[freshfish]

I love and have learned so much reading other ppl's Journals here that I'm going to start one, too. Since I am still completely in the planning stages of setting up my "new" used 90gal that is a MAJOR fixer-upper, this is going to be a start-at-scratch-to-finish project!

December 2007- Clown loaches in the 46gal are getting big. Been drooling over larger tanks for a long long time- especially FW planted tank pics I keep finding online. I want at least 100gal tank.

January 2008- Let my hubby get a 62" flatscreen TV for Xmas- great leverage for getting him to finally let me get my new big tank for my Bday this month! Finally got him to agree- as long as it goes in my home office and the whole thing is within a $500 startup budget (don't see how that's fair in comparison with his TV... but WHATEVER! lol) With that budget and the size tank I want, means I'm going with a used tank. Started hunting newspapers, craigslist and ebay for used tanks for sale in my area. Being FL and so near the ocean, I guess, can't find ANY used setups that size that are FW. Finally found one on craigslist 40mil away. Custom 90gal with black hood, canopy and filter $250.

Jan 5 2008- Went and looked at the 90gal- needs alot of cosmetic work and (surprise surprise) used to be SW and is drilled w/ an in-tank overflow. No sump, though. HOB filter doesn't look so hot, but I want to go with a canister anyways. Filled with water, no apparent leaks, and ppl say they had it up and running no probs till hubby got a new big flatscreen TV for Xmas and needed to make room so they took it down (too funny!) Negotiated the crap out of the people and got the whole setup WITH delivery for $200. Here's the tank:



Got home and took inventory. Whole thing needs a good scrub- lots of FW and SW deposts everywhere. Stand and hood need refinishing. Hood has some water damage underneath where the HOB splashed up on it. Definitely will want a canopy for this tank- no more splashing and the thing is going in my office with lots of books- want to cut down on humidity. Didn't notice it before, but the stand is actually 1/2" too small for the tank! Hubby has a nice big piece of MDF I'll slap on the top, cut to size, route the edges, and paint with the rest of the stand... not that much more work than refinishing the whole thing, anyways.


Decision- do I want to paint the whole thing white to match the trim in my office or black again to match the other tank in my office? Definitely black.

Removed the rusted-out shop florescent light fixture from canopy. Top of one of the screws totally disintegrated under my screwdriver- had to pull it out with pliers! Ick the thing was disgusting!!! Miracle no one electrocuted themselves with the state of the wiring and rusted ballast...

Got online and started researching the heck out of lighting fixtures. Pricing out filtration, substrate, plants, and driftwood/rock decor, too... gonna be really tight with only $300 left!!!

[freshfish]

Jan 12, 08- Parents down to visit for my Bday. Got my Dad to buy my canister filter for my BDay- thanks Daddy! Sure helps with the budget! Worked a little on my Mom to see if she'd get my lighting as my belated Xmas present, but she was more gung-ho about adding to the vintage china set I inherited from my grandmother... oh well... found some nice pieces I needed...

Got my dad to take a look at the tank and give me some advice about my canopy issues. Good thing I wanted a LT project, because the custom measurements on this tank are making getting equipment for it quite difficult! Dad said since there's no center brace for support, (the tank is braced but it's too far down in the tank for the canopy to use the support) he doesn't think glass would be stable, recommended acrylic- much cheaper, anyways. I'll have to research suitability?, but hubby knows there's a custom acrylic manufacturer in town. Here's the tank brace:


More online research for lighting. Drooling over Current T-5 4x54W w/ moonlight fixtures... but no way I can afford them, not even on Ebay *sigh* Local LSF doesn't carry used equipment- I checked. Looked into retrofit kits- usually don't come with fans, nervous about wiring myself and no protection for the bulbs? I could afford a 2x54W Current but not enough wattage- it's a deep tank so I know I need a little more light than otherwise... closest thing I can get to my goal of 2WpG and stay within my budget is Odyssea 260W PC fixture. Don't read great things about Odyssea online, but the fixture comes with fans and moonlights and with shipping should be able to get the thing for around $100 on Ebay... I start bidding.

[freshfish]

Jan 12-Jan 20, 08- I'm definitely obsessed. Joined TFH magazine's online forum, place is pretty cool and dude there are some ppl on here who know their stuff! Spending ALOT of time online asking and answering questions. Started bouncing ideas I've been playing around with and getting lots of new ideas, plus really good advice.

Won one of the Ebay auctions for the Odyssea fixture I picked out. Nervous about it, but not sure what else would have worked better? Fixture comes with 2 actinic bulbs; do they make pink PC bulbs for plants or will I just need to swap them out with 10,000k?

Learned that one of my biggest issues to overcome is probably going to be how to turn the in-tank overflow into a functioning asset for my tank- started trying to figure the mechanics of the thing out and how to adapt to a FW setup... Getting lots of help with this one! Overflow front and top views:



Found another good deal on Ebay for what looks like a really nice set of planting scissors and other utensils, all in a nice zip-up storage case- bought that. Lots of little budget items adding up...

[freshfish]

Jan 21, 08- Totally forgot that today was a holiday- I can work on the tank!

Researched acrylic canopies. Sounds like they might not be the best LT solution, but hopefully an affordable ST one. Called local Lucite mfr, said they'd get back with me in a day or two with an estimate. Pricing out 5/8" lucite. Hoping the extra clarity will help with light penetration, and I think lucite is supposed to be stronger, too?

Sanded and prepped the stand and hood for primer. Looks a little cool just like this- too bad I don't like shabby chic. Also, turns out whoever built it didn't prime it first. If they had, I probably wouldn't need to be refinishing it now and probably wouldn't have the water damage inside the hood! GRRR Water turned the top layer of plywood on the side into fluff- sanded that down best I could and will make sure to prime it well. I know we've got plenty of primer (hopefully kilz?) but I'm going to need black paint... wonder how much that will take out of the budget? I'd like to get it all primed by the end of the week, but got to look at my school assignments and see what all I have due in class this week.

Need help from the hubby to cut the MDF to size and tack to the top of the stand. Says he'll help me next weekend. The hinges on the wooden canopy and the doors to the stand could all use replacement. Wooden stand also has metal screw-in feet that look gross- more little items for my home depot list.

Ongoing discussion about substrate options in FW plant forum, also posted pics of tank overflow for help converting to FW filter of some sort (still hope to hook it up to my canister filter, but we'll see...) Also posted an idea for a DIY under-substrate heater, but after getting some constructive criticism I'll probably experiment with it on a small scale and not in this tank. Still don't want an in-tank heater (totally paranoid about either electrocuting or boiling myself and my fish), so if I need one, I'll probably go external.

[freshfish]

Jan 22, 08- Got some aquascaping ideas starting to bump around in my head. Gonna be a bear to work something around that overflow in a way that makes sense. Thinking of all vals and other grassy plants? Plus moss on the hardscape and that's it? In a tank this tall, I think Vals and tall crypts would look really good... Maybe a showpiece crypt or sword on the right of the tank to try and balance out the mass of the overflow...

Could make a disappearing stream, hide the overflows with vals that exend past the edge of the overflow, and run the "stream" substrate behind the "forest" of vals and to the side of the overflow? Maybe inert black gravel for the stream so the plants wouldnt grow there... I hate sand otherwise the white would be really dramatic against the black. (Will that bratty clown loach of mine behave in a tank with real plants???)

Or I could take my bluestone and make a road with walled-off raised planting beds around it, and some tree-ish stem plants... Stem plants always drive me batty tho, I hate pruning them. Maybe I could scale it different and have Java ferns be ferns in a tropical jungle effect on either side of the road... I'd need some stumps then... and I'd have to try and break the bluestone myself into smaller pieces to bring the walls to proportion; prolly not a good idea.

Is granite inert? Too long since I took geology... gotta look it up. I wonder if the place where we got our counters would let me go through their scrap bin and pick out pieces? They had some pretty incredible stuff there- I could get some pretty surreal aquascapes if I used some of THAT for inspiration! Martian theme with red fluorite, swimming discus= sideways UFOs! LOL Might even be too out there for me... (OMG I could put a Marvin the Martian in it and send pics to Mickey- he'd TOTALLY get a kick out of it!!!)

Mayan ruins... could use my bluestone for that. Weeping or java moss over them... I think I'll play with this idea some more.

On another note, JB thinks it may be possible to remove the overflow alltogether? I'll have to look at it tomorrow and see if I can figure out where and how well it's fastened in... If it works, I hope Gary hasn't put too much time and energy yet into trying to figure out how to make it work? Cross that bridge tomorrow- bedtime.

[freshfish]

Jan 22, 08- Lucite store called me back, $135- forget that! Guess I'll price out regular acrylic and hope I can replace it with glass sooner... at least I know the regular stuff is cheap cheap, and I can cut it myself if i need to (won't look nice, but w/e. It will be under the hood, anyways. Just hope it doesn't block too much light?)

More discussion about totally removing the overflow with JB and Gary. Gary's still concerned about the pvc pipe? I'm positive that it doesn't exit the tank anywhere, so I'm not sure what the issue is; either I'm missing something or Gary thinks I'm missing something but I'm not? No idea which... lol

Busy next couple of days, prolly won't get much done before this weekend, but maybe I can make some more phone calls looking for Soilmaster and see if there's a local regular acrylic mfr...

I'm going to play with South American jungle ruins theme in my head for awhile; could be pretty cheesy if I don't get hardscape proportions right... I could do upright driftwood for trees... for kicks I'm gonna google resin temples and see what I get?

[freshfish]

Still Jan 22...

LOL I found a resin alien and a UFO! maybe it's karma... also found buddhas, pagodas, great wall of china (that's kinda cool...), sphinx, pyramids, grecian temples, scaled replica of Solomon's Temple (!!! and $$$)... but nothing South American. Dude it is SO hard to type fighting a cat for the keyboard and with a beagle licking your ankles CUT IT OUT!! You know, if I were truly consistent with the Egyptian pet theme I should go with it in the tank too... but I'm not gonna- sorry furballs! Though I'm seriously thinking I might asian theme my next tank- bettas bettas bettas! AND CRS... hmm

Anyways, no risk of cheesy hardscape in this tank, all naturalistic it is! Though I'm gonna take another look at some of those resin stumps... less expensive than real driftwood... can mix and match if I cover everything with moss anyways... Ok save this one to look at more later- big selection of stuff seems pretty cheap http://www.247petshop.com/display_catalog.jsp?Category_ID=DRIFTWOODORN Like these too http://www.petsolutions.com/Bark-Tree-Stump-Aquarium-Ornaments+I92790304+C15.aspx possibility: http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2752282&cp=2767036.2769124&view=all&fbn=Taxonomy%7CD%E9cor&fbc=1&clickid=topnav_dropdown4_link4&parentPage=family&keepsr=1

Misc thoughts: Plant tools, 48" lights and new 10gal lights should all be here by early next week at the latest (prolly friday and sat, tho). Still wish I'd bought a 2 tank 10gal stand even though this one does look nice... Do I still have some store credit at Fish Central? I think $15 or so... better save it for fish. Startup budget's gonna b gone long b4 ready 4 fish, but that will give me plenty of time to cycle and play with the aquascape, anyways. Can't forget to prep the canister media!

Need to decide on basic aquascape so I can start pricing out plants; package deals, aquabid, or mix n match? Prolly the latter. I never like the looks of Fish Central's plants. They're so SW biased it's funny. Naples for ya- all about "Keeping Up with the Joneses" and who's reef is bigger and flashier... They look at me like I'm out of my mind when I ask about native FW fish! I do need to research if it'd be OK to stock my pond-to-be from the canal. I wonder if there's any Florida flagfish in there? Is it legal to use my castnet? Not sure I want to risk catching it on something even if it is... I'll have to figure out how to keep the walking catfish OUT of my pond next rainy season... *sigh* Nasty things. I can't believe the neighbors ate the ones out of the DITCH!!! I hope I don't get water moccasins. I haven't seen the black racer in a long time- think he took off when we hardscaped the front yard.

I think I feel sorry for anyone crazy enough to read and try to follow this entirely stream-of-consciouness post; I'll try to be more considerate next one!

[freshfish]

Jan 24, 08-

The PC hood for my 10gal came in today- light is so much cleaner than the old standard strip that was over it! Can actually see the red in the shrimp now- even the babies. Hope I don't get an algae bloom but if so I think the shrimp would be happy- those things have done an awesome job cleaning up what algae was left from the epidemic that took over after the botia episode... Plant tool kit also came in- I think I'll be happy with it.

Still trying to figure out what direction to go with a canopy. Turns out glass is definitely cheaper than acrylic- $10/sqft. Learned today from another acrylic mfr that the problem is that acrylic also comes standard in 48" lengths (I'm going to call it the "48 Inch Curse" from now on!!) so the quote I got today was $230!!! Have several glass quotes in the $50-100 range, but every single one of them brought up acrylic instead because of the 52" span with no brace and cracking issue *sigh*

One of the acrylic mfrs in my neighborhood suggested he could help me come up with a drawing if I brought him some digital pics; he might be able to make a brace for the inside of the tank (using either acrylic or his brother-in-law does stainless steel) that I could then use to retrofit the tank FOR one of the standard glass tops (with a center brace so I could use 2 pieces of glass). Sounds like a decent solution- but $$$ again. He didn't want to estimate it out without taking a look at the drawing, because labor would be the big part... Guy's a fellow hobbyist and sounded pretty interested in my project, understood pretty quicky what I was trying to do, so I might end up calling him up at some point?

I think I'm at the point where I'm going to set everything up without a top (if I run the canister filter through the drilled holes, hopefully there will be less splashing anyways) and save up for something really nice for the LT, since it sounds like no matter what I do it will have to be an investment.

To cut down on the cheese factor I think I'm going to try and do a simple aquascape- gravel streambed lined with banks of pygmy chain sword "grass." and then I'll have to scale everything against a backdrop of nice tall vals (are contortion vals the nice tall ones?) So the question is the layout of the streambed, and that will largely be determined on whether or not the overflow will still be in the tank. Still no advice from Gary or JB on that front?

Also still working on finding Soilmaster http://www.plantedtank.net/articles/Soilmaster-Select-Substrate/26/in Naples- turns out alot of the Lesco dealers only do business with the big golf courses (plenty of those around) and aren't interested in my puny business- LOL Just need enough for an aquarium, not a putting green...

[freshfish]

Jan 24, 08 (cont'd)

Ok I'm not going gung-ho biotope, and I know most of these are hi-tec, but here's some South American inspiration sites/pics:

Fish:
http://www.fishbase.org/TrophicEco/FishEcoList.cfm?ve_code=1

Misc info:
http://fish.mongabay.com/biotope_amazon_blackwater.htm
http://www.freshwateraquariumplants.com/amazonbiotope/amazon.html
http://www.lostmymarblz.com/amazonaquarium.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJf9wQNKysw
http://www.aqua-fish.net/show.php?id=15&cur_lang=2&what=aqua
http://www.amazonian-fish.co.uk/indexc3b0.html

Pics:




















LOL guess I need to figure out how to size these things too- but not tonight; bedtime. Do I HAVE to go to work tomorrow?? *sigh*

http://www.aquabotanic.com/gallery.htm

Pen-ultimate drooling experiences:
http://www.aquabotanic.com/contest2004/contest2004.htm

http://showcase.aquatic-gardeners.org/2007.cgi

[freshfish]

Jan 25, 08-

48" fixture came in today, but one white bulb broken, the other won't light. Sent email to the distributor; guess we'll learn pretty quickly what kind of customer service to expect! Of course both the actinics that I don't want work just fine *sigh* Holy cow what a difference there is in light output between regular flourescents and PCs though!!! Those tiny little LED moonlights r pretty bright, too! I'm looking forward to being able to watch my fish at night...

I can't remember how long my conference tomorrow is supposed to last, but I really hope I get home with enough daylight left to make some headway on the tank. I'm going to scrape the blue stuff off the back and see if I can see more about the overflow fastening situation... I'm pretty sure I'm going to give removing it a try.

Discussed bulbs in forum- William suggested that the actinic lights bring out fish colors and he thinks balance out the "stark" light from 10,000k's. I asked if 12,000k's are ok with plants but no answer yet. I guess I'll leave the actinics for now and see how they look with cardinals?

[freshfish]

Feb. 08 update to this post I decided not to try and re-invent the wheel:

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/plantfinder/go.php

http://www.plantgeek.net/plantguide_cat.php?category=6



Jan 26, 08-

Plant Research

Ok I'm going to go for an architectural aquascape emphasizing repetition. Hoping to narrow it down to approx. 5 species or less? But I'm going to start my search big then narrow it down from there...

Riverfront arrangement, with inert gravel in the front transitioning through plant heights into a thick, tall forest in the back?

New World Plants

Source data:

http://www.aquaticplantresources.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=18975

http://www.freshwateraquariumplants.com/amazonbiotope/amazon.html

http://www.plantedtank.net/

http://www.aquaspotworld.com/

http://www.plantgeek.net/

Options:

Alternanthera reinecki- Narrow-leaved calico plant, Scarlet hygro
http://www.dennerle.de/EN/HG05.htm
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/myplants/31-Amaranth_redroot_Alternanthera_sp.html
http://www.plantgeek.net/plant-9.htm
Growth height: Up to 60 cm
Propagation: Tip cuttings, approx. 25 cm
Cultivation: Undemanding. The more light, the richer the colouring.
South America
High light
Difficult

Azolla filiculoides

Azolla caroliniana-Fairy moss
http://www.tropica.com/default.asp
http://www.plantgeek.net/plant-26.htm
North America, Central America, South America
Low light
Moderate difficulty
Floating plant

Bacopa australis

Bacopa carolinia
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/myplants/40-Bacopa_Caroliniana_Bacopa.html

Bacopa lanigera-Hairy Water Hyssop
Bacopa myriophylloides

Cabomba aquatica - Fanwort
http://www.plantgeek.net/plant-41.htm
Northern and central South America
High light
Difficult

Cabomba caroliniana
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/myplants/43-Carolina_Fanwort_Cabomba_caroliniana.html

Cabomba furcata
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/myplants/30-Red_Cabomba_Cabomba_furcata_Cabomba_piauhyensis.html
http://www.plantgeek.net/plant-43.htm
South America
High light
Very difficult

Ceratopteris pteridoides
Ceratopteris thalictroides
Ceratophyllum submersum

Echnidorus sp.- various Swordplant varieties
http://www.aquabotanic.com/choosingswords.htm
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/myplants/All_Plants/25/0

Egeria densa-Elodea densa
Egeria najas-Elodea najas

Eichhornia azurea - anchored water hyacinth
http://www.plantgeek.net/plant-112.htm
Tropical Americas

Eichhornia crassipes-Water Hyacinth
Eichhornia diversifolia-Variable Leaf Water Hyacinth
Eichhornia hetrosperma
Eichhornia natans

Eleocharis acicularis-dwarf hairgrass,needle spike rush,hairgrass

Eleocharis montevidensis- Giant hairgrass
http://www.plantgeek.net/plant-130.htm
Southern US

Frontinalis antipyretica- Willow moss
http://www.plantgeek.net/plant-210.htm
Southeastern US

Gymnocoronis spilanthoides-Senegal tea plant,temple plant,spade leaf plant

Heteranthera reniformis

Heteranthera zosterifolia-Stargrass
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/myplants/88-Star_Grass_Heteranthera_zosterifolia.html

Hydrocleys martii
Hydrocleys nymphoides

Hydrocotyle leucocephala - Pennywort/ Brazilian water ivy
http://www.dennerle.de/EN/Pflanzenergebnis.asp
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/myplants/90-Brazilian_Pennywort_Hydrocotyle_leucocephala.html
Shoot length: 60 cm

Hydrocotyle ranunculoides

Hydrocotyle verticillata
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/myplants/92-Whorled_Pennywort_Hydrocotyle_verticillata.html

Hydrothix gardneri

Hygrophilia Corombosa
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/myplants/48-Narrow_Leaf_Giant_Hygro_Hygrophila_corymbosa_Siamensis.html
from Thailand

Hygrophilia difformis- Water wisteria
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/myplants/170-Water_Wisteria_Hygrophila_difformis.html
from Asia Minor

Hygrophila guianensis

Hygrophilia Polysperma- dwarf Hygro
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/myplants/94-Dwarf_Hygrophila_Hygrophila_polysperma.html
from India

Isoetes lacustris- Octopus plant, Quillwort
http://www.plantgeek.net/plant-237.htm
Southeastern US

Lemna minor

Lilaeopsis brasiliensis- Microsword
http://www.plantgeek.net/plant-144.htm
Southeastern Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina

Lilaeopsis carolinensis-micro word
Lilaeopsis novae zelandiae

Ludwigia brevipes- Long Beach primrose
http://www.plantgeek.net/plant-152.htm
Southeastern US

Ludwigia helminthorrhiza
Ludwigia inclinata
Ludwigia palustris-water primrose

Ludwigia repens- Primrose
http://www.plantgeek.net/plant-156.htm
Southern US and Mexico

Ludwigia sedoides

Mayaca fluviatilis
http://www.plantgeek.net/plant-159.htm
Southeastern US, Central & South America

Micranthemum umbrosum- Baby tears
http://www.plantgeek.net/plant-160.htm
US

Myriophyllum aquatica - Parrot's feather
http://www.plantgeek.net/plant-168.htm
South America
High light
Moderate difficulty

Myriophyllum elatinoides

Myriophyllum heterophyllum- Foxtail
http://www.plantgeek.net/plant-212.htm
Northeast America
High light
Moderate difficulty

Myriophyllum mattogrossense

Najas conferta
http://www.plantgeek.net/plant-173.htm

Najas guadalupensis-guppy grass
http://www.plantgeek.net/plant-174.htm
US, Central & South America

Nitella flexilis-Stonewort,smooth stonewort
Nymphaea glandulfera
Nymphaea lotus
Nymphaea rudgeana

Nymphoides aquatica- Banana plant
http://www.plantgeek.net/plant-177.htm
US

Nymphoides microphylla

Nymphoides peltata- Floating heart
http://www.plantgeek.net/plant-259.htm
US

Ottelia brasiliensis

Pilea cadierel- Aluminum plant
http://www.plantgeek.net/plant-218.htm
South America
*Non-aquatic*

Phyllanthus fluitans- Red root floater
Potamogeton acutifolius

Potamogeton gayi
http://www.plantgeek.net/plant-179.htm
South America
Moderate light
Moderate difficulty

Proserpinaca palustris- Mermaid weed
http://www.plantgeek.net/plant-213.htm
Southeastern US

Reussia rotundifolia

Sagittaria subulata-dwarf sag or narrow leaf Sag
Sagittaria lancifolia
Sagittaria montevidensis

Sagittaria platyphylla- Broad-leafed sagittaria
http://www.plantgeek.net/plant-188.htm
Southern US, Central America

Sagittaria subulata-dwarf sag or narrow leaf Sag
Salvinia molesta-Giant salvina
Salvinia cuccullata
Salvinia auriculata

Shinnersia rivularis- Mexican oak leaf
http://www.plantgeek.net/plant-192.htm
Northern Mexico, Texas
Medium light
Medium difficulty

Tonina fluviatalis
http://www.plantgeek.net/plant-240.htm
South America
Very high light
Very difficult

Utricularia minor- Lesser bladderwort
http://www.plantgeek.net/plant-284.htm
US
carnivorous

Vallisneria americana- various varieties/cultivars
http://www.aquaspotworld.com/index.php?time=1201481107&session=8301f315d52cb085179ae3f898ead28f
http://www.plantgeek.net/plant-193.htm

Java Fern (Microsorum pteropus )
Java Fern, Lace Windelov

Initial Plant Criteria for my setup:

I want at least mostly native South or Central American plants. Need to be able to withstand discus temps, though I'm not planning on heating the tank at first, so they need a decent temperature range (mid 70s to high 80s). Low to moderate light, no CO2.

Options include:

[freshfish]

Sat. Jan 27, 08-

At a conference all day so didn't get to touch the tank. Won't get anything done tomorrow, either since I have HW and a paper to write... *sigh* o well.

The FishFactory emailed me back and said I need to file a claim with UPS about my broken bulbs. Are they open on Sundays? I'll try tomorrow and see.

Gabe Posada at WattleyDiscus http://www.wattleydiscus.com/ emailed me back and confirmed that I would be able to go in person and pick out and pick up discus as long as I call first. Hopefully I can get this show on the road and ready for discus by this summer???

Emailed a few more Soilmaster dealers in town; hopefully one will either be able to help me get some or point me to where I can get my hands on some? At around $15/50lbs this is going to be the most economical way to go for me. Steve says he doesn't like light substrates like Soilmaster, and prefers EcoComplete, but cost is a bigger factor for me. Gary wants to try ADA Aquasoil. I'll mix the Soilmaster with one of the following:

Onyx Sand
http://www.seachem.com/products/product_pages/Onyx%20Sand.html

EcoComplete
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+10741+9087&pcatid=9087

ADA Aquasoil ($$$!)
http://www.adgshop.com/Substrate_System_s/1.htm

Pricing:

Found a handy calculator tool on The Planted Tank site: http://www.plantedtank.net/articles/CalculatorsConvertors/5/ Figuring I need approx. 140lbs total of substrate:

9 liter (2.4 gallon) bag of ADA Aquasoil priced out at approx. $40 shipped. POOF- could only afford 1 bag at most!

http://www.bigalsonline.com/edealinv/servlet/ExecMacro?omni_scAdd=scAdd&nurl=control%2FBrowseCatalog.vm&eurl=control%2FBrowseCatalog.vm&rurl=control%2FBrowseCatalog.vm&ctl_nbr=3684&queryType=0&path=&offset=&hits=&sortby=&query=substrate

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/pet_supplies.cfm?c=3578+10741 EcoComplete at $22/20lb bag is $64 for 40lbs including $24 shipping. EcoComplete at $22/20lbs is $54 total including $10 shipping.

http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_AquariumPage~PageAlias~substrates_calcium_reactor_media_freshwater_gravel_seachem_caribsea_eco-complete.html

Gary and Steve suggest an underlayer of peat, and Steve's suggestions included prepping the peat with mulm, too. That's a good idea, to give the N-bacteria a boost... (plus it's just fish poop instead of cow poop- totally understand that- completely on my level!)

Also need to research bulkheads to plug the drill holes.

http://www.bigalsonline.com/edealinv/servlet/ExecMacro?omni_scAdd=scAdd&nurl=control%2FBrowseCatalog.vm&eurl=control%2FBrowseCatalog.vm&rurl=control%2FBrowseCatalog.vm&ctl_nbr=3684&queryType=0&path=&offset=&hits=&sortby=&query=bulkhead&submit.x=9&submit.y=10

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=4009&Nty=1&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=All&pc=1&N=0&Ntt=bulkhead&Np=1

http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_searchItem.aspx?IdCategory=&SearchText=bulkhead&parsed=1

My plant research project in the previous post I'm going to work on and add to bit by bit. Turning into a big project!

[freshfish]

Sun. Jan 28, 08

Accomplished nothing tank-wise other than ongoing plant research between reading boring chapters of HBSE book... slowly refining and organizing my own little New World plant "database." Need to read some Research Methods chapters before Wed, too- even more boring. Administration book still hasn't come in??? *sigh* Can't quit work before March, getting next month's school assignments done is gonna KILL me! Was I smart or an idiot to take on an extra class this semester? I'll decide after it's all over and done with.

[freshfish]

Tues. Jan. 29, 08-

A few things done- ordered bulkheads and screen fittings: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/NavResults.cfm?N=0&Np=1&Ntt=bulkhead&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=All&Nty=1&pc=1 Ordered a few other things along with it, this was the only place I could find that came with screens and was the cheapest with shipping.

Did my WC's today- took a little more (30%) out of the 10gal- looks like one piece of the pellia is wilting... not sure what's up but the rest look fine? I love how perky all the critters get in fresh water! Of course the big clown loach is using all his new energy to put even more effort into digging up all the plants... I can hear all the clicks as he picks up and drops each piece of gravel all the way in my office! Maybe I should just cut off all those horrible pink roots? I don't know why on earth they put them on the stupid plants anyways... they don't DO anything besides look ugly!

Also started cutting the silicone around the top of the overflow to see about removing it- it's definately fastened more than just at the top. Cut as much as I could reach with a razor blade. I'm debating trying to use a filet knife to see if that's flexible to slip between the glass and the overflow to cut the additional beads that must still be holding it in? (Hubby won't let me use his fancy-schmancy cooking knives... LOL That's ok, he doesn't have a blade thin enough, anyways... think I might just get the cheapest thinnest knife I can find at WallyWorld (aka WalMart). Trying to think if I can think of anything else that might work... a saw blade might do the job, too- and that would probably be thin enough... actually, that might just work since I wouldn't have to worry about the handle making the angle all wrong? Ace Hardware, here I come!

To do list:
-Clean tank; remove overflow, deposits (vinegar and/or CLR?), scrape the blue off the back, and give the whole inside a good salt scrub.
-Remove rusted feet from stand, install new mdf top
-Prime, paint, and possibly clear-coat stand and canopy.
-Paint black background on tank
-Install bulkheads
-Mount/rig fixture in canopy (UPS did not show today- call UPS again about broken bulbs!)

Supply list: (maybe this weekend?)
-saw blade (prolly hacksaw, maybe 14"?)
-black acrylic paint
-paintbrush
-4" paint roller cover
-polyurethane? (talk to the guys at Ace- they know their stuff!)
-lg piece of acrylic? (still would like at least some moisture barrier...)
-tube 100% silicone
-1" PVC caps- prefer black

Learned something tonight. I found my bag of catfish pellets on the floor covered in teeth marks... turns out the pellets make GREAT cat and dog treats! Osiris especially likes them- and he must have been the one that jumped up on top of the escritoire to swipe them in the first place. Smelled them myself and they smell like nori... but I'll stick with regular nori, TYVM!

[freshfish]

Wed. Jan 31, 08

Not feeling great by the time I got home today so won't be spending time out in the garage...

Discussing various options and getting ideas of perhaps better ways to go about removing the overflow; I plan to take a hairdryer out and try and heat and stretch the silicone, and then see how far I can get it and what I can use to cut it free from there (perhaps wire, perhaps my razor, perhaps a saw blade... we'll just start with what I have laying around and see what works!)

Getting overwhelmed with the massive plant task- it's interesting and informative, but way too time-consuming. I'm very strongly leaning towards having JUST swords and vals in the tank- both of these come in many many varieties, sizes, and colors. They're also popular, pretty hardy, and readily available... I want this tank to focus on the fish more than the plants. I'm going to narrow my research to these two plants (for now) and pick out some variants that are good matches for my tank setup and aquascape ideas.

Source info:

http://www.aquabotanic.com/choosingswords.htm

http://www.plantgeek.net/plantguide_list.php?category=4&filter_by=18

http://www.tropica.com/default.asp

http://www.aquaspotworld.com/index.php?time=1201744636&session=23c967580fcf8bc480e8fd5f390ebece

Probable selections:

Moss:
Frontinalis antipyretica- Willow moss http://www.plantgeek.net/plant-210.htm

Foreground:
Lilaeopsis mauritius (Micro Sword narrow leaf) http://www.aquabotanicstore.com/Micro_Sword_narrow_leaf_p/pf108.htm
E. parviflorus 'Tropica' http://www.tropica.com/default.asp

Middle:
E. 'Ozelot' http://www.tropica.com/default.asp
E. 'Red Diamond' http://www.tropica.com/default.asp

Background:
E. angustifolius http://www.aquaspotworld.com/index.php?time=1201744655&session=23c967580fcf8bc480e8fd5f390ebece&module=product&action=productDetail&pid=228&ori=page%3D1%26time%3D1201744655%26session%3D23c967580fcf8bc480e8fd5f390ebece%26module%3Dproduct%26action%3D%26group_id%3D%26bestbuy%3D%26apha%3D
Vallisneria americana v. gigantea (Jungle Val) http://www.tropica.com/default.asp
Vallisneria contortion http://www.plantgeek.net/plant-195.htm

I also think that Lesco has stopped carrying Soil Master- I can't find it anywhere on their website. Instead, I sent an email to Oil Dri asking for a local distributor and/or ordering information. http://www.oildri.com/agri/sportsform.htm