What’s new (fish related chat only)

[Back in the fold]

It was moved to a new household a few months ago and left alone except for water changes and fertilizer added into the substrate. I don’t like to rescape very often, as I feel the way the plants naturally grow in together looks much better than rearranging everything all the time. I do plan to eventually get more variety of plants, and add more fish to this tank, once it is in my own home. Currently leaving it with lots of low maintenance plants and only the two fish so that missing a few water changes isn’t detrimental

Could’ve fooled me. It looks like it’s been sitting there since the Carter administration. Leaving things like they are and waiting on plants to grow in always turns out good. How would you like to come home and find the furniture rearranged every day ? I wouldnt, or the walls repainted every week. I think fish like that stability too. I bet those two fish alone love it in there by themselves. Watch their behavior. I bet they are very peaceful and relaxed. Very cool tank in every way.

 

[JuiceBox52]

Today I bought some lovely spider wood for my 10 gallon build (so happy I can get a little tank set up)
It’s gonna hopefully be a really awesome setup, looking forward to scaping it. Been cycling with just salvinia for about a month, as soon as my light gets here I’ll be buying plants for it

 

[PewPewChris]

Today I bought some lovely spider wood for my 10 gallon build (so happy I can get a little tank set up)
It’s gonna hopefully be a really awesome setup, looking forward to scaping it. Been cycling with just salvinia for about a month, as soon as my light gets here I’ll be buying plants for it

My tanks are full of spider wood, I love the way it looks. The molting phase is actually kind of cool as well.

 

[Alice B]

Yesterday I cleaned the 100 gallon, and it was improving. I know chemicals are bad, but it had black cyanobacteria that had killed its algae eaters about a year ago, and phosphate remover and CO2 injector were slowing it down, but only slowing, and I was afraid to add an algae eater. I added 4 panda garras about 3 months ago and they nibbled at the algae but only the green algae, so yesterday I did a deep scrub on the back wall and about a 60% water change, and re-added what I added last month: Seachem's Flourish Excel. I got most of the black algae off I think. I'll see in a few days. It might be safe to add an algae eater next month if the Flourish Excel continues to hold it off. Some protein in there is toxic to plecos and bristlenose. The panda garras are fine and feisty.

 

[PewPewChris]

Today I am finally in a solid second week of a routine testing of all 4 tanks on Friday...followed by any needed water changes during the weekend. I had gotten to where I felt I was testing or changing every day...it was too much. I've got four established tanks now and all are doing great. So getting in this routine of doing water testing on all four on a Friday afternoon and addressing the need and amount of WC necessary for each tank over the weekend has been a plus. I've been able to actually have time to just enjoy the tanks during the week.

 

[Rocky998]

On Wednesday one of my juvenile peacock gudgeons died during a water change sadly... My fault for not paying attention... She got sucked up and compressed into the small section of the siphon tube.
So that's my news on the tank really... Besides the algae coming back really strongly as well...
Kinda upset at the way my aquarium has been going. Really confused as well...

 

[WhistlingBadger]

On Wednesday one of my juvenile peacock gudgeons died during a water change sadly... My fault for not paying attention... She got sucked up and compressed into the small section of the siphon tube.
So that's my news on the tank really... Besides the algae coming back really strongly as well...
Kinda upset at the way my aquarium has been going. Really confused as well...

Bummer. I killed one of my angelfish that way once. Hope you can get things straightened out.

 

[Rocky998]

Bummer. I killed one of my angelfish that way once. Hope you can get things straightened out.

Thanks...

 

[WhistlingBadger]

I am still thinking about a hillstream tank. I've never done one before so it's something new and I'm enjoying the research and kicking around ideas. The first thing I'm doing is trying to figure the best way to create a directional flow from one end of the tank to the other. Powerheads or a huge canister filter would be easiest. But I don't like the churning/tumbling current from a powerhead, and my tank stand can only hold a smallish canister filter. I'm reading up on something called "river tank manifolds." Looks like it would be fun to build one.

I envision this as a small stream flowing through a tea garden in Yunnan, southwest China. (Yes, I'm that nerdy about my biotopes) I want to have terrestrial plants--Chinese evergreen or similar, a clump or two of lucky bamboo, lots of mosses--growing up and out the top/back, with a waterfall coming out of the filter intake and down through their roots. Maybe a small fogger installed to add drama. I'm trying to decide if I want the hardscape to be simply a realistic creek aquascape, or more of an Iwagumi-ish, terrestrial-inspired scape. Either would look really nice. So would a combination of the two--terrestrial above and natural below--but that's a lot of visual effect to cram into a 30g tank.

As always, I'm thinking about stocking, because that's the fun part, isn't it? Most of the species from this region are either unavailable, too big for my tank, or outrageously expensive. So I'm planning this as a "close enough biotope": Closely related, similar-looking fish that fill the same ecological niches and recreate the basic mood. I think that when the time comes I'll fill the tank with a small school of odessa barbs (to play the part of ticto and/or gold barbs), a dozen or so glowlight danios (standing in for assorted danio/devario species), a few Sewellia hillstream loaches (which actually do seem native to the area), and dwarf chain loaches (substituting for assorted botia and stone loaches) . Amano shrimp and snails, of course.

 

[JuiceBox52]

On Wednesday one of my juvenile peacock gudgeons died during a water change sadly... My fault for not paying attention... She got sucked up and compressed into the small section of the siphon tube.
So that's my news on the tank really... Besides the algae coming back really strongly as well...
Kinda upset at the way my aquarium has been going. Really confused as well...

That happened with a Cory of mine. I was letting the water siphon while doing something else and didn’t notice

 

[JuiceBox52]

Do you all think I should be patient and just order small amounts of plants for my new 10g set up, and let them grow out? Or order a bunch and get a semi completed look right now? It’s so hard to choose

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Do you all think I should be patient and just order small amounts of plants for my new 10g set up, and let them grow out? Or order a bunch and get a semi completed look right now? It’s so hard to choose

Order a bunch and have them look great now! Duh! (Unless you're broke, of course. I'm broke. I'll be letting plants grow out)

 

[JuiceBox52]

Order a bunch and have them look great now! Duh! (Unless you're broke, of course. I'm broke. I'll be letting plants grow out)

I am incredibly broke but also- plants

If only people sold such large portions of plants like I used to do I’d be set!

 

[JuiceBox52]

I am incredibly broke but also- plants

If only people sold such large portions of plants like I used to do I’d be set!

But instead people sell fingernail sized portions of Java moss and like a single stem of a plant for $15

 

[WhistlingBadger]

I am incredibly broke but also- plants

That pretty well sums up one of the great conflicts in my life.