Sweet Pea
New member
Right-oh! My first planted freshwater tank! I am LOVING it!
(Sorry no light on the tank and there are a lot of windows. There are not metal bowls in the tank, lol, it's a reflection.)
I have an inch of insulation foam under the tank (thus the paw print ribbon) because my tea table is slightly uneven in the way I had to reinforce it.
I have a ton of plants in there for a silent cycle.
Surface:
*(6) Water Lettuce
*(4) Aquatic Forget-Me-Nots (Blue)
*(5) Water Hyacinth
*(Some little tiny free floating plants I got as freebies and hitchhikers)
Semi Surface:
*(2) Water Hawthorn
*(Lots of stems) Pennywort
* (1) Unidentified Freebie
Mosses:
*(A ton) of Peacock Moss
*(6) Mats of Flame Moss
Anubias (just a lot of each):
*Barteri Round Leaf
*Nana Narrow Leaf
*Nana Petite
*Minima
*Bonsai
*Golden
*Nanji
*(1) Unidentified Freebie
Other:
*(8) Windelov Java Fern
*(3) Marimo Moss
*(4) What I think may be Hygrophila Polysperma (Freebie)
4 Pieces of drift wood (which I think are leaking tannins into the water) and one I had to weigh down with the rock.
1 Quartz Rock
1 Part of an Aged Giant Clam Shell (to bring my PH up a smidge it was below 6). I also have a sack of shards in my 5 gal bucket for water changes.
Porcelain Tile for bottom. It looks like slate.
And 1 Snail Hitchhiker I discovered this morning. First living critter in there!
Tank: 40 Gal. Breeder
Parameters after I added the Shell:
PH: 6.8-7
KH: (3-4) 53.7-71.6 (about 60?)
GH: (3) 53.7
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
Temp: 68°F with chiller
And I have a Hydor external canester filter for 40-60 gal with charcoal and zeolite added.
I started the tank a little over a week ago (last Thurs) with about 1/2 the plants. I've added in the rest of the plants as they've come.
I've done 5 gal (or more) water changes daily.
Seems like everything is going really good. But I feel like it's going too well... Am I doing ok? It there something else I need to do? I'm looking into getting my first Axi soon and I'd like everything as safe and comfortable for the little guy as possible. Thanks!
(Sorry no light on the tank and there are a lot of windows. There are not metal bowls in the tank, lol, it's a reflection.)
I have an inch of insulation foam under the tank (thus the paw print ribbon) because my tea table is slightly uneven in the way I had to reinforce it.
I have a ton of plants in there for a silent cycle.
Surface:
*(6) Water Lettuce
*(4) Aquatic Forget-Me-Nots (Blue)
*(5) Water Hyacinth
*(Some little tiny free floating plants I got as freebies and hitchhikers)
Semi Surface:
*(2) Water Hawthorn
*(Lots of stems) Pennywort
* (1) Unidentified Freebie
Mosses:
*(A ton) of Peacock Moss
*(6) Mats of Flame Moss
Anubias (just a lot of each):
*Barteri Round Leaf
*Nana Narrow Leaf
*Nana Petite
*Minima
*Bonsai
*Golden
*Nanji
*(1) Unidentified Freebie
Other:
*(8) Windelov Java Fern
*(3) Marimo Moss
*(4) What I think may be Hygrophila Polysperma (Freebie)
4 Pieces of drift wood (which I think are leaking tannins into the water) and one I had to weigh down with the rock.
1 Quartz Rock
1 Part of an Aged Giant Clam Shell (to bring my PH up a smidge it was below 6). I also have a sack of shards in my 5 gal bucket for water changes.
Porcelain Tile for bottom. It looks like slate.
And 1 Snail Hitchhiker I discovered this morning. First living critter in there!
Tank: 40 Gal. Breeder
Parameters after I added the Shell:
PH: 6.8-7
KH: (3-4) 53.7-71.6 (about 60?)
GH: (3) 53.7
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
Temp: 68°F with chiller
And I have a Hydor external canester filter for 40-60 gal with charcoal and zeolite added.
I started the tank a little over a week ago (last Thurs) with about 1/2 the plants. I've added in the rest of the plants as they've come.
I've done 5 gal (or more) water changes daily.
Seems like everything is going really good. But I feel like it's going too well... Am I doing ok? It there something else I need to do? I'm looking into getting my first Axi soon and I'd like everything as safe and comfortable for the little guy as possible. Thanks!
I've been working really hard to make a beautiful, safe, and environment rich home for my Axi. That I just picked out! A freckled blue gill Lucy, breed by a member here! I think I figured out the foam too. It's probably a protein build up. I did a good cleaning and that seemed to help. Plants are messy before they establish!