HybridHerp's 75 gallon Planted Monster Tank

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo

Soon…sooooooonnnnnnnnnn.


FTS, as per usual. Probably should have wiped the front glass…too lazy. I’m sad to say though that the Pictus and longfin albino Pleco did not seem to make it in my tank D: I’m not entirely sure why, as when I was observing them they seemed to be fine and none of my fish were bothering them. My only guess as to what happened is that, perhaps they were not accustomed to co2 injection and did not show signs of distress from it until it was too late :\ I think that’s something to keep in mind for the future, when taking fish from a tank that they’ve been living in for years and moving them to something totally different. I do drip acclimate slowly though at first, and I did lower the co2 initially and increase surface movement by turning my aerators on while adding the fish into the tank.

Can you tell I’m beating myself up a little over it? I just feel bad whenever anything dies when in my care, especially if it was someone else’s to begin with that was rehomed to me. On with the journal however, as one cannot undue the past.


EBJD is still the king of the tank. I wonder if that will change as the EBA grows…that will be an interesting dynamic.


Some algae and nastiness yes, but I’d say this has grown since I had to trim it down a little.


iPhone 5s takes much nicer pics than my old phone.


Mini Pellia is slowly growing.


S. sp. Bihar…such a good decision to buy. Kind of tempted to let this replace the H. corymbosa but I like both plants for different reasons. Also, plants like this are giving me horrible and beautiful ideas for what I’d do with a bigger high tech tank. One day, one day…


L. rugosa. Surprised I don’t see this ever, I’m enjoying it quite a lot.


So pretty


Bichir and P. stellatus narrow leaf. I’m liking this plant a lot. I removed the L. aromatica from in front of it to let this plant shine more (also to maybe add more another crypt or two…I’m looking at that flamingo AaronT) L. aromatica is still in the tank though, behind the second piece of wood from the left.


Myrio “Red”. I’m hoping as it grows taller it will get a brighter red, but if not, I’m still happy with this plant.


So L. senegalensis and Pantanal like this tank, as they grew tall and had to be trimmed down and replanted. This section is a mess, sure, and I need more Pink and more Twisted, but man this section is making me happy because its all growing. I THINK there is some regular repens and regular palustris somewhere in this mess but man its going to be hard to find. Atlantis is doing well, as is the Arcuata, Brevipis, Arcuata x Repens, and the other Arcuata x Repens that is actually red, thicker, and looks different. Oh, and Rubin is pretty awesome as well, and Red is a nice place holder.


I only have 2 stems of the pink but…it will soon grow to be a little more noticeable. I might remove some of the Red as this grows out more. Its going to be fun balancing all the Ludwigia species and varieties I have going on in this area. Again, this is one of those moments that is giving me ideas for how I’d do a bigger tank.
 
Btw, messy tank is messy, but now that I have this kind of plant mass I think I can better figure out what my dosing should be...once I get that done right, I will hit this tank hard with the scissors and h202 to remove as much algae as I can and let healthy growth reign supreme. But I feel like I got a good direction going now.
 
Looks great, really nice pics too. I really like the setup, it looks wonderful! Seeing updates on your tanks are always interesting.

Of course you're beating yourself up here. Its not as if it was intentional. I'm really sorry they didn't make it :(

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LS2012 said:
Looks great, really nice pics too. I really like the setup, it looks wonderful! Seeing updates on your tanks are always interesting.

Of course you're beating yourself up here. Its not as if it was intentional. I'm really sorry they didn't make it :(

Sent from my Nexus 10 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
Click to expand...

Thanks, I'm going to have to try again on the whole bristle nose thing as I think this tank should have at least 3 for helping to deal with algae and all (plus I just like them). Its not even that anything ate them, I think its just that they did not adjust well to my tank parameters *sigh*

Idk if I'd try the pictus again though, I'd consider it but they are generally sold as smaller fish and that might just be asking for a crowd problem as the tank is now. Although its a fish I'd consider if I ever upgrade in the next 10 years (which I mean, idk, I don't think that's asking for too much right? I gotta have a tank of my own when I live on my own anyways :P)
 
I've made some minor changes in plant species and such, as well as placement of plants. I think since the last post I might have lost a fish or two...I'm down to 4 rainbows and 6 congo tetras, but the bichirs, rope, goruamis, and cichlids are all the same.

Except I finally added the electric blue acara to the tank :P He looks so small compared to the rest of the cichlids but he is doing good, eating, and the large cichlids aren't bugging him at all. He's a spunky little guy!

By the end of the summer I plan on having the leopard ctnepoma in this tank as well....and I'll be growing out some more plecos for myself. I want to end this tank with 5 bristle nose plecos....ultimatly having the normal male and blue eye female I have, plus a super red, a calico, and an albino...just because I like variety/I like algae eaters.

I may try 3 swordtails or mollies over the summer as well, grow them out/adjust them to the water in the 10 gallon on the side...but I also might not (shrug). I'll post pictures once I get my new plants in a few days.
 
· Tank is coming along now, I’m satisfied with its progress. Still dealing with some algae but its not on the plants so its not the worst. Gotta put in some new bulbs soon and gotta put a new bulb into the UV sterilizer, and gotta really do a nice trim on the left side (like a HUGE one) but its looking good to me. Here is an update on what is currently in the tank. Some new plants, and FINALLY ADDED THAT ACARA (whom I will know refer to as the EBA).


· Current Fish
· Herotilapia multispinosa – “Rainbow Cichlid” x2
· Acarichthys heckelii – “Threadfin Acara” x2
· Rocio octofasciata – “Electric Blue Jack Dempsey”
· Aequidens sp. ‘Electric Blue’
· Trichopodus leerii – “Pearl Gourami” x3:3
· Melanotaenia splendida australis – “Australian Rainbow fish” x4
· Phenacogrammus interruptus - “Congo Tetra” x6
· Polypterus senegalus – “Senegal Bichir”
· Polypterus retropinnis
· Polypterus delhezi
· Erpetoichthys calabaricus – “Rope fish”
· Ancistrus sp. “Albino Blue Eye Bristlenose L144” x0:1
· Ancistrus sp. “Brown Bushy Nose” x1:0
· Melanoides tuberculata - “Trumpet Snail”
·
· Current Plants
o Rotala mexicana var. 'Goias'
o Limnophila sp. ‘Vietnam Mini’
o Staurogyne repens
o Alternanthera reineckii var. “Variegated”
o Littorella uniflora
· Foreground
o Cryptocoryne sp. ‘Green Gecko’
o Cryptocoryne nurii
o Cryptocoryne becketii petchii
o Cryptocoryne x willisii
o Lobelia cardinalis var. 'Dwarf'
o Eriocaulon parkeri
o Pogostemon helferi
o Syngonanthus sp. “Belem”
· Mid-Ground
o Echinodorus sp. ‘Rose’
o Cryptocoryne wendtii ‘Florida Sunset’
o Cryptocoryne sp. Wendtii Hybrid
o Cryptocoryne wendtii - “Red/Brown Crypt”
o Rotala macrandra var. “Mini Butterfly”
o Limnophila rugosa
o Rotala sp. ‘Vietnam’
o Rotala mexicana var. ‘Araguaia’
o Rotala wallichii
o Nymphaea micrantha
o Nymphoides aquatic – “Banana Plant”
o Hygrophila polysperma cv. ‘Sunset’
o Hygrophila pinnatifida
o Ammania pedicellata – “Yellow Nesaea”
o Ammania praetermissa
o Hygrophila sp. ‘Brown’
o Murdannia sp. 'Red'
o Myriophyllum mattogrossense var. ‘Red’
o Cabomba furcata – “Red Cabomba”
o Proserpinaca palustris – “Mermaid Weed”
o Pogostemon stellatus var. 'Needle Leaf'
o Ludwigia inclinata var. verticillata cv. ‘Pantanal’
o Ludwigia sp. ‘Red’
o Ludwigia arcuata
o Ludwigia senegalensis
o Ludwigia brevipes
o Persecaria kawagoeanum
o Cuphea anagalloidea
o Ludwigia sphaerocarpa
o Aponogeton madagascariensis – “Lace Leaf”
· Background
o Cryptocoryne crispatula var. ‘Balansae’
o Aponogeton ulvaceus
o Nymphaea stellata – “Dwarf Lilly”
o Echinodorus cordifolius cf. “Tropica Marble Queen”
o Hygrophila corymbosa – “Giant Temple”
o Staurogyne sp. ‘Bihar’
o Rotala mexicana var. ‘Bangladesh’
o Vallisneria spiralis cv. ‘Leopard’
o Myriophyllum tuberculatum - 'Red Myrio'
o Limnophila aromatica
o Crinum calamistratum
o Ludwigia sp. ‘Rubin’
o Ludwigia repens x arcuata
o Ludwigia sp. ‘Atlantis’
o Ludwigia inclinata var. verticillata cv. 'Twisted’
o Ludwigia ovalis var. ‘Pink’
o Cardamine lyrata
· Hardscape
o Wood #1
§ Fissidens fontanus – Fissidens
§ Anubias barteri var. ‘Petite’
o Wood #2
§ Fissidens fontanus – Fissidens
§ Riccardia chamedryfolia – “Mini Pellia”
§ Microsorum pteropus var. ‘Windelov’
o Wood #3
§ Microsorum pteropus var. ‘Needle’
§ Microsorum pteropus var. ‘Trident’
o Wood #4
§ Anubias barteri var. ‘Nana’
§ Anubias barteri var. ‘Broad-Leaf’
§ Anubias barteri var. ‘Coffeefolia’
§ Anubias hastifolia
o Wood #5
§ Bucephalandra sp. “Brownie Red”
§ Bolbitis heudelotii var. 'Mini'
§ Taxiphyllum sp. “Flame”
§ Bolbitis heudelotii
o Wood #6
§ Bucephalandra sp. “Black Titan”
§ Lagenandra meeboldii ‘Pink’


As you can see…I think its safe to say I might have a “problem” coughcollectoritiscough

Anyways, enough of that, picture time.


Full tank shot, I should wipe the front glass, I’ll be doing that on Sunday with the water change and the trimming.


Here you can see the Littorella (its melting a little but I hope it hangs in there and grows because I think it would look really cool there, I’d replant runners every now and then to make a bushier apperanace. It was emersed grow so its transitioning) the downi, which is doing surprisingly well and NOT being uprooted or anything, and the E. parkeri that I’m working on (most of my original parkeri melted sigh) and the Belem that also had a bit of a problem while I was at school, but I’m confident will grow back/was doing well for me so I might buy more if I get tired of waiting on it to grow out.


Too…many….species. Here is just, a lot of things. My Ludwigia collection, and other misc. stem plants. Growing the stuff that is chilling in the piece of driftwood out, and the mini Pellia is growing well for me. I just need to find where my fishing-line went to tie it down better.


Aromatica was not happy at first with being moved but it looks much better now and I’m confident it will bush out and look super nice in this spot.


Sphaerocarpa is green for me, but growing well and giving me sideshoots. I’m going to use more of this in the foreground as well, let it fill out nice and thick. The Cuphea is doing alright as well, added more and wanting to make it a nice little bush. Slowly, but surely. The kawagoeanum is a real weed of a plant…I want to remove some of it and replace it with Sao Paulo, just to have a bit of both around.


I removed the stems I had growing here and placed them elsewhere in the tank. I think it looks better like this. I’ll keep this side to just crypts, the Aponogeton ulvaceus which is growing out after having went dormant, and swords. I also have the Black Titan and the Lagenandra over here, both of which I hope will become real monsters, as well as the tissue culture Balansae I picked up not too long ago.


Seriously, why is N. micrantha not more popular?


BUCE


NEW BUCE


Surprisingly, mini butterfly managed to survive and stay red…despite being uprooted and super shaded….going to let it grow out, form sideshoots, get tall, and be awesome looking.


H. Brown is a weed. I need to trim it, I have a friend who wants to buy more of it from me, its all good.


I managed to convert emersed grown Limnophilia Vietnam mini into its submerged form…now I’m letting it fill out since it seems like it’s a really pretty plant…also doesn’t hurt that it seems fairly rare.


These guys are fine.


Rainbow cichlids…great fish. Color really depends on mood, they are more yellow when they are the dominant fish.


This guy is the current dominant fish.


Rainbows…I think they might be two separate varieties but I’m not 100% sure. They all get along fine though.


No this isn’t from the co2, they just seem to do this in unison from time to time. Really a great looking fish, highly recommended for anyone’s aquariums.


I got a decent shot of a congo tetra…huzzah


HE’S IN THE TANK FINALLY.


Despite this guy, who for whatever reason does not care that the EBA is in the tank.


Despite the size difference…the EBA is very good at hiding around, but he comes in full force come feeding time and does not shy away from the food. I’m excited to see him grow out.
 
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