Misa

I had 3/4 ply already so that's what I went with. Just keep in mind how you are going to position your tanks when choosing plywood. If you're putting a 20 high in the center of a 36x18 shelf, all the weight is going to be supported by the plywood with no bracing. If you have a 36" tank the ends, and therefore the weight, would be sitting over the structure of the rack.

I would highly suggest the dual if you're willing to spend the extra. I have the single. The center shelf holds the top and bottom racks together so you can't adjust it. I also replaced the pressboard shelves with 3/4 plywood painted black gloss for waterproofing and support. I wouldn't trust a tank sitting on untreated pressboard with no undershelf bracing for an extended timeframe but I'm paranoid so...

This video is great; it helped me sex my rams. Based on the photos I think the bottom pic is a female, it looks like my girl. The top could be younger but I'm not sure.

What an epic build!!! The tank is so beautiful with all the green and smaller fish; I could spend all day in a space like that. Thanks for sharing!

I like the Hastafolia a lot, more of an upright growth than most anubias I've tried. OMG I'm going to have to try this!

I've ordered from Aquahuna and The Wet Spot. I'm located in Northern California and have had a good experience with both. The Wet Spot has more expensive shipping but it's faster and they email to confirm the shipping date which I like.

Beautiful tank! If it was me I would clean the anubias but leave the hardscape.

I got back into the hobby early this spring after being away for years. It started with a 5 gallon planted tank for a betta and I quickly fell in love with the idea of an indoor water garden. After many You-tube videos, blog articles and much debate I decided to get one of the fish I had always wanted and started planning a 40 breeder for Bolivian Rams and other community Amazon fish. I took my time finding hardscape (moapani wood and a beautiful slate-blue river rock), planning my plants and making sure the tank was well cycled before adding any fish. A few guppies went in early May; a pair of young Bolivian Rams and 3 ottos were added in June. I went thru all the algae growing pains, green spot, black beard, hair algae... Learned about balancing light and fertz, ripped out masses of Vallisneria as it took over and then it just hit this amazing point in Sept when the tank was just beautiful, the plants were so lush, and my Rams actually bred! I was over the moon! All the hard work and patience had finally produced the amazing, peaceful aquarium I was hoping for. I added 14 emperor tetras and 5 more ottos in October and it was Awesome! Fast forward to the day before Thanksgiving... I topped off the tank early in the day while doing water changes, spent the afternoon prepping for cooking and sat down with the family to eat dinner. A few minutes later I'm hearing water, like the water level is low and the filter is making noise... only it's not the filter. The tank has water pouring down the stand and is flooding out across the floor so fast I could see the water level dropping. In absolute panic mode, and with the help of the hubby and daughter, I got buckets filled from the tank and all the fish netted before the tank emptied. It took 5 hours to get the fish safely into a 20 gallon plant grow-out tank I had just set up, the water vacuumed up (very thankful for laminate flooring and slab foundation), and all the plants and hardscape into totes. The plants sure took a beating as I ripped them all out trying to get the fish before I ran out of water. Needless to say, I was gutted...so many hours of planning and work; so many months of growth and maturity lost...all due to a shoddy bottom seal that wasn't caught beforehand. However, it didn't take long to decide that I was going to turn this disaster into an upgrade... May I present my Amazon inspired 75 gallon tank - complete with 2 Bolivian Rams, 14 Emperor Tetras, 8 Otocinclus and an Elf 😉 P.S. All the fish survived, and the guppies now have their own tank with 2 mystery snails.

Like this suggestion you could try a smaller HOB like a AquaClear 30 with a sponge filter. You'd still get the mechanical filtration but with less flow.

I guess I'm paranoid after having the 40 fail on me. So general consensus is get a mat and don't worry about it? The things companies do...Just Why???

The males have blue eyes and a fin extension on the black stripe; the females have green eyes.

Yes, it is the 75 gallon Marineland aquarium stand; I just had a 40B on it previously.

I love my Emperor Tetras. Only had them for about a month so I can't speak to long term attitude, but they are beautiful and active.

Super cute! I've noticed frozen food does make a difference with my pair. They also get really bright when they go into breeding mode.

I have a 75 gallon Petsmart (Marineland?) aquarium stand that was holding a 40 gallon breeder. The bottom seal failed on that tank so I purchased a 75 gallon Aqueon (Petco) tank as a replacement. For some unknown reason the tank overhangs either end by 1/8 inch...the stand measures 48 3/4" and the tank is labeled as 48 1/2". My thought is to cut a piece of 3/4" plywood for the top that is 1/2" longer and wider and screw it down. I could band the edge and paint it black so it still looks nice but I don't know if it would work long term. There is also a slight, just under 1/8" bow in the center of the stand so I think I need to figure a way to brace the center? Would this work? Am I missing something? Is there a better solution (short of buying a new stand)? Thanks!!!

I had a bad experience recently, added a some Maylasian trumpet snails to 2 betta tanks and the next morning both bettas were in distress. The snails were shipped in a bag of water, I placed them in a small bowl and changed the water several times over 24 hours before adding them to the tanks (by hand so no water was added with them). I can't say for sure if the snails were to blame but I'll be QT from now on, just to be safe

I use your basic flat acrylic paint and roll it on. I've done blue in the past but it always showed algae, now it's black or nothing.

The term "Nerm" is actually in the Urban Dictionary with full credit to Cory 😎🤗

I have this 40g breeder that is cycling with lots of live plants (I've added moss and more anubis since this pic was taken on May 25). My goal is 1 or 2 pairs or Bolivian Rams and 8-12 pygmy cories and a school (12+) Emperor Tetras. I understand the best way to get pairs of rams is to start with 6-8 juveniles, let them pair off and then rehome the extras. My plan is to add each species in a group over time to allow the tank to adjust to the stocking levels. My question is what would be the best order to add them in? Should I start with the Rams and let them establish territory first? Should I start with the cories as they are the smallest? Suggestions, opinions and tips on these particular species would be greatly appreciated!

Love this! (Fish goals!)

I love this term! You might be a Nerm if you spend a hour at the landscape supply store sorting thru bins of small, medium and large stones to get just the right shapes, colors & textures for your next tank. You might be a Nerm if you drive 2 hours to the mountains to hunt for just the right size driftwood. You might be a Nerm if your social media feed is 90% fish and 10% family. You might be a nerm if you get super excited when Lowes sells small terra cotta pots without drain holes for $2.88. 100% of the time!

Hello everyone! I've been out of the hobby for over 10 years. Started a 20g community tank (2 gourami, danios and albino cories) for my daughter and now I'm hooked again. Set up a planted 5.5 for a betta. Now I'm cycling a planted 40 breeder for Bolivian rams, pygmy cories and emperor tetras. Looking forward to learning, sharing and finding new inspirations.