On my way to getting my dream aquarium...

Canadian Fish

How long have you had them? Were they previously in another aquarium?

Just watched that video again, the rock background looks awesome with the plants. I was talking to my wife on the phone and raving about your tank.

I keep rainbows and zebra loaches in the same tank and they all swim together.

boxercrazy156

The jumbo swords were that size the rest of the plants have grown like crazy the Ludwigia and val are at the top of the tank the crypts are 4 times the size

My clown loaches are 3 inches they came that size they grow slow since they live like 30 years.

I have 2 cannister filters one is an eheim the other which i am impressed with is a fluval 405 and I aim it up to the top it acts like a very strong powerhead I will try to add pictures of what this tank looked like in August and what it looks like now what a difference

boxercrazy156

have had them since June I have 9 of them 2 are small I just added 2 new ones because I love them. They were in my 30 gallon untill about a month and 1/2 ago they were not as active in the 30 gallon but do this swim together circle thing in the 120 gallon.

My Tank is all loaches and rainbow and my 2 bolivian rams I also have a queen loach he is my biggest I have videos of him but not uploaded

Canadian Fish

Wow, you plants are growing fast. You use special lights don't you? I just have the regular T8 Daylights that came with the tank.

I am going to start using fertilizer though. So far I haven't, and the plants in my RTS tank look healthy enough, but I'm hoping to promote growth.

I seem to have a bunch of tiny baby snails in that tank. The parents are gone but I'm going to have to get rid of the babies somehow. They're only a couple of millimeters in size. If that.

boxercrazy156

loaches eat the snails right up I had tons in my tank from the plants before I had fish in that tank is was covered with them I was taking tons out and they were just multiplying the loaches ate them all haven't seen one in a long time,

I use seachem flourish to fertilize plus excel if you change your lights to 6700k they will do great with the plants they are cheap in t8s I bought a whole new light system that is really for a salt water tank I have just ordered and got the 6700k bulbs for it the one from big als is 100 dollars and I got it from ebay for $17.00 so I can only leave my lights on for some many hours a day they are too strong mine originally came with the t8s but I wanted the fance led lights and such so its blue at night all a learning curve the t8s or my tank are under 20 dollars at big als in the 6700k so for your 55 gallon they would be cheaper and to change them in your 220 would be under 50 dollars

Canadian Fish

Is 6700k the wattage? I don't understand the bulbs at all. My 220 takes 4 bulbs. I think the 35 only takes one, though I'm not positive.

Is that a liquid fertilizer you use, or tablets? Or both?

I can't use loaches to get rid of the snails because it is the Red Tailed Shark tank.

Here is a new video of my Red Tailed Shark, in which you can see my first four live plants:


Here is a new video of the 220. It's a little dark:

boxercrazy156

[quote=Canadian Fish;1284828]Is 6700k the wattage? I don't understand the bulbs at all. My 220 takes 4 bulbs. I think the 35 only takes one, though I'm not positive.

Is that a liquid fertilizer you use, or tablets? Or both?

I can't use loaches to get rid of the snails because it is the Red Tailed Shark tank.

6700k is the brightness or the light spectrum the watts are different usually depends on the type of bulb size etc. I have power compact bulbs in mine 4 of them 2 65 watts and 2 95 watts which comes to 322 watts but I can run a 65 and 95 together which is 160 or 322 plus I have 10 blue leds my t8s that came with my tank originally are 20 watts each it came with 2 which I thought was too low for a 120 gallon

I use liquid fertilizer and root tabs in the substrate that are also made by seachem. Also if you use fertilizer do not add it the day you do your



water change and dechlorinate wait a day I use prime because it is also good for breaking down amonnia as well dechlorinating


I see you have some live plants in your 220 looks good

Canadian Fish

Naw, those are fakes in the 220. I hope to add some live ones soon.

Canadian Fish

Well, the 220 is still cycling. My ammonia has dropped from 1.0ppm to .5 ppm. Nitrites are up to 1.0 ppm and Nitrates are at 15.

Added some live plants to it today, four amazon swords. They look great, and match our artificial plants really well. If I can keep the swords alive, and they grow high enough, I'll move them to the back of the tank and get rid of the artificial plants altogether.

My camera takes really dark pics, but in this short video you can see the plants and driftwood:


Some pics:

Tankfull Tropicals

Amazon Swords can get like 24" high and wide plus. Should look great in a big tank like that. :}