Dear Diary...

[Utar]

Wow!, you peeps do love the fish keeping don't ja......lol...well so do I.
1 five gallon tank empty
2 ten gallon tanks empty
1 twenty long empty
1 twenty nine empty
1 twenty nine ready and waiting for stocking
1 fifty five up and running with Angel Fish, Cories, Plecos, Red Eye Tetras, assortment of snails.
1 seventy five gallon empty - planning on this one to be my next project, I want to re-home my Angels
Need to build a stand, a canopy, order lights, and filters. This canopy will be build much better after learning what I did wrong on my first one.

 

[Fishmanic]

And they call this disease - MTS - multiple tank syndrome. Just ask @Deanasue

 

[Fishmanic]

I just wanted the sound of soothing running water. I thought about getting a small indoor waterfall set up. I ended up getting 4 tanks instead (recently down to 3). I now have the soothing sound of running water (and lots of fish).

 

[DAnCSF]

Wow!, you peeps do love the fish keeping don't ja......lol...well so do I.
1 five gallon tank empty
2 ten gallon tanks empty
1 twenty long empty
1 twenty nine empty
1 twenty nine ready and waiting for stocking
1 fifty five up and running with Angel Fish, Cories, Plecos, Red Eye Tetras, assortment of snails.
1 seventy five gallon empty - planning on this one to be my next project, I want to re-home my Angels
Need to build a stand, a canopy, order lights, and filters. This canopy will be build much better after learning what I did wrong on my first one.

Hey UTAR what are you waiting for ...lol....didn't Santa fill and stock your tanks? You must have bee on his naughty list.,...LOL stay safe and have a happy new year.

 

[Utar]

Hey UTAR what are you waiting for ...lol....didn't Santa fill and stock your tanks? You must have bee on his naughty list.,...LOL stay safe and have a happy new year.

Santa is scared of stopping at my house.

====================================

On a cold winter's night, sleeping in my house.
Not a sound was heard, it was as quite as a mouse.

When there came a rumbling noise, it was old Saint Nick.
Sliding down the chimney so quick.

Forgetting Christmas Night, thinking a burglar making a run.
I jumped out of bed loading my shotgun.

Forgetting my glasses, when I saw a moving blur.
I fired off a round, hearing a moan and a stir.

I heard someone scream, "oh please wait."
I turned on the lights to find my mistake.

He fled backup the chimney, he wasn't hurt that bad.
I sighed a relieve but I was sad.

For, I heard him scream no more Christmas for you lad.

 

[vanalisa]

Awesome thread !
It all began innocently enough when
I went to buy cat food.
I had to go past the betta cups to the cat isle.
So it began ?

 

[eatyourpeas]

And today, the triumphs and disasters. (Warning, long entry!)

12.7 gal Aquatop - 23.6 x 8 x 15.75 - set up 09/2020 - 60% weekly water change
Shiruba XB-305 Canister filter (clean every 6 weeks) + 5 gal. Hikari Mini Bacto Surge sponge filter for Ostracods (clean when needed)
Archaea 50W Heater
Aquasky 2.0 LED light for 8 hours a day. On after sunrise and off before sunset using dimming feature
Parameters: pH 7.0, Ammonia: 0 ppm, Nitrites: 0 ppm, Nitrates: 0 ppm, 76F, KH: 80 ppm, GH: 120 ppm
Substrate: ADA La Plata Sand - Hardscape: Ohko Dragon rock, Cholla, Saba and Tiger wood, silly Eeeva cave
Plants: Anubias Barteri, Anubias Nana Petite, Java Fern, Bucephalandra Black, Marimo Moss Ball, Hornwort, Duckweed, Montecarlo, Cardamine Lyrata, Echinodorus Vesuvius, Pothos (emersed)
Critters: 3 Albino Corydoras (Archibald Spooner, OneFish, TwoFish), Sparkling Gourami (Ojitos), 3 Amano shrimp (The Triumvirate), lots of bladder and ramshorn snails, ostracods
Food: SFB Freshwater Frenzy, Hikari Crab Cuisine, Hikari Shrimp Cuisine, Hikari Sinking Pellets, Hikari First Bites, frozen bloodworms, live bloodworms and mosquito larvae

Work in progress. Need to wait for plants to fill in so I can rearrange and hide lines and filter intake. Will trim Hornwort so it does not look unruly and spider wood can be seen, but monitoring growth as a sign of ammonia intake. Waiting for Java Fern offshoots to grow enough so I can remove the parent leaves (brown)

Triumphs: Plants are thriving except for Montecarlo, Cardamine Lyrata (not enough light). No gravel vacuuming but larger water changes instead allow for use of waste as fertilizer. No algae thanks to cleaning crew. Epiphytes only is the goal, and getting there.

Disasters: Tank is too tall and a pain in the bumbum to reach bottom for cleaning. Not all plants succeeded.


...

5 gal. Aquatop Pisces PCS 5G - set up 12/2020 - 60% weekly water change
Used included filter but removed carbon and bio plate, substituted with Aquaclear sponge, cleaned weekly
Archaea 25W heater placed inside filter chamber
Included LED light on for 8 hours a day. On after sunrise and off before sunset
Parameters: pH 7.0, Ammonia: 0 ppm, Nitrites: 0 ppm, Nitrates: 0 ppm, 78F, KH: 60 ppm, GH: 80 ppm
Substrate: Fluval Stratum - Hardscape: Mangrove and Cholla wood, Hollow log ornament
Plants: Anubias Barteri, Anubias Nana Petite, Java Fern Windelov, Anacharis, Hornwort (Epiphytes only)
Critters: Veil Tail Betta (Morocco), Neocaridina shrimp was a casualty of his majesty, ostracods
Food: Frozen bloodworms, Cobalt Betta Pellets

Triumphs: Morocco keeps making bubble nests, good disposition, not flaring at all but engaging. Likes to be hand fed. Plants are thriving.

Disasters: Morocco ate the ostracods and shredded his fins with the Hornwort on the first day. The Anacharis is working out much better, so thanks @PheonixKingZ for the recommendation. It is already sending new roots.

...

5.5 gal Aqueon - 16³⁄16 x 8³⁄8 x 10½ - set up 04/2020 - 60% weekly water change - Glass cleaned every two weeks
2 x 5 gal. Hikari Mini Bacto Surge sponge filter cleaned every two weeks alternating
Archaea 25W Heater
Aquasky 2.0 LED light for 8 hours a day. On after sunrise and off before sunset using dimming feature
Parameters: pH 7.0, Ammonia: 0 ppm, Nitrites: 0 ppm, Nitrates: 0 ppm, 76F, KH: 80 ppm, GH: 120 ppm
Substrate: Fluval Stratum - Hardscape: Ohko Dragon and Exotic Green rock, Cholla and Saba wood, Jules Verne Diver helmet (gift)
Plants: Anubias Barteri, Anubias Nana Petite, Cryptocorine Wendtii Green and Brown, Cryptocoryne Lutea, Marimo Moss Ball, Hornwort, Duckweed, Echinodorus Vesuvius, Aponogeton, Pothos (emersed)
Critters: 3 Kuhli Loaches (Iji, Pad and Thai), Neocaridina Daviidi, ostracods
Food: SFB Freshwater Frenzy, Hikari Crab Cuisine, Hikari Shrimp Cuisine, Hikari Sinking Pellets, frozen bloodworms, blanched spinach and zucchini

Triumphs: Great tank to look at and enjoy.

Disasters: Previous introduction of Montecarlo caused massive loss of shrimp due to pesticides. None of the remaining shrimp have saddles and are dying off. Will wait to re-populate with healthy ones. Took a while to identify the cause and I previously thought it to be planaria.


...

6 gal Aquatop - 23.6 x 6.7 x 9.4 - set up 11/2020 - 60% weekly water change
Shiruba XB-303 Canister filter (clean every 6 weeks) + 5 gal. Hikari Mini Bacto Surge sponge filter for Ostracods (clean when needed)
Archaea 25W Heater
Aquasky 2.0 LED light for 8 hours a day. On after sunrise and off before sunset using dimming feature
Parameters: pH 7.0, Ammonia: 0 ppm, Nitrites: 0 ppm, Nitrates: 0 ppm, 76F, KH: 80 ppm, GH: 120 ppm
Substrate: ADA La Plata Sand - Hardscape: Saba, Cholla, Mangrove and Manzanita wood
Plants: Anubias Barteri, Anubias Nana Petite, Bucephalandra, Marimo Moss Ball, Hornwort, Duckweed, Red Root Floater
Critters: Neocaridina Daviidi, lots of bladder and ramshorn snails, 2 Mystery Snails, ostracods
Food: SFB Freshwater Frenzy, Hikari Crab Cuisine, Hikari Shrimp Cuisine, Hikari Sinking Pellets, Hikari First Bites

Work in progress. Need to wait for plants to fill in so I can rearrange and hide lines and filter intake. Will trim Hornwort so it does not look unruly and Manzanita wood can be seen, but monitoring growth as a sign of ammonia intake. Also, trying to decide on the tannins since this will be a pea puffer tank.

Triumphs: Plants are thriving. No gravel vacuuming but larger water changes instead allow for use of waste as fertilizer. No algae thanks to cleaning crew. Epiphytes only is the goal, and getting there.

Disasters: Mystery Snails kept finding escape routes, too many trips to the dry land finally did them in. May not get more since tanks are not safe for them.

...

6 gal Aqueon - 11.25 x 11.25 x 11.25 - set up 05/2020 - 60% weekly water change
Shiruba XB-303 Canister filter (clean every 6 weeks) + 5 gal. Hikari Mini Bacto Surge sponge filter for Ostracods (clean when needed) + Aqueon Quiet Flow XS Internal filter (backup for QT) with no carbon
Archaea 25W Heater
Nicrew LED light for 8 hours a day. On after sunrise and off before sunset
Parameters: pH 7.0, Ammonia: 0 ppm, Nitrites: 0 ppm, Nitrates: 0 ppm, 76F, KH: 80 ppm, GH: 120 ppm
Substrate: Fluval Stratum - Hardscape: Ohko Dragon and Exotic Green rock, Saba and Cholla wood
Plants: Anubias Barteri, Anubias Nana Petite, Marimo Moss Ball, Hornwort, Duckweed, Cryptocorine Wendtii Green and Brown, Cryptocoryne Lutea, Echinodorus Vesuvius, Aponogeton, Narrow Leaf Chain Sword, Cryptororyne Retrospiralis, Pothos (emersed)
Critters: Pea Puffer (Miss Ethel), Amano Shrimp (Albert), 2 Neocaridina Daviidi (Faraday and Coulomb), Nerite snail (Zimbabwe), lots of bladder and ramshorn snails, ostracods
Food: SFB Freshwater Frenzy, Hikari Crab Cuisine, Hikari Shrimp Cuisine, Hikari Sinking Pellets, Hikari First Bites, live bloodworms and mosquito larvae, live snails and scuds

Triumphs: Plants are thriving. No gravel vacuuming but larger water changes instead allow for use of waste as fertilizer. No algae thanks to cleaning crew. Finally got Miss Ethel to eat other live foods besides snails. Adding the canister filter allows for better water quality.

Disasters: Mystery snail used to live here until Miss Ethel decided to turn his foot into a doily with her pinking shears beak (she did confess). He was moved and eventually recovered.


...

3 gal Aquatop - 18 x 5.5 x 7.1 - set up 07/2020 - 60% twice a week water change
Aqueon Quiet Flow XS Internal filter + 3 gal. Hygger sponge filter for Ostracods (clean weekly)
Archaea 25W Heater
Aquasky 2.0 LED light for 8 hours a day. On after sunrise and off before sunset using dimming feature
Parameters: pH 7.0, Ammonia: 0 ppm, Nitrites: 0 ppm, Nitrates: 0 ppm, 76F, KH: 80 ppm, GH: 140 ppm
Substrate: Small Aquarium Gravel - Hardscape: Ohko Dragon and Lava rock, Mangrove and Cholla wood
Plants: Anubias Nana Petite, Hornwort, Duckweed, Cryptocorine Lutea, Echinodorus Vesuvius, Emersed: Scarlet Lobelia, Pothos, Peace Lily
Critters: Pea Puffer (Nicodemus), 1 Neocaridina Daviidi (Tartufino), lots of bladder and ramshorn snails, ostracods
Food: SFB Freshwater Frenzy, Hikari Crab Cuisine, Hikari Shrimp Cuisine, Hikari Sinking Pellets, Hikari First Bites, live bloodworms and mosquito larvae, live snails and scuds

Triumphs: Plants are thriving. Trying to grow algae to mimic Pacific Northwest forest moss on log.

Disasters: Have not seen Tartufino in several days, after his last molting, I hope I did not accidentally vacuum him.

...
Thanks for reading.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Gorgeous tanks, and loved reading about how your MTS developed!

Tip for the tall tank where it's hard to gravel clean - look for a gravel cleaner with an extra long rigid tube! I got another one to do my tall, 57 gallon tank that used to hurt my back every time I gravel vac-ed, and trust me, even those extra couple of inches made a big difference! Simple, cheap solution. Plus using a small stool.

I did the same thing with poisoning shrimp by adding plants that had pesticides on them, unbeknownst to me. The only way I could save them was by moving them to a clean, uncontaminated tank. Then the survivors bred in there after a few months. Everything in the tank that had the contaminated plants is now contaminated, and I'm religious about never touching the contaminated tank before the shrimp tank, or moving anything from that tank into the shrimp one. I tried moving a filter from the contaminated tank to the shrimp tank once, and shrimp began dying again, so I no longer trust anything from that tank when it comes to inverts. There's no way of knowing how long the chemicals remain either, so I'm keeping it fish only, and only using plants that have been grown in-vitro for shrimp.

For the contaminated tank, it's fine for fish, so I'm going to leave it for around six months, then I'll probably select a few cull shrimp to test out whether it's shrimp safe yet... poor little guinea pigs.

 

[eatyourpeas]

Tip for the tall tank where it's hard to gravel clean - look for a gravel cleaner with an extra long rigid tube! I got another one to do my tall, 57 gallon tank that used to hurt my back every time I gravel vac-ed, and trust me, even those extra couple of inches made a big difference! Simple, cheap solution. Plus using a small stool.

Thanks! I have a new cleaning routine and do not vacuum the substrate anymore. The sand seems to stay pretty clean and I rely on the critters' waste to fertilize the plants. Using that strategy in all tanks and it is working beautifully. Instead, I do a weekly 75% water change and use airline tubing to introduce it slowly while the dirty water exits from the opposite end of the tank. Critters don't even notice the disruption. Water level variation during the process is less than 20mm.

I did the same thing with poisoning shrimp by adding plants that had pesticides on them, unbeknownst to me.

The only plants I add, if any, are tissue culture (in vitro) as well. I am propagating the existing plants since I know they thrive in their current tank.

I should do an update soon.

 

[OnlyGenusCaps]

I missed all of this. That is an aquarium journal to aspire to! I may completely rob that formatting as my MTS develops. With credit to you of course.

 

[eatyourpeas]

I missed all of this. That is an aquarium journal to aspire to! I may completely rob that formatting as my MTS develops. With credit to you of course.

You are funny! No need to credit me. It takes a village, as this has all been the product of advice from wonderful people in the forum. I will do an update this weekend.

And thank you!

 

[eatyourpeas]

Today Miss Ethel was very playful! She does this little dance always keeping one eye on you to make sure you are still there. I call it the "mosquito dance" because she looks just like one flying around. She keeps looking at the new salt water tank across from her wondering what is going on. Perhaps she spotted the amphipods and snails already.

Her majesty in her kingdom.


Pure distilled cuteness in less than 1 inch of fish.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Those Pea Puffers are precious.

Your tanks are looking really good. I like how they are all along that one wall. Do you normally get comments/questions when people enter your house?

 

[eatyourpeas]

Those Pea Puffers are precious.

Your tanks are looking really good. I like how they are all along that one wall. Do you normally get comments/questions when people enter your house?

They are amazing little fish.

Thank you. They are a lot of fun to keep. They have pretty much taken over the house as that is "the wall".

Nobody comes to my house, so I get no comments/questions. Maybe after Covid-19 is under control, but for now if I get it, that could easily mean the end for me.

 

[Sgooosh]

It all started with a shrimp I needed as a model to draw from. Then the shrimp needed friends. But there was also this snail...

Then I learned that the 1.5 gal. flower vase was too small. Then I learned that I needed a heater, and plants.

Then my plant grew, and grew, and grew... so I got another pot. But then the plants were lonely, so I got more shrimp and another snail, with heater.

Then this pot became too small, so I got a tank.

Then the shrimp had babies, and trying to be a good grandmama I got a filter.

Then I had too many plants again, so I got another tank, with heater and filter. And another snail.

Then I got a fish, a sparkling gourami named Ojitos.

Then my partner in crime (a.k.a. husband) was taken by how cute puffers are, so we got Nicodemus, a pea puffer from the LFS. But then our other LFS also got a pea puffer, so we brought Miss Ethel home. Of course, they each needed their own tank so they wouldn't kill each other. And Ojitos had to be kept safe as well.

Then my partner in crime wanted an albino corydora, so we brought Archibald Spooner home, only to learn he needed friends. And that is how OneFish and TwoFish joined in the party.

But they needed a quarantine tank. I had not learned the trick from @NCaquatics about plastic totes.

After they were moved to the tank, the QT was empty and lonely, so I put plants and got Iji, a goofball kuhli loach. But Iji needed friends as well, so then came Pad and Thai to complete the noodle entourage.

Now they all have moved around to the tank that best suits their needs.

Dear diary, I need therapy. I am afraid I have an acute case of MTS. Lucky for me, there are no more outlets in the house! And that was 2020 in a very positive light, in spite of the drama around me, and my health has improved after a heart attack and two strokes.

Thank you all in TFF for making the world a better place, one fish, shrimp, snail, plant at a time.

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your tanks are gorgeous, love the hardscape and the sheer amount of greenery