My 50 gallon tropical community tank

[Jim]

Wow, I love the new pics... and I could use some advice. Here's a link to my bowfront, which I rebuilt last month.
http://www.fishlore.com/fishforum/me...wamp-tank.html
Mostly everything is doing awesome... My water is really soft, slightly acidic, and I'm running my lights about 4.0 wpg or so, and even though I donb't know the exact CO2 levels, my plants have O2 bubbles just boiling off them, and my Java moss has so many hundreds of tiny bubbles it looks like a christmas tree.
What I could use some help on is my Riccia, which is tied to rocks on the left near the front of the tank. It's not doing too well. It's either growing really slow, or I'm maybe doing something wrong. I could definitly use some help if you could think of anything.
Thanks, and again congrats on your killer tank!

[pinky93]

Nice tank! I love the aquascape.

[Narcicius]

I read the part about 200 cardinals and wow it seems like you'll sell your house to feed those guys, not to mention worries about disease and stuff. Good thing you know what you're doing and btw I love your tank I wish I had one big enough to scape like that. Just know that you're admired at this point.

[MrWaxhead]

Thanks all, and Narcicius, the 200 cardinal thing have been delayed due to another kid on the way.

Its going to be most likely late summer or fall of this year before I am up and running on that tank, was planning on building a 240g 8x2x2. But now most of my side job money is filtering towards baby savings. One I am sure I have put enough away I will get back on the tank and room to house it. As its more then just the tank, I have to build the room too, as I am converting my garage into a room for it so that is a large portion of the expense. I am half toying with the idea of going with 480g now that its been delayed, as I have came across some more cell cast acrylic (would take 3.5 sheets instead of the 2.5 sheets a 240g would take). Thinking 8' across x 2' in depth x 4' front to back depth, to maximize acrylic as I can't go any deeper then 2' with 1/2 inch cell cast or it will bow to much even with euro style bracing.

[MrWaxhead]

Oh and Jim here a handy little site for figuring our c02 levels based off your ph and kh levels in your tank. Just enter your ph and your kh levels and it will give you a ppm value for c02.

http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_co2chart.htm

I find for the most part getting to 25 to 30ppm of c02 your ph tends to drop on average a full point. IE if you were 7ph before c02 you will usually be about 6.0 to 6.2 ish once you get to 25 to 30ppm of c02. Its very worth while checking or buying a drop checker that stays in your tank. As unstable c02 ie low levels tends to encourage algae and over 30ppm is harmfull to your critters.

[Johawk]

That is an absolutely amazing tank. I can only hope that someday when I have the time and money, I can do something like that. Gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous.

[Blub]

Hi!

Love the tank! I really need some Java moss for my bogwood. Come on plants - grow up for once!

[Jim]

Originally Posted by MrWaxhead

Oh and Jim here a handy little site for figuring our c02 levels based off your ph and kh levels in your tank. Just enter your ph and your kh levels and it will give you a ppm value for c02.

http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_co2chart.htm

I find for the most part getting to 25 to 30ppm of c02 your ph tends to drop on average a full point. IE if you were 7ph before c02 you will usually be about 6.0 to 6.2 ish once you get to 25 to 30ppm of c02. Its very worth while checking or buying a drop checker that stays in your tank. As unstable c02 ie low levels tends to encourage algae and over 30ppm is harmfull to your critters.

Wow, very cool little tool, thanks. And check it out, I just FINALLY found the RedSea regulator kit for a paintball CO2 canister. Hehehe, I'm all hi tech now! Seriously, it's very nice, and it came with a little gizmo that sits in the tank all the time and supposedly monitors the CO2 levels. So far it's been right on at about 2 bubbles per second, and my plants look like they're boiling, if you know what I mean!
As for my pH, remarkably it's remained quite stable at around 6.8. I did some reading and tried an experiment about 3 weeks ago. I am running a Marineland Magnum 350 canister, and instead of using charcoal, I have a both peatmoss and crushed coral in seperate nylon stockings, seperated and surrounded by Biofoam in the charcoal canister. Around this is a blue floss filter. And my CO2 is running directly into my filter intake.
Result Peat is an acid buffer, coral an alkaline buffer. They seem to work with each other or cancel each other out, and the pH remains stable. It sounds a little weird, but it's definitly working.

[MrWaxhead]

Been a while since adding any progress on this tank, I have been playing around with more stuff from river trips, I am still not sure on everythings final placement but here is a pic where I am sitting at the moment.



sorry for the dark picture, I snapped it real quick before the lights kicked off, just to get perspective from a lens eye and not just my own, to see what should be moved. Any ideas or minor move placements of wood etc, would be gladly taken as well.

[seedy]

Hi
If it was mine , I would not change a thing.
Awsome tank !!!

[Tumbleweed]

Nice tank. I have no idea on what could or should be moved. Looks Great.

[Mr. Greg]

What a great tank, I particularly like the new look.
Awesome stuff

[Ryno]

Obviously the tank looks great but I would move the piece of wood on the top left a little more left and have an open spot to the right of it in the middle left of the tank.

Did any of that make sense?

Great tank, I hope to get somewhere close with my planted tank some day.

[suer]

This tank is absolutely stunning don't change a thing.

[COBettaCouple]

I can't think of anything to change, unless you wanted to go with a 'waterfall' and 'river' in the center of the tank. It's such a beautiful tank already though.

[Jim]

Originally Posted by suer

This tank is absolutely stunning don't change a thing.

I agree, go with the old saying:

Iif it ain't broke, don't fix it!

[slizard]

MrWaxhead,
Your aquarium is a work of art. Congratulations on your success. You are a master.

I have always been interested in having a live planted aquarium, but it seems very complicated. I suppose it's like anything else, complicated until you learn it, then once you do you find that it's not very complicated at all.

Would you consider doing a favor for myself and other interested readers by listing the basic essentials of what's needed to have success with plants, and possibly a favorite reference book you have relied on in the past?

There is so much equipment available out there that to me at least, it fuzzes what you may actually need to support a system, and is perhaps scaring people away from taking the step to live plants. No doubt you find your creations very rewarding, as you should.

I see you mention Co2 which I have heard about, and seems to be a key component. I have a 20 gallon newly set up tank which I would love to evolve onto something even remotely like yours. I would sell tickets, hea hea.

Thanks for your consideration and a job well done,

Slizard

[Isabella]

Oh wow ... it looks even more LUSH and beautiful than it was before . Wonderful job Mr. Waxhead, as ALWAYS .