Journal My Basement plant farm.

[Pepere]

Several months ago I started up an old 75 gallon All Glass aquarium in the basement for use as a place to maintain species not currently being used in any aquascapes…

After a while I figured I might as well have some fun with the tank as well.

I rejiggered it with some rocks and built a few slab caves and bought a Red Tail Shark and a dozen Tiger Barbs.

This afternoon I transferred them out of Quarantine..




Everybody seemed to approve of the move.




The Red Tail Shark took an immediate shine to the slab cave on the right hand side.



He has been busying himself scouring the tops of all the rocks to mow down on algae…

 

[Mr.Shenanagins]

That’s a beautiful red tail. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one so jet black in color like that, usually an off black/grey.

 

[Pepere]

It is striking.

Time will tell how the color pans out as it grows. The red was pretty anemic when I.i brought it home from the store but has developed nicely being fed a combination of Extreme pellets, Krill flakes, spiriluna flakes, freeze dried Tubifex and baby brine shrimp.

 

[Pepere]

Today my Daughter told me my 6 year old Grandson has been insisting on being taken into the basement several times a times a day to sit in the recliner and watch my “Black Shark Fish”. They live in their own apartment upstairs…

Something about it just fazzles him

https://scapecrunch.com/attachments/img_1432-webp.11946/

Just wait until the Red Tail Shark becomes full grown…

https://scapecrunch.com/attachments/img_1434-webp.11949/

12 Tiger Barbs, a Red Tail Shark, and plants being kept in archive for future scapes…



MondayI bought 6 Green Tiger Barbs to add as well as 3 female, and 1 male Pineapple Swordtails…



My Other Grandson is also rather animated over my having a Shark in the basement. He always want to go visit it when he comes over for a visit…

 

[Pepere]

Fitted a new canopy to the tank. Access to the tank is so much more inviting over lids which are now removed from the tank. Better light penetration with lids gone.



Much nicer to sit in front of the tank now with lighting all enclosed by the canopy.



Major trimming session yesterday. I have a few touch ups to trim today, but largely done. Pantanal was pulled from tank and replanted new tender side shoots. Original stems had degraded and lost their fine leafed appearance.



We will see what grows back. Only 3-4 inches behind driftwood to right of tank Right of Amazon sword.



Sword was recently moved more to center. Waiting on roots re establishing themselves into clay substrate below sand.

 

[Pepere]

No idea why this duplicated.

 

[Phish Tank]

Sword was recently moved more to center. Waiting on roots re establishing themselves into clay substrate below sand.

So no UGF on the farm tank?

 

[Pepere]

So no UGF on the farm tank?

Safe T Sorb in mesh bags laying on top of UGF plates and then covered in cheap construction sand.

 

[Phish Tank]

OK. I would have thought sand would clog the UGF plates

 

[Pepere]

OK. I would have thought sand would clog the UGF plates

Plenty of flow comes up through the uplift tubes. I use Aquarium coop Easy flow kits. In my 75 gallon tanks they flow about60 GPH each for around 240 gph with 4 of them. This is measured flow by me.. now every two weeks I use a systing to force water through the air collar forcefully as flow diminishes with time. The st
Yring trick peps things up fairly well….

The sand rests on top of the mesh bags that wave about 3/4 of an inch thick safe T Sorb in them. I suspect it prevents sand from gowing down through the ugf plates.

You could lay a sheet of landscape fabriv on top of the plates before putting sand down on them…

I sort of wonder though…. Water flows down through the sand readily…. Presumably if sand fell through the ugf plates as well, would this somehow make the sand there impermeable to water flow?

 

[Pepere]

Big trimming and pruning session this past weekend.



My Eriocalon lineare was getting very large and had 5 separate plantlets all combined. Pulled it out and gently separated them and stuck them back in the sand.

Hoping they all grow back nicely as they had been growing like gangbusters…

 

[techman81]

Do you have yarn in your aquarium?

 

[Pepere]

Yes. I have a diy spawning mop to give fry a place to hide.

I have 3 female swordtails all with gravid spots.


Have not seen a single fry yet…

Wondering if low PH Kh might be causing the mamas to reabsorb their fry. It has been a few months…

 

[snowballs99]

Is this CO2 injected?

 

[Pepere]

Is this CO2 injected?

Yes. I have a big SunSun canister filter with a spray bar across the back and before getting to the spray bar it goes through a DIY Yugang horizontal reactor injected with co2.

I also run UGF filtration plates with Aquarium Co Op Easy Flow kits on air risers.

There are mesh bags on the ugf plates with a 3/4 inch thick mix of 1 part Safe T Sorb, 1 part Amazonia 2 aquasoil, 1 part activated carbon, and then covered with 2-4 inches of Quikrete construction sand $4.98 for 50 pounds.

I also am running a Week Aqua M series 1200 mm light as well as a 4 foot LED shoplight screwed to the top of my canopy on the back that turns on and off with a wifi timer. There are mesh shop light comes on a half hour after the Week Aqua comes on and shuts off a half hour before the Week Aqua shuts off. I would love a second Week Aqua M series instead of the shop light, but those are around $270.00…. And you know… the shop light cost me $20.00….



Raw photo with out adjusting brightness.

 

[techman81]

I would love a second Week Aqua M series instead of the shop light, but those are around $270.00…. And you know… the shop light cost me $20.00…

You can get an M1200 with shades on Aliexpress for under $220. Still a lot more than the shop light, but just letting you know. I've now made a number of purchases on Aliexpress and other than having to wait for the slow shipping, all but one have gone well, and I was promptly refunded for the one that didn't.

 

[bradquade]

I'm so happy to see that you're growing Eriocaulon lineare! I always loved this plant and used it in my tanks because it's such an easy grower and has a super unique light green color. I haven't seen anyone growing it since I stopped keeping tanks in 2021 and thought it disappeared from the hobby. Just be aware that it will grow a lot larger if you give it the chance. This is in a 75 gallon tank.

 

[Pepere]

You can get an M1200 with shades on Aliexpress for under $220. Still a lot more than the shop light, but just letting you know. I've now made a number of purchases on Aliexpress and other than having to wait for the slow shipping, all but one have gone well, and I was promptly refunded for the one that didn't.

For the moment I am keeping my powder dry until SCOTUS releases ruling on tariffs…

The one I have I bought in December for around $209.00 if memory serves me correctly when Aquarocks Colorado was running a sale. I have it under a canopy so shades are not so much needed…. I almost bought a second one after putting the first in use…. I couldnt quite get over the feeling that there was no way a second one would come close to giving me a tenfold improvement in light quality….

 

[Pepere]

Just be aware that it will grow a lot larger if you give it the chance. This is in a 75 gallon tank.

The 75 I have it in now is a farm tank to keep species going I am not currently using elsewhere. I put it up front simply cause the space was open…

I have tried to organize the plants in an attractive layout for my enjoyment.

Truth be told it is probably my favorite tank currently. Without question, the cost to enjoyment ratio is the highest…

I have wanted a tiger Barb and RTBS for a while…

Donated tank. Cheap substrate, cheap SunSun filter, moderate lighting cost… zero cost plants. 2x4 stand diy canopy…

In any event if the Erio L gets unruly for the location I will use it elsewhere…