55Gal Goal Is Planted, Peaceful

[BeckyCats]

Why do you not recommend 3 mid swimmers? Will they fight? I was thinking the red, green, and silver would look very pretty together. If it's going to cause problems though, I don't want that.

 

[NickAu]

 
 Unlike many other species of pleco though, they are algae eaters their whole life, BUT still require special food to be added for them specifically.  You can't ignore them and just rely on algae in the tank to be sufficient for their needs. 

I never see my adult BN's eating algae on the glass anymore the fry do.
 
My adult BN's know when its feeding time and come to the front of the tank now. They also love Snello.
 
 
I feed mine
Omega One Veggie Rounds
Hikari Algae Wafers
Kens veggie sticks.
Blood worm
Brine shrimp
Every now and again a tiny bit of OX heart
New Life Spectrum Thera Plus pellets.

And they need fresh veggies.
This is a list of vegetables and fruit that are popular with most plecs.

    Zucchini/Courgette
    Cucumber
    Peas (deshelled)
    Sweet Potato
    Green Beans
    Melon/Melon rind

    Aubergine/Egg plant
    Avocado
    Broad Beans
    Broccoli/Stalk
    Butternut Squash+ other squash
    Capsicum/Bell pepper(not the hot ones)
    Cauliflower/Stalk
    Carrot
    Coconut
    Grapes
    Kale/Collard Greens
    Kiwi Fruit
    Lettuce
    Lima Beans
    Mango
    Mushroom (common plecs and goldspots love mushroom)let it float,they will reach it.
    Papaya
    Potato
    Pumpkin
    Spinach
    Sprouts
    Swede
    Tomato
    Yam

 

[*pete*]

Here's the horse-ish driftwood I mentioned. I tied java moss to it. I'll get rid of the thread if the java moss attaches. For some reason, it doesn't look quite as horsey in the photo as it does in person. Oh well. Close enough.

I don't like this... I love it !!!

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Why do you not recommend 3 mid swimmers? Will they fight? I was thinking the red, green, and silver would look very pretty together. If it's going to cause problems though, I don't want that.

 
Its not about fighting, its about numbers.  2 large shoals, IMHO, looks far better than 3 smaller shoals.  Its more about personal preference... its just my opinion, not really about husbandry.

 

 
 Unlike many other species of pleco though, they are algae eaters their whole life, BUT still require special food to be added for them specifically.  You can't ignore them and just rely on algae in the tank to be sufficient for their needs. 

I never see my adult BN's eating algae on the glass anymore the fry do.
 
My adult BN's know when its feeding time and come to the front of the tank now. They also love Snello.

 
I used to think that for years with my BN.  But, I've come to find him working the glass come the night time.  Usually only when the room is completely dark and I come into it for some reason, but don't turn on a light near the tank... I've caught him still doing it.  I also don't feed him a ton.  I feed him a few times a week, but try to 'fast' the entire tank fairly regularly.   

 

[BeckyCats]

I'm thinking something other than a pleco for an algae eater, because their bioloads are high (I've read) and they are so shy. The tank where I work has one and it is always hiding.

Maybe a Siamese algae eater. I've read that as long as you get the real thing and not one of the look alikes, that they are not aggressive. I thought amano shrimp and nerite snails but read they need harder water.

Also, just in case I can't find the gold laser cories, any other kinds that are recommended? I don't want wild-caught anything, so no otos.

Pete: I'm glad you appreciate my silly "horse"! Ha ha! The kids get a kick out of it.

Speaking of kids, they are clamoring for my attention. Must run.

 

[BeckyCats]

LFS has stiphodons! Oh, if only the tank were cycled.

 

[*pete*]

I'm thinking something other than a pleco for an algae eater, because their bioloads are high (I've read) and they are so shy. The tank where I work has one and it is always hiding.

Maybe a Siamese algae eater. I've read that as long as you get the real thing and not one of the look alikes, that they are not aggressive. I thought amano shrimp and nerite snails but read they need harder water.

Also, just in case I can't find the gold laser cories, any other kinds that are recommended? I don't want wild-caught anything, so no otos.

Pete: I'm glad you appreciate my silly "horse"! Ha ha! The kids get a kick out of it.

Speaking of kids, they are clamoring for my attention. Must run.

Not silly at all BeckyCats... I totally get It... your kids still have the gift of imagination!
 
I had to search Stiphodons... another new species to me, looks like a nice fish for the lower levels, natural coloured irridecent fish are my personal favorites.

 

[BeckyCats]

Here's an update of the tank. I have 5 flame tetras in there now. They seem to be happy. They are exploring and determining the pecking order. I'll be monitoring levels and if the aquarium is as cycled as I think it is, I will add another 5 or so in about a week.
 
The banana plants are apparently delighted. They have grown large leaves and 2 of them are sending shoots to the top. Interestingly, the one that is directly under the filter flow has smaller, greener leaves, and has sent up a shoot very quickly. Very. As in grew 2 inches in one day. The two that are farther from the flow, have larger leaves that have turned a reddish color.
 
The water sprite is finally starting to grow. From all that I've read about it being a fast grower, I have yet to see that.
 
The broadleaf plants are all doing very well, sending out new leaves as soon as the newest one unfurls.
 
I do have a bit of brown algae (I assume diatoms). I've been wiping it off of the leaves. I'm not sure what kind of algae eater I'm going to get. I have the 2 gobies (blue neon), but they are so tiny that I don't think they'll be able to handle the whole tank by themselves. On the other hand, I'm afraid to add anything because I don't want them to feel pushed around or lacking in territory. That's an issue I would love to hear other people's input about.
 
I also have the issue where the top layer of sand is turning green in spots. I had the same issue in the 10 gallon tank and but it never got out of control, so I'm not going to freak out about it.
 
I added root tab fertilizer a few days ago, so hopefully that will help the plants stay happy.
 
If anyone has any advice or constructive criticisms, I am open to hearing it.

 

[BeckyCats]

Just got two new plants last night! Woo Hoo! (Yes, I lead a boring life and adding new plants was a highlight of my day

). Plants are so much easier to make decisions about than fish.
 
Had to share this here because I don't know anyone else that would be interested. Makes me really glad to have this forum community!

 

[*pete*]

Most of us get your exitment at adding new plants, thats the joy of TFF where we can advise, share even show off our tanks and fish knowing it will be appreciated by at least some on here!
 
Hows the Water Horse doing?

 

[HarpyFishLover]

I always love when I add fish or plants; it makes the tank look new and different.

 

[BeckyCats]

Hi Pete! The horse is doing well. Thanks for asking! I tried to take the string off too soon and had to re-tie it because the Java fern hadn't grabbed yet. Still haven't figured out what to do for eyes. Probably a couple of those gemstones they sell in museum gift shops. They're inexpensive and pretty.

I'm on my phone now and the mobile version doesn't show signatures, but do I remember correctly that you are a Bowie fan? He was always my personal favorite.

Hi HarpyFishLover! It is satisfying isn't it?

I added a little orange flame tetra today. The department manager said it was sent to the fish store by mistake with the guppies. It was kind of hiding behind the decoration and looking miserable. I brought it home to live with my flame tetras. The only difference is that the new guy/gal doesn't have stripes. I read it doesn't really matter. She has been alternately hanging with the other tetras and then just observing everything. She already has much of her color back. It amazes me how much of their color they lose when they are stressed. She was almost completely grey when I put her in at first. (I think she's a female because of the fin shape. I could be wrong.)

 

[*pete*]

Hi Pete! The horse is doing well. Thanks for asking! I tried to take the string off too soon and had to re-tie it because the Java fern hadn't grabbed yet. Still haven't figured out what to do for eyes. Probably a couple of those gemstones they sell in museum gift shops. They're inexpensive and pretty.

I'm on my phone now and the mobile version doesn't show signatures, but do I remember correctly that you are a Bowie fan? He was always my personal favorite.

 

 
Gemstones sound good and in keeping with a natural organic look.
 
Yeah! I've loved Bowie from way back in the 70s... and for as long as I've had Aquariums... Just one of his many original Space Cadets!!!  lol.

 

[BeckyCats]

I discovered Bowie in the mid-80s as a teenager. All of my friends liked Madonna, Michael Jackson, Quiet Riot, etc. Nothing on the radio ever really "spoke" to me though. I found a used Diamond Dogs album and bought it because it looked interesting. When I listened to it, it sounded like nothing I had ever heard before and I wasn't sure if I liked it but I figured that I should give it another listen because I knew that sometimes you can't appreciate something until you understand it better. Of course I loved it and ended up being a huge Bowie fan. None of my friends knew who he was but I didn't care because it was music that spoke to me.

 

[BeckyCats]

 
So, I finally have what I believe to be the final population:
 
5 pearl gouramis (sex to be determined as they get older but I think there's 1 male and 4 females)
6 flame tetras
6 corydoras
2 stiphdon atrpurpureus
 
I realize the stiphodons and gouramis prefer different water flow, but I think I can accommodate both because I have plants breaking up the flow on a good chunk of the tank, but there is still a patch of tank that gets a decent amount of flow. If the stiphodons look like they aren't happy, I'll move them to a different tank.
 
I'm a little worried about one of the gouramis because I got her Thursday night but she still isn't out of hiding. To be fair, she endured the netting of 10 bloodfins when I realized that I had made a mistake putting them in. I originally got 1 gourami and 10 bloodfins but the bloodfins were so wiggly and squiggly that it made me jittery. I realize now that I prefer fewer numbers of calm fish rather than large numbers of active fish. I wish the bloodfins didn't have to go through being bought and returned for me to learn this, but now I know. I returned them yesterday and got the 4 additional gouramis. Hopefully having others will make the original gourami feel safer.
 
I think that only one of them is a male. Only one seems to be the boss, gently herding the others like a slow, graceful border collie (I'm pretty sure that's the first time in history that anyone used the word "slow" and "border collie" in the same sentence). The Boss has a slightly longer anal fin than the others and is braver. He was the first to come out of hiding and is the first to have patrolled the tank.
 
Speaking of the tank, I got some hornwort yesterday because it was the ONLY floating plant being sold by any store near me. I couldn't even find water sprite. Hornwort is dreadful. Just as messy as I had heard. I put it in to make the gouramis feel safer but I will be replacing it as soon as I find suitable replacements. I stuck an anubias in the top, just floating. If it wasn't $10, I would have gotten more and tossed the hornwort, but that is just too much money to throw at a temporary problem. I'm sure someone will have a better floating plant eventually. The tank is looking a little messy right now with plants. I'm anxious for things to start growing in better so I can tidy things up a bit. It looks chaotic because I put in one of everything and there is no cohesion. I've never done this before though and I wasn't sure what would work and what wouldn't, so I tried pretty much everything they had. Time will show me what works for me and what doesn't, and I can make it look nicer. In the meantime, the fish have not complained about the messy landscaping.

 
I think this is the male.

 
One of the maybe-females hiding in the anubias (What fish? No fish here.)