30 gallon planted tank

[Antiprophet24]

How do you get the grass like effect? I just bought some Java Moss and I'm thinking of attempting a similar effect in my new 30gal tank

[ancientpimp]

@Antiprophet24 imhe with java moss it looks messy and not grass like if you use it as a foreground plant, some might have a totally different outcome with it. I usually just tie it down to rocks or driftwood until it attaches itself to it, usually as a mid-ground/middle level plant in the aquascape.

[boss5468]

really nice. the large stones really add something to your set up.

[spudsssy]

@boss5468 Love the stones with the grass... ! nice one

[TheAquariaChannel]

awesome tank! You did a great job with the dwarf hairgrass!

[starthi]

hey man wht did u use for substrate? ( sadn, cat litter) thnks in advance!

ohh and how did u plant little grass like tht? is there seed u can buy or somthing?

[thebakuman77]

nice



[garrette94]

needs some fish and tall plants

[skaterg807]

can u grow plants like that just in gravel

[ancientpimp]

@skaterg807 regular aquarium gravel? No, for low light plants maybe but for this plant it's better if it's specifically for growing plants in aquariums.

[zerocool212121]

@ancientpimp the answer is yes some just work better than others due to factors size/cecCation Exchange Capacity/ ect ect, its does not matter on the low/high light level for what substrate you use thats just garbage info.

[ancientpimp]

@zerocool212121 sure you can use regular aquarium gravel but usually the size of the gravel is so big that you end up with a foreground that looks thin and not thick and lush. ymmv of course.

[Cichlidlover09]

get some covict cichlids for that

[ancientpimp]

@Cichlidlover09 It's a pistol shrimp! Convicts fear it,lol!

[BeLiketheSquerrl]

thats the greatest song ive ever heard.

[john31james]

great music.what is thats name?

[ancientpimp]

@john31james sorry i can't recall, but it's something from "musicshake" right here on YT when you edit the soundtrack of your own videos.

[ikelleners]

What you feed your plants from A to Z, Like example... -substrate bottom -gravel (For the start...) And during, -Iron out of a bottle -Iron in tablet form -Any other fertaliser... Be so kind and explain :) My algae are dying pretty rapid :D Amano shrimp do the REST :D

[ancientpimp]

lighting: 220 watts power compact

substrate: mix of red fluorite and big al's natural gravel

root tabs: seachem root tabs

fertilizer : PMDD approx. 20mL once a week

CO2: 2 bubbles per second via Dupla Atomizer

Water Change: 70% once a week

If you are new to this, join an aquascaping forum, i suggest aquaticplantcentral(.)com/plan­tedtank(.)net

[ikelleners]

I had algae from PRE plants, from OLD TANK.Now conditions are perfect, and algae grow barely, and my 15 shrimps I got, clean it up 5x more quicker then it grows....

Fertalisers?

Which ones....?

[ancientpimp]

PMDD (poor man's dosing drops) lol

mix with water to make a 1/2 liter solution, * 1 tablespoon chelated trace mix * 1 tablespoon MgSO4+7H2O * 2 tablespoons K2SO4 * 1 tablespoon KNO3 (varies, depends on your nitrate)

Hydroponic and garden stores might sell chelated trace mix

MgSO4 is available from drug stores as Epsom Salts

[ancientpimp]

H3BO3 is Boric Acid, a Boron source used to supplement CSM (skip if your trace mix has boron). Also available from drug stores

-Sources for KNO3 (Potassium Nitrate) and K2SO4 (Potassium Sulphate)

Try hydroponic and garden shops.

[ancientpimp]

if mixing scares you try Tropica Master grow (renamed Tropica plant nutrition) Although it says The fertilizer is without nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) it is an excellent fertilizer that i used when i first started planted tanks! Highly recommended! Dont forget CO2 if you start fertilizing and you lighting should be for plants around 6500k, 3 watts per gallon is what you should be aiming for if you want good growth unless you have low light plants. Good luck

[ikelleners]

Do these amano shrimp eat hair algae well?

I got some new ones, trying to treat my algae ....

[ancientpimp]

manually remove as much as you can, but its usually an imbalance of certain fertilizer like low nitrates/phosphates etc. The only way to know is testing you water parameters. You can try rosy barbs/florida flag fish or otto cats as well and amano shrimp might eat it as well but the bottom line is it will come back if your fertilizer/lights are not balanced

[Sruba04]

Nice setup. It looks like Amano is your inspiration.

[rarityd]

nice tank! may i ask how many pot of dwarf hair grass did you start out with, and how long did it takes to spread out nicely like that?

I spread them out into to 2-5 a bunch but they don't seem to spread that much after 21 days.

[ancientpimp]

@rarityd

about 5 as well, but it does take 3-6 months to fill in the 30 gallon.

[rarityd]

IC and thank you for the reply. I was thinking that I am doing it wrong =)

[BrightLucario]

what kind of plant is that?

[ancientpimp]

dwarf hairgrass

[zurccopan]

can i say jealous? like the set up of your tank, very simple and natural

[ChristianDiMaria]

Your ghost shrimps look really healthy! Nice tank!

[dakinic]

Nice Job on your tank. Very cool and natural looking.

[ancientpimp]

do you fertilize? what exactly is the 50 watt light and substrate? I'm asking since dwarf hairgrass likes a certain substrate with tons of light and co2.

[pulseyoutoo]

What is the small 2-3inch grass and what is the soil? just rocks or what

[ancientpimp]

dwarf hairgrass, substrate is Big Al's natural gravel

[ancientpimp]

whats your tank specifications? ltank size, filter,light co2, fertilizer, fish?

[Thanos22TF]

does that grass plant spread? nc tank btw:)

[ancientpimp]

yes it does

[Herpkid56]

Ghost shrip XP there cool

[xXPinkPunisherXx]

Very nice tank... did you use anything special for the plants?

Also what song? It sounds very familiar but I can't put a name to it!

[ancientpimp]

Ty...nothing special, just enough light, co2 and fertilizer, the substrate has some red fluorite but mixed with some white pebbles and "Big Al's natural gravel" thats why the substrate looks weird, lol! The song i dont know the artist and title, sorry.

[7lotre]

which is the best filtration system to have in a goldfish tank with some plants( not many) ?? Its a 52 lt or 13 gallons?? of course only 2 or 3 fishes

[ancientpimp]

ummm, all i can suggest is something with a lot of sponge/foam or floss plus ceramic rings or other media since goldfish will crap too much. The foam will trap the crap and keep your tankwater crystal clear, the ceramic rings will make a good place for good bacteria to grow. Really it all comes down to your own budget, you can go nuts and buy a top of the line canister filter or just buy a hang on the back filter like Aquaclear 200. Just remember the waterchanges tho and you should be good.

[ancientpimp]

Dont change the foam and dont clean it too often, clean it when it starts to clog the waterflow and clean it in old tankwater or at least de-chlorinated water (no soap ever) that has around the same temperature as your tank water.

[ancientpimp]

i dont really know, i got it thru youtube though when you edit your own vids.

[papichancho1234]

what kinda rock is that and what is the grass type plant? i know other people asked but i have to know!

[ancientpimp]

rocks are hand picked in a river, grass is dwarf hairgrass (eleocharis parvula)

[izbiz513]

what kinda rock is that

[ancientpimp]

hand picked in a river, i'm cheap lol!

[greencobra200]

love the alge shrimp i

[jordski123]

cool shrimps, i've got three like that in my tank

[prootkeyk]

I was like, "Where are the fish?! Oh there they are..."

[Hapoieyano]

Hey buddy, what are those grass like plant? cat grass or somethin?

[wsanders10]

Dwarf Hair grass

[PSNjizzcake]

looks like dwarf hairgrass. Or maybe another type of hairgrass.

[Toucan38]

I think that it is dwarf hairgrass.

[FiShRc00L]

nice tank

[itzjustjeff]

alright. ill try that. thanks so much for your help! you have a beautiful tank

[itzjustjeff]

what co2 system do you use? i was thinking of making the 2 liter co2 system seen on youtube for my 30gallon tank. was wondering if that is enough

[ancientpimp]

10 gallon pressurized. 2 liter might last you a couple of weeks if all your plants are low light plants and you just use lets say 1 bubble every 3-5 seconds (bps) and you have a very good co2 atomizer/reactor to fully dissolve it into the water, but i doubt it would last that long tho. I suggest stick to a 10 gallon co2 tank, should last you 9-12 months depending on bps

[ddtran46]

dont you mean a 10 "pound" co2 tank? lol

[ancientpimp]

ya, 10 pound co2 tank,lol =p

[victorrockspeng]

is that a special rock or something and do you use regular gravel? do you need co2 and what kind of plant is that?and how do you do a water change? would it disturb the plants?

[ancientpimp]

oh its just some stones i picked up in a river bed....plant is eleocharis parvula or dwarf hairgrass, i use a ¨python¨ for waterchanges, doesnt disturb the plant and avoids a broken back from lifting buckets of water.

[pianofreak711]

do you have to do anything else to the stones before you put them in the water besides srubbing them with water?? because i know you have to do some sort of cleaning since they're from the outdoors.

[ancientpimp]

sorry late reply but i boil the hell outta them, you have to be careful if you have sensitive fish since some rocks will make your tank water soft/hard which some fish wont tolerate (water test kit is handy)

[victorrockspeng]

did you need co2 for that to grow and is that just regular gravel?

[ancientpimp]

co2 is a must for this plant

[clASicOner]

Hey man cool tank! I know its an older post but i had to respond. Thanks for sharing bud.

[amy4frnzzz]

beautifullll

[12addictedfish]

CrAyFiSh rules !?.

[iceb131]

How did u get that grassy type plant?

Or Where did u get it?

Did u plant it From seeds?

[ancientpimp]

Local fish stores can order it for you. Mine is called dwarf hairgrass (eleocharis parvula)

It comes in stems in a small pot, separate it in to pencil sized clumps then insert it into gravel using tweezers until all roots are under your gravel, a bit more if it keeps floating back into the surface.

[leecristo]

Why did you disable ratings? I'd have given it a 5!

[StevoElsupremo]

this is one of the simplest and cutest tanks Ive seen in a bit

[nanilinda123]

Your tank is huge how do you clean it?

[ancientpimp]

I dont vacuum it if thats what you mean but i do scrape the front and sides if some algae are growing on the glass.

[lamp3shade]

looks like some great thing of nature buried in water

[tmaxxman33]

Nice tank. Very helpfull comments and answers too!

[wog33]

shove a couple of more tetras in.. and maybe some barabs or loaches

[jerseykid565]

you should get more fish instead of 2 tetras and some shrimp :)

[quaqa88]

Where do you get those nice rocks? Can they be bought in an aquarium store?

[ancientpimp]

Those rocks are handpicked from a river but if you have fish that's sensitive it's better to ask from pet stores which is safe for your fish. Some rocks will harden or soften your water.

[ancientpimp]

and yes, they can be bought in aquarium stores

[lyrmar]

I was going to ask you about the rocks, but, I read this and =) I guess when it comes to rocks, they're free. I got mine from the miraculous Mary of Simala

[ancientpimp]

Ya girl, tons of rocks/stones in Pinas that's free to be used unlike here where i have to drive literally hours just to find something like a piece of stone,lol!

[lyrmar]

Haha HOURS?!? How did it take to look for the perfect rocks? Yeah so many rocks here, but, I wanted the special ones with meanings in them and lots of memories =)

[ancientpimp]

I'm serious, it's pretty much paved everywhere and u have to go to campgrounds or national parks to get closer to nature, lol!

Petrified wood, lava rocks, driftwood etc. are right on your footsteps but here it's $2-5.00/pound! Per pound can you imagine?! Anything that says "for aquarium use" and the price goes up 10x even tho u can find the same thing in hardware stores! Unreal!

[lyrmar]

oh poor you! But, your aquariums are great after all that labor (I don't call it labor working on a aquarium at all..I call it joy!) and gas mileage...

yeah I know what you mean, when they put a tag 'aquarium use" the pricing are way over!

still it's sad how you had to go drive far just to get rocks for your tanks. If I can send some from Pilipinas, I'll gladly send you mountains!

[gamalto303]

there called gravel but i think that aint grave but still

[NativeLights12]

wow! i like the tank lol :)

[GlobalWarmings]

what substrate do u use

[ancientpimp]

It's a mixture of Fluorite red with Big Al's natural gravel that's about 1cm max in size (good for the hairgrass) helps them spread easier.

[Naz618]

how do u get grass to grow in the aquariom? are there seeds that u planted?

[ancientpimp]

This is an aquatic plant (dwarf hairgrass). U plant the stems and its roots will send runners and grow another stem every half inch or so.

[djneil12]

How did u get the grass to spread? Just on its own or did u seperate them ?

[ancientpimp]

it sends runners under the gravel. Then it sprouts anopther stem every half inch or so

[xBoBoDhobo543x]

what plants are the grassy-like short ones?

[ancientpimp]

dwarf hairgrass

[xBoBoDhobo543x]

thanks

[kristu13]

one of best aquariums of youtube how many fish do you have in there?

[ancientpimp]

you should google "international aquatic plant layout contest" my aquascape would probably place last,lol!

[kristu13]

who gives a shit what place they give it .......as long i like its 5 stars from me ;)........cheers

[KraigD320]

man, out done yourself again. Looks gorgeous

[omgcahley]

i had ghost shrimp when i was 5 lol

[ancientpimp]

Oh, they're algae-eating shrimps, not ghost shrimps :p

[omgcahley]

o, well theyre cool :)

[SmellsLikeFish44]

I really like that dwarf hairgrass.

[4erosmith]

yes I like it too very much it's very beauty!!! xD

But it need very high quality of lights and co2!

[netweit]

what are those white things moving all crazy?

[ancientpimp]

i think it was just air bubbles cuz i just changed the water

[netweit]

oh ok. nice set up by the way. I really like the dwarf grass there

[biscato33]

Do you use C02 injection? And if you do, does it really help the dwarf hairgrass? I have dwarf hairgrass oin my tank, that's doing okay, but I really want a nice carpet. Do you know how much a C02 injector costs?

[ancientpimp]

yes, via dupla ceramic diffuser and it does help dwarf hairgrass spread faster, it costs around 20-$30 but is inefficient compared to HOB co2 reactor. its your call but i recommend a DIY reactor if you want maximum co2 absorption.

[ancientpimp]

You can order it from your petstore

[dolittle1992]

Awsome

[sealeykb]

what types of plants are those, and where did you get those rocks i need at least 2 of those there nice

[ancientpimp]

dwarf hairgrass and the rocks are from a local river

[JacobAndrewCastro]

how do you clean the gravel in a planted tank?

[ancientpimp]

you can siphon it slowly but most planted tank hobbyist dont bother.

[crosseyed55]

u don't....(from what i was told). u just HAVE to keep doing ur regular water changes. all that crud u find gravel vacuuming is the plants fertilizer. u just have to keep doing your 20-25% water changes.

[petey65203]

i personally like tanks with fish more but great aquascaping.

[sealeykb]

is this fresh water

[ancientpimp]

yes it is.

[trio628]

thats one awesome tank! Where did you find those rocks?

[ancientpimp]

thanks, its just river rocks

[jerune61]

it's like a paredise on earth:O

[J3FFR3Y]

hi. im just wondering if you can put 2 10gl filter on a 30gl tank?

[ancientpimp]

yes you can, but to be on the safe side use a filter approved by the manufacturer for the size of your tank. Hobbyists usually use a filter recommended for larger tanks than what they have.

[trini82]

For me, using a filter recommended for a larger tank works. It keeps my water crystal clear and my fish are super healthy

[dauwg99]

wow lovely tank. i am currently growing the same grass and i can see runners against the glass of the tank. how long does it approximately take to cover my 1.5 ft tank?

[ancientpimp]

depends on your lighting and fertilizer regimen and if you have CO2.

[Verminator89]

Wish my hairgrass would actually spready, it just grows in clumps where i plant it. All my other plants spread =/

[ancientpimp]

what are your tank parameters (light, substrate, fertilizer, tank size and water changes?)

[krulliko]

what filter do you use?

[ancientpimp]

aquaclear 300 and 150

[outdoorsrok]

if i were to set up a planted tank...would i have to be precise on how much co2 it has??

[ancientpimp]

some people use a pH checker/meter (when the meter's color is in green, then its safe for fish and good for plants) Most folks dont invest in one tho unless you have very sensitive fish.

Some also invest in a solenoid that shuts off the co2 supply when the pH checker indicates an imminent overdose of co2. It usually shuts off the co2 at night when plants dont consume it. A solenoid will or will not come integrated on the co2 regulator depending on model u wish to purchase. Not really neededtho

[theinsane101]

how do you plant the grass??

[ancientpimp]

medical tweezers that are long enough and a bit angled for easier insertion of grass.

[outdoorsrok]

thanks for all the advice

[ancientpimp]

no probs

[EdTheEdge]

Wonderful tank. Added to my favorites. I would have given you a 5 star rating! Thanks for sharing.

[ancientpimp]

I'll post a new vid soon, the hairgrass had some setback but is revived now and almost 95%complete coverage of the tank.

[CzeckBoy10]

how do you get grass to grow on bottom like that!??!?!?

[ancientpimp]

This type of grass is aquatic and will spread along the gravel given enough light/co2/fertilizer. Hope that answers your question.

[neveragain28]

is that dwarf grass?

[ancientpimp]

yes it is:)

[79gonzo]

Simple,natural

and pretty!

[ancientpimp]

glad you like it!

[79gonzo]

love it!!!

[nhocazn]

i really like it, beautiful set up, nice plants green and healthy, can you send me a message tell me about the plants you have it there and how to keep it green and healthy, I would like to start a tank like that but all my plant seem to die..

[70wagonss]

get BIG fih

[jonerez]

Lol i see :P

Hows the tank doing these days then?

[ancientpimp]

check my new vid response

[jonerez]

Shame, this tank has so much potential!

You need tall plants mate.

[ancientpimp]

This tank is almost mature (maybe in 2 months it'll be done) i'll post up a new vid during the holidays! I like tall stem plants, just dont have the time to prune anymore :P

[painraven]

Bad video and super average look. Rocks are too symmetrical and there is no variation. Bland at best. Sorry.

[ancientpimp]

Thanks Mr. Takashi Amano, lol!

[dlk35945]

can you tell me what kind of lights you are using (watts,brand) i'm starting a 29 gal and having a hard time figuring what size lights to use.tks

[ancientpimp]

96 watts Coralife brand (single U shaped fluorescent tube), just tell the LFS what brand and how many gallons your tank is. Or u can measure it to be sure the light fixture will fit.

[disco17]

HI ey! where do you find that black rock?

[ancientpimp]

some river, u just need to look for something with the same pattern

[cfp85]

simple and nice .. great tank ! love the grass but too bad. they were expansive here

[paintballer8914]

Hey, I have ta 28 gallon bowfront, 30 gallon pump, natural stone, 3 plants (1 real)2 rock structures ...I have 1 sunburst wag, 1 red wag, 4 neon tetras, 2 black molly, 2 silver skirted tetras, 2 big bellied wags, 3 five inch placos (also how would i get the placos to come out of the rocks/cave thing) Is this over stocker??? Thanks

P.S. advice please

[ancientpimp]

yes you are bordering on overstocking, usually an inch of fish for every gallon. if you want to get the pleco out of the tank, put a big net slowly underneath the stone/cave then lift it slowly out of the water-pleco jumps back into water but gets caught in net, done!

[fishygal94]

where can u get grass like that?

[xxxgreg]

you buy that grass off ebay

[ancientpimp]

your local fish store should be able to order for you

[phudao41]

wat if the grass grow too long? or is it that the tallest it can get?

[mattatmyspace]

4ich

[ancientpimp]

it can grow to around 2-4 inches depending on your lighting. The stronger the light, the shorter it is. There are taller species of hairgrass though! Mine is called eleocharis parvula (dwarf hairgrass)

[killer0444]

Really nice tank!