tennis4you
Member
Well, it was around the end of July 08 when I came in here looking for help. My plants were not growing and I had bba. I was not using any CO2 and I was only dosing with Flourish. I was also only turning the tank over about 4x per hour. I got my butt handed to me about my neglect and I chose to do something about it.
I added CO2, I am using dry ferts now (PMDD and Phosphates), I added another canister filter and a powerhead (tank turns over 10x per hour now) and I am using SMS for my substrate rather than the gravel that I had.
Long story short, the plants have exploded in size and they all look pretty good. It's not a fantastic looking aquascape by any means but it is my first planted tank and I am trying to get a good handle on it all. Plus, I still have some very big fish in the tank for a planted tank. The biggest one is 12" long so I need well rooted plants. Those fish were all bought a year before I discovered how much I love planted tanks.
So, below is a picture of where I am at. I have come a long way but it is still a long way to get it where I want it. I am an Architect so layout and design is important to me even if it is not a building I am designing.
I am not sure I have a good dosing strategy yet, I am just dosing daily and changing water once per every other week. I tested for iron the other day but it came up with a reading of Zero, it always has.
The bba has been defeated for now, let's hope it stays away. I appreciate everyone's help with the tank thus far, you guys have been awesome!
Also, I cannot seem to get good photos of the tank, the flash always reflects off of the glass if I take it dead on and without the flash the tank is very dark.
I added CO2, I am using dry ferts now (PMDD and Phosphates), I added another canister filter and a powerhead (tank turns over 10x per hour now) and I am using SMS for my substrate rather than the gravel that I had.
Long story short, the plants have exploded in size and they all look pretty good. It's not a fantastic looking aquascape by any means but it is my first planted tank and I am trying to get a good handle on it all. Plus, I still have some very big fish in the tank for a planted tank. The biggest one is 12" long so I need well rooted plants. Those fish were all bought a year before I discovered how much I love planted tanks.
So, below is a picture of where I am at. I have come a long way but it is still a long way to get it where I want it. I am an Architect so layout and design is important to me even if it is not a building I am designing.
I am not sure I have a good dosing strategy yet, I am just dosing daily and changing water once per every other week. I tested for iron the other day but it came up with a reading of Zero, it always has.
The bba has been defeated for now, let's hope it stays away. I appreciate everyone's help with the tank thus far, you guys have been awesome!
Also, I cannot seem to get good photos of the tank, the flash always reflects off of the glass if I take it dead on and without the flash the tank is very dark.