# My SpongeBob Tank!



## pandasus (Apr 16, 2011)

Firstly, I just want to say that this forum is so informative! I've had my tank for just over a month. It was supposed to be a simple tank with spongebob ornaments and pretty guppies...but then I went crazy going to different stores and found lots of pretty plants!

My setup is really simple. It's a Fluval Edge with white rocks and Marineland LED light. My bf thinks I got really lucky that I haven't had any issues with my tank like algae. The only problem that i've had is a few tiny snails (i'm so grossed out by them....) hopefully i got rid of all of them...

I only put water conditioner, Excel, and fertilizer in my tank. Almost all of my plants are from Frank's aquarium, one from Big Als, one from AI, and two from finatics aquarium. With that said, I have no idea what my plants are called...but all of them are growing and coexisting with my fishies and ghost shrimps!

I'm so addicted to Frank's aquarium. He's just so friendly and teaches me how to take care of my fish and plants. He sold me a pregnant lyretail molly a few weeks ago so my tank has a few babies in it.

Now that I can't put anything else in my tank, I still keep buying plants lol it's so bad that my bf had to buy a second tank to take care of my extra plants lol i'm planning on buying a giant glass bowl in the future to grow some extra plants without a heater or filter as an experiment. If the plants live, I'm thinking about buying a beautiful betta to live in it =) 

Please feel free to comment and share your experience!! I'd appreciate any feedback. I know that everyone prob thinks I need substrate to support the number of plants that I have...but I really want to have a tank that operates on minimal equipment but is still sustainable.


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## 03pilot (Oct 7, 2010)

Fluval Edge is one great looking tank but I find it a bit challenging to maintain with just a small opening on the top. But you have done a great job....your tank looks so fun and colorful! You are very creative!

I think the 2nd picture shows some sign of green algae growing on the white gravel in the front, right? You might need to cut down your light duration and more frequent water change. But cutting down the light duration will have negative impact to your red plants in the back of the tank. Red plant are generally more demanding and not easy to keep. Also I think the reason you haven't had a big algae outbreak is because of the Flourish Excel that you put in regularly. They don't advertise this effect but many of us use Excel just to combat algae.

And yes, you have MTS (multi-tank Syndrome) just like most of us on this forum. I started out about a year ago and now I am looking after 5 tanks. You are pretty normal.


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## penpal (Feb 20, 2009)

lols, that tank is awesome


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## pandasus (Apr 16, 2011)

Here is a list of the plants and fish that's in the tank (and where they are from) and the equipment.

*Plants*
Front
HC dwarf tears (AI)

Left side
java moss
water wisteria (Franks)
small amazon sword (Franks)
red Nymphaea lotus (Franks)

Right side
moss balls (Franks)
banana plant (Menagerie)
red ludwigia (Finatics)
Hygrophila Polysperma (Menagerie)
Rotala macrandra (Finatics)
a species of Nesaea (BA)

*Fish*
7 neon tetra (Franks)
2 male guppies (BA and Franks)
2 red platies (BA)
2 lyre tail mollys (Franks)
4 molly babies
12 ghost shrimps (BA)

*Equipment*
Aquaclear 20 (Stock filter)
Stock halogen lights
Marineland 11' LED
Plain old gravel
Hydor 25W heater

and more pics!!
here is the right side









Frank said the red lotus was dying and gave me a good deal on it, now it's back to life and growing many leafs.









On top of the world!! Maybe one day I'll get crs, but for now the ghost shrimps will do.


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## tranceaddict (Apr 3, 2011)

I love it!


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## mrobson (Mar 5, 2011)

very nice but you forgot patricks house lol


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

Haha!! I love that tank! Very very nice work with it...

I have gotten pretty attached to the planted tank too.. I've done a planted Jar myself and I LOVE it..


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## tranceaddict (Apr 3, 2011)

mrobson said:


> very nice but you forgot patricks house lol


Maybe he is under the moss rock?


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## Jackson (Jan 30, 2009)

Just awesome. Sponge Bob is one of my all time favorite cartoons lol 80% of my boxers are Spong Bob boxers  

I wish I could keep some ornaments like that in my tanks but sadly I can't


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## pandasus (Apr 16, 2011)

03pilot said:


> I think the 2nd picture shows some sign of green algae growing on the white gravel in the front, right? You might need to cut down your light duration and more frequent water change. But cutting down the light duration will have negative impact to your red plants in the back of the tank. Red plant are generally more demanding and not easy to keep. Also I think the reason you haven't had a big algae outbreak is because of the Flourish Excel that you put in regularly. They don't advertise this effect but many of us use Excel just to combat algae.


I thought the algae showed up on the front was because the water return from the filter carries a lot of nutrients, so I planted some HC, hopefully HC will spread over the algae.


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## 03pilot (Oct 7, 2010)

pandasus said:


> I thought the algae showed up on the front was because the water return from the filter carries a lot of nutrients, so I planted some HC, hopefully HC will spread over the algae.


I could be wrong but I thought water returned from the filter normally don't carry more nutrients unless you added something special inside your filter. The main function of your filter is just to purify the water running through its biological, mechanical, and the optional chemical layers.

I guess adding hc in your tank could help with algae growth a bit but I don't think that alone is enough. Also try cutting down light duration, less feeding, improve water movement, and more frequent water change.
http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/algae/a/attackalgae.htm

I am very interested to find out if you are getting good plant growth using you LED light. I recall LED light was not recommended for planted tank about a year ago. Maybe the newer LED lights have improved?


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## pandasus (Apr 16, 2011)

my filter actually has some dead leaves inside it. i need to clean it out soon. last time my filter was opened, there was a lot of dead leaves that turned into dirt(?). so my water is probably not the cleanest but it has lots of nutrients. i'm kind of scared to change my routine since everything is just magically growing and living happily.

my LED light is great for my plants. i've only had my plants for 6 weeks and they've already grown inches!

i actually have one problem with my tank: since i got my wisteria plant, ive been noticing snails in my tank. they're really small but i'm so grossed out. is it possible that my tank isn't infested with snails yet because my fishies and shrimps eat their eggs???
-- if the snails really explode in population and i don't know how to get rid of them, i plan to just move all my fish to a bigger tank and buy a pair of pea puffers to live in my Edge.


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## Kerohime (Jan 10, 2011)

This tank is ultra cute! 

I love it! =)


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## Marowana (Jul 28, 2009)

cute, where did you buy spongebobs' pineapple? i gotta get 1 for my daughters' tank.


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## 03pilot (Oct 7, 2010)

pandasus said:


> my filter actually has some dead leaves inside it. i need to clean it out soon. last time my filter was opened, there was a lot of dead leaves that turned into dirt(?). so my water is probably not the cleanest but it has lots of nutrients. i'm kind of scared to change my routine since everything is just magically growing and living happily.
> 
> my LED light is great for my plants. i've only had my plants for 6 weeks and they've already grown inches!
> 
> ...


Another way to keep unwanted snail population under control is to add more snails. It sounds funny, isn't it?  Assassin snails eat other snails smaller than their own size. So you don't need to remove your fishes to another tank. I personal think they look beautiful too.


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## pandasus (Apr 16, 2011)

Marowana said:


> cute, where did you buy spongebobs' pineapple? i gotta get 1 for my daughters' tank.


i had to hunt for it at different walmart locations! walmart has other spongebob ornaments but the pineapple house is the hardest one to find..


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## 1101cody (Apr 20, 2011)

http://cgi.ebay.ca/SPONGEBOB-PINEAP...092?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c1b353114

Pretty common on Ebay.


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## pandasus (Apr 16, 2011)

I just encountered my problem #2...dragonflies. I opened the lid this morning to feed my fish and there were 2 dragonflies ALIVE in there!! is there any way to prevent my tank from attracting bugs??


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

the eggs might have come along in the plants. If you don't see any larva in there now you shouldn't have issues with dragons coming to lay more eggs in the tank. 

Have you been loosing fish or shrimps you think?


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## Otaku (Feb 27, 2010)

whoa, i've never heard of dragon flies hatching in an aquarium... actually i havnt seen a dragon fly in years lol
but man, that would really freak me out, opening a tank lid and having a giant buzzing dragon fly pop out in my face...


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## pandasus (Apr 16, 2011)

i havent been losing fish or shrimps...but now that u mention larva eggs, im really really really cautious around my tank lol

update: i just recently set up a 5gal tank. im waiting to get my 2 bettas this saturday =D


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