# 90cm planted tank



## fenster58

This is my new tank...fully cycled and ready for some creatures. I picked up some brigittes and galaxies from april last week, although, they arent pictured here because this photo was from 2 wks ago.

(Water is still stained from the tannins in the wood...might have to regenerate my purigen.)

I was hoping to add some shrimp but should I wait for the HC to grow in a little bit more? I've had amanos in the past which pulled out my HC before it ever had a chance to establish itself. Any advice regarding shrimp type & numbers would be great...


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## Chronick

really like the look of your tank.

you should attack some christmas moss or something to your branches, they look a little plain


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## Tn23

Love your setup, Looks great. What kind of Rimless tank is that? Are you injecting co2?

I wouldn't add amanos if you don't need them, they steal food from other shrimps and sometimes eat at plants when there isn't enough food.

I'd with cherries or painted fire reds as they are hardy shrimp compared to Crystal Red / Blacks. But that tank would be beautiful with CRS/CBS :d


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## fenster58

chronick - on the wood, i've actually added some fissedens which grows pretty slow & isolated. i've had java moss in the past and didnt like how it eventually took over the entire piece of wood.

tn23 - that tank (36 x 18 x 18) is labelled as an "aqua pro". its from a store in seattle... it came out to about $170. for the "clearer/colourless" glass, the ada 90-p comes to well over $600 after shipping and tax; i wasn't willing to spend that much on a 3 ft tank and i'm quite pleased with the quality of the tank build on the aqua pro. oh and yes, i'm injecting co2. i'll take your advice on avoiding the amanos and considering something more colourful like crs/cbs.


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## Tn23

fenster: the quality looks great, maybe I'll go down and grab one. I have an ada tank right now but it was the same price as your tank but not even half the size. I'll PM you for the store name if I go down soon :d thanks!


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## discuspaul

fenster - that's a superb looking tank ! Very well done.
And, no doubt, whatever you put in there will look just great !


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## clintgv

Nice set-up. Can't wait to see an update when the plants have grown a bit . And ofcourse with shrimp too hehe.


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## tang daddy

did the pics get removed?

I dont see any....


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## LikeItLow

real nice tank !


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## fenster58

thanks for the responses everyone...i'll try to put up more updated shots in the near future...


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## fenster58

here's a couple updated pics from today...

- still waiting for the background to fill in as i've ripped out most of the tonina belem and added micranthemum umbrosum. looks goofy right now.
- gotta trim the middle background plant.
- staurogyne repens has gone nuts in the foreground.
- fortunately, no casualties that i've noticed. current inhabitants: 20 boraras brigittae, 2 galaxies, 3 otos, 12 PFRs, 2 CRS. i'm running co2, so tryin my best not to gas them.
- thanks april for the blyxa...its starting to take off.




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## Keri

Wow, it's looking really great!


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## effox

Nice setup, looks great!


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## fenster58

here are some shrimp from Tn23...and some nosy chilis





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## CRS Fan

Really nice looking. What are you using for filtration and lighting? Are you EI dosing? What is your photoperiod? 

Best regards,

Stuart


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## Chronick

looks great man


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## Diztrbd1

great set up!


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## fenster58

*new planted tank & shrimp stocking advice?*

Stuart - the lighting is a tek fixture. Running only 2 t5ho (giesemann midday & aquaflora). 6.5 hrs = photoperiod. 4pm-1030pm so I can stare at the tank when I get home. Hehe. Fixture is about 12" above tank.

Filters = eheim 2232 & some generic eBay canister filter.

EI dosing and trying to figure out whether or not gh booster is necessary. Any thoughts?


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## 2wheelsx2

fenster58 said:


> Stuart - the lighting is a tek fixture. Running only 2 t5ho (giesemann midday & aquaflora). 6.5 hrs = photoperiod. 4pm-1030pm so I can stare at the tank when I get home. Hehe. Fixture is about 12" above tank.
> 
> Filters = eheim 2232 & some generic eBay canister filter.
> 
> EI dosing and trying to figure out whether or not gh booster is necessary. Any thoughts?


Gotta love the Tek. GH booster is almost a must in metro Vancouver. Unless you are already dosing Epsom salts and a Calcium source (which I do with plaster of Paris).


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## fenster58

*berried pfrs*

came home yesterday to find a couple berried painted fire reds.
here they are...





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## beijing2008

sick tank! Very nice plant choice 
Can't wait till it fills in even more! 
Do you have your CO2 on a solonoid?
pH swings are dangerous for inverts.


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## fenster58

beijing2008 said:


> sick tank! Very nice plant choice
> Can't wait till it fills in even more!
> Do you have your CO2 on a solonoid?
> pH swings are dangerous for inverts.


yeah its on a solenoid...timed CO2 shut off at night.

no ph swings that i've noticed; ph stays around 6.5...ada aquasoil buffers quite nicely. kh=4


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## Tn23

Jason, congrats on the berried shrimps. Your tank looks amazing!


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## fenster58

Tn23 said:


> Jason, congrats on the berried shrimps. Your tank looks amazing!


thanks thomas...i'll let u know when i want more. hahaha.
i was gonna post a vid but got lazy and its actually kinda boring (pfr fanning eggs with john garrett's voice in the background during intermission of a canucks broadcast)

u're right tho, it might be time to find an assassin snail. maybe pat will have some...


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## Tn23

^He does, they are $4 each. I asked him for you the other day I talked to him


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## roadrunner

that's awesome set up! love the landscape, great job! Please keep us posted and more pics please. Would love to see how you plants are growing.


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## mysticalnet

*new planted tank & shrimp stocking advice?*

Very nice rimless and aquascape! What filtration are u using?


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## jakz0rz

Tank, scape, shrimps, it all looks great! More pics please! 

Why do you run such a short photoperiod?


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## fenster58

jakz0rz said:


> Tank, scape, shrimps, it all looks great! More pics please!
> 
> Why do you run such a short photoperiod?


i run a shorter photoperiod to help avoid algae...i hate algae!

just did a trim so will post some pics as soon as things fill out a bit more.


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## fenster58

small update.

-added a cheap surface skimmer to get rid of the organic surface film...does an amazing job.

-got a couple assassin snails but a haven't seen them for about a week. no idea where they are.

-background slowly creeping in after a major trim. hopefully, it fills out in a couple weeks.

- selling some blyxa and staurogyne in the classifieds if anyone is interested.

here's a photo from today...(includes surface trimmings i was too lazy to take out before the photo)



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## tang daddy

Looks good, I guess the lights were off on the tank in the last pic?

How many shrimp do you have in there now?


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## fenster58

tang daddy said:


> Looks good, I guess the lights were off on the tank in the last pic?
> 
> How many shrimp do you have in there now?


thanks. nah lights were on...i'm just horrible at taking pics. i just use a simple point & shoot camera. i don't pay attention to light levels, white balance etc...but now that u mention it, maybe i should hahaha.

started with 12 pfrs, 12 crs. lost 3 crs and 1 pfr. pfrs are dropping eggs. i'm guessing its because of all the crap i throw into the water??? i EI dose and pump in co2 so that the drop checker stays yellow.


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## CRS Fan

fenster58 said:


> Stuart - the lighting is a tek fixture. Running only 2 t5ho (giesemann midday & aquaflora). 6.5 hrs = photoperiod. 4pm-1030pm so I can stare at the tank when I get home. Hehe. Fixture is about 12" above tank.
> 
> Filters = eheim 2232 & some generic eBay canister filter.
> 
> EI dosing and trying to figure out whether or not gh booster is necessary. Any thoughts?


I had a bad experience with Equilibrium and crypts. Right now I am still using Kent R/O Right (1/2 tsp/10 gallons) and P/H Stable (1/8 tsp/10 gallons) with excellent results. I'm still trying to figure out EI dosing myself (as i have been using the PFertz line for a couple years and finally just ran out).

Best regards,

Stuart


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## fenster58

CRS Fan said:


> I had a bad experience with Equilibrium and crypts. Right now I am still using Kent R/O Right (1/2 tsp/10 gallons) and P/H Stable (1/8 tsp/10 gallons) with excellent results. I'm still trying to figure out EI dosing myself (as i have been using the PFertz line for a couple years and finally just ran out).
> 
> Best regards,
> 
> Stuart


i just tested my gh without booster and its at 5.

my old tanks had eco-complete, and the kh & gh was always very low (ie.0 to 1) without any manipulation. i hated it because i always had to add gh booster and seachem alkaline buffer and then test the water to make sure things were good.

in the current tank, since i've used ada aquasoil my kh is 4.5 and gh 5. i'm assuming its the substrate that i can attribute this difference to. i like the kh where it is because the ph remains stable at 6.5 with co2 injection. the gh level though, i'm not quite sure what is ideal for both shrimp and plants.


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## Morainy

Beautiful!!!


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## 2wheelsx2

fenster58 said:


> i just tested my gh without booster and its at 5.
> 
> my old tanks had eco-complete, and the kh & gh was always very low (ie.0 to 1) without any manipulation. i hated it because i always had to add gh booster and seachem alkaline buffer and then test the water to make sure things were good.
> 
> in the current tank, since i've used ada aquasoil my kh is 4.5 and gh 5. i'm assuming its the substrate that i can attribute this difference to. i like the kh where it is because the ph remains stable at 6.5 with co2 injection. the gh level though, i'm not quite sure what is ideal for both shrimp and plants.


That's at odds with the usual experience with EC, since it has carbonate buffers and the KH should have been a lot higher than 1. My EC tank always had higher KH/pH than my Florabase tank.


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## fenster58

2wheelsx2 said:


> That's at odds with the usual experience with EC, since it has carbonate buffers and the KH should have been a lot higher than 1. My EC tank always had higher KH/pH than my Florabase tank.


in regards to the ec, u might be right because i remember when i initially started with ec, kh was around 3, but i'd say after about 3-4 months the kh always dropped down to 0-1. maybe the effectivity of the substrate died off over time?

i hope the same doesn't happen to this tank...


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## 2wheelsx2

You could be right there, as I've only used EC with non-CO2 injected tanks. The CO2 injection may use up the carbonate buffers quickly, rendering it unbuffered after a short period. I always run crushed coral in my CO2 injected tanks, so have never run into a KH problem.


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## fenster58

*flowering anubias!*

- my anubias barteri nana is flowering...this is the first time i've seen any of my aquatic plants do so. 



here's the latest tank shot...weird angle, but it was during daylight hrs and that was the most effective way to eliminate glare from the windows.
- staurogyne repens still growing fast (this was after a major trim)
- hc has crept to the front glass



EDIT

- just spotted a bulb on the blyxa japonica...unfortunately, i've read they don't flower unless they reach the surface. 





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## fenster58

current plant list...
Bacopa myriophyloides
HC
anubias nana
cryptocorynne parva
blyxa japonica
fissedens fontanus
staurogyne repens
rotala wallichii
rotala macrandra

some pics from today.

pfr

































assassin snail & hc









parva, blyxa, anubias


side shot


overall - over the past month, there was a major staurogyne trim on left side...right side is due for one as well.


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## Rastapus

Beautiful aquarium, great attention to detail! Really nice!


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## Tn23

Tank looks great as usual


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## jobber

That's a great 'scape. Quite the masterpiece you have.
Might I add that the glass tank looks like a beauty!


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## fenster58

thanks for the comments guys!


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## fenster58

added some fish...wanted a school...picked up cardinal & gold tetras. (thanks charles!)


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## jobber

Nice additions. Sure they'll school nicely in your tank.
Notice the minor rescape/prune. Great looking tank.
Saving the pic for my desktop wallpaper


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## snowlights

That looks great, I wish I could set something like that up, haha. 

What is your substrate? (might've missed it in the thread if you said already, sorry)


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## fenster58

snowlights said:


> That looks great, I wish I could set something like that up, haha.
> 
> What is your substrate? (might've missed it in the thread if you said already, sorry)


thanks...soil is ada amazonia 1


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## monkE

looks great! well done


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## fenster58

after reading that blyxa japonica doesn't flower submerged, i was surprised to see that's not the case.

this morning, i noticed this...


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## fenster58

bored...so i took some pfr shots today...


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## Bizbomb

Great picture quality and pictures.


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## fenster58

Bizbomb said:


> Great picture quality and pictures.


thanks...they were taken from a panasonic point & shoot.


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## Tn23

wow great quality for a point and shoot!
those PFRs are mighty red!


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## corad96

WOW! that is impressive. I am loving those roots! Where did you get it?
55g community tank
10g salamander tank
2-3g betta tank

owner of: The Bass Bowl
come check out my great site updated weekly!


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## fenster58

It's been a long time between updates. Here's a shot from earlier this week after a small trim...obviously, before I cleaned out the trimmings ;p


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## monkE

great looking tank! congrats!


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## jobber

What's in the breeder box to the left? Those cardinals sure look nice in contrast to all the greenery.

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## fenster58

jobber604 said:


> What's in the breeder box to the left? Those cardinals sure look nice in contrast to all the greenery.
> 
> Sent from my Samsung Mobile using Tapatalk


Ditched the breeder box and gave all the cardinals except one to a friend. Last cardinal was hard to catch.

Added galaxies a few days ago. They aren't as shy as the cardinals.

Pic from today after another major hc & s. repens trim.


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## Flygirl

Fantastic looking tank. 

How are you finding the galaxies with the shrimp? Are they devouring any of the babies or do you just have enough hiding places?


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## Arcteryx

Wow, what a gorgeous setup. Great work!


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## fenster58

Flygirl said:


> Fantastic looking tank.
> 
> How are you finding the galaxies with the shrimp? Are they devouring any of the babies or do you just have enough hiding places?


Thanks. They don't bother the shrimp at all...I've had two galaxies in the tank (prior to adding a dozen more), and the shrimp were still multiplying. If anything, I would have thought the cardinals and the gold tetras would have eaten them, but they still multiplied. It could also be the fact that there are plenty of hiding spots too. Regardless, I haven't seen fish attack shrimp in this tank.


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## 2wheelsx2

That's great, as I've been considering adding CPD's to my ADA tank. You just clinched it for me. Now to see who has some.


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## fenster58

2wheelsx2 said:


> That's great, as I've been considering adding CPD's to my ADA tank. You just clinched it for me. Now to see who has some.


got mine from April...


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## 2wheelsx2

fenster58 said:


> got mine from April...


Thanks for the tip. Will try to get there this week.


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## stonedaquarium

saw this tank in person... its truly a work of art...


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