My 125 gallon planted tank

[Wahter]

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Last year, I finally bought a 125 gallon aquarium (brand new). One of the local fish stores delivers at no charge, so I went with them (their prices were reasonable too). It measures 72" x 22" x 18" (about 182.88cm x 55.88cm x 45.72" for my metric friends). I'm using it as a divider between my formal living room and my dining room. When the house was built, I originally wanted to position this along the outside wall, but the builder told me that the joists are running parallel to that wall. That's a big 'no-no' to place a tank of this size on only a couple of joists. When this aquarium is filled with water, gravel, rocks, etc... it will weigh roughly 1400 pounds (about 635kg for my metric friends). Fortunately, there is a major support beam under the flooring running across the opening between the living room and the dining room and the joists overlap on it, making it even sturdier. When my house was being inspected, I specifically asked him if that would hold up the aquarium and he said "that's where you'll want to put it".

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The stand that I picked is called "Mission Classic" - it's made of a laminate (similar to flooring) material. Both are made by Aqueon Products. I like the Aqueon 125 gallon tanks more than the Marineland/ Perfecto tanks because that other brand only has a single cross brace, whereas this one has two on the top and bottom plastic frames. FYI, in foreign countries, their aquariums do NOT have a plastic frame on the top nor bottom, they just use extra thick glass and support the edges with additional pieces of glass. The stand doesn't have much of a back though; that kind of has me worried. I plan to eventually get some wooden doors mounted on the back since this aquarium can be seen on both sides. I noticed a couple of areas in the stand where the dowels weren't glued too well, so I'll have to go in and glue them back.


Walter

[Wahter]

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Last year, I had already planned to buy the 125 gallon aquarium, so I went ahead and started buying the accessories. I started off by buying the filter. In this case, I chose the Eheim Professional 3 model 2080 (the largest of the Pro 3 series). This unit is a canister filter, has two hoses for inputs (for water going into the filter) and one hose for output (back into the aquarium tank), has a primer button to start the siphoning, a flow control switch and a flow control meter, holds 4 liters of Efimech media (looks like short macaroni noodles), 8 liters of Substrat pro media (looks like Coco Pufffs), a coarse sponge for mechanical filtration, and a fine woven material for smaller materials. It pumps out 450 gallons per hour and even has wheels so you can tilt and roll it out of the stand / cabinet. It's slightly larger than a 5 gallon (about 18.9 liters) bucket. Comes with a 3 year warranty. I'm not sure there will be enough flow to prevent "dead spots" in the tank, so I am thinking of adding a powerhead (or two). Interestingly, the filter does NOT come with all of the necessary media, so I had to order the media separately.

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That media alone adds another $100.00 to the already high price of the filter. I rinsed out the filter media trays/ baskets and the media (the substrat pro was unusually dusty and needed to be rinsed about 4 times) Eheim filters are made in Germany and have a good reputation for being reliable (albeit expensive). Some people are still using their Eheim filters for 15+ years, so I expect this to last me awhile. I currently have an Eheim Pro I filter on my 55 gallon tank.

I also plan to use a Marineland Powerhead for additional water circulation.

[Wahter]

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Usually, freshwater aquarium tanks have the worst lighting over them in terms of being ready for keeping plants. I guess it's for the sake of price that people just want to see the fish and don't mind if it's under a red enhanced light. In general, most of the light strips that are sold with aquarium tanks just don't produce enough light to grow aquarium plants very well. In fact, one company, A H Supply, makes kits that you can replace the regular light strips with ones that use compact fluorescent technology. (just don't expect them to help you when the light burns out in 90 days - I did and they didn't do anything for me). Since I had some bad luck with A H Supply, I looked elsewhere for my lighting needs and choose to get two of Coralife's Freshwater Aqualight strips which use two 96 watt compact fluorescent light tubes. They come with dual fans and two switches (so you can choose to have the lights run independently, although only one of the lights is tied into the fans), a nice aluminum casing, and a clear plastic lens (if you want to mount this over an open top aquarium). I bought these when they were on sale last year. I have a couple of friends who have these light strips and they like them (although it seems one of the strips died after awhile - maybe the ballast died?). I know that T5 and the recent crop of LED lights are more energy efficient, but I went with compact fluorescents just because I'm familiar with them and the light strips were at a good price.

BTW, I like the Current brand of compact fluorecent lights. They are priced reasonably, have a good life, and are readily available.

[Wahter]

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Although the Eheim Pro 3 filter includes the nicer input and output assemblies (you can configure them for different depths by adding or removing pieces), it didn't come with enough tubing as I needed, so I had to order another length of tubing. It came with roughly 14 feet (about 4.26 meters) of their famous green tubing and I need almost double that since I need the tubing to reach from one side of the aquarium tank to the other (have to count the length of the aquarium and the height, plus some extra so I can roll the filter out of the stand). The siphoning input (from the aquarium to the filter) will be the longer tubes - that way the filter won't have as much resistance when it's pumping water back into the tank.

[Wahter]

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Because discus do well at 84-86ºF (about 28.89-30ºC), I bought another 200 watt Eheim Jagger heater. Eheim took over the product line Ebo Jagger (which were pretty good for most people - the latter ones need to be calibrated). I tested out the Eheim Jagger and calibrated it. I still have another 200 watt heater to suppliment this one. Since the 125 gallon tank is 6 feet long, I plan to place one heater on each side so that should keep the entire tank fairly uniform in temperature (with the filter and a powerhead to circulate the water). One thing that I notice which happens to a lot of people is that they do their water changes without unplugging their heaters and that will lead to cracking the glass on the heater. What I like to do is put the filter and the heater on the same power surge strip and turn it off when I'm doing water changes. Some other people mount their heaters horizontally and low in the tank so that when they drain the water, the heater will still be submerged.

[Wahter]

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Because I have the Aqueon 125 gallon aquarium tank, I bought the Aqueon glass Versa Tops for their 125 gallon aquarium tank. Unlike the Marineland brand whicn only has one cross bar on the plastic frame, the Aqueon brand has two, so you need to match up the brands of the glass tops. I've already measured and tested to make sure that the Coralife light strip will fit on the Versa Top. You want to be able to open the Versa top lid without having to remove the light strip (which I have to currently do for my 55 gallon tank) - that is a big pain, especially when the lights fall out on the floor and shatter!

Some people skip putting any type of a cover/ hood over their aquarium; the advantage is that you have nothing to decrease the light from entering the water (after several months/ a few years, minerals, deposits, etc... from the water will cause the glass to become transluscent, rather than transparent). On the other hand, without a cover/ hood, the fish can possibly jump out and it also usually results in a higher rate of evaporation. Since I have discus (which are rather pricey and I've had some jump out of a tank before, even during feeding) and a humidifier, I'll decided to keep a cover over the tank.

[Wahter]

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I already have a few bags of Seachem's Flourite mixed with Estes "Bits of Walnut" gravel, so I wanted something a little lighter to create a front section of decorative fine gravel. I didn't go with Pool Filter sand because I thought that might be a bit too fine and would eventually compact (unless I stirred it up regularly), so I chose CaribSea's "Instant Aquarium - Torpedo Beach". It looks a bit more gray than I had wanted, but it should look fine once it's in the aquarium and getting lit by the light strip.
Tonight I ordered some pieces of Manzanita wood from www.manzanita.com . I spoke with Rich O'Brien on the phone, I showed him a photo of one of Amano's tanks (from Aquajournal #118) and told him "this is what I want to create". You can see the rear corners of the tank have the darker gravel while the front and center have the lighter sand. I'll find out in a week to see what he's packed up for me.

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[Wahter]

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Since the new aquarium is so long, I think I should have a CO2 diffuser on each end (other people on the 'net seem to agree). I was thinking about running the CO2 into a "T" connector to split the gas from one into two lines then adding an in-line needle valve on each line. Since I went that route, I'd need to buy another needle valve (such as the Fabco NV 55 needle valve) which would ran about another $30.00 (once shipping is added in).

http://store.fabco-air.com/prodimages/valve-NV55-prod-lg.jpg

I've been using the Eheim CO2 Reaktor for several years and it's worked out alright for me. It uses a sintered glass diffuser. Amano's company makes a larger one, but that one is also priced at $125.00US each. I've also been using the Dennerle check valves without any problems, so I'll stick with that too.

[Wahter]

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I changed the standard electrical outlet that I will be using to be a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI). I also got one that is tamper resistant (harder for kids to stick things into the outlet).

When you look at a normal 120-volt outlet in the United States, there are two vertical slots and then a round hole centered below them. The left slot is slightly larger than the right. The left slot is called "neutral," the right slot is called "hot" and the hole below them is called "ground." If an appliance is working properly, all electricity that the appliance uses will flow from hot to neutral. A GFCI monitors the amount of current flowing from hot to neutral. If there is any imbalance, it trips the circuit. It is able to sense a mismatch as small as 4 or 5 milliamps, and it can react as quickly as one-thirtieth of a second.

So let's say you are outside with your power drill and it is raining. You are standing on the ground, and since the drill is wet there is a path from the hot wire inside the drill through you to ground (see How Power Distribution Grids Work for details on grounding). If electricity flows from hot to ground through you, it could be fatal. The GFCI can sense the current flowing through you because not all of the current is flowing from hot to neutral as it expects -- some of it is flowing through you to ground. As soon as the GFCI senses that, it trips the circuit and cuts off the electricity. (from http://www.howstuffworks.com)

[Wahter]

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I bought this Aquarium Cleaning Mat. I have one in front of my 50 gallon aquarium right now and I bought a larger one for the 125 gallon aquarium. These really come in handy when you're doing maintenance. Since I have wooden floors, I try to keep the water off them and try to keep things from falling on the flooring (which can dent the wood).

[Wahter]

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I had originally bought this metal Gilmour connector set. It looks like it would work fine (I'm planning to attach it between the Python hose pump and the faucet, so I can quickly and easily connect and disconnect the pump when not in use). I would have bought the Python brand quick connect and disconnect, but their products are hard to find now (I think they are in some sort of financial bind).

After I bought it, I read that that this isn't even made of brass, only the ones with labeled as brass are truly brass, otherwise they are made of aluminum and aren't as durable. On top of that, I found out that even if it were made of brass, there are some brass alloys which contain lead, so they warned not to use it for drinking water. The manufacturer confirmed this to me. So I returned it.

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Instead, I bought the plastic version. Probably not as durable as the metal, but it should be safer for my fish. Technically, you're not supposed to mix a plastic connector with a metal one since eventually, the metal will cut into the plastic or the plastic will wear out and crack, but I'd rather have this low price item break, than the Python hose pump .

[Wahter]

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For those who don't know, Python is a brand of aquarium cleaning products that use a hose and a switch (they call it a pump) at the faucet. You attach this unit to the faucet, then attach it to a hose which the other end is inside your aquarium tank. With a twist (while running the faucet) either the water will drain from the aquarium tank or be filled by the tap water. I use it only to fill (I drain the water into my bushes, shrubs, and lawn in the summer). While it's being filled, I neutralize the chlorine and ammonia in the tapwater with Seachem's Safe. Anyway, the original Python pump that I had broke (I think the metal threads on the faucet dug into the plastic threads too deep and the plastic cracked), but fortunately, there is a compatible product made by Lee's (another brand), since it's getting hard to find the Python brand products now. As you can see from the photo, these two products are nearly identical. So I recently bought that. My plan is to put the quick connect between the pump and the faucet, so I can remove the pump easily when not in use. Also, the quick connector gets around the problem of having the metal threads of the faucet ruin the plastic threads of the pump.

[Wahter]

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I decided to use a solution of bleach and water to wipe down the aquarium (frame, glass, silicone sealant, etc...) inside and out. There was some dust in it and a bit of dirt (probably from whatever warehouse which it was stored). You can see my 50 gallon aquarium in the back and the planted 29 gallon aquarium is on the right. After wiping it down, I went over it with some dechloramined water to neutralize any bleach residue.

[Wahter]

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It's quite important for an aquarium tank to be level and if need be, it should be shimmed to be level. Otherwise, the uneven weight, etc... could weaken the silicon sealant at the joints and eventually cause leaks. Or at least I'm told. Not wanting to take any chances, I used a very small laser level to check out the aquarium and it's very close to being perfectly flat and level. You can see the bubble in the green liquid at the top of the level is near center.

[Wahter]

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Pour in the Seachem Flourite.

I've used Seachem Flourite for many years and I have lots to spare, so I poured it into the 125 gallon aquarium. Since I'm trying to follow the Amano style of using a lighter colored sand in the foreground and creating a "path" to the back of the tank, I mound the Flourite roughly in the necessary position. I'm aiming for a 3" depth in the rear with a 2" depth in the front.

[Wahter]

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Setup the Divider.

Amano uses what looks like a file folder taped to the inside to keep the two substrates separated. I grabbed some cardboard that I had laying around and held it in place with some extra pieces of slate and petrified wood.

Here's a look from another angle.

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[Wahter]

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Add the Caribsea "Torpedo Beach".

Caribsea "Torpedo Beach" is one of their "Instant Aquarium" substrates. It's packed in water with nitrifying bacteria and it comes with some packets of dechlorinator. The instructions literally tell you to place the substrate in the aquarium and add tap water (and use the dechlorinator). The hardest part was to try and get both the Flourite and the Torpedo Beach to be the same thickness/ depth. Also, I removed the pieces of slate and the petrified wood and packed the sand into those spots.

Here's a look from another angle.

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Closeup of the left side:

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Closeup of the right side:

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Closeup of the center:

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[Wahter]

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Carefully remove the divider.

After you remove the divider, you can carefully go over the tank to smooth out the substrate.

[Wahter]

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Fill it up.

Here's where I deviate from Amano's technique. At this point, he will position the driftwood, wet the substrate, plant the aquatic plants, and then fill up the aquarium tank. Unfortunately, I don't have my driftwood at this time, but I do have the aquatic plants, so I'll just go ahead and fill up the tank first and put the plants in second. I'm using the python hose attached to the tap in my laundry room (I planned it this way when I was choosing the options for the house - these days, it can be hard to attach a hose to some of the fancier faucets found in some houses). The Flourite and the Torpedo Beach sand floated just a little bit while the tank was being filled.

A wide view.

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Closeup view.

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[Wahter]

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Put the plants into the substrate.

Although it's better to put the driftwood in the aquarium first, I didn't have them just yet and I wanted to get the plants into the new aquarium, so I went ahead and put them in. I'll update this once I get the manzanita wood waterlogged (so it sinks). The replacement glass versa tops arrived, so I have already put them into position.

A couple of things I wanted to point out. I have the "Multi-tool Algae Scraper" made by Tom - I'm using the gravel tool to flatten and smooth out the substrate (one nitpicky thing I have is that the gravel/ sand substrate MUST be smooth - no hills and valleys because that makes the aquascape look sloppy). Amano makes a stainless steel sand flattener, but I didn't buy it when I was in Tokyo in 2003. :(

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The other maintenance tool I bought is the MagFox by Two Little Fishies. Actually a simple idea, but it works pretty well so far. There's a small plastic (with metal backing) scrubber and a magnetic disc - you insert the scrubber inside the hoses while the magnetic disc moves the scrubber along.

[Wahter]

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Here are the pieces of Manzanita wood that were shipped to me. They were ordered from manzanita.com. I plan to lay them in the aquarium in a similar position. I've started soaking them today. They'll get soaked for roughly 2 weeks (so they will sink when they are underwater).

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They will be placed along where the two different substrates meet (to cover up the "seam").

[Wahter]

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Adding the Manzanita wood

After soaking the Manzanita wood for two weeks, MOST of the pieces have gotten water logged enough to sink (two pieces have not and I may or may not add them - probably will). I think I should add one more piece to the right side.

I've already trimmed back the Ammania gracilis on the left side and the Rotala macrandra on the right side since putting the plants in the tank. The rest of the plants along the rear need to grow a bit more before the tank looks really good. I also need to plant the Echinodorus tenellus (pygmy chain swords) around the front of the wood. That will give more depth in the appearance. After that, I'll put in some sacrificial fish (just in case something's wrong), before I put in my discus!

As a footnote, I'm NOT trying to create a biotope tank, just an nicely aquascaped tank. If I was aiming for a biotope, I would have skipped the Flourite gravel, removed most of the plants, and had the wood positioned vertically.

[Wahter]

I split the CO2 line in two so I could run a CO2 diffuser at each end of the tank (the Eheim CO2 diffuser is more or less rated for a 55 gallon tank maximum). Here's what I did.

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From the regulator (which is attached to the CO2 cylinder - 20 pound in this case), I've left a Clippard MNV-4K2 Needle valve in place to act as an elbow (I have it opened up, so it's not fine tuning the CO2 at all). I've also wrapped the airline tubing around, just to keep the strain/ stress lower on the tubing (not really necessary, but I don't want to risk having a pinched tube and if something catches on the airline, this will also help keep it from coming off the hose barb on the needle valve.).

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From there, I run the tubing into the Dennerle brand check valve. Some people don't do this; I just want to prevent the water from possibly backflowing from the aquarium into the regulator during the time when the CO2 supply is exhausted.

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After the check valve, I split the CO2 line into two with a "T" connector. From what I've read, even though the law of the gas going to the route of least resistance, if you have a separate needle valve, you can control the amount of CO2 gas going to each of the CO2 diffusers. I've read that you would need a manifold if you want to split this up into more than two lines.

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From there, each (both) of the CO2 lines goes into a check valve (in this case, its the Fabco NV-55 Needle valve). In case you're wondering, the needle valve on the left has brass hose barbs, whereas the one on the right has nylon hose barbs (that was purchased from someone on the 'net many years ago - I might change those barbs over to brass later). This needle valve works fine and allows for fine tuning of the CO2. It's connections are 10/32 though, so the hose barbs are hard to find. Conversely, there is the more expensive Fabco NV-55-18 Needle valve which has 1/8" ports and although you can't find the 1/8" to 1/8" hose barbs at Home Depot or Lowe's, I was able to find them at Ace Hardware for around $2.50 each.

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So now, I have one Eheim CO2 diffuser on the left side of the aquarium.

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And I have one on the right side of the aquarium. :) Hopefully, that will help the plants grow out bigger and better!

The Eheim diffuser includes a bubble counter and a ceramic/ sintered glass disc. The CO2 is pushed through and escapes in a fine mist which is easily dissolved in the aquarium.

Other companies make these types of diffusers:
http://www.greenleafaquariums.com/co2-diffusers.html
http://www.adgshop.com/CO2_Glassware_s/60.htm

As long as you don't exceed 30ppm in CO2, there's no danger of asphyxiating the fish. Plus, when the plants are photosynthesizing, they should be producing an excess of oxygen - enough to "feed" them during the night and still have enough for the fish in the tank too.

[Wahter]

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Here's a photo of the new aquarium at night - I had to use a photo stitch program, so if it looks a bit distorted, you know why.

[Wahter]

So a common question I get asked is "won't pumping CO2 into the aquarium kill the fish?". Not if you control the amount. What you want to aim for is around 25 to 30 ppm and there's a device for that called a CO2 drop checker.

http://www.dtpetsupplies.com/catalog/images/CO-RS51020.jpg

I have the one made by Red Sea, but there are many others out there such as:

Amano's ADA Drop Checker
CAL Aqua's Drop Checker

And you can even make your own (there are a couple of articles on the web on how to do this).

Basically, the way these work is the CO2 from the water will go from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration. So the DO2 will go into the "air" within the drop checker and then into the water with the test/ indicator solution. The solution will then change color and depending on the color, you'll know roughly if you have too little, just right, or too much CO2. It's important that the water inside the drop checker is 4dkH (Carbonate Hardness) or the color indicator may not work. Usually people just make their own reference solution, which is what I'm going to do. My tap water is 3dkH, so I just need 1/64 of a teaspoon to get 500ml to 4dkH.

[Wahter]

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I bought the pack of Waxman 1-1/2" Gripper Pads and placed them on the corner of the light strips. These seem to raise the lights up high enough off the glass (I have a concern that the heat from the lights can cause the glass to crack - I've seen it before). They aren't very good as far as 'no slip', but they seem to have the consistency of a hockey puck, so I hope they will last awhile. I actually double stacked them because I wanted just a bit of height over the glass.

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I also planted the Echinodorus tenellus (pygmy chain swords) yesterday. This variety will develop a nice red line along the leaf margins (edge). I used the Aqua Design Amano Pro-Pinsettes Grips to plant them. Worked pretty well. :) That was one of the souveniers I bought from my trip to Japan back in 2003.

[Wahter]

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After a few hours, the Red Sea CO2 indicator (drop checker) stabilized at a nice green color.

Blue = Not enough CO2 in the aquarium (harder for the plants)
Green = Good amount of CO2 in the aquarium
Yellow = Too much CO2 in the aquarium (dangerous for the fish)

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[Wahter]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v230/Chunker/125%20gallon%20aquarium%20project/IMG_8852.jpg

So finally, I am trying out my aquarium tank with actual fish!!!! :) The Guinea pig = Clown Loach (Chromobotia macracanthus). I actually was given about 6 of these from a friend, but when I lent them to another friend, that friend killed off all of them but this one! Anyway, it survived the first night and I'll leave it in there for another night. I'm also hoping it will eat up some of the snails I have in the new tank (I don't know where they came from either!). These clown loaches are better in groups, but some of them pick up bad habits, such as uprooting plants, nibbling on plants, going into a feeding frenzy (and scaring other fish or eating up all the food before the other fish can get to it), digging up the gravel, etc... so I've just been keeping this one - it's been pretty well behaved so far. :)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v230/Chunker/125%20gallon%20aquarium%20project/IMG_8853.jpg

[Wahter]

Just about finished... put in the main fish (symphysodon aequifasciatus or "discus")

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v230/Chunker/125%20gallon%20aquarium%20project/IMG_8859.jpg

I hope they like their new home! Because discus are a bit skittish at times, I am a bit worried that they will scratch themselves on the wood, but so far, so good. I'll keep an eye on them. I definitely need to get some more scavengers because bits of the food which I fed them end up tucked down in the spaces between the branches (where the discus can't reach). I'm thinking of getting some Corydoras sterbai. I also want to get some cardinal tetras too to function as dither fish. Since most of those are wild caught, they don't always acclimate easily and often there are huge casualties. I need to find a shop that acclimates them awhile before selling them.

The other minor change I did was add a piece of manzanita wood on the left side and I trimmed off the dead portions of the stems of the Ludwigia arcuata, then replanted the tops. That plant should grow and fill up the open area that is left of center.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v230/Chunker/125%20gallon%20aquarium%20project/IMG_8861.jpg

[Wahter]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v230/Chunker/125%20gallon%20aquarium%20project/IMG_8880.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v230/Chunker/125%20gallon%20aquarium%20project/IMG_8881.jpg

My Corydoras sterbai I ordered from Martha arrived. They are very small though. Only about 1 inch (~2.5cm). I have them in a separate tank (quarantine). So far, they are eating well and they look fine. I will keep an eye on them and then treat them for parasites, just in case they are carrying some, before I put them in the 125 gallon aquarium tank.

[Wahter]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v230/Chunker/125%20gallon%20aquarium%20project/IMG_8871.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v230/Chunker/125%20gallon%20aquarium%20project/IMG_8876.jpg

Several years ago, I ordered a pair of Hypancistrus "Queen Arabesque" L260 catfish. I've had them for about 10 years. They are small, but I like the maze like line pattern on them. These days, they are expensive and not always easy to find.

I thought these catfish would stir up the gravel and mix it up with the sand while trying to burrow under the wood, and surely enough, they have. >:(

So, I've moved them out into another tank (I also had a goldnugget in the tank and moved that fish out as well - it was literally destroying all of the sword plants / Echinodorous in the tank.).

[Wahter]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v230/Chunker/125%20gallon%20aquarium%20project/IMG_8868.jpg

Ludwigia arcuata (Needle leaf Ludwigia) is a plant that I've had on and off for many years. Usually, I have a few of them in at least one of my aquariums, but every now and then, I'll trade or sell them off and be left with none. It's a nice plant, not too hard to keep, under bright light it develops a nice red coloring, and it's even native to the USA.

Recently, the plants I have of this species wasn't doing very well, but I went ahead and planted them. I am confident they will grow large enough that I'll have to sell off bunches again. The last time a friend gave me some, they were bought from a store about 5 hours away from my house, but had deteriorated/ rotted in the bag, so that only a very small piece was still alive. I carefully nursed it back to health and that's where my current stock came from.

[Wahter]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v230/Chunker/125%20gallon%20aquarium%20project/IMG_9027.jpg

I had purchased about 40 cardinal tetras for this tank (adding a few at a time), but they died while in quarantine. The last group brought in some ich and then all of them died really quickly (probably some bacterial problem). Quick Cure was not able to save them. :( Rather sad seeing them die, but that's why I setup a quarantine tank.

I'll try to get a small school of cardinal tetras again later.

[Wahter]

That's all. Thanks for reading!

I hope this will help some other simply members to setup a nice planted discus aquarium tank.

A few notes:

- The Lee brand pump/ switch didn't last long and it cracked where it connects to the faucet. :(

- One of the Aqueon glass tops cracked under the heat from the lighting. Dual CF lights are just too hot. I'm searching for some legs.

- Sometimes the Eheim Pro 3 is a bit tricky to start after cleaning. I think an air pocket gets in there.

- As mentioned before, the pl*cos stirred up the substrate while "burrowing" under the wood, thus messing things up a bit. I've now removed them, but the goldnugget also rasped the leaves of the sword plants into shreds.

I'll add to this list if I can think of any other things that didn't go as planned.


Walter

[xKevinx]

i like it very much. i am a newbie to planted tank and just have low tech semiplanted. i dose excel once a week. goin to look at som Alex Piwow. discus for it or maybe some wilds

[seanyuki]

Hey Walter ......wow very neat details of yr new planted tank.....nice to see u back into discus.......keep us posted.



ps.

did you get yr Saint Bernard?

[retiredsailor]

Walter, your tank is beautiful. i am actually in the process of setting up a planted 125 myself. i just have to get off my rear and finish making the stand. great thread, though. perfect amount of pics and text to show how you are doing it.

ian drennan
drums, pa

[DonMD]

Great post, Wahter. I hope the planted discus tank gets broken in well, and develops a lush green forest along with a healthy environment for your fish. You obviously know your stuff! Reading your comments about the floor joists ~ I put a 125 g tank parallel to my floor joists along an outside wall, but I actually opened up the ceiling below and added another joist! Can't be too careful about all that weight. Great job!

[tonytheboss1]

:bandana: Excellent post Walter. Hope I can be as successful as you w/ my 125g. Taking it slow. Reading & researching. Very inspiring although mine is a 5' tank. "T"

[pseudocaesar]

Absolutely fantastic journal, a real pleasure to read through it all, I wish you the best for your tank :)

[Dis82]

Nice tank and plants.

[ajvdiscus]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v230/Chunker/125%20gallon%20aquarium%20project/IMG_9027.jpg

I had purchased about 40 cardinal tetras for this tank (adding a few at a time), but they died while in quarantine. The last group brought in some ich and then all of them died really quickly (probably some bacterial problem). Quick Cure was not able to save them. :( Rather sad seeing them die, but that's why I setup a quarantine tank.

I'll try to get a small school of cardinal tetras again later.

that why you should always use a QT for everything even plants,
Nice tank keep up the good work.

[Craigmax]

fantastic setup. in the process of setting up a 125 long myself. you've inspired me. Thank you.

[CrazyAngels]

Great job Walter. BTW, contractor was right about the placement of your tank.. Great load bearing section.

[Billy Vu]

Walter,

Thanks for such an informative post. I'll definitely be re-reading this post for some inspiration when I set up my new tank. You did a great job!

All the best,
Billy

[Bud]

nice tank!I too am moving my grow outs to the same tank.I just drilled it today.(BTW all glass on that tank is drillable BESIDES the bottom!!)And one of my tops also cracked from my T5 fixture.I made my own stand and top,plastered with a proffesional series simulated black and gray georgia granite material.....had africans in it, now I fear I cant use top due to frequent maintenance issues:( Awsome set-up though.Im having a hard time getting help moving that sucker:)

[georgia.guy]

Hello all.
I'm coming back to freshwater planted tanks after doing saltwater reef tanks for many years. I'm curious about the arrangement of your substrate. What's the purpose of having the lighter sand in the foreground and darker flourite in the back? Any links to information on this would be greatly appreciated.

[Wahter]

Hello all.
I'm coming back to freshwater planted tanks after doing saltwater reef tanks for many years. I'm curious about the arrangement of your substrate. What's the purpose of having the lighter sand in the foreground and darker flourite in the back? Any links to information on this would be greatly appreciated.

#1.) Discus are brighter in lighter colored environments
#2.) Many plants don't grow as well in an inert silica sand (doesn't have much in terms of iron, etc...) compared with Flourite
#3.) Many of Takashi Amano's tanks (and other people's too) use the "two substrate" method

Hope that helps,


Walter

[georgia.guy]

Thanks Walter, that makes sense. I hadn't heard of Takashi Amano's aquascaping techniques until recently, when I read your thread. I've been studying some of his designs on the internet, and I just ordered one of his books. I hope I can come close to producing something like one of his designs, as you've done.

[Wahter]

Better yet, check out Amano's videos on youtube.com:

http://www.youtube.com/user/aquadesignamano?feature=watch


Walter

[georgia.guy]

Thanks for the link, Walter. That was very interesting seeing him put those aquascapes together!

[DiscusBR]

Beautiful setup. Any updates?

[discusplantedtanklover]

Its gorgous tank set up.

[ademink]

Great thread...educational. Helps me immensely as I set out to put together my first large tank. Thank you for your wisdom!

[Herbicidal]

Beautiful setup. Any updates?
+1!

By the way Wahter, the link in your signature line is "dead".