Isabella

OK, now I feel like I can post something here, lol I've really had nothing to show before but I've just re-planted my 75 gallon tank and I think it looks much better now!

General Tank Stats: 75 gallons (48" long x 18" wide x 20" tall) / Coralife Freshwater compact fluorescent fixture with two 65 watt 7,600K lightbulbs - this gives me a total of 1.73 wpg of lighting / 100% Eco-Complete Substrate / Rena Filstar's XP3 canister filter + Eheim's Aquaball powerhead for better water circulation / dosing Seachem's Flourish liquid fertilizer once a week / thinking of addding a CO2 system

Plants: Amazon Swords, Uruguay Swords, Green Melon Sword, Red Rubin Sword, Ruffled Swords, Anubias Nana, Anubias Coffeefolia, Java Ferns, Java Moss, Willow Moss, Cryptocorynes Balansae, Crypts Willisii var. Lucens, Crypts Wendtii Red, Jungle Vals, and Crystal Vals

Fish: 2 Angelfish, 6 Cherry Barbs (+ 1 baby Cherry Barb in a breeding net that you can see in the pictures), 6 Harlequin Rasboras, 2 Zebra Danios, and STILL STOCKING (will add 6 more Zebra Danios, 4 more Harlequin Rasboras, 3 German Blue Rams, and perhaps a few Otos + a true SAE)

Butterfly

Isabella that is gorgeous!!!! I like babys home too
Carol

Isabella

Carol, only let us hope all of this doesn't go to waste. That would be a huge waste of money. I hope the plants don't die, or else I'll have to resort to CO2. Hmm

P.S. I hope the baby likes its home too! It won't have to stay in the net too long if it grows fast

jsalemi

Looks great -- nice job! You're inspiring me for my 56g.

COBettaCouple

wow! will you come over and do a tank for us?! looks awesome!

Isabella

Jsalemi, please don't get inspired by the big Swords, unless you like your plants sticking out of the water, lol. I think I'm gonna gave to cut many leaves off the Amazon Swords. I thought they were going to come much smaller.

Dave, sure, I'll come over the day that I bring you my camera, OK? LOL That will be also on my way to Tom, haha.

COBettaCouple

you're doing up a tank for us AND bringing me your camera!? wow.. that's very generous!

Allie

LOVE it!!!

Richard

Is that the tank you bought a few months ago?!.. I love what you've done with it, and it looks like the fish do too!..good stuff Isabella.

lilsoccakid

i was just wondering, how do u vacumn this tank?

Isabella

Yes, that's the same tank, lol And my fish indeed do love it. My Angels won't get out of the Swords - they just sit there all the time, lol .

In a planted tank, where the substrate is filled with plant roots, you don't poke the gravel with the siphon tube because you'll destroy the plant roots this way. You just hover your siphon tube above the plants. To prevent substrate compaction, you only gently poke the substrate with some thin stick. That's what I do. Besides, a plant substrate filled with plant roots actually needs all the fish waste accumulated there. Fish wastes are an excellent natural fertilizer for plants. One guy on Plant Geek told me he never even poked his planted tank's substrate for many years already and he says nothing happens. Theoretically, plant roots - if the tank is fully planted and if the plants are healthy - should help prevent compactionin the substrate. You can also get Malaysian Trumpet Snails in a planted tank - they stir the substrate for you and they don't multiply as pond snails do. I should get some of these.

Barbrella

Are you sure that's not a painting? It's so beautiful it doesn't look real.

Lucky fish!

Isabella

LOL, I'm pretty sure it's real . I've set ty camera to give a nice contrast to pictures so maybe that's why the tank looks so vivid in these pictures.

armadillo

Wow, Isabella. Am speechless.

You sure managed to get that java moss going on the driftwood. That little experiment's resulted in only killing my moss, LOL.

Your tank is soooo awesome, sooo green. A true work of art. I am seriously in awe.

So you've started on the CO2, then?

FishnFry

WOW!!!!!!!!!! Tank looks amazing!

I'm so jealous with all those plants. I could use those big leafy swords you got.

Nice job Isabella!!

Isabella

Armadillo, actually, the mosses (Java Moss and Willow Moss) are very crappy looking as of now, lol. They came already crappy looking from the two online plant stores that I've ordered them from. I am hoping they can recover in my tank. Most of the mosses on the two driftwood pieces are browned. There are, however, a few small clumps of green moss strings - it is these green clumps that I *hope* will recover and grow into full green mosses. As for CO2, I am not using it yet. But am thiking about it. I may buy a CO2 system in about 1 - 3 months. I'll see. Not sure yet.

BoSox Fan7

First off, NICE TANK! and second what kind of plant is in the back?

Isabella

Well, all the way in the back of the left corner of the tank are Crystal Vals and Jungle Vals, and the little shorter plants in front of them are Uruguay Swords. The plants all the way in the back of the right corner are Amazon Swords, Ruffled Swords, Green Melon Sword and Red Rubin Sword.