# 130g planted 'Journal'



## Fishfinder

Heres a few pics of my tank in its first month of running, its now into the second month, so il post some new and updated ones soon! and more as the tank progresses/changes. 
The general plans that i have for it are:
Fish:
30+ cardinals tetras (possibly getting a deal on 50! now wouldnt that look amazing XD )

6 Angel Fish (hopefully the ones with verticle stripes or a solid colour)

10-15 Glasscatfish (a nice school of interesting fish, hopefully will do well in a nice large planted tank with a good number of them)

15 Cory cats ( because they are awesome and can keep the bottom of the tank nice and busy.)

Plantwise:
Vals, Crypts, Hrygo.v.sunset, Rotala (sp?), swords, jave fern. and some kind of moss might be nice.

What i got so far...
4 corys, 2 pleco(will be moved soon in a few weeks) guppies, zomg so many guppies( moving them out also) 8 head-tail light tetras(will just leave them in)
Got my vals, rotala , swords and hygro. So just looking for the other plants to fill out the tank.
So, here are the pics. Any suggestions are Greatly appreciated regarding fish or plant selection and placing! il get some updated pics up soon!


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## Tabatha

That's an enormous tank to fill, I thought 90g was big but that's HUGE! Why don't you like your guppies? B/c they breed so quickly?


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## Fishfinder

Yea, they breed alot and fast... i started out with 4 originally.. and now i have like 20+fry, and iv given away 9 juveniles. im moving them out because there not really what i want for the more end result look of the tank. They were in there for cycling/filler/i guess some CO2 production lol


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## Tabatha

One option would be to keep the males in one 5 or 10g and females in another tank (the 130?). At least you'd keep the population down ;D


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## Fishfinder

Well, yes the thing is the pop will grow a lot, but mainly is i don't like the look/shape/behavior of them i guess in contrast to how i want the tank to look in the end( my final 'vision' if u will).
But anyways here is the most recent pics of the tank as of now, took them like 10minutes ago. They turned out nicer than before  Enjoy and comment please!


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## Sameer

Really nice and a nice sized tank. Once the plants fill in and make it into a forest its gonna look even more beautiful.


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## Chris S

If you can provide a bit more information on the tank, I can give you some more educated suggestions.

IE. Lighting, co2, laterite/gravel/whatever, filtration, ferts, etc. etc. etc.

=)


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## Fishfinder

Yea, forgot to put those in the original post. The lighting is about 1.1WPG , i am going to be picking up some yeast this week to start some DIY CO2, will probably do 3 cultures at a time due to the size of the tank. The gravel is just well... gravel, with a small grain that goes along the bottom at about 2-3 inches deep and a thicker grain at the top for looks and adds about another 1-2 inches. Now i will be honest here, my filtration at the moment is just about nothing but a single small in tank filter on one side and a bubble wall on the other for water movement. I have not been able to get a new one yet, but will soon. The bio-load right now is really low and i am doing water changes with a siphon. The only ferts i am using right now is Florepride, but i am also looking into substrate ferts.


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## Chris S

Well, since you have such a low-light tank, I would suggest sticking to, well, low-light plants like crypts, java moss/fern, anubias and I think the Rotala should be fine too, as it is pretty undemanding.

That said, I would suggest getting a more appropriate substrate.

Also, if you want to grow a larger variety of plants, I would suggest trying to up your lighting to 2 or 2.5 w/g. As for DIY co2, I would also suggest getting a pressurized system as DIY will be pretty hard to keep up with due to the size of your tank (not saying it isn't possible, but for instance, those nutrafin co2 things are for 20g tanks, so you would need like 7 of them running, or somehow be able to keep a very high amount of co2).

That being said, if you plan on keeping it low-light, I might not even bother with co2. Just keep up with water changes and keep undemanding plants like anubias.

One other thing is, of course, to support the bioload you plan on supporting, you will either a fairly heavily planted tank or a much better filtration system than you currently have.

I hope this helps a bit!


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## Fishfinder

Thanks for the great advice, for now i do plan on staying with low light plants until i can get some better lighting. The substrate il have to wait on till i can get a ride down to Big Als and its going to be a pain to put in also -_- i will probably just end up putting Flourite or Ecocomplete is it? into the terrace and places with high density of plants, basically leaving the front stretch without it. And a few fert tabs.
As for filtration, i used to have a fluval 303/404 until they broke down, and i have not had a chance to get a replacement yet, my LFS does not carry any canister filters that can handle anything near what i would need.
The DIY CO2 is more of an additive, im aware that i would need alot of them, but 3 with the bubbles coming out near the larger groupings at the back should be beneficial to them at least.
And yea, with the future bioload, i will be having a lot more plants and better filtration.


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## Tabatha

I'm in the process of reading Tom Barr's Estimative Index, may help you out here. http://www.barrreport.com/estimative-index/62-estimative-index-dosing-no-need-test-kits.html


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## Fishfinder

Thats some pretty interesting stuff. Havnt read it all yet but will finish it later! I cant wait to get some more plants and fish in my tank though!


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## Tabatha

BTW, I have waterprite available but be forewarned, I have snails!


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## ozi

That's a nice HUUUGE tank you got there  makes my "big" tank, the 20G look like a tiny nano  
At that low light (~1W/G) I wouldn't even bother with adding CO2, especially from a DIY source. Considering the dimensions of your tank, I am pretty sure that 3 yeast bottles would not even be felt by the plants. I currently run 2 yeast bottles in my 20G to keep a nice constant level of CO2...so you can see why 3 bottles would not even scratch the surface for your mammoth tank  (plus if you run an air pump, all the CO2 is expelled out of the water)
stick to low-light plants and a low ferts regime (so that you won't cause an aglae bloom) and you should be fine.


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## Fishfinder

Thx lol. hmmm yea i think ur right about the DIY CO2 , at least for now b/c of the bubbler. Later on perhaps il do an experiment and see if the grow rates change with the CO2 or not.


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## Tabatha

According to Tom Barr, the EI method will not cause an algae bloom under any light level as long as you're doing weekly 50% water changes. (See link above.)



ozi said:


> That's a nice HUUUGE tank you got there  makes my "big" tank, the 20G look like a tiny nano
> At that low light (~1W/G) I wouldn't even bother with adding CO2, especially from a DIY source. Considering the dimensions of your tank, I am pretty sure that 3 yeast bottles would not even be felt by the plants. I currently run 2 yeast bottles in my 20G to keep a nice constant level of CO2...so you can see why 3 bottles would not even scratch the surface for your mammoth tank  (plus if you run an air pump, all the CO2 is expelled out of the water)
> stick to low-light plants and a low ferts regime (so that you won't cause an aglae bloom) and you should be fine.


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## Fishfinder

Well.... 50% water changes just isnt going to happen for this tank lol. id be changing like 60gallons of water a WEEK!!! thats just to many buckets back and forth lol, 5g bucket but still. I had an algae bloom already, but the 2 plecos i got are doing an amazing job of cleaning the rocks and the overall algae growth is pretty much gone b/c of the plants competing with it. But i do vaccum some off the bottom every few days : )


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## Tabatha

Fishfinder said:


> Well.... 50% water changes just isnt going to happen for this tank lol. id be changing like 60gallons of water a WEEK!!!


Continue to read Tom Barr's EI, he mentions less frequent water changes as well.

You might want to consider either making your own python or buying one -- they're expensive -- but they make your life a heck of a lot easier with big tanks!

I'm looking forward to the summer as we'll be sending the old tank water to my terrestrial garden, I know the plants are going to LOVE it!


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## Fishfinder

Well.. i have a gravel vac thingy, and theres a water basin/tap nearby so its only like a 3-4second carry Soo its not that bad really. a decent work out too lol


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## Chris S

If you are just getting into the planted aquarium hobby, don't feel you need to go crazy with EI dosing, expensive co2 setups, etc.

Most of my experience has come from trial and error - trying things out, trying to figure out where I went wrong, addings things, removing things, modifying things. The more I got into it, the more technical I became - adding pressurized co2, daily ferts, better lighting, different fish, more difficult plants, etc. etc.

Half the fun is learning on your own and turning to others for advice when you are stumped.

Honestly, for me, just using other opinions, setups and advice wholly isn't fun.

The only thing I would REALLY suggest before you start planting, etc. is to get a better substrate. Mostly because it is a huge pain to replace once you have an initial setup.

As for plants, starting off you really can't go wrong with Anubias and Hygro sunset. Two very hardy, easy to grow plants. Give them a try, then work from there! 

Most of all, don't get too caught up in the technicalities right now, jump in and enjoy the hobby.


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## Fishfinder

I get what ur sayin Chris, im asking for advice on aquascaping and critques if you will on what i got in order to get another opinion, if you point out a good move of some plants or additions and i like what ur saying il do it , if i dont il leave it the same. The CO2 il try out in a bit and see if it makes a difference, like it was said before, il need to get rid of the bubble wall first , which means getting a filter(which is a priority) and eventually better lighting.

On a differenet not though, i think tomorow im going to pick up 5 or 6 cardinal tetras to test out how they do. Hopefully if they do well which i believe they will! Il work on getting a large shoal going once a filter is gotten! And hopefully some cories if my LFS has them in!


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## Tabatha

Fishfinder said:


> And hopefully some cories if my LFS has them in!


Is it just me or do the Corys just goof off more than clean up?


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## Fishfinder

Tabatha said:


> Is it just me or do the Corys just goof off more than clean up?


they are supposed to clean up???!!?one!?!?11!?
I thought there purpose in life was to a) Be awesome b) Goof off c) School together d) Be cute
like come on... have you ever seen a serious cory go to work and clean up your tank? imo. they dont like the solitary commute


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## dekstr

*I HATE TO BE TECHNICAL BUT THIS IS IMPORTANT! *

Sorry to step in, but some things to clear up about EI.

Tom Barr says EI won't cause algae blooms assuming tank conditions are stable, not as long as you do 50% water changes weekly. The weekly water change only applies to high-co2 tanks.

For example, either you stick with high light and high co2 all the time, or low light and low/non-co2 all the time.

For fishfinder's tank, since he is running at low light with little to no-co2 injection, plants will adapt to a low-co2 environment. What happens when you do weekly 50% water changes in a low-co2 environment are a couple of things that will cause an algae bloom.

- In low-co2 environments, aquatic plants will produce more of a co2 fixing enzyme chemically called "RuBisCo" that helps them get more co2 from the little amount that is water column. In high-co2 environments, they will produce less of this enzyme as it is not needed since co2 is readily available.
- Tapwater is naturally high in co2 since it has been pressurized in the pipes.
- It takes time for plants to adapt to changes in co2 before they actually start growing.
- Algae adapts to changes in co2 faster than plants.
- When you do 50% water changes, you are suddenly going from a low co2 environment in fishfinder's tank to a high co2 environment due to the fact that fresh tapwater is high in co2. 
- Essentially, the plants are "tricked" into thinking they are in a high-co2 environment, so the RuBisCo is destroyed. CO2 soon drops back down to the low level as before, but the plants cannot produce RuBisCo back again fast enough to take up co2 in the water column again. Keep up with 50% weekly water changes for low-co2 and you are inviting algae growth.
- The same thing happens to algae in terms of RuBisCo, except as opportunistic organisms, they adapt much faster and thrive in changes. So they return to growth much faster while plants do not.

So in low co2 levels, frequent water changes is not recommended for planted tanks. In a high light high co2 tank, 50% is fine as the co2 level is always kept high anyway, so there is no effect on the plants.

You can still do 50% weekly changes in a low-co2 tank if you gas out the tapwater before adding it. But why so much effort when all you need is less frequent to no water changes in a low-light low-co2 tank, unless you are keeping more sensitive fish?

Edit: In low light low-co2 tanks, you do not need to do frequent water changes. In fact, less frequent and small water changes at a time is better. Of course it depends on your plant density and how stable your water conditions are. With a less densely planted tank you will need to keep tabs on your ammonia and nitrite levels to be safe. Floating plants can help absorb extra nutrients in the water column and provide shading.


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## dekstr

Oh yeah comments on the tank!

It looks good, hard to comprehend how big it actually must be from just the pictures! 

If see a bubble wand running. If you are running DIY co2, it will be counterproductive to have a bubble wand. The bubble wand will gas out any extra co2 in the water and equalize the co2 concentration with the air, which is very low. CO2 in the water is exactly like the CO2 in the pop. High surface agitation will gas it out faster than less surface agitation. You can still have good water current near the top, but by breaking the water surface w/ bubbles it will significantly gas out any co2 in the tank. And in such a big tank as yours, DIY is hard to use as it is very hard to distribute the co2 evenly throughout the tank, resulting in fluctuating co2 levels which is counter to good, steady plant growth (and keeping algae at bay) <-- stability factor again!


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## Fishfinder

Well thanks for the imput. The bubble wand as you call it is running on that side of the tank because otherwise there would be no water movement at all. It will be taken away once i get a filter/at least a small one for that side of the tank.


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## Fishfinder

*Updates!!!*

Well, its been another month, and so here are the monthly updates, there has been a good deal of growth from the vals/rotala and the swords got a bit bigger, however the hygro has all but died off in the last week. But, Thanks to Ciddian i have a large amount of plants to fill the tank up, and its looking very good!


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## Tabatha

Your tank is starting to look lush! Val is amazing, I love how it sends out shoots and reproduces itself.


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## Fishfinder

And a few more!


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## Fishfinder

Thought id put up a little, month by month shots 
Month 1 Month 2 Month 3


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## Ciddian

Its looking fantastic! That green stuff i gave you should really fill in well.  My tank is so depleated all the plants are scraggaly.. lol 

I love it  I would just throw a pillow down and watch the tank for a few hours hehe.


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## Fishfinder

Thankx! Yea it reallly is looking sooo much better! ANd actually i just pull up a bean bag chair and a blanket myself XD


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## Fishfinder

Some updates after getting ludwiga/some growth.


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## Ciddian

Very nice!


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## Fishfinder

Thanks 
Ah, now if only i can start to get some pictures of the fish... gotta ask my sister how to turn off the auto focus if its possible lol! that cory pic is the best one iv had so far!


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## Fishfinder

*Welcome To The Jungleont Get Lost*

Month Four of operation, and a MASSIVE addition of plants along with a few new fish; 2 otto's, 5 Harlequins, 3 Cardinals and 4 bronze cories, and 4 nerite/amano shrimp(hopefully survived the planting process)
Enjoy the photos!


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## Tabatha

WA WA WEE WA, great success! The growth is unbelievable, what are you doing dood?! Whatever it is, keep doing it! Your fish must be sooo happy! Great job, kudos!


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## Fishfinder

lol thanks! Actually i bought a whole wack of plants  and now there is about 5bags worth of Flourite also!


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## Fishfinder

Well, the crypts are doing there expected melting, and some new shoots so hopefully they will be OK, did some moving of a few things and did some cuttings of Rottalla and made a thicker group. The dwarf Sag are starting to send out some runners also!  Will get some updated picks later on today.


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## gunnerx

Very nice tank! How is the 130g for maintenance? Do you have to trim the plants often?


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## Fishfinder

Well, i havnt had to do To much maintance, although iv been really busy so i havnt had the time for it except abit last night, where i had to replant some rotalla that got somehow got uprooted, along with some of the dwarf sag. And i need to clean up the crypt leaves that are melting atm. and some of the java moss gets loose, but other than that its not much  Might be worse when i get more fish, oh and +the anubias are slow growing. But really, i dont do w/c's that much b/c of the low bioload and im going for the low tech style.


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## Fishfinder

Quick Update: Went to Big Al's today and got a Mag Drive utility pump. Im using it to suck water into my fluval 303/404 canisters(both motors stopped working) and then back into the tank through to different outtakes that come out of the canisters, so far its working great except for some minor leakage at a connector...a drop every now and then, but i got it sitting in a bucket and il deal with it tomorrow.(its late, im tired and im procrastinating a PP presentation ) The Mag is said to pump 350gph, so that will cycle through my tank water aprox 2.5 times give or take!
In conclusion, i have better filtration now...which means more fish in a few weeks once the filters get established! YAY


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## kweenshaker

what causes crypts to melt?


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## dekstr

I think the "crypt" melt is caused by sudden change in water parameters if they are great enough or when adjusting from emersed to submersed growth. The crypt leaves melt off, but as long as the rhizome is intact, new leaves will slowly being to grow back.

This happens to a number of different plants when they are adjusting either from emersed to submersed growth, or from different water parameters.

See the 'crypt' melt section in wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptocoryne


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## kweenshaker

that's strange. I've always had such luck with crypts. One of my big brown ones was from the aquarium I had waaaaay back...then lived in betta bowls for a good 5 years...since I went back into larger tanks, it's been moved around at least 5 times and still flourishing.

Now that I said that, all my crypts are going to melt when I move them to my new tank lol


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## Fishfinder

Yea, the change in tank perameters, and possibly just moving them from one spot to the next unsettles them. Not all the leaves have melted, but about 1/2 have so i am hoping that most of the ones left will stay and more new growth will start soon.


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## Fishfinder

*Updates ^_^*

Ok, so its been awhile and i thought i would put some updates up! Main changes are that the crypts have finished melting, some of the larger leaves didnt melt!  And there is alot of small leaves starting to grow again, the dwarf Sag is starting to multiply and the swords have grown some. Rotala has also grown alot and i trimmed some and moved it to make a larger bunch on the left side, however the Val isnt doing so well, so i need to either move them to a new tank(eventually) or try and make more room somehow by moving anubius. Anyways, enjoy!


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## Tabatha

The pictures are a little dark but the growth looks amazing!

What's your stock at this point?

Tabatha


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## Fishfinder

And a few more!


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## Fishfinder

Wow tabatha your fast! lol. Yea i tried a different setting, i think the plants look better sorta with it like this, and the fish come out better/not blury. Definetly darker than it is in person, but then again the brighter ones are alot brighter than it is in person. the stock atm is 6 ottos, 11 cories, 5 harlequins, 5 glowlight tetras, 3 cardinal tetra, 4 rummy nose, 4 amano shrimp, and 7-9guppies(omg they are getting old enough to breed again!-_-) I may be going to get some more fish either today or tomorow however!  So, im looking for more rummys/cardinal, ottos, angelfish, maybe some harlequins.


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## Tabatha

Let me know where you go for Angelfish. I'm swinging by Menagerie either today or tomorrow after work to pick up my plant. I know they have angels there but I've never stopped to take a good look. They have one really big angel which I'd love to take home but I'm always afraid that the big ones will pick on the little ones so I try to keep them the same size. Mine aren't breeding size yet.

I have a very low stress level, easy going job


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## Fishfinder

Yea, well i was planning on BigAl's for the rummy/cardinals, they have been having tank breed ones last few times for 1.33 each, so the price is nice. Angelfish wise i have not been overly impressed and so im hoping that Dragon Aquarium will hopefully have some nice ones, if not, il wait and maybe check out Menagerie, so far only seen those 'ugly' in my eyes anyways Marble Angelfish, they just look so messy when they mature. And, i want to get them small and allow them to grow out.


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## Tabatha

I think silver are my favorite.


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## Fishfinder

omg YES, that is exactly the ones im looking for lol! If not that, then the solid black ones, maybe the platiniums. im thinking of either getting , or 6, not sure yet, probably will get 6 though ^_^


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## Tabatha

Six is a good number 

I started with 6 platinums but have since lost 4!  I also have 2 albino pearlscale from the DRAS auction & 2 silver from BA's, which are my favorite. If you're really interested in angelfish, the World Angelfish Form is great for info and very friendly folk. http://www.angelfishkisses.com/forum/

Do a little research before you buy some


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## Calmer

Not that it is needed to be said but that silver angel is quite beautiful. 
Perfect straight rays and markings. 
No hook fin.

How large is that angel? Is the body loonie sized?


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## Tabatha

Calmer said:


> Not that it is needed to be said but that silver angel is quite beautiful.
> Perfect straight rays and markings.
> No hook fin.
> 
> How large is that angel? Is the body loonie sized?


I WISH I could take credit for that angel but alas, it's not mine. I found that photo at http://www.beautifulangels.net/images/silver_veil.jpg

Who in Durham breeds angels???


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## Fishfinder

Yea, those silvers r nice XD I picked up 6 from BigAls last night, was pretty happy that they actually had those ones, and marked as 'assorted' Got a bunch more rummy and ottos also.


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## Tabatha

Soooo... do you have any new photos to share with the silvers in your tank???


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## Fishfinder

Yea once i take them  Unfortunately 2 of them didnt make it  At least the 4 'nicer' ones surivived though. They have even grown some already!


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## Fishfinder

Update time XD. 
Crypts have really started to settle and have grown ALOT!! Rotalla and the dwarf sag are really taking off, sag is starting to fill up the foreground.
Did some a good chunk of scaping in the middle area of you couldnt tell, removed about 30-40 pounds of rock that made up the large, mostly unused cave. Tell me what you think! 
PS. Also got some pics of the Angels for you Tabatha 
took soo many pictures to just got those ones.


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## Sameer

Oh man that is just filled. You really didnt need the rocks. I also like the driftwood poking out.

Your pics are very shaky, Im guessing you have it on Macro?


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## Fishfinder

Yea, i was hoping the fish would use the cave more, but i definitely like how much room it freed up from having them gone.
As for the camera, its a Nikon Coolpix L4, and i have no idea where i might find that setting...so if you or anyone else has one/knows how to use it, that would be great to find out! i cant seem to get any close-ups, even when on the portrait setting. 
Oh and also, does anyone else think that the wood on the bottom left picture looks like its giving you the Thumps up? XD


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## Katalyst

Wow! What a beautiful tank! Awesome job!


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## Tabatha

FishFinder, your tank just gets better and better as time goes on, all I can say is WOW!


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## Fishfinder

Thanks everyone ^_^
il actually be posting some more soon, since getting the 2 plecos out of my tank required removing just about all the Anubuis to do so, so i put them back in(properly). Heh, it looks alot bigger and so much more open now. The first time i was in a rush(a 5 hour long rush) to put them in the tank when i got them.
Sooooo new pic's coming.


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## Ciddian

Haha.. your tank aproves of us.. LOL

Its like the fonz but ....planted tank-ish.. .. ehhh..


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## Fishfinder

haha thanks Cid, however the Angels dont approve of being taken pictures of lol


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## Fishfinder

Hey, just kinda looked back at his thread, il take some pics later today(Wednesday) b/c i dont work that day. So any tips on how to get good pics of the fish? i couldnt seem to find the macro settings, il see if i can find the manual for it.
Quick update: Sag is really starting to grow in, swords are growing nicely. Vals have taken off since i replanted/moved them and the anuibus farther away from them, the val is making a nice floating cover that is shading the anuibus and helping to cut down on the algea growing on them(green spot?/hair). My 5 new Albino BN's seem to be helping a bit also, hopefully more when they grow up, otto's are keeping it up as always also. Might get some CAE's to help with the thread algea. And will hopefully pick up some GBR's and was looking into some hatchet fish also( thoughts?) Oh, and the Rotalla is just going nuts! iv had to move cuttings to keep them form growing along the surface into my 20g cherry shrimp tank, oh yea... i have one of them now, il take pics also


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## conix67

I really like this tank, everything including size and looks. I wish I had a tank of this size.

However, I cannot think of any reasons why there's no stand for it! it would look many times better and easier to maintain. This tank is still sitting on a floor, right?


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## Fishfinder

Thanks. And yea it is sitting on the floor(sort of) it fits perfectly into where an old bookshelf used to be. The other reason was to get the stand in, id have had to take the basement window out lol. Also the basement wouldnt have had much room to put it. Lastly, it is awesome sitting in a beanbag chair or just on a pillow and lying down beside it


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## ameekplec.

lol, I have a tank on the lower tier of a two tier stand and frequently (especially when I'm really tired) I lie down and peer into the pleco caves in there...


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## conix67

ameekplec. said:


> lol, I have a tank on the lower tier of a two tier stand and frequently (especially when I'm really tired) I lie down and peer into the pleco caves in there...


I guess that frequency increased significantly after those zebra plecos moved into that tank, right? How are they doing? getting bigger yet?


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## guppy101

what type of Co2 system are you using ?


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## Fishfinder

I'm using no CO2, its a low-tech tank. I need to do some replanting/scaping, cleaning and grab hold of a camera for some new pics


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## Fishfinder

Hey everyone! It definitely been awhile since i last posted in my journal so i'll give a quick update. So far there has been a lot of die off of the larger anubia barteri (sp?) leaves and even some of its rosettes sadly, on the plus side however, a lot of the smaller anubai's are growing very nicely, all my ground cover save the java moss/ferns have died, not sure why and it happened suddenly while i was away at school  along with some other die offs. The fish have done well for the most part with a few losses.
Now for the fun part! Since i will be commuting to school this year, aka i will be around to take care of the tank. And it just so happens the basement carpet is being replaces at last, which forces me to MOVE the tank out of the way for a day. So that means i will be moving EVERYTHING out of it, and then the tank to a different room which will be a challenge to say the least. But it gives me a unique opportunity to restart ALL of my aquascaping! (thats the fun part!)
I'v had a few idea's but one very recently just tonight while browsing and saw a topic on clown loaches, so i am going to use the massive amount of rock i have stored to create an environment for them to grow-up in that will also protect the plants, kinda like a terrace. 
And so, i will be doing a before (aka what it is now) and then pic's as i go, after and then finally when everything/one settles down.
I'd also greatly appreciate any input on other idea's for hardscaping, tankmates etc etc. Keep in mind i currently have the following:
Fish: angelfish, cardinals, rummynose, aBN, bosemani rainbows.
Plants: Val, java fern/moss, anubias barteri, cyrpt wenditi.

Phew that was a long one! If you actually read through all that, then you are awesome!


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## conix67

Fishfinder said:


> Phew that was a long one!


This post of journal  ?

Good luck with rescaping!

If I had a large planted tank like yours I'd try discus (I never kept them, but I have a friend keep bugging me to do it)


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## Fishfinder

thanks![i meant the post ]
Discus are just too high maintance for me and way too much $$$ for me at the moment being an unemployed student. Also, i don't think a 130g is really big enough IMO to keep them comfortably in the long run, least not a group of them when they get big.


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## Ciddian

oh my gosh.. good luck on the tank relocation!


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## Fishfinder

thanks! Its not so much a relocation as it is a temorary, ummmm 'chuck tank in corner for a day'(Oh it better only be a day!) type of thing, but after its going back into the same spot : )


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## Fishfinder

So, i have now moved just about everything into a heavy duty, 40gallon grey plastic tub. Not going to show pics of it due to , well you know, not much to see really. 
But here are the rather fuzzy pics of the tank before i took it apart(took like 4 hours yikes!)
Also, hopefully the new carpet will be put in within two weeks, and il be able to put up pics of the rebuilding


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## Fishfinder

OK, so i have now done MOST of the rebuilding/planting. Here are a few picks of its earlier stages, will take more pics when i am finished tonight or tomorrow depending on when the water clears up.
The two gray pieces of slate are for when i fill the tank with water, and then will be out.


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## Fishfinder

Here are a few pics after a bit of initial planting the other night, got so cloudy i couldn't see anything.
* Temporary flowerpot that was holding crypts, will also be gone. Not my kind of garden look


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## Fishfinder

A Few quick snaps i took of the tank with my new camera! More to come, and a full tank shot also. Still trying to figure out how to take better close-ups with it. Old camera was my sisters 4MP, my new one is 12.2MP, so the pics look alot clearer.

Recently added fish:
2x Blue Gourami
4x Gold Gourami
6x Pearl Gourame
6x Clown loach ~ 1.5-2 inches, looking forward to growth.


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## kaegunim

Wow, this looks like it was alot of work!


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## Fishfinder

It was a good amount of work to take it down and then re-set it up 3 weeks later, but the overall maintenance on the tank isnt that much really. 

Ok, so i have also figured out a setting on my camera that works great for taking pics of the fish. Heres a few of my new loaches( 6 in total). Will be cleaning the glass before my next round of pics ^_^
Also was wondering what might be causing my Swords to be so 'filled with holes', i have root tabs under all of them, and i dont see any of the fish eating them. And they keep sending out fresh green leaves, but once they get bigger they start to get holes/decay.


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