Your tank is so beautiful!!!

Thank you, My tank just split the side seam on the glass last week so the next time I post a picture it will totaly different. I will do that after it grows in abit in a month or so.

ooooooooh, disaster >:-/ Were you able to repair the split or did you switch to a new tank?

I was able to repair the split but time will tell... the water is going back into it today. It looks like it will hold but the tank is over 15 years old the silicone may be getting a little old. I only repaired the side with the split when will the other sides go?

How'd the repair hold up? I've got a tank that is 20+ years old and I keep a tube of silicone around on standby.

Love to see an update on the plants. Always love the way they grow and change.
I keep a planted tank too. More of a jungle than anything else now.

does it cost a lot of money to run the special lights [say for a 150 gallon tank] to keep the plants thriving?

can they clean the gravel that with enough oxygen in the water the roots and aerobic bacteria will clean it so you dont have to do a clean out?

No it does not cost a lot of money to run the lights, I think it cost more to run the heater for the tank. (it is a 150 watt) For a 150 gal tank you will need a lot of light to penatrate to get to the bottom of the tank. I would go with around 300 watts to start with and low light plants. If you go with compact floresents they have a electronic ballast which is cheeper to run and pack in more light in a smaller space.

do you ever remove the gravel?