Isabella

Hi all of you who are interested in the progress of my 75 gallon tank

As I've been mentioning throughout my posts, I removed some of the plants I had (Old spiral Vals, Hygrophilas, Sagittarias, Hornworts, Water Sprite, and Water Wisteria), and was planning to re-plant my 75 gallon tank. Now it has already matured, and the substrate is settled and mature as well, so the tank can now - hopefully - sustain the growth of a little more demanding plants.

I've received one order of plants today (Friday), and will receive another one on Sunday. Today, I've received: 1 Uruguay Sword, Willow Moss (the Willow Moss is in a very bad condition!), 10 Jungle Vals, and 16 Crystal Vals (straight Vals). On Sunday, I'll receive: 2 Amazon Swords, 1 Red Rubin Sword, 3 Ruffled Swords, 1 Green Melon Sword, 10 Pygmy Chain Swords, 9 Crypts Balansae, 6 Crypts Wendtii Red, 15 Crypts Lucens, and Java Moss (hoping the Java Moss will be in a better condition).

Below are the pictures of the tank BEFORE and AFTER re-planting. The pictures are fuzzy because all the debris from disturbing the substrate are still floating around the tank and all is cloudy. They'll settle down in a day or so. So far, only the left side is planted. The right side will be finished when I get the rest of my plants on Sunday. Also, a lot of the plants that you see in the foreground (in the "AFTER" picture) will be moved around, and this is not yet the final look. I just shoveled all the plants attached to driftwood to the left side of the tank, to make space for the plants that will arrive on Sunday.

Below, are also pictures of unpacking the plants, floating them in room-temperature water, etc ... Last pictures are of the plants in the tank. Once again, all is still cloudy, and this is not yet the final look. I will keep updating this thread.

These plants may or may not survive in my tank without CO2 additions. I don't want to use CO2, but if they start dying, I think I'll buy a CO2 system (maybe from Rex Grigg of Plant Geek?).

Anyway, here are the pictures

The plants as they've arrived:


Floating the bags and acclimatizing and sorting the plants:

Isabella

The tank BEFORE re-planting:


The tank AFTER re-planting (right side not YET done!):




Uruguay Sword:


Straight Vallisnerias (Jungle and Crystal Vals):

Kevin

looking really good!...and to think its only half done

Isabella

Yeah, it may look good in the beginning. But what if the plants start dying? That's what I'm afraid of. All this money will go to waste if they die. I think that if they start dying, I'll resort to CO2

Kevin

you could overstock your tank...and not really have a problem
i've heard flourish works well...i used leaf zone to get my plants growing...and it worked for me

Isabella

You mean, Seachem's Excel? I already have Seachem's Flourish - this is a liquid NUTRIENT fertilizer for plants. Excel is a liquid CO2, or something like that.

And Kevin, I don't really want to overstock my tank. I can't do that to my fishies!

Kevin

no...i meant flourish...i know nothing about co2

i was pointing out that you had a lot of extra filtration w/ all those live plants...it was a bad way of saying it...and i know you wouldn't overstock your tank

Gozer_1

I'm SO jealous. I feel like I have a LONG way to go. I hope mine looks half as good when I get it going.

Isabella

Gozer, you said in your thread about the 45 gal. stand:

It's probably Current USA's Nova fixture. Current USA fixtures are very good When I was buying my light, my options were either Current USA or Coralife. In the end, I chose Coralife's freshwater fixture because it came with the lightbulbs that I wanted (7,600K spectrum).

Now, if you'll have 1.75 WPG of lighting + nutrient-rich substrate, then you'll have exactly the same setup as mine. I don't see why your tank shouldn't look even TWICE as nice as mine You can buy a lot of plants for a tank with Fluorite substrate and 1.75 wpg of lighting. My lighting is 1.73 wpg and I have Eco-Complete. You can easily have a variety of Cryptocorynes in your tank, certain Swords, various Vallisnerias, Hygrophila, Hornwort, Water Sprite, Water Wisteria, Anubias, Java Fern, Java Moss + other mosses, Sagittarias, and probably many more (can't remember at the moment). That's plenty of plants to choose from and to create a beautiful aquascape You'll learn from your own mistakes and keep improving your tank until it looks exactly the way you want it to look.

I also thought that "Oh, I'm just going to buy the big bunch of plants, and that will be it." But that's not it, lol. You keep working and working, and working on your tank. It's a work always in progress Experiment with a variety of plants and see which ones will grow for you and which ones you'll like. I've thrown away many that I didn't like and that didn't grow for me. Others, I've bought more of because that's how great their growth is for me. Still others, I am just going to try now. Like I said, experiment a lot, and see what will work best for you.

With time, you may find that you want more and more plants, and faster plant growth. That's when you may want to switch to CO2. While I am content with slow but healthy plant growth (such as the one I have now), I think I want to try CO2. The good news is that you CAN use CO2 under 2.0 of wpg. So if you ever want to upgrade your tank to CO2, you just get the CO2 system, and don't need to get higher lighting (unless you want higher lighting and higher-light plants later on)

Anyway, good luck with your tank

P.S. I think another reason I want to try CO2 is that with CO2 you have faster plant growth. Faster plant growth means the plants use more nutrients and they do so faster. And that means there is less nutrients left for algae to grow on. So, that's basically a measure of algae prevention too. I don't want algae anymore. I hope CO2 will help with that. ( Next to my algae eater, of course ).

bhcaaron

Funny, most that I've read about have started as freshies and gone to salties. I want a saltie and have not thought of freshies really. But, every time I see pics like yours I think maybe that will be my next project... next IF I can ever get my 1st started lol.

Isabella

Hey Aaron

See, freshwater planted tanks are: (1) cheaper to set up, (2) easier to maintain, and (3) just as beautiful as saltwater reef tanks (in my opinion). I am not saying reef tanks are not beautiful, because they are. In fact, they're amazing. But right now, I know really nothing about them except for the fact they're very expensive and that proper water parameters are much harder to maintain in saltwater tanks. That seems pretty serious to me.

Besides, I've always loved the greens. I always find myself enjoying lakes, moutains, and forests better than the sea/ocean. Maybe that's why I am inclined towards planted tanks more Or, maybe I am not so much into the sea because I have it close by, and been to the beach far too many times. But I don't have mountains overgrown with forests around me. And we always want what we can't have, don't we Maybe, somehow, psychologically this is another reason why I like planted tanks better.

I don't know. It's just something about the greens, lol When I look at a beautiful densely planted wild-looking tank, I feel so calm and relaxed. I feel as if I were looking through the window to some lush wild forest. Ahh ... I just love planted tanks and will stop at nothing to get my tank looking the way I want it to look - be it now or 10 years from now

OK, enough of the planted tank sentiments! I'm sure you get the "general idea", lol.

P.S. If you ever get a planted tank, and do your homework well beforehand, you'll see how much you'll love it.

bhcaaron

I'm thinking I will eventually. I know that underwater life is unusual in general, but, I love how foreign the deep oceans can be. If I can only have a reminder of that in my room... that is my "ahh". I love the oddness, the unfamiliarity in its shapes. Everything we consider normal is challenged. Things that look like plants that are actually animals and some of them actually move to hunt food. Blobs of such indescribable colors that move and are alive. Trees that don't actually sway and filter water. Clams that give off sparks... It is the closest I'll probably get to an alien environment. It is beauty indescribable. I guess I can understand why some people love Picasso lol.

Looks like we both have our work cut out for us in our passions lol

Isabella

Ahhh ... I totally understand you! Yes, that's a great way to put it. I couldn't have said it better. See, like I said, BOTH saltwater and freshwatwer tanks have their charms Both are beautiful to me, and both are unique in their own ways Most importantly, both are about a piece of wild nature in your own home

P.S. And yes - LOL - I guess I could say that the whole planted tank hobby has taken me "by passion", haha

bhcaaron

I guess with me it goes back to the whole Sci-Fi thing. I've always wanted to travel the stars and I've always related the vast ocean to the vast universe. Also intriguing how some colors will only be found naturally in the ocean and space.

Gozer_1

I think one of the best places on Earth is where the forest meets the ocean. I'm not much on the vast ocean but I love the view and I love the forests for the trees. SO, I want both. I want ocean sunsets and a view of mountains but I want to lay down in the grass in a forest meadow too. I'm going to set my planted next to my reef and be as close to the beach by the forest as I can get in the Colorado mountains. Funny thing is the SW has blue actinics and the FW will have pink FW bulbs. Awwwww. Atleast then when I'm spending hours "workin on my tanks" they'll be close together. lol

bhcaaron

hahahahah That would be an awesome place to live Ocean/Mountains/Forest/Valley SIGH

Gozer_1

Yeah It's called the northern California and Oregon coast line. lol Even up to British Columbia. Vancouver is supposed to be a beautiful city.
(I know Washigton is nice too. Seattles cool man.)

jsalemi

Who'd you order your plants from, Isabella?

Isabella

Aaron, you should be an astronomer. I bet you like "Star Wars" lol

Gozer, lol, you've got it all figured out perfectly, haha

Jsalemi, I've ordered from AZ Gardens: http://www.azgardens.com/index.php (The other order that's arriving on Sunday is from Aquarium Garden: http://aquariumgarden.com/index.php).

Now, I've read on PlantGeek.net bad reviews about AZ Gardens, but I personally can't complain about the plants that I've gotten from them. No snails (just 3 tiny clumps of snail eggs - which is nothing compared to the amount of snails you usually get with plants), no algae on leaves, and the plants came looking very healthy. Well, the Willow Moss came in a pretty bad shape, but it can recover. The Jungle and Crystal Vals and the Uruguay Sword came looking really nice. Now, that's just my experience, which was good. I can't guarantee you'll have good experiences with them, but based on my personal experience, I am very satisfied. Only there is one problem though. AZ Gardens packaging of plants isn't the greatest. The plants should be in a styrofoam box, and they should be wrapped in wet newspapers, and then wrapped in plastic bags. AZ Gardens sent me the plants in a plain paper box and the plants were in plastic bags without moist newspaper wrappings. Maybe that's because my order was small. Maybe they use styrofoam boxes for larger orders, I don't know. So, just so you know all of that. It looks like my package was handled well because not one plant was crushed or broken. They ship via FedEx's overnight express shipping (which is expensive), unless you request otherwise. The reason I chose express shipping is because I didn't want to risk the plants being crushed / broken / dying during the long trip to me. Maybe that's the reason why my plants arrived to me in great shape.

Now, Aquarium Garden. I've only placed large orders with them, so I've always gotten my plants in styrofoam boxes from them. The plants were nicely wrapped in moist newspapers and put in zip-lock plastic bags with printed labels with plant names. Aquarium Garden ships via USPS's Priority Mail (takes a few days), unless you request otherwise. I always request USPS overnight shipment, for the same reasons as above. The plants from Aquarium Garden also come to me in a great condition, although I've gotten some snails from them. But, I don't mind the snails because they're wonderful algae eaters in fact, and they help you keep your tank clean. I've NEVER had a snail population explosion, never. That's beacuse I never overfeed my fish. If you do the same, you won't have problems with snail population.

That's my review of AZ Gardens and Aquarium Garden I like both stores to be honest. Although Aquarium Garden has actually a more friendly staff then that of AZ Gardens. Although plants from both stores are equally good, Aquarum Garden seems to care more about their customers. I've come to that conclusion based on the way and speed with which they respond to my e-mails with questions for them.

jsalemi

Thanks -- I was looking at aquariumplants.com, and they seem to have good prices. But I don't know about their quality.

bhcaaron

Yes. Its a guilty pleasure.

Isabella

"It's never too late." LOL But ... there's never enough time for so many things we like, so even though "it's never too late", it's always hard with the time!

I've heard similar reviews of AquariumPlants.com to those of AZ Gardens. But, if I were you, I'd go to Plant Geek and ask people over there. That's what I did before I bought. Even though I heard bad reviews for AZ Gardens, I took the risk and bought from them. Besides, the people on Plant Geek are ... well, they're plant people, lol, so they buy plants all the time and they will have more reviews of various plant websites over there.

bhcaaron

Well, maybe I lied. There really isn't any guilt involved lol

Gozer_1

I have no shame or guilt in my Nerd factor. I drove 350 miles to watch Episode 3 in the "big city".


I guess I'm gonna have to g to Plant Geek too. I'm planning on using Aquariumplants.com. They have a deal where they'll plan out plants and arrangement for your setup. I thought it would be nice to just get some plants that are good in the beginning. Then as I learn more and more I can make any changes I want. Theres so many to choose from. To have some one who knows more than I pick my first batch of plants, I think, would help me out. Mainly with groth habits and proper placement. It would eliminate a little bit of the initial trial and error. I have a very green thumb, I just don't know enough about aquatic plants. Up till I started looking into planting my tank, my knowledge of aquatics was only about what you don't want to see in your pond. We had some outbreaks of some various aquatic "weeds" at work this summer.

Isabella

Gozer, I think that - after all - all these websites are the same. If you're lucky, you'll get good plants. If you're not, you won't. I actually received my plants from Aquarium Garden today NOT in a styrofoam box, which surprised me. But I now realized that I ordered before from Aquarium Garden in the winter, so maybe that's why they came in a styrofoam box then, and not now. Maybe these websites send plants in styrofoam boxes (which insulate warmth inside) only in the winter. Now it doesn't matter to me where I order from: AquariumPlants.com, AzGardens.com, or AquariumGarden.com. Anyway, the plants came looking great (Well, except for the Java Moss. Both AZ Gardens and Aquarium Garden sent me crappy mosses.) And my tank is done re-planting. I'll post more updates and pics in just a moment

Man, it was sooo much work! I am exhausted today!

Isabella

OK, folks, got my order from Aquarium Garden today, as mentioned above. As also mentioned above, Java Moss came in a pretty poor shape, just as the Willow Moss from AZ Gardens. I don't know what it is with these mosses. They're supposedly so easy to grow, and yet they come crappy-looking to me. Plus, they're shipped overnight. Anyway, I hope they mosses will recover in my tank. The big plus for Aquarium Garden though is that they shipped the Java Moss in a plastic closed container so suppose even if the package got crushed, the moss wouldn't be touched.

As for the Swords ... God, they came ENORMOUS in size! They're so big the leaves are sticking out of my tank a few inches above the water. Don't know whether to cut off the long leaves, or just leave them like that? I actually like them sticking out of the water, but don't know if it's healthy for the plants. I've gotta ask the folks on Plant Geek about what to do. I took my glass tops off because of how tall the Swords are. Hope my fish won't freaking jump out!

All the Crypts came looking all right, as always I ordered 15 Crypts Lucens, and they gave me 18, meaning 3 of them were free Plus, they gave me 10 free Jungle Vals I also sent an e-mail to them today, and got an answer today, meaning they take care of their customers even on Sundays That's why I don't even care about their packaging. I really love the way they treat customers.

As for the Pygmy Chain Swords, they didn't have them in the nursery so they didn't send them to me. They subtracted the price of the Pygmy Chains from my bill, of course. But that's OK because I don't think I'd have anymore space for the Pygmy Chains anyway, lol.

Anyway, there are the rest of the pictures.

Here's how the plants come packaged from Aquarium Garden: with moist newspaper wrappings and in zip-lock plastic bags with labels of plant names:


Getting the plants ready for planting:

Isabella

The planting process:

Tom

Sorry for the language but, holy that is so beautiful.
Tom

bhcaaron

Well quit picking your nose with it! lol


So what do you do that you have a pond to care for at work?

Gozer_1

Today my roomate asked me why I'd want a planted aquarium...... So I showed him your pictures. Now he knows why.