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An established 45 gallon planted tank

4K views 21 replies 16 participants last post by  jaybyrd 
#1 ·
Hello guys. This is just my second aquarium and well I think it is time to send some pictures up here on my favorite forum on aquariums. Thanks to this fantastic site and an excellent LFS this tank seems to have gone in the direction I had always dreamed of an aquarium to evolve into...

Everything in the water is an attempt to stay as 100% natural as possible and to allow the fish a very calm lifestyle while also enhancing my evenings at home in living room as much as possible.

2 Bolivian Butterfly rams
5 panda corys
2 Chinese hillstream loaches
17 cardinal tetras
4 priscilla tetras ( 2 albinos )
1 sickle tail tetra
plenty of snails
plenty of plants

Hope you folks enjoy the pics as much as I do the aquarium.
 

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#2 ·
You have a beautiful tank, you take amazing pictures and I am a little jealous. My plants do not look as nice as yours. I had 2 fishy landscapers that insisted on trimming everything very short and uprooting half of it.

I love the shot of your pleco on the leaf, it almost looks like it is drawn on there. I soooo wish I could take pictures as nice as yours, I love them. BEAUTIFUL!!!!
 
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#12 ·
thank you everyone!

I can truly say this second tank has exhibited some sanity greater than my very first aquarium and this fact has made me very happy!

I learned many things over the lat 1+ year.

Serpia tetras and long finned fish like Betas are not a good combo. I lost the beta that suffered some serious tail nippings and had removed the more agressive serpia tetras as a result... CA rams or ciclids are a blast! The first photo is of Ziggy and the smaller one is named Bob for the Marleys... Cardinal tetras in a school are very beautiful and can live a very very long time if the water is cared for properly. ( 6 are 18 months old! ) Black phantom tetras are beautiful - but for some reason do not live very long in my tank so I gave up on them.

Hillstream loaches rock! Swim just like a stingray and are very playful! As well as Panda Cories are shy yet when comfortable - very playful!

Plants need a great substrate and excellent lighting and the Seachem ferts and excel really work. Matter of fact I dose the excel 1/2 what most folks do ( once every 2 days ) and limit the fish feeding to once a day and change the water once a week. This has led to a really good rhythm in tank care for my little guys as well as good plant growth. The LFS has sold me different grasses though that have been mildly contaminated with bearded algae which has been tough to remove but yet a little give and take and more care in the grass purchases will lead to even better results I hope.

I believe I will ad another filter on the aquarium and see where that will take me. I was blessed as the stand and aquarium was discovered by me and given to me to rehab!

So thank you guys! Really thanks!

BTW - I have looked at all your tanks to date and you guys know what you are doing! So your compliments are mightily appreciated!
And as for taking pictures I found go ahead and use a flash - but once focused on the subject and if the framing is right - take a shot with the lense just touching the glass for a close up. This tactic seems to prevent a color wash with the flash and directs the full power of the flash to the subject matter at hand. :-D
 
#16 ·
Plants need a great substrate and excellent lighting and the Seachem ferts and excel really work. Matter of fact I dose the excel 1/2 what most folks do ( once every 2 days ) and limit the fish feeding to once a day and change the water once a week.

And as for taking pictures I found go ahead and use a flash - but once focused on the subject and if the framing is right - take a shot with the lense just touching the glass for a close up. This tactic seems to prevent a color wash with the flash and directs the full power of the flash to the subject matter at hand. :-D
Wait. You dose Excel every other day and your tank looks like that?? Ok, so now I have to know...exactly what is the 1/2 dose consist of that you are giving your tank every two days? I tried using Excel and I ended up with a horrible algae problem. Your tank's a 45 and I see your running T-5s. I'm just really curious because your tank looks so good and as for me? I have a 2 liter jug of Excel sitting on the shelf that I'm afraid to resume use of, lol.

I like the tip on pics using a flash. Once it gets dark in the house tonight I'm going to try it and see what results.

Your tank is really very beautiful, you should be really proud, I would be!
 
#17 ·
A 1/2 dose of excel for a 45 gallon is roughly a capful or 5mL every two days - usually on the even numbered day of the month. The produst is Excel and not the Flourish product - which if used too much has led to cloudy water. Flourish is used on Sundays after the water change at 5 mL per week. I am using Eco-complete substrate which is very good stuff.
Now my water in the tank is very clear all the time and I do not use activated carbon at all. One inch thick floss and a filter medium of Clearmax at 3 packets per filter medium cycle. That is just about it. Oh my filter is weak and well when it is possible I do want to add a second filter system.
And Aunt Kymmie your tanks look great!
And oh yeah - I would not touch the actual glass lense to the aquarium glass on the camera - just gently touch the lense casing on the camera and sit motionless and quiet. My Rams are hams when I go near the tank - the Pandas dart under the vegetation until I leave.
 
#21 ·
Very beautiful indeed. Echinodorus major won't stop growing will it:) no matter what size tank it's in.
 
#22 ·
Byron - thank you for the kind comments. Needless to say it appears you are a mastered planted aquarium keeper and your planted tanks are excellent. And yes - I am lucky enough to have stems growing from plants out of the tank with pretty flowers blossoming!
 
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