60 Gallon cube with Crystal Red shrimp and Brass tetras

Tom Barr

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I saw the Brass tetras schooling at a LFS and liked them(I have 70 in here and they do laps around the Bolbitus, the only other polant is the red E. tennellus. I also have about 100 CRS in this same tank and 9 Zebra L046 Plecos now about 1". They are kept in a small net breeding isolator with some wood/moss etc and are not in the pics here.

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I have extra lighting and flashes etc, but did not bother with it.
Did not even wipe the glass(rarely needs it).

The light is a coralife aqua pro, but I never use the HQI at all, just the 2x 55 w PC lights(8800K)and the height is about 14". Light is about 24-30 micmol along the bottom where the tops of the tennellus(hardly high light), and tops out at 70-75 at the center surface of the tank.........

The top center of the Bolbitus sits at 50 micmols.

This tank has many fish and the value is rather high(likely about 2000$ or more).
Most of the CRSs are lower grades, but a few are A's etc, provided you can find them in the thicket of plants.

Temp is 81F for the plecos/tetras, CRS's are there for looks, not breeding, however, with EI dosing, and this temp, I've not lost a single one to date.

I recently sold off a large ball of Bolbitus for 30$, I expect to do so every month or two. Took me sometime to figure out what I wanted to do for the scape

Sediment is Black flourite sand.
No amendments.

Wet/dry filter, Rio 800 for extra flow, weekly water change, although likely does not need it. The wood is Bald Cypress castle like top.

I have another that I'm willing to part with and will add a few others.
Nice wood. 60 for the othe which is about the same size and similar character.

The SFBAAPS folks drooled over it last weekend.

So that's the run down, every critter eats really well, there are few pest, some flat worms, there where some white leeches, but manaual removol took care of that, then those damn FW barnacles. I hate them but I have knocked them way way back.

Got some BBA when I went from the Venturi pump feed sump, to the disc diffuser and solved that fairly quick. I did not trim off the BBA for sometime and let it hang around, it slowly detached and fell off and has not come back since. the issues was worse inially with more of the HQI usage, less light solved most of that and it's been more stable since with less CO2 required.

The fertilizer and water change routine has remained the same.
As this is a lower light tank, I am pleased with the look, the health and vitality of the live stock, no losses, they all eat vigoruosly.

The tennellus is easy to care for, so is Bolbitus. Low light + open design + good CO2, EI dosing works well, even with high fish loading and general abuse.

The key was mostly the CO2 and reducing/balancing the light.

Regards,
Tom Barr
 

Gerryd

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Tom,

Very nice as always..........

I will have to research these tetras, as they are new to me...pretty.

First in line here to get the next available Bolbitus clump. Payment will be sent ASAP...:)

.....last ones I got from the web were poor to say the least........nothing to work with really......

The pygmy sword has always done well for me in low light (20 watt t12) no c02, so not surprised it is so nice here...........
 

Tom Barr

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Anyone that's gotten Java or Bolbitus has had nothing but serious praise for the amount and quality.

I'll try and get some decent pics, but I need to fire up the Flash and the HQI on the tank to do so and move the Zebras

The brass tetras are simply too fast and there's way too much reflection during the day time. They are really a pretty little fish, easy to keep and extremely active.

Regards,
Tom Barr
 

Gerryd

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Tom,

Anyone that's gotten Java or Bolbitus has had nothing but serious praise for the amount and quality.

Is why I want in on the next available batch..........let me know when it is ready :)

BTW, I still don't see the new trace mix available....................TPN is almost gone................
 

Tom Barr

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Hi,

Yes, it's the first one up and running.
I added 11 Leopard frog plecos to fill in the caves I made in the Cypress wood.
They should breed in here.

I had a bout with BBA due to the wet/dry and low CO2 initially and neglect sinc eI justed moved and have just now recovered from that move:)

The BBA is on the run now, CO2 was upped, more water changes, better dosing.

Like what I preach to hobbyists, I knew why I got algae, but........I also know how to get rid of it too:cool: Good old neglect, that's why, adding 1/2 dead cooked plants from the long move process before I could set the aquariums back up.

My main thing is saving fish, plants and algae I can get rid of.

Same general design.
The 120 will look very nice as I just kicked the Spirogyra algae's butt. BBA takes longer, I've done a few trims, I'd say in a month or two, things will be looking pretty nice.

The 180 will look good, just got it cleaned up and running with a few plants.

I have a 17 Gal ADA 60p with starfire glass.
This tank will be unique.

It will have a light white sand and Zebra plecos(8 of them)

I have the wood chosen, it will be a non CO2 non Excel enriched aquarium with high current and O2. Plants on the surface and out of the water only.

Have a cool idea for it.

Should win over those that dislike or are scared of CO2, and still want the benefits of plants.

Regards,
Tom Barr
 

jazzlvr123

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Jul 3, 2007
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Tom Barr;39879 said:
Hi,

Yes, it's the first one up and running.
I added 11 Leopard frog plecos to fill in the caves I made in the Cypress wood.
They should breed in here.

I had a bout with BBA due to the wet/dry and low CO2 initially and neglect since I justed moved and have just now recovered from that move:)

The BBA is on the run now, CO2 was upped, more water changes, better dosing.

Like what I preach to hobbyists, I knew why I got algae, but........I also know how to get rid of it too:cool: Good old neglect, that's why, adding 1/2 dead cooked plants from the long move process before I could set the aquariums back up.

My main thing is saving fish, plants and algae I can get rid of.

Same general design.
The 120 will look very nice as I just kicked the Spirogyra algae's butt. BBA takes longer, I've done a few trims, I'd say in a month or two, things will be looking pretty nice.

The 180 will look good, just got it cleaned up and running with a few plants.

I have a 17 Gal ADA 60p with starfire glass.
This tank will be unique.

It will have a light white sand and Zebra plecos(8 of them)

I have the wood chosen, it will be a non CO2 non Excel enriched aquarium with high current and O2. Plants on the surface and out of the water only.

Have a cool idea for it.

Should win over those that dislike or are scared of CO2, and still want the benefits of plants.

Regards,
Tom Barr

Good to hear your getting everything balanced out again.

Good luck with the non co2 setup I think this will encourage and prove to many aquarists that you don't need co2 to have a nice planted tank.

I just setup a low light non co2 cichlid tank for a client that looks just as good as any co2 enriched tank, its mainly crypt for the background and a ton of different wood and Anubis groupings, The only thing I'm still working out is the dosing strategies for such a tank. (I've been telling him to dose 1/8 the recommended EI dosage for the tank however I'm still thinking that's too much)

I actually am thinking of doing the same type of emergent thing for the 60 cube, I was planning on lining the back of the tank with terrestrial plants so that only the roots are in the water and so they do not block any light for the aquatic plants below, I think the idea of plants sticking out of the back of the tank Will mimic nature more-so (kinda inspired by that old pic you have of all the Echinodorus leaves sticking out of that one tank.)

good to hear from ya, Kyle
 

Tom Barr

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jazzlvr123;40053 said:
Good to hear your getting everything balanced out again.

Good luck with the non co2 setup I think this will encourage and prove to many aquarists that you don't need co2 to have a nice planted tank.

I just setup a low light non co2 cichlid tank for a client that looks just as good as any co2 enriched tank, its mainly crypt for the background and a ton of different wood and Anubis groupings, The only thing I'm still working out is the dosing strategies for such a tank. (I've been telling him to dose 1/8 the recommended EI dosage for the tank however I'm still thinking that's too much)

I actually am thinking of doing the same type of emergent thing for the 60 cube, I was planning on lining the back of the tank with terrestrial plants so that only the roots are in the water and so they do not block any light for the aquatic plants below, I think the idea of plants sticking out of the back of the tank Will mimic nature more-so (kinda inspired by that old pic you have of all the Echinodorus leaves sticking out of that one tank.)

good to hear from ya, Kyle

The goal is to have the non CO2 tank with high O2 and low CO2.

This will appeal greatly to the non plant Fish keeper.
That is where 90% of the plant hobbyists come from, but are often scare of CO2 gas, and scared of not being able to do water changes and lower flows/O2 levels.

With good growth, you do get decent O2, but only 1/2 the day.
Some species do not respond well to CO2, so we can focus on CO2 better, or go the other way. Many aquarist simply fail to adjust their CO2 and degassing on their tanks correctly to provide good balance of CO2/O2.

Rather than forcing that, why not see how to make a planted tank that is easy to do without O2 and without some much submersed growth? Much like a "full" paludarium. Instead of the plants in the tank, they are on top and the current is higher etc.

You likely need less for a Cichlid tank for dosing, they eat a lot.
Try 1/20th. After plants fill in, maybe.......1/10th.


Regards,
Tom Barr
 

hydrophyte

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THis tank is really nice Tom. Do you have any updated pictures? I agree those tetras were a good fish choice.
 

VaughnH

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jazzlvr123;40053 said:
I actually am thinking of doing the same type of emergent thing for the 60 cube, I was planning on lining the back of the tank with terrestrial plants so that only the roots are in the water and so they do not block any light for the aquatic plants below, I think the idea of plants sticking out of the back of the tank Will mimic nature more-so (kinda inspired by that old pic you have of all the Echinodorus leaves sticking out of that one tank.)

good to hear from ya, Kyle

Kyle, check out Riparium Supply for a good way to do what you are thinking of doing. This a new method, to the best of my knowledge, for setting up an aquarium with a mix of terrestrial and aquatic plants. I'm starting to set up a 65 gallon tank using this method and equipment.
 

jazzlvr123

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VaughnH;40066 said:
Kyle, check out Riparium Supply for a good way to do what you are thinking of doing. This a new method, to the best of my knowledge, for setting up an aquarium with a mix of terrestrial and aquatic plants. I'm starting to set up a 65 gallon tank using this method and equipment.

Thanks for the link vaugh, I think I'm gonna DIY something similar to this so I wont have to pay as much I already have aquarium suction cups and spare aquasoil so all i need is some of that plastic material they sell at art and craft stores with a bunch of holes in it and use that for the planter