20 gal long...

[sheamurai]

Just wanted to post an update...figured if i was going to start a new post just for a pic I might as well start a journal for it, even tho it has been running for awhile. Especially seeing as I keep telling all the new recruits to start journal threads, lol.

My devils ivy has sprouted some new leaves out the top...

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[Slaphppy7]

Gorgeous...get us some up-close shots with the room lights off...please and thank you

[sheamurai]

close up shots so you can see all my algae spots? *gasp*

lol the room lights Were off...but I'll see what I can do after supper...

[Slaphppy7]

Hey, I've shown you mine...now you gotta show me yours, lol

How about some pics with the tank lights, and no flash...deal?

[sheamurai]

deal...my camera sucks at taking tank shots tho, without the flash, it seems overexposed...

[RiversGirl]

Nice tank! I love all your plants as well as your fish.

Did you paint the back glass dark green?

Oh, I'd like to know more about your devils ivy too, please. Is it similar to a pothos? You've done a beautiful tank here.

[sheamurai]

as The Deal....no flash, left and right.

Yes, I did paint the back that colour - it was the most appropriate I had kicking around the house at the time. Just regular wall paint. I think pothos and devil's ivy are one and the same...tomayto tomahto kinda thing.

and thanks for the comments...always nice to hear other folks like the tank, I'm never quite happy with it myself.

20 (Medium).jpg

20r (Medium).jpg

[RiversGirl]

I'm interested in reading your plant list, if you have all that recorded somewhere. I'll have to hunt through the journals, perhaps. I did not come across it in your about me section of your profile.

These photos look pretty with the way the light shines through the plants. Very tranquil, engaging and colorful.

[sheamurai]

Oh yeah, just remembered another update I wanted to mention...

I had a dead spot around the end of the wood, and made worse by the water lettuce ending up in that corner, where the surface water wasn't circulating.
Now, this is only a 20gal, so I didn't want to add a whole lot of additional flow - so I decided to try the Eheim 350 surface skimmer. So far, it seems to be doing exactly what I want. It takes in water from the surface quite discreetly, but enough to move the water, and shoots it out the front of the unit, about half way down. The way its sitting in my tank, this means it is pushing water lengthways along the tank, one third in from the front.

My wood shrimp love it. The current is just strong enough that they can sit right in front of it and hold up their clams to catch stuff. Before I'd see them always moving around the tank trying to get situated in front of the filter output, but now they've both planted themselves on a plant stem that runs in front of the skimmer. If ever a shrimp looked happy, this is what they would look like. It has a smaill sponge in it as a filter agent, and a further plus (so far at least) I haven't seen any shrimp in it. The true test will come when I clean the sponge tho. Its only been in the tank 4-5 days. You can see it in the second pic, with both shrimp right by it.

[Slaphppy7]

deal...my camera sucks at taking tank shots tho, without the flash, it seems overexposed...

Turn the tank lights down, or change the color/intensity

Then get me a close up pic of those wood shrimp

And your skimmer experiment has piqued my interest