150 Gallon Planted Community

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
How and what did you use for resealing? Just recently picked up a 110g Tall that I tried resealing( scraped old silicone and used GE 1-100% Silicone) ended up with a disaster leak while at work 5 days after setup!

Thanks, I used 100% GE-1 silicone. I cut all of the old silicone out with a razor knife, and then went back with a flat razor blade and scraped all the seams down to make sure that there was no residue or silicone left. Then i wiped it all down with a vinegar solution to make sure no oils were on the glass before sealing. I taped off my verticle seams so that I would have straight lines and went to town with the caulk gun. I used 2 tubes for my 150. I layed on thick lines, and then went back with a nylon angled tool (you can use your finger) and smoothed out all the seams. I used the tool because I wanted a larger spread than my finger would have made. Once you start you can't stop until it is done, and you have to do the whole tank, no patch jobs.
Then I let it sit for 6 days to cure (Probably should have let it sit another day or too, but got impatient). I used a razor blade to clean up the few spots where I dripped silicone on the tank bottom. Then I started filling it. 20ish gallons at a time. Let it sit for a day, then 20 more. Once completely filled it sat for a week, no water loss. Drained it down, inspected all the seals, then filled it up once again and let it sit for another week.
Hope that helps!
 
Bleeding heart tetras are good schooling tetras, and their deep bodies make a real statement, rather than skinny neon or cardinal tetras.

I like those ideas, but since the BA Tetras started eating the plants I wanted to go with something a little smaller so i traded them in for Cherry Barbs. For some height I'm going to eventually add a couple of Blue Angels once things settle down in the tank.
 
anacoris is really cool and gets tall fast to fill some of the open water. It doesn't require additional co2. As far as fertilizer...more fish. The poop makes excellent fertilizer.

Yeah, I had looked at that, but I'm going to wait and see what happens with my current plants. The parrot feather will have similar growth to the anacoris and the two stalks have each grown about 4 inches since I added it to the tank.
I picked up some Flourish Excel to dose with.
 
Well, since the plant list is basically complete I figured I could post the Flora and Fauna of the tank.
Current Flora:
Echinodorus amazonicus (Amazon Sword)
Echinodorus argentinensis (Argentina Sword)
Echinodurs major (Ruffled Sword)
Cryptocoryne wendtii (Crypt Wendtii Green)
Anubia afzelii
Anubias nana
Crinum thaianum (Onion Plant)
Microsorum pteropus (Java Fern)
Taxiphyllum barbieri (Java Moss)
Cladophora aegagropila (Japanese Marimo)
Myriophyllum aquaticum (Parrot Feather)
Nymphaea lotus (Tiger Lotus)

Fauna:
6 Mikrogeophagus altispinosus (Bolivian Rams)
3 Dianema urostriata (Flagtail Porthole Catfish)
1 Auchenipterichthys coracoideus (Zamora Woodcat)
1 Platydoras costatus (Striped Raphael Catfish)
1 Agamyxis pectinifrons (Spotted Raphael Catfish)
6 Brochis splendens (Emerald Corydoras)
5 Otocinclus vittatus (Dwarf Suckermouths)
1 Panaque sp. L204 (Flash Pleco)
1 Panaque maccus L104 (Clown Pleco)
12 Puntius titteya (Cherry Barbs)

Now I'm just waiting for everything to mature. Hopefully the moss will start to grow and turn the driftwood into more of a tree with green moss on the tops. I have noticed the white/opaque algae fuzz growing on the new piece of driftwood, but that should clear up shortly (especially with the introduction of the ottos and the clown pleco getting comfortable).
The only other fish I have thought about adding was a group (maybe three) of Blue Angels. Blue angel.JPG
Let me know what you guys think. More tank shots coming this week. I have been doing a lot of cleaning and stuff in the tank and the water has been stirred up.

Blue angel.JPG
 
I'de add a pair of long finned rosy barbs. imo they do a better job then plecos at eating the hair type algae. I finally resorted to some in my 37T as I could not get it under control.. they've been in the tank now about a week and they've made a noticable difference. I've found the LFs less aggressive then the standard rosy barbs. I think you shuld go with some angels. they make such nice centerpeice fishes, idk If I'de go with a trio though unless you plan on trying to get a pair and selling off the oddman out down the road. I could be wrong but what I understand/experianced with angels either keep a pair of single fish in a tank or a decent sized school. Or aggressione/dominance issues will result in deaths down the line.
 
I like those ideas, but since the BA Tetras started eating the plants I wanted to go with something a little smaller so i traded them in for Cherry Barbs. For some height I'm going to eventually add a couple of Blue Angels once things settle down in the tank.

Discus too
 
I think you shuld go with some angels. they make such nice centerpeice fishes, idk If I'de go with a trio though unless you plan on trying to get a pair and selling off the oddman out down the road. I could be wrong but what I understand/experianced with angels either keep a pair of single fish in a tank or a decent sized school. Or aggressione/dominance issues will result in deaths down the line.

Yeah, one Blue angel would be good.
 
Well, just wanted to post a quick update ( i really need to upload pictures, but I haven't had the time recently to do that).
All of the fish are doing great. The rams have settled in and set up their territories, The Otos are destroying the fuzz algae that bloomed on the driftwood with the help of the little clown pleco. The Catfish (Raphaels and Zamora) have adjusted to the feeding schedule so I see quite a bit of them, and the Flagtail Cats and Cory cats are always active.
Plants are starting to put up new leaves. The parrot feather that can barely be seen in the first picture of the tank now has a chute that reaches the surface of the water. I've been dosing with Flourish Excel, but I want to switch over to Metricide 14 after I run this bottle out.
I am slightly concerned witht he overall wattage that I'm using on the tank and may look at adding a second fixture, or upgrading the current fixture. Right now i'm running two 65W SunPaq Dual Daylight 6700°K/10000°K bulbs. Any suggestions? I have seen some other CF fixtures and T5 fixtures online for decent prices, but I wasn't sure if LED would be an option. Also, should I be aiming for around 2watt per gallon (300W total for my 150). I'm not trying to grow anything crazy and I want to keep the algae in check. My Flora is listed above, but primarily swords and anubias. Thanks guys.
 
You need at least 2.3 watts per gallon with your plants imo. You should look into root tabs and Flourish Excel. I'd go with some crypts, anubis, and more java. I can give you more advice on a plants, substrate or lighting if you wana give me a pm.
 
Cool, thanks.
 
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