Badger's Sumatran Rice Paddy

[Slaphppy7]

Good job with the move....and, I told you so....

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Recent goings on in the Sumatra biotope. Trying to get some pics for the FOTM contest, I captured these:

Father and Son. They still get along, mostly.

Always muggin' for the camera, these boys.

A few Boraras maculatus, with a betta in the background scared he's missing something interesting and/or edible.

Zipper loach. These are full grown now. The biggest is almost 3". Most of them are right around 2". Such delightfully weird little fish. Edit: I just noticed the trumpet snail in the pic. That one's for you, @Slaphppy7

What's that you say? Amano shrimp don't live in Sumatra? Well, I couldn't get a hold of any Sumatran shrimp (there is such a thing!) so let's call it close enough. They don't seem to mind.

Another zipper. Apparently there's a botia that goes by the same common name. These are of the kuhli type, Pangio cuneovirgata. Most of them are long and skinny; this is "Big Momma", and she is long and, um, not skinny. Maybe a spawn on the way???

I almost used this pic for the FOTM page because it captures the personality of this species so well: A bit shy, but always interested in knowing what's going on.

 

[DoubleDutch]

Anxious to see the endresult WB.
When is Rice harvesting?
PFK had a article about Ricefish some times ago. I'll try to find it and send it to you.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Anxious to see the endresult WB.
When is Rice harvesting?
PFK had a article about Ricefish some times ago. I'll try to find it and send it to you.

No rice harvest, DD. I am an utter failure at growing rice. I put split bamboo canes in the tank so simulate the look, but I've only been able to grow one rice plant tall enough to grow out of the tank, and it died when I moved the tank. However, I'm trying again--just put some seeds down to germinate. I'm going to actually try growing it right this time instead of just throwing some seed in the tank and seeing what germinates.

Ricefish are really cool! They don't live in Sumatra, so I don't have any in this tank, but they are a really interesting species. I'd love to read more about them.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Rice seeds are germinated! Some of them are several inches tall; another batch, planted a week later, are just sprouting. Once they're all at six inches or so, I'll start raising the water levels in the bucket a bit, making sure they're always well clear on top. Once they're over a foot tall, I'll move them into the tank, if they manage to survive to get that big.

 

[Tacocat]

Rice seeds are germinated! Some of them are several inches tall; another batch, planted a week later, are just sprouting. Once they're all at six inches or so, I'll start raising the water levels in the bucket a bit, making sure they're always well clear on top. Once they're over a foot tall, I'll move them into the tank, if they manage to survive to get that big.

pics?

 

[Fishmanic]

I read up on Imbellis Betta due to your FOTM entry. I hear they are peaceful and can live in a community tank in many cases. And they look very colorful. Too bad most local fish stores only carry Betta Splendens.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

pics?

Imagine grass seeds sprouting in a bucket. Yeah. Not too exciting. Yet.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

I read up on Imbellis Betta due to your FOTM entry. I hear they are peaceful and can live in a community tank in many cases. And they look very colorful. Too bad most local fish stores only carry Betta Splendens.

The males are really, really beautiful. Their color is surprisingly variable; sometimes they almost "flash" like turquoise rainbows when they're upset or trying to impress someone. Other times the males, and always the females, are more subtle, worth studying up close, but no less beautiful.

"Peaceful" is a relative thing. I started with one male and one female. All was well until they started breeding. I'm ashamed to say the male killed the female before I understood how bad the situation was. By the time I rehomed her it was too late. Now I have two males and two females (I think) and things are much more peaceful. Of course, no one is breeding at the moment, so that might change. But I will certainly be more vigilant in the future. Outside of breeding time, though, they do seem quite peaceful. It's interesting that, based on color and behavior, the juvenile male seems to be dominant over his father, who is about twice his size!

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Some of my rice is almost tall enough to transplant! I'm going to start raising the water level in the buckets tomorrow and see how it does.

My P. cuneovirgata (dwarf kuhlis) are very interesting, and probably my favorite species in this tank. There seem to be two distinct types: One is smaller, more slenderly built, and has different markings than the bigger, stouter ones (though all of them are quite small). Either this species has sexual dimorphism, or I have two different species.

I plan to order six more B. maculatus (dwarf rasboras) later this week, which will bring my school up to eleven. I am tempted to try blue rasboras (S. goblinus) again, as they are one of my favorite fish, and now that the water parameters have settled down, they might do better. But since they are wild caught and come from an endangered ecosystem, I am reluctant to buy more of them. I was really hoping they would breed in this tank.

 

[Colin_T]

My P. cuneovirgata (dwarf kuhlis) are very interesting, and probably my favorite species in this tank. There seem to be two distinct types: One is smaller, more slenderly built, and has different markings than the bigger, stouter ones (though all of them are quite small). Either this species has sexual dimorphism, or I have two different species.

Female loaches are normally bigger and fatter than males. They have a matriarchal society with one dominant female ruling the males.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

They have a matriarchal society with one dominant female ruling the males.

So, kind of like an elementary school?

 

[FishHobby99]

Time to start an official journal on this project. I'm going to custom-build a tank to fit on the back of the desk in my music studio, and I just ordered the glass. It should be ready to construct in about a week. I've been kicking around this idea for several months and it's exciting to finally commit.

So, here's the plan.
Tank: 36"x10" x10". The water will be about 6" deep, with 2" for substrate and 2" for emergent plants. The lid will have four 2x3" holes for rice plants to grow through. This will be a walstad-style setup, with no filtration except the plants and substrate microbes. A very small powerhead will push the water around. I'm going to put a fluval aquasky light on top with a 5 on, 2 off, 5 on light cycle.

Plants:
Dwarf rice (Oryza sativa)
Paddy herb (Limnophila aromatica)
Assorted crypts (planning to try balansae, wendtii, and parva and see what does well)
Christmas moss (Vesicularia montagnei) on back wall
Arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia) or dwarf arum (Zantedeschia aethiopica) to simulate taro, which is commonly grown in Malaysia paddies

Critters:
2 Betta imbellus
15 or 20 blue rasboras (Sundadanio axelrodi or Sundadanio goblinus, depending on whom you ask)
15 or 20 dwarf rasboras (Boraras maculatus)
6 shadow catfish (Hyalobagrus flavus) or 5 kuhli loaches. Still up in the air which.
Malaysian trumpet snails
Ramshorn snails

Lots of inverts: Scuds, water fleas, assorted worms, seed shrimp. I am going to build an invert refugium for an ongoing supply, but I am hoping to achieve something like a predator/prey balance in this tank.

Timeline
Early January: Get the tank built.
February: Add substrate, water, plants, silent cycle, build invert community. I am hoping a lot of inverts will come in on the plants. I will intentionally add others.
April or May: Add fish.

Well, that's enough for now. Stay tuned.


Looking forward to photos of this journey

 

[WhistlingBadger]

@JennySolano Did you see the photos in post #197? It's coming along pretty well. I look forward to finally getting some actual rice in there.

 

[FishHobby99]

@JennySolano Did you see the photos in post #197? It's coming along pretty well. I look forward to finally getting some actual rice in there.

Thanks, I’ll take a look. Did I ever show you my rice paddy tank?