148.6L (39.2 gallon) aquarium journal

[Colin_T]

The males have certainly coloured up. look at them compared to the females.

 

[elephantnose3334]

The males have certainly coloured up. look at them compared to the females.

Yeah. The eldest trio are still pale, probably a loss of colour due to age, but the newer ones have coloured up well.

 

[elephantnose3334]

Got some live blackworms today for the silvertips to try, and they liked them.

 

[elephantnose3334]

I will check on see how the tetras are going tomorrow.

 

[elephantnose3334]

The old 10 gallon is taken down today. I will probably use it again in the future, probably for a betta or a small school of celestial pearl danios. Meanwhile, the silvertips are still active in the 39 gallon tank.

 

[elephantnose3334]

My brother's friends had come over earlier today in the afternoon and are in a sleepover. They're just about to sleep now, but the fish are woken up by the lights and the chatter.

 

[Colin_T]

The fish will be alright. Not every night in the wild is a quiet night either. They get woken up and spooked by things hunting them. If they don't get much sleep tonight they will rest during the day or go to bed earlier tomorrow night.

If you're really concerned, you can put a towel over the front of the tank. Just make sure it doesn't get wet or it can drain water all over the counter.

 

[elephantnose3334]

The accidental hitchhiker snails are clearing the detritus off the driftwood, instead of eating the plants, but I will keep an eye for any eggs on the underside of leaves. Meanwhile, the silvertips are doing all right in the tank as I try to feed them as much variety of food as possible (flakes, pellets, frozen and live worms). Some sort of stuff is growing lightly on the back of the aquarium (you can see it faintly on one of the photos), probably some sort of algae... Is it natural?

 

[Colin_T]

Green or brown stuff on the glass is just algae growing due to light and water with not many live plants to compete with. Perfectly normal and nothing to worry about. Just add more plants when you can.

You need to increase aeration/ surface turbulence to break up that scum on the surface.

 

[elephantnose3334]

Green or brown stuff on the glass is just algae growing due to light and water with not many live plants to compete with. Perfectly normal and nothing to worry about. Just add more plants when you can.

You need to increase aeration/ surface turbulence to break up that scum on the surface.

I'll try to add more aeration to break up some scum on the surface.

 

[elephantnose3334]

In one of the photos above, there were bubbles on the surface, not scum.

I have been feeding the silvertips a varied diet to condition their colour further. Dad moved my younger sister's tank and used all except for one of the jugs of dechlorinated water. The tank is still evolving at its earliest stages, so I will add in more plants over time to make them feel safer. They're starting to shoal more often during the day. The light brightness are low, dimmed to prevent algae growth, and I can control its brightness over time through the settings.

 

[elephantnose3334]

New Year's Eve photoshoot. Some of the silvertips have coloured up nicely and I've been looking after the tank as usual. The fish shop was almost out of live stem plants, so I'll wait a week or two until they're back in stock and I'll get water sprite as soon as they return to the stock. I like their personality, they're not as camera-shy.

 

[elephantnose3334]

I have taken blurry pictures of their behaviour at night. Is this spawning behaviour or constant harassment from the males? Sometimes two males have been chasing a single female. First picture is a male silvertip placing his body near a female's near the hornwort.

It has been happening since I have got the bigger school of silvertips when the lights are out. I've been monitoring this behaviour ever since.

 

[Colin_T]

Breeding behaviour when they swim up to the plants, stop and then touch their sides together for a few seconds. then they swim off. If the plants were on the bottom they would do it there instead of at the surface.

 

[elephantnose3334]

Breeding behaviour when they swim up to the plants, stop and then touch their sides together for a few seconds. then they swim off. If the plants were on the bottom they would do it there instead of at the surface.

Yeah. The tank's aquascape is still at its early stages, the males have been trying to please the girls more tonight and many nights after that.