HybridHerp's 75 gallon Planted Monster Tank

Was thinking about how I've never really posted any of my tanks or anything onto this forum. So I decided to change that right now

I gotta work out a few set-up related kinks (co2 stuff basically, I have some pumping in but I believe my needle valve isn't screwed onto the manifold properly so I gotta fix that).

I have a SUPER NICE catalina light fixture, Black Solar line, T5-HO 4x54W Bulbs, 2 10K and 2 6.5K with 8 dim-able moonlights. Not to mention, individual reflectors. Still playing with my photo period, but I only run all 4 for a limited amount of time during the day. Although, when I do need to get new bulbs in the summer, not sure if I should get 10K again or play around with it.

Anyways, more specs before I get to fun stuff like pictures. I've got this sucker filled with 6 bags of eco complete (not the best thing but since this used to be a tank of just fish....was best for my purposes), with some larger gravel I used on top. I'm filtering this sucker with 2 Eheim 2217's and have a Korelia 750 to help with flow. Also have a dual stage co2 regulator on a 20lb tank, running into an atomizer. I'm doing a standard EI dosing method on this bad boy, where I'm doing the 50% water changes on Sundays.

Now, for pics and things (yay). Btw, if you're a member of TPT you've probably seen this already, but if not then w/e


I take these pics after water changes btw, but I'll be doing that differently once everything starts really taking off. Anyways, here is what I have going on in this sucker.

Current Fish/Inverts
Herotilapia multispinosa – “Rainbow Cichlid” x3
Pterophyllum scalare - “Pinoy Zebra Angels” x2
Trichopodus leerii – “Pearl Gourami” x3:3
Polypterus endlicheri endlicheri – “Endli Bichir”
Polypterus senegalus – “Senegal Bichir”
Planorbis rubrum – “Ramshorn Snail”

Plants

Foreground
Cryptocoryne sp. ‘Green Gecko’
Glossotigma elatinoides – “Glosso”
Hydrocotyle tripartita – “H. ‘Japan’”
Blyxa japonica
Hygrophila pinnatifida
Cryptocoryne parva

Mid-Ground
Cryptocoryne usteriana
Cryptocoryne wendtii - “Red/Brown Crypt”
Echinodorus sp. ‘Rose’
Limnophia aromatica
Rotala macrandra var. ‘Japan Red’
Rotala wallichii
Nymphoides aquatic – “Banana Plant”
Rotala rotundifolia
Hygrophila difformis – “Wisteria”
Nymphaea zenkeri - “Red Tiger Lotus”
Rotala sp. ‘Yao Yai’
Ludwigia senegalensis

Background
Cabomba caroliniana – “Green Cabomba”
Lagenandra meeboldii ‘Pink’
Echinodorus sp. ‘Red Rubin’
Hygrophila corymbosa – “Giant Temple”
Rotala sp. ‘Bangladesh’
Hygrophila sp. ‘Brown’
Proserpinaca palustris – “Mermaid Weed”
Ludwigia sp. ‘Rubin’
Ludwigia glandulosa
Ludwigia sp. ‘Atlantis’
Ludwigia inclinata var. ‘Cuba’
Ludwigia inclinata var. ‘Pantanal’

Hardscape
Wood #1Wood #2Wood #3Wood #4

In the back is my L. meeboldii. My Rose Sword is in the middle of those two big crypts, which I will eventually just remove as the green gecko grows in and as I can get fancier crypts like nurii and maybe even florida sunset or pink flamingo. The L. aromatica is also doing well for me. Not sure if I want to keep the Cabomba but for now it works.


Another monster plant of mine. I like big fish and big plants, and that is the aim of this tank (more or less). This here is my H. corymbosa, and at the bottom of these stems are a ton of offshoots that are starting to come up. Very nice lime green plant with some red veins growing due to the high light.

My anubias is doing fine, my rotala in this area needs some work though. In front of the anubias covered wood is my R. macrandra. I need to get more of the Japan Red variety though, help fill this out. In front of that is my R. wallichi, which does so so in this tank, but I am going to replace with R. vietnam when I get the chance. Behind the wood is my R. bangledesh. Came as an extra and I like it, so I'm going to get more at some point. I hear that it grows like a weed, which is exciting for me.


My banana to the right, my R. rotundifolia to the left. I might move this forward or just simply replace with R. Sunset at some point, but it works for now. It would be cool if this could carpet like R. goias supposedly can. I mean, it has a ton of roots comming from the stem and seems to like bending to the side a lot. Also, some H. japan going on right there.


Yah, I got some BBA, but its not on the plants so w/e. My bichir really loves this Ludwigia patch. I got some Lace Plants hiding underneath this all as well, and the stuff on the right is the Mermaids Weed, which has a diffret appearance pending on light level and such. I'm waiting on it to turn bright red.


My petite anubias that will one day cover that piece of wood, and a bit of my bigger Lagenandra that I have here until I can try and sell it to someone (too cold in NY to mess with that for the first time)


C. Parva....love and hate lol. It doesn't die, but it also doesn't really grow much either. However, it looks pretty and should be nice once it fills in.


Mess of different ludwigia species plus some R. Yao Yai (rotundifolia variation, just like colorata). Also, my co2 atomizer.


More of the ludwigia mess. It will be easier to ID individual stems once things grow up and out more. In due time, in due time.


Now for my fish. Rainbow Cichilds are rather fun, although I believe I have 3 males. But the color on that dominant male....so bright when it wants to be bright.


And one of my two angels. I bought four but two of them didn't do well for whatever reasons. I just hope that my remaining two do fine, since they seem to be very healthy. Bonus points if they become a pair.




And here they both are together.


Might have to be my new profile pic there mister.


And my big guy. And he is a BIG GUY. had this sucker for 6 years, was maybe 8" when I got him. He's now easily 14"+, although his growth seems to have slowed down some. He's been through it all with me, from heater explosions to bad fish choices to 2 week long power outages, to baby 2" long EBJD and 10" oscars...my oldest fish that I have. Practically got him when I first started really getting into aquariums and got my 75. Back when I used to lurk these forums constantly.

I'll get some nice pics of the pearl gourami's and my albino poly later, but these should be fine for those into planted tanks here. Just goes to show that you CAN keep the fanciest of plants with some cool fish, including some big boys.

Actually, maybe this should be in the general forum? Just to get more traffic and show others that plants can be done with fish that you guys enjoy


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I'll be honest, there are still more plant species I want to get in this bad boy

Also a few more fish, I think an EBJD would be sick in this tank, that or some kind of cryptoheroes. A pair of bushy nose Pleco would also be appreciated for eating algae an such, and upping my snail population.

I used to have mystery snails but one day all 10 of them died at once...and oh god that was a crazy ammonia spike.


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This is so out of date it's not even funny lol

I'll update it later.