Felix's First Planted 15G

[flix_cw]

Having been reading more on ferts and looking at lots of other journals, TPN+ is obviously very popular.

I'm dosing TPN+ daily at the moment because i'm changing water daily, since it says on the bottle that the dosing should be done after each w/c.

I've noticed that people still dose it daily though, when only doing a w/c once weekly. Why is this?

 

[flix_cw]

Bad things are happening

One of my zebra danios is dead and one of my cherry shrimps too.

Hmm, water quality perhaps? I'm doing 50% w/c every day.

UPDATE: I’ve done a 50% water change and inspected the dead fish. It’s evidently died of massive internal haemorrhage, the entire abdomen is full of blood, you can see it through the skin. Poor thing.
It was by far the greediest of my danios and was always fatter than the others.

This brings me on to my problem. I used to keep my cherry shrimp in a separate tank, and feed them pellet food, algae wafers and shrimp cuisine etc. However, since being in the new tank, the danios have completely bullied them off the food and had it for themselves. I’m concerned since the shrimp really aren’t getting much to eat, there’s no algae in the tank yet, and the fish are overfeeding due to eating their own food AND the shrimps'.

Are danios and cherry shrimp really compatible? The danios have lived for the last year with a pair of amanos and had no problems, since the amanos are bigger and take no cr*p off the fish. But the cherries seem to be struggling.

 

[SuperColey1]

I've noticed that people still dose it daily though, when only doing a w/c once weekly. Why is this?

Would you rather have 7breakfast, 7 lunches and 7 dinners all at the same time? or would you prefer them at regular mealtimes? Same for the plants in essence. Also means if the nutrient is short its not a case of several days starvation. It will just mean a little bit short each day but the same amount available each day.


With shrimp I wouldn't worry. I don't feed mine and my colony must be close on 1000 or possibly well past. I can't count them. lolo but I retrieve 300+ from the filter cannister each month.

I don't feed mine. they will find food even before algae gets in. No matter how much you think the fish are eating there will always be detritus that they find.

AC

 

[flix_cw]

With shrimp I wouldn't worry. I don't feed mine and my colony must be close on 1000 or possibly well past. I can't count them. lolo but I retrieve 300+ from the filter cannister each month.

I don't feed mine. they will find food even before algae gets in. No matter how much you think the fish are eating there will always be detritus that they find.

AC

Thanks AC.

The issue i'm finding however is that my shrimp spend about 23hours a day hidden behind my bogwood. When they do rarely come out, they just don't seem busy, like shrimp normally do.
They're not picking at anything, just sitting there, completely still for long periods. This doesn't seem like normal behaviour to me. If they're not picking, they're surely not feeding?

 

[SuperColey1]

The issue i'm finding however is that my shrimp spend about 23hours a day hidden behind my bogwood. When they do rarely come out, they just don't seem busy, like shrimp normally do.
They're not picking at anything, just sitting there, completely still for long periods. This doesn't seem like normal behaviour to me. If they're not picking, they're surely not feeding?

This is what I think the problem is:

However, since being in the new tank, the danios have completely bullied them off the food and had it for themselves.

They're not bullying the shrimp off the food, they are just bulying them and the shrimp are taking cover.

When I had zebra danios and mollys in the same tank I used to leave the fry in there and watch the danios hunt them down!!!

As much as people say in a heavily planted tank there is enough cover for them to survive. Mine was very heavily planted yet the 6 Zebra Danios could get through a 100+ clutch of molly fry in less than 2 days!!!

15G is a bit small for Danios IMO. They are very fast swimmers, very active and energetic and whilst the " per gallon rule may be there to stop people cramming plecs into small tanks it doesn't really take into account the needs of particular fish. Its just there to suggest X amount of tank (and filter) can only take X amount of ammonia.

Most small fish are fast and zippy and regardless of all those who suggest you can put X number of small fish into a small tank they need the space to swim. That includes Tetras, Rasboras, Danios and most of the common fish. Livebearers are a little differnt because they are more leisurely

AC

 

[flix_cw]

I haven't updated this journal for a while, since to be honest, I've just let it be. I've dosed ferts daily, done my weekly water changes and sat back.

Plant growth has been VERY slow, which i'm putting down to my 0.5 WpG being the rate-determining step. Thanks to AC for some C. Spiralis though, hopefully that'll get on nicely. My Vallis has all but died off due to my liquid carbon dosing.

Apart from that, i bought a batch of about 25 cherry shrimp off of Embrace in the classified section, and they are doing excellently, not being troubled by the danios. One is even carrying eggs already. Only drama was that i found one stuck in my filter inlet, so i turned off the filter, freed it, and covered the inlet with some fine mesh.

I'm considering upgrading my lighting to increase growth rate, i've got another thread running on that at the moment. 15" 14W T8, or 12" 24W compact T5?

I also have space for some new stocking, so any suggestions welcome!

Current stocking is just 6 danios, who cover all tank levels to be honest, so don't know whether to go bottom dwellers or another small shoal.

 

[flix_cw]

Haven't updated this for 8 months, i've basically left the tank to it's own devices while keeping up with the weekly w/cs and daily dosing.

I love my tank now, it looks really settled.

I added a shoal of harlequin rasbora and kuhli loaches about 3 months ago, and the cherry shrimp population is well over 100 now.

The plants really took off after i swapped the 8W T5 tube for a 14W T8. That small change in WpG really seemed to make the difference. And then they really took hold when their roots must have reached the mulm layer below.

I added a nymphaea lotus bulb too and that's been doing great, i've had to cut off the stems though that reach the surface, they take so much light, as do the copious amazon frogbit plants!

Here is a pic i took of the tank last week:

Along with a night-time shot:

The only disappointments have been the echinodorus tenellus (pygmy chain sword) that has never grown nor died away. I put that down to low-tech set up. And the xmas moss never really attached itself to the bogwood, even after two re-ties. I've recently purchased java moss to see if i have any luck with that.

 

[JenCliBee]

Looking really healthy mate

 

[ian]

good to see it doing well Felix!

looks really good.

 

[flix_cw]

Thanks gents!

I quite like the fact it's so overgrown, this photo was in fact taken after a MAJOR prune - the java fern had completely taken up the centre of the tank. Realised fish were getting low on swimming space!

The layout hasn't really worked though for a tank viewed from both sides, the other side is a mess to look at really, mainly since the hygrophila behind the bogwood is so dense. The crypt wendtii on the right needs trimming back - basically blocks the view from the end too.

The anubias was never correctly placed either - the plant with the lowest light demand in the brightest part of the tank!

 

[flix_cw]

Well, the tank's now been set up almost a year. I still get pleasure out of it every day.

I recently tore out the hygrophila, it had become so messy, was not happy with it. That went on the classifieds section.

It its place i put a small rosette of crypt spiralis that i had kept in the foreground and watched grow very slowly. It was a good enough size to replace it and now behind the bogwood seems more complete/neat!

I also went to my LFS the weekend just gone... and came back with a male dwarf gourami. He is simply beautiful, and doing really well. He's taken an interest in any cherry shrimp hanging from my frogbit, but they're too quick for him which is a relief! No casualties so far.

Today i found my nymphaea floating at the surface, it had evidently broken away from its bulb. It's been doing really well, so with the advice of ianho i've re-planted it and will keep an eye on the remaining bulb.

I submitted my tank to the December '11 TOTM competition, disappointing 2 votes but there you go! Ha, was worth a shot, but the 'scaping leaves a bit to be desired. I personally enjoy the jungle-look!

Here are some of the piccies i submitted anyway:

and a short vid:


Will attempt to get some pics of the gourami at some point.

 

[ian]

that really has grown in well!

I bet the fish love it in there. It all looks really heathy.

 

[flix_cw]

Thanks Ian. Well i have you to thank for a lot of it, so much of it is based on your advice among other members of TFF.

The fish all seem pretty peaceful which is great, the gourami settled in very quickly. He's a lot more active than i thought he'd be, hopefully it isn't stress. Dosing TPN+ there's no real way of testing for nitrites and nitrates is there?

Just realised the 2 pics are the same as i put up in the previous post! D'oh. Vid's new though.

Update: Taken just now, front (complete with new fishy):

Back (with crypt spiralis far right):

 

[ian]

haha just realised they were the same pics.

if the plants look healthy, which they do, i wouldn't be fussed about testing for anything. The tank looks like a very well eco system.

 

[flix_cw]

haha just realised they were the same pics.

if the plants look healthy, which they do, i wouldn't be fussed about testing for anything. The tank looks like a very well eco system.

Thought so, and i keep up the weekly 50% w/c.

New pics now updated!