View it as it happens

[Lynnzer]

Well I will be patient enough to wait for a 75ltr tank as the grass and plants will have devolped considerably by then.
I have been sitting here for two hours now just watching the antics of the fish. I was concerned that they all seemed to be fighting the current from the filter input pipe. I have turned the filter off now and they appear a lot calmer. The corys are still very active, as corys all seem to be, but the CPD's, chili rasboras and dwarf rasboras seem to be more at home in slow moving water. I still have a very small filter going behind the wood that gives a little movement but not a lot.
It won't be sufficient to do a proper filtration job though so my task for today is to make some sort of crimp to clamp down on the canister filter hose to slow it down a bit.
Maybe a sponge filter would have been better but how in hell can you hide that in a tank like this?
EDIT
Just seen the CPD's doing the mating dance so things look good. pH and Gh at the right numbers so maybe they really do have a chance in this tank.

Isn't it strage though. CPD's are known to be shy critters, and in the previous tank would scatter behind the filter when I went anywhere near, yet in this tank with the huge amount of hiding places, all the plants, the wood etc, they seem to be intent on swimming at the front of the tank. The rasboras though use the whole tank, in and out of the architecture.

 

[Lynnzer]

Things have really moved on with this tank.
The plants have grown well and I have just given the grass a haircut today.
I am annoyed at the loss of CPD's over the last couple of weeks. I don't know what it is but I seem to lose one every couple of days. The water parameters are perfect, except for a dose of salt following the first losses just in case some unforeseen bacteria was causing the problem.
Of course, that really raised the GH to extremely high levels that I wasn't happy with so I have been doing water changes to reduce the GH every couple of days when I have also cut more of the dreaded hair algae off the plants. I think I have that under control now as i have been running with no lights on and the curtains closed for 4 days. The only light is just dim reflections from the other tank alongside.
With the loss of the CPD's I really don't want to introduce more just in case it's going to result in more losses. The Chili and Dwarf Rasboras are doing well, the otos are fine and seem to happy enough, the Panda Corys also seem fine.
The Blue Velvet Shrimp have given birth and the Crystal red are fine too though not yet breeding. I believe they aren't easy to breed.
Due to the CPD reduction in numbers I have added 8 Golden Neon Tetras that sparkle like crystal chandeliers. Gorgoeus fish.
Also to help with the hair algae I have just added 5 Amano shrimp.
As soon as things are just the way I want it, I'll be taking some fish out. The Otos can go into another tank that has some algae, and I'd like the pandas to be put in with the others in another tank so they can shoal as the like.
One thing I've learned about aquascaping, apart from the amazing results you can achieve, is that carful placement of hardscape is very important. I found that cleaning the glass is obstructed by the woodwork and that even placing the necessary filtration in and out pipes can be a problem. I have had to compromise for now but have a new outlet pipe coming that is thinner.
So, Look and Like guys 'n gals : The lights aren'y going to be on all day and i'll probably switch to the tank next to it, another aquascaped achievement.

 

[Essjay]

Salt does not affect hardness, so that isn't why the cpd's died. Salt is sodium chloride, GH is calcium and magnesium. But salt does increase TDS. Cpd's are hard water fish, so hard water shouldn't harm them

 

[Lynnzer]

Salt does not affect hardness, so that isn't why the cpd's died. Salt is sodium chloride, GH is calcium and magnesium. But salt does increase TDS. Cpd's are hard water fish, so hard water shouldn't harm them

Ah, it was a TDS reading. My NT Labs KH and GH test bottles are empty. At least 1 of the GH bottles is empty with the screwed up number of unequal drips needed between them.
As it was still the same water I was using previously then the GH should have been fine at around 320ppm.
CPD's don't like something though for sure. I was wondering.... I placed some Pond Lettuce onto the top of the water. They keep turning the odd leaf brown and sludging off. I pick them off when they do that, but I read somewhere that Pond Lettuce is poisonous but also that fish love them. It's a bit of an anomoly to me. It's either poisonous or not. If it's poisonous is that likely having a bad effect?
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I'm watching the tank right now and I see another CPD that's not going to make it, I guess. It's hanging around with little movement towards the top of the tank. CPD's are generally pretty lively and scouting around in among the plants at the bottom.