OP
OP
Deleted member 149562
Guest
Been a bit of a while since posting on here...life gets in the way occasionally.
Anyway.....
Tried various floating plants and they got eaten.....but not before they kicked off a small pest snail invasion (which is why live plants always annoy me, I hate hitchikers)
So that idea went out the window (window was open this time
)
Bought an artificial 9" diameter water hyacinth which has gone down a storm with everyone....if they aren't pushing it all over the place, they are hiding underneath it and generally making mischief.
Couple days ago I got some moss covered hides...living moss.....and have dotted those around the place along with loose moss and moss poles. The resident vandals love messing about with games of hide and seek in the 6 new hides (parts of coconut shell covered in established moss). The loose moss is wandering about, I want it to settle on its own and so far that is going to plan nicely. There is also a smallish lump of stone with established moss on it too which the resident vandals are nibbling every time they pass by it. Most of the new hides are sat on top of the original ones in around the center area to build that section up a little and make it a bit more natural lake bed/river bed looking
So far, so good.
I swapped over the GKM 24w UV to a full blown second filter, a 9w Aquael UVifilter 750. Reason being that the GKM was getting clogged too quickly and is not the easiest beast to keep detritus free. So now I have the double can Turbo at one end and the UVifilter at the other end, with the air curtain across the back (when installing the air curtain I stuck it down onto the glass before putting the substrate in so that its well anchored down without losing the aeration ability.....as/when I replace it I can easily shimmy a new one down into and under the substrate)
The next job will be to get a few Assassin snails to clear the pest snail issue completely. I crush those that I see (much to the delight of the Cories and Apisto who adore fresh crushed snail) but getting a few Assassins will deal with any persistent critters. The snails will be sourced in a couple weeks time.
Below are a couple of photos of the aquarium. Not great photos admittedly but thats why I prefer using silicone plants, they move and sway just like the real thing....even to the extent that when my Ottos sit on the end of the "leaf" they bend down with the weight of the fish as if natural. They are also extremely soft and without any rigid stems like you get with silk or plastic plants.
I know using artificial decor is not everyone's cup of tea but I truly have no luck with live greenery...they either die off or get eaten or cause other issues like pest snails...... I sit and stare at it for hours on end watching how the resident vandals interact with each other and their surroundings. I have been lucky in that a rarely have fish losses and I have never had any disease or illness with my little hoard of lunatics......they breed like crazy so I guess I must be doing something right
As this is my first ever proper "big aquarium", I love it, the fish are all very active and healthy...and tbh I am quite proud of it.
Anyway.....
Tried various floating plants and they got eaten.....but not before they kicked off a small pest snail invasion (which is why live plants always annoy me, I hate hitchikers)
So that idea went out the window (window was open this time
)Bought an artificial 9" diameter water hyacinth which has gone down a storm with everyone....if they aren't pushing it all over the place, they are hiding underneath it and generally making mischief.
Couple days ago I got some moss covered hides...living moss.....and have dotted those around the place along with loose moss and moss poles. The resident vandals love messing about with games of hide and seek in the 6 new hides (parts of coconut shell covered in established moss). The loose moss is wandering about, I want it to settle on its own and so far that is going to plan nicely. There is also a smallish lump of stone with established moss on it too which the resident vandals are nibbling every time they pass by it. Most of the new hides are sat on top of the original ones in around the center area to build that section up a little and make it a bit more natural lake bed/river bed looking
So far, so good.
I swapped over the GKM 24w UV to a full blown second filter, a 9w Aquael UVifilter 750. Reason being that the GKM was getting clogged too quickly and is not the easiest beast to keep detritus free. So now I have the double can Turbo at one end and the UVifilter at the other end, with the air curtain across the back (when installing the air curtain I stuck it down onto the glass before putting the substrate in so that its well anchored down without losing the aeration ability.....as/when I replace it I can easily shimmy a new one down into and under the substrate)
The next job will be to get a few Assassin snails to clear the pest snail issue completely. I crush those that I see (much to the delight of the Cories and Apisto who adore fresh crushed snail) but getting a few Assassins will deal with any persistent critters. The snails will be sourced in a couple weeks time.
Below are a couple of photos of the aquarium. Not great photos admittedly but thats why I prefer using silicone plants, they move and sway just like the real thing....even to the extent that when my Ottos sit on the end of the "leaf" they bend down with the weight of the fish as if natural. They are also extremely soft and without any rigid stems like you get with silk or plastic plants.
I know using artificial decor is not everyone's cup of tea but I truly have no luck with live greenery...they either die off or get eaten or cause other issues like pest snails...... I sit and stare at it for hours on end watching how the resident vandals interact with each other and their surroundings. I have been lucky in that a rarely have fish losses and I have never had any disease or illness with my little hoard of lunatics......they breed like crazy so I guess I must be doing something right
As this is my first ever proper "big aquarium", I love it, the fish are all very active and healthy...and tbh I am quite proud of it.
