Update With Some Pics

[Mikaila31]

Figured I would make an update since I was taking pictures recently. I have an auction to on the 30th where I will be selling a number of my fish. I have an apartment in the works and will hopefully be moving as soon as the semester is over. I intend to take all my tanks with, but in stages. The 55 will be a challenge regardless though. My 55 gallon ATM... lets just say its "kinda not stocked well" . A number of those fish will be leaving. I have algae problems in both my high tech tanks from me neglecting fertilizers =/. Unlike my big tank my smaller ones are pretty much empty apart from plants. Paludarium needs to be rescaped. Ceacilians are being their typical selves. I don't think I will ever entirely understand them. My male has taken to scavenging bloodworms off the substrate. Yep the blind 2 foot eel can amazingly find and eat the 1" blood worms. Just when I thought he couldn't get any fatter .

I setup my first attempt at some sort of "El Natural" tank 5 months ago. Happy to say I am very impressed by it so far. Not even my high techs eat as many nitrates . Some dirt, sand, and sticks from the woods. Some cheap spiral compacts and DIY hood. No filter, weekly 30-50% wc. Over a dozen fish and a growing number of cherry shrimp so far. It has yet to have a single problem since I set it up. Lack of even basic mechanical filtration though does mean it won't ever be crystal clear. I bought a bamboo shrimp and set him loose in there. Maybe if I had an army of them they could do mechanical filtration .

 

[ian]

Love the natural set up Mikaila31!

Do you have pics from the set up of this one?? If so would you mind starting a journal over in the planted section?

 

[simonas]

Mikaila fantastic looking as always

can you tell me how you sex the caecillians again?

Mines very active again after a period of inactivity, I need to target feed him a bit more to get him as big as yours, he seems to miss the boat with the food and come out when its nearly gone so I specifically feed him or her

 

[Mikaila31]

Mikaila fantastic looking as always

can you tell me how you sex the caecillians again?

Mines very active again after a period of inactivity, I need to target feed him a bit more to get him as big as yours, he seems to miss the boat with the food and come out when its nearly gone so I specifically feed him or her

Here is a site with pictures on how to sex them.

Yeah they can be pretty inactive. For being in with fish, I feed them the larger chunks of food because my fish can't eat those. They can still drag them all around the tank and try though... Caecilians in nature are more nocturnal. Mine usually don't have any issues eating during the day. With yours coming out to eat late it could be a few things. Sometimes they may be asleep, so you have to knock or tap on the tank to awake them. Being blind they rely on scent only, unlike the fish who can see, recognize, and wolf down food the moment it hits the water. If you want him to be out looking and ready to eat when you feed, then I suggest pouring some of the water you dethaw the food in, into the tank. Then give him a few minuets before actually adding any food. He won't start looking for food until he smells it and it can take a while for that scent to work around a large tank. If all else fails just feed him occasionally at night.

Does yours ever breath in too much air? Sometime when mine inhale they become buoyant and actually start to float. Then they thrash all around trying to get back down to be bottom and under the driftwood. Sometimes they can do it, sometime they give up and spit out a few bubbles .

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

WOW great fish pictures and awesome fish !

 

[simonas]

Mikaila fantastic looking as always

can you tell me how you sex the caecillians again?

Mines very active again after a period of inactivity, I need to target feed him a bit more to get him as big as yours, he seems to miss the boat with the food and come out when its nearly gone so I specifically feed him or her

Here is a site with pictures on how to sex them.

Does yours ever breath in too much air? Sometime when mine inhale they become buoyant and actually start to float. Then they thrash all around trying to get back down to be bottom and under the driftwood. Sometimes they can do it, sometime they give up and spit out a few bubbles .

funny enough I saw mine do this before for the first time it looked so bizarre!!!

 

[catfishblues]

Nice plants and fish! i love emperor tetra. what is the fish on the glass and the one below it that looks like a rainbow shark?

 

[Ps3Steveo]

Love the natural set up Mikaila31!

Do you have pics from the set up of this one?? If so would you mind starting a journal over in the planted section?

Your like the planted sections head hunter Ian lol.

Nice tank tho, that eel looking thing is scary.

 

[Mikaila31]

Nice plants and fish! i love emperor tetra. what is the fish on the glass and the one below it that looks like a rainbow shark?

Its a panda garra in the 3rd and 4th pictures. Quite fun fishes, very comical. They try to ride on the caecilians quite often. I will start a thread for the El Natural tank. Its still a work in progress. Since the addition of a bamboo shrimp who, I've named Fuval, it has amusingly gotten clearer. I seem to of hit a nutrient deficiency this week though in that tank. My stem plants are all angry while my crypts and anubias are quite happy all of a sudden .

 

[catfishblues]

Nice plants and fish! i love emperor tetra. what is the fish on the glass and the one below it that looks like a rainbow shark?

Its a panda garra in the 3rd and 4th pictures. Quite fun fishes, very comical. They try to ride on the caecilians quite often. I will start a thread for the El Natural tank. Its still a work in progress. Since the addition of a bamboo shrimp who, I've named Fuval, it has amusingly gotten clearer. I seem to of hit a nutrient deficiency this week though in that tank. My stem plants are all angry while my crypts and anubias are quite happy all of a sudden .

interesting! is he peaceful? also is that bamboo shrimp out often? i had one that hid alot and eventually died

 

[Mikaila31]

yeah panda garras are peaceful for the most part. They squabble amongst themselves sometimes. My first bamboo shrimp died after about 6 months from moving him into a tank I guess he didn't like. The shrimps are shy. Biggest thing is they need a current. I always setup a powerhead so it blows directly onto a piece of wood where he can sit. They are suppose to filter food from moving water. Thats how they do it in nature. If there is not enough current in the tank they will resort to picking food off the ground with their fans which is not normal feeding. A filter feeding shrimp should filter feed. They don't move a lot, its normal for him to sit in front of the powerhead for hours filtering away with his fans. If you want to see them you need to just stick the powerhead so it pumps where you want him to chill a lot. It should be a powerhead not a filter too. They eat what they catch out of the water and just filtered water is not very good for that.

 

[TCfishies]

wow. No filter at all seems so brave! It looks amazing!

TC

 

[catfishblues]

ya i had a nice power head but it would only go infront of it when the tank was dark

 

[Thedoctor]

What is the name of the fish in the 4th pic down?

 

[CrazyAirborne]

wow what a cool fish (eel)!