30 Gallon Hex

[Good Wolf]

We started the tank a couple months ago and originally had a mix match of schooling fish. After recieving some great advice from the forums, and tons of help from Kristin we now have it stocked and doing great.

This weekend we will be replacing the gravel with sand, adding better lighting and replacing the tacky fake decor with live plants. I plan on doing something cool with some of the gravel, but I'll show that off once it is done.

We snapped some shots of the fish last night. They didn't turn out that great but I decided to include a few in my first post. In case you are wondering the Cories are looking a bit glass because of the lack of light.

We will take some better ones tonight.

[trashion]

Nice fish! I really like the second photo-they look like they're looking at each other!

[FishHead]

great pics. Isn't the one gourami a flame dwarf gourami? They are really nice looking G's.

[Good Wolf]

Originally Posted by trashion

Nice fish! I really like the second photo-they look like they're looking at each other!

Thanks!!

I think the Gourami not only know what a camera is but actually were in competition to see who could bust out the best pose.

[Good Wolf]

I'm picking up the new tank tonight and swapping out the gravel for sand in this one. I CAN'T WAIT!!

[Good Wolf]

We picked up the new tank and it is awesome.

I added sand to it and am picking some plants for both the tanks.

The gravel change in the hex went well. The water is nice and merky right now but I'm hoping that will clear up sometime today or tomorrow. I want to see how the fish like their new carpet.

[trashion]

Did you rinse the sand first?

[Good Wolf]

Yep, and It turns out we did have a drop tester and all the perimeters are a'ok.

[Good Wolf]

Alright, the water has just about cleared up in both tanks. It is still a little murky but I imagine it will be right as rain by tomorrow. We added some live plants to it which really made a world of difference.

Once the 29g is ready I will be transfering over the Tetras and one of the Gouramies to it. I'm going to fill out the school with some more Cardinals and I'm not sure what else I'll add after that. Everything is testing a'ok on it. I actually filled it half way up with the water from the Hex when I did the gravel change, and used some old filter media so I'm hoping it will be ready soon.
I will then add one Angel to the hex.

Here are some shots.

BEFORE;





AFTER;













Here is a shot of the other tank.

[Good Wolf]

No love for the new set up?

We plan on getting a bit better lighting some time this week.

I plan on picking up some java fern, java moss, anubias, and possibly some crypt this week as well.

The hex is nearly crystal clear now, and it is looking great. I have some very happy Cory. They love digging around in the sand.

The new tank seems to be cycled already. Filling it half full with already cycled water did the trick. I'm going to give it a few more days and then transfer the tetra over.

[Good Wolf]

We planted both tanks, and transfered the Tetra and FG over to the new tank. I'm leaving them lightly planted so the Cories have plenty of room to play in the sand. I plan on getting some Pandas for the 29g.

I wish we could have gotten a pic of the Angel because she is perty but she wouldn't pose for the camera.

These are the first two tanks I've ever had, and although they aren't at the same level as most of the other ones on the forum I'm pretty proud of myself.

Check it out.

What do you thinK?

30g Hex







29g tall I'm really pleased with how this turned out.

[Ricker]

Look good. What kind of sand did you use looks like the old sand I used in my 10. Also look good for your first time it is hard I know lol.

[JustOneMore20]

They look great!

The Java fern (3rd pic down in your last post has a closeup) needs to be tied to a rock or wood....and not planted. The hard stem like part (rhizome) will eventually rot if you leave it planted.

Anubias should be tied to wood/rocks also.

I know that will disrupt your layout, but maybe you can use a small rock or stone and have them on top of that.

[trashion]

What I've had success in doing is, if there are long roots on the java fern, just burying those and leaving the rhizome just above the substrate.

[Good Wolf]

I feel like such a newb. I did quite a bit of research and also talked to the salesman who actually new all the scientific names for the plants I didn't see anything about having to tie down the plants.

I did bury the most of the roots and I thought I had the rhizome just above the substrate.

So basically the only plant that I can just stick in the sand is the crypt, ludwiga (which is probably going to die due to lack of light) and anacharis? The rest of them need to be tied to something? The anubias roots actually came in a black baskets with the roots were growing inside of a sponge like material. I didn't see any way to remove it without damaging the roots.

How do you go about tying them to stones and what kind of stones or wood can I use? I assume gravel won't work.

I have several small clumps of it planted in the other tank and I'm not sure how easily I could get them tied to something.

Once they are tied to stones do you have to leave them above the sand?

I don't think that would look very good, but if that is the only way to make them live then I guess I don't have much of a choice.

Edit- I'm a bit frustrated with myself right now. Ok I obviously was just looking at their requirements and didn't research how to plant them...sigh. I have several polished stones that I can use. Should I bunch up all those random pieces that I put in the other tank tie them togather with a string and place them above the substrate? I also just read about using gel super glue. Which method is preferable.

How do I remove the anubias roots from the sponge stuff that they are growing in?

I also have the java moss wrapped around the ends of the drift wood. Is that good enough or do I need to tie it around it?

[trashion]

Honestly, I just rip the rock wool off of the roots. Yeah, some might get damaged, but they'll grow back in a jiff.

If it stays on the driftwood, then that's a-ok!

[JustOneMore20]

Originally Posted by I <3 Fish

So basically the only plant that I can just stick in the sand is the crypt, ludwiga (which is probably going to die due to lack of light) and anacharis? The rest of them need to be tied to something? The anubias roots actually came in a black baskets with the roots were growing inside of a sponge like material. I didn't see any way to remove it without damaging the roots.

Right...Crypts, Ludwigia, and Anacharis can be in the substrate. You can trim the Anubias roots to get them out of the baskets. And if there is enough root, you can just bury the roots. I've never had them stay like that though.

Originally Posted by I <3 Fish

How do you go about tying them to stones and what kind of stones or wood can I use? I assume gravel won't work.

I tie mine with fishing line. You can use cotton thread or a rubber band. Both of those will eventually break and float, but the Anubias should be rooted by then onto the rock or wood. I have used small pieces of slate rock, wood, and small river like stones. You can usually find a bag of stones in the craft department at various stores and those should be fine (usually say non-toxic or something). Give them a rinse and tie the plants on. They might be too small for Anubias (unless you can find some larger ones).

Originally Posted by I <3 Fish

I have several small clumps of it planted in the other tank and I'm not sure how easily I could get them tied to something.

You can take them out of the tank to tie them....and even blot them dry with a paper towel to make it easier. Java fern and Anubias are very hardy so a few mins of being dry won't hurt them.

Originally Posted by I <3 Fish

Once they are tied to stones do you have to leave them above the sand?

I don't think that would look very good, but if that is the only way to make them live then I guess I don't have much of a choice.

You can try to bury the stones/rocks, but make sure the hard stemlike part is above the sand. I try to bury my rocks a bit and hide the roots so that they don't show.

Here are a couple pics of my Anubias in my 29g. There are like 4-5 plants tied to a piece of slate with fishing line. I buried the slate and moved the roots to the back of the rock, so they don't show.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y13...pics/29g-1.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y13...anubiaspic.jpg

Originally Posted by I <3 Fish

Edit- I'm a bit frustrated with myself right now. Ok I obviously was just looking at their requirements and didn't research how to plant them...sigh. I have several polished stones that I can use. Should I bunch up all those random pieces that I put in the other tank tie them togather with a string and place them above the substrate? I also just read about using gel super glue. Which method is preferable.

How do I remove the anubias roots from the sponge stuff that they are growing in?

I also have the java moss wrapped around the ends of the drift wood. Is that good enough or do I need to tie it around it?

Don't be frustrated! Alot of things you read about these plants don't tell you to tie them to something. For some reason they assume you know, when alot of people don't.

You can bunch the stones together and put a plant on each and then bury the stone in different places. I've never used super glue, so I'm not sure which kind is ok to use. I just use fishing line. Cotton thread would work too.

Try to pick as much of the sponge stuff off the roots. If you need to cut them, that's fine. They'll grow back.

If the java moss is staying like that, leave it. If it starts to come loose, then you might want to tie it.

[Good Wolf]

Well, after a couple hours and a sore back I got all the Java and Anubias situated. Some of the roots are floating but the rhizomes are all above the sand now. I only had to use rocks on one bunch and I just layed them on the exposed roots to keep it down.

I also threw in the rest of the polished rocks after cleaning them and now have a bit of a river bed thing going.

I'll take some pics when I get a chance.

We also picked up some better lighting for the hex. I know it is a long shot but I'm hoping the Ludwigia survives.

Thanks again for the advice.

I'm picking up the 75g this weekend. I get all giddy just typing it.

[Good Wolf]

We just brought home five Julli Cories for the 29g. They are so cute. We will put up some pictures later on.

[JustOneMore20]

Awesome! I wonder if they are REAL Juliis. Alot of them are sold as real ones, but are actually C. trilineatus. Either way, they are some cute Cories. Juliis are not that common and would have been expensive. I'll try to ID them for ya when you get pics up. I love it when stores sell fish under the wrong name.....