Finally tearing down ugly 57g, building new 36g to replace it!

[Wills]

Its good that its reading nitrites - it would read ammonia either way. Are you moving all the fish and the filter over? If so you should be fine as you will have the same bacteria colony supporting the same amount of fish just in bigger volume.

Some extra fast growing plants to start with will help even if you dont use them long term.

Wills

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Its good that its reading nitrites - it would read ammonia either way. Are you moving all the fish and the filter over? If so you should be fine as you will have the same bacteria colony supporting the same amount of fish just in bigger volume.

Some extra fast growing plants to start with will help even if you dont use them long term.

Wills

I have been running an uncycled canister filter on the new set up with filter floss and sponges, just to clear the cloudiness of the water really, but I did squeeze out sponges from other tank onto it to seed it. The 57g that has the fish that will be moved is running the same model canister, so I just switched some of the sponges, so the new set up has really gunky established sponges in it now. The 57g isn't heavily stocked now and has a load of that pondweed, so I'll just feed v/lightly as their colony catches up again.

Want to make sure new tank has caught up and can handle the load before I move them really, since the substrate has been cleaned and the plants, while some large and transferred from other tanks, aren't established and growing again yet, ya know? Or would it be better to water change it down to 0 ammonia/nitrites, transfer the fish and the rest of the filter media and just go for it? Sorry for all the questions! Just makes me nervous, you know?

Also when you suggested the anubius (and I'd like one!) did you mean where the wood meets the dragonstone on the left side, or where the pointy bit of the cave rests on the dragon stone on the right?

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Oh, I did stick NT labs root tabs under the crypts/swords etc this morning as well

 

[Wills]

where the pointy bit of the cave rests on the dragon stone on the right

This bit and dont worry totally trust you to keep on top of the swap over you're a very accomplished keeper!

Wills

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

This bit and dont worry totally trust you to keep on top of the swap over you're a very accomplished keeper!

Wills

Aaawww, thank you! But I'm still a newbie really. Only a few years into the hobby! Always find it a bit nerve wracking moving fish into a newer set up. I know that I'll keep a close eye, test, water change as needed - and I have Prime that I'll use for water changes to help keep it safe for them - but still! I really appreciate the vote of confidence though, thank you!

I do have another two small bits of buce I can use, but it would be nice to have a coin anubius there, with the rounded leaves. Gonna need to order the red root floaters and moss soon, so will see about chucking an anubius in there too.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Did a 50% W/C on the tank before lunch, and after that and some time for plants to do their thing, the cloudiness has cleared, nitrite 0, nitrAte 5-10ppm. Ammonia is super close to zero, but there's a very slight greenish tinge that makes me think it's not quite at zero. So even though I'm using Prime, not going to move the fish over tonight, will do more tests/water changes tomorrow and see how it's reading then. Will do a large water change on the 57g tonight to make sure they're good as well.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

How it's looking now, water cleared up and with more cryptocoryne on the right side - had some hassle with wood floating up and uprooting plants during water change, have stone weighing it down/wedging it down now.

I'm concerned about the Lilaeopsis novea-zealandia... small bits have come loose and floated already, getting mixed into the floating plant. They don't have much in the way of roots, and I know the cories and plecs are going to be uprooting it constantly and making it a pain in the butt and unable to establish. Went through that before with rotala bonsai. I have some of those little wire meshes that people use for mosses, do you think it could work to glue or otherwise attach the lilaeopsis to one of those, and bury the mesh under the sand? Can use dragon stone or river pebbles to cover the mesh and make sure cories don't hurt themselves on it? @Wills @WhistlingBadger , either of you used lilaeopsis?

 

[WhistlingBadger]

I've used that plant but it was a long time ago. Maybe let it float until it grows some roots, then replant?

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

I've used that plant but it was a long time ago. Maybe let it float until it grows some roots, then replant?

I don't know whether it really does grow much in the way of roots, you know? I bought it as a potted plant, not in-vitro or anything, so thinking it might need more help staying in the substrate, especially with cories digging about!

 

[connorlindeman]

@ado

Dang, that sucks! Glad you're getting a replacement though, fingers crossed those survive and make it, please let me know how they get on! Mine were in a 1-2 grow pot, and while the leaves looked okay, the usual jelly had gone quite liquidy. I've been fine with water lettuce, frogbit and (my most hated) duckweed, so the floaters were the one plant I wasn't really concerned about! But within days, it was just gone. Only fish in the tank are cories, otos and a few elderly retired male guppies, nothing that would snack on them. It just curled up and died really quick.

The red root floaters arrived alive and seem to be doing well in the tank

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

@ado

The red root floaters arrived alive and seem to be doing well in the tank

Good to hear! Can I ask what filtration you have on the tank? Since others have said that surface disturbance seems to make them melt back, but I want some surface disturbance for oxygen exchange. Do you keep it corralled away from the filter?

 

[connorlindeman]

Good to hear! Can I ask what filtration you have on the tank? Since others have said that surface disturbance seems to make them melt back, but I want some surface disturbance for oxygen exchange. Do you keep it corralled away from the filter?

I have a quiet flow 10 on it. I should have better filtration on it though. I don't keep it corralled away from the filter. So far, no melting; Actually getting new growth. Time will tell.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Okay, all three tanks (new 34g, pygmy/fry 15.5g, old 57g) have had 50-60% W/C's today. Cories in the 57g seem a bit offended that I pulled their cryptocoryne corner, since it was the bronzes favourite hiding spot. Have tried to reassure them that they'll be in a nicer set up with their crypts back again soon, and gave them some bloodworms as a treat to make it up to them.

Will test the new set up again in the am, if ammonia and nitrites are at zero by then, then tomorrow will be transfer day for the fish. Will water change it either way. Gonna try the mesh thing for at least a good chunk of the lilaeopsis so it doesn't drive me nuts and I don't lose all of it. Cross fingers for me please! Not looking forward to catching all the cories and the plecos really, lol. I know I can catch them, but the poor things get so stressed and do their heavy panting breathing, like little water puppies, and I feel so guilty whenever I have to catch them!

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Woot! I got busy this morning so didn't get chance, but tested the water in new set up now and ammonia and nitrites are at zero, nitrates are somewhere between 10-20ppm really hard to tell those colours apart on the card). So the established filter media and plants did their job. So the plan is, if I can swing the time, to fix the lilaeopsis to some mesh, do a water change to get the nitrates down, then begin transferring fish

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Progress today: I glued the lilaeopsis to some mesh - @WhistlingBadger this one doesn't really have proper roots, it propagates from runners apparently, and I could find little runners. It's very grass like! So I know for sure the cories would be uprooting it all the time. So I glued it some mesh:

Then used pliers to bend the edges of the mesh over so it's not sharp edges if the cories dig and bump into it. Stuck into the sand, should work a treat

Didn't wind up moving fish today. Did another 50% W/C on this tank to get nitrates down then did some substrate cleaning on the 57g by moving hardscape and lifting some of the plants, getting the areas that don't get cleaned as often, since I don't want the tank to silt up when I'm trying to catch cories and plecs. Doing that, had to rescue tonnes of teeny tiny shrimp from the buckets - catching all of those and moving them over is going to suck and take forever!


Plan for tomorrow - test new set up again for ammonia/nitrites/nitrates, move fish and as many shrimp as I can manage! Wish me luck... Hopefully I can snatch a bit more free time tomorrow to crack on with it.