# 7 gallon starphire journal



## default (May 28, 2011)

So I recently cut down on my larger tanks as I didn't have too much spare time to work on them, however leaving the hobby probably wouldn't of been easy .
So I set up a 7 gallon from AI and had it sitting around for a little while.
It was quite rushed so hopefully grows in nicely 
Also, ignore the loads of wires and equipment as it's mostly temporary, however I'm still waiting to put in my eheim skimmer.

Equipment list:
-2x fluval 13w PCs
-aquatek regulator on 10 pounder (1bps)
-3 in 1 diffuser
-Marineland 50w heater
-eheim Ecco 2232

Substrate:
-ADA Amazonia
-AI root fert pellets

Hardscape:
-Ohko stones

Plants: (most are from my past tanks)
-utricularia graminifolia
-pogostemon helferi
-hydrocotyle verticillata
-tonina fluviatilis
-ammania multiflora*
-rotala macranda
-mini pellia
-Bolbitis Heteroclita Cuspidata

Livestock: (plans so I'm not sure of combinations yet)
-shrimps (amanos, crystals, fire reds)
-peacock gudgeons
-galaxy rasboras
-Otos

Tanks all cloudy and rushed  so feel free to let me know what you think, I will try to update this every other week or so to see how it grows out.
Hopefully I can get a LED pendant or fixture over this tank in near future.
Also, had the whole pride rock theme in mind when I set the rocks up, but completely forgot when planting as that was a PITA


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## default (May 28, 2011)

It seems no matter what I do, pics come up sideways.
Just bare with me until I log back onto PB.
This is a pic of it planted, Took forever as the downoi was blown away by the filter. It looks extremely rushed


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

I can see the potential


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## charlie1 (Dec 1, 2011)

looking good


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## default (May 28, 2011)

pyrrolin said:


> I can see the potential


I'm hoping on that  it's gonna be another few weeks before it straightens up.



charlie1 said:


> looking good


Thanks bud, hopefully it can look half decent compared to your tank!


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## charlie1 (Dec 1, 2011)

default said:


> I'm hoping on that  it's gonna be another few weeks before it straightens up.
> 
> *Thanks bud, hopefully it can look half decent compared to your tank*!












I have no doubt it will, I have seen your other pictures , but thanks for the compliment


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## default (May 28, 2011)

Thanks for the post!
Here's a clear pic tonight! The ammania already grew.. And everything straightened out.
The quality is still terrible.. Last night iPhone, tonight iPad lol


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

if that plant in the front right corner is what I think it is, forget name, you will end up moving it, the one with the larger round leaves.


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## default (May 28, 2011)

pyrrolin said:


> if that plant in the front right corner is what I think it is, forget name, you will end up moving it, the one with the larger round leaves.


That's hydrocotyle verticillata, I've never had invasive issues wih it, so I didn't mind it mingling with the UG


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## manmadecorals (Jan 17, 2012)

Nice scaping as usual 

Seeing your nano makes me want a nano a again


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## default (May 28, 2011)

manhtu said:


> Nice scaping as usual
> 
> Seeing your nano makes me want a nano a again


Thank you! Nanos are the best 
The water has really cleared up and will do a update this weekend, just one lonely cherry shrimp in there right now lol


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## jimmyjam (Nov 6, 2007)

looks good so far, I really like the rockscape, good job.

I would def trim down the UG once it settles in, it will grow lower shorter leaves as long as your light is efficient enough. That will get you better depth perception/perspective from the midground rocks/ background


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## default (May 28, 2011)

jimmyjam said:


> looks good so far, I really like the rockscape, good job.
> 
> I would def trim down the UG once it settles in, it will grow lower shorter leaves as long as your light is efficient enough. That will get you better depth perception/perspective from the midground rocks/ background


Thanks  and I appreciate the advice.
I was planning on waiting until I see runners before anything gets a trim  they still look messy as heck.


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## jimmyjam (Nov 6, 2007)

post some pics man


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## default (May 28, 2011)

jimmyjam said:


> post some pics man


Will be tomorrow


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## default (May 28, 2011)

quick update!
just some bad quality snaps that I uploaded! foreground is still messy, but much greener now. the filter is also making the substrate uneven and creating a ditch  but the hydrocotyle don't seem to mind at all.
-UG is spreading.
-downoi looks a little perkier, but still a little folded.
-Tonina and ammania are growing quickly.
-Lots of new hydrocotyle opening up.

FTS, don't mind the wires everywhere. not much eye candy until it fills in!


Top


Angled


Tonina and pellia on rocks


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## Norman (Feb 13, 2011)

Beautiful! Nice job!


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## charlie1 (Dec 1, 2011)

Looking good, where did you get your UG from?, I have being looking for some .
Regards


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## default (May 28, 2011)

Norman said:


> Beautiful! Nice job!


Thank you 


charlie1 said:


> Looking good, where did you get your UG from?, I have being looking for some .
> Regards


Thanks again! I got the UG from AI


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## jimmyjam (Nov 6, 2007)

nice toninas good job bud


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## default (May 28, 2011)

jimmyjam said:


> nice toninas good job bud


Thanks man, one of my favorite plants.
They turned yellow when I had them in fluorite in a holding tank, but grew almost an inch already within a week. Now I just need to get the aqua soil dust off of it lol.


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## jimmyjam (Nov 6, 2007)

weird, I had the same problem in flourite. Im not sure why.


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## default (May 28, 2011)

jimmyjam said:


> weird, I had the same problem in flourite. Im not sure why.


They need their soft acidic substrate! Used to have them in Lambo and they grew like weed, figured they'd be fine in a holding tank for a week or so - but turned yellow so fast.


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## default (May 28, 2011)

quick update:
a 7 gallon is quite boring, nothing to do right now, observation last about 5 minutes and you've seen everything in the tank - perfect for my schedule 
recently added my cleaner crew:
-1 cherry shrimp
-7 amano shrimps
-3 otos
-5 horned nerites

FTS - still really messy


we've got a runner!


tonina fluviatilis 'narrow-leaf'?




and this unknown plant now.. 99% sure it's ammania multiflora, but looked nothing like it coming in.


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## default (May 28, 2011)

quick update, the photos were taken 2 days ago right before a trim.
it has gotten a little too messy for my taste, looking for a small leaved stem plant - preferably red.

what do you guys think? FTS


closer up


amano amongst the messy UG


picking at the mini pellia


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## manmadecorals (Jan 17, 2012)

very nice and very clean!


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## greg (Apr 29, 2012)

Wow! I love the rock selection and layout along with the plant choices and placement. Beautiful work.


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## default (May 28, 2011)

manhtu said:


> very nice and very clean!


Thank you very much! I've been quite fortunate regarding algae, lots of cleaners!



greg said:


> Wow! I love the rock selection and layout along with the plant choices and placement. Beautiful work.


 such kind words! Thank you!


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## jimmyjam (Nov 6, 2007)

dont be so modest, it takes skill to create a good balance between light,co2, ferts and bio load, the cleaners just help along the way. Good job, I look forward to more pics. It keeps me gun ho about my tanks =)



default said:


> Thank you very much! I've been quite fortunate regarding algae, lots of cleaners!
> 
> such kind words! Thank you!


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## default (May 28, 2011)

jimmyjam said:


> dont be so modest, it takes skill to create a good balance between light,co2, ferts and bio load, the cleaners just help along the way. Good job, I look forward to more pics. It keeps me gun ho about my tanks =)


Thanks man  I just pump in lots of co2 and ferts


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## default (May 28, 2011)

quick update! got some plants from kyle and added two of them to the tank!
-Rotala mini butterfly
-Rotala Vietnam

anyone know any deficiencies regarding small stems?!


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## default (May 28, 2011)

update!
added some salvinia, an apisto, and a few more oto cats.

FTS


claiming his new home


likes to look at himself


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## scrogathon (Jan 7, 2014)

Looks awesome. The starphire tanks really shine when planted well.


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## default (May 28, 2011)

scrogathon said:


> Looks awesome. The starphire tanks really shine when planted well.


Thanks  loving the starphire!


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## scrogathon (Jan 7, 2014)

Hey can we get an update on this one if your not too busy. Such a nice little tank.


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## default (May 28, 2011)

scrogathon said:


> Hey can we get an update on this one if your not too busy. Such a nice little tank.


It's been a while since I did anything with this tank lol.
I'm planning to dismantle this tank sometime next week.. You'll notice the plants have completely took over.
The UG layer is around 6-8 now..


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## default (May 28, 2011)

Update!
I wanted more room for plants so I went alittle into a Dutch setup, I was extremely tired when redoing so I just planted what I wanted - where I wanted!
All plants were reused, had to throw away a lot of toninas though 

Current plant list:
Rotala macranda
Rotala mini butterfly
MU Monte Carlo
Marsilea crenata
Sphaerocaryum malaccense
Ludwigia brevipes or rotala goias
Pogostemon helferi
Salvinia minima
Tonina fluviatilis
Bacopa japan


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## Bullet (Apr 19, 2014)

Very beautiful !
Amazing job


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## default (May 28, 2011)

Bullet said:


> Very beautiful !
> Amazing job


Thank you very much


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## Sameer (Sep 30, 2007)

Post 32, 2nd pic. Plant on the mid and most right and one above it on the rock. What plant is it?

Is that also mini on the left?


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## default (May 28, 2011)

Sameer said:


> Post 32, 2nd pic. Plant on the mid and most right and one above it on the rock. What plant is it?
> 
> Is that also mini on the left?


Bolbitis cuspidata is on the rock. And yep mini b on the left behind the downoi.


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## Sameer (Sep 30, 2007)

default said:


> Bolbitis cuspidata is on the rock. And yep mini b on the left behind the downoi.


Very cool. I guess thats the mini version? The mini is so fat in your tank.


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## default (May 28, 2011)

Sameer said:


> Very cool. I guess thats the mini version? The mini is so fat in your tank.


Yep, I really like the cuspidata - extremely slow growing, but looks great in my emersed setup.
Also is the butterfly being fat a bad thing? Most of mine look like that and grow quite red.


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## Reckon (Mar 6, 2013)

The dutch looks killer but the macrandra is likely to take up a lot of space?


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## Sameer (Sep 30, 2007)

default said:


> Yep, I really like the cuspidata - extremely slow growing, but looks great in my emersed setup.
> Also is the butterfly being fat a bad thing? Most of mine look like that and grow quite red.


Being fat isnt a bad thing, but very cool. Mine have never gone fat, no matter what the light level. Its a very unstable mutation, so they may vary in size.


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## default (May 28, 2011)

Reckon said:


> The dutch looks killer but the macrandra is likely to take up a lot of space?


Not really, I've kept up with trimming almost every week or two, they've gotten really bushy and wants to grow out of the tank.. I will upload a pic soon of the current state of the tank - it's a jungle


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## default (May 28, 2011)

Update!
Really blurry pic, but this is a day ago.
About to do a big trim soon.
I also lost a oto that I've had for almost 2-3 years (it was huge, likely to be natural causes) and the next day the glass had dust/diatom algae, shows how well that oto did! Now looking for some replacements.


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## Reckon (Mar 6, 2013)

Looks fantastic. Didiplis and Toninas are still in the back?
Is that glosso or hydropiper in the front? 
Still miss your staurogyne tank though


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## default (May 28, 2011)

Reckon said:


> Looks fantastic. Didiplis and Toninas are still in the back?
> Is that glosso or hydropiper in the front?
> Still miss your staurogyne tank though


No didiplis! Background right now are rotala macranda, tonina fluivitallis, and ludwigia brevipes.
The front is Monte Carlo and marsilea crenata - ridiculously messy and needs some sorting..
I miss my stauro tank too  but then again, it was a lot more work lol


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