Llj's Ada Tank "refugees From Endor"

[lljdma06]

Hi Andy, did you notice where my hardware is? no fancy glass for me. Moss ended up hiding it last time. If this goes to competition, won't remove the hardware.

Yes, this one is coming along nicely. Water is really clearing up. Will probably be able to add the fish next week. My crypts tend to stay low, so it might be a water parameter issue. Again, I think I have a strong advantage working with already established plants.

L

 

[lljdma06]

Water's continuing to clear up... More pictures...

Thanks for looking.

 

[lljdma06]

Evidently, plants and fish will not be the only refugees from Endor...

Planaria

Hydra

This was quite interesting to discover, but I've seen red worms in the 36g, so I'm not especially surprised that Endor has tther kinds of critters and I've now brought them to this tank.

There's a little tub in my front yard that I dump cuttings in. I haven't touched it since 2009. I'm curious to see what plants I find, but there's an icky dead frog in it now.

 

[BigC]

Time to get the Flubendazole 5% powder out Liz if your looking to shift the Hydra.
Excellent tank BTW.
Nice height accentuation with the bogwood.
Regards
C

 

[lljdma06]

Time to get the Flubendazole 5% powder out Liz if your looking to shift the Hydra.
Excellent tank BTW.
Nice height accentuation with the bogwood.
Regards
C

Probably explains why I never got fry from the 36g. Since I don't plan on breeding the fish or keeping shrimp right now, the hydra can stay. But the moment I change my mind... Out comes the Flubendazole... Planaria will go away when the fish are introduced. What are the things in Marine that always drive you guys crazy when you get them? Aipatasias?

Thanks, I like to build height with wood and then attach plants. It's a nice way to increase plant mass. So are moss walls. When you run out of room in the substrate, start building up!

Crypts are melting a bit, but not much. I cleaned the leaves yesterday. My gut tells me to start dosing soon.

 

[kizno1]

Tank looks absolutely stunning. If you can find them i think a big shoal of Boraras brigittae they stay under 1" and there colours would look amazing against a tank like this.

 

[BigC]

Yeah Apistasia.
At least you can treat hydra in the water column with Apistasia you have to creep up on them and inject gunk into their mouths, If they sense you comming or your not quick enough they must survive at all costs so the mother throws out spores, each spore will grow into a new anemone and infestation incurs. I didnt mind the odd one or two though.
Problem is they can sting with their neuromasts and kill your prize corals.
Back on topic. yeah my feeling is now I should have got a taller tank
Nice work
Regards
C

 

[lljdma06]

Yeah Apistasia.
At least you can treat hydra in the water column with Apistasia you have to creep up on them and inject gunk into their mouths, If they sense you comming or your not quick enough they must survive at all costs so the mother throws out spores, each spore will grow into a new anemone and infestation incurs. I didnt mind the odd one or two though.
Problem is they can sting with their neuromasts and kill your prize corals.
Back on topic. yeah my feeling is now I should have got a taller tank
Nice work
Regards
C

OT, knowing my luck, when I finally go Marine, my liverock will be filled with Apistasia, bristle worms, and mantis shrimps! Probably bubble algae too.

BOT, C, mine's a 60cm tank, probably the same volume in liters. what are the dimensions on your Rekord 60?

EDIT: Nevermind, you answered the question in your thread. No merging of topics...

 

[lljdma06]

I took more pictures...

And video...

Look at it this, way, I'm practicing my photography skills...yeah...that's it... photography...

 

[This Old Spouse]

I think it's glorious! I'm going to put this one in my list of favorites.

 

[lljdma06]

I think it's glorious! I'm going to put this one in my list of favorites.

Thank you 'This Old Spouse'. I'm thinking that I can add my stock from my 36g pretty soon. In stages as I always like to do. I have...

6 Harlequin rasboras
6 Rasbora gracilis (sold to me as R. pauciferforata, but no, definitely R. gracilis)
2 otos
1 platy (From the fry batch of 2007, he's getting old)

I tend to lose fish to the filter intake (price to pay for all that flow! ), so as much as I love teeny tiny boraras, more robust species will be better for this tank's filtration. Don't know if I'm interested in upping the rasboras schools as they are of ok size, similar coloration, and they frequently will school together. I figure with my filtration and plant mass, I can have a stock list comperable to BigC's in his journal, as his tank's roughly the same size.

I may chose to add any new fish first, so I don't bring disease to the fish I have, and they are doing alright in the bare Endor. Despite all the muck. Probably more like their natural habitat anyway! I'll have to either scope out nice species at LFS or just mail order.

Any suggestions or feedback? I'm game to try something new. Bear in mind, however, I keep my tanks unheated. The temp at home right now is 24C. In a hard cold snap, the house temp will drop to 20C. But never lower than that and it lasts, at most a week or two. The fish above have been through a snap like that. In Summer, the house will be about 26C. Temperature is pretty consistant, but I do deal with seasonal shifts, which I don't always think is a bad thing. I talk too much.

 

[BigC]

Hi Liz,
I have always championed Black Phantom Tetra's alongside Cardinal Tetras, The contrast in colouration and body shape. is absolutely stunning. This however will only work in a heavily planted tank, any gaps or white background tends to washout the colouration of any fish sp. (especially killifish, I have lost many a prize with badly lit show tanks)).
Your stocking depends what you want to do. I personally wanted to keep it toward the South American side of things with only the shrimp being imports from the far east.
Have a look at the deep bodied tetras of the family Hyphessobrycon (some may have been reclassified) Steer clear of serpae, fin nippers when in small groups and also erythrostigma (bleeding heart) they get too big. There are lots of other nice varieties of reds etc and you could do a switch back using these red varieties and then using black neons herbertaxelrodi and see if that works. Small cories for the base such as habrosus, you can use hastatus, but they shoal in mid water and I like my cories to stay down. Surface loving as you'd mentioned marbled hatchet fish are ideal. Although if you dont mind flitting to the other side of the planet, celestial danios, aka Galaxy rasbora are really nice. If your not keeping shrimp then perhaps look at a small dwarf cichlid species such as Apistogramma agassizii.
Idea is to get a tank of therapeutic value (in today's world that seems to be a lost cause) choosing fish for their demeanour within an aquarium environment, size deportment and temperament all have a part to play in making your choices. Too many fish also spoils the look of things, especially in your case. I want to go for a community with a calm feel, some may just like a shoal of one particular species, the hobby is so diverse and each of us are individuals. I personally tend to steer clear of threads whereby folks are looking for advice on stocking, especially the novice, because I know it's a complete waste of time IMO as impulse buying always come into play. Experience has tought me over the years that when I go to my LFS, and they don't have what species I want I walk out the door and come back on a regular basis or ask if they can get me some.
Research what fish that interest you, devise a numerical stocking plan (according to aesthetics), do not weiver from this and buy on a whim to whats in the LFS tanks at that particular moment. Patience as you well know is a virtue.
I hope that gives you some ideas
ATB
C

 

[ian]

If your not happy with the rasboras g, then trade them and up the school of harlequins. You could take them all to the LFS (apart from the CUC) and trade them in. How attached to them are you?

 

[BigC]

Another good one to go with are Pencilfish from the family Nannobrycon, probably not eques as these can be delicate, but certainly marginatus, trifasciatus and mortenthaleri (if you can get them) all look stunning in a large shoal. I reckon they would look the dogs naggers in that tank.
Your making me start to doubt my own plan now
Regards
C

 

[lljdma06]

If your not happy with the rasboras g, then trade them and up the school of harlequins. You could take them all to the LFS (apart from the CUC) and trade them in. How attached to them are you?

No, I'm pleased with the gracilis. They are wild-caught from a nano fish website that I've used. I don't usually buy from the LFS anymore as their species selection is rather limited. Though I will say, saw a school of marble hatchets that would make you jealous, C. Was tempted. but no. I know better than to buy on impulse. One reason why I like the websites.

Another good one to go with are Pencilfish from the family Nannobrycon, probably not eques as these can be delicate, but certainly marginatus, trifasciatus and mortenthaleri (if you can get them) all look stunning in a large shoal. I reckon they would look the dogs naggers in that tank.
Your making me start to doubt my own plan now
Regards
C

No, your choices are very good for your scape. You stick with that. With the rasboras I have, I've got a leaning towards Asian species, but I am very fond of hyphessobrycon species. Kept serpaes, nippy little guys, but beautiful in the right numbers with other semi-agressives. I also have to bear in mind that the tank is unheated, and the Asian cyprinids generally tend to be more hardy with regard to lower temperatures. ARGH!! You are making me want to replant my 36g and make it a semi-agressive with Tiger barbs or Serpaes!!!! I haven't kept Tigers in years. I adored that fish.

So definitely leaning Asian species.

Or... with the 36g go completely off my typical character. Make it minimaly planted with swords and go for a pair of firemouths and some dither fish... Haven't kept cichlids in ages. No, no no! Must downsize, must dismantle Endor...