# Evolution of my first tank - 20 gallon planted



## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

This is my first ever aquarium, and I've learned everything I know (about freshwater at least) from keeping this tank.

Current plants:
- Vallisneria
- Hygrophilia Polysperma
- Java Moss
- Hornwort
- Duckweed

Current inhabitants:
- 29 Cardinal Tetras
- 1 Siamese Algae Eater
- 6 Amano Shrimps
- 6 adult Guppies and an unknown number of fries (estimated at a dozen, for now)
- An unknown number of cherry shrimps. I can count at least 20, but suspect there are far more hidden...

On to the pictures:

Tank is first setup and still cycling... I thought I could do "silent cycling" with a few stems of plants and some pothos... I bought 3 guppies and the orange one did not survive.









Got some more plants: water wisteria, onion plant, hornwort, and salvinia









Guppy gave birth for the first time!









Got some cherry shrimps









Tinkering around with some tank. You can see 4 new cardinals and 2 stems of vallisneria. The plastic box thingie was my DIY attempt at a sponge filter. It actually worked okay, but blocked too much of the view.









More cardinal tetras









The vals are spreading, but the water wisteria is withering for some mysterious reason...









Close shot of cardinals









The guppy invasion had begun! I sold off most of them, except one female (who hid in the plants so that I couldn't catch her), and 6 tiny fries









My amano shrimp. They're constantly berried now, but I've *NEVER* seen the eggs hatch...









Look at that hygrophilia grow! I started with a single small stem...









The water wisteria is completely gone now, and I've cut the single hygro stem into several and re-planted them









Hygros growing like crazy. Re-arranged the tank, trying to grow some java moss on a rose bush branch (didn't work out). Changed filter to sponge + powerhead.









New light! This is a 36W power compact. So much brighter than my old 15W T8!









I'm loving this new light! You can see tiny bubbles on the right side. That's from my DIY CO2.









Close shot of a Red Cherry shrimp. This one can be considered Fire Red, no?









Most recent shot. Vals are growing wild.









Growth after one month:









View from the top:


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

Ya! I love your grass, its doing so well


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

Ciddian said:


> Ya! I love your grass, its doing so well


Thanks! I don't know why, but they keep crowding against the glass, even when there's a ton of space inside...


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

Updated, check the first post!


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

Some last pics before I re-purposed the tank:


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