Improving inherited nightmare tank - Ongoing

[Essjay]

That sounds like the Superfish Home aquarium. It looks better than a biorb, though I prefer plain tanks rather than 'designer' ones

 

[ClownLurch]

That sounds like the Superfish Home aquarium. It looks better than a biorb, though I prefer plain tanks rather than 'designer' ones

Me too but she’s in her office 8+ hrs a day so “it’s not my Problem” apparently!

 

[Essjay]

As long as she listens when you tell her how to set it up

 

[Retired Viking]

They were very efficient because the gravel was the biological medium and the surface area of each piece of gravel added together is huge so lots of space for bacteria to grow. I have never used one but from comments I have read the main problem was with debris collecting under the plate.

Reading the last few posts about UG filters has reminded me about those library books I used when I first started keeping fish. Some of them said that a tank had to be torn down and rebuilt every year. After we got broadband and I started reading I realised they were talking about tanks with UG filters and as I had internal filters, I didn't need to have emptied the tank completely every year.
I did read later than UG filters work best with a reverse flow pump - traditional UGs pull the water down through the gravel, under the plate and up the uplift tube then back into the tank. The early ones were powered by air pumps. Reverse flow UGs used an electric pump to pump water down the tube, under the plate and up through the gravel. The pump also had a prefilter sponge to collect debris.
@Retired Viking Does your LFS use the traditional UGF or a reverse flow?

He has power heads on a few of the big tanks but that is it, He uses a power vacuum and flushes out under the tray when he does his big cleaning.

 

[mbsqw1d]

Theyd make great planted shrimp tanks though. I never thought I'd have any interest in shrimps until i got some. They're fun to watch and its cool to observe their life cycle too. Swimming space doesn't work the same for them so odd shaped tanks work fine!

 

[Essjay]

After my betta died a few weeks ago I decided to move the shrimps from my main tank into the small one simply because since I got pearl gouramis at the beginning of the year the shrimp numbers have been declining. They are just red cherry shrimp but I love watching them in their own little tank.

 

[Treestone]

I think it's fair to say the mainstream hobby has almost switched extremes from a severe lack of maintenance (although many people now have set up no or minimal water change tank relying on heavy plant load and a DSB or anaerobic filter which are implemented from the marine side of fishkeeping (of course this is most effective in a high pH setup as nitrifying bacteria struggle in very low pH setups leading to ammonia to instead be converted into ammonium. Yet even though ammonia is more toxic in higher pH, a very low pH aquarium would instead require close monitoring of these levels and a no water change setup would be not as viable). Now there is almost the opposite with sometimes almost excessive cleaning of filters, sometimes excessive gravel vaccing, chasing very low nitrate levels through water changes, overall a focus on cleanliness in fish maintenance is not always necessary and in some cases can be detrimental. Therefore a balance of maintenance and concepts that we can now understand and implement effectively, such as the use of plants to take up nitrogen is essential in the upkeep of health in our aquatic livestock.

 

[AilyNC]

Well done on taking on some extra work with the tank. I think it's an important balance between helping and ensuring independence with older parents. You're doing great with the tank and I think you should just keep up the little improvements without stepping on his toes. The fish are going to be better & happier with your influence than without.

Is your tank in the same home? As he sees your tank doing so well he might be open to more changes.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Well done on taking on some extra work with the tank. I think it's an important balance between helping and ensuring independence with older parents. You're doing great with the tank and I think you should just keep up the little improvements without stepping on his toes. The fish are going to be better & happier with your influence than without.

Is your tank in the same home? As he sees your tank doing so well he might be open to more changes.

I'm really sorry, I mean to come back and reply to this when you wrote it, then must have forgotten, I'm sorry!
Yes, my dad is 83, mum is 77 and they have some health problems that need more full time support than before. My mum seems to be developing dementia and they both have some mobility issues. I used to live on the other side of the city, but driving half an hour each way several times a week was getting to be too much, and too far for emergencies, so I moved back in with them last year and cut my working hours to help them more. Since I'll be here as long as they need me, I decided it was okay for me to set up tanks here. Never bothered before since I moved around fairly often.

So one of the things I do to make life easier for them is doing the maintenance on dad's tank. He's always had a tank, but the work involved is too much for him, buckets of water etc. He's a proud, independent, hard-working man who grew up post world war 2 - he was even evacuated as a kid. So he has that proud, get on and carry on mindset, and always has projects he wants to do and overworks himself. He definitely appreciates the help, but I still have to be mindful not to just take over and make him feel old and incapable. It's tricky to balance caring for elderly parents, but I have a lot of experience in care work, which helps.

He doesn't often look at my tanks to be honest, but he does see the improvement in his, and he's grateful that he can keep the tank since I'm happy to haul buckets around and catch up livebearer youngsters to take to the LFS. I think he'd have torn down the tank otherwise.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Improvements to tank ongoing! Removed 26 young mollies and platies and took them to LFS. Also took five blue platy fry and added them to my own tank for now, want to see how they grow, and might keep a couple myself. Love the blue platies

And since I'd reduced the bioload a lot, I also picked up four locally bred young bronze cories @NCaquatics! He had imported ones in one tank, and locally bred in another, was happy to point them out to me and volunteered which were which before I even asked. I know how lucky I am to have a good LFS!

Just added them to my quarantine tank (12 gallon) after acclimating them, will drop some catfish pellets and an algae wafer in, see if they go for them.

I have not told my dad yet that I got some cories for his tank... LOL. They look healthy and well, going to quarantine them for a while, then might just add them to his tank after he's gone to bed and wait and see how long it takes for him to notice them... It's pretty densely planted, it might be a while! But I don't know how closely he watches when he feeds the tank, and these guys are quite a bit smaller than his two, so he might spot them right away.

@NCaquatics, you don't medicate any cories while quarantining them, do you? Any diseases or behaviours specific to cories I should be looking out for beyond the usual ich, injuries, unusual behaviour type things?

 

[AilyNC]

I'm really sorry, I mean to come back and reply to this when you wrote it, then must have forgotten, I'm sorry!
Yes, my dad is 83, mum is 77 and they have some health problems that need more full time support than before. My mum seems to be developing dementia and they both have some mobility issues. I used to live on the other side of the city, but driving half an hour each way several times a week was getting to be too much, and too far for emergencies, so I moved back in with them last year and cut my working hours to help them more. Since I'll be here as long as they need me, I decided it was okay for me to set up tanks here. Never bothered before since I moved around fairly often.

So one of the things I do to make life easier for them is doing the maintenance on dad's tank. He's always had a tank, but the work involved is too much for him, buckets of water etc. He's a proud, independent, hard-working man who grew up post world war 2 - he was even evacuated as a kid. So he has that proud, get on and carry on mindset, and always has projects he wants to do and overworks himself. He definitely appreciates the help, but I still have to be mindful not to just take over and make him feel old and incapable. It's tricky to balance caring for elderly parents, but I have a lot of experience in care work, which helps.

He doesn't often look at my tanks to be honest, but he does see the improvement in his, and he's grateful that he can keep the tank since I'm happy to haul buckets around and catch up livebearer youngsters to take to the LFS. I think he'd have torn down the tank otherwise.

I think you're doing a truly great kindness it's nice to be able to help out too hope the new cities settle in & swim under the radar

 

[AilyNC]

Cories auto corrected to cities

 

[mbsqw1d]

Improvements to tank ongoing! Removed 26 young mollies and platies and took them to LFS. Also took five blue platy fry and added them to my own tank for now, want to see how they grow, and might keep a couple myself. Love the blue platies

And since I'd reduced the bioload a lot, I also picked up four locally bred young bronze cories @NCaquatics! He had imported ones in one tank, and locally bred in another, was happy to point them out to me and volunteered which were which before I even asked. I know how lucky I am to have a good LFS!

Just added them to my quarantine tank (12 gallon) after acclimating them, will drop some catfish pellets and an algae wafer in, see if they go for them.

I have not told my dad yet that I got some cories for his tank... LOL. They look healthy and well, going to quarantine them for a while, then might just add them to his tank after he's gone to bed and wait and see how long it takes for him to notice them... It's pretty densely planted, it might be a while! But I don't know how closely he watches when he feeds the tank, and these guys are quite a bit smaller than his two, so he might spot them right away.

@NCaquatics, you don't medicate any cories while quarantining them, do you? Any diseases or behaviours specific to cories I should be looking out for beyond the usual ich, injuries, unusual behaviour type things?

Just tell him his corys must've heard Barry on the radio

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Please note that Corydoras are a lot more sensitive to some medications than other fish. Glad you found some though!

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Cories auto corrected to cities

LOL I knew what you meant to say, no worries! Thank you lovely I only got to see them gathered around the algae wafer I dropped in for a minute or two before I had to leave for work, and I'm in love with them already. Baby cories are just so adorable.

Just tell him his corys must've heard Barry on the radio

I do plan to tell him "Hmm, I dunno, they must have bred!" but I know I'll laugh and won't be able to pull it off He's elderly, but he ain't daft, lol.

Please note that Corydoras are a lot more sensitive to some medications than other fish. Glad you found some though!

I'm aware, but thank you I'm just checking with NC about whether she worms or anything when they're in quarantine, because after my nightmare treating worms in all the main tanks, I don't want to go through that again. I will be medicating any livebearers that come in for worms, just because they're farmed abroad in huge ponds and are so often carrying both round and flatworms, but I'd rather not medicate with cories unless I have to. Since these are locally bred and look healthy, hopefully they'll be fine to just observe in quarantine for a while before going in the main tank.

Can't wait to see how the two in the 57 gallon react when they meet their new buddies!