# new project



## bsb (Feb 21, 2015)

im going to start on my 37 gallon tank project today

ive been using my girls tanks to grow my plants ive collected and now its time.

lighting is still not final, but thinking a 65watt 6500k flood light will be the ticket.

3" of top soil with 1" of pool filter sand seem about right?


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## jjposko (Jan 3, 2013)

bsb said:


> im going to start on my 37 gallon tank project today
> 
> ive been using my girls tanks to grow my plants ive collected and now its time.
> 
> ...


Check out these threads on NPT. They helped me out alot. 
http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=114575
http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=114575&page=4

On the LED spot/flood I would get 2/3 to go across instead of 1. Also with multiple lights you could reduce the watts. That way light will be evenly distributed across tank. I use the spot lights on the upper right tank in the picture. They really work well.


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## bsb (Feb 21, 2015)

thx, i will look in the morning. home depot in knoxville was a waste of time, terrible service. 35 minutes to waiting to get help so we put the stuff down and walked out.

Got several more plants and free snails. fixing to start putting it together. Also got my wife a new piece of coral with several types of plants on it.

is the k rating on the leds 6500?

btw ofl thread is what got me wanting a planted tank


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## jjposko (Jan 3, 2013)

Amazon is where I got my LED's. You have some different options. If you want the link to the ones I have just let me know.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

These are nice. No bells and whistles but my plants are doing quite well.

http://www.aquavibrant.com/lighting/finnex-tri-color-stingray.html


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## BaileyBetta (Aug 10, 2012)

Russell,
I think I have asked before, but do you have any plants that need/want high light and do you do C02?
Thanks!


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

BaileyBetta said:


> Russell,
> I think I have asked before, but do you have any plants that need/want high light and do you do C02?
> Thanks!


Nope and nope.


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## bsb (Feb 21, 2015)

tanks set up, ill post pic later, cloudy water atm.

ive been checking out the lights, current usa and finnex planted model. theres around 19 1/2" from sand to the top of the tank. im liking the slim designs vs building a light stand.

thx for the help folks.


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## bsb (Feb 21, 2015)

any idea on the kind of snails? ghost shrimp will be in this evening


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## BettaBoy51 (Nov 13, 2013)

bsb said:


> any idea on the kind of snails? ghost shrimp will be in this evening




if i where you id put some Red Cherry Shrimp in there or a different small colorful shrimp. i think thed look much better than ghost shrimp(there really had to see in those type of tanks) but overall that tank looks good! are you adding anymore plants?


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Not enough plants in the first for shrimp; especially RCS. JMO, of course.


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## bsb (Feb 21, 2015)

more plants added+ shrimp. 

suggestions and opinions are welcome. I'm not sure how close i can put the plants together tbh about it. i'm really enjoying how its turning out.


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## BettaBoy51 (Nov 13, 2013)

you really need ALOT more plants


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## bsb (Feb 21, 2015)

ok will try to pick up more soon, how far apart they need to be?


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## BettaBoy51 (Nov 13, 2013)

all of them can be close and they should be. they dont need to be spread out like that. look in the marketplace you should be able to find kinda you can get at the store. the shrimp (and fish) would benefit from alder cones IAL or driftwood (PM me i can get you some if your interested) id use alder cones.the more plants the better. id also add some Java And Peacock moss and some more shirmp or RCS once the tank is planted WAYYY more than it is. if you can try to get fast growing stem plants like green caobomba, anacharis,rotala,hortwort pennywort(my fav and grows really fast.)stuff like tha tso it will grow real quick!



EDIT: also some more ramshorns and MTS to help aerate the sand and soil.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

You can plant in clumps. You can also get some plant weights and wrap them around 7-8 stems of something like Narrow Leaf Anacharis, Cabomba, Najas/Guppy Grass. The weights will sink them and make them look planted. As they grow they tend to "flow" over the top of the water.

This tank is going to be gorgeous when the plants fill in.

BTW, Summersea has a couple of nice plant packages for sale in the Classifieds Section nd JDAquatics, also a member, can be reached via PM. I buy most of my plants from him and some from www.bamaplants.com.


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## jjposko (Jan 3, 2013)

You really need to almost overstock an NPT with plants when starting out. Don't forget to add some floating plants as well... dwarf watter lettuce, duckweed, salvinia or red root floaters. 



BettaBoy51 said:


> if you can try to get fast growing stem plants like green caobomba, anacharis,rotala,hortwort pennywort(my fav and grows really fast.)stuff like tha tso it will grow real quick!EDIT: also some more ramshorns and MTS to help aerate the sand and soil.


 +1

Naja/guppy grass is a great addition that grows quickly. You will have some great growth over the next week so I would trim and replant accordingly. 

RussellTheShihTzu has some great looking planted tanks if you need ideas.

+1 on JDAquatics or bamaplants. I have ordered from both and they carry a great selection of quality plants and at good prices. (I just ordered some orange dwarf crayfish from JDAquatics along with some plants).


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## bsb (Feb 21, 2015)

Qty	Item	Options	
4	Cabomba Purple 
1	Bacopa rotundifolia 
1	Hornwort 
2	Rotala 'indica' 
3	Thicker walled Cholla 
1	Four Sisters Cholla-- Middle Sis 
1	Pennywort(Brazilian) 
1	Cardamine lyrata 
1	Nymphaea rubra 
1	Cryptocoryne wendtii bronze clumps 
1	Dwarf Aquarium Lily 

thanks again for the help folks, very excited about the tank. Just placed the order for more plants+goodies for the shrimp:-D 

they were sold out of several types of plants with the reds. 

waterchanges seem to have little effect on the water clearing up. its a little better today tho. pool sand effect i guess

when the plants come in i might attempt a wall with the java moss if i can find the materials for a reasonable price at lowes.(ive got a big clump wrapped around the filter tube atm)

side note, my wife got a baby star fish free that must have been hiding in the last piece of coral we bought with live soft corals


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## bsb (Feb 21, 2015)

seeing new growth:-D

going to use the current lights for a little bit, liking the looks of the planted plus 24/7. not sure the stingray wouldbe enough with the light being around 20ish inches away from the sand. not sure really, just my thinking

got the rest of the plants ordered for our tanks from jdaquatics tonight. our java moss is growing like mad, so got to search lowes for ss mesh tomorrow for the wall. Several ideas going on in my head for the scape, anubis log, bronze bush, grass field infront of the amazon sword, and a quiet corner for the shrimp


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## bsb (Feb 21, 2015)

update:-D plants came in from jdaquatics. im ver happy with them

? how tall should let stem plants grow before trimming them?

the bare spots are waiting on my other order


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

I let my stem plants grow to the top and sort of fall over to give fish shade.


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## bsb (Feb 21, 2015)

finally done planting my girls tanks, they look alright for now.

i'll get pics soon. going to order a stingray for 1 of the tanks, picked up a glass top for it today.

the 37 gallon is still doing good,


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## bsb (Feb 21, 2015)

*update*

still waiting on plants i ordered a few weeks ago:-? usps decided to ship them to texas for some reason
1st tank is our red crown tails tank 10gallon npt

2nd tank is our veil tail (purple people eater) 10 gallon npt 

3rd is my 37gallon community tank. the bare spots are awaiting the plants. im afraid usps is going to kill my plants. They have been in the mail since saturday. ive been batteling green water and i think the issue was way too much light. switched to 13w cfl and raised them off the tank abit


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## jjposko (Jan 3, 2013)

Nice looking tanks. I hope everything turns out well with the plants you ordered.


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## Anders247 (Jan 24, 2015)

Looks good!


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## bsb (Feb 21, 2015)

thanks, its a hobby im really enjoying.

new plants will be here in a few weeks when the camboda is ready. usps took my plants on a 4 day rodeo trip through texas before shipping to tennessee :frustrated:


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## bsb (Feb 21, 2015)

got the stingray on a tank now. looks pretty good. water changes and test are done. all is well


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## bsb (Feb 21, 2015)

woohoo, plants are in so i get to finish planting my tank tonight:-D all i need is floaters, betta, and maybe a different type of fish.

both our other tanks are doing good, but i had a sick betta in 1 of them. got him in different tank now adding 1 tsp of aquarium salt. his fins are looking a little better, but the fuzzy patch hasnt seemed to get better yet


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## jjposko (Jan 3, 2013)

Glad to hear that your plants are finally here. Looking forward to seeing pictures of the tanks and stingray.


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## bsb (Feb 21, 2015)

our tanks have become wild. i'll get pic tomorrow before the trim.~

i think 2 of the tanks are over kill on plants lol


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## jjposko (Jan 3, 2013)

You can never have too many plants in a NPT. Lots of trimming means lots of growth. Sounds like you need to start a new tank for all those trimmings.


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## bsb (Feb 21, 2015)

better late than never, been pretty busy. had to toss all the trimmings due to shortage of time:-(


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Don't you love those Finnex Stingray? You should start a journal! Gorgeous!!!


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## bsb (Feb 21, 2015)

thanks,and yes they are very impressive lights.

i might start a journal when i get ready to set up the tank project in my room. Atm my mad money is going into landscaping my yard, remodeling the house and vacations:lol:


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