55g Himalayan Foothills Paludarium

Ditto to Magnum. I also have a tank with many neocaridina and multiple platy fry. Both of these guys gobble this stuff up.

Same here, I also dose bacter are to not only shrimp tanks but also tank with otto's/garra. Didn't help with my sewellia though and I fed them too, even repashy
Glad I am not the only one with the badis issue. I have a possible pair in a 25 liter tank and guess what. I almost never see them

So, what do you get when you combine minor renovations with badgerly clumsiness? Major Renovations! Yesterday I had some time on my hands and decided to remove some of the huge java ferns, which were overshadowing the aquatic plants and dominating the tank. In the process of tearing them loose, I broke loose the tallest land area, which I wanted to remove anyway. In doing that, I broke loose the other two land areas. So now? This is happening:

WhistlingBadger said:

Also, I'm pondering some pretty major modifications to the tank:

--Run a pipe from the waterfall to the opposite side of the tank to get some water on some of the mosses that are barely making it.
--Remove most of the big, vascular plants from the land area, especially the huge java ferns. I'll leave at least one of the maidenhair ferns.
--Next time I'm up in the mountains, gather some additional mosses to fill in any bare spots left by removing the big stuff.
--I might finally get around to moving the high shelf down closer to water level. I don't know...that will be a major disruption to the tank, but I think I'd be happier with it in the long run.

All of the above are to start getting ready to move the firebelly toads into the big tank. Hopefully they'll be big enough some time this fall. Right now, with all those huge plants in there, I'd never see them, which would make them really hard to feed. So, More mosses, less big stuff, more surface moisture. Stay tuned.

Click to expand...

Right now, I have the water drawn down extremely low, with the two major land areas glued back on and held in place with green painter's tape.


Once the glue cures and my tank quits smelling like a vinegar factory (probably Sunday?) I'll replant and refill.

I ended up tearing out all of the land area's java ferns, and rehoming one of the maidenhair ferns. So there won't be any large plants blocking the view except one maidenhair and a couple of anubias. I want to be able to see those frogs when they go in.

Also note that the land area on the right has been moved down to just above water level, so it will be easier to look at.

Finally, there is a black pipe on top of the back wall--don't worry if you can't see it; it's supposed to be camouflaged--which will gently drip water across the entire land area to keep the mosses nicely watered.

p.s. Interesting note for those who have been following this journal for a while: I almost half expected to find some hiding or hibernating Firebelly frogs when I tore the mosses out, but nothing. I really think they starved to death.

Wellp, got everything set back up and running. Fairly pleased. I could have gone a good two inches lower on the new shelves, and wish I had...but it's better than it was and probably good enough. Note the water dripping from the black pipe above. I'm expecting some seriously lush mosses in a week or two. The bare sand area on the right is planted with dwarf rice seed, but will probably be taken over by mosses at some point.

WhistlingBadger said:

So, what do you get when you combine minor renovations with badgerly clumsiness? Major Renovations! Yesterday I had some time on my hands and decided to remove some of the huge java ferns, which were overshadowing the aquatic plants and dominating the tank. In the process of tearing them loose, I broke loose the tallest land area, which I wanted to remove anyway. In doing that, I broke loose the other two land areas. So now? This is happening:

Right now, I have the water drawn down extremely low, with the two major land areas glued back on and held in place with green painter's tape.
View attachment 347092

Once the glue cures and my tank quits smelling like a vinegar factory (probably Sunday?) I'll replant and refill.

I ended up tearing out all of the land area's java ferns, and rehoming one of the maidenhair ferns. So there won't be any large plants blocking the view except one maidenhair and a couple of anubias. I want to be able to see those frogs when they go in.

Also note that the land area on the right has been moved down to just above water level, so it will be easier to look at.

Finally, there is a black pipe on top of the back wall--don't worry if you can't see it; it's supposed to be camouflaged--which will gently drip water across the entire land area to keep the mosses nicely watered.

p.s. Interesting note for those who have been following this journal for a while: I almost half expected to find some hiding or hibernating Firebelly frogs when I tore the mosses out, but nothing. I really think they starved to death.

Click to expand...

I remember the frogs! Amazing you didn't find anything when you did this-