15G High-Planted

[MCHRKiller]

Here is its humble start...not much atal to look at...just some random clippings and freebie plants I got from ordering stuff online.
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f137/Needle_Slave/000_1827.jpg
Its a standard 15G high; Substrate is a mix of Flourite, Crushed Quartz and a little medium grade gravel for seeding purposes; Lighting is 2*15watt 6500K screw in fluoresecent bulbs; Filtration is an AquaTech 10-20 and a Topfin 10.
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f137/Needle_Slave/000_1831.jpg
Mass of random clippings and baby plants. Rotala, Anarchis, Dwarf Sag and a tiny little C.wendtii
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f137/Needle_Slave/000_1835.jpg
The 3 black kuhlies
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f137/Needle_Slave/000_1836.jpg
Mr.Pissy...the red VT

I decided to start a journal as I did alot of work on the tank this evening and Id like to share how it progresses from now on :)

Update later tonight!

[Hailey]

Mr Pissy, thats good.
Anyways I like the tank, I think it looks good. Better than some of mine.

[oraeanast]

beautiful beta.

[Cameron]

should grow up to be a nice lookin tank ;)

[Sharon]

Very nice! How did Mr. Pissy get his name?

[Rue]

Looks good! Congrats on a job well done!

[Wild Turkey]

Nice little tank i like it :thumb:

[MCHRKiller]

Thanks everyone :) As promised here is the update after a big overhaul and receiving an extra nice bunch of Jungle Val...and a freebie portion of Tawain moss.
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f137/Needle_Slave/000_1943.jpg
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f137/Needle_Slave/000_1944.jpg
Tawain Moss

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f137/Needle_Slave/th_000_1948.jpg (http://s46.photobucket.com/albums/f137/Needle_Slave/?action=view&current=000_1948.flv)
And a video...I think the fish really like the improvement!

Mr.Pissy got his name because my SO and I were in walmart and looking at the bettas...and how pitiful they were. And despite being in nearly white water from the murk and junk he was all flaring and prancing around in the bowl. My SO said "wow that is one pissed of betta" and until he got old and fat...he continued to flare at anything that moved. He went thew several name variations of the words pissed off....his name was Pissy pants for awhile...and then Pissy fins at the realization fish dont have pants. LOL But I like Mr.Pissy better.

[waterboy12076]

Great looking tank!!!!!....How big (thick) will the Jungle Val get....will it fill in even more than what it is now? Any taller?

[angelcakes]

great looking tank:22: , why mr pissy?

[MCHRKiller]

Mr.Pissy got his name because my SO and I were in walmart and looking at the bettas...and how pitiful they were. And despite being in nearly white water from the murk and junk he was all flaring and prancing around in the bowl. My SO said "wow that is one pissed of betta" and until he got old and fat...he continued to flare at anything that moved. He went thew several name variations of the words pissed off....his name was Pissy pants for awhile...and then Pissy fins at the realization fish dont have pants. LOL But I like Mr.Pissy better.
thumbs2: Thats why he got named Mr. Pissy...poor thing went threw atleast 5 name variations before his current came to me. lol

Thanks Waterboy...the Val probably wont get taller; tho it may suprise me. It should definatly sprout out some daugther plants and thicken in more, I just got the plants in the mail and planted it yesterday so Im hoping there is some nice growth to come

[KingFisher]

Looking great, MC! I love how it looks with the Val. thumbs2:thumbs2:thumbs2:

[MCHRKiller]

Thanks KF :)

I took a couple of pics just to show how its filling in *very* slowly...wonders of a low light planted with only very minimal fertz.
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f137/Needle_Slave/000_2100.jpg
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f137/Needle_Slave/000_2107.jpg
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f137/Needle_Slave/000_2106.jpg
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f137/Needle_Slave/000_2105.jpg
Walmart bulb actually sprouted!

[Rue]

Nice! It's always so rewarding to see something grow and to know you've got all the conditions just right!

[Lady Hobbs]

Killer.......ya knocked it out of the ballpark again. Very lovely home for your betta. Nice looking vals.

[fishlover49]

Very nice!! thumbs2:

[Northernguy]

Thats a great looking tank Jenn!:22:

[MCHRKiller]

Thanks everyone :) Im really loving this next to no maintenance as this betta did live in a 5.5G tank which needed constant attention.

[MCHRKiller]

My my what a diffrence 6 weeks will make :) THis tank has been pretty much problem free outside of getting some green algae on the glass and the random gob here or there of filament algae which is easily removed its going well. Ive got my dosing schedule down to where I think its working nicely Im giving it a half cap of Flourish Potassium and to the first ring of Flourish Comprehensive every 5-6days as well as some Flourish root tabs every 4-6weeks. Ive also added 5 neons to it, I may add 3-4 more....
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f137/Needle_Slave/000_2457.jpg
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f137/Needle_Slave/000_2461.jpg
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f137/Needle_Slave/000_2481.jpg
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f137/Needle_Slave/000_2482.jpg

[MCHRKiller]

They sure do like their Hikari Sinking Wafers :)
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f137/Needle_Slave/000_2485.jpg
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f137/Needle_Slave/000_2486.jpg
Kuhli Loach taking a nap under the wallyworld bulb :P
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f137/Needle_Slave/000_2470.jpg
Red Male betta
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f137/Needle_Slave/000_2471.jpg

[MCHRKiller]

Neon Tetra lurking in the shadows
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f137/Needle_Slave/000_2478.jpg
Its a Jungle in there
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f137/Needle_Slave/000_2480.jpg
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f137/Needle_Slave/000_2479.jpg
And my favorite picture of the day:
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f137/Needle_Slave/000_2489.jpg

[Wild Turkey]

Oh wow! that tank is really something now!thumbs2: Fish look wonderful as well

[invadertoast]

Wow!!! I want your vals, never even thought about trying them... hmmm....

[MCHRKiller]

Thanks :) This is my first time with Vals to...I had been sucked up on Excel so much I never tried them till I sat this tank up and its probably about the most low-key tank setup ever. Its composed of literally junk I had laying around, and I spent a grand total of $15 on plants and thats it the rest of its cost is zero. I wish my 55G planted looked half as nice :P Vals are really cool tho they send out runners under the substrate and new plantlets will just randomly pop up somewhere such as the ones in the middle and front of my tank :)

[Ellen4God]

Wow! Your tank looks great!! :) Marvelous job. thumbs2:

[Taurus]

Very nice looking, low maintenance tank Jenn. It really is coming along nicely. Hmm..which I had your skill with plants. thumbs2:

[MCHRKiller]

Thanks you two :) The thing is I really suck at the whole live plant thing, that tank is proof that if you jam as many plants as possible into a tank from the start your problems will go away. I didnt do that with my 55G and although its older its still giving me more trouble.

[Sir Tristen]

Wow! Looks superb! I think I need to upgrade my lighting just a bit, because even my low light plants are struggling. I'd love to have something that looks as nice as your tank!thumbs2:

[Kadina]

That is a gorgeous tank!!! What is the reddish orange plant?

[Wiggs]

awesome looking tank :D Love the betta as well.

:19:

[Pandora]

Fantastic looking tank. I liked the video - that must be one dizzy little fish (bottom lefthand corner).thumbs2:

[MCHRKiller]

Thanks for the comments everyone :22:

My lighting on this tank is *really* ghetto. I have a standard 10G incandescent hood(15G highs are the same footprint) and bought 2*6500K 15watt screw in CF bulbs...thats it. To get getter light distribution as the bulbs were literally like 1/2" off the water I expoxied 2*1" pieces of clear PVC the wide of the tank on either side of the hood so it sits right down on the top of the tank but raises it up some :) Id say if you just got a better bulb and rich substrate your plants would take off 20G longs and 10Gs can make do with standard tank lighting IMO due to their height.

The red plant is a Nymphaea lotus bulb from walmart, I bought a pack of 3 and that one sprouted one rotted and the other is still sitting in there, im waiting on it to do something either rot or sprout but so far nothing.