35g Hex Planted Tank

[gandhii]

I have for many years concentrated on planted and native freshwater fish tanks. Mostly leaning towards really simple and easy to care for tanks that utilise plants to do the filtration. For the most part, these tanks only require having their water topped off, the occasional feeding and the occasional bi-annual pruning. That is my ideal tank. I'm trying to do that with salt. In fact I have done that before. A couple years ago I did it with a 5g plastic hex I had laying around. Worked pretty well, until I ignored it for too long and it fell apart. I was distracted by my new (then) and current (now) girlfriend. It was a fair trade.

 

So basically, what we currently have is a 35g hex with stand that I won in a club raffle last Christmas. The other equipment are two powerheads, H.O.B. filter, heater and an air pump with an air stone (all of which was laying around from past projects and club raffles). Not sure if the air pump/stone is really needed. I may pull that out. It is kind of noisy. The lighting is a home made pendant made from a 105watt screw-in compact fluorescent bulb (6500k) hanging inside a basket lined with white poster board. Seems to be working pretty well. The polyps on some of the live rock are definitely liking it.

 

Inside the tank, I have 50 lbs. of aragonite sand, some (now dead) pieces of rock that I had used 2 years ago, some nice live rock I have purchased from a local aquarist taking a break from the hobby, a couple small lame pieces of live rock purchased from a local store when I first got the tank started for the purpose of cycling, various macroalgaes courtesy of another local, some hair algae and grape caluerpa I obtained for cycling (grape calerpa got pulled out later), and 2 sand snails that I got from another store. Also have a chalk basslet in there that I just got last week.

 

Here are some photos below. I'd be interested in peoples advice on ways they try and keep things simple for their tanks? And any other thoughts. Also not sure what to put in next. Definitely a blenny or a goby. Other than that I would like to put something in that would occupy all of the empty space above the rock. A school of something would be great. But obviously they'd have to be small, not too aggressive to the other fish and not eat my plants.

 

My original posting on the subject and photos can be found here:

http://www.carolinafishtalk.com/forum/gene...anted-tank.html

 

Attaching images seems to be too much trouble here. Thanks for everyone's help.

[Weetabix7]

Yaaay, another planted tank!

We've got a group of us here who are doing SW Planted tanks.

Here's my Pico planted tank: http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...t=0&start=0

Here's got2envy's 40L planted tank: http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...t=0&start=0

She's currently selling some really nice Red Macroalgaes here: http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...80&start=80

Here's a Planted Tank Info thread: http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...t=0&start=0

 

Hopefully you'll get some good ideas from those.

Welcome to the club!

[Markushka]

Welcome to NR, its good to see another hex, and a planted one at that! you should upload the pics to picasa or photobucket and then post em here w/ the '[ img ]' '[ /img ]' handels

 

also check out other NR HEX tanks here, weetie we really should do a thread like that for planted ones too, or is there one already, and I just dont know about it.

[got2envy]

to the Macro club!

 

Aww I can't see the pix...I would have to register to the forum

I am a member of at least a dozen already haha talk about spam mail

 

Thanks Weetie!

[gandhii]

I just put some pics on flickr.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30291067@N04/

 

 

BTW.. I think bryopsis is cool.

 

So does this work? Do the images show?

[Dizzle21]

for some reason bryopsis looks good in macro tanks. gives it a biotope lagoon look to me. looks great btw and welcome to nanoreef home of the tang police!

[Markushka]

nice, i really like the cloves ya got in there. I see you use the powersweeps too, what do you do to keep em rotating? mine tend to jam with age

[gandhii]

for some reason bryopsis looks good in macro tanks.

And the reaction you get in the fish stores when you say that, is an added bonus. ;]

 

At any rate.. these photos are a couple weeks old. I'll get some newer ones up this weekend. I'll have to take some new photos after the water and everything calms down after today's cleaning.

 

Been eyeing this 55g I have with 2 power compacts hanging over it. Currently it is freshwater with some speckled killifish and white shiners from the back yard, but I think I'm going to move them to another 55g that has less lighting and maybe eventually convert it to a saltwater. I'm presently thinking something with a sand bed.. minimal live rock.. and whatever macroalgae I can find that will grow nice and tall and fill the tank. How tall does that long leaf calerpa get? Or maybe I can find some kelp. I plan on heading to the ocean this September.. maybe something nice will turn up there.

 

But heh.. I'm getting ahead of myself. I got more than enough to keep me busy already.

 

 

nice, i really like the cloves ya got in there. I see you use the powersweeps too, what do you do to keep em rotating? mine tend to jam with age

cloves? Is that what you call the small purple things? They came on the rock I bought from a guy taking a break from the hobby.

 

The powerheads were also won at past aquarium club meeting raffles. Spend $5 to $10 for raffle tickets and I always come out ahead in the long run. And it is always good to help support the organisation. We put on a great annual show as well. raleighaquariumsociety.org

I also have a problem with the directional things getting stuck. But since I never really paid for them, I can't complain, and they work well enough. Just need to be pulled out and cleaned every now and then.