Just Installed The Lighting And The Custom-Made Lid.

[FishBlast]

Warning: noob tank ahead.
Now I need to get some low-light plants or something, I think I will only end up with tiny ceratopteris plants since the oldest plants just died. Oh well, more food for my snails. Top plants seem to have finally adapted to the current and are sprouting some wide leaves (they are different from the sprouts that come from the substrate planted ones).
I'll also get more flat rocks and probably hornwort, unless there are any plants that need low light and can be placed under rocks. The sand just doesn't hold them against the catfish (1.5 cm substrate, can be gathered to 2 cm though).

Lighting is a 20W 6500K fluorescent tube, the lid is a carbon net with a plastic frame (because I wanted to stop the condense from forming on the walls of the tank).

What could I plant here anyway? It looks like a desert.

 

[FishBlast]

So I went to get a different plant today...
First I went to Orchid Pet Shop near my home. I had a bad impression of them the first time I went there and saw bettas in plastic cups (extremely small ones too). This second time, they had no more cups, but there was a dead betta ripped in half on the sink... -.-
And they had plants but all torn apart, yellow, full of black algae on some grass-like plant, and they were kept with swordtails and some kind of silvery loach or something. They didn't have Java Fern (actually they did but they didn't know they had it and it was in another tank and probably not for sale, though they said everything but the electronic equipment is for sale).
I left with nothing from there. Wouldn't risk it with fish kept with the plants in the shop either.

Went to Coralis pet shop (where I get all my stuff from, although it's pretty far away) and they had no idea what Java Fern was so I described what it does (clings to rocks and wood, has salad-like leaves) and then they gave me this

Looks like Java Fern, and I hope it is. It has pretty dark leaves too. It came a bit with black spots on it and 1 black tip, but if it will like the water and rocks, it might regain its vigor.
Will it blend grow?

 

[FishBlast]

Still pondering what background to make, I could go with plain black... or black with some kind of golden or silver or even blue stars (I could make this out of a frame + some black material + golden or silver thread for the stars)
And by stars I don't mean the figurative star, I mean something to look like real stars...
In example:

 

[thereverendturtle]

Those are java fern. They should do fine in your tank. The black spots are often, but not always, where baby ferns are going to grow from.

 

[FishBlast]

Those are java fern. They should do fine in your tank. The black spots are often, but not always, where baby ferns are going to grow from.

That's exactly what fern I was looking for (though the seller had no idea what it was, just followed the description of plant that likes to stick to wood and rocks). Thank you for confirmation.

These spots might actually be some deficiency in this case, because they look as if the plant was burnt and one is at the tip of the plant (as if the tip was dried out or something). Might have to do with the fact that the plant was mostly held dry for a few hours due to no water in the bag, but the seller said it can stay on dry for a while. It appeared to have less black spots before transporting it to my home.

Anyway, it seems to like its new home. Today it's still standing up, the snails ignore it, my swordies graze on it but don't damage it and my catfish is as happy as a clownfish in an anemone when he wiggles between its leaves. X)

 

[thereverendturtle]

Good to hear.

 

[JDs4me]

That would be a super-cool background IMO...

 

[Alm0stAwesome]

Looking good FB, keep up the good work

 

[FishBlast]

That would be a super-cool background IMO...

Yeah, but trying to convince my mom about it will be pretty hard. She wants one of those plastic stickers which, imo, aren't so nice looking (talking about the ones she saw in a magazine, all crappy with fake-looking plant designs).
I like using thread to make designs on materials, I even made two pillow covers, but one was never completed. Although I made them when I was 13 and haven't resumed that hobby ever since.

So some golden, silver and metallic blue thread dots on a black or very dark blue cloth encased in a frame should be a nice background that would look like a starry sky, though not sure how the too-light plants will blend into that.

Looking good FB, keep up the good work

Thank you. My ceratopteris seems to have recovered too since I've added the new light, currently the old leaves provide food for the snails since I have no idea what to feed them. They just won't eat salad, maybe a cucumber roll would do...

 

[JDs4me]

I think a dark background is a great contrast for your fish...depends on their colour of course! Your plants would look lovely against it IMO...I think its FishFanatic04's tank that has this; looks great.

I can't resist, check this dude out, what do you think...? Looks like he just needs a big hug! Theres a bit of a debate; picta or thoracata...? I'm no expert but I'd be surprised if Wildwoods got it wrong...but who cares, they are fab fishy's!

Plastic stickers?? Sort your mom out!

 

[FishBlast]

My fish are mostly darker colors (the black berlin swordie and 2 fry), then there's Tzuppy the hoplo, a dark-brown or light brown, depends on time of the day, and then Bee and Pinky, both red (but pinky is pink as a fry).
But I still think a starry dark bg would put at least the decor in evidence, while the decor is light enough to make my dark fish stand out. Would be a perfect balance.

And yeah, this is why I love hoplos so much. They are like bettas, only very peaceful with any fish (usually, as I haven't had any problems with them in all these years). They may attack (splash) strangers who visit your house though lol. Mine does it to anyone except my cousin's kid, me and my parents.
Tzuppy is huge. 13 cm.

And most of mine have shown some odd behavior when encountering fry of different species: they hide them under their fins. Yesterday, mine gathered all the grass at the top of the water and started blowing bubbles at the swordtail fry, also hid a red one under him for a while. Guess my mom found one fry due to Tzuppy's crazy nest that saved it.

Apple snails are also creatures that I find cute. They seem to have fun with everything, even jumping off tank walls or sliding down with plant leaves or walking upside down on water surface.

 

[FishFanatic04]

Saw my name. lol Hey Fishblast. I have been watching your progress for a while now and I am so impressed. Your tank has come a long way. Sorry for not commenting much, been dealing with some sick fishes I bought.

A fabric background is working wonderfully for me. It dries out after getting wet. It's washable. And looks great. I like your idea for making stars, could be really nice to look at. Like being at the beach at night. Mine are just different solid colors, but they are all shimmery fabric so they shine from different angles.

I think with the light substrate, dark background AND good lighting, you will be able to see all of your fish just fine.

Your new java fern was mucher greener then the one I bought. It went all spikey and in my disappointment I threw it out before I realized I could have kept 100's of new baby plantlets from it. If anything happens to yours remember that.

When you are looking for plants, maybe keep an eye out for some pennywort. It can be floated or planted, and the stem is a little sturdy on a good plant and can be puchsed into sand a few times until it decides to root down.

 

[FishBlast]

Saw my name. lol Hey Fishblast. I have been watching your progress for a while now and I am so impressed. Your tank has come a long way. Sorry for not commenting much, been dealing with some sick fishes I bought.

A fabric background is working wonderfully for me. It dries out after getting wet. It's washable. And looks great. I like your idea for making stars, could be really nice to look at. Like being at the beach at night. Mine are just different solid colors, but they are all shimmery fabric so they shine from different angles.

I think with the light substrate, dark background AND good lighting, you will be able to see all of your fish just fine.

Your new java fern was mucher greener then the one I bought. It went all spikey and in my disappointment I threw it out before I realized I could have kept 100's of new baby plantlets from it. If anything happens to yours remember that.

When you are looking for plants, maybe keep an eye out for some pennywort. It can be floated or planted, and the stem is a little sturdy on a good plant and can be puchsed into sand a few times until it decides to root down.

Thanks, but I still need to get more things for it and I have yet to get the nitrite kit. I've been blindly cycling with daily water changes for over 2 months before getting the big tank.
My dad won't lend me the money so I'm on my own here, but the good news is that the business will be back up soon so I might get paid soon. It went down due to some problems (and I'll be in charge of it for a while too pff...) Until then, I'm doing my water changes (small ones daily, big ones weekly), cleaning fry cage daily and the filter is cleaned monthly (in tank water) for best flow.

My swordtails have been multiplying too lol. Got 3 fry so far (1 was saved by my mom while I went to buy the new plant, I think I'll be in trouble if it doesn't end up female so I might be looking to trade a male for a female if it won't get along with its dad or brother) other 2 are a month old now, I didn't save too many as I have to restrict them so that I have no more than 6 in the end, best if just 5.

I think the background would be easy, just need a wooden frame, black cloth, possibly velvety material, some nice shiny thread (all 3 colors would be nice) and a rough design of the Milky Way ( studied that one for many months just for a 3D animation project... X_X ). The end result should be relaxing to look at.

I have researched all over the internet and found out that Java Fern may melt during the first week (to the point of losing all of its leaves) but as long as the rhizome is in circulating water and not buried or suffocated by rocks, it will grow new sprouts. I have yet to find any info on how fast a rhizome makes roots though, as I hope it roots onto the rocks soon, else my catfish might move it around like he did on the first evening. Found the fern all the way on the right side of the tank and the catfish under it. He's such an adorable little rascal.

I looked for pennywort just to see if they have it, wasn't looking to buy it, also looked for swords and such. They don't have swords or pennywort, saw some nice anubias at my favorite shop, but still saw the fern and went with it.
But the horrible care the other shop from the mall gave to its anubias... poor plants were CRYING (well, figuratively speaking, but they were torn apart, just like their bettas...)

 

[FishBlast]

New vid of tank. Needs some Moneywort plants though, now that most of the smaller ones went to the surface...

Sorry for the poor quality though, dad's phone doesn't film too well and mine's out of HDD space...

 

[JDs4me]

New vid of tank. Needs some Moneywort plants though, now that most of the smaller ones went to the surface...

Sorry for the poor quality though, dad's phone doesn't film too well and mine's out of HDD space...

Tzuppy was obviously not amused with the filming then! Tank is coming along well...I am slowly but surely coming round to the idea of a few plants for my tank now that I am not housing a plant-ripping JD; I want dark of course to go with the decor! I have some flame moss coming for Meldrew my skeleton so he can be wigged up, and frogbit floating, with some water lettuce on its way to join it. Researching dark-leaved plants now...