Introduce yourself and tell us what do you keep?

Heather G

Junior Poster
Feb 14, 2005
1
0
1
Hi, dropping in to read the Barr Report, realized I hadn't given my intro.
I do have a few vague questions that need better formulating.
I've had collections of smaller tanks, for many years I ran four 20 gallon longs with the conventional carbon HOB and undergravel filters. Occasionally I could grow great stuff under shoplights, such as huge stands of Vallisneria. When planted tanks started getting more publicity, I scrapped the undergravel filters and carbon in my HOB filters, replaced the gravel with Turface clay particles along with 1/3 commercial laterite, and started fiddling with DIY CO2 bottles, with some success with live plants such as Crypts and swords and Java fern.
About 3 years ago I decided to scrap those tanks for lack of space and got a single 90 gallon (nominal). It's a deep bent-corner tank (not a bow front, but similar outline). It's deep enough that it gave me unaccustomed light level problems that pushed me to try CF lights. I also switched to pressurized CO2. I started off with stem plants, and now have a red sword, lots of Java fern (3 varieties) aponogetans, and some great stands of red-leaf Crypt., probably C. wendtii. There's other odds and ends in there I've been trying. At one point I had a great stand of Crypt. balansae that I really liked.
On the bait content, I keep cardinal tetras, rasboras, Botia sidthemunki (terrific on nabbing snails!), bronze cories, a single clown pleco, and one remaining large old Siamese (true) algae eater. I had been debating about adding more Siamese algae eaters and a batch of otos. About 2 years ago I had major issues with odd lumpy TB-like disease killing indiscriminately both old and new fish after I added new blue flame gouramis, rasboras, and cardinals from decent local fish shops, after I gave them 6 weeks' quarantine in a small 7 gallon tank. Last summer I gave the big tank a long period of 80+ F temperatures, on the theory that if certain parasites had become endemic to the tank, that should kill it off in the gravel bed. No problems since, but I've been reluctant to test out if it was the fish shops' problem instead!
For maintenance, I've been alternating periods of maybe-benign neglect with experimental periods of lots of water changes while tinkering with lights and fert levels and adding more Turface/laterite/AGA soil and more powerheads (intakes covered with sponge filters) to shift the water around. Sometimes the neglect works much better--so long as I add enough dry ferts. I don't find I need much micros like iron (probably from the laterite I've added) or Nh4, but I do have to add a lot of monopotassium phosphate and potassium sulfate, and a fair amount of calcium.
I've got a serious lack of time to fuss with it, so I'm often frustrated with the shaggy ungroomed jungly look of it. It gets either green beard or BGA algae whenever I do something different. (The AGA soil addition really acted like a tank restart, but after it settled down, the plants loved it.)
I've done a few things right--I had a red lily to bloom last summer, and aponogetans from the last AGA convention have been in bloom since they settled in, the cory catfish have bred well enough to add surprising new members to the colony from somewhere among the thickets and sponge filters.
Using tank water from water changes to water my orchids, houseplants, and patio plants outside has amazing results on those plants, too, I highly recommend that!
 

Jorgenson

Junior Poster
Oct 17, 2007
3
0
1
Minneapolis, MN
I've been playing with aquaria for about three year now. Istarted a planted "Amazon Biotope" last year; failed do to ignorance and switched to African mbuna's. In October, I got the itch again for a planted tank and went at it with the full set-up and have finally found a fullfilling element of our hobby.

Tanks:

1 gallon betta tank with HC, Echino. tennellus, and Sagittaria spp.

30 gallon with 130 watts 6700K lighting, pressurized CO2 and dry ferts. Contains Alternantha rieneckii, Stargrass, Nesaea spp., Hygrophylia corymbosa, various Crypts, Java fern and moss, and Lilaeopsis novae-zelandiae. Fish are mainly tetras with two A. borellii. Love 'em.

60 gallon mbuna. Rocks, rocks, and more rocks. Fish include Cynotilapia afra "cobue", Iodotropheus sprengerae, Psuedotropheus demasoni, and Labidotropheus spp.

My dream tanks consist of a 120 gallon Tanginyka with Tropheus, and two seasonal-themed planted tanks: one summer, the other autumn colors.
 

helgymatt

Guru Class Expert
Sep 17, 2007
107
0
16
I should introduce myself as well....

I'm not new into fish keeping, but I am new into planted aquariums. I got inspired to start planted tanks after finding some amazing aquascpapes on some contest page. I was hooked instantly. I started my first planted tank about a half a year ago and it has gone great. I have credited this forum, aquatic plant central, and freshwateraquariumplants.com for my success.

My first tank is a 55 gallon (I know, 55's suck, but I'm dealing with it for now). It is a high tech tank with co2, 4wpg t8's, eco complete and a wide array of plants.

I have since started a 29 gallon with the same specs and it is my new favorite tank.

Here is a list of a few things that have led me to success and some tips:
#1: an understanding of CO2 and the use of drop checker
#2: learning EI
#3: Don't worry about your water too much...after 3 months of hauling gallons of RO water around, I switched back to tap water. I know wonder WHAT led me to use a 50/50 RO/TAP
#4: Excel....I swear by this stuff! I actually use glutaraldyhyde. I got it to rid some algae and now my algae is gone and my plants have "taken" off.
#5: Nerite snails!!! I got these two days ago...wow. I don't know how I lived without them. I have no idea how others keep their anubias algae free, but Nerites turned mine from brown to sparkling in two days!
#6: Buying plants from other hobbyists. I discovered this too late.

A little bit about myself....I'm a graduate student at Iowa State University. I'm seeking a masters in Horticulture. Planted aquariums just made sense for me! My graduate research is pretty cool. I am reseaching bioplastics and how they can be used in the horticulture industries. Specifically, I am evaluating corn based plastics for potted plant containers. In 50 years maybe they will have completely replaced petro based plastics!

Thats about all for now,
Cheers
Matt
 

Tom Barr

Founder
Staff member
Administrator
Jan 23, 2005
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What do you think oil ands coal are made from?
Really old plants.

Cost more to make it from plants, but with the way the cost of oil is going, there's going to be more of it.

Regards,
Tom Barr
 

George Farmer

Lifetime Members
Lifetime Member
Sep 6, 2006
135
1
16
47
Stamford, Lincs, UK
I'm George Farmer. I've 'only' been keeping aquariums for five years but it's been a steep learning curve, mostly thanks to excellent forums like this...

I write regularly for Practical Fishkeeping magazine and website, and more recently help to set up and run the fast-growing UK Aquatic Plant Society (also thanks to Tom).

I am currently working with Tropica, testing out new plants before they're put into production. This is very cool! I'm about to set up another nano that will be presented in the Tropica April Newsletter - and in person at the Interzoo exhibition in Germany. I will get to meet Oliver Knott, amongst others.

Aquascaping is a major passion for me, and more recently photography.

But I get my biggest buzz from sharing my enthusiasm with others and helping to increase the awareness of the UK planted tank hobby. So far it's definitely going the right way! :D

My full-time career is in the RAF as a weapons engineer. I have a wife and two young girls who enjoy a nice-looking aquarium, but not so much the time I put into them... One day I'll run a non-CO2 tank. :rolleyes:

And one day I will meet Tom Barr and buy him a well-earned beer...

I currently keep three tanks with one in the pipeline.

Tank 1 - 120x40x45H cm - 4 x HO T5, CO2, EI, Ecocomplete. Lots of plants, small SE Asian fish.
Tank 2 - 80x35x45cm - 4 x HO T5, CO2, EI, JBL + sand. Lots of plants, small tetras.
Tank 3 - 60x30x30cm - Chocolate gourmai biotope tank.
Tank 4 - 30x20x20cm - TBD with new Tropica species.
 

Tom Barr

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Administrator
Jan 23, 2005
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You will like Oliver.
Great scaper, learn all you can from him.

BTW, I do not drink alcohol, so perhaps a "Root" beer:)
So you can drink "my share" old pal:)
And someone sober can drive to the next filed site chock full of aquatic weeds:)

You really ought to come to the Plant Fest, without going to the Mato Grosso, or Thailand etc, and with the low Dollar right now, likely a good deal.

Cost is dirt cheap once you get here.

Reefs, FW clear planted rivers, Mangroves, Seagrass beds, Black water pools, fish, turtles, beaver, otters, crocs, Rednecks, more aquatic plants than you can shake a stick at(I mean this quite literally and would challenge you to try).

It runs the gambit of eco types.
I think we see about 30 FW plants, and about 40-50 Marine species.

No need for Malaria pills, but the skeeters, fire ants and heat are just as bad as any jungle.

If folks came to CA, I'd show them the world's oldest, the world's largest and the world's tallest trees. Awesome tide pools and scenery along the coast, water falls etc. We have lots of alpine lakes with plants (where most of the cool stuff is), Vernal pools(sorry, spring time only), and the delta(huge mess of a aquatic weeds).

Regards,
Tom Barr


Regards,
Tom Barr
 

tedr108

Lifetime Charter Member
Lifetime Member
Nov 21, 2007
514
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16
Los Angeles, CA
I'm very new to this hobby -- I've had my 50G (36x15x21) tank up and running for less than 2 months, this was my first tank. Made the "mistake" of taking care of a friend's tank while he was away for a month -- I was hooked.

Setup:

-- Planted (started with mostly "weeds," but trying to upgrade): sag natans, rotala wallichii, rotala indica, HC, dwarf hairgrass, glosso, ludwigia broad, lloydellia, ozelot sword, one unknown plant

-- CO2 canister

-- high light (2 x 96w PC, though usually not on at same time)

-- cardinal tetras (24), galaxy rasboras (12), ember tetras (1, the rest died), cherry shrimp (6), amano shrimp (7), otos (2), SAEs (4, most likely not True SAEs), Nerites (24).

I'm in a little over my head, I'm sure, but I don't mind that too much ... have received a ton of good information from this site. Still get a little uptight whenever a critter dies or algae is kicking my tail, but I'm getting better.

I am a monk (believe it or not :eek: ) and cannot really get out to any of the local groups in the So. California area, which I'm sure would do me a lot of good. I don't have anything worth showing photo-wise, maybe someday.

For the record, this is the most civil, and one of the most helpful, sites I have ever been on.
 

Tom Barr

Founder
Staff member
Administrator
Jan 23, 2005
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Well, I tend to run off trolls and flamers.
The web has many good points and some that are bad, so if you take things with a grain of salt, and realize that from the start, give folks enough time to get to know them more, then you can tell.

I can come off a bit edgy at first. But those that actually know me, know I'm hardly that way and really not that way in person. Those that are quick to judge, leave.
I do not like those folks anyway, never have and never will. Few do.

I also try to not take things personally , but there are lines folks cross and many assume a debate about an idea about aquatic plants is an personal argument.
It can be, but it should not be.

I know there is a lot of room for folks to assume on the web, many things that type does not convey that speech does.

And sitting away from others folks behind a screen + the anonymous nature + some are drunk, stoned, or in a bad mood for whatever reason far removed and outside this hobby, allow folks to make some stupid comments.

You can chose the higher road, the positive path, the one that leads to solution, or you take the low road. We are all human so we take both roads time to time, but we do have the choice which to chose.

That is civility. Really helping folks, not being quick to judge others, trying to take the high road, giving folks the benefit of the doubt.

This site does not have high volume/chatting, it was never the purpose nor my goal to have that. It is more a repository, that was the original goal and mission, still is.

High volume sites have many issues and take more work/moderation. Always admired the owners of those sites. You can get lost and overwhelmed in the fray.


Regards,
Tom Barr
 

eyebeatbadgers

Junior Poster
Aug 28, 2007
29
0
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Nashville, Tennessee
Hello all,

Let me start off with a little about myself. I'm 21, married, and live in Nashville, Tennessee. I have completed one year of college and am starting back soon to finish my teaching degree, and I aspire to teach biology. I've been keeping fish for six years, and have always had a few plants in the tanks, but only started keeping plants properly about a year ago. I also enjoy terrestrial gardening, but aquatic plants are truly a passion. Other hobbies include photography, fishing, and playing music with friends.

I keep two tanks currently, a ten and twenty-nine gallon. Both have lots of light, pressurized CO2, and the former has a river silt/sand substrate. Both also have lots of water and a few fish.
 

Tom Barr

Founder
Staff member
Administrator
Jan 23, 2005
18,699
786
113
Well, I've been all over Nashville and most of TN.
Dad was born there and still lives in Belle Meade(not exactly the poor side of town) next to the park there. I'll be back that way sometime this summer.

If you teach, you will always have a job;)

Regards,
Tom Barr
 

cggorman

Prolific Poster
May 9, 2009
42
0
6
Just found this area....Looks like it should've been my first stop.

Been in the hobby to one degree or another since I was about 10...or about 25 years now. Started with a 2 gallon fish bowl and a goldfish from the county fair. Added a 50w heater to the tank and literally poached the poor fella overnight.

For whatever reason, this didn't deter me a bit and I soon followed up with a 20g that was equipped like typical beginner tank woulda been back then. A small HOB power filter (aqua-clear, IIRC), plastic hood/strip light, clamp-on heater (submersibles were still high-end back then. lol), plastic plants, etc.

Been upgrading and tinkering ever since.

Seem to have developed a long-term relationship with Giant Danios for some reason. I haven't had a tank since that 20 that didn't have at least a couple Giants in it.

I'm currently maintaining two tanks. The first is a low-tech 55g in my bedroom that is currently in distress as I figure out this new house's water. (moved from municipal water supply to private, softened, well water.) The beautiful wall of Vals melted into nothing and now refuse to grow more than a few inches tall. The swords also became stubby and lack good growth.

The second is my first foray into CO2....a 70 gallon corner tank. Details in my sig.

Still learning and making mistakes. Don't think that will ever change. lol!
 
B

Brian20

Guest
Hi Im new member in the forum from Puerto Rico.
My name is Brian Soto and i want to be a planted aquarium guru or near it.
I saw this site and appears to be a good site for learning about this hobbie with the help of tom barr and the members.

greetings to all!!!:)
 

slalomsk8er

Junior Poster
Jul 9, 2009
22
0
1
42
Münchenstein, Switzerland
Dominik Riva AKA slalomsk8er

Hi

I began just this year with growing and keeping things alive under water.

I am 27 years old and from Switzerland. My first language is German and I hope my English is not that bad to look at ;)

If I am not wetting my hands, I play and work with computers as a system administrator and prefer for the most part GNU/Linux systems.

At the moment I have 2 tanks both are 30l nano Cubes from dennerle.

Plants:

  • Hemianthus callitrichoides 'Cuba'
  • Cryptocoryne spec. "Flamingo" (wendtii ?)
  • Ceratopteris thalictroides
  • Rotala rotundifolia

Fishes:

  • 10 dwarf corydoras (Corydoras hastatus)
  • 8 ember tetra (Hyphessobrycon amandae)

Snails:

  • 4 Clithon sp. (diadema) souleyetana
  • 3 Neritina natalensis

The other tank is a big algae mess at the moment but is only used to breed physa marmorata and Gyraulus chinensis for a fish and frog pond. I will soon rebuild this tank for some Crystal Red shrimps with a ground filter, Shirakura Red Bee Sand, some moss and plants.

Regards,
Dominik Riva
 

hydrophyte

Prolific Poster
Aug 21, 2009
43
0
6
New Member from Madison, Wisconsin

Hi All,

I just signed up and this is my first post. I don't really know what I'm doing, but I like plants and fish and have lots of fun.

All of my display tanks--these include a 20-gallon High, a 55-gallon, a 56-gallon Column and a 120-gallon--are planted ripariums. I have a praticular interst in crypts and other aroids. I also have a number of setups with livebearer colonies. Oh and I also like orchids, especially pleurothallids and other miniatures, but I don't put those in the water.

I'll go dig up some tank pictures and post those somewhere too.

Are there any other WI members around?
 

ordloh

Prolific Poster
Jul 30, 2009
39
0
6
37
Singapore
I'm Tristan from Singapore, currently finishing up university and hoping to start work soon. Need to move out of my parents place so I have room for more aquariums. Very recently started the hobby again after a very long haitus due to being thrown into the army for 2 years. Got my very first 120gal a few weeks ago, before this I've never had anything larger then a 14gal. Rather high tech but planted with mostly low maintenance plants (ferns, crypts and echinodorus), still contemplating what the main fish is gonna be.
 

ghostsword

Lifetime Charter Member
Lifetime Member
Feb 3, 2010
77
0
6
Cape Town, South Africa
Hi,

I am Luis, I live in the UK, London.

I have two tanks, one is a Juwel Rekord 120, it is a low light setup, with two AquaFX Led bars and a 30W daylight on the hood.

Currently I have Java ferns, anubias, amazon swords, hydrophilas and C. Demmersum on the Juwel.

I also have a small 40L cube that I have setup as a emmersed tank, with JBL substrate, and some Java fern plantlets, java moss, anubias and hydro cuttings.

Have kept fish for a while now, for almost 20 years, but only now I started to pay more attention to the plants. Have joined the forum to learn from it, and to become better at taking care of my plants.

My main java fern is about 5 years old, and hopefully it will last for another 5 years. :)
 

justin.sterling.scott

Prolific Poster
Mar 17, 2010
41
0
6
45
Port Orchard, WA
I've sort of re-entered the hobby.

I have a 60-ish gallon bowfront corner tank that houses new angelfish that I'm hoping to pair up, three tiny yo-yos, and a number of MTsnails. I have about a dozen small green and bronze wendtii that are scattered around, as well as a large anubias in the center. Overall, I'm not satisfied with the scaping, but it is a love in progress. With a broken regulator and an empty cylinder, the only CO2 going in is whatever the fish breathe out and the Excel creates. Years ago, I mixed Fluorite in with the gravel. I don't know anything about dosing ferts; but I bought Greg's book two days ago. I'm going to exhaust my small supply of commercial SeaChem ferts first. After that, I'll need to get some info on how/what/where to buy the dry ingredients for PMDD. I bought Tom's GH booster and two other compounds years ago when I first started the hobby. I think I didn't buy everything at once, so the directions/combinations were confusing. After some research and/or input from you all, I'll figure out the PMDD. I have one light that houses two dual-compact Sunpaq type bulbs (10k/6.7k). They're a couple years old, also, and need replacing. Lots of work to do...

I also have a 30 gallon tank that has three larger yo-yos, a large gourami my kids named Pikachu, 7 glowlight tetras, and one neon tetra. I use this team to cycle my new water before purchasing spendier pets. I like 'em, too, and can't bring myself to let them go. The 30 gallon has Pteropus, Java Moss, and a couple Anubias that came from the big one awhile back. I add the same fert/CO2 to this tank.

Message me to say Hello, if you'd like. I have a lot of learning and practice before I'll be any help to anybody, but I'm grateful for such an open and talkative community to turn to. Thanks, all, for your time.

Justin
 

Vinno

Junior Poster
Apr 11, 2010
10
0
1
Greetings to all. Just signed up. Tank is undergoing a change at the moment, time for me to get stuck into reading :)
 

EMBX

Junior Poster
Apr 16, 2007
10
0
1
62
Louisville, KY USA
Hi all,

I had 6 tanks, from a 5 gallon Beta tank to a 75 Gallon setup. Due to time constraints I gave all my live stock and plants away to folkes I know are responsable and stored the tanks and equipment in the basement 3 years ago.
In may this year I started the 75 gallon again, did some more, more, and more reading on the Barr Report, and so far everything grows very well. Hardly any algea issues and the plants grow like weeds. Turned the lights down to about 1.5 watt a gallon with a 3 hour burst with about 3 watt a gallon (As I read here on the site) to avoid pruning every week.

Thanks Tom and others for the tons of info from this site what really made the difference. I never had a planted tank so great as this one. :) EI is awesome!!!

EDIT Lol, after reading this topic over I saw I allready had an entry from about 3 years ago, o well :)
 
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Ekrindul

Guru Class Expert
Jul 9, 2010
114
0
16
Euless, TX
Hello. My name is Joshua, live in Dallas/Ft Worth area.

I have 2 tanks running, several more lying around empty.

I keep a 55 gallon (Eheim 2236 and Eheim 2234 w/ 3 hydor koralia nano 425s) with 12 neon tetras, 7 dwarf gourami (mostly honey), 6 long finned danios, 1 female variatus platy, 1 female red wag platy, 6 pygmy cory, 4 albino cory, 1 siamese algae eater, 8 amano shrimp, 3 otos, various nerite snails, ramshorns, pond snails. Regarding plants, I keep in this tank hygrophila difformis, hygrophila polysperma, anubias barteri, echinodorus schlueteri, echinodorus 'rubin', echinodorus amazonicus, cryptocoryne lutea & undulata, java fern windelov, limnophila aquatica, cyperus helferi, staurogyne repens 049 tropica, eleocharis parvula, Nymphaea micrantha, cryptocoryne spiralis.

I also keep a 20 gallon long (Eheim 2232) with 1 kribensis, 3 male variatus platy, ramshorns, pond snails. Plant-wise, it has java fern, rotala rotundafolia, ludwigia glandulosa, christmas moss, blyxa japonica, cryptocoryne wendtii, cryptocoryne lutea & undulata, hygrophila kompact, sagittaria subulata, sagittaria platyphylla, hydrocotyle umbellata, staurogyne repens 049 tropica, anubias barteri, anubias barteri v. 'nana', anubias barteri v. 'coffeefolia', cryptocoryne spiralis.

I am dosing EI with dry ferts, including GH Booster, KNO3, KH2PO4, using left over Pfertz micros until gone then will use PMDD premix for CSM-B until gone, then will use straight CSM-B, as well as API leafzone for potassium sulfate and iron 2X a week, with a 50% to 60% WC each Sunday (and after any rescaping). Lighting is T5HO on both tanks with glass tops; 20 gallon using 1 bulb, 55 gallon using 2 bulbs.
 
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