November 20, 2010

I arrived a little bit late to the meeting, so I missed Alex’s talk on his 20g tank, but he filled me in on some of the details.

Lighting is a Nova 2 x 24wt T5 6000k and Aquaflora bulbs. Fluval 205 canister and a gla paintball co2 system 20oz tank which lasts him about 3 months. Plants are c. lutea, c. pontederiifolia, Java fern broad leaf, lobelia cardinalis sp. and peacock moss. Mineralized soil for substrate and black colored aquarium sand. A bunch of red cherry shrimp and 7 Cardinal Tetras.

Moving on to his “centerpiece” tank, a pretty large, 75 gallon. My first reaction to this tank had to do with the stand. I’ve never seen a tank of this size, set on stand so low, where it is at eye level while in a seated postion. I really like this setup/height for a tank in a living room situation. It makes it so much more immersive. You don’t have to strain your neck to look at it, and, it isn’t something that is exactly common amongst the tanks I’ve seen.

Alex talking tank

We discussed the plants and placement of them, the wood, which I thought he did an excellent job on.

Mike describing the wood flow

Alex assembling the CO2 tank and regulator

The initial CO2 Diffuser placement – it has since been re-located

I don’t think this shot does it justice in the sense of the living space, but you can see the proportions to the chairs and living area.

Part of the cleanup crew – Caridina multidentata AKA Amano Shrimp

One of the pencil fish – still a little skittish and hanging near the side due to the recent introduction