QT tank that may become a new set up! 22g

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Some pics of my 22g QT tank that I moved yesterday, added more substrate, hardscape and planted some of the new plants I got at sale event the other day. Most are plants I've had before, but that didn't survive the lack of ferts/being shaded out by riccia and algae. So it's as if I'm starting over again with planted tanks.

Above photo has guest appearance by my baby snowball plec! Side view of tank with vallis

Next photo features my poor bolbatis suffered for too long being shaded out, and the tank it was in, the light strip was playing up before finally dying. Have ordered a new one. It's attached to the dragon stone, but while it's suffered from the neglect, it's managed to hang on! Just loses the odd leaf and looks a mess. Hoping it'll perk up in this tank, and also think hoplo will like it. I've made that corner a dark little area using a bogwood piece, and tucked his favoured algae coated pleco cave behind it.

Think the floating plant is guppy grass, which is one I've actually not had before, despite having had several hundred guppies (bred and sold, not THAT bad at keeping guppies alive!)

@Matt any idea what the brighter green plant I've tucked into the wood piece is? Think it's a type of anubius, but not 100 percent sure!

Also got some buces, will add names later

siamensis 53B in front, an old favourite, glad to get some more!

More pics to come once I've settled new L181 ancistrus

 

[CassCats]

Yeah this is how it starts.

A QT becomes a permanent setup. Then you need to buy a new tank to use as a new QT. Then that becomes permanent. Next you know you've gotten rid of your dining table just to make room for your tanks.


Shaping up fantastic, I see some pogostemon stellatus in the background?

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Yeah this is how it starts.

A QT becomes a permanent setup. Then you need to buy a new tank to use as a new QT. Then that becomes permanent. Next you know you've gotten rid of your dining table just to make room for your tanks.

Ah yes, I have done this before also!!
What started out as QT, nursery or grow out tanks are now becoming proper set ups

Azureus-Levi-Little Boy Blue-Picasso-Gainborough the First of His Name is the only exception! That tank will either be sold, or remain a QT tank. I'm happy he has 12.5g to himself, but he deserves a lovely tank that I also like, that will work for live plants! So keeping this tank just for QT/grow out purposes might be for the best. Since I hate it enough that I know I'll never turn it into a permanent set up! But it is a good size/useful tank for QT and grow out purposes.

End result is still the same! I'll be getting a new tank either way! LOL

Shaping up fantastic, I see some pogostemon stellatus in the background?

Thank you!
I dunno! There was another in the centre background that I don't know, and was going to ask for help to ID

This one to the left that isn't an anubius, that looks like a tangled mass of vines? I bought a bag of mixed plants for £2 that the guy wasn't sure what most were either, but it had vallis, guppy grass, and this one in it, so I snapped it up!

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Meet Bowie, the gorgeous L181 Peppermint ancistrus that will join my two adult females, Ziggy and Stardust after a month of QT I'll add more close up photos of him to my "new tank plans" thread, but had to snap some when I released him into the tank!

 

[Colin_T]

I'm gonna say this before @Fishmanic does (I hope it's Fishmanic that does that). It looks good, you should enter it in our tank of the month contest

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

I'm gonna say this before @Fishmanic does (I hope it's Fishmanic that does that). It looks good, you should enter it in our tank of the month contest

He'll go mad if you take his job!

But thank you. Maybe when the plants fill out a little and the right tank size category comes up

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Nice looking BN.

Tropica says this about yout Bolbitis

Bolbitis comes from West Africa, a fern with beautiful, transparent green leaves, 15-40 cm tall and wide. When planting, do not cover the rhizome because it will rot, and it is best to plant Bolbitis heudelotii on a root or stone. Keep the plant in position with fishing line until it has gained a hold. Easy to propagate by splitting the horizontal rhizome. Supply of CO2 will considerably enhance the growth, which is only optimal in soft, slightly acidic water.

My water is definitely soft but my pH is neutral. So when I had this plants it did OK but not great. I never tried it in my CO2 added tank, however.

I also tried Bolbitis heteroclita which needs to be placed in current. It is more like a fern than the heudelotii.
https://buceplant.com/products/bolbitis-heteroclita

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Nice looking BN.

You mean that Bowie is the most handsome ancistrus you've ever seen, right?

Tropica says this about yout Bolbitis


My water is definitely soft but my pH is neutral. So when I had this plants it did OK but not great. I never tried it in my CO2 added tank, however.

I also tried Bolbitis heteroclita which needs to be placed in current. It is more like a fern than the heudelotii.
https://buceplant.com/products/bolbitis-heteroclita

Mine was in pretty much the opposite conditions! No wonder it's struggling. I've had it for a few years though, so it's hanging in there! But no CO2, harder water, and not a great deal of flow where it was in the tank I had it in. I do have a wavemaker I could add to the tank it winds up in though!

It was doing fine for a long time, but suffered over the last 18 months.

Mine has been gently superglued to the dragon stone it's on - not smothering it, just a couple of dabs to attach it. I've never been able to do the fishing line thing. Far too fiddly for my clumsy fingers, and I always have that slight concern that a fish or shrimp will somehow get caught in it.

Most of my rhizome plants are just tucked into small holes and gaps in wood or stone though, whenever I can!

Have some more Limnophilia sessilflora too which I'm happy about, one of my favourite plants! But was having a hard time getting it to stay put in the very fine Argos play sand. Larger ancistrus and hoplo that's technically not a hoplo are likely to uproot it. Have a little kit with pots and rockwall that I was thinking of potting it in, but stems also snap easily. I know it would be fine left floating, but guppy grass refusing to stay together is annoying enough already, and want the water lettuce to take off too. I also like the look of l.sessiflora planted, the way it changes colour as it reaches the surface, then can trim and replant. Can make a nice hedge to hide equipment.

But I don't like leaving plants in rockwall, don't think they grow as well. Don't mind mixed substrate though, so might be able to weigh it down a bit and keep plecos off it with some smooth river stones and smaller bits of dragonstone.

 

[CassCats]

Ah yes, I have done this before also!!
What started out as QT, nursery or grow out tanks are now becoming proper set ups

Azureus-Levi-Little Boy Blue-Picasso-Gainborough the First of His Name is the only exception! That tank will either be sold, or remain a QT tank. I'm happy he has 12.5g to himself, but he deserves a lovely tank that I also like, that will work for live plants! So keeping this tank just for QT/grow out purposes might be for the best. Since I hate it enough that I know I'll never turn it into a permanent set up! But it is a good size/useful tank for QT and grow out purposes.

End result is still the same! I'll be getting a new tank either way! LOL


Thank you!
I dunno! There was another in the centre background that I don't know, and was going to ask for help to ID

This one to the left that isn't an anubius, that looks like a tangled mass of vines? I bought a bag of mixed plants for £2 that the guy wasn't sure what most were either, but it had vallis, guppy grass, and this one in it, so I snapped it up!
View attachment 346566

Yeah that vine like plant is the one I was talking about. Looks like pogostemon stellatus "octopus"
Fantastic easy plant too. Can get weedy.

I keep bolbitis heudelotii in my betta tank, it does okay for me, no c02, but it does prefer having access to light (though not too bright)

 

[Alice B]

Yeah this is how it starts.

A QT becomes a permanent setup. Then you need to buy a new tank to use as a new QT. Then that becomes permanent. Next you know you've gotten rid of your dining table just to make room for your tanks.


Shaping up fantastic, I see some pogostemon stellatus in the background?

my kitchen table is in the garage, leaning against the old refrigerator with its legs off. However the tanks have been replaced by sewing machines. Stuff happens.

 

[rebe]

Looks gorgeous Adora!

My water is pretty hard and I've got some bolbituis in my 75 gallon. I think it does fine, but I've not had a close look recently. I'll have a look at it tomorrow and if it's not too shabby, share some pictures of the fern

 

[TwoTankAmin]

I experimented woth various ways to attache rhizomes to stuff. I never used fishing line as it is not easy to knot. For a while I used waxed,unflavored dental floss. Stood out too much but worked. But, I also used an assortment if nylong wire ties for not-fish things. These come in an assortment of sizes both in terms of thickness and length. I preferred to get onl;y black ones.

And then one day a light bulb went on over my head. Maybe I could use these for attaching plants. Plus one can connet them to each other to make a longer but thinner one. Since then these are almost the only thing I use to attach plants to things.

The best part of this is they are useful in tanks in other ways. The only shortcoming is that over time they do degrade, This does not mean they dissolve or turn to small pieces. What happens it thy get stiif and may break. But this takes time and usually the plants attach their roots.

But the other advantage is that a s the plants grow and I have to divide them, I can cut the tie, split the plant and reattach both piecec on different "anchors." Another good thing about the ties is they help me to solve other tank related problems/

For example, in the pleco breeding tanks I often add an air stone. Most of these do not want to stay down where I put them. So, I attach a small rock to the underside of an aid disk using a tie and this keeps it on the bottom and where I put it.

Because these ties are nylon, I believe them to be tank safe. I have used these for many years and I have not had any issues. Just do a Google for nylon wire ties and you will see all sorts of goodies.

BTW- I have both the gel and liquid forms of Coraffix glue. This is basically the same thing as Crazy Glue. But once open it will still keep for a long time. But I do not glue plants to things. I never seemed to make that work. But ths stuff is great for all sorts of equipment repairs. since it is tank safe. I have used it to repair a broken center brace using other plastic strips to make the parts stay joined solidly. I have a long bar clamp to hold the front and back of the top frame pulled tightly together during the gluing.

These come in a variety of lengths.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

More Bowie pics from after acclimating just before adding him to QT - he's from the same seller as the other ancistrus I bought, though bigger, and around the same time, so QT with the others

And he measures about 11cms.
Tiny snowball and ling-fin green dragons are even tinier in comparison;

That's one of the tiny green dragons next to the hill stream loach

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Please don't hate on me for getting long-fins! He showed photos of the adults, and they were just too beautiful to resist. In a lot of fish species, I don't love long fins, but doesn't seem like such a big deal with ancistrus, to my mind.

I don't know how the hillstream compares to adult size, or which sub-species, I just know the seller said they breed like rabbits for him, and most prolifically in fact in his darkest, most low flow, less oxygenated tank(??) But the ancistrus other than Bowie are certainly tiny.

Have a couple more snaps of the pygmy cories too - those I've bred for years, and I'd say they're just big enough to have developed their adult colouration, they're still really young and will get 2-3 times larger before full grown.

Hoplo-who-is-not-technically-a-hoplo has also been braver and emerging more again after his first day settling in again after the tank move! Haven't been able to snap more pics of him out and about in the tank again yet, but he certainly has been, then darts behind a chunk of dragonstone or back to the dark bogwood corner that is meant to hide the heater and filter intake, along with a nice dark area for his favourite pleco cave that fits him perfectly

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Haven't snapped pics yet, but the six blue dream shrimp are in a 15L Ciano cube I'd snapped up for a fiver planning to scrape and maybe use for shrimp, but had been sitting in the fish cupboard since. Have seen at least two moults already, so please keep fingers crossed for those guys too!