27g - "I'm actually trying to make this look nice" UPDATE 8-5-14

bronzefighter 2013-10-18, 16:16

Howdy! I wanted to start this journal to show the continued progress of my 20g FW community tank.

Some background: After seeing some stunning aquascapes, namely Amano-styled and iwagumi tanks, I was inspired to start my own. This tank would have a large amount of planning beforehand. The focus of the tank was to be a dramatic hardscape with a large amount rockwork. I decided on a medium-sized tank- not quite as restrictive as a 'nano' size, yet easier on maintenance than a larger one.

After searching for awhile I found a great deal on a custom 20g rimless. Some of you might know me as that kid with the motorcycle from various plant swaps and meet-ups:
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Equipment was simple at this point, just an AC30 HOB and a 16" Finnex RayII. Plants were all clippings from another tank. The intial setup:
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Added some more plants (namely Dwarf Hairgrass and that bigass Amazon Sword). Also added DIY CO₂ and Red Cherry Shrimp.
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Funny story about that wild-type on the right. He was the sole survivor of my first attempt to keep RCS in a Walstad tank (which failed hard), and survived the setup and cycling of this tank. His name is Hercules.
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Added a male and a female GBR.
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Stocking at this point was:

9x Harlequin Rasboras
1x Bamboo Shrimp
3x Oto
2x German Blue Rams (who had been breeding)
RCS colony

A bit overstocked I know, but working well.

Unfortunately, the GBRs - who had been coexisting peacefully at this point - decimated the shrimp population after they spawned their first clutch of eggs. No more RCS!
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But then...disaster! A few weeks ago, I came home after a long day of work and noticed a very faint, yet distinct 'dead fish' odor in my room. I examined my tank and noticed that the filter was dead. Probably for 2 or 3 days. Lost almost everything.

Due to my crazy work schedule that week and the fact that I had a timer and autofeeder, I didn't check on the tank like I normally would. Those of you with an Aquaclear know how quiet these things can be. Grabbed a new filter - ZooMed 511 canister, I can't recommend this thing enough.
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Fast forward to today. Ditched the DIY CO2 and started dosing with Excel and Flourish.
Gave away the Rasboras, as they blended in with the rock too much.
Grabbed some Neon Tetras, and since I was breaking down another tank I moved the Long-finned Serpae Tetras in here as well.
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Long-finned Serpae Tetra are seriously one of the most underrated fish I know of. They are extremely active, and some of my older ones have long flowing fins that could rival a Betta.
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Current stocking:

8x Neon Tetra
7x Long-Finned Serpae
2x Oto
1x Bamboo Shrimp

Thinking about grabbing some Neocaridina again, maybe Blue or white this time.

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Thanks for taking a look, and I'll try to keep this updated from time to time!

Seattle_Aquarist 2013-10-18, 16:47

Hi bronzefighter,

Congratulations, you succeeded.....it looks very nice! The hairgrass, moss, and Cryptocoryne look especially good together with a nice contrast of textures.

cichlid-gal 2013-10-18, 17:07

Your moss looks like trees...I love it. And the tank recovered nicely I would say. What type of moss is that (new to plants...that's my excuse)?

bronzefighter 2013-10-18, 17:08

Thank you! I'll have to take the time to get out the DSLR and take some real pictures. Since the base of the tank is square, it allowed me to focus on both width and depth and relating them together, something I'm not used to in long narrower tanks.

bronzefighter 2013-10-18, 17:09

cichlid-gal wrote:Your moss looks like trees...I love it. And the tank recovered nicely I would say. What type of moss is that (new to plants...that's my excuse)?

The moss on the driftwood is Christmas Moss, while the moss on the ground in the beginning was java moss. The java moss has since been removed, it's much too messy for my taste!

**MRTom** 2013-10-18, 17:24

Is that algae on the rocks then? Looks fantastic!!!

Guest 2013-10-18, 18:35

Pretty impressive set up.

bronzefighter 2013-10-18, 18:42

SiRWesDragon wrote:Pretty impressive set up.

Oh stop it you
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pbmax 2013-10-18, 19:21

You have a very nice-looking tank. Spot On

The moss and hair grass are both filling in very well. I hope it all continues to thrive for you! Smile

Lamental Jester 2013-10-18, 19:38

What kinda moss is that? X-mas?

iandraco 2013-10-18, 19:52

looks great. thanks for sharing.

**PokeSephiroth** 2013-10-18, 23:23

Really nice setup you have there bronzefighter! Definitely liking the moss growth on the rocks! And good job on the hair grass, I'm curious how you're able to have it growing and spreading without co2... I didn't have much luck with my hair grass, and it's in a dirted tank...with decent lighting hehehe... Maybe hair grass just doesn't like me. ;-p

fishNAbowl 2013-10-18, 23:44

.oO Looks even better in person. I was impressed when I seen it. Great job bronzefighter!

bronzefighter 2013-10-19, 11:40

fishNAbowl wrote:.oO Looks even better in person. I was impressed when I seen it. Great job bronzefighter!

Thank you! I was actually a little embarrassed when you saw it! I had a bad outbreak of bladderwort, and to top it off I had an Oto that wasn't doing so good and finally bit the dust when you were over. Plus the melted Eleodea floating everywhere... Embarassed

PokeSephiroth wrote:Really nice setup you have there bronzefighter! Definitely liking the moss growth on the rocks! And good job on the hair grass, I'm curious how you're able to have it growing and spreading without co2... I didn't have much luck with my hair grass, and it's in a dirted tank...with decent lighting hehehe... Maybe hair grass just doesn't like me. ;-p

Every evening before I sleep I sing an ancient Scottish lullaby to the DHG. It just needs positive vibes man... Actually once I put the Ray2 on there it took off! But I know what you mean about plants just not liking you. I could not get water wisteria to grow for me...at all Shocked

Lamental Jester wrote:What kinda moss is that? X-mas?

Christmas moss on the wood, and in the early pictures there is java moss on the ground behind the manzanita.

MRTom wrote: Is that algae on the rocks then? Looks fantastic!!!

It is, and thank you! Originaly I was OCD about removing any algae I saw, due to the fact that I just tore down my 55g because of a terrible fight with BBA. I'm talking spot-treating anything that might look like algae with H2O2, etc.,etc. But once I got everything balanced I decided to 'cultivate' the algae growth. I do like the way it looks. Sometimes an aquascaped tank can look so sterile to me, the algae makes me feel like a I have a slightly realistic box of nature in my room.

However much blending species from 2 separate continent can be realistic anyways. cheers

BillHN 2013-10-19, 22:49

bronzefighter wrote:Howdy! I wanted to start this journal to show the continued progress of my 20g FW community tank.

Some background: After seeing some stunning aquascapes, namely Amano-styled and iwagumi tanks, I was inspired to start my own. This tank would have a large amount of planning beforehand. The focus of the tank was to be a dramatic hardscape with a large amount rockwork. I decided on a medium-sized tank- not quite as restrictive as a 'nano' size, yet easier on maintenance than a larger one.

After searching for awhile I found a great deal on a custom 20g rimless. Some of you might know me as that kid with the motorcycle from various plant swaps and meet-ups:
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Equipment was simple at this point, just an AC30 HOB and a 16" Finnex RayII. Plants were all clippings from another tank. The intial setup:
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Added some more plants (namely Dwarf Hairgrass and that big-ass Amazon Sword). Also added DIY CO₂ and Red Cherry Shrimp.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Funny story about that wild-type on the right. He was the sole survivor of my first attempt to keep RCS in a Walstad tank (which failed hard), and survived the setup and cycling of this tank. His name is Hercules.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Added a male and a female GBR.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Stocking at this point was:

9x Harlequin Rasboras
1x Bamboo Shrimp
3x Oto
2x German Blue Rams (who had been breeding)
RCS colony

A bit overstocked I know, but working well.

Unfortunately, the GBRs - who had been coexisting peacefully at this point - decimated the shrimp population after they spawned their first clutch of eggs. No more RCS!
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

But then...disaster! A few weeks ago, I came home after a long day of work and noticed a very faint, yet distinct 'dead fish' odor in my room. I examined my tank and noticed that the filter was dead. Probably for 2 or 3 days. Lost almost everything.

Due to my crazy work schedule that week and the fact that I had a timer and autofeeder, I didn't check on the tank like I normally would. Those of you with an Aquaclear know how quiet these things can be. Grabbed a new filter - ZooMed 511 canister, I can't recommend this thing enough.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Fast forward to today. Ditched the DIY CO2 and started dosing with Excel and Flourish.
Gave away the Rasboras, as they blended in with the rock too much.
Grabbed some Neon Tetras, and since I was breaking down another tank I moved the Long-finned Serpae Tetras in here as well.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Long-finned Serpae Tetra are seriously one of the most underrated fish I know of. They are extremely active, and some of my older ones have long flowing fins that could rival a Betta.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Current stocking:

8x Neon Tetra
7x Long-Finned Serpae
2x Oto
1x Bamboo Shrimp

Thinking about grabbing some Neocaridina again, maybe Blue or white this time.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Thanks for taking a look, and I'll try to keep this updated from time to time!

This is EFFING SEXY!

Anthony J. 2013-10-20, 05:09

^+1^
Love your tank, the contrast, use of space etc. Very well done.

bronzefighter 2013-12-20, 14:00

UPDATE!

After getting bored of the current scape, and battling an outbreak of bladderwort, I decided to scrap the tank and redo it.

I parted with my beloved Serpaes, and tossed almost all of my plants. Sad

I used to have a pea puffer awhile ago, and loved the lil guy. So, I present to you my new tank: the Planted Pea Puffer Plus!

Current inhabitants are as follows:

4 x Dwarf Pea Puffs
2 x Oto
6 x Striped Kuhli Loaches
3 x Amano Shrimp

Current plants are as follows:

Hygrophila polysperma 'Rosanervig' (Sunset Hygro)
Anubias barteria var nana 'Petite'
Anubias barteria var nana
Heteranthera zosterifolia (Stargrass)
The December GSAS mystery plant...I forgot the name Embarassed

Vallisneria americana
Fissidens Fontanus (Phoenix Moss)
Eleocharis acicularis (DHG)
Cryptocoryne wendtii var 'Red'
Cryptocoryne wendtii var 'Green'

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**MRTom** 2013-12-20, 15:28

Bummer about the utricularia. Glad you rescaped it tho! Can't wait to see where it goes!

Seattle_Aquarist 2013-12-20, 17:38

bronzefighter wrote:
The December GSAS mystery plant...I forgot the name

Hi bronzefighter,

It was identified as Pogostemon stellatus 'Octopus' however according to some sources it could be Pogostemon quadrifolius ID'ed by Christel Kasselmann as a species new to the hobby:
Pogostemon quadrifolius (Bentham) Kuntze.
Article in the German journal DATZ:
Kasselmann, C. (2013): Pogostemon quadrifolius. Ein neuer Wasserstern aus Laos. - DATZ 05/2013: 54-59.

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bronzefighter 2013-12-20, 17:54

MRTom wrote:Bummer about the utricularia. Glad you rescaped it tho! Can't wait to see where it goes!

Yeah, that stuff is annoying... I wonder if I can use it for a HAP entry...hmmmm Razz

Seattle_Aquarist wrote:
bronzefighter wrote:
The December GSAS mystery plant...I forgot the name

Hi bronzefighter,

It was identified as Pogostemon stellatus 'Octopus' however according to some sources it could be Pogostemon quadrifolius ID'ed by Christel Kasselmann as a species new to the hobby:
Pogostemon quadrifolius (Bentham) Kuntze.
Article in the German journal DATZ:
Kasselmann, C. (2013): Pogostemon quadrifolius. Ein neuer Wasserstern aus Laos. - DATZ 05/2013: 54-59.

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Execellent! Thank you for the information. I've heard this plant can be difficult to grow, but I'm always up for a challange cheers

bronzefighter 2014-01-23, 12:26

Update! So...I got a new phone, a Moto X. This thing rocks! Anyways, one of the newest features that Google has implemented is the ability to automatically stitch together a short movie from pictures and videos that were all taken at the same time. Anyways, my wife was playing around with my phone and made this little clip. Enjoy!

poffman 2014-01-23, 14:20

That is a really cool 20 Gallon!!!

bronzefighter 2014-01-23, 14:40

poffman wrote:That is a really cool 20 Gallon!!!

Thank you! It's been quite a journey for me Smile

poffman 2014-01-23, 14:48

bronzefighter wrote:
poffman wrote:That is a really cool 20 Gallon!!!

Thank you! It's been quite a journey for me

That tank makes me consider a small tank haha. I have been getting a lot of inspiration from the site, can't wait to put it to good use.

bronzefighter 2014-02-11, 16:01

Disaster!

So on Sunday night I noticed that there was a leak coming from one of the seams. I quickly made a temp patch out of superglue, and drained half the water to provide a bit of relief to the seams. I purchased a 27g cube from petco for a good price, and set it up last night. Pictures to come later tonight!

pbmax 2014-02-11, 16:23

Yikes!

How old was the tank? I haven't had any of mine go yet, thankfully.

Good luck with the changeover!

poffman 2014-02-11, 18:19

bronzefighter wrote:Disaster!

So on Sunday night I noticed that there was a leak coming from one of the seams. I quickly made a temp patch out of superglue, and drained half the water to provide a bit of relief to the seams. I purchased a 27g cube from petco for a good price, and set it up last night. Pictures to come later tonight!

Whoa!! Scary. Glad you caught it in time..

Killybeys 2014-02-11, 21:42

What kind of fish is the little orange one in the beginning? i have two and for the life of me i cant remember what they are called haha.

bronzefighter 2014-02-12, 11:14

Killybeys wrote:What kind of fish is the little orange one in the beginning? i have two and for the life of me i cant remember what they are called haha.

Just a Highfin Platy, nothing too special. I snagged them out of the orphan tank at AQC.

bronzefighter 2014-02-12, 11:19

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Current stocking is as follows:

9x Pygmy Corys

3x Dwarf Puffers

6x Platys

5x Kuhli Loaches

2x Bamboo Shrimp

3x Amano Shrimp

2x Otocinculus

Feel free to ask any questions!

bronzefighter 2014-02-12, 11:23

pbmax wrote:Yikes! How old was the tank? I haven't had any of mine go yet, thankfully.

Good luck with the changeover!

I actually have no idea how old it was, as I bought it used and it was custom made.

Killybeys 2014-02-12, 11:36

bronzefighter wrote:
Killybeys wrote:What kind of fish is the little orange one in the beginning? i have two and for the life of me i cant remember what they are called haha.

Just a Highfin Platy, nothing too special. I snagged them out of the orphan tank at AQC.

That's funny that's exactly where I got them too haha.

**PokeSephiroth** 2014-02-12, 16:34

Very cool, bronzefighter! I love the video and choice of music you used! Smile

I'm glad your pea puffers are living peacefully with your other fish!

bronzefighter 2014-02-12, 17:50

Thanks! I'm continually surprised by these little pea puffs. They all hang out together, even to the point where I would say they school. They are very active but peaceful. It's totally bizarre. I'm just waiting for the day when I wake up and they've murdered everything.

**PokeSephiroth** 2014-02-12, 17:59

That may happen, one minute they're cute and peaceful, and then all of a sudden.. bam. Ravaging fish killing monsters. =P . . . cute ones at that!

bronzefighter 2014-02-15, 12:30

Here's some more pictures:

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Excuse the BBA Embarassed

bronzefighter 2014-06-13, 14:07

Just a quick updated FTS:

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I'll update with more info later tonight Wink

fishNAbowl 2014-06-14, 00:46

DangO BHA. My 30 has developed a bit of it . I started dosing with Excel and sniping leaves (slowly here and there).

bronzefighter 2014-06-14, 01:02

fishNAbowl wrote:DangO BHA. My 30 has developed a bit of it . I started dosing with Excel and sniping leaves (slowly here and there).

I know. It's not actually as bad as it looks in that picture, in fact I somewhat like it in some places. It's completly covered the driftwood and is long enough that it moves with the current, almost like some sort of fancy, nasty moss. Plant mass is reaching the point to slow the BBA and outcompete it, and once I have the funds a CO2 tank will be the next step. For the time being some careful trimming and the Siamese Algae Eaters seem to be keeping it manageable.

fishNAbowl 2014-06-14, 11:51

What type of crypts do you have ? I like the bronze tone under the leaves.

fishNAbowl 2014-06-14, 11:53

And the long leaf plant in front of the tall woOd?

bronzefighter 2014-06-14, 14:26

fishNAbowl wrote:And the long leaf plant in front of the tall woOd?

Persicaria 'Kawagoeanum'

fishNAbowl wrote:What type of crypts do you have ? I like the bronze tone under the leaves.

Those are Cryptocoryne wendtii 'Bronze.' I love the coloration, and under highlight the stems take on a rich purpley-brown color.

fishNAbowl 2014-06-15, 13:10

I was wondering about the Persicaria 'Kawagoeanum' because I have some plants that looked like the plant in your picture. But looking at pictures on the Internet the mature form looks a bit different. This plant looks like it gets leggy and would look nice growing amongst other bushy background plants. I hope you have success with growing this plant out !

The crypt bronze is a nice plant. I've seen them get pretty big though. But they develop an amazing color.

One of your for ground plants looks like staurogyne Repens. I am trying to grow this plant in my 140. Being two foot deep it's growing super slow. I hope it fills out like yours is doing.

Smile

bronzefighter 2014-06-15, 13:57

fishNAbowl wrote:I was wondering about the Persicaria 'Kawagoeanum' because I have some plants that looked like the plant in your picture. But looking at pictures on the Internet the mature form looks a bit different. This plant looks like it gets leggy and would look nice growing amongst other bushy background plants. I hope you have success with growing this plant out !

The crypt bronze is a nice plant. I've seen them get pretty big though. But they develop an amazing color.

One of your for ground plants looks like staurogyne Repens. I am trying to grow this plant in my 140. Being two foot deep it's growing super slow. I hope it fills out like yours is doing.

Apparently there is still some confusion in the industry regarding Persicaria 'Kawagoeanum' about it's taxonomic status, as there is a Persicaria kawagoeana that may or may not be related Question

Anyways, as far as the crypt goes, this one has stayed fairly compact. I attribute it to the high light available from the Ray2, as I have another cutting of it under a cheap LED hood and it's grown tall broad leaves.

I actually purchased a large mat of S Repens at a GSAS auction, so getting it to carpet was fairly easy for me to do Laughing

You can see the smaller group of S repens on the left side of the tank, that was all from a clipping that I bought at the CoOp awhile ago. This stuff has grown at a moderate pace under the Ray2, I could see how it might take awhile with another 6" of depth!

bronzefighter 2014-08-05, 20:32

Here's a quick update:

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S. Repens carpet has really taken off, and I love watching the Kuhli's dive in and out of it. 3 SAEs have made short work of the BBA, and now I can really enjoy how my tank looks.

**PokeSephiroth** 2014-08-05, 21:26

That looks really great! I'm surprised those gouramis aren't going at each other!

fishNAbowl 2014-08-05, 21:29

- very nice bronzefighter.

KaraWolf 2014-08-05, 21:32

That looks fantastic!! Busy with fish and greenery.

bronzefighter 2014-08-05, 22:11

PokeSephiroth wrote:That looks really great! I'm surprised those gouramis aren't going at each other!

Thanks! They do like to chase each other a bit, but for the most part they leave each other alone. Though the 3-Spots are always chasing each other. I think the biggest key to my success with keeping them was that I added all of them at once, and all of the 3 Spots were juvies. So long as there aren't any injuries or signs of stress I'm okay with them.

KaraWolf wrote:That looks fantastic!! Busy with fish and greenery.

Thank you!

fishNAbowl wrote: - very nice bronzefighter.

Thanks!

I thought everyone might get a kick out of this though...here is my current stocking:

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Laughing

KaraWolf 2014-08-05, 22:16

hehehehe I do get a kick out of it your right! LOL. Makes me feel better when I'm tempted to stock at 120% to fill out schools and whatnot.

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