

I waited about an hour and finally was able to see that I have left a big crater in the middle of the slope! (I was so upset I did nto take any pic)

I had another 10 gallon tank with a piece of lava rock and a log where I have housed all my fish in until the 33 is completed.

I took the deco out from that tank and after a bit of work I placed everything back in place and fill the tank up.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

This last picture was taken the next day after the tank was set up and the water cleared.

I then added a few plants in the middle and this is what the tank looks like now (Day 2).





































It has been about 2 days and there are some algea and soem leaves melt and so on as you can see in some of the pcitrues but at least the water is not green.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

I really like this plant but I do nto know what it is called. It is not a lily as it is not grown from a bulb. The tips have melt a tiny bit as can be seen here but not too much. Also, a bit of algea grown on some of my leaves (java fern and hygro mostly)










I read that it is normal to see that, should I do something about that (cut out the leaves) or leave them?

Amonnia is sky high so no fish yet, did not add stability and the tank has almost nil nitrite nor nitrate. Will add stability in a few hours.

I have three 39 W 6700K T5HO tubes, but per Charle's advice I am only using two of them. I have to confess I did turn all three on the first day when I was playing with my new toy for a few hours.

I have DIY Co2 and is dosing fluorish and plan on getting dry fert. I have also a bottle of potassium from seachem that I purchaed from IPU. I am looking for excel in richmond but could nto find it. Also want to get a powerhead with a propeller that I can use to dispense the Co2 all over the tank.

My Co2 is hooked up to the sponge filter on the right--the air tube is connected to the intake of the powerhead via a hole I drilled on the bottom so the Co2 passes through the sponge then through propeller in the powerhead before they are shot out as a mist. Problem is I cannot control how much I am injecting.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Hi, I took your post in my ADA journal and put it here so that you have all the information in one place.



Fish rookie said:


> Thanks for the heads up. I will keep the BNP with my gold fish then.
> I have just started a 33 gallon with some plants. Here is the tank: My first 33 gallon planted tank.
> To clean up the algae I am thinking of perhaps getting some amano shrimps. I already have some ghost and cherry in a 10 gallon, and in my little breeding tank (2.5 gallon) I can see lots of small frys. Should I just wait for them to grow up?
> The amano I saw in the store were really into eating an anubias but I thought they are supposed to be great with plants. confused...
> ...


You have a lot of questions so I'll try to get to them all, but if I miss some let me know.

1. Amano shrimps are great. They are much more prolific eaters of algae than cherry shrimps. Between the cherries and Amanos you have a great cleanup crew, so I don't really like anything else. If anything, you may want to try some Habrosus or other dwarf cories and 6 or 8 Otocinclus. But no BNP's unless you don't mind getting some carpets messed up. I have only been able to grow carpets without BNP's.

Amanos will eat plants that are more delicate. If they are eating Anubias, which most BNP's won't even eat, then they were starving, which may be the case upon arrival at a LFS. They'll be fine in your 33.

2. I wouldn't do a Khuli loach as they like to bury themselves which will mess up your carpet.

3. As I said above, the shrimps will be your cleanup crews. In a planted tank with lots of flow, it usually isn't a problem as you would only feed lightly, as there are lots micro-organism to feed the creatures.

4. Your ammonia won't be a problem for long. Do daily water changes to keep it in check as the ADA will leach that. I would do at least 10 gallons a day or more daily for 2 weeks if you can. If not, every other day at most or you'll run into algae problems as the tank gets established, which you are seeing.

5. Charles is right. Don't use all 3 tubes in a 33 gallon. I would use one for 2 hours, then 2 for 4 hours and then 2 for 2 hours at the end, but only if you're going to go full pressurized CO2 or full Excel dosing, otherwise, I would not use 2 tubes at all and just stick to the one tube at all times. The key is taking it slow as the plant mass grows. I suspect with DIY and 2 tubes, you'll never supply enough CO2 in a 33 gallon.

6. You can use Metricide 14 in place of Exel. It's about double the strength of Excel so use half of the Excel recommendations. You can get it here (they have a Banner ad on BCA). $22 for a gallon jug. Do no use the activator. The gal at reception will tell you that if you tell her you are using it for fish. Bowers Medical Supply Inc. They are on Viking Way in Richmond.

7. You'll likely want to start EI dosing with that much light and CO2 or Excel, so read the EI sticky at the top of the planted section. You can get the ferts from Patrick of Canadian Aquatics in Richmond.


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## DR1V3N (Apr 22, 2010)

Another beautiful layout fish rookie!  The toothpick markers were a great idea to get a sense of placement. I remember seeing something like this, except the person used longer bamboo sticks... Now that I think about it, I think it was Amano! lol, keep the pics coming!


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

Thank you guys!
I have changed about 60% water last night. When the water level was low I trimmed off some leaves with algae and added a bit of left-over flourite at the edges of the wood. 
Here are some pictures taken this morning (this would mark the 3rd day after the tank is set up). Some leave tips have melt a bit, and the color of the red stem plant (think it is called rotala macrandra) is not quite red, with a bit of greenish/brownish color showing on some leaves that has reached the top of the water.
























I am nto sure how to set the light to go one tube twice in a day, can I do that?
Right now, I am setting to have 1 tube on for 3 hours, then 2 tubes on for 3 hours--is that too much? 
If I know how to set the light to go 1 tube for 2 hours twice in a day that would be great...
I am just worried that if I do not use enough light the red plants will turn green and or die, tehy are grwoing very fast and some has reached the top already...
I plan to change water every day (30-50%) and I am over dosing with flourish and postassium right now. I have contacted Pat to buy some dry ferrts but have not heard back yet. Once I do, I will dose EI.
The algae seems to have come down a bit, not too bad. I just left LED on after 6pm now. It feels weird to see the light off so early. LOL/
Thank you for all your help.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Actually I don't think that the Odyssey unit will allow you to split a timer like that, so you're stuck with just the 2 periods. I would actually start the photoperiod at such a time where you have them on to enjoy when you're at home.

And I wouldn't worry about the red plants. I have red plants that are red using the ultra low LED lights from Charles (like 3 watts in a 20 gallon) and they are red. Carbon is the key, whether it is Excel or CO2. With the addition of carbon, the plants are not carbon limited and can utilize all the other nutrients.

I would not OD on Potassium and Flourish. Flourish is a trace and I don't even dose any trace in some tanks, just relying on water changes. The Potassium is only useful if you have sufficient other nutrients. Without enough N and P, you might even poison your shrimp. Get the KNO3 and KH2PO4 from Pat, along with some GH booster and start dosing EI with Glute (Excel or Metricide).


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

2wheelsx2 said:


> Actually I don't think that the Odyssey unit will allow you to split a timer like that, so you're stuck with just the 2 periods. I would actually start the photoperiod at such a time where you have them on to enjoy when you're at home.
> 
> And I wouldn't worry about the red plants. I have red plants that are red using the ultra low LED lights from Charles (like 3 watts in a 20 gallon) and they are red. Carbon is the key, whether it is Excel or CO2. With the addition of carbon, the plants are not carbon limited and can utilize all the other nutrients.
> 
> I would not OD on Potassium and Flourish. Flourish is a trace and I don't even dose any trace in some tanks, just relying on water changes. The Potassium is only useful if you have sufficient other nutrients. Without enough N and P, you might even poison your shrimp. Get the KNO3 and KH2PO4 from Pat, along with some GH booster and start dosing EI with Glute (Excel or Metricide).


Thank you for your valuable advice. I will make sure I have enought CO2.
I have received a reply from Pat and will be picking up dry ferts today or tomorrow.
I am already using equilibrium now when I change water.
Once again, thank you.


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

Looks great. Can't wait to see it when things settle down and you have fish in there.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

Me, too. Thanks.
I have just put in a few Amano shrimps in the tank to clean things up a bit...will show some pic and let you know if they are doing a good job.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

The amano and cherry are still hard at work eating algae in the tank.

Some plants have grown a bit too tall; some have melted a bit; some have a bit of algae at the edge...

Did a bit of trimming and took a few pictures. Glosso came with very long legs, will trim them later.

My daughter tested the water witj me with a liquid test kit to make sure the ammonia and nitrite level was zero. She went to Pat's place with me and we picked out a canister filter and some glosso along with 12 rummynose together. She acclimatized the fish and put them in the tank. My daughter was only 9 but she was not bored at Pat's place staying for over an hour with me. She was really interested in the crystal shrimps and the little frys. Pat was really nice to her and she was still talking about it this morning. Thanks Pat. 

This marks the 5th day of the tank.

Thank you to all who have offered me their valuable experience and help. You guys are great.




























This fish is my daughter's. She saw the picture on Canadian Aquatic and really liked it so I got 2 for the tank. They spend most of their time close to the substrate.










This is a front view of the tank on Day 5. Just finished putting 2 tubs of glosso on the front.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

My daughter and I purchased a breeding pair of Koi Angel Fish from IPU Richmond and they have settled in nicely.

About the plants, some leaves grew a lot, some have melted; some are still red, and some have turned more greenish.

We bought a few new plants, and threw away some old ones.

Also rearranged the furniture a bit, nothing major.

This is what the tank looks like on its 10th day.










This is the breeding pair koi anglefish


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

That's looking good. With that kind of plant mass and a low bioload, you won't have to worry about ammonia or nitrite. Are you doing EI and planning on CO2?


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

I am dosing EI (from Pat) and also use equilibrium and alkaline buffer from Seachem when I change my water. Right now, I am changing rather often, about once every 3 days or so, 30-50%.
I use DIY CO2. Two bottles, attached to the intake of an internal filter driven by a powerhead. The CO2 goes through the sponge then through the propeller and is sprayed through a spray bar on the bottom of the tank. I do not know how many bubble I have per second or things like that. I leave the CO2 on at night but put an airstone in the tank once it is dark.
Not dosing with Excel at the moment (I cannot find it for sale in Richmond LOL).
I have 12 rummy nose, 3 zebra danio (small one, not the giant ones), 2 agassizi, 4 or 5 furata rainbow (had 6 but 1 died and 1 is missing), and a bunch of cherry, amano, and ghost shrimps. I am nto sure how big my bioload is, but my readings from my testing is fine now. Ammonia was high when I first started, think it was partly due ot the ADA. I use stability and the tank is cycled now I believe. 
I use a Rena XP1 and also an internal spong filter meant for up to 50 gallon.
I am not using root tab now, but thinking of trying organic jobe fert spike to see what happens. Want the plants at the edge to grow taller to block the background asap. LOL
Foreground is glosso with dwaft harigrass at the upper border. They are growing but not covering the foreground yet. They are not dying or melting but I guess it just takes time for them to spread perhaps?


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Use Metricide to clean up your BBA. Bowers Medical Supply - Locations 3691 Viking Way. Use half the dosing of the Excel instructions for maintenance, and full Excel dosage to kill bba, or spot treat it.

DIY CO2 is ok, but the problems is the CO2 fluctation as the solution warms up/cools down, starts new/wears out. Most of the time, if there isn't excessive light, it's the fluctuation of CO2 concentration that causes algae problems, and not the lack of CO2. I don't really know how much CO I inject in my tanks either. In my pleco tanks I inject less. I just watch the fish and plants. But that's the advantage of pressurized. I just turn a knob.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

I am seeking a balance with the duration of light, amount of CO2 (but it depends on the DIY), and the amount of fert. Algae is almost gone, and plants are growing. I cut out all the leaves with algae. Thinking of getting a few Oto. The amano is working hard but I only have 4 in the tank. 
I just purchased some iron from IPU and I am dosing that as well.
I have decided to rearrange the plants a bit as I have some new ideas and just spent 3 hours last night replanting everything except the forground.
Thanks to the forum I have leanred a lot and have seen many nice tank journels of how a beautiful aquascape was created. That is really inspiration. It has been a lot of fun learning from my mistakes and really aappreciate all your valaubel advise and comment.
I am a bit busy these days and the plants are kind of short right now but I will post some updates soon.
Thank you.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Fish rookie said:


> I am seeking a balance with the duration of light, amount of CO2 (but it depends on the DIY), and the amount of fert. Algae is almost gone, and plants are growing. I cut out all the leaves with algae. Thinking of getting a few Oto. The amano is working hard but I only have 4 in the tank.
> I just purchased some iron from IPU and I am dosing that as well.
> I have decided to rearrange the plants a bit as I have some new ideas and just spent 3 hours last night replanting everything except the forground.
> Thanks to the forum I have leanred a lot and have seen many nice tank journels of how a beautiful aquascape was created. That is really inspiration. It has been a lot of fun learning from my mistakes and really aappreciate all your valaubel advise and comment.
> ...


Your amanos might not survive the angels. I had forgotten that you had amanos when you posted that you added angels.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

Oops...I also have some cherry I guess they are even more vulurable since they are smaller? I will move them to my 10 gallons. I have a small cherry bredding tank and they shrimpets are growing up. I was thinking of putting them in the 33 but I guess I need a change of plan now. LOL
Am thinking of getting perhaps a few oto as my clean up crew, what is your thought on that?
The angles are kind of shy right now and do nto really move around too much. I have a breeding pair and they alwasy stay with each other. But once they are comfortable they probably will eat the shrimps.
I love your discus tank by the way, wish I could have something like that...
Actually i was thinking of putting discus and angle together but then I read that they might get sick plus 33 is probably too small.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Thanks, I'm finally getting to enjoy my discus tank after one problem after another. Just sitting back and not changing anything and just doing water changes.

Yes, your cherries will be lunch once the angels settle down, unless you have tons of moss, but even then only some will survive. I have some in my discus tank, but that was more an experiment. There is one spot that has a lot of moss and I think that's how they survive. Every once in a while I'll see one.

Otos are good, but they only eat soft green and brown algae. They won't touch hair algae or BBA. Amanos are better for that. They might survive your angels, but it depends on the individual fish. I love otos, but until recently have not been able to keep them around long. I think they really don't compete well with bigger fish.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

Okay...what would you recommend as my clean up crew then? Are you saying the Angel will/may kill the oto?


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Nope, just that they may not get enough food. I have my otos in an ADA cube with shrimps and Galaxy Rasboras right now. I think the otos should be ok in your tank as long as you make sure you get some veggies in there for them once a week or so. But doing that, it makes them less efficient algae eaters, but that's the compromise you have to make.


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## trout (Mar 21, 2012)

i agree with 2wheels, amanos and angels dont mix well, and also that ottos should be fine as long as well fed. they love veggies and especially repashy green!

beautiful setup btw!


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

Thanks guys. I just got three corydora today from IPU.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

Here is our tank after 2 weeks.
Some updates: just got pressurized CO2 yesterday, and also added a fish called Crossocheilus reticulatus from Canadian Aquatic. It is $20 and is supposed to eat black beard algae very effectively. Start dosing iron since 2 days ago along with NPK and micro.
KH:7, GH:4, Ammonia:0, Nitrite:0, Nitrate:0, PH: 6.8


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Fish rookie said:


> KH:7, GH:4, Ammonia:0, Nitrite:0, Nitrate:0, PH: 6.8


Very nice. However, I am concerned about your nitrate reading. If you are dosing NPK EI styles, then nitrates should not be zero. How often and how much KNO3 are you dosing? Did you check your kit against another tank? 0 nitrate readings could mean a number of things:
1. The tank's uptake is higher than your dosing.
2. Your kit is expired and the readings are wrong
3. Your measurement is wrong due to some missed instruction (usually solutions are shaken enough).

Any established tank should have some reading of nitrate. If your nitrate is zero and you are injecting CO2, you're running a risk of a massive BGA outbreak. That's the main concern. By the looks of your java fern, you are not at nitrate = 0.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

2wheelsx2 said:


> Very nice. However, I am concerned about your nitrate reading. If you are dosing NPK EI styles, then nitrates should not be zero. How often and how much KNO3 are you dosing? Did you check your kit against another tank? 0 nitrate readings could mean a number of things:
> 1. The tank's uptake is higher than your dosing.
> 2. Your kit is expired and the readings are wrong
> 3. Your measurement is wrong due to some missed instruction (usually solutions are shaken enough).
> ...


Thank you once again for your help.
yes, good eye. i am supposed to does N at 1/4 of a teaspoon but I am only dosing 1/16 to 1/8 because the first few days when I had my Angel fish they weren't eating very well so I had quite a bit of left over food on the substrate. It was a pain to remove them so I just left them and figured I should reduce my nitrate dosing to compensate for the amount of nitrate the excess food might produce.
I have also read that soem red plants prefer to have lower nitrate but higher potassium to grow "redder" so I was a bit weary about dosing 1/4 N.
I will increase my N. But I will try to take a new set of reading first, I dont think my kit is expired but may be I have not shakedn it enough. Thanks.

My java Fern is having a lot of new growth trying to grow out from the back of the leaves, I think htey are doing alright. A lot of the plants have grown to the top of the tank and I just trimmed them before taking the picture. I am also adjusting the light period with 1 tube, 2 tubes, and 3 tubes to see what would work the best...so things are not quite steady yet.
Also my timer coudl turn the tank on but no gas would come out until I manually adjust the neddle valve, not sure why. It turns off alright though.
I am getting about 3 bubbles per seconds now.
Before I added pressurized Co2, I noticed tht some plants have completly melted away, not sure if it was because of inconsistent Co2 or a lack of something?
The dwaft hairgrass is growing much better than the glosso, I think may be I should just cover the front with drawft hair grass. That was my original plan anyway. I like th elook og hairgrass more. Can I just leave the glosso there or do I need to remove them all?
Thank you.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Melting could be any number of things, but likely not from inconsistent CO2. Maybe not enough K or too much K, likely not enough in your case.

You can leave the glosso. The dominiant foreground plant to take over and "choke" out the other, so you may get some glosso at the end but not much. I personally don't like mixed foreground (curse my Fissidens that got into the HC) so I would remove and keep only one myself.

I wouldn't worry about the red plants being red or not. Just focus on growing everything properly and once you have the CO2 dialed in and everything working the way you want and the plants growing vigorously, then tweak it. If you're worried about excessive nitrates, just do a second water change per week. But you have to remember, 30 ppm of inorganic nitrate is not 30 ppm or organic nitrate, so it won't have the same effect on the fish. 30 ppm nitrate using KNO3 is perfectly fine, but the end of the cycle. 30 - 40 ppm organic nitrate, not so much.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

I will do that, just focus on making the plants grow properly. I cannot believe how much better and convenient pressuirzed CO2 is compared to DIY. LOL. Thansk for all your help.
Check Nitrate again and there was a very slight reading, it was just a tiny bit darker than yellow (for zero), but it is definitely very low.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

If it's reading some you're fine. I'd start in on the full EI dosing.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

This is what the tank looks like after about 2 weeks.








I added root tab from Pat of Canadian Aquatic. I know it is kind of messy now but I think i will just let them grow a bit before I trim them.
I returned the Angle Fish (they were eating my shrimps and bullying the rummynose, plus they were getting bigger) and bought 2 bolivian rams and 2 balloon rams. I also have 8 rummynose, a few neon tetra, and 2 oto.

















Amonnia:0, Nitrite: 0, Nitrate: 50, PH: 6.6-7.5, KH: 7, GH: 5
EI (NPK + Micro) plus Seachem Iron, equilibriun and alkaline buffer during water change
3x39W T5HO lights on a timer (1 tube in the morning for a bit, 3 tubes for a couple hours around noon, then 2 tubes for the rest of the day), LED at night. 
Pressurized Co2 (about 5 bubbles per seconds) set on a timer to turn off at night, air stone at night after lights out (also set on a timer), ceramic diffuser x 1 (thinking of placing another diffuser on the other side fo the tank, and may be getting a more effecient diffuser)
Rena XP, media: sponge, filter floss, biocubes
Thinking of adding purigen.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

It's looking good. See, even though your nitrate reading is 50 ppm, your red plants are very red. Sometimes people try to find tough solutions to simple problems. Tom Barr told me once when I asked him that question:" If you want good looking red plants, start with the ones which are very red, and use lights that enhance red, and focus on growing them well and let the rest deal with themselves." Very good advice that I've taken to heart.

As for the trimming, that's the way to do it, get a good amount of growth and then trim down to the shapes you want. For the stems, if you let it go too long, you may want to bottom prune instead as the bottom leaves may not be getting enough light and look ratty. Just pull out the stem, cut off the bottom and replants the tops.

Your GH and KH seem to be fairly high (not badly so) probably because of the buffer. you don't need them that high so you might be able to cut it back by 25% or so and save some $.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

Just a quick update.
Me and my daughter was looking at some aquascape pictures and she commented that if we could have a beach front in our tank that would look better. 
It was our intention to let the plants grow a bit first before we really fine-tune the scape because we were nto sure if we could even grow anything to begin with since we are so new to this, and we also want to sort of learn the properties of the plants before we decide if they can go under the shade and where in the tank has more current, how much space does each plant need and things like that.
So, since the plants seem to be growing fine (thanks to all the help here on the forum, especially Gary) we have decided to keep the plants where they are and just add/change the rocks, and add a little area with sand to the front of the tank.
Instead of building a path that goes all the way from the front to the end we want to make a path that curves around the rock.
Here is a pictures of the new rocks we were going to use. They are Ouko stones and we have them soaked and washed.
















Here we removed the glosso and clear up a path.








Actually it has been our original intention to have something with an opening (as noted by the toothpicks we placed on the front in the beginning) but then we got sidetracked because I was offered a good deal on two tubs of glosso and I wanted to see if I could grow a glosso carpet as I have never done it before. The glosso was growing fine and it was all good up to this point. I was starting to see them spreading out to form a nice carpet. It was sad to see them go. Here in the picture, we have removed the glosso and also some other plants in the front to make room.








Sand was nto part of the plan in the beginning as I was just going to leave the opening bare and see what happened (may be add asand or may be some natural gravle or may be a carpet path is whatever, not sure when we started)but since my daughter wanted sand I went to IPU and bought soome sand. They ahve two kinds--one bright white and one of a more pale brown color with some more textured--I chose the latter one.








I wanted to be able to still see some plants grown on the sand as that is what I see sometimes on the beach so i decided not to take all the ADA out. I just covered the ADA with a layer of sand after I lowered the water level in my tank. We lowered the level and put some sand in a small cup then sprinkle it gently. This is what it looked like after we were done. Water was still a bit cloudy. Mostly because of the ADA powders which were brough up inot the water column when the plants were removed.








This is another pictures after about 6 hours.








As you can see, we have arranged a path that goes around the back of the big dragon rock on the right hand side.
Lastly, want to thank Fiona from Richmond IPU for her top notch customer service. She was really helpful and attentive in helping me to pick out the rocks and sand that you see here in this new scape. Thank you for all your help and comment.

Note:
KH:8, GH:4, Nitrite:0, Nitrate: 25, Ammonia:0, PH: 7.5-6.5
Rummynose x 7, neon x 6, oto x 2, some amano and cherry shrimps, corydora x 3, ballon ram x 2.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Your tank is really starting to come in. There are 2 things that I would do different or change.

1. Remove that sword plant on the right as it's distracting and doesn't fit.
2. I would have remove/shifted the ADA in the middle before putting on the sand so it's not higher, but instead, a channel there. With the self leveling effect with circulation, you might get sand spread quite far to the left and right. However, with the same sifting/leveling, the same sand might just sift down into the ADA leaving with a channel anyway.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

Thank you for the suggestion..
I took the sword on the right off.
I read on plantedtank from a very knowledgable person Frank about how to trim Macrandra and decided to give it a try. 
And then we decided to give anything a little trim along the way.
Will work on the foreground a bit more but I need to sit down after all the bending down reaching into the tank to trim.LOL
Here is a quick snap shot.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Frank Wazeter of ADA USA?  He does make some nice scapes. There are many excellent aquatic gardeners on plantedtank.net. I see you also removed some plants on the left at the back, or at least trimmed some leaves off. Good wood in keeping the scape open and maintaining good flow. I think if you're diligent in pruning, you can keep your scape looking good and algae free.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

Yes, thatis him. After you mentioned that forum I have been reading the posts there and have learned a lot (still a rookie though LOL).
I noticed that my plants were too closely packed so there were some dead leaves and even molten ones on the ground that I was not aware of until when I really trimmed them thin. I have tried to keep them short and took out quite a few branchs this time. Think that should allow a better flow and less algae as you said.
What Frank said was that once mancradra was cut it will split into two new shoots at the cut and the plant will get weaker and weaker so it is best to hide the cut behind a piece of wood or rock or things like that. He also mentioned to replant the top after 4-5 cuts as the original root might get too weak and melt away.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Most stem plants will split and get bushier from top pruning. And yes, the branches will get thinner and weaker. So periodically I bottom prune, ie, trim the top, remove the bottom and plant the top in place of the bottom plant. I've not tried R. macaranda but it could be true that they melt as it seems a rather delicate plant compared to L. repens or A. reineckii.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

So, bought more stones, and did a bit of cleaning and tidying up of the plants, and also changed the front carpet to drawf hairgrass.
Added an Nova internal filter with a spray bar to increase current and flow in the tank. I want to make sure I get a good flow of water/co2/fert in the tank with no dead spots since I have quite a few big rocks in the tank. I know it looks ugly but it is just for now.

Tank size: 36x18x12, 33 gallon
Fish: 18 neon tetra, a couple oto, a couple rams, about 15 amano shrmips with around 10 cherry shrimps. 
KH:10, GH:5, PH: 6.6, Ammonia:0, Nitrite: 0, Nitrate: 10.
Dosing N, P, K, Fe, Excel, Equilibrium, EI
Water change 50% per week
photo period: 2 hours 2x39W T5HO> 6 hours 3x 39W> 2 hours 1 x 39W, 14 hours night LED 
Temp: 78-80
Rena XP: sponge> filter floss> activated carbon> bio cube> polishing pad
Nova 500 internal sponge filter
Powerhead
Pressurized Co2, 10 hours per day. 
Substrate: ADA, Flourite mixed with eco complete (underneath, at the back), sand
Plants: Dwaft hairgrass, ludwegia, rotala macrandra, blyxa japonica,, java moss, nana anubias, pygmy chainsword

A few quick snap shots. Will update more as the plants grow and fill in.


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## Luke78 (Apr 24, 2010)

Looking good, interesting rock pieces! A small suggestion, you may wanna add a dark background of some kind it will hide some equipment pieces also bring out the colours of your plants and stock a bit more.Keep the updates coming, and thanks for sharing!


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

Luke78 said:


> Looking good, interesting rock pieces! A small suggestion, you may wanna add a dark background of some kind it will hide some equipment pieces also bring out the colours of your plants and stock a bit more.Keep the updates coming, and thanks for sharing!


Thank you for the suggestion.I know it is messy, isn't it? 
I was going to put a black piece of wood but then I am thinking to leave it white and perhaps use a special light to get the effect of a blue sky (or sun set) when I want to make my "formal"--and I will take those cables, filter intake/outlet and so on away LOL. Actually i would probably get the oto off the tank, to,o after all final trimming when I want to make my real formal tank presentation as I do nto want to see them stuck to the glass in my picture--but that is for later. Hope that day will come soon.
I have a bunch of plants that are supposed to grow quite tall behind all the rocks, they are very short now so it is hard to see them from the front. I am not sure what color is good until they are taller and starting to fill in. So....just kind of want to wait and see.
Please bear with me as these are just meant to be snapshots.  The tank is still very messy now LOL. It is growing up, like my baby. Hopefully she will mature soon.
Thanks for checking out my tank.This is meant to be an honest journel to show unaltered everyday look of my tank so I can look back and see them. Please bear with the messiness. I may tidy things up and take some nicer pictures later.
Do you think black might make the tank look smaller while white/blue would look bigger?


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Dark background can create a sense of depth, but if you look at the these top 200 entries, you'll see most of them don't use a blackground. They have all the wires and other things off to the sides and remove them all for photos. the 2nd Round Grading, TOP 200 Layouts | The International Aquatic Plants Layout Contest, IAPLC

As you suggest a blue/white gradually lightening upwards background can also have that effect and it's something I'm planning to try when I redo my 125 gallon, but I plan to go brown to light blue on top to simulate riverbank to sky.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

Yes these guys are really good at photography and I am sure they spent months getting ready for that picture.
I believe they remove all equipment including all the bottom feeders and cleaning crew other than shrimp before they take that picture. There is no oto on the glass, no filter intake or anything like that in the back, and the ripple effect on the water surface is likely made by blowing a fan or blowdryer to the surface. These guys really pay attention to details and are experts with top notch photographic skill. Black background seems not so common anymore, but a nice sky blue with gradual whitness is harder to make if one does nto know how.
I kind of want to try make a sunset effect with special lighting in the background but that is for later.
By the way, I really like #181.
I will try to tidy things up and take some pictures in about a week or so.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

It has been 5 days, with 10 hours of light and lime green drop checker all day long, with ferts daily plants have grown and filled out a bit. The macrandra has really grown taller as you can see in the background. B. Japonica are getting much bigger-- I took out a few, ripped them apart at the roots, and planted them again so now I have much more than when I started.
Ludwegia are growing taller and more bushy but not very tall. Think the Macradra are growing faster in terms fo height.
I took out the glosso and put some hairgrass on the front and they are starting to cover up. 
I know it is still very messy but anyway, tried to put a black background as suggested and took a few pics. Pic is a bit blurry, sorry. Will use a better camera with tripod next time. LOL
Here is a picture.








Anpther picture:


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

The front is almost covered entirely. B.Japonica is growing and getting bigger. The R. Macrandra is getting taller. I am just going to stick with EI and my current Co2 amount and let them grow and fill in. PSent too much time changing things around ti is time to let them grow or else the tank will never be completed. LOL.
By the way, I have moved all my fish but the neon tetra and oto to a new 25 gallon that I have just acquired.
I want to make sure the Co2 level is stabilized before I really add fish. Right now things are slowly reaching a balance and my PH is no longer swinging as much as before. My plants are pearling, and the tetra are swimming actively. My algae is not really bad either. I think the plants have found a balnce with light/fert/Co2 so i want to stay with it and just grow the plants for now without having to worry about the fish.
I am tryng out diffeetn background and may put on a black one just because it is easier and can hide everything. Ideally me and my daughter both want to have a sky blue background.


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## Alkatraz (Jul 20, 2012)

Very nice!


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

Time for my little journal update:
Took out the activated carbon in the filter, replaced it with bamboo. 
Trimmed all stem plants below the hardscape. 
Light and Co2 kept the same, but added a bit more surface areation by moving outtake a bit closer to the water surface. 
Wavemaker/powerhead is placed right on top of the diffusor. 
Trying to make sure Co2 is steady everyday--now turn my Co2 on an hour before light is on. 
All plants are swaying in the tank a little bit. Algae is not crazy. Plants are growing. No melting.
Only keeping neons and otos in this tank right now as I do not want to accidentally gas any sensitive fish if it turns out my co2 is too high. 
Background stem plants are growing to a color kind of matching the color of the stones which is what we alwasy hope for so that is good.
Will look for a way to darken the background. Not a big fan of the background sold in local LFS. Thinking of tinting film from auto shops, or just a big piece of wood board.
Still trying to figure out how to take picture of the tank as so far all pictures look really awful. Just need to find the best settings so will practice with various setting to see which one works best.
parameters:
Ammonia:0
Nitrite:0
Nitrate: .25
KH:9
GH:4
Temp:76
PH:6.6
Photoperiod (T5HO):10 hours--2x39W @ 2 hours; 3x39W @6 hours; 1x39W @ 2 hours; LED night light @ 12 hours
33 gallon (36"x18"x12")
Pressurized Co2, about 5 bubbles per second. Drop checker: lime green.
EI: NPK+Iron+Excel+micro dosing daily, equilibrium and alkaline buffer from Seachem added during water change
Sunday 50% water change; Wed 20-30% water change.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

Change soem seettings on my camera, painted the back of my tank with some black paint, and took this picture.


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## IceBlue (Mar 17, 2011)

Thanks everyone for this thread. Great photo's Fish Rookie, nice set up, good work and a good chronicle of setting up a planted tank.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

Thank you fro all the valuable advice and suggestions. This is the first tank I make with my daughter and also my first pressurized Co2 tank. Before this I only has planted a 10 gallon with some low tech plants. This tank is special to me and my daughter and I want to thank you all for helping me so much along the way.
I have taken another picture to show how much space is there between the top of the plants and the top of the tank.
Should I let the plants grow higher t reach almost the top or just trim them to the scap of the stones, sort of just a bit high than the rocks and follow their profile? Or should I add something tall to the right side and trim the scape concave?
Also, will the wavemaker cast a shadow on the carpet and cause those plants some probem?
I am also thinking may be if I move my diffusor to the other side the shorter plant on the right will grow taller. Currently the filter intake/outake are on the left, and the CO2 is coming out on the right, underneath a wavemaker.
Thanks


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## jbyoung00008 (May 16, 2011)

I think you should let them grow taller. I like the look of a tank when you cant see the back glass. You could always cut them back if you dont like the look. 

Thats awesome to hear that you and your daughter have bonded over this tank. I bet she will grow up with the fish bug just like so many of us on here. The tank looks great! You might want to change your user name. LOL. I dont think you are a fish rookie anymore.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

Thanks, I am still a rookie compared to you guys, who know so much more than I do.
Yes, i really enjoy working on the tank with my daughter, she has just turned 10. She does the EI ferts for me and she also checks my Co2 and things like that everyday. Soemtimes she would trim the dead plants and clean up the glass and so on We just spent a long time cleaning up the algaes and dead plants. She loves fish. Even my little 4 years old loves fish-- she can name a lot of fish in the fish store. 
My 10 years old recently wrote an essay of her favorite thing and she said her favorite fish is discus. She also talked about how they are found in the amazon and so on. I was quite imprssed.
I sometimes show her videos and pictrues of amano's tank, and she would give me ideas of how to arraneg the scape in our tanks..
Honestly, I alwasy want to let the plants grow but just could nto get my hand off the tank. LOL 
I need to control myself from trying to alwasy cutting my plants. I have told myself to let them grow let them grow...but then next thing I know the scissors are out...


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

This is what the tank looks like after a week.
Any comment/suggestion is appreciated. Thank you.


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## neven (May 15, 2010)

my only suggestion is don't be afraid to dial back the lighting if you find the trimming to get outrageous. I once had a tank requiring a trim every 3 days, i ended up cutting the tank down to 2 bulbs instead of 3 and found that to be the perfect balance with algae growth greatly reduced. When you introduce injected co2, you actually lower the lighting required for many plants, so you'd be surprised how low lighting you can go with many of the high light foreground plants. You've made a great start, far better than most of our's first planted tanks


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

neven said:


> my only suggestion is don't be afraid to dial back the lighting if you find the trimming to get outrageous. I once had a tank requiring a trim every 3 days, i ended up cutting the tank down to 2 bulbs instead of 3 and found that to be the perfect balance with algae growth greatly reduced. When you introduce injected co2, you actually lower the lighting required for many plants, so you'd be surprised how low lighting you can go with many of the high light foreground plants. You've made a great start, far better than most of our's first planted tanks


Thank you so much, really appreciate your suggestion. I will definitely try that. I love your planted tanks very much by the way.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

Well, have been quite busy but the plants are growing okay. Did a quick snapshots of the tank now.


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## Reckon (Jul 25, 2012)

Very nice! I've been waiting for an update from you. Hey, why KH 9? Thanks for the tips, you're like my rookie big brother


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

Thanks...As a rookie I have learned so much and I hope you enjoy this forum as much as I have.
KH is only 3-4 now. I was so scared of the PH swing back them I bumped up my KH so much but I don't do that anymore. LOL.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

Trim a bit and here is what it looks like now.
Any comment is appreciated. Thanks.


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## Reckon (Jul 25, 2012)

LOVE the size and color of the Blyxa Japonica


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

After some tidying up, this is the updated pic. 
It has been 4 months. Me and my daughter started this tank in mid June.
Thanks for everyone's help along our journey.
Thx.


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