Low-tech semi-awesome 65g planted

[Makena95GT]

May as well share the FW tank while I dream an plan for the 90 gallon to be set up.

Its a 65 gallon I was given by a customer at PetSmart. Very thankful for it and her. Really thick glass on this tank, super heavy. She had a hood but needed to get it from storage in another town and I wanted to use my box LEDs anyways so I went open top. I may make a net top from BRS in the future as I now have hatchetfish and two already took the leap.

I dont use CO2 or really any other additives besides Seachem Nitrogen every once in a while and I dose with some natural medications here and there as a preventative. Have also used Algaefix a handful of times.

These buttheads are addicted to the Omega One MICRO pellets and refuse anything else besides frozen. Wont even take the same brands larger pellets. (The angels specifically are the pickiest) so I go through bottles of that food like nobodies business -.-'

The big Sword I got from Fish Gallery, it was growing out of their plant tank and I had to have it.

These pics are from a few months ago with my DSLR

Almost FTS. No longer have nearly as much moss or the sword behind the dragon. Also added some dwarf sag and eelgrass since then

Squeegee the Common "Pleccy" with the Honey Dwarf Gourami photobombing

Better pic of the gourami

One of the two larger angels. I have three in total.

The smaller angel. Still isnt quite grown up enough for me to personally be sure what gender it is. I know my larger are a male and female

Another Squeegee shot

[Makena95GT]

Forgot my stocking list:

3 Angelfish

3 Banjo Catfish

6 Neon tetras (hoping the angel wont devour them)

1 Featherfin catfish

2 Black Khuli Loaches

5 Rasbora Heteromorpha(sp?)

1 lonely Silver Hatchetfish

5 White Cloud Mountain Minnows (should be in cooler water, seem to be doing well in 76F)

1 rouge Black Molly I threw in as a fry for a snack for the Angels months ago

1 rouge Dalmation Molly fry that got loose when the breeder net fell

2 rouge Convict Cichlid fry that also got loose when the breeder net fell (reaaallly hoping they got eaten)

1 Mystery Snail

1 Nerite Snail

1 super awesome super active beautiful amazing sweet eats-out-of-your-hand common pleco I absolutely adore

The filter is a National Geographic (rebranded Eheim classic) canister filter. Cant remember which Eheim classic series it is but it was the largest one we sold at PetSmart.

These photos I just took today.

So this breeder net was housing a couple of Convicts to grow out and give to someone.. until Crowley the featherfin decided he likes the net on the bottom of the tank better and enjoys hanging out in it, so I have 2 Convict fry somewhere in the tank (if the angels havent found them yet) that Im a bit upset about. Not a fan of Convicts

Crowley felt the need to follow me around while I was trying to get shots of the banjo catfish

I have no idea why but two of my Banjo Cats LOVE shoving themselves in the stems of the sword and chilling there instead of burrowing in the sand like their other friend, who apoarently actually knows how to be a banjo cat

About 1% of the trumpet snail population. Love these guys.

Current length of the eelgrass. I think about 5 feet tall right now, maybe 6? This is a 65 gallon tall tank, the light is almost 2 feet above the tank and it still drooped down another foot or two trying to lift it up for the pic. LOVE this stuff. Makes good surface cover for my hatchets when it grows across the top of the water from being so long

-old pic-

Here's some of the eelgrass I pulled to give to a coworker not to long ago

[Makena95GT]

Also to add on, I've been temped to try out CO2, though have never used it before (unless "liquid CO2" counts lmao) and am a bit intimidated by it. My angels took a lot of babying to get to where they are (When I got them we were having really bad issues with our angel shipments and they were really rough) and dont want to risk them in any way.

Anyone skilled with planted tanks, would love your input on possibly going mote high tech with this tank so the dwarf sag and future plants will fill out more.

Also, the yellowing of the swords? Nitrogen issue? I seem to always have 0 nitrates, probably due to the giant sword I assume

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[jestep]

The smaller angel. Still isnt quite grown up enough for me to personally be sure what gender it is. I know my larger are a male and female

Do you know where you got this one? Looks like a peruvian scalare which they often mislabel as peruvian altums. Anyway, by far my favorite angel, a full grown school looks absolutely amazing and they aren't difficult to care for like actual altums which give even wild discus a run for their money on difficulty.

[Makena95GT]

The smaller angel. Still isnt quite grown up enough for me to personally be sure what gender it is. I know my larger are a male and female

Do you know where you got this one? Looks like a peruvian scalare which they often mislabel as peruvian altums. Anyway, by far my favorite angel, a full grown school looks absolutely amazing and they aren't difficult to care for like actual altums which give even wild discus a run for their money on difficulty.

Yessir. Came from my PetSmart on 183 and Ohlen. We still have quite a few that look very similar. Super beautiful. $6.49

I just so hapoen to be here right noe stocking

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[Makena95GT]

This tank got some new plants and some things moved a smidge.

Difference in plant health from before using ferts and dosing liquid CO2 and after.

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I'll also toss in an update on my smallest tank/my moms betta tank. The betta mysteriously disappeared so I decided to redo the tank with shrimp and endlers. As well as a stunted bristlenose pleco a customer at PetSmart gave me.

Initial scaping/planting

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161109/d3f204559412e71a830964c7637d3c87.jpg

Just a 5.5 gallon Top Fin kit I got for my mom a year or so ago to give her something to do/look at. Right now theres a ton of snails in here due to an invasion of trumpet snails in my 65. Assasin snails have been hired to take care of them, so all my pet snails are hanging out in here, which is a lot of mystery snails and one nerite.

The actual stock looks more like:

5 red cherry shrimp of varying niceness

2 male endlers

2 female endlers

1 bristlenose pleco

I realize now I have no updated photo after I added the new plants. Will go take one in a moment.

Plants:

Java moss

Dwarf sag

Green myrio

Anubias nana

Green Crypt wendtii

Giant hairgrass

Dwarf Lily

Im also attempting DIY co2 with this tank. Wish me luck.

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[Makena95GT]

Bloop. New FTS. Ignore water spots

Little pleccy bro

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[Makena95GT]

Lots of changes with the plant tank. Starting with trying to get rid of the trumpet snails. I also have Mysterys and Nerites so trapping is the only method thats working so far.

Then, getting rid of my bigbig Amazon Sword. Bought at Fish Gallery a couple years ago, founds its way back home.

Had lots of snail eggs at work. Hatched them in a kritter keeper and am moving them as they grow large enough to not be eaten. Plan: have literally an unlimited supply of Mystery Snails for the rest of my life.

Kidding

Just thought I'd hatch and grow them to take back to the store, keep us stocked. As well as try to get some of the cooler colored mysterys. Only ones I dont have are magentas.

The first of the new livestock was this dude. Vampire Shrimp, very very cool. Docile, literally can't hurt anything even if it wanted, as it is a filter feeder with fans, like a bamboo shrimp.

I lost my bigger female angel. No clue how. I went to get a midnight snack one night and thought I'd peep on the tank. She was laying on the bottom barely breathing. I tossed her into the tank I was hatching the snail eggs in as I knew it had clean good water, and she was gone within minutes sadly. No injuries, discolorations, or marks of any kind.

After that I ended up trading in both of my oldest angels, and then also all of the tetras and minnows.

Featherfin catfish was also traded in and now lives in our "office" built-in tank

I decided to try to go a different route with the stock. I give you... Makena's Ark

Pair of Honey Gouramis

Pair of Albino Paradise Gouramis

Pair of wild Rams

Two pairs of Banjo Catfish (someone traded one in at work! Woot woot)

Many breeding Mystery Snails

One male black Angelfish (awaiting his future wifey)

Pair of khuli loaches (no idea the gender, were given to me)

Male bristlenose pleco (once I remove the common plec, this guy will get a female)

Vampire Shrimp (def wanting another if I come across one)

Plants

Green myrio

Klein bar swords

Java fern

Anubias nana

Green crypt wendtii

Water wisteria

Jungle val/eelgrass

Marimo moss balls

Dwarf lilies

I'll be getting more crypts of different varieties tomorrow, as well as some new swords, possibly some blyxia for a tallish foreground plant.

Very very pleased with how this tank came out. Been spending all of my time and money on it. Now on to the mini-reef!

[mikemcd]

Nice work. I have a Frontosas and want to go a different way. Planted tank would be nice. I don't want to mess with CO2 and don't have much knowledge, but what you are doing looks great.

[mikemcd]

Nice work. I have a Frontosas and want to go a different way. Planted tank would be nice. I don't want to mess with CO2 and don't have much knowledge, but what you are doing looks great.

[world renowned]

nice tanks...just got a tripod and will be taking a couple shots to share myself

[jestep]

Let me know if you need any cryptocoryne wendtii (brown/red) variety. I'm overflowing with them and would prefer to give them to someone instead of tossing them. Not to hijack the thread but if any other planted tank keepers are interested in some, PM me. Full disclosure, for the first time in a long time, I'm battling some snails of unknown origin right now as well, so clean well and plant at your own risk...

[Makena95GT]

I DID IT! Saved a bit of money, waited a few months, and I finally have one of my favorite plecos! Hes a Blue Phantom, and very skittish. Ive had him for about a month now, he's almost gotten used to me but still backs into his cave when anyone gets too close



Of course the old pleco had tore up some of my freshly planted plants, then the gouramis decided to build nests in them



ALL of my Mystery snails have been laying eggs like crazy! I upgraded the grow out snail tank to a 10 that sits next to the 65. I use water from the 65 for water changes in the 10, then do the change in the 65. Tons of cuttlebone in the 10g, the snails love it. Enders are also finally starting to populate



Added some Parrot's feather among a few other plants. Ive been on a bit on a Sword thing. I have Klein Bars, Melons, Ozelot, Marble Queen, Pinwheel, and want to try to add a ruby red melon and one other thats name escapes me right now, but I seem to have run out of space for swords :C


This is the most updated FTS I have on my phone, but is a few weeks old. Ill try to remember to get a new one after the water change today.

The vampire crab finally molted, scared the crud outta me. I added one new angel as I believe my two are both females now that they're more mature (Why must they be so hard to sex at quarter size? Lol)

Also finally got a glass top. No more excessive evaporation!

Been religiously dosing Flourish, Excel, and Advance weekly, every other day and daily respectively and it has done WONDERS for my plants. Never thought I'd ever have a nice planted tank without CO2 gas

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