25G - South America Community Tank

bizfromqc · February 11, 2012, 11:32:45 PM

Quote from: touchofsky on February 11, 2012, 11:26:34 PM
I only have about a cup of it left. I wish I had more. I can call the pool place in Arnprior next week and see if they have more.

Thanks for answering all my questions Valerie

Worst comes to worst, I guess I can fall back on play sand. Not white but it'll do...

touchofsky · February 11, 2012, 11:36:44 PM

How much rust is in the tank? Is it only a few pieces? If so, it may not be a major concern.

bizfromqc · February 11, 2012, 11:39:44 PM

Quote from: touchofsky on February 11, 2012, 11:36:44 PM
How much rust is in the tank? Is it only a few pieces? If so, it may not be a major concern.

Couple of places/spots, its definitely not taking over the substrate. Maybe I should just live with it. I'll sleep on it, la nuit porte conseil

touchofsky · February 11, 2012, 11:42:40 PM

I would pick out the few pieces that you are seeing, and see if it comes back. Rust is basically iron, and we add iron to grow plants, so unless there is really a lot of it, I can't see it being a problem. People put rocks in their tanks that sometimes have a bit of iron in them, and a bit of rust, and it isn't a big problem. I wouldn't pull the substrate out yet, if it were me.

DaWolfe · February 12, 2012, 11:39:25 AM

Eric, I would take the few spots out and see if it comes back.

The tank is empty now right (no plants and no fish) so for now you have noting to loose but time. I would put a few plants in there now, like a fern or a moss.

Dan

bizfromqc · February 13, 2012, 10:04:59 AM

Quote from: DaWolfe on February 12, 2012, 11:39:25 AM
Eric, I would take the few spots out and see if it comes back.

The tank is empty now right (no plants and no fish) so for now you have noting to loose but time. I would put a few plants in there now, like a fern or a moss.

Dan

Yep, empty, I got nothing to add to it yet and I'm not in a hurry really. I'm on the lookout for some nice bogwood.

The more I think about it, the more I think I'm going to leave the sand AS IS.

charlie · February 13, 2012, 10:09:50 AM

Quote from: bizfromqc on February 13, 2012, 10:04:59 AM
Yep, empty, I got nothing to add to it yet and I'm not in a hurry really. I'm on the lookout for some nice bogwood.

The more I think about it, the more I think I'm going to leave the sand AS IS.

If you are not in a hurry, you should hold off until the Giant Auction in a few weeks, a good chance some nice substrate will show up as well as wood etc or you can out bid everyone on the starfire planted tank & have no need for the 20

Errol

bizfromqc · February 13, 2012, 10:28:10 AM

Quote from: charlie on February 13, 2012, 10:09:50 AM
If you are not in a hurry, you should hold off until the Giant Auction in a few weeks, a good chance some nice substrate will show up as well as wood etc or you can out bid everyone on the starfire planted tank & have no need for the 20
Errol

Good idea for the wood and substrate.

Bad idea for the starfire tank, that's a one-way ticket to sleeping on the couch LOL

charlie · February 13, 2012, 10:37:39 AM

Quote from: bizfromqc on February 13, 2012, 10:28:10 AM
Good idea for the wood and substrate.

Bad idea for the starfire tank, that's a one-way ticket to sleeping on the couch LOL

All depends on how you deliver the acquisition
" Look honey, are we lucky or what,we won the main door prize."

touchofsky · February 13, 2012, 10:58:05 AM

LOL!

daworldisblack · February 13, 2012, 12:34:53 PM

Quote from: charlie on February 13, 2012, 10:37:39 AM
All depends on how you deliver the acquisition
" Look honey, are we lucky or what,we won the main door prize."

LMAO! Sorry to hear about the iron specks in there Eric, but hope it gets resolved soon one way or another - let it be or starphire?!

bizfromqc · February 16, 2012, 01:07:09 PM

Little update.

Well I decided to try it out like that, I'm keeping the sand. Why? Because it looks good and a little iron never killed anyone? We'll see...

My faithful scouts, the terrific mean tank cycling machines, Zebra Danios (3 of them) have now moved to the tank as semi-permanent residents.

They should get the cycle going slowly but surely and "test" out my water

The Hagen Glo fixture you see on the picture is now gone to a new home. I just got an email from FedEx to say my new MarineLand DB LED fixture is waiting on my door step :-)

I'm going to look into a spraybar (DIY or new) for the Fluval 205 because I think it creates too much current in there.

Waiting on the Giant Auction to score some nice drift/bog/root wood to put in there. Don't mind the coconut caves, they won't stay there.

bettabreeder · February 16, 2012, 01:45:10 PM

Looks good. Can't wait to see it once you get everything into that tank.

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bizfromqc · February 16, 2012, 10:52:26 PM

Got my new MarineLand Double Bright LED fixture, it's looking good

It's my second one exactly like that, I just love the look of these things. Once again MOPS came through with getting the fixture to my house in about 24 hours, these guys just rock.

bettabreeder · February 16, 2012, 11:00:10 PM

That's awesome! Definitely have to order from them in the future

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touchofsky · February 16, 2012, 11:21:45 PM

Looks great. I am glad that you were able to get the light that you wanted.

bizfromqc · March 06, 2012, 12:02:31 PM

Haven't updated this thread in a little while now since the tank was pretty dull with nothing in itt but sand and a couple of zebra danios

Well I got a couple of plants and a piece of wood at the auction and added them to the tank. Originally it was going to aim for an Amazon biotope but I decided to move away from that and make it a bit broader so not to limit my selection of fauna/flora.

So for now, I'll aim for a South America Community tank (until I change my mind LOL).

- Piece of wood attached to slate
- Cabomba caroliniana
- Echinodorus Amazonicus
- Echinodorus Parviflorus
- Coconut shell

The Amazon sword plant will definitely outgrow the tank but I'll keep it in check. I want it to fill the right side of the tank and it should work great for that, that's why it's pretty much by itself now with enough room to grow.

As for the Cabomba caroliniana, I go two batches from the giant auction and they look totally different. Must have been grown in different conditions. Hopefully they'll even out in my tank under the same conditions (left and right of the piece of wood, different batches)

I may add a small piece of wood to the front-right side of the tank to balance things out but I'm still unsure about it.

I also want to add some foreground plant, probably Echinodorus tenellus (that I missed at the auction

) to fill the front part of the tank and add some more green. I haven't decided on weather or not to use smaller rocks in the tank.

The tank is still cycling and undergoing 30-40% daily WC.

Right now the tank houses 4 zebra danios (to help cycling the tank) that will come out when the tank is cycled since they're not from SA

I haven't finalized the stocklist yet (need more research) but I was thinking something along the lines of:
- 1 pair of either Apistogramma or GBR
- 7-8 Cardinal Tetras
- 5-6 Corys
- 1-2 Albino Bristlenose Pleco

Eric

daworldisblack · March 06, 2012, 12:15:37 PM

Nice Driftwood! I like the SA idea and GBRs are definitely going to be awesome! They look nice!

touchofsky · March 06, 2012, 01:53:52 PM

Looks great. I will be curious to see how your Amazon sword grows under the LED's. I have an Ozelot type sword and it has remained fairly short and compact. I don't know if it is the particular variety or the light, since the plant wasn't labelled.

bizfromqc · March 06, 2012, 01:58:14 PM

Quote from: daworldisblack on March 06, 2012, 12:15:37 PM
Nice Driftwood! I like the SA idea and GBRs are definitely going to be awesome! They look nice!

Thanks for the comments. I've got some GBR fry/juvies, approximately 1.5 months old in a 10G grow-out tank. Hopefully as they grow and develop I'll be able to sex them and possibly move a pair/trio to this tank OR another pair of apistos. Don't know yet...

Just for kicks, this is where the GBR fry are now. They love to hang out on the sponge or in the moss.

Eric