WOW just noticed I haven't updated this for 3 whole months
17 MONTHS IN NOW AND STILL COUNTING. 10 MONTHS SINCE LAST WATER CHANGE.
A few changes since then so I will be taking some pictures in the next week and doing a proper update BUT for now:
I mentioned that I had 12 Cory fry that hatched and that was about April 20th or so. They were left in 'Castaway' until they were about a month old so about 1cm long and filled out.
10 survived to the month stage. These were then transferred into this tank at the end of May and since then they have been growing rapidly
Good job because just before this the adult male looked like he had a cataract. He died shortly after so no adult male!!! I'm not too bothered about blood lines etc. These aren't going to be sold. If I do decide to breed and sell I shall get some more and mix 'em up.
To date I know 1 juvy from the 10 has died. Was the runt and less than a third the size of the others. Just noticed this morning a mountain of shrimp at the front and a tap on the glass revealed their 'swag'. I assume the other 9 are fine but as with all my scapes you can't see these things. I counted 8 the other day but there are far too many hiding places and unviewable areas. lol
I have also spotted the espei spawning but as yet haven't seen eggs. Apparently they do the same as Corys in laying eggs on leaves but unlike the Corys who spread eggs everywhere, rasboras lay their eggs only under large broader leaves as they are affected by light. the leaf protects them. When they do this they look like they are flicking except as a pair. This is what caught my attention. I rushed to the tank thinking there may be a problem due to their 'flicking'
Would be cool if I can get these breeding too as there is no bloodline problem with them.
Now I must give George Farmer some credit r.e. a post on another forum :text-goodpost: He mentioned about the need for the Koralia and whilst I had also been thinking about removing I needed the nudge. I did it the next day and still no algae
We shall see what happens as I have redone the Java fern that was sat below it and guess what? I was surprised to see that the surprise I spoke about (a year or more ago) is still in there although smaller than it was when I put it there. I won't keep you in suspenders any longer as it will probably never ever be seen
I planted some Vallis right in the rear corner behind the Java. It was mixed with some Crypts I bought at the time and I thought I'd put them in and see if it looked any good once grown. Unfortunately it was about 3 inches tall then and only 1 inch now but its still there and looks healthy.
Something I will whisper as I have always laughed and joked about the EOC (Eheim owners club) and how defensive they are over their beloved brand. Hmmmmmmmmm--- :shh: :text-imnewhere: I joined them.
I got sick of the Tetratec. It was noisy even with its second impeller in (was 3 years old when I ditched it) It was hard to clean, clogged quickly, flow slowed considerably due to clogging quickly, looked ugly, was big and made a vibration through my cabinet from its hard rubber feet.
Of course I thought that it was normal until I got an Eheim pro II 2224 inc media for £75 delivered and brand new. When I hooked that up I knew all of the above was not normal and so for all the berating of the EOC :text-imsorry: You were all correct and I most definately was in the wrong.
I must also add that as I have no concerns r.e. cycling etc I just washed the new media, put it in and started up the filter. No swapping of media. I didn't see any problems in the tank. No bacterial blooms, no flicking, no gasping.
Why did I go for the 2224? Not for the price or I would've gotten a classic. It was because it was the same flow rating of 700lph as the Tetratec and also because it was the same diameter hose so I wouldn't have to change Lily pipes.
I love it. This really is virtually silent and with it's soft rubber feet the vibration through the cabinet is gone. I can only hear the filter working if I put my head close to it but move away or close the cabinet door and nothing.
plus points:
The powerhead comes off with no force. Just unclip and take off. The Tetratec was a brute force effort to take off and put on.
Has never leaked whereas the Tetratec could take a few attempts at replacing the powerhead before it didn't leak.
Flow is better when cleaned and stays better until I want to clean.
Looks better and is smaller.
The powerhead and hose connection assembly is much easier to disconnect. clean and the clip around the hose rather than the scew on 'compressors' are much better.
minus points:
hoses are rubbish. Made of too soft rubber. I put them on and instant kinks. Put the Tetra ones back on and they are fine.
The media is top draw at doing its job but means I have to clean it seperately rather than throw the lot from the filter into the bucket. those little balls and little hopps in the same bucket means I am there for 30 minutes seperating so I clean them seperately instead.lol
Why is not having a prime button not a minus? Because on the Tetratec the prime button was as stiff as **** and even when you got it pushed down you felt water come out from it. Always hurt my shoulder muscles trying to contort myself into a position to get enough force. So the prime button was pretty pointless for me
Easier to connect the Eheim up, suck the lily for a second and then walk away.
Oh and the LED MkII has now got proper luminaire hanging equipment. No more chains.
Piccies soon and Long live Jungle.
AC
