UPDATED+Plant Layout PokeSephiroth's 20 Gallon Walstad Tank

CO2....get there!

But...but but but... but! . . .
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Update!

Well it's been a while since I've updated this, but fret not! I have some pictures to share! Once I finish sorting through them, I will update this again for all of you to see. Wheeee!

Pictures are here!

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A picture of the entire 20 gallon tank. The plants sure have filled in quite well. Perhaps TOO well. Every time I trim them, the plants seem to just take up all the space I freed up within a couple of days. It's really great seeing all the fast plant growth, that's for sure!


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Three Blue Rams, playing follow the leader in front of a lush green background of plants. There's also a preggo Fancy Guppy in there that jrmakawoody gave me several months ago. She seems to be happy and keeps popping out more babies here and there!


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These pictures are just some close ups, that I wanted to try with the iPhone4S. Seems pretty good, if only I had manual control of the focus, then I'd probably have better shots. Still, not bad for a camera phone.


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Just showing the other plants, and how healthy they are! Yay for healthy plants!


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Feeding time! Boy they sure don't get camera shy when it comes to feeding them. I literally had the phone/camera RIGHT up to the glass, and they didn't even care!


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Welps, that's it for now. The other fish seem to be camera shy, but I did manage to get a couple of them in the pictures (Guppies, and White Cloud Mountain Minnows)
I'll post a little video of the Blue Rams soon, once it's done rendering and uploading.

Here's the video (it should be done processing by now).

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three comments:
1st, did you take the shots inside the tank?(actually a question) it appears that there is no glass separating you from the fish!(there's the comment)

2nd, those rams crack me up. i like how they just "mean-mugged" the camera the entire time you shot this video.

3rd, completely awesome set-up and fish!!!!!!!!!!

lloyd378, hehehehe!!
1) Nope, all pictures and videos were taken outside of the tank, I just had the iPhone4s right up against the tank, literally.

2) It's my first time having Blue Rams, and they really are a hoot to watch. Like most cichlids, they know who I am now, and always approach the front of the tank assuming that I'm going to feed them every time. Bahahaha!

3) Thanks!!

B e a s t!

Wow Angelo, WoOOoooow!

. . .Thanks!! They look so active whenever I approach the tank. LOL. I kinda wish I didn't put this tank in a room I rarely go in. I mean, the only time I ever go in this room is to feed them, or to water my herbs..... (don't get any ideas. I'm just growing Holy Basil. LOL)

I have my blue rams attack my fingers sometimes when im reaching in messing with the plants, they ARE a hoot!

Beautiful jungle. Where is that purple light coming from on the wall?

PokeSephiroth wrote:Pictures are here!

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A picture of the entire 20 gallon tank. The plants sure have filled in quite well. Perhaps TOO well. Every time I trim them, the plants seem to just take up all the space I freed up within a couple of days. It's really great seeing all the fast plant growth, that's for sure!


[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Three Blue Rams, playing follow the leader in front of a lush green background of plants. There's also a preggo Fancy Guppy in there that jrmakawoody gave me several months ago. She seems to be happy and keeps popping out more babies here and there!


[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
These pictures are just some close ups, that I wanted to try with the iPhone4S. Seems pretty good, if only I had manual control of the focus, then I'd probably have better shots. Still, not bad for a camera phone.


[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Just showing the other plants, and how healthy they are! Yay for healthy plants!


[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Feeding time! Boy they sure don't get camera shy when it comes to feeding them. I literally had the phone/camera RIGHT up to the glass, and they didn't even care!


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Welps, that's it for now. The other fish seem to be camera shy, but I did manage to get a couple of them in the pictures (Guppies, and White Cloud Mountain Minnows)
I'll post a little video of the Blue Rams soon, once it's done rendering and uploading.

binbin9, purple light... hmmm I'm not sure.. I have 4 light fixtures above the tank, and they're different bulbs, of varying wattages:

2 - 24" 17watt 6,500K Daylight fluorescent tubes
1 - 18" 15watt "grow light" tube
1 - 18" 15watt ????K fluorescent tube

perhaps the purple light is from a mixture of those lights? My walls are white, so I doubt it's from that. lol

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That tank is looking absolutely fantastic! Great job, PokeS

pbmax, why thankyas couldn't have done it without your help!

Actually, I really couldn't have done it without all the help and support from everyone here! You all rock so much!

Of course now you're screwed... all those stem plants are only going to grow faster so you'll be trimming every week. The slacker in me switched over to mostly root plants a while back to avoid the work.

pbmax, are you kidding me? Because they grow so fast, I get to sell them at local petstores...granted, they screw me over with their prices...BUT... it's still better than just tossing em out. LOL.

I would like some more crypts though. perhaps when I get tired of my hygros or something lol.

Recently trimmed my 20 gallon tank, I swear, everytime I trim, I get saddened by how ugly it looks, but I do like the fact that the fish have more swimming room now. It was a JUNGLE in there, basically had fish right up to the glass. lol!!

This is how it looks now, after trimming.
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Even after all that clipping, it still looks like a mess. I'm probably going to take out a lot of the vals growing in there, because they're super long. There are some in there that has leaves that are twice the length of the tank, it's crazy.

PokeSephiroth wrote:Recently trimmed my 20 gallon tank, I swear, everytime I trim, I get saddened by how ugly it looks, but I do like the fact that the fish have more swimming room now. It was a JUNGLE in there, basically had fish right up to the glass. lol!!

This is how it looks now, after trimming.
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Even after all that clipping, it still looks like a mess. I'm probably going to take out a lot of the vals growing in there, because they're super long. There are some in there that has leaves that are twice the length of the tank, it's crazy.

It must have been a chore if you trimmed everything at once

Personally I like the look of Val when its become long enough to bend over. Looks natural. Very nice PokeSethiroth!

fishNAbowl: Thank you! It did take me a while, that's for sure. LOL! The Rotala Indica and Baby Tears were the "toughest" ones to trim/clip because there was so many of them. The stargrass seems to be doing really well in that tank, not so much in my other tanks because this one is dirted, (I have another dirted tank with stargrass growing in it, but it's not doing as well in their for some odd reason).

Bacopa Caroliniana was plentiful as well, I really need to make more room for other plants because I tend to be a plant hoarder apparently. I still have a problem with just tossing out plant clippings, so I eventually end up just putting them in different tanks.  

I also love the look of Vallisneria when it becomes long and bends towards the surface, this was initially what I had wanted for the longest time, and now they're starting to outgrow the other plants. Aaaahahahahaha!

I love your tank!! where do you get your rams? im looking for a female.

MorganEA: Thanks! I got mine from Petsmart, before I knew any better. lol.

Looks great, hooray for dirt! I wish I had just done that with my tank, but realize I would have just filled it up recently after all the prep.

Are the really symmetrical stem plants in there (the ones that have perfect 90degree leaf angles) hygro? They sort of look like the way my ludwigia is starting to grow under high light, my hygro doesn't look anything like that

LuminousAphid: Thanks! Yeah, this was my experiment tank, as far dirted tanks are concerned, and it has turned out pretty well. I've been wanting to "convert" the rest of my tanks, but don't have the heart to tear a tank down, put dirt in, watch water params for like two months, THEN re-introduce fish into the tank...just takes too long, and I seem to be doing well with my other tanks, just not AS well as my 20 gallon hehehe.

I'm not sure which plant you're talking about, could you describe where in the tank it's located?

EDIT: I just realized that you might be talking about a plant that's in a different picture aside from the latest one I posted. LOL... are you talking about the plant in this picture that's off to the right?
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Same plant, but different photo:
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If so, then that would be the submersed version of Rotala Indica. I bought it a while back from petco, while it was still in its emersed state (had round greenish leaves), and then I was amazed at how it ended up looking, with the elongated leaves that has a subtle reddish/pinkish coloration towards the upper leaves. But yeah, Rotala Indica is the name of the plant.

yeah thats the one, i didnt know what that was, thanks

sorry for the bad spelling, im eating lol

Well, I told myself that I would do a plant layout graphic for this tank, and I've put it off for the longest time now, because I've been lazy lol. So, here it is.

It's currently going through some transitioning/re-scaping...and it being dirted, is a daunting task. I know I shouldn't be re-arranging a dirted tank, but it's just... not the way I really want it to be. I took out all of the Valisneria that I could, and transfered them into my 55 gallon. That cleared up A LOT of space.

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PokeSephiroth wrote:Well, I told myself that I would do a plant layout graphic for this tank, and I've put it off for the longest time now, because I've been lazy lol. So, here it is.

It's currently going through some transitioning/re-scaping...and it being dirted, is a daunting task. I know I shouldn't be re-arranging a dirted tank, but it's just... not the way I really want it to be. I took out all of the Valisneria that I could, and transfered them into my 55 gallon. That cleared up A LOT of space.

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You have way to much time on your hands my friend . Lol!!

LOVE this picture!!! Mind if I use it as a screen saver?
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fishNAbowl: Too much time is an understatement. And feel free to use my pictures as a screen saver!

PokeSephiroth wrote:fishNAbowl: Too much time is an understatement. :)And feel free to use my pictures as a screen saver!

Ty  

RE: Hanging the lights

Go to the hardware store and get a few "J" hook to mount from your cieling. Then use chain. You can mark every other link with a sharpie. This allows you to raise or lower your lights as you need aprox 3/4" per link. Play around with it till you get it just right. Just my 2 cents.

Neat! Thanks for the info, Chiisai!

I am loving the 20L set up. I have 3 dirt tanks myself, and will not go back to having any other kind of substrate. Blue Rams are a hoot! I have a breeding pair in a 5 gal planted w/dirt. The pair I have go nuts for micro and blackworms. 0k.

Ewb46: Thanks! Yeah, have been going through the dirted path, I've never wanted to use any other substrate. =P That's why all my tanks are dirted now (with the exception of my 8 foot long divided tanks. lol)

PokeSephiroth wrote:Well, I told myself that I would do a plant layout graphic for this tank, and I've put it off for the longest time now, because I've been lazy lol. So, here it is.

It's currently going through some transitioning/re-scaping...and it being dirted, is a daunting task. I know I shouldn't be re-arranging a dirted tank, but it's just... not the way I really want it to be. I took out all of the Valisneria that I could, and transfered them into my 55 gallon. That cleared up A LOT of space.

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Nice schematic....what did you use to do the drawings and such with Angelo? Any update pics? And I didn't notice those Vals in your shots of the tank on page 3 of the thread ... only in the cleanout pics. Glad you removed them...I think it will look better without them.

Pics, pics and more pics please.

Thanks cichlid-gal! I used photoshop to make the schematics, it's pretty easy once you get the hang of it, because you have to create a circular or oval shape then you have to re-shape it and warp it so that it covers the necessary areas hehehe.

I'm glad I took out the vals as well, I transfered them to my 55, and they seem to look a lot better in there due to the extra height of the tank.

I will take some pictures hopefully by tonight and make a new plant layout as I have somewhat changed it up a bit since I made that last one... I believe.

So... I think I've hit a hump in the road. The tank isn't looking as nice as I had wanted it to look, so I think I will postpone taking pictures and making the new plant layout, until after I've trimmed the jungle, a bit.

Hahaha, I almost feel bad for the fish. They're pressed right up against the glass.    (oknonotreallybutyougetthepoint).