# 25 gallon



## charlie1 (Dec 1, 2011)

This is my 3 week old 25 gallon


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

Nice! I'm surprised you keep CRS with fish. Most people don't for fear of losing the baby shrimps. I have to say they look really nice among all those plants.

The only thing distracting is the blue thingie on the back. What is that?


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

really lovely tank


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## AquaticPulse (Jun 19, 2011)

i wish we could thumbs up comments as i would have said the same thing as solarz


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## TBA (Sep 30, 2011)

very nicely decorated tank.
would you mind sharing the specs???


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## charlie1 (Dec 1, 2011)

Thanks for the comments guys, much appreciated
@Solarz - the crs in this tank is an experiment , so far they are doing well with the Axlerod blue rasboras.
I actually do have a dedicated CRS tank.
http://gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=30620
Kind Regards
P.S.- the blue thingy is a small pump to boost flow


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## charlie1 (Dec 1, 2011)

TBA said:


> very nicely decorated tank.
> would you mind sharing the specs???


TBA the tank specs are as follows
Tank-24X15.7X15.7 ( 60x40x40) Starfire from Aquainspiration

Light- 4X24 watts Tek 
light, with only 3 bulb on @ 10 inches above the top of the tank

Substrate - Fluval plant stratum formerly used in the 20 gallon long since Feb 2011, was rinsed & transfered.

Livestock - Pygmy cories , Axlerod's blue Rasbora, juvie calico Bushy nose , Oto Cats, Amano shrimp & CRS.

Plants- Glossostigma elatinoides ,Blyxa Japonica ,cyperus helferi,Rotala Vietnam & Lysimachia nummularia .

Nutrients- Pressurized CO2 injected & Ferts as per PPS dosing

Hardscape - Dragon Stone/Ohko stone

Filtration - Eheim ecco comfort 2236 & Turbo twist 9 watt UV sterilizer

Heating - Hydor 200 watt ETH inline heater
Thanks
Comments certainly welcome


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## charlie1 (Dec 1, 2011)

Some minor changes were done to the tank, since my last post of it, as usual comments, questions & constructive criticism welcomed.


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## 1101cody (Apr 20, 2011)

I like the addition of the red in the background. Great looking tank


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## iBetta (Jun 19, 2011)

nice axelrods! good choice of fish!


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## Jsu (Dec 4, 2009)

wow great tank and love the stones. however, i find that the 3 smaller stones looks unnatural. maybe its because they look similar in shape, size and orientation. Cant wait to see what it looks like in a couple of months.


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## charlie1 (Dec 1, 2011)

Jsu said:


> wow great tank and love the stones. however, i find that the 3 smaller stones looks unnatural. maybe its because they look similar in shape, size and orientation. Cant wait to see what it looks like in a couple of months.


Thanks jsu, apprecate the input.
a couple of shots from today.


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## charlie1 (Dec 1, 2011)

So often we read & hear of generalized comments that Crystal Red Shrimp is sensitive to Nitrates & high Co2 etc , i have no doubt that may be true for the higher grades but here is evidence it`s not across the board for all CRS.
I added a few babies a short time ago when i started the tank as an experiment, this tank was switched from the PPS pro style fertilizeing regiment to the Estimative Index regiment maintaining an approx nutrient level of about 20 ppm of Nitrates, 5ppm of phosphates, 40 ppm of co2, the babies are no longer babies & other than a loss of 2 that i can tell, the others are doing fine & enjoying life.
Regards


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## charlie1 (Dec 1, 2011)

Another view from my sitting position.
Glosso was ripped up 5 days earlier & is starting to fill in again.
Regards


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## charlie1 (Dec 1, 2011)

*April update*

The tank continues to mature & come together, here is an April up date pic.
I will post a youtube link as soon as i get around to doing a clip.
Regards


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## default (May 28, 2011)

Great looking tank!


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## Boogerboy (Sep 23, 2008)

Stunning, wow, love the contrast.

Whats that stem plant on the left there?


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## charlie1 (Dec 1, 2011)

Thanks guys, appreciate the time you took for the feedback.
The stem plant you are asking about , is Rotala Macandra, in this pic it`s not at it`s full glory as yet simply because the picture was taken literally 10 mins after the light came on, this was done so that the pearling later in the day does not detract from the picture.
Regards


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## Boogerboy (Sep 23, 2008)

charlie1 said:


> Thanks guys, appreciate the time you took for the feedback.
> The stem plant you are asking about , is Rotala Macandra, in this pic it`s not at it`s full glory as yet simply because the picture was taken literally 10 mins after the light came on, this was done so that the pearling later in the day does not detract from the picture.
> Regards


Apologies, I meant the green leftmost plant, the wispy one.


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## charlie1 (Dec 1, 2011)

Boogerboy said:


> Apologies, I meant the green leftmost plant, the wispy one.


Ok if i interpet wispy correctly  you might be referring to the Tonina Belem SP.
Regards


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## Boogerboy (Sep 23, 2008)

charlie1 said:


> Ok if i interpet wispy correctly  you might be referring to the Tonina Belem SP.
> Regards


Sure am! It's beautiful, I have never seen or heard of this plant before


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## charlie1 (Dec 1, 2011)

Tonina has been around for the longest while, a possible reason you never heard of it, is that they can be a bit on the finicky side & as such some hobbyist shy away from them, they are several different types & they are sure worth the effort to grow .This specie "Belem" is probably one the easiest of the Toninas to keep.
Regards


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## charlie1 (Dec 1, 2011)

A short clip of the tank


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## charlie1 (Dec 1, 2011)

*MArch 2013 update*

It`s been quite sometime since my last update on this tank, as can be seen the tank has evolved quite a bit.
It has been a while since i updated this build, all the plants have been changed- 
the fore ground is now carpeted with -eleocharis sp. belem/Japanese hair grass 
Right Back is Staurogyne sp.Left back -Heteranthera zosterifolia/star Grass - 
just off center tot he right of the Heteranthera zosterifolia is -Ludwigia arcuata.
Fish - Rummy nose tetras,axlerod blue rasboras,glow light tetras, cherry shrimp, BN plecos, pygmy cories, otto cats & SAE.
Regards


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

Supernice! I do like your fish choice in that tank


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## greg (Apr 29, 2012)

Very nice setup. Really like the rocks you selected - lots of character 

Greg


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## Jiinx (Apr 5, 2012)

What a beautiful tank. Your photography skills really shines. I love how your shrimps look against the rocks and substrates and plants. Like little peppermint candies!


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## charlie1 (Dec 1, 2011)

@ciddian,Greg & jiinx
Thanks for your kind remarks.


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## Yann (Feb 16, 2013)

Looks fantastic! 
Those rocks are really something, where did you acquire them if you don't mind my asking?


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## charlie1 (Dec 1, 2011)

Yann said:


> Looks fantastic!
> Those rocks are really something, where did you acquire them if you don't mind my asking?


Thanks Yann, the rocks( Dragon stone/okho) were from Aquainspiration, i have seen them @ sevaral Big al`s location as well.
Regards


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## charlie1 (Dec 1, 2011)

*25 gallon updated*

It`s been almost 10 months since I updated this thread.
About 6 weeks ago, I decided to once again redo this tank, 
the entire substrate bed of Fluval Stratum was removed & replaced with the ADA Amazonia New.
Below you will find pictures that represents what it looked like 6 weeks ago & now.
plants are - Eleocharis Belem vs Eleocharis Japan(Japanese hairgrass)

Staurogyne repens, Ammannia ssp. 'Bonsai' ( the description says it should go nice red but I never got it to do so)
http://www.aquafloranurseries.com/plants.php?plant_id=11&sort_by=species

6 weeks ago









6 weeks later








Thanks for looking, feedback appreciated.
Regards


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## Jaysan (Dec 19, 2011)

WOw......is there much more you can say? 
WOW


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## krystrans (Jan 14, 2013)

Good work.


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## Poseidon (Sep 1, 2013)

Looking nice!


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## greg (Apr 29, 2012)

Looks great. You have achieved a good sense of depth through your use of plant and rock heights.


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## Ryan s (Jun 18, 2012)

Great tank you have there. Really like it.


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## charlie1 (Dec 1, 2011)

Jaysan said:


> WOw......is there much more you can say?
> WOW


Thanks Jaysan, Krystrans, Poseidon, Greg & Ryan S, it`s a constant learning curve for me & I draw inspiration from other hobbyist such as yourselves that take the time to share your tanks & opnions , that make the hobby so much more endearing.
Thanks' again


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## jesse (Aug 11, 2011)

great looking tank! you spray paint the eheim skimmer?


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## kevinli1021 (Sep 9, 2010)

Fantastic looking tank! I really like how after each time you changed the tank it gets better and better. It shows adaptive learning and definitely shows the endless possibilities of aquascaping.


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## matti2uude (Jan 10, 2009)

Very nice tank! How do you like the eheim skimmer?


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## charlie1 (Dec 1, 2011)

jesse said:


> great looking tank! you spray paint the eheim skimmer?


Thanks Jesse, yes I used Krylon for plastics, it is peeling in spots.
Regards


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## charlie1 (Dec 1, 2011)

kevinli1021 said:


> Fantastic looking tank! I really like how after each time you changed the tank it gets better and better. It shows adaptive learning and definitely shows the endless possibilities of aquascaping.


Kelvin thank you very much, your observation is right on .
Aquascaping is a new challenge for me, have done the growing plants thing for a while, although I`m not artistic by any means it`s been a great experience so far.
Regards


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## charlie1 (Dec 1, 2011)

matti2uude said:


> Very nice tank! How do you like the eheim skimmer?


matti your compliment is appreciated. 
The Eheim skimmer is a love hate relationship, I like it cause it does a good job of keeping the surface clean, I hate it because for me it needs a quick clean 0nce or twice a week but I guess that`s because it`s doing an incredible job
Regards


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## FlyingHellFish (Mar 7, 2011)

Goodness! 

Beautiful tank Charlie, I like the photography work. Are you using a DSLR ? I dig the black background, it gives it a starry scenery.


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## charlie1 (Dec 1, 2011)

FlyingHellFish said:


> Goodness!
> 
> Beautiful tank Charlie, I like the photography work. Are you using a DSLR ? I dig the black background, it gives it a starry scenery.


Thank you kind sir 
Yes I`m using a Canon DSLR
Regards


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## jimmyjam (Nov 6, 2007)

bad ass tank! Cant wait to see more updates


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## charlie1 (Dec 1, 2011)

Thanks Jimmy


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