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well here is the ides:

tank size: 20 gallon or 55 gallon (depending what i get anxious to do first maybe both in the same log)

snad and flourite?
well the flourite would be where i penny pinch so i will be using a knock off called shultz's pond soil i got from lowes only $6.oo a bag (15 lbs) and some pool filter sand i have in my trunk for the winter slidding.

plants will consist of many i have in different tanks such as:
java fern, java moss, amazon swords, dwarf anacharis, lugwigia, rotala (the common stuff sold at the pet stores), bacopa, anubias, and some apongetons and maybe some dwarf lilies.

fish, omg i have so many i want to have but i am trying to contain myself!!!!

some types would be galaxy rasboras, siamese algae eaters, oto cats, shrimps, black tetras, i want the 55 gallon to be all rainbows but we know how costly those can get but thanks to my LFS i can. some apistogrammas will be thrown in there and mybe some rams not in the same tanks though

CO2: im going to do a diy i found on line looks like it will be great.

nutrients will be added when i figure it out better.

lighting will be: what a great find!!! i got cf's from work they were throwing out they go on tracks!!! investment will be about $40 for 55 gallon and second hand track for $2.00 and $5.00 for plug in attachment
wattage will be over 20 high= 72 maybe i might go less if i can maybe i will use the amazing energy efficents i used on the last 55 gallon and the 55 will have 144 watts not bad.

decor: drift wood and some oak leaves to soften the water further and some intrestingtwigs from the oak tree i have in the front of the house

the 20 gallon is going to be set up probably tonight because now im excited


well here is the info tell me what needs to be added!

i am not sure how long the oak twig will actually lat in the water because they might be e to rotting.

i like the idea of the flourite knock-off ( iam gonna go check it out for a possible substrate addition to the 29g i have... what color is it?)... the pool sand could pose a problem with your filters impeller so i would stray away from all but the coursest grained sands. unless you need he sand for a specific fish (ie loachesm, cories, or eels) i would stay away from the sand all together...

your idea sounds great, but the light bulbs could be lacking in the daylight and the at least 5500 Kelvins rating that they need for the growth of plants.

post some pics of your work in progress... i (along with many others) would love to see how it somes along.!!!!!

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

If the flourite has larger grains than the sand, then the sand is just going to move downwards and the flourite is eventually going to move on top. I don't know anything about flourite, lol.

As far as oak is concerned, I know that on land that oak leaves take years to fully rot. I am not sure about underwater. Because of this, it seems that oak would be the best choice for leaf litter as it is one of the longest-lasting types of leaves. It might be best to bake the twig to dry it and then boil the twig before putting it in the tank to cure it. Or maybe keith can comment on that as I believe he has worked with wood in the past. Some fish actually come from leaf litter habitats, such as banjo cats; they would LOVE such a set-up, but you probably would never see them, lol.

Sounds pretty good, though.

--------------------------------------------
The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

lol i am interested to see where this goes...

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

well i used the 20 gallon goldfish tenk as a idea starter got the wood placed right and not the java fern is attached.
im getting some free plants from a friend. plus i bought more
does the baking thing really work im afraid i would burn the house down lol
anyway i will take pics soon post them on my myspace and attach the link.
anymore ideas would work...oh and the leaves i used them in my 10gallon for the kribs i have seen the plants get bigger and the fish colors heightn so i think im okay

On second thought, it might be a good idea to actually look into how to prepare wood from someone who actually knows what he's talking about... I personally just get wood from the LFS. Lots easier that way to not have to worry about whether or not its safe.

--------------------------------------------
The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

lol good thinking oh and also i have taken some new pictures of the 20gallon in process and done i will post very soon when i find the cords to do it

gosh you remind me of me so much! to cure wood all you have to do is either stick it in boiling water for 20 minutes or if its big, stick it in the oven at 100 degrees i think? i prefer boiling even if it doesnt fit in the pot you can just rotate it. diy co2 on a 55 will be a pain and since your lights are in the medium intensity range you may not need it, those plants are easy too if i reember correctly.
if youre interested check out some of my previous threads, ive had many similar ideas in the past.

Pesonally, I would not go cheap on the substrate if you really want to go 'planted'. Flourite is a great substrate and will last almost forever, spending a bit more will go a long way in my personal opinion. Just talked to a friend who wanted to 'save' and ended up redoing everything because of unsatisfactory results in the longer run (> 18 months).

My 2 cents

check the ingriedients of bith flourite and the pond bottom...

if they are the same (there should be apporximate percentages of some sort as it is a "food" for plants...) then go ahead and use them.. flourite might be slighly better or better by a landslide... sometimes a thrifty alternative can work, but it takes more time to find what you want and need... also at lowes you could get a pothos or devils ivy plant and they can be grown in an aquatic setting and thrive uncontrollably...(as long as all potting soil is removed and proper ligting and ferts are met)... with out such requiremnt the plant can rot away in parts, but once properly acclimated to its new territpry will eventually begin to thrive... i have had runners (like a vine chunck) that have sprouted all along the vine and are growing very well... but you just must make sur to cut off and remove all rotting portions as to not foul your water.. also do not burry the roots or vine segment for full inspection... they can retrieve nourishment through the water column no worries... it can also be planted in a hob filter to help remove nitrates... good luck! PS tell us about the substrate as i am intrigued and might go get some!

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

HERE ARE THE PICS IM EXCITED FOR YOU TO ALL SEE

http://s257.photobucket.com/albums/hh211/bratyboy2/

is that the pond substrate?

would you care to tell us all that is in this tank???
plants... fish... water params... filtration... substrate... etc!

PS great looking DW... and i like the aquascape.. maybe try a low grower like glosso or ricca to make a lawn like effect in the foreground... this will also make the DW appear bigger...

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

Well, I'm not sure which photo is the latest but I love the one with all the plants & rocks & driftwood!

okay well that is the one that is new i did post new pics up as well
http://s257.photobucket.com/albums/hh211/bratyboy2/
the tank consists of 2 african butterfly fish and 2 oto cats and 2 red tailed blue vitarius. plants are few pygmy chain sword, rotala, corksrew vals, and java fern, i think im going to take the pygmy chain sword out like you said. maybe something else i dont know...see what i can find that i would like.

parameters are perfect i will be doing water changes every week if not more so i dont have algae issues so bad.

the substrate is the lowes stuff i have it in the ten gallon pictured. its great have used it for about 1 year now no issues.

the filtration is a simple emperor filter but im noticing that the top water is getting that oily stuff up top i think the power head will be added or is it from the CO2 im using?

etc...what else you want to know?

Hey Mate ...how you doin . Can't seem to access the photos ...says the album is empty

Garry

Hi,
The oily film is from a combination of things...
Mainly the fish food that you are using. Many foods
contain fish oils and oily proteins this will give you
an oily film on the surface as if you'd dropped a
bit of engine oil in the tank.

Also, if the lid does not completely or very nearly
completely cover the tank, then smoke from cooking,
cigarettes, pipes, or cigars will also get on the surface
of the water adding to that film. You can regularly
remove it by laying a piece of paper towel on the surface,
wetting the towel, and then removing it.

Another way is to use an air stone, or have the filter
return rile the surface through the use of a spray bar,
or by adjusting the output hose of the filter. This will
break the surface film up into particles and they will
sink to the bottom where gravel vacuuming will remove them.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

well i dont have the oils on it no more because of the power head so but im going to put some more pics up ther in the album of my tank

http://s257.photobucket.com/albums/hh211/bratyboy2/

im moved alot around and got alot more so but check out the slide show its great

the slide show is messed up...

also great looking tank from the pics! i love the DW and the plant placement.. great aquascape!!!

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

thanks well unfortuneatly the tank is going to be redone again. the swords are coming out maybe and the plants are going to be moved around its all just been thrown in there