125 gallon South American community progress

[Snagrio]

Marbled hatchets are a sight to behold, I had them in a 40B for a while, but their reputation for jumping is well noted, IME...proceed with caution...supposedly, the silvers are even worse...I had to rescue, more than once, one of my marbles that jumped from the tank during feeding time, just because the lid was open, and it was poised and ready, lol. Mine have eventually died off, down to just one now, I won't replace them...too much anxiety with the jumping, IMO...be sure you have a tight fitting lid.

Those corys are gorgeous.

Way ahead of ya there mate.

Almost the entire tank is covered by heavy glass lids, and the small slivers of space in the back to make room for tubings and such I've covered with a multi-layered cheesecloth taped tightly down on all sides and corners. Will keep your words of caution about feeding time in mind though lol.

 

[Slaphppy7]

Way ahead of ya there mate.

Almost the entire tank is covered by heavy glass lids, and the small slivers of space in the back to make room for tubings and such I've covered with a multi-layered cheesecloth taped tightly down on all sides and corners. Will keep your words of caution about feeding time in mind though lol.

I admire a fishkeeper who has done their research....careful at WC time, as well...I once had one of my marbles land directly on my (bare) foot, happened so fast I didn't see it, I wouldn't have known without feeling it, and may have stepped on him/her otherwise...

 

[Snagrio]

I admire a fishkeeper who has done their research....careful at WC time, as well...I once had one of my marbles land directly on my (bare) foot, happened so fast I didn't see it, I wouldn't have known without feeling it, and may have stepped on him/her otherwise...

Part of it is from past experience. I had an African butterfly fish in my previous tank a few years ago and there was just teeny tiny little slots between the lids for the HOBs that I didn't think it would've been an issue. Poor thing proved me wrong a few weeks later... Not taking any chances this time. And it's not just the future hatchets either, my mystery snails are intrepid explorers and often skate around right at the surface, uncomfortably close to the back gaps.

Though with all that in mind I'll need to figure out how to secure the QT in a similar fashion, as it has the exact same HOB gap issue the old system had. Probably will just get a little piece of welded mesh and cut it to size or something, lots of odds and ends to rummage through in the garage...

 

[Slaphppy7]

Part of it is from past experience. I had an African butterfly fish in my previous tank a few years ago and there was just teeny tiny little slots between the lids for the HOBs that I didn't think it would've been an issue. Poor thing proved me wrong a few weeks later... Not taking any chances this time. And it's not just the future hatchets either, my mystery snails are intrepid explorers and often skate around right at the surface, uncomfortably close to the back gaps.

Though with all that in mind I'll need to figure out how to secure the QT in a similar fashion, as it has the exact same HOB gap issue the old system had. Probably will just get a little piece of welded mesh and cut it to size or something, lots of odds and ends to rummage through in the garage...

Understood.

I find it almost hurtful that a new fish would want to vacate a well-planned tank I had prepared for them, in such a blatant manner, lol

I've had MS's escape as well, I've read they move from pond to pond in the wild when ready to mate, and they are displaying that behavior in captivity when they consistently escape, but not sure if any validity to that...

 

[Snagrio]

I've noticed the cories didn't take to pellets well at all. Put a couple carnivore sinkers and a bit of algae wafer in yesterday and they looked completely untouched several hours later. Removed them along with a water change (it's, a weird feeling only taking five minutes to do one of those now lol).

Tried some frozen/thawed bloodworms today and that seemed to be much more to their liking, saw them actively eating it. Though the neons enjoyed them a little too much apparently. They all turned into balloons. Clearly need to use a half portion next time.

 

[Snagrio]

Here's a BIG detailed update. The vallis on the left is almost at the surface and the right's baby is already half the height of the parent, so they're doing great. The Java ferns are also making a bunch of babies but I need to get more rubber bands to attach them. Thinking of moving them to the spider wood branches.





The micro swords however look terrible. I've had to shove their foliage back into the sand so many times that they just look like random little weeds at this point.


The bacopas don't look much better. Not much fresh growth and seem to be stuck in a perpetual melting phase along with being uprooted at times (not as bad as the micro swords but still).


The ludwigias are middle of the road. Constantly shedding leaves (there's always some floating around the tank) and uproots, but they're putting more effort towards new growth compared to the others.


Amazon sword hasn't really put any work into vertical growth yet so it's rather hidden in the background. The anubias are more or less the same, just taking their time with each leaf.


Now on to the fish, starting with the albino bristlenose.

This guy. THIS GUY. Constantly digs holes in the sand everywhere (most of the foliage I find free floating is his "handiwork"), threatens to get himself crushed by burrowing under the large dragon stone on the left side of the tank, and yet most of the day he just sits under this driftwood like he didn't no anything earlier. Quite annoying.


The more "well behaved" female. Except towards the mystery snails, she seems to make it her personal mission to bowl them over whenever it's feeding time.


Vagrant, the wayward female guppy that found her way in the tank with a couple of the mystery snails and the only fish I have blessed with a name. She's not only been thriving but she's putting on more color with the black around her tail and top fin. Almost looks like a tuxedo strain, but I know very little about guppy genetics so if someone more experienced knows I'd appreciate it.


The best pic I could get of the giant danio and Australian rainbowfish. I've noticed that ever since the move they've grown a lot more shy due to more open water and lack of other dither fish (Vagrant is similar, she rarely leaves the top left of the tank). Considering adding the neon tetras and cories I have in quarantine a bit early so there's more movement to make everyone more comfortable, possibly next week if they stay healthy.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Here's a BIG detailed update. The vallis on the left is almost at the surface and the right's baby is already half the height of the parent, so they're doing great. The Java ferns are also making a bunch of babies but I need to get more rubber bands to attach them. Thinking of moving them to the spider wood branches.
View attachment 129489
View attachment 129490
View attachment 129491
View attachment 129492

The micro swords however look terrible. I've had to shove their foliage back into the sand so many times that they just look like random little weeds at this point.
View attachment 129494

The bacopas don't look much better. Not much fresh growth and seem to be stuck in a perpetual melting phase along with being uprooted at times (not as bad as the micro swords but still).
View attachment 129495

The ludwigias are middle of the road. Constantly shedding leaves (there's always some floating around the tank) and uproots, but they're putting more effort towards new growth compared to the others.
View attachment 129497

Amazon sword hasn't really put any work into vertical growth yet so it's rather hidden in the background. The anubias are more or less the same, just taking their time with each leaf.
View attachment 129498

Now on to the fish, starting with the albino bristlenose.

This guy. THIS GUY. Constantly digs holes in the sand everywhere (most of the foliage I find free floating is his "handiwork"), threatens to get himself crushed by burrowing under the large dragon stone on the left side of the tank, and yet most of the day he just sits under this driftwood like he didn't no anything earlier. Quite annoying.
View attachment 129499

The more "well behaved" female. Except towards the mystery snails, she seems to make it her personal mission to bowl them over whenever it's feeding time.
View attachment 129500

Vagrant, the wayward female guppy that found her way in the tank with a couple of the mystery snails and the only fish I have blessed with a name. She's not only been thriving but she's putting on more color with the black around her tail and top fin. Almost looks like a tuxedo strain, but I know very little about guppy genetics so if someone more experienced knows I'd appreciate it.
View attachment 129501

The best pic I could get of the giant danio and Australian rainbowfish. I've noticed that ever since the move they've grown a lot more shy due to more open water and lack of other dither fish (Vagrant is similar, she rarely leaves the top left of the tank). Considering adding the neon tetras and cories I have in quarantine a bit early so there's more movement to make everyone more comfortable, possibly next week if they stay healthy.
View attachment 129502

That is an awesome tank man!

 

[Snagrio]

That is an awesome tank man!

Thanks. I'm trying not to be too hard on myself with the whole thing with constantly hovering over and adjusting every little tidbit that I feel is out of order. It's almost like making an art piece where you're constantly judging yourself and thinking it's not up to your own perceived standards.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Thanks. I'm trying not to be too hard on myself with the whole thing with constantly hovering over and adjusting every little tidbit that I feel is out of order. It's almost like making an art piece where you're constantly judging yourself and thinking it's not up to your own perceived standards.

It’s definitely art my friend.

 

[Colin_T]

The best pic I could get of the giant danio and Australian rainbowfish.

The rainbowfish looks like a Melanotaenia splendida splendida or a hybrid between that and another species of rainbowfish. You can never tell with store bought rainbows from the US. There are too many fish farms trying to create better looking fish and they mix n match anything. If you get fish from a breeder you can usually be certain they are a true species, but anything from a shop should be admired but not bred unless its identity can be confirmed 100%.

 

[Snagrio]

The rainbowfish looks like a Melanotaenia splendida splendida or a hybrid between that and another species of rainbowfish. You can never tell with store bought rainbows from the US. There are too many fish farms trying to create better looking fish and they mix n match anything. If you get fish from a breeder you can usually be certain they are a true species, but anything from a shop should be admired but not bred unless its identity can be confirmed 100%.

Huh, interesting. Looked into it further and your very specific naming is correct (anything other than splendida spledndida gives me rainbowfish with red coloration, which none of mine ever sported).

I simply called them Australian because that's what they store called them when I bought some however many years ago, long before I put more intricate research into this type of stuff.

 

[Colin_T]

The following link has everything you need to know about identifying Australian and New Guinea rainbowfish. It's the most comprehensive site for them.
rainbowfish.angfaqld.org.au/Melano.htm

 

[Snagrio]

Fresh water change (the reason why the water's clearer and more bubbly than usual) and yet another aquascape rearrangement.

Put in one of the artificial logs I had lying around so the plecos have somewhere to properly hide and hopefully stop digging holes in the sand everywhere to wedge themselves under the dragon stones. The poor cryptocoryne parva had to be shuffled around yet again and I had to awkwardly angle one of the spider wood pieces in the back. Attached the most developed of the Java fern babies to driftwood behind the fake log.




Vagrant the guppy, who I'm pretty sure is actually male by now. Got some awfully "gonopo-y" looking anal fins going on.


A couple of the Delphax cories.



The real treat though. The neons. I've never had them in such numbers so getting to see them shoal en masse like this has made all the work worth it, and it's not even halfway finished. There's still another 7 sitting in quarantine (21 in total once they're all together) and then there's the black neons I will get later for that mixed school I've envisioned all this time. There's 3 apistogramma trifasciata waiting with the 7 neons as well so things are really coming together.

 

[hobby5]

Hi Snagrio (or whatever your name is)

I just stumbled accross this topic, but did not have time to read all. Just a little input from my side: you need many more plants, especially some larger ones for the background.

 

[Snagrio]

My patience is wearing thin with the albino pleco at this point. Looked at the tank today and not only has he kept digging under the dragon stone and completely ignored the new log ever since I put it in, but over the course of last night he managed to uproot nearly all of my best-growing section of ludwigia despite it not being too terribly close to the digging spot.

Moved the rock around a bit, filled in the hole, replanted the ludwigia farther away and repositioned some of the driftwood nearby so it fits into everything better. Got the pleco to scoot into the log cave just so he knows where it is, except I came back a minute later and he was back on the tilted piece of driftwood where he sits before going back to his digging. Uuuuugggghhh...

If this keeps up I'm going to consider rehoming him. Getting fed up with having to replant half my tank every other day.