20 Long With High Flow

[MaloK]

That sounds like an heavenly setup.

I never regret $ invested in good wood.

 

[MuddyWaters]

Working on putting the plants in.

 

[MaloK]

Your technique is excellent...

This rack will let you slowly upgrade to much larger aquariums.

Without your wife ever noticing anything.

Slow and steady.

Lolll !!!

 

[MuddyWaters]

Plant list
2x Anubias Nana
Anubias Chili Jalapeno
Buce Purple Blue
Buce Black Pearl
Buce Catherinae Green
3x Buce Lamandau Mini Purple ("Lando Calresean")
Buce Arrogant Blue

So far, no fertilizer or anything- will run the light at 20% for 8 hours per day with 1 hour ramp up and down. Kind of scared to add ferts, but figure they need a little something since there is only water in there now. There will be some nitrate when the dang bacteria finally start working, but I may add a few grains of powdered ferts that I use on my 75gal just so they have a little something.

 

[MaloK]

Your light is at 20% atm ? On that picture That's bright !

 

[MuddyWaters]

Your light is at 20% atm ? On that picture That's bright !

you know, I thought the same thing- I kept lowering it and I got down to 20% and thought wow it still looks bright. The light is just an Aquarium Co Op 30" light. They are the only ones I found who have a 30" light. I think they put the $$ into the light itself because it doesn't have any of the fancy features like an app and all that. I just bought an attachment to make it ramp up and ramp down with a timer. Cost me $20 and gives me everything I need for that light. I have 3 Fluval Plant 3.0 lights and a Chihiros WRGB Pro and I hardly use all the fancy stuff that comes with them.

I will say, though, that the Chihiros, as crazy expensive as it is, is leaps and bounds beyond any other light I've had in terms of the way it brings out the colors on the fish. UNBELIEVABLE- made it worth it. Also, that thing is so bright they have a warning for you not to stare directly at it LOL. I ran it 100% for several months and got massive algae even with short stints of it being on during the day and twice per week water changes- and that's with high light plants too. Now it's at 50% and I don't think anyone would know it's not at 100%.

Anyway, there I go rambling on as usual....

 

[MuddyWaters]

Well, I first added some floss from my filter in the office tank and thought that would spur the bacteria on. No drop in the ammonia from that (steady at 4ppm).

Then, when I changed the water in my 75 gallon, I removed a bunch of K1 filter media I have in an Aqua Clear 110 that I have on the back of that tank and switched it out with some of the media in the filter for this tank (the 75 gallon primary filter is FX4- I just have the AC110 on the back as backup). I also took 5 gallons of water out of the tank upstairs, squeezed the sponge from the AC110 into it and add it (and the detritus) to this tank.

I thought for sure the next day the ammonia would drop, but nope. Two days later and there's no change.

Why can I take a sponge filter from a working tank and plop it in a quarantine tank and it work fine, but when I add all this stuff that most surely must have beneficial bacteria in it to this new tank, it doesn't immediately start eating up all the ammonia?

The ammonia comes from Dr. Tim's and it is still reading about 3ppm - it dropped from 4ppm, but I changed out 5 gallons of water as noted above, so that's why.

I'll wait like a good little fish keeper, but dang, what am I missing here? Does this seem unusual or pretty standard?

 

[MuddyWaters]

First fish added! Added some Danios a few days back when the cycle completes. Lost a couple- one I accidentally squished a little while netting.

Went to LFS today to order the Microdevario KUBOTAI and they had some! I called him about them a few weeks back and he mentioned he might get some just to have for the store- well, they were there!

Buce plants are melting, but I think they are ok. Just added the little greenies today and they seem to be enjoying playing in the flow.

I will pick up a trio of Hillstream Loaches from a club friend this week (male & 2 females). He told me it doesn't take much to get them breeding, so that is exciting!

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Nice! The one stuck on the power head intake doesn't seem happy. The kubotais are such cool little fish. They seem to be enjoying the current.

 

[MaloK]

Looking good. This is going to be an active tank for sure.

The fish you can see in the middle top at 35 sec. Doesn't look very well. it's a little skinny and seems to have buoyancy difficulties. You might want to keep an eye on it.

 

[MuddyWaters]

Hey everyone. I recently bought 15 Microdevario KUBOTAI from the LFS. Most of them died. I talked to a friend at the club who is a respected breeder and fish keeper. He told me it happens about half the time and that it seems the fish stores around here have a hard time getting good stock.

So, I laid down the cash and am buying from Dan's Fish. I have never lost a fish when I buy from him.

Anyway, my buddy at the club sold me 3 juvenile hillstream loaches. He told me, "enjoy them in your tank because once you get them in there you will never get them out. I had to tear up the tank to get these" LOL

He also gave me a nice piece of wood with tons of biofilm and a bunch of Val he was about to throw out.

Here's what it looks like now (The fish from Dan's will get here in a couple of weeks):
Edit: btw, there are 2 hillstream loaches visible in the pic. Can u find them?

 

[Magnum Man]

I found them right away from my cellphone screen... course I know what to look for... your tank is awesome...

 

[MaloK]

btw, there are 2 hillstream loaches visible in the pic. Can u find them?

One on the water return the other I'm not sure. I have 2 things that could be it

 

[WhistlingBadger]

I found them! I found them! Took me a minute, though.