Stan's freshwater 240 gallon extravaganza. Trials and tribulations of a sunlit aquarium

[Stan510]

Two things I've picked up on. One is- you may read over and over that Star grass sometimes will get lower half of the leaves turn black. Nobody knows why or what to do about it.
Erythromycin cures that. It's all gone..every bit. Whatever kind of cyano that is..has died and the plant is looking so lush growing fast again. I had it,and heard many others- even those who have fish channels on youtube and have been at it a couple of decades mention it. Gone for now.
I'm going to hate seeing anything come back when water changes are made.

The other? Fish love swimming under bridges. Since I was a teen,I noticed that aquascapes that had them..fish would swim under them for fun. One tank I remember had a Stonehenge like rock bridge and Mono's and barbs and loaches looked for it.
With me,I pushed a wooden trunk with roots out of my way and turned on its side it made a bridge...the Rainbows swim under it now all the time-lol. Not kidding. I left it like that.
So build a bridge and make your fish happy.

 

[Stan510]

Photos of the Syngonium and roots. I prune it back often or it would block me from even getting into the tank to clean. Its that thick,rampant. In fact that photo of it tri-lobed? Is something ( adult foliage) it does only in tropical climates or greenhouses. The simple arrow foliage is the juvenile leaf form. I'm thinking of trying to grow palms hydroponically also..add to the oasis look.
The roots are are where the fish love to explore..barbs,loaches especially.

 

[Stan510]

Had to get out. Covidcabin fever was setting in. Stopped at just two close fish stores and picked up Japanese tripartita plant and the very fine leafed Rotala wallichii that can pass for a Myriophyllum plant. The Rotala was planted at the back right corner. For its protection. I've had this plant before and it was eaten slowly. This time,its kind of hidden from the pack-lol,by Vallisneria.
The Tripartita is another go at it. In fact this time I cut off a third of it and put that in small bowl of water...in case what's in the tank doesn't make it. I did that for Christmas moss last spring and right now it's growing well in a terrarium/ jar in my backyard!...the in aquarium C-moss long dead.

 

[mbsqw1d]

Photos of the Syngonium and roots. I prune it back often or it would block me from even getting into the tank to clean. Its that thick,rampant. In fact that photo of it tri-lobed? Is something ( adult foliage) it does only in tropical climates or greenhouses. The simple arrow foliage is the juvenile leaf form. I'm thinking of trying to grow palms hydroponically also..add to the oasis look.
The roots are are where the fish love to explore..barbs,loaches especially.
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I'd like to grow something via hydroponics on mine, are the plants still in pots? If so is that just for support? Are they still in soil but the roots are allowed to grow on into the water?

 

[Stan510]

The Syngonium I had in a pot in the backyard. Its hardy outdoors here. But,I washed off all the soils and trimmed the roots hard. My aquarium is made with the top mostly covered..so I put the plant in the back cut out..and it grew in every direction,popping out of the center cutout after a few weeks. It really exploded when I added iron.
Easy grower..low light and huge in high light.

 

[Stan510]

Went back to lfs that had water plants $2,98, Cheap! Picked up some kind of small leafed Rotala that I'm glad to say,wasn't torn apart by the next morning. R.wallichii? My last buy of them,never again..fish eat them like candy. I also picked up...?? Deep green and very feathery..like a milfoil (Found it I believe on the net and its Myriophyllum tetrandrum). Never seen it before..so for $2.98..added it today. Will it survive the Rainbow taste test? We will see!
Now the big news..they had Super Red Ancistrus. First time I've ever seen them for sale in my life. Had to get one to go with my 3 year old yellow with her paisley pale markings.
Old Stan is learning to really love his low tech plants.. I want to hug the thick and spreading Java Moss, the standard Vallisneria that screams water plant,my C.balansae..and others that just ask for water and light..nothing any more special than that and return lush green growth.
Heck,even cheap Water lily, N.zellata gives and gives lush brown leaves ( pinkish undersides sometimes) that ruffle in the current. No,its not red Tiger Lotus showy...but in over two years its a nice clump. ...as Common as dirt!

 

[Stan510]

Sure enough! Went in to the fishroom,and most of the Rotala was floating. Shut the power off,gathered all I could find and replanted- with a rock on top slightly.
Shockingly,some of the Bacopa was eaten. Previously I had a huge growth of it and nothing as much as nibbled it. It only died off because 2 summers ago I used Hydrogen Peroxide on it to kill hair algae. Well,that hasn't been a problem for a year and a half so I bought another $2.98 bunch. This time it was "pruned" in less than 24 hours.
I think one particular Rainbow,a female M. Mccullough has strong vegetarian needs..she clips the star grass..but star grass is established as you see in the photos and when i watch here yank a leaf off..its ok,no big deal. I think I described her mouth as very grass carp like..swimming barber shears. She's also popular with males of not her kind.. For the one of kind males of only males like Lacustris. I have two..both turned out to be males. But he's grown big and gets that neon gold stripe on his back when he's ready for amore with her.
Fish love.

 

[Stan510]

I added a rock I had..Viking had given me the idea last month,and tripping over this rock in the backyard sort made it a had-to-be. lol. Since I was a kid I loved the local Japanese Tea Gardens in the Bay Area. San Francisco's that is most authentic,San Mateo's the best high quality Koi fish in a public pond I've ever seen,and San Jose's with the largest Koi pond I've ever seen. Decades later,Hayward built a Japanese garden with Koi pond..very- HIGHLY pruned topiary plants in a compact public garden.
It was like it all came back to me when I put the pointy rock behind the Bolbitis heudelotii. No doubt Amano just overturned what aquariums used to look like in Asia pre 1995 or so. His natural style is fits perfect with Japanese gardens.
Anyways..my fish aquarium is not pure form..I have too many fish and sometimes those fish..eat a leaf-lol or with Clown Loaches,punch holes in Sword Plants and shred them too as you can see on the photos. I use no Co2. Iron is it. But since wiping out all the cyano,you can tell the Star Grass,Java Moss and Lily's just took off. A bigger pump helps as you can see all the waviness to plant leaves..left,right,backwards-ha.

 

[mcordelia]

ohhhh I totally see what you mean with that rock and the "japanese garden" vibe! This tank looks so lush today, I love it.

 

[Stan510]

One thing that has helped I noticed? I attached the airline to the powerhead and run the vortex..that mix of air and water. I think it's also helped plant growth. The fish like it...when it came undone one night,as soon as I hooked it back up some of the small Rainbows swam right into the bubble froth.
My theory is...that it sucks in Co2 in the atmosphere..and that does a minor version of a Co2 tank hooked up. Only my theory,no way I can measure Co2 before and after. It just seems like they are lusher with it running...helps also that I rid the tank of cyano..MUCH help.
Three years now. A. too much sun is not so good...use a sheer curtain. B. lots of bio media and a very strong pump are essential. 3.Must rid the tank of excess algae.
As far as the sheer curtain? Its the same as whitewashing greenhouse windows. Lots of light but not direct hot sun.
One day,I'm going to give the red,orange,gold,and all the other colorful plants one more shot!

 

[Stan510]

ohhhh I totally see what you mean with that rock and the "japanese garden" vibe! This tank looks so lush today, I love it.

Thank you!

 

[Stan510]

For the record,I added a few $2.99 bunch plants...Bacopa,Rotala ( 2 types) Myriophyllum and Tripartita..and they have been torn to shreds by the Rainbows and the Roseline barbs.
You wont read that those two eat plants. But,they do!
They were never so hard on plants before,all I can think is..they get larger and want to graze not just play like they did as small fish.
What's not eaten are harder leafed plants or very fast growers already established like Star grass.
I still have some of what I listed..and it could make a comeback as the taste of them gets old to the fish. We will see.

 

[Stan510]

I had thought of setting up a second aquarium. 50 gallons. But then I thought "Why?" I put into the 240 the best fish I had distilled in 45 years of fishkeeping..Bolbitis heudelotii was a Holy Grail plant..its "thriving" by low tech standards. What would the second smaller tank be? A remake? Probably as the more I thought of it.
I've kept everything in fresh and salt water..from nano to taking care of 6' sturgeons. In this, my older age, I enjoy putting my all in the one aquarium..letting loose with big pumps.
No interest in breeding and hawking the raised fish. Keep it a hobby is fine with me.

 

[mcordelia]

Right on. no point in collecting tanks just to "have something"

 

[DAnCSF]

don't get the cheapest temperature controller. We had an inkbird on our keezer, and one day all of our beer was room temperature and the thing was set on HEAT (luckily the appliance can't do that...). I think the one we have now is a johnson controls that we got from a friend, seems more reliable.

Hey the Brits like their beer at room temp...