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- Thread starter AdoraBelle Dearheart
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OP
OP
Thank you so much!!
I love that first video so much, I remember it! I can see how it's darkened as stuff has broken down it in, makes sense!
Thank you, but I watched one of my chonky bronze females bury her entire head in the sand the other day
I tried having the sand slightly higher on one side when I set this latest one up a few months ago, knowing that it would level eventually, but the cories (and plecos I'm sure) had it levelled in days! Plecos do like to re-arrange sand I'm sure, but I rarely see them on the open sand areas, I really think it's the constant movement and snuffling of the cories that levelled it and would be clambering over any steps I created, knocking stuff about 
From the pic of the new tank, if you get an old giftcard or expired bank card, or even a stanley blade if you have a steady hand, and slide it down the front glass between the glass and substrate, you can remove that gunk and syphon it out
Aaaww, thank you so much for taking a video, for me!! You're an absolute sweetie! Also great to be able to see the tank and fishes again! Really good to see that your shrimp colony survived the tetra massacre too and bounced back
DoubleDutch
Fish Gatherer
But not all sand is silica / quartz.
Some have a shell (calcium) or vulcanic origin. And even some are crushed glass.
My Brittish friend on another forum (the first I was on) all like Limpopo for Corys.
OP
OP
haha! Was just trying to give you a tip, in case you hadn't heard that!
Tank is looking gorgeous!! D you still have baby cories appearing now and then? Any idea how many you have now?
I can't remember the name of the plant you have growing there at the front with the bright green leaves, but I think it's the one that I've been trying to grow in my tank, but the leaves keep being eaten. Going to move what's left of it today to my other tank in the hope the pygmies don't eat what's left and hope it can grow in there!
DoubleDutch
Fish Gatherer
My guess is Brasilian Pennyworthhaha! Was just trying to give you a tip, in case you hadn't heard that!
Tank is looking gorgeous!! D you still have baby cories appearing now and then? Any idea how many you have now?
I can't remember the name of the plant you have growing there at the front with the bright green leaves, but I think it's the one that I've been trying to grow in my tank, but the leaves keep being eaten. Going to move what's left of it today to my other tank in the hope the pygmies don't eat what's left and hope it can grow in there!
Ha it does look better now though tahaha! Was just trying to give you a tip, in case you hadn't heard that!
Tank is looking gorgeous!! D you still have baby cories appearing now and then? Any idea how many you have now?
I can't remember the name of the plant you have growing there at the front with the bright green leaves, but I think it's the one that I've been trying to grow in my tank, but the leaves keep being eaten. Going to move what's left of it today to my other tank in the hope the pygmies don't eat what's left and hope it can grow in there!
No new babies yet, no. I think there's 20+ of them in total now, started with 12.
Other than the sword, the other plants in there are Brazilian Pennywort (the one you can push down into the sub), crypt crispatula and crpyt balansae
OP
OP
I've scraped all the blue paint off the tank now and cleaned the outside of it, ordered some black silk paint so I can repaint the back tomorrow. What I thought was silicone on the back corners when I first looked at the tank, when I was worried about damaging the seal, was just a strip of glue that someone had used to attach a background before. That was harder to remove, but I got there in the end.
Progress!
Now gonna give the inside a good scrubbing and scraping. Hard water area has left a lot of deposits on the glass.
Progress!
Now gonna give the inside a good scrubbing and scraping. Hard water area has left a lot of deposits on the glass.
OP
OP
Black paint has arrived so plan today if I get chance is to deep clean the tank inside and scrape all the deposits off, let it dry then hopefully paint the back - weather and time permitting.
But also need to do some water changes on QT tank and 36g, so those will come first.
Also need to consider over the next week or so whether I want to change my stocking plans to accommodate this blue gourami. Original plan was to move the cories/plec/last few elderly tetra and livebearer males to the 63g, then move the psuedomugli luminatus to that tank too. The tetra and livebearers won't be replaced when they pass, they're just living out their days with me, so was thinking eventually the tank will be cories and plecs, and pseudomugli's (ideally the luminatus and a school of celebes) in the upper levels.
The adopted cories and oto will fit right in, but a blue gourami is a different prospect. Have been warned that she might bully the smaller tetra, so they would have to move out, and pseudos would be out of the question if I kept the gourami. Gourami is beautiful, but if she lives for 5-6 years, that's a long time to put my tank plans on hold! Going to observe her behaviour while she's in quarantine since so many have said they have different personalities, and have a think on it. My mind keeps going to the idea of a third tank, but I really don't want to go back to having lots of tanks and not getting to enjoy them enough because it's a lot more maintenance.
But also need to do some water changes on QT tank and 36g, so those will come first.
Also need to consider over the next week or so whether I want to change my stocking plans to accommodate this blue gourami. Original plan was to move the cories/plec/last few elderly tetra and livebearer males to the 63g, then move the psuedomugli luminatus to that tank too. The tetra and livebearers won't be replaced when they pass, they're just living out their days with me, so was thinking eventually the tank will be cories and plecs, and pseudomugli's (ideally the luminatus and a school of celebes) in the upper levels.
The adopted cories and oto will fit right in, but a blue gourami is a different prospect. Have been warned that she might bully the smaller tetra, so they would have to move out, and pseudos would be out of the question if I kept the gourami. Gourami is beautiful, but if she lives for 5-6 years, that's a long time to put my tank plans on hold! Going to observe her behaviour while she's in quarantine since so many have said they have different personalities, and have a think on it. My mind keeps going to the idea of a third tank, but I really don't want to go back to having lots of tanks and not getting to enjoy them enough because it's a lot more maintenance.
OP
OP
Back of the tank just had second coat of paint today, now really have to decide on substrate... still undecided and tempted to visit fish store to check out the different unipac sands in person... also still tempted to build up on side of the substrate, possibly with some soil or maybe gravel just in the highest corner parts to plant some deep rooted plants, but haven't read or watched enough to be sure how to do it properly.
@Wills which tank did you use the soil in bags again? I need to copy you!
Then will likely move fish from the 36g to the 57g (no one seems to want to buy it! Has been advertised for ages) temporary so I can move the 36g out and set up the 63g without having to panic rush and do it in one day.
@Wills which tank did you use the soil in bags again? I need to copy you!
Then will likely move fish from the 36g to the 57g (no one seems to want to buy it! Has been advertised for ages) temporary so I can move the 36g out and set up the 63g without having to panic rush and do it in one day.
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OP
OP
Although, not sure how one side being higher would work with the "cave" wood piece... remember the struggle I was having with how to arrange the 36g that you were guiding me with?
I think the cave wood will work better in the much longer tank. I sorta want it to one side, to leave some open swimming and playing space for the cories;
But how would that work with the cave piece? Could build up the substrate height on the left and cave on top, but then it would be quite high in the tank, and might look weird to have it so high on side and much lower open space on the right.
Maybe a built up central island, with the cave on top? You liked the centre island idea last time @Wills
I only went against that in the end because I was worried that once plants were also in, there wouldn't be much space for cories to feed and play (and because I couldn't seem to get the arrangement back into the above positions! lol) but with a wider tank, they'd have space on both sides, so could work better.
Or there's the option to build up height of the substrate on the left, then put the cave piece on the lower side, so it's like a hidden, tucked away cave. Not sure how that would work with the rule of thirds though, especially since I'd need to use dragonstone/other hardscape to "terrace" and hold up the height on the left side, so could be too much hardscape going on on each side then?
Or! I could abandon the idea of building height and just have flat sand! lol. Easiest option, and perhaps sensible since I don't have a particular scape idea in mind... whaddya think, @mbsqw1d ?
Any other ideas welcome!
I think the cave wood will work better in the much longer tank. I sorta want it to one side, to leave some open swimming and playing space for the cories;
But how would that work with the cave piece? Could build up the substrate height on the left and cave on top, but then it would be quite high in the tank, and might look weird to have it so high on side and much lower open space on the right.
Maybe a built up central island, with the cave on top? You liked the centre island idea last time @Wills
I only went against that in the end because I was worried that once plants were also in, there wouldn't be much space for cories to feed and play (and because I couldn't seem to get the arrangement back into the above positions! lol) but with a wider tank, they'd have space on both sides, so could work better.
Or there's the option to build up height of the substrate on the left, then put the cave piece on the lower side, so it's like a hidden, tucked away cave. Not sure how that would work with the rule of thirds though, especially since I'd need to use dragonstone/other hardscape to "terrace" and hold up the height on the left side, so could be too much hardscape going on on each side then?
Or! I could abandon the idea of building height and just have flat sand! lol. Easiest option, and perhaps sensible since I don't have a particular scape idea in mind... whaddya think, @mbsqw1d ?
Any other ideas welcome!
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I've got the bags of soil in both tanks now, I've used them as like bricks under the substrate to get height where I wanted it. If you wanted to go for a central scape you could just use them to build up a slope towards the back of the tank?
In my 100 litre tank I've got it in the back corner with a triangular scape, infront of the bags there is a row of rocks that has been placed to keep sand and soil separate and then I filled the back part of the scape with soil over the bags, this has made for a more stable section but also an easy bit to plant in with the loose sand.
In my 30 litre tank I put a few bags under the whole scape, I then put just sand over the top to plant into. But the sand isnt as deep as I'd like which is because its a shallow tank so can't go too deep.
Its easy to over think it but the purpose of it is for the bags to act as a giant root tab, raise the depth of the substrate without risking sand going anaerobic and improving the visual depth of the scape.
Wills
In my 100 litre tank I've got it in the back corner with a triangular scape, infront of the bags there is a row of rocks that has been placed to keep sand and soil separate and then I filled the back part of the scape with soil over the bags, this has made for a more stable section but also an easy bit to plant in with the loose sand.
In my 30 litre tank I put a few bags under the whole scape, I then put just sand over the top to plant into. But the sand isnt as deep as I'd like which is because its a shallow tank so can't go too deep.
Its easy to over think it but the purpose of it is for the bags to act as a giant root tab, raise the depth of the substrate without risking sand going anaerobic and improving the visual depth of the scape.
Wills
If I was to have a crack at creating levels in the sub, i think i would silicone barrier segments to the tank's base and then do my best to hide any parts that show with plants and hardscape. I kind of achieved a slope in my very first tank a while back, but I think that was by having a tonne of vallis along the back and their roots held the higher sub in place, allowing it slope down to the front. I'd prefer a slope, but, I can live without one haha
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OP
OP
After a long delay, partly due to adopted fish, partly because of procrastination/other life stuff, I finally got around to moving the fish from the 36g in one room, to the 57g (that I've already torn down twice before setting it back up for temporary stuff) in the living room.
Catching them went pretty smoothly, apart from one of the plecos, which have apparently learned what the net is about now, and Ziggy gave me a run for my money trying to catch him. When I upturned the net into the bucket with the other fish, found him stuck in it. I've seen people here say, that if a cory or plec gets caught in a net, to give them a few minutes, just leave the net alone, and they'll usually free themselves, so I forced myself to take a deep breath and balanced the net so he was underwater. Then i realised, none of his fins looked to be trapped at all, he was biting onto the net, all his fins extended and tail curled slightly, literally bristling, like "if you touch me, I'll stab you!" Poor little dude. I went in the other room to release the first batch of fish after their temp acclimation, and when I came back he saw my shadow and swam away from the net. Phew!
Poor little dude. I hate scaring them with the net and moving them etc, but I've tried telling them that it's only so I can upgrade them to a much bigger tank! They really make it obvious when they're annoyed though, huh!
Catching them went pretty smoothly, apart from one of the plecos, which have apparently learned what the net is about now, and Ziggy gave me a run for my money trying to catch him. When I upturned the net into the bucket with the other fish, found him stuck in it. I've seen people here say, that if a cory or plec gets caught in a net, to give them a few minutes, just leave the net alone, and they'll usually free themselves, so I forced myself to take a deep breath and balanced the net so he was underwater. Then i realised, none of his fins looked to be trapped at all, he was biting onto the net, all his fins extended and tail curled slightly, literally bristling, like "if you touch me, I'll stab you!" Poor little dude. I went in the other room to release the first batch of fish after their temp acclimation, and when I came back he saw my shadow and swam away from the net. Phew!
Poor little dude. I hate scaring them with the net and moving them etc, but I've tried telling them that it's only so I can upgrade them to a much bigger tank! They really make it obvious when they're annoyed though, huh!
OP
OP
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