Butterfly

As some of you know we at from the end of may and I'm just now getting my tanks set back up. The 75g went back up as a sand tank. the sand is pool filter sand. I prefer pool filter sand because it doesn't have to be rinsed (I'm lazy) and it seems to be smoother and not pack as much as other sand. This is the Loach tank so it also has rocks for caves and plants. My large Clowns didn't make the move which made me sad but Hubby bought me some small ones for the 75G. There are also Striata and yoyos in this tank. When it's finished it will also have kuhlis. Tell me what you think. Suggestions?
The first is the tank before water was added (sorry about the reflection )
Carol

Butterfly

1) tank with water and plant
2) left side of tank
3) right of tank

Butterfly

some of the occupants of the tank
carol

sgould

Looking good! I am jealous of the clowns...I have wanted some since I started keeping fish, but I just don't have a place for a large enough tank right now.

Butterfly

Thank you Their still tiny1 to 1-1/2 inch so the 75g will work for a good while. seems like the larger the group you have together the more active they are.
carol

Isabella

Looks Great! Do Clown Loaches destroy live plants? If not, how about some plants on the sides of the tank? So that they'll have more hiding places. Just a suggestion of course I always like my own tanks with plants on the sides. I think it helps fish feel more secure. This way, they only have the front of the tank with the view into the room, and the other 3 sides of the tank are covered with plants or other decor preventing them from getting startled. What I mean is that they don't see people walking from all 4 sides.

I found that Water Sprite and Hornwort can grow really in any substrate, and under lower light. They also grow dense, giving more coverage for fish. They're nice looking plants too

Butterfly

Isabella I love plants also. There are a few on the left side that haven't really grown in yet. I'm hoping they will hurry up and grow. Some of the ones in the back haven't grown in yet either.I've never (knock on wood) had a problem with Clowns tearing up plants but if they think there is a snail under one they will sure dig it up
The plan over the next few months is to hang lights over the tank, remove teh glass tops and let plants grow out of the top. We will just have to see how that goes. thanks for teh suggestion.
carol

COBettaCouple

cool!

Tom

You are soooooo lucky that you can get such a large tank.
Tom

Callum The Cat

Butterfly

Nope i promise it's mine
Carol

Callum The Cat

armadillo

Oh man! I'd love to be able to offer the kuhli some sand, but we've got a cycled tank and all is settled. + we wouldn't know what to do with the tank occupants while the sand settles. I envy you!

Butterfly

Please don't
It was awful having to catch fish out of all those tanks, put them in rubbermaid containers, clean tanks, take fish to Dino and then move the tanks 7-8 hrs away. Just now getting a few of them set back up. It was a lot of hard work
Now in the future when you change substrate, set up another tank etc give pool filter sand a thought
Carol

armadillo

We definitely will. We'll just need to be careful which fish we put in there (sand = bettas' and other fish' )

Butterfly

Bettas are the only ones I know of the others love sand
Carol

armadillo

Oh yeah? That's good to know. I was worried it might be a problem with loads of fish. I really like the idea of sand, especially for the kuhlies. I've seen them in the shop bury themselves and spit the sand out with their gills. Looked very cool.

COBettaCouple

i think if you're going with sand, that silica sand is the best.. and available as "play sand" at some hardware stores.

Butterfly

I respectfully have to disagree Have you not heard me tell people how lazy they can be if they use pool filter sand ? no rinsing just dump it in and fill. And it seems to be rounder grains. Makes sense if it's to be used in a pools filter sand it couldn't be dusty .
Ok I'm done disagreeing
Carol

COBettaCouple

them's fightin' words.. let's take this outside.. <grrr!> yea, i forgot about pool filter sand. i'm getting closer to the lazy approach of no substrata at all myself.

Butterfly

I don't have the energy to fight this morning, maybe later My fry tanks are always bare. Not lazy just easier to clean
Carol

COBettaCouple

Ready to take it outside yet? Yea, i like that easier to clean thing..

Butterfly

Yep come on. It's beautiful here this morning. Suns just coming up
Carol

Butterfly

I was going to add an updated picture of the 75G but all the pics are gone Oh well this is what it looks like now
Has kuhlis, Clown Loaches, Threadfin rainbows and otos.
first is the full tank, then the right side and then the left side.

Attached Images

	75 g.JPG (36.8 KB, 14 views)
	R side.JPG (38.8 KB, 9 views)
	L side.JPG (37.8 KB, 6 views)

Isabella

I think it looks BEAUTIFUL I like the bubble wall and all the hiding spots created by the rockwork Are you growing Anubias in your sand? It looks like one Anubia is growing in your substrate.

Gozer_1

WOW, I love your rock work. That looks fantastic. Fine fish home you have there.

COBettaCouple

looks great! and yea, i love the rock work!

Butterfly

The substrate is pool filter sand, and the rocks are siliconed together .
Isabella there are six different kinds of Anubias in that tank. I lay the rhizome on the sand and anchor it with a rock and let the roots grow down into the sand or not, usually it does.
Eventually the top will be removed and a light hung over the tank so the plants can grow out the top. The long leaf in the back behind the log is an anubias and will get huge.
Carol