So I finally got around to start the tank!! Â After over a month of spending money and researching, I finally decided that it is time to jump in. Â First I just wanted to say thanks to everyone on plantedtank.net, sfbaaps.org, and theshrimpjournal.com. Â I didn’t post very much on the forums but I was on it everyday looking up new ideas or learning from other people’s experience.
I started off the day getting the filter setup. Â My main concern here was the the fact the filter and the tank was on the same level. Â To get it going I had to basically turn the filter in a horizontal position and slowly stand it upright again. Â so far so good… Â (btw, anyone know where I can get those metal elbow joint? Â I bought those for $12 each and I really don’t want to pay $12 for another one)
Next, I started to work on the “tree”.  First I had to figure out a way to get the tree to stand up in the tank.  I thought about drilling through the rock and screw the tree onto the rock.  Considering that I paid $7.99/lb for these rocks, I really didn’t want to risk damaging them.  I found a way to squeeze a rock into a section of the tree so the rocks can hold it down inside the tank.  This rock later gets completely covered inside the tank by the Aquasoil. What a waste of a good looking rock.
Next was the “leaves” of the tree. Â I started out by putting a net on top of the tree. Â The net is there to help me hold down the moss and give the moss a structure and something to hold onto. Â I had just enough Singapore moss to cover up most of the net.
So finally onto the tank… first I created a border with Amazonia II – normal
Then I added the Power Sand Special – M
Filling out the rest of the tank with Amazonia II – normal and powder and adding the rocks and tree
Filling the tank up with water
Here are some pictures to complete Day 1:
I was going to wait til next day to add CO2 (cause I was really tired and it was late), but I couldn’t resist
Lessons learned: Personally I think I put too much Aquasoil in the tank. Â I used a full 9L bag of Amazonia II – Normal and most of the 3l bag of Amazonia II – powder. Â Not sure if I like th slop look right now. Â However, that might change once I get some UG and have it fill in as the carpet. Â The tree could be a little lower. Â Not sure what it will look like once the moss fills in. Â Also, maybe the base of the tree could be more stable. Â Currently it is fine, but I’m wondering when I start trimming the carpet plant later is it going to be a problem when I accidentally hit the tree. Â Lastly, getting the aqua scaping down is a LOT of work! Â There is definitely a skill set there. Â No wonder people constantly “redo” their tanks.