Brhino's tank(s)

[Brhino]

Finally got around to taking some pictures, so I figured I'd start my own journal

PHOTO DISCLAIMER: My wife's fancy, modern digital camera is awaiting a new battery charger from Amazon. In the mean time, all I have is my very old, cheap digital, which has several drawbacks: it can't capture a quickly moving object. It can't take a picture of any decent quality without the flash. It can't take closeups. Hopefully soon we'll get the other camera functional and I can take some respectable photos, but for now, here's what you get:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/IM001813.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/IM001816.jpg

The Fish
Every fish in our tank gets a name. Yes, even the ones we can't tell apart from one another.

2 Veiltail Fancy Goldfish: Ackbar (gold) and Palpatine (white) - to be rehomed in a month or two.
6 Glo Fish: 3 yellow (Laser, Taser, and Maser), and 3 red (Ivan, Uhtred, and Alfred) - Alfred is unfortunately probably not going to live much longer, as he doesn't seem to eat much if anything. See this thread (http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/aquariumforum/showthread.php?t=60631).
2 Zebra Danios: Mercury (male) and Mithril (female)
1 Bristlenose Pleco: Cthulhu

The Tank
This is my first tank. There's a number of things I would do differently and/or plan to change in the future, but I'm trying to do things slowly, one thing at a time, so I make sure I'm not going fish-crazy.

Started: December 27, 2009
Size: 29g (30"x12"x18")
Filter: Tetra Whisper 40
Lighting: Single T12 20W "50/50" 5000K/Actinic. Not ideal, I know.
Substrate: Marbles. Would not recommend this for the most part. Very pretty (though obviously not natural looking), but very hard to clean. Might work better with a thinner layer. With that said, I had them on hand so it was free, so it gives me something to have while I learn the subtleties behind choosing another substrate.
Plants: Different varieties of the Plasticus genus. To be gradually phased out in favor of living plants.
Driftwood: Real. Been in the tank about a month now and the tannins keep coming, although it's lightening up these days.
Background: Nothing! Been meaning to pick up some black posterboard. Haven't yet.

Future Plans
Soon (any day now) - purchase 40W dual T5 light fixture, and some live plants - Java fern, Java moss. Pick up a black backdrop.
Mid April - get AC50 HoB filter, to be run in parallel with current filter, in preparation for new tank.
Mid-May or June - setup new 2'x2' cube tank, transfer goldfish and AC50 filter. Replace substrate in 29g with black sand.
July-? Add 1 or 2 species to 29g. Definitely a school of corys of some sort, and perhaps some sort of mid/top dweller. Black skirt tetras? Livebearers?
Long term - with improved filtration, new cube tank could support one or two more goldfish. Also would like to upgrade the community tank to something in the 80-gallon range and add several more community species.

[Northernguy]

Its coming along nicely!thumbs2: A journal is a great idea for every tank.
A back ground is good to have.The fish feel less stress with a bg,it leaves only the front of the tank open.They get spooked less.
With a solid bg your fish seem to show better and their colors pop more in the pics.I prefer flat black.
As for substrate,research them and pick the one that best suits your tanks needs.

[Brhino]

All right! Went out today and bought a dual T5 light fixture (36W total) and a couple plants. Among other things, the extra light makes the pictures on my outdated camera slightly better.

Whole tank shot:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/IM001832.jpg

Java Moss draped over the plastic cave, tied down with fishing line. Did I do this right? It looks messy, but I guess it'll fill in and latch on as it grows?
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/IM001835.jpg

I wanted a Java Fern but they only had one in the store and it doesn't look great. Hopefully it'll grow out. They had it buried in the substrate, which I know java ferns don't like. It should be much happier tied to my driftwood. Note the Glo Fish blurring by the camera!
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/IM001838.jpg

[Brhino]

With the extra light and a bit of patience, I was able to get some shots of my goldfish almost worth posting.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/IM001844.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/IM001840.jpg

[Cliff]

That cave is going to look nice once the moss takes hold

[rich311k]

Nice tank and fish.

[kathymac]

Very nice, I love your marbles, a nice touch.//

[Bunny]

Cool tank. I've never seen marbles used as a substrate before. I like it :)

[Brhino]

Very nice, I love your marbles, a nice touch.//

Cool tank. I've never seen marbles used as a substrate before. I like it :)

Thanks folks! Although, I'd like to point out again - they're pretty but hard to work with. Everything that sinks falls between them. That means your fish don't have much time to grab sinking food, and there's going to be a lot of crud down there that's hard to get out. It also would have been very expensive if I hadn't been collecting marbles since I was a young kid - I believe there's approximately 2000 of them in the tank.

When I get the goldfish their own tank, I'm going to pull the marbles out of the 29g and replace them with sand, then add the marbles to the goldfish tank. That way the community tank will have realistic material (live plants, driftwood, sand... although I guess pure black sand isn't that realistic), and the goldfish tank will be more whimsically decorated. I'd like some kind of flat area where sinking food isn't instantly lost, though. Maybe a large flat stone or something.

In other news, the charger for my wife's camera arrived, and it's now up and running. I have commissioned a full set of tank and fish photos from her (I'm a point-and-shooter, she's a college-trained photographer). I will share them when I get them.

[Brhino]

now we're starting to get some quality pictures.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs431.snc3/24847_378785649052_683089052_3801740_8219119_n.jpg
Can everyone see this? It's taken straight off my wife's facebook page, which is probably a less than ideal way to cross-host a picture file.

Anyhow, that's Palpatine. He "drinks" air from the top of the tank like that fairly frequently. I've heard conflicting reports on whether that's normal goldfish behavior or a warning sign. The other goldfish rarely if ever does it.

[Brhino]

Yes! My wife went to work and got some quality shots.

First, some full-tank shots. Here's a nice one:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0663.jpg

Here's a top view
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0694.jpg

And here's what happens with you take a long-exposure shot with glo fish in the tank!
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0658.jpg

[Brhino]

Some shots of the goldfish:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0637.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0629.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0632.jpg

[Brhino]

The danios...

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0630.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0528.jpg

And my favorite, Cthulhu the Bristlenosed Pleco!
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0697.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0636.jpg

[Brhino]

two new shots today

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0717.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0700.jpg

[wolf_eyes]

Your wife takes very nice photos. I love the most recent picture of the goldfish, it's very beautiful. It looks like you have some great fish.

[Brhino]

My wife got me an early birthday present... a new camera!

Made a few minor changes to the tank in the past couple days. Got around to installing a black backdrop... just like everyone says, it's the way to go. Also took out one plastic plant because the java moss is starting to spread out and do its thing.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/PICT0023.jpg
Not the best shot ever, but you get the idea. See if you can find the bristlenose pleco in that picture!

Also, my new camera has a neat trick. Check it out (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zdVuh5sqpY)!

[HeatherB]

Plants: Different varieties of the Plasticus genus. To be gradually phased out in favor of living plants.


ROFLMAO!!! hahah! I nearly fell outta the chair!! OMG!!

Those are some great shots! Both with your camera and your wifes! What kind of camera does she have? This really makes me want to buy a nice Nikon...one of those big ones with the cool lens!

*goes to check balance on Visa card, falls to floor and then thinks this a NO! *

Anyways- I really like that one of the goldfish just staring into the camera. Like uh... whatcha doing?

Do you own a python? Sticking the python inbetween those marbles and turning the faucet on full blast would most likely get any lurking food! I looks really great!

[Brhino]

My wife has a Nikon D40. It's not cheap, but if you know how to use it it takes really nice pictures. Well, I don't know how to use it and I can still get some good shots from it. Yay automatic mode!

I don't own a python, though I probably should. The "water change via a series of 5-gallon buckets" technique is going to get more painful when I get a new, larger tank.

[Brhino]

I hope it's not improper to keep updating my journal without any new information besides some new photos, but my wife (now on the forums as Aminax) got some more shots worth sharing.

This one's actually before I got the new black background installed.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0759.jpg

She's not happy with the lighting on this one but it's a good clear picture of the fish.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0810.jpg

[wolf_eyes]

Lol I tend to find that you get better responses and more interest in your journal with the more pictures you put into it. You should tell your wife to enter the POTM competition

[Brhino]

I've found another downside to the marbles. Twice now I have found a danio at the bottom of the tank under the layers of marbles. I think they dive in there when they get frightened (this morning I accidentally banged the lid when I was taking it off to feed them), but I'm not sure they're capable of getting out on their own. Fortunately, I've noticed quickly both times and have been able to dig them out with no apparent ill effects, but it's a cause for concern.

[Brhino]

The plants have been in the tank for a week and a half now. First, the good news: The Java Moss is starting to spread and fill out.
Immediately after going in tank
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/IM001835.jpg
Ten days later
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/PICT0071.jpg

Now, the bad news. The Java Fern that I got in spite of it being in bad shape (it was the only one in the store) is looking worse.
Immediately after going in tank
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/IM001838.jpg
Ten days later
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/PICT0064.jpg
4 out of the 5 leaves were chewed up when I got it and they're still pretty green but look about the same. The 5th leaf which was more or less intact but had brown spots is slowly disintegrating. The one upside is that the rhizome still looks okay, as much as a green stick can. Wonder if this plant will eventually sprout some healthy leaves, or if I'm just wasting my time.

[Brhino]

Got an AC50 HOB that'll be going in the new goldfish tank eventually. Running it in my current tank right now to build up some BB on it.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0846.jpg

Of course, the wiring had to be checked out by the building inspector...
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0847.jpg

So now the tank looks like this.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0853.jpg

I will let the two filters run together for one month. Then, I'll start on the new tank. I guess the size and planned location of the new tank isn't as finalized as I had thought, but the tentative plan is for a 25"x25" cube tank, to be a new home for the goldfish. It's got nearly an identical surface area to a 55 gallon tank, but it's shorter and deeper... I figure the goldfish shouldn't mind the loss of length too much since they don't exactly go speeding from one side of the tank to the other.

[Brhino]

and I've just found another danio buried under the marbles. jeeze! Must have found the new filter installation/water change too stressful for his liking. The marbles are definitely going over to the new tank, which won't house anything small enough to fit between them.

[Brhino]

I put in a variety of vegetables for the pleco, but one of the goldfish is a little piggy and always has to have some for himself.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0960.jpg

My wife accomplished an impressive feat: getting a clear shot of a zebra danio.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0962.jpg

[Aminax]

In my defense: I dislike the shot of the calico veiltail because the way the flash came out, it looks like he's got laser beam eyes! And his name is Admiral Ackbar. Gosh. It's like you don't even love them!

[Brhino]

Time for an update! First, the plants. The Java moss is taking hold and spreading out rather nicely:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0107.jpg
Although every day I have to pull pieces of it out of the filter intake. Is this just part of the process of it settling in, or am I going to have to deal with this for as long as I have the moss? Hmm.

The Java fern that started out looking bad has continued to look bad. On advice from the community members here I've pinched off a couple of the worst leaves.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0108.jpg
Today I noticed a little green bump that I think is under the rhizome. Could it be a new leaf? I hope so! Time will tell.

As for the fish, the biggest glo fish lost a chunk of his dorsal fin. I'm not sure how or why. He seems to be doing okay, so hopefully it'll grow back.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0112.jpg

The BN pleco was stressed by the water change/algae scrape I did earlier today (he gets light tan stripes when he's stressed) so I gave him some zucchini as a peace offering. Whenever I put a veggie in the tank I do two pieces: one blanched, and one not. It doesn't really seem to have much affect on his interest one way or the other.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0113.jpg

[Brhino]

full tank shot:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0109.jpg

My wife and I have agreed on the new tank: a 65g 25"x25"x24" cube for the goldfish. I'll be getting it ordered sometime in May, to be setup on May 18th or later once the AC50 has been in the 29g tank for at least a month. I've got a spot picked out for it - now, the only question is whether or not to reorganize the rest of the room its going in!

[Bristley]

Keep up the good work on this. I really like your tank and the journal you're doing. (especially all the pics).

Must be nice to have a trained photographer in the house. :22:

Keep them journal entries coming. thumbs2:

[Brhino]

hooray! That tiny little bump on the java fern is indeed a new leaf. I'm very excited, I wasn't sure if the fern would do anything other than rot away and die.

I also took out another plastic plant today, the java moss was taking it over. Although now that I think about it, a plastic plant might make for an interesting structure to anchor java moss to and let it grow around. Maybe I'll try that with the new tank someday.

[Aminax]

Hurray for successful plants!! :19:

I'm completely on my own for doing a nifty decorating idea like kel's aren't I? :l24:

[kel]

I'm completely on my own for doing a nifty decorating idea like kel's aren't I? :l24:

No no! Don't bring me into this lol

Brhino I had nothing to do with it I swear :hmm3grin2orange:

[Rachel-]

I have really enjoyed reading your journal, look forward to the next instalment!

[AmyLynn]

Great journal! And wonderful pics!

Glad to hear the java fern has started to sprout new leaves. Just be patient and don't be afraid to cut off the old dying leaves and you'll be surprised. :ssmile:

[Brhino]

I think once the new leaf gets unfurled I'll remove the remaining chewed ones. They're still green so I'm inclined to think there's still some photosynthesis going on there. I'll get a picture of the new growth soon.

Also, the injured glo fish is regrowing his fin amazingly fast. I think in a week it'll be fully healed up.

[Brhino]

hooray new java fern leaf! Right in the center there, the little thing sticking straight up.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0296.jpg

Shy BN Pleco pic. He's now a whopping 1 7/8" long.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0297.jpg

I ordered the new tank today, going to pick it up on Saturday. I don't think we'll get it up and running just yet, as I'm not sure if the new filter's had a chance to load up on BB. Actually, that's probably a good topic to ask people about. I am starting to pick up supplies, though:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0300.jpg
30 pounds of black sand!

[Brhino]

Picked up the new tank today. I got it from a place named Great Lakes Aquariums in Warren, Michigan. Seems to be a mom-and-pop type place. They make a wide variety of tanks and I don't think you'll beat the prices without going used.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0302.jpg
60 gallon cube tank, lid, basic fluorescent light, and black-stained wood stand (no plywood!): 270$.

Unfortunately, when I loaded the light into my car, I then squished it by folding the seat down onto it. D'oh!
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0303.jpg
Fortunately, it's just some superficial damage to the plastic case. The light itself still works.

We were planning on stocking fancy goldfish, but actually I think a cat would do well in there. Maybe a cory, or a pleco, or a siamese.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0306.jpg

Plenty of room in the stand for supplies and/or a canister filter.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0311.jpg

Lots of work to be done... updates will follow!

[Aminax]

I have to say, the tank looks bigger than I imagined. Once our toddler goes to sleep, we're going to tackle the room featured in the photos along with the new tank. Hopefully, we can get some sort of workable domestication setting.

[kel]

I ordered the new tank today, going to pick it up on Saturday. I don't think we'll get it up and running just yet, as I'm not sure if the new filter's had a chance to load up on BB. Actually, that's probably a good topic to ask people about. I am starting to pick up supplies, though:


Just a heads up.. If you guys are planning to use any concrete/foam type items in there ( as is suggested by her blaming me for the idea LOL) it is going to be a month or more after that is installed in the tank BEFORE you should even add any substrate or filter to give the concrete time to cure. So you have plenty of time for the filter to build up some BB. I am starting week 3 of curing my bg and my Ph is still in the 8.4 range. I estimate it will be atleast 6 weeks total before it is good to add plants and fish to it.

Hope this helps with the time line some :22:

[Brhino]

well, as previously mentioned, we're doing tank setup/fish move now, fancy decoration installation later. We'll be sure and give everything hand-made a long soak in a separate container and keep an eye on the pH/etc to make sure any nasties are out of the system.

The tank is in place now. It's... big! And tall. Our 29g has a 25" stand, the new 60g has a 30" stand, and the tank itself is 6" taller to boot. These distinctions become important when you find yourself attempting to lift a 5-gallon bucket of water five feet off the ground to pour it into the tank. It's got about 20 gallons of water in there now. The plan is to take half the water from the 29g and put that water and the goldfish in the 60g - essentially, a 50% water change with a location change as well.

After that, the 29g is drained the rest of the way, the danios and pleco put in buckets, remove decorations and remaining marbles (I've already been removing bunches of them to put them in the 60g), install sand, add water, add fish.

It all makes sense, but I still have this feeling of terrible dread that I'm going to kill some fish somehow. :scry:

[Brhino]

What a day!

Got the goldfish into the new 60g, along with some initial amount of marbles. All the ones that were formerly in the 29g don't give enough coverage to the 60g. Fortunately I've got more in reserve. I'll say again, this new tank is HUGE. The goldfish look tiny in there. They'd better get to growing!
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0312.jpg
Goldfish in the half full, partially substrated tank. Those are 3.5" goldfish.

Drained the 29g. Netting Zebra danios is quite the challenge. Got the sand in place with a minimum of splattering on the walls. 30 pounds of sand in a 29g tank gives a lot more depth than I expect, I may end up taking some of it out.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0315.jpg
Tank just after filling. It's a bit cloudy, but that cleared up pretty fast.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0316.jpg
There's still air bubbles sticking to sand. You can see some along the bottom here and there's more at the surface.

Overall I'm really happy with how the tank move/substrate change went. The fish all seem to be doing well. I'll be monitoring the ammonia over the next week to see if any minicycles happen. Once that's squared away, after the holiday weekend, it'll be time to start filling in all this empty tank space!

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0317.jpg
New leaf on the java fern. It's growing, but it's... weird looking. Not sure what's up with that.

[Brhino]

Got the tanks all filled up and fully decorated (for the time being).

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0326.jpg
Goldfish tank is looking mighty empty.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0332.jpg
The sand in the community tank settled in pretty well. Added a few marble accents. This tank looks kinda bare too I guess, but there's plenty of room for the live plants to go.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0334.jpg
We have confirmed bristles on the bristlenose pleco! See the little tiny nubs around the side? I think those are fairly common for both males and females, so I'm not sure on the gender yet. Also, grr, smudged glass messing up an almost perfect shot.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0336.jpg
automatic settings: letting photography nubs like me take quality pictures.

[Brhino]

Today marks two days since the big crazy tank switcheroo. Noticed this morning the tank had sort of a cloudy white tone to it. However, by the time my wife got home mid afternoon it was completely clear. Either it was some kind of trick of the morning light, or it was the shortest bacteria bloom ever.

Tested the water in both tanks. Same for each. pH 7.8-8.0, ammonia 0, nitrites 0, nitrates 5-10. Perhaps there won't be any mini-cycles.

Some more pictures from today.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0345.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0348.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0353.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0359.jpg

[Aminax]

How mad should I be that you're getting really, really, REALLY good shots without any training?


Looks good :3

[rothenb1]

I definitely like the looks of both the tanks. The black substrate looks awesome. Are you going to keep the marbles in the 60g, or are they temporary? Is it really difficult to gravel vacuum with them?

[korweabo0]

great shots!

[Brhino]

I definitely like the looks of both the tanks. The black substrate looks awesome. Are you going to keep the marbles in the 60g, or are they temporary? Is it really difficult to gravel vacuum with them?

the marbles are going to stay in until Aminax finishes some custom made decorations. She's still experimenting with techniques now. Not sure how long she'll be. This way there's no rush for her to get it done.

There's so much space between the marbles that when it comes to vacuuming, it's almost like there's no substrate at all. Debris falls straight to the bottom, and a gravel vacuum has no problem pulling them back up through the marbles. It's kind of hard to see where the crud is, so before I vacuum, I actually stick my head UNDER the tank and scout out where I need to hit.

[roxy1]

I love that your fish have names! I named my lionheads too...Muffin and Pumpkin...I also like the java moss in your tank. My tank is still undecorated, with only small pebbles for substrate. I hope you don't mind that I am getting ideas from your tank and will try to use java moss in mine. I just assumed that goldfish would eat live plants, and I don't want them to eat a whole lot until my tank is well cycled. Do your fish nibble on the moss? I have only two small plastic plants in my tank now, and my fish are trying to eat them! I wonder what you think about my adding live plants? Should I wait until my tank is cycling on it's own? Also, how do you take such good photos? Mine have a glare from the flash reflecting off the tank. I just can't seem to get a good shot. No flash is too dark...Sorry about so many questions! Thanks for taking the time to help!
Roxy

[Brhino]

Goldfish will eat some live plants but not others. Java Fern is said to have a bitter taste, so they avoid it. Java moss is supposed to be okay as well. I have never seen my goldfish try to eat either, unless you count going after bits of food that have fallen on the moss. I believe Anubias are also supposed to be goldfish safe. There are a few others as well, but I can't remember them.

If I'm not mistaken, adding live plants during cycling may actually help. I think plants can absorb a bit of ammonia. If you're interested in plants, there's no need to wait until your tank is fully cycled.

I am not a good photographer. I can take good photos because my wife (Aminax) owns a very good camera. I put it on automatic settings, take a bunch of pictures, and some of them turn out okay. If you look at some of the first pictures in this thread you can see some I told with an older cheaper camera and they're much lower quality.

As far as avoiding the flash some people recommend putting some tissue paper or something similar over the flash to diffuse the light so you don't get the bright glare. What I try to do is take pictures at an angle... rather than facing directly at the front glass of the tank, I position myself to the side and take pictures diagonally. That way, the reflection of the flash on the glass will not come directly back at the camera.

[Brhino]

five days since the tank setup, still no sign of ammonia or nitrites.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0397.jpg
added a few more fake plants and some pots to fill out the 60g a little more.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0404.jpg
The littlest java fern continues to grow.

[Brhino]

today was my first water change / substrate cleaning of the new tanks. I was worried about the sand... there's not a ton of crud on top of it, but I wasn't sure how easy it'd be to clean up. A snap, as it turns out. The gravel vac picks up the crud, and the sand swirls around a bit in it but then sinks back down.

The only downside is that I made the mistake of pouring the new water into the tank pretty much directly onto the java moss covered cave. I was trying to avoid pouring it onto the sand and moving it around too much, so instead I sort of loosened the moss's grip on the cave, and it got a bit ugly looking. Oh well... sometime to remember for next time.

[Brhino]

new fish! whoohoo! Details and photos later.

[Brhino]

First up, we added a fantail goldfish to the goldfish tank. My wife has named him Wedge.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0429.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0435.jpg

I wasn't sure how our two veiltails would feel about a new fish in the tank. They're schooling like tetras, though.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0434.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0431.jpg

[Brhino]

I also picked up 3 bronze corydoras for the community tank. I'll be getting three more in a week or so to round out the school, just didn't want to increase the bioload too quickly.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0445.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0459.jpg
Two of them are about the same size as each other and were good buddies from the get go.

The third is much larger than the other two - when I first got him in the tank I was afraid the employee had slipped me a different species. After watching them all for a while though, I'm convinced they're all bronze corys. This one's just the biggest.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0439.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0449.jpg
He went off on his own at first, but seems to be settling in with the others now.

[Brhino]

The rest of the fish in the community tank are going to have to get used to the new arrivals. The glofish/danios gathered up in a shoal...
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0448.jpg
And the bristlenose pleco looks... annoyed.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0440.jpg
I also picked up anarchis/elodea/"water weed" plant...
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0454.jpg
...which came with some planaria hitchhikers.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0451.jpg
From what I've read, they shouldn't be harmful, and if I don't overfeed or undermaintain my tank, I shouldn't be seeing much of them.

[Bristley]

Love the new additions. Wedge is a perfect name choice. (yes I'm a Star Wars geek hehe)

[Taurus]

Great journal!! Both tanks are coing along nicely. thumbs2:

[Brhino]

Eggs!
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0503.jpg

I came home from work to find these on the side of the tank. There's 11 there, and 8 more on the back glass. They're cory eggs... only possible candidates. I've asked some questions in another thread about them but the one thing I'm sure of is that they're from the corys.

I'm very excited to see the eggs, but they're going to have to see what they can do on their own. It wouldn't be entirely surprising if they get eaten before they even hatch. I will keep my journal updated.

First milestone: eggs are supposed to hatch in 4-5 days. Unfortunately I'll be gone then, but Aminax will be home to keep an eye on things.

[Aminax]

<.< More or less.

...

Oh dear! I'm responsible for the tanks this weekend?! I hope nothing bad happens...... Now I'm nervous.:sconfused:

[Brhino]

well, you can feed them, and if the filter comes unplugged, you can plug it back in. :ssmile:

Also, one more interesting note: The Elodea plant we got came with some duckweed hitchhikers. Two independent single petals. Three days later, one of them is a double petal and one of them is a quadrupedal petal. Should be interesting.

[tanks4thememories]

Looking Good!!

[Brhino]

Day Spawn+1:

One of the eggs disappeared overnight. That leaves 18 remaining. Of those 18, 11 have turned noticeably more opaque, which from what I've read is to be expected. The remaining 7 have remained transparent, which I assume means they are not likely to hatch. If I'm correct, that leaves 11 viable eggs remaining.

[Brhino]

Day Spawn+2, AM

Some eggs are missing.

The eggs were laid in two batches: a group of 11 on the side glass and a group of 8 on the back glass. On day S+1, one of the eggs on the side glass disappeared, leaving a group of 10. This morning, only 4 eggs remain on the side glass - and all of these are there more transparent ones, rather than the ones that turned opaque yesterday. There are one or two places where a bit of the egg remains on the glass. The group of 8 on the back glass remains the same.

Possibilities:

1. Several of the eggs were eaten. The opaque ones were targeted for some reason (healthy eggs are tastier?). The group on the back was not discovered by the egg eater(s) - although that seems a little strange, they're just sitting there on the glass.
2. The opaque eggs in the side glass group have hatched (after a day and a half - is that possible?). The ones left behind are the ones unlikely to hatch. The back glass group perhaps was laid later or is slower to hatch for some other reason.

If I do have fry, I don't expect I'll be able to see them any time soon, assuming they survive. Just have to keep watching and waiting, I guess.

[Brhino]

Day Spawn+2, PM

Came home to find the back group of eggs gone, and the BN pleco sitting suspiciously right next to where they were. That leaves 4 transparent eggs on the side glass, and as I was watching a glo fish swam up and bit one of them in half, leaving the other half still stuck to the glass.

I think it's safe to say this spawning attempt has ended in failure.

I think I'll pick up 3 more bronze corys next week as planned, and think about if I want to try to breed more or not in the future. If so, I'll invest in a couple things to help them survive.

[Aminax]

First Mate's Log
Star Date 63909.7

I returned to the bridge at the appointed feeding hour. First order of business was to deliver scoops of replicated kibble into the bowls of the three felines currently stationed on board.

Immediately following, I assembled an away team to study the small life forms found on the aquatic planets FW I & FW II. First, information on the population, behavior & appearance of said life forms was gathered and recorded. Having determined all signs were normal and the inhabitants themselves were of a nonviolent disposition, I presented food to both worlds in an attempt to initiate communication. The inhabitants of both planets did little to acknowledge my existence except to eat the offered sustenance. I feel that these first attempts at contact were more or less a success, and will attempt to communicate again in the morning.

[Brhino]

:hmm3grin2orange:

how's everyone doing down there?

[Aminax]

Good! Wedge is SO excited when I feed him, that he sticks his entire mouth mouth of the water when my hand is over the tank. I think he'll be the one I can train to do tricks. The white spot(s) on his fin(s) seem(s) to be gone or smaller.

Oh, I don't know what happened, but I screwed up the timer somehow, so I've been manually turning the light on/off around the time I think it should be fussed with.

Oh! Do the cories get one tablet a day or one per feeding time?

Padme misses you. She cried and cried last night, and then came and cuddled me for the longest time. Which was really good because I was watching a super creepy movie at the time!

[Brhino]

one a day, in the morning. When we pick up 3 more (maybe tomorrow!) we'll do one at each meal time.

[Brhino]

Major update time! First up, the 60g goldfish tank. We picked up the forth and final fish for this tank, a fantail goldfish we've named Anakin.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0506.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0512.jpg
He's quite a bit smaller (1.5") then everybody else in the tank (3-3.5"). He seems pretty shy right now, but hopefully he'll get comfortable in a few days here.

Full tank shot, showing the size difference:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0508.jpg

This concludes the stocking for this tank. The only other major change planned is the installation of a canister filter sometime in the future when the goldfish grow and increase their bioload, and of course Aminax's custom decorating of the tank.

[Brhino]

Next up, 3 more bronze corys were added to the community tank to bring the size of that school to 6.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0531.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0530.jpg

The day after we added the corys, I noticed some pretty significant damage to one of the new ones. On one side he's normal looking...
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0532.jpg
But on the other side he's missing an eye, and the flesh around it looks damaged as well.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0534.jpg
I'm really, really hoping this happened in the fish store and I just missed it the first night. I'd hate to think something in the community tank could have done this. The damage doesn't look fresh, but I don't have a lot of experience diagnosing such things. I'll have to keep an eye out for further damage to this cory or any of the others.

Before we even increased the school, The cories laid eggs again. Two batches of eggs a week apart would have to mean two different breeding females, I imagine. Just like last time, these eggs lasted a day or two, then disappeared. Looks like if I want to raise corys I'll have to step in and help out. A worker at my LFS did say that they accept fish trade-ins, so long as they have a decent size to them, an inch or so.

[Brhino]

Lastly (for now), some updates on the plants. First, the java moss:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0513.jpg
After two months in the tank, the growth is pretty underwhelming. I don't know if my expectations are just too high, or if something is wrong. There hasn't been much growth, and there's more brown stuff than I'd like. On the plus side, I no longer have to clean pieces of it out of the filter intake every day.

Next, the java fern:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0514.jpg
Again, two months in the tank. I don't know what to do with this thing. The one leaf it grew is cracked and turning brown. Just when I'm ready to toss it, though, it starts growing another leaf - you can see the little green thing starting to come out of the roots. Maybe this leaf will be healthier than the other.

The newest addition, at a week and a half in the tank, is the elodea:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0516.jpg
This stuff's growing like gangbusters. The entire lighter green stem in the center of it is new growth, and there's two more new stems that you can't see very well in that picture. The new growth leaves are more thinly spaced, which I believe means I have less light than the LFS did, but that's all right. If this stuff continues growing like this I'll be very happy and will be able to get rid of the remaining artificial plants in the tank.

Full tank shot:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0517.jpg
I mentioned last week that I had gotten some duckweed hitchhikers as well. The duckweed has since disappeared. Guess someone figured out it was food.

The stocking on this tank isn't quite done yet. In a little while I'll get another HoB filter for this tank, which will give me the filtration to add a few platies. Other than that, I'll continue to work on the plants. I'd like to add an anubias and get a functional java fern one way or the other.

[Sursion]

Looks great! I've always liked that kind of plant.

[Aminax]

I named him Anakin because he looks burnt around the edges. :22:

HA!
And I am IN LOVE with him! ^.^

[Brhino]

it's been over a week since I've updated, which is quite a while for me. I'll do the goldfish tank today, since I'm planning on working on the community tank some tomorrow.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0562.jpg
Anakin, the newest goldfish, is doing well. Here he is hanging out with his fellow fantail. When we first got him, he spent almost all the time sitting at the bottom of the tank, and we were a little worried. He has since become much more active, and learned to come to the surface at feeding time... for the first few days, we had to squirt food at him with a turkey baster to get him to eat it. It was kind of fun, actually.

You know how we all had a goldfish in a bowl when we were a kid, and it died? And then years later we learned why? Hopefully that won't be the case for my daughter.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0570.jpg

[taralm13]

I just read your whole journal...I love your tanks! You guys are so funny with naming your fish (I tried it but then I ended up with too many to name and keep track of). Your pics are awesome...makes your fish look like they have cute personalities with their facial expressions! I can't wait to see more!!!

[Brhino]

I am from Michigan. I was born here, and I've lived here almost all my life. The state stone of Michigan is the Petosky Stone, which is fossilized prehistoric coral. I have a piece of it in my community tank. It's the veggie holder.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0579.jpg

My wife was born in Texas. She lived in Texas for her entire life until she moved to Michigan with me. The state stone of Texas is Petrified Palmwood. I bought a peice from a dealer online, and added it to the tank today as the base for some new Anubias plants I bought.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0580.jpg

I think it's sort of fun that we each of our state stones represented in our community tank, now.

I also bought a new java fern. The treasure chest is now a java fern anchor as well. This one looks much healthier than the first one I bought, but I'm still going to keep that old one for now. As I was cleaning the fern up for placement in the tank, I found a baby fern tangled up in it. Bonus! That one went on the treasure chest as well.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0584.jpg

All the new plants combine to give one corner of the tank a serious planted look. I've started using Excel as well to combat some black brush algae that's appeared on my java moss, so hopefully I'll start seeing some serious plant growth.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0603.jpg

[Brhino]

I've lost two of the six corys I added. The second one I lost was injured when I got him - I should have looked more closely at the LFS before bringing him home. The first one, though, seemed perfectly healthy and was the largest one I had. The remaining ones seem to be doing well.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0587.jpg
The first three I got spawned twice in the first week and a half I had them, but haven't since. I'm really hoping I get more spawns. I did nothing to save those eggs, but if I get more I'm going to put them in a breeding net and try to get at least a couple to adulthood to bring the school back up to strength.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0600.jpg

The tank is coming along well, I think. There's only one artificial plant left in the in there. I aim to replace it as well eventually, if I can find a good beginner plant that grows tall and broadleafed.

I bought some frozen bloodworms today, which I've never used before. The fish went crazy over them! I'll split a cube between the two tanks once a week. hooray for some diet variety!

[domjd05]

Tank looks great with the live plants!

[wolf_eyes]

Actually the real form of the plant on the right, the corkscrew val, is a pretty easy plant to grow. You could also look into other val plants and crypt retrospirilis and spirilis.

New plants look great by the way

[Brhino]

I figured it was modeled on something real, thanks for the names. I'm hesitant to replace it because my BN pleco likes to rest of the leaves. Then again, he'll be getting too big to do that eventually.

[Taurus]

I like the look of the stones and marbles poking out of the dark substrate. That's quite a collection there.

[Brhino]

nearly a month since the last update? Inconceivable!

Things are slowly growing in the community tank. I had an issue with my corys - white patches on three out of four of them. Nobody seemed to be able to diagnose it. I used melafix for a while, and then stopped when things weren't getting better. They seem to slowly be fixing up on their own, thankfully. Still no more spawns, which is disappointing.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0831.jpg

The other fish in the tank are doing well. The BN pleco is up to 2 1/8"! Still only little tiny bristles on the side of its face, it may in fact be a female. Plants are growing pretty well, although the java moss is infested with BBA and the elodea isn't doing so good because I was using Flourish. Flourish is bad for elodea. oops! The java fern that I was about ready to throw out finally has a healthy leaf and may be growing another one soon.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0832.jpg

I'm going to be picking up an AC 50 for this tank to run alongside the Whisper 40 for increased filtration. I'm also thinking about ordering some new plants - the ones from my LFS store are never all that healthy. Looking at some water sprite and water wisteria. In any case, once I get the filter, it'll be time to add a few more fish!

[Brhino]

The goldfish tank got hit by green water when a cat wrecked our blinds, exposing the tank to direct sunlight. New blinds are installed, but the tank is still cloudy green. We did a blackout while we were gone last weekend and it helped very little if at all.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0837.jpg
The next thing I'm going to be attempting is a series of 50% water changes. I need to pick up a Python/similar product for that... 30 gallons out and 30 fresh gallons in with 5 gallon buckets is more than I can handle.

other good news: the old tank water I'm leaving outside is finally generating mosquito larva! I found 4 today. Not a lot, but its a start. I fed them to my wife's betta, which has his own thread.

[Brhino]

My wife specifically picked out our fourth goldfish because of the interesting coloration pattern. Here's a repost of a picture of him from one month ago:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0506.jpg
And now here he is today:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0883.jpg
turns out the black areas were just the remnants of his baby colors. He seems to be on his way to being a solid orange goldfish. Heh... who knew?

[Spardas]

I think 3 90% daily water change will clear that baby up.

Just hoping the blinds is solid now and cat proof, lol.

[Brhino]

I've been doing 50% water changes every two days. I've done two so far, and the improvement is considerable. a few more and things ought to be cleared up.

New blinds are metal, rather than the papery/cloth stuff that was up. At a certain angle it still lets in a little bit of light but I think it'll be okay.

[Brhino]

Picked up three albino bronze corys for the community tank today
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0933-2.jpg
"you got MORE bottom feeders? Okay, fine, but they better stay away from my zucchini..."

They seem to be integrating well with the rest of the school of corys:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0925.jpg

Hey! You're not a cory! That's not your sinking pellet!
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0940.jpg

All right, fine. Let's ALL eat at the sinking pellet.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0942-1.jpg

[Brhino]

I'm still continuing to find snails in ones and twos throughout the tank.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0929.jpg

I've seen at least three different species. Mostly they're too small for a good photo. At this point I'm considering leaving them be. One of them I threw into an unfiltered bucket outside that I'm growing mosquito larva in and he's thriving... I'm almost considering letting him back in the house. I try not to overfeed but I still worry that I'll have an explosion of them. On the other hand, my LFS sells assassin snails...

[Brhino]

Ackbar, the white, orange, and black spotted goldfish has a couple lumps in his side. Not sure what the issue is, think it might be a digestive one. Asking questions as posting observations here (http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/aquariumforum/showthread.php?t=66202). Hopefully things improve. At least I got the green water cleared up with 4 or so 50% water changes.

Back in the community tank, feeding frenzy!
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0992.jpg
and a closeup of one of the new albino corys...
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0989.jpg

[Aminax]

Wow, I really like the pic with all the fish; very colorful and active!

[Brhino]

Time for a plant-focused update!

First, the old java fern that I was about ready to remove. I wish I had taken more than one picture, because this one's a little out of focus. Oh well. It's finally starting to do well. It's got two leaves now with another on the way, and they're all looking healthy and green.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0014.jpg

The new, larger java fern I bought and added later seems to be doing well.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0021.jpg

It's got a couple leaves that are dying, but look at this: this leaf is falling apart and succumbing to algae, but look at all the babies its putting out!
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0028.jpg

Several of the leaves on the anubias are turning brown and spotty, but it's also putting out lots of new leaves and those are looking pretty good. You can see new shoots coming up off the rhizome.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0018.jpg

[Brhino]

The java moss is finally starting to take shape and firm up. Too bad it's getting horribly overrun by black brush algae. I tried to kill that with flourish excel, but then I found out it kills elodea, so now I don't know what to do.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0020.jpg

There was a very small piece of java moss that floated free and got stuck under the driftwood. It's slowly been latching on and spreading, and looks pretty cool even if it is just a tiny little patch right now.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0027.jpg

The Elodea is recovering from me trying to kill it with excel. The old grows got kind of brownish and infested with hair algae while I was dosing, but the new growths are looking better.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0016.jpg

And, just so today's update isn't all about plants...
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0030.jpg
The bristlenose is coming up on four months in the tank now. Between that and however old it was when I got it, I think it's becoming pretty apparent that this one's a female and will probably not grow much in the way of bristles.

[Brhino]

Full tank shot:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0036.jpg
When I look at pictures like this, it bugs me how much empty space there is, particularly in the center and all along the top of the tank. I've got some new plants on the way, hopefully they'll help fill things out.

[SunSchein89]

I think a nice large sword would fill up the center spot really nicely. I'd also have to say to add a black background, which I know is just a personal preference, but I think it makes any tank look better. It makes the empty spaces seem not so empty and makes the colors pop on the plants a lot better. Plants are starting to look good, though. As far as the java moss, I normally just rub off any algae that forms on mine and normally when I do water changes, I move my finger really fast back and forth over top of it to clear out any debris and such that could block light from getting to it. You'd be surprised how much junk java moss can catch. Maybe throw some duck weed or get another fast-growing plant to help starve out the algae?

[Aminax]

Actually, that tank has a black background. It is hard to see from the angle of the last shot. Imagine how empty that space would be without it! :hmm3grin2orange:

A sword, eh? Hmm!

[Brhino]

I've heard swords are nutrient hogs, and we're not currently dosing with anything (see: excel fiasco), so I've been a bit hesitant to consider them.

[rich311k]

Swords do need a good substrate or root tabs added under them. They are big, heavy root feeders.

[Brhino]

got a shipment of water sprite and water wisteria, and used them in staggered bunches to fill the middle of the tank.

I wasn't sure if I should leave the bunches pretty well grouped together or spread them out a bit more. Here's how the stems are looking down at the substrate level...
Water wisteria:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0090.jpg
Water sprite:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0092.jpg
I've read a lot of conflicting information about how well these plants will grow in low light / sand / no ferts, so I decided I'd just buy some and see how it goes.

Full tank shot, pardon the reflection of the chair:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0093.jpg

[Brhino]

The new plants are filling out very nicely! Four days after the above FTS, we now have this:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0137.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0143.jpg
I finally feel like I have a "planted tank" rather than a "tank with some plants in it". Now, to get rid of that last plastic plant in the corner...

Over at the goldfish tank, Anakin has now pretty much completely lost his black coloration. He is now a very solid gold-colored goldfish.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0104.jpg

Ackbar continues to spend all his time at the top of the tank unless he's motivated by food or one of the other fish to swim down, at which time he does so without any seeming issue. The bump on his belly looks sort of transparent, but it's stopped growing. I hope he'll get better, but I don't know if he will.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0105.jpg

[Brhino]

Ackbar the veiltail goldfish has died. Lived with us for seven months and one day. One of the original group of fish bought for the aquarium.

Symptoms were first noticed about two weeks ago, and treatment attempts were ramped up as they worsened. Deterioration of behavior and appearance over last two days was rapid. I hope to learn from the experience and be better prepared should a similar issue arise in the future.

Feel like saying more but not sure where I want to do so.

[Brhino]

Life goes on for the rest of the fish. I got a Fluval 305 canister filter from Ebay. My wife decided to take a picture of me installing it. Isn't she helpful!
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0161.jpg

The surviving three goldfish all seem to be in good health.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0188.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0189.jpg

[Brhino]

The new plants in the community tank continue to spread out. Very happy with how it looks now.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0166.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0173.jpg
Still finding and removing pond snails here and there in ones and twos... their population isn't exploding, but it's not disappearing, either.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0171.jpg

[rich311k]

Nice looking tank and fish.

[Spardas]

Very nice and clean setups. Keep it up!!!

[Brhino]

A new fish for the community tank! I picked up a male pearl gourami. After about 24 hours in the tank so far, he's very very shy. He hides in the plants for the most part, and when he comes out any sudden movement will send him darting back in. I did manage to get a couple partial photos.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0272.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0295.jpg

The danios do what they always do whenever I introduce new fish to the tank: form up into a tight defensive school. They'll be like this for a few days. Hopefully when they relax it'll help the gourami relax as well.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0284.jpg

The bottom feeders couldn't care less. Here's the giant bronze cory. I don't think she's pleased that thursday is fasting day for all the fish.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0282.jpg

I haven't come up with a name for the gourami yet. I want to make it some play on or reference to the word "Pearl", but it's a male fish so it needs a male (or neutral, I suppose) name. Hmm.

I think I'll pick up a batch of red cherry shrimp sometime in the next month or so, and that'll be about it for stocking this tank.

[Pleco380]

Beautiful tank and fish. I love the marble subsrtate. Very creative.

[Brhino]

A new FTS to show the continued growth of the plants.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0320.jpg

After 5 days in the tank, the gourami is still very shy. He doesn't seem to be bothered by the other fish (he jostles for a spot at the sinking pellet with the corys and the pleco) but he will hide the moment he realizes someone is watching him. I'm hoping he'll become bolder in the coming days and weeks. I think I've got a pretty good environment for him except that I don't have any floating plants which seem to be recommended. The good news is the water sprite has just about reached the top of the tank, so hopefully it'll start spreading out at the surface and make him happier.

[wolf_eyes]

My old pearl was kinda the same way. They're definitely not bold fish from what I can tell but he should at least accept your presence from far away. Mine really didn't like me coming up close to the tank. Whenever I came close he would hide behind some plants and would only come out after i put food in the tank and started to walk away.

[Taurus]

Tanks are looking great! I think pearl and dwarf gourami are naturally shy in general. Mine is kind of skidish when I approach the tank. But he does know that when I approach the tank, it means food so he has no problem coming out to feed. The pearl is a beauty by the way.

It's such a contrast when compared to my Angel. The Angel knows when I approach the tank and will start doing his comedy routine. The Angel is so mellow he'll take food from my hand and then beg for more. After I've fed him, he'll follow me to which ever end of the tank I wander off too begging me to come back and feed him more. Then he looks really sad when I don't give him more. That's the difference between gourami and cichlids, angels in particlular.

[Brhino]

made this, just for fun. Not sure how well it will work on the forums.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/FTSprogression.jpg
3 months of planted progression!

[Taurus]

Nicely done. thumbs2:

[Brhino]

I put a sinking pellet in the tank. Then, I sat behind the chair next to the tank, with a blanket pulled over my head, and waited for the gourami to come out. Like a sniper I blended into my surroundings and waited for my target to appear. One shot, one fish.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/gourami.jpg

[sebastien]

Nice Shot!

[Taurus]

Nice shot and well worth the effort. He's a graceful beauty.

[Aminax]

Cool photographic time line! <3

Remind me, and I'll show you how to take tank shots without the flash. You'll be able to see the details much better, and the pictures won't come out so flat.

[Brhino]

well, my fish survived me going on vacation for 3 days unharmed. One of the corys has lost a bit of color, though. He looks the color the they look in my LFS, rather than the healthier color they look after being in my tank for a few days. That can't be a good sign.

[Brhino]

The gourami, which has been named Solid Snake due to his tendency to hide at the first sign of danger, has emerged a bit bolder from our three-day absence. He still hides when someone sits right next to the tank, but he's less afraid of people in the room in general.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0451-1.jpg

The pleco's plant-consuming abilities are advancing, as he is now eating the outer skin of the zucchini I give him as well as the soft inner part.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0496.jpg

[Brhino]

It's been more than two weeks since Ackbar the goldfish died, and the other goldfish are showing no signs of illness.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0473.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0474.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0494.jpg

We may pick up a new goldfish soon, although Aminax is not entirely comfortable with replacing Ackbar so quickly. I remember feeling the same way when the dog I had grown up with died and my parents announced we were getting a new one.

[rich311k]

They are looking very good.

[promise]

very Pretty, the gourami looks awesome how is he with the others?

[Brhino]

He mostly ignores the other fish. The one time things get a little interesting is at feeding time when I put a sinking pellet in. All the fish crowd around it and jostle for position to get some to eat. I've seen him sort of charge the corys a couple times to get them to back off after they've bumped into him, but I don't think any damage is being done.

[Brhino]

changes on the way...

I've got some vals and some red cherry shrimp on order via ye olde internet. Both of them are sort of an experiment - the vals may not be happy with the amount of light I have, and the RCS may not be happy sharing the tank with the fish. I guess we'll see.

I lost another bronze cory, down to 3 out of the 6 I bought. I'm starting to think they're getting trapped in places they can't get out of, then dying. I've made a tread for discussing that possibility here (http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/aquariumforum/showthread.php?t=68027), if you have any insight.

Think I'll take a trip to my LFS today. I may get some assassin snails - while searching for the dead cory I realized I have a LOT more snails than I thought. I may get more corys, although I sort of want to hold off on that until I get a better understanding of why I'm losing them.

[promise]

I still have this image of you under deep cover in your lounge as aminax walks in like "what are you doing" :hmm3grin2orange:

[Brhino]

she's lived with me long enough to have to expect this sort of thing from time to time. I hadn't posted it, but I also took a self portrait while I was doing that.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0333.jpg

[Brhino]

I went ahead and bought out my LFS's entire supply of assassin snails... two of them. They're on the prowl now.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0534-1.jpg

Pleco going to town on the skin of the zucchini. He almost seems to prefer it to the centers now.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0519.jpg

One of the three surviving bronze corys, the one I'm worried about. His fins are a bit ragged and his color isn't very good.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0525.jpg

The albinos seem to be doing fine. I don't know what the problem with the bronzes is.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0526.jpg

[Brhino]

The gourami is getting more and more comfortable with me sticking a camera in his face, which means I can get some better shots.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0528-1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0529.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0530-1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0531-1.jpg

[promise]

I literally just cried laughing at that pic, i had an implant tooth put in on monday so my jaw is super hurting but that pic just made me laugh so hard it made me cry literally :hmm3grin2orange:

[promise]

i love the gourami with the glo's in the background and with those marbles scattered it makes it pop i like that tank a'lot.

[Aminax]

Promise: I won't go into details, but I'm certain Brhino has walked in on me doing some thing(s) far stranger than what he's doing to get gourami pics. :hmm3grin2orange:

Its why our marriage works so well. thumbs2:

[rich311k]

Excellent shots!

[Taurus]

That's one of the most beautiful male pearl gourami I've ever seen! :shappy:

You did incredible work on the gourami pictures...they belong in a book somewhere.

[Brhino]

I ordered a group of red cherry shrimp from Aquabid, and they arrived today. They're tiny and don't have much color (they had practically none in the bag, but now that they're in the tank they're starting to show a hint of red). While they were acclimating I put a piece of sponge in each of the filter intakes to keep them from getting sucked in. The sponge cut down the flow so much both filters quit working. It took a bit of work to size things right. I think I'm still down flow overall, but I've got a 29 gallon tank with 90 gallons of filtration, so that's probably not a bad thing.

I had visions of the danios swooping in and snagging the shrimp as soon as I placed them in the tank, but so far that hasn't been the case. None of the fish have showed any interest in them, and the shrimp are very quick to leap out of the way when a cory bumbles by.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0634.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0648.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0628.jpg
When I win the lottery (which probably won't be very soon since I don't buy tickets), I'll get a macro lens for the camera. Until then, tiny shrimp pictures!

[Brhino]

Took a few general fish/tank pictures while I was at it:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0639.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0619.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0641.jpg

[Brhino]

A few random shots and comments from the tank today.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0719.jpg
The pearl gourami is getting much less shy around me. He still isn't thrilled about the camera, but I can get some pictures without playing suburban commando.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0705.jpg
ASSASSIN SNAILS GET BACK TO WORK!
I rarely see the assassin snails. Sometimes in the morning they're visible in the sand, usually they're not. I've never seen them kill another snail, although I do have a few empty shells now so I guess they're working. Maybe I should get a few more.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0778.jpg
Pleco and Cory posing together. They are swapping advice on barbel grooming. The pleco has a few bristles around the side of its face now, but none on the top. Female, or still too soon to tell?

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0786.jpg
The tank turns into a feeding frenzy when I drop the sinking pellet in. There isn't a fish in the tank that doesn't at least nibble at it a bit.

No shots of the shrimp, because they're tiny and they've taken up residence in a specific area in the back of the tank.

[Aminax]

Good pics :)

[Taurus]

Really good pics! Pearl is looking beautiful!

[Northernguy]

Nice community shots!lol
Great looking fish Brhino!thumbs2:

[hamza_bukhari]

I absolutely love the pics...:)
I had a great time reading your posts...:)

[Gisela]

Love the Pic's and your comments make me smile! Didn't know you can put in Shrimp in a Community with other fish. Thougt they had to be in a tank by themselfs.

[Brhino]

A lot of people recommend red cherry shrimp in a species-only tank, because even if the adults don't get eaten the babies likely will.

I'm sort of doing an experiment. The original plan was that I was going to be getting little 2.5 gallon tank from my aunt-in-law and I'd use that for breeding RCS, and then I'd put some of the adults in the community tank, but I never actually got the 2.5g so I'm trying to skip that step. I got 21 shrimp from aquabid and they were all pretty small. I haven't seen any fish show them any interest, but there's no way to say for sure that they haven't been eaten without being able to count them all (which isn't going to happen with all the hiding places in my tank). I generally only see 5 or 6 at any one time. I'll just have to see how things go as time goes on.

[Brhino]

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0805.jpg
ASSASSIN SNAILS REPORT TARGET LIQUIDATED. COMMAND ORDERS ASSAULT TO CONTINUE.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0802.jpg
My order of vals arrived. I used them to replace my last plastic plant. They actually don't look all that great, which is funny because they came from the same place as my water wisteria and water sprite, which looked great straight out of the box. Hopefully they'll thrive.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0838.jpg
RCS sighting! I counted seven while I was taking photos. Do RCS eat hair algae? I sure hope so. I'm continuing to have problems with my filter intakes, trying to close them off to wayward shrimp without sealing them entirely. I think I may give up on the sponge bits and try to make a screen out of nylons. I did find one shrimp alive and well in the bottom of my AC50 the other day.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0814.jpg
It took just over eight months, but my community tank is now fully stocked. I have no plans to add additional fish, inverts, or plants, except to replace any losses that may occur. It's a strange feeling. All this time I've always been planning on what the next addition would be. No longer. What to do? Save up for a bigger tank, of course! Also, I'm going to take a more serious effort at addressing the algae in the tank. Might be time to learn about the intricacies of CO2 and fertilizers.

[Brhino]

I realized I haven't done a goldfish update in the last couple pages. Things change more slowly in that tank, but they're still deserving of some photos.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0820.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0827.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0833.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0830.jpg
Wedge (the white/orange fantail) got some sort of bacterial infection in his tail, but it seems to have cleared up on its own just as I was preparing to set him up for quarantine and treatment. We still have not replaced Ackbar (the mottled veiltail that died). I suspect the next time Aminax comes with me to the LFS we may find a new fourth.

[rich311k]

Very nice indeed.

[promise]

I really have to go out and buy a DSLR don't i!!!, love the photos B.

too bad about the fully stocked tank though, might have to go out and buy another one huh :hmm3grin2orange:

if Aminax will let ya that is :hmm3grin2orange:

[Spardas]

Brhino,

Nice pictures and glad the goldie is doing better.

Do you name all of your fishes? It just seems like a lot of folks name their fishes but I have never named any of my fishes, :hmm3grin2orange: .

[Brhino]

That has been the goal and we've done it so far, although it becomes a bit problematic when you get schools of indistinguishable fish. That itself is not a huge issue if we got them all at the same time (if one dies, you can arbitrarily pick one name and say that one has died), but for example I got two groups of 3 bronze cories, and when the most recent one died I'm not 100% sure if he was from the first batch or second batch. I also keep a spreadsheet showing when each fish was purchased, how long it lived, etc, and that too is made difficult with fish that look the same.

[Taurus]

It took just over eight months, but my community tank is now fully stocked. I have no plans to add additional fish, inverts, or plants, except to replace any losses that may occur. It's a strange feeling. All this time I've always been planning on what the next addition would be. No longer. What to do? Save up for a bigger tank, of course! Also, I'm going to take a more serious effort at addressing the algae in the tank. Might be time to learn about the intricacies of CO2 and fertilizers.

LOL..What to do!? Relax, sit back and enjoy while saving for a bigger tank.
You've got 8 months of work, ups and downs with the tank and stock. Just don't forget to sit back once in a while and enjoy it. :ssmile:

[Brhino]

No pictures today, just a few notes:

You know how some cats will catch and kill a mouse and then bring it to their owners, either as a present or to show off what they've done? I think my assassin snails are doing that. Every morning there's empty snail shells right at the front of the tank. I wish I could actually see a kill, but it appears it always happens at night.

I just broke the record for most RCS visible at one time since I added them to the tank. The new record is now 11 (out of the 21 I put in there). Encouraging! Most people say any babies won't stand a chance, but here's hoping. I think perhaps only one or two of them are mature so far, but I'll keep an eye out for berries.

[Aminax]

At first, I thought "assassin snail" was a bit of an oxymoron, but now I think they are cool!

[Brhino]

A month after Ackbar's unfortunate passing, we have picked up a new fourth goldfish for the tank, a ryukin that, keeping with the Star Wars theme, we have named Porkins. Behold!

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0912.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0914.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0921.jpg

[Spardas]

thumbs2:

Nice colors on Porkin.

[Brhino]

argh, that should be Porkins, with an s. How embarrassing!

[Aminax]

Welcome, Porkins! :19:

[Brhino]

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0948.jpg

Big news! Aminax has given me permission to do some minor room redecoration. The space currently occupied by the 29g tank is 46" wide. It is bordered by a wall on one side and by a massive Ikea entertainment center/shelf system on the other. I'm going to move the Ikea system all of 3 or 4 inches to the side, which will give that space a new width of slightly more than 48".

I have been planning/wanting to upgrade the 29g to a larger tank for some time. I had planned to upgrade to an aqueon 92g corner tank to fit the current space. It's a very neat tank, but the tank and stand are over 1000$ new (300-500$ used) and I would have had very limited clearance behind it. Making room for a 4' tank will allow me to instead plan for a 75g, which has nearly the same surface area as the 92g but is considerably cheaper. I still have a lot of planning and saving to do, but I should be able to upgrade sometime early next year.

[Spardas]

Sounds good about the upgrade!

Any idea what you will keep?

Nice shot on the pearl btw. thumbs2:

[Brhino]

Any idea what you will keep?

of course! (subject to change based on further research or new ideas)

expansion of existing schools (brhino/albino corys, glofish/zebra danios, RCS*)
additional 1-2 each pearl gourami and BN pleco to breeding group**
new schools: otocinclus, platy, black skirt tetra

*assuming my "keeping RCS in a community tank" experiment pans out. If not, maybe a larger shrimp like amanos
**need to do more research on this. Not sure on the feasibility of mating pairs developing if one of the fish has already been kept by itself for a year or so. additional issues with pleco: currently uncertain of the gender of the one I have, wondering about difficulty in species matching due to the fact that there are several separate species that are labeled "bristlenose pleco"

Not all at once, of course. I'd set the tank up one month, and then add or expand one school per month. That should keep me busy for nearly a year.

[Aminax]

I liked the idea of a corner tank. Is there some where else such a tank could go?

[Brhino]

in... a corner? :hmm3grin2orange:

[Taurus]

Ok, you 2 shouldn't be using the forum to air your fishuues. :rofl:

[Aminax]

xD Taurus. You are a genius.

[Brhino]

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0971.jpg
The RCS have been in the tank for a little over two weeks now and as you can see they've reddened up quite nicely. At any given time I can usually find 6 to 9 of them out of the 21 I got. I am of the opinion that the others I can't find are simply hidden in the plants and decorations, because the ones I do see make no attempt to hide from the fish and the fish show no interest in them. I'm not sure if baby shrimp will be so lucky, but I think I'll be finding out because several of the shrimp are displaying saddles.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0984-1.jpg
The vals I got were in pretty bad shape, and a lot of their leaves are shredded and falling apart. However, new, clean stalks are growing out now, so hopefully once they get settled a bit they'll do well.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0991.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_1001.jpg
Goldfish squadron join up into formation!

I'm starting to do planning for the 75g tank. Many ideas buzzing around in my head. I think I'll want to get the tank and stand first, and then gradually work on the setup (lighting, decorations, etc) for a while before I actually get to setting it up with water and fish and whatnot.

[promise]

My Vals do the same thing, shred fall apart but the thing is its the healthy shoots falling apart at the bottom and then i have huge strands floating around the tank.

Your RCS are looking super colourful now good job.

Also……………….a 75g you say :19: very nice. good luck with the planning and deciding, there is an awful lot you can do with one of those

[Brhino]

random picture day
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0044.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0074-1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0043.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0053.jpg

Also: trying to decide if I should start a new journal for the new tank, or just keep updating this one. What do you folks think?

[rich311k]

Wonderful shots and fish.

[Brhino]

I removed some of the water sprite babies that were entangled in the top of the parent plants collecting algae. I threw one in the goldfish tank, thinking the goldfish would snack on it. They haven't touched it so far, so we'll just see what happens. There's very little light in that tank, but it's floating at the surface, so who knows.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0126.jpg
The big bronze cory has some split fins all of a sudden. I don't know what thats about, but at least they look healthy, not ragged or irritated. The other two smaller bronze cories never look very healthy.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0131.jpg
I really don't know what the deal with these guys are. I've lost 3 out of 6 of them (by comparison, I've lost 1 of the other 17 fish that have lived in the 29g tank), and the survivors don't look all that healthy. By comparison, the 3 albino corys (which are most likely the same species) seem quite healthy and don't have any of the same problems. If I lose any more bronzes, I plan on replacing them with additional albinos.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0138.jpg

[Brhino]

After a water change today (which always brings out the shrimp for some reason), I found this:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0155-1.jpg
Shrimp eggs! Sorry she wouldn't pose for a better picture.
The proud papa (maybe):
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0164.jpg
Pretty soon I'll find out how baby shrimp fare in my tank. This is only the second time that I know of that something has attempted to breed in my tank, not counting the pond snails, so I'm pretty excited.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0146.jpg
The bristlenose has grown its first ever upward-facing bristle (all the others so far have been sideways facing). It may turn out to be a male after all.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0187-1.jpg
Feeding time at the goldfish tank. They continue to ignore the water sprite. So much for their reputation as fearsome plant devourers.

[~Col~]

Great pics!

So do female bristlenose only have bristles on the sides?

[Brhino]

that's my understanding, yes. Male bristles are also described as much more prominent, although that doesn't help much when trying to sex a young one that is just starting to develop bristles.

[~Col~]

Cool, thanks! I've been trying to sex my three and I know that one is definitely male but the others are smaller and only just starting to develope bristles.

[thedeanorama]

I have to agree with Col - great pics :) I just went through the entire journal end to end .. I'm now looking forward to the next random picture day!

[Brhino]

Thanks! I'll try to take some more in the next few days.

Unfortunately, my two smaller bronze cories that have always looked quite sickly are looking even worse the last few days. They seem to really struggle to get where they want to go, and their coloration looks terrible. Poor guys.

[Brhino]

did someone say random picture day? Okay!

A rare moment of the bristlenose pleco playing nice at feeding time:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0227.jpg

Gourami waiting his turn to go after the sinking pellet that his been pushed into the corner. He doesn't see the other chunk, under the rock right under his nose.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0241.jpg

I think I saw the berried RCS again today... I'm not sure. I didn't get a good look at her and the eggs were not readily apparent. I've got several females with saddles, though, including this one who was courteous enough to stroll right out into a prime viewing area.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0256.jpg

My two assassin snails seem to be losing the battle against the rest of them. I don't see large snails anymore, but there are more and more small ones all the time, it seems. Time to either start manually removing them again, or perhaps time to get more assassins.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0269.jpg

[Brhino]

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0287.jpg
The vals I got have growth well. Most of the shredded leaves they had when they arrived have fallen away, and new healthy growth has taken their place.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0292.jpg
I've shortened the photoperiod to 8 hours (down from 12) in an attempt to deal with algae issues. The algae's not bad for the most part, but it's horrendous around the java moss.

Still have many snails, too. I got one more assassin snail. I would have gotten more but once again they only had one or two at my LFS. Still being stubborn and trying to let the assassins work rather than manually removing them.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0299.jpg
The tops of the water sprites have all broken away as independent babies at this point, leaving the growth in the middle of the tank more bushy than tall. The elodea on the left and the vals on the right both reach the top of the tank, though.

[Brhino]

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0296-1.jpg
This guy insisted on swimming right in front of the camera. I guess he wanted to be in the pictures.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0311-1.jpg
This guy never wants to be in pictures, but too bad!

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0304.jpg
weird backlight effect here from the flash reflecting off the glass. I'm still struggling with keeping the filter intakes screened to keep RCS out but not clogged, but I think I have a solution now.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0314.jpg
Is there anything funnier than a red cherry shrimp swimming? They paddle their back feet furiously but they just slowly glide from place to place.

[Jeddi]

I've heard that shrimp are pretty good at cleaning out java moss, it may also help to take the gravel vacuum to it.

[Brhino]

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0342.jpg
Porkins has internal parasites, I think. His anus is red and irritated, and his poop is white and stringy. I'm treating with medicated food, so hopefully that'll fix it up. Today he mad a huge poop that was part stringy and part what goldfish poop should look like, so maybe that's progress.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0362.jpg
Not the best picture since it's actually through the side of the tank rather than the front, but one of the egg-laden RCS decided to go for a stroll out in the open, so I got a picture. Right after this she got bumbled into by the pleco from the back and a cory from the front, so she retreated back into the java ferns.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0367.jpg
I resolved to take a picture of one of the zebra danios, because they're pretty fish but I don't take may pictures of them since they move so fast. Eventually managed to press the button right when he decided to hold still for a moment. This one is the male. The female is much fatter - she ranges between looking obese and looking morbidly obese depending on how long its been since she's eaten. Not sure why that is, if that's normal for a female, or if she's full of eggs she doesn't want to lay, or what.

[Jeddi]

Add some garlic to his food for the parasites.

[Brhino]

sort of a rough couple days in the tank. Porkins the goldfish has gotten worse, so he's been moved into QT for treatment with a consult from Dr. Spardas.

This morning I woke up to discover that the bronze cory that had been losing all of its color had died, which isn't unexpected, I guess. The pleco, a shrimp, and several snails were gathered around the body for a memorial service. Either that or they were eating the body... with fish it's all pretty much the same.

Perhaps I'll pick up a few more albinos to round out the cory school. Those bronzes I got (in late may/early june) just have not lasted. 4 out of 6 have died, one of the remainders looks very unhealthy, and the even the one healthy looking one gets a little fin damage now and then. I'd like to get more bronzes but I'm kind of hesitant to pick up more given how they've done.

[thedeanorama]

Ouch, thats rough :(

Any indication as to the cause? Or is there a thread started elsewhere for this?

[Brhino]

I had a thread or two on it a while back. It's a complete mystery.

Death #1 was a cory that came from the store with a damaged face (lesson: inspect your fish carefully, especially if there's a bunch of them in the tank and the employee just scoops out a few for you). He died 11 days later, and I'm not sure he ever did eat during that time. So, that one's explainable.

Death #2 was a healthy looking cory. 15 days after being placed in the tank, I found her motionless in the crook of the driftwood. I thought she was dead, but she swam away when I tried to net her, only to land upside down somewhere else. Spent an hour or so like that, then died.

Death #3 was another healthy looking female. She'd been in the tank 2 months, 19 days, when I couldn't find her during a daily head count. Searched the tank, eventually removed the only thing I couldn't completely check - the plastic cave - and found her dead inside.

That left me with one female and two males. The males have had uneven whitish markings on their skin that I believe is excess slime coat. They frequently will get ragged fins which will go away if I use melafix but come back if I stop. The female occasionally gets a torn fin but otherwise looks healthy.

Death #4 was one of the males. He got a very sickly pale color, and started swimming very weakly. First became noticeable about a month and a half ago and got progressively worse, until he died today after 4 months, 16 days in the tank.

The fish have never had symptoms that met the descriptions of any disease I could identify. Some of them looked healthy than dropped dead, and some of them gradually weakened and just wasted away. The only guess that people have been able to put forward is that it was simply a weak stock of fish from whatever breeder the store got them from (I bought the six of them in two batches a week apart, so they probably came from the same batch)*. I have 13 other fish in the tank of varying species, including the albino corys which are most likely the same species as the bronzes. The other fish have been in the tank for 2 to 9 months and the only other fish I've lost was a danio during cycling. Whatever the problem is, it seems to be limited to the bronze corys alone.

*come to think of it, when I got them they were scattered across all the various community tanks at the LFS, rather than all together. I wonder if I bought the remainders of a shipment that had been at the store for a long time.

I will replace these losses. Ideally I'd like to have a group of albino corys and a group of bronze corys, but like I've said my experience with this batch makes me hesitant to buy more. It's probably irrational, as whatever the LFS store has now, four months later, is undoubtedly from a different shipment and probably a different stock, but I don't know. The albinos have had no problems so I'm more inclined to get more of them.

[SwordTaleLair]

they're pretty but hard to work with. Everything that sinks falls between them. That means your fish don't have much time to grab sinking food, and there's going to be a lot of crud down there that's hard to get out.

Beautiful aquarium, and I love the marbles too. What about using khuli loaches to scavenge down in the marbles? The marbles wont hurt their skin, They only grow to one or two inches in length, love to dig around and bury themselves in the substrate. They are a community fish, so you can get a handful of them and they will manage what can be gotten in your substrate. They are also spastic and funny to watch zip around the tank. They are a banded "eel" style fish, mine are black and tan colored.

I am looking for some other "khuli loach like" additions for my aquarium when it comes of age. Suggestions anyone?

Swordtalelair

[Taurus]

Khuli loaches can grow to a maximum of 4".

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/fish/coolieloach.php

[SwordTaleLair]

Khuli loaches can grow to a maximum of 4".

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/fish/coolieloach.php
Awesome. I really would love for them to be that big, and the page states 5 inches max.

Once I get them out of the little tank they are in, I hope they will grow. I had read they would only get to be 2".

Thanks!! :goldfish:

[Brhino]

rough times with the tanks continues. I was unable to save Porkins the goldfish, he died after a few days in the hospital tank. Even worse, Solid Snake the Pearl Gourami is now in the hospital tank himself. He appears to have a simple case of constipation, but after several days of not eating and treatment he's not getting any better. I really hope he pulls through. I'm tired of losing fish to afflictions that are supposedly only brought on by bad living conditions.

Anyhow, I decided I'd feel better if I took some pictures of the fish that are doing all right.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0500.jpg
I came home today to find that SOMEONE had dug a tunnel in the sand completely under the driftwood from one side to the other. I have a guess as to who the culprit is. Maybe he's hoping I'll buy him a lady to move in with him, now that he has the proper digs.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0491-1.jpg
I stopped feeding the tank for a few days to try to help with the gourami's constipation. When I moved him to the hospital I started feeding the tank again, and ever since then the RCS have been very bold and aggressive. I counted 12 of them the other day, which is a new record for the most I've ever seen at one time since I put them in the tank. This one has a cucumber seed.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0486.jpg
One of two surviving bronze corys, the big female. She mostly looks good except for some fin damage that is healing.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0492-1.jpg
Back on page 10 I posted an photo of a java fern leaf that was rotting away but had babies sprouting all along it. 3 months later the babies are all still attached and it looks like a lush mini-jungle.

[Brhino]

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0509.jpg
The three surviving goldfish all seem fine. They've now seen one of the two oldest die, and then his replacement died as well. There's space and filtration for four goldfish in that tank, but I'm really struggling with the idea of getting another one without knowing why the other two got sick and how I could have prevented their deaths.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0508-1.jpg
Palpatine is now the oldest surviving goldfish, and, along with two of the glofish in the other tank, one of the 3 survivors (out of 5) that I began the first tank with back in December 2009.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0518-1.jpg

[underwaterking]

Love this journal!!!
I'm sorry to hear about your goldfish:scry:

[promise]

Sorry to hear about your goldie bud.
didn't realize before i started offering my opinion, sorry for your loss
as for poor living conditions……………………..i really don't think so to be honest, you take great care of your tanks so i cant see that being the issue.

P.s That grey cory is an Awesome looking thing.

[Brhino]

The gourami has been in the hospital tank for a week now. He has finally started pooping again, but he's still swollen. Hopefully he'll continue to poop and the swelling will go down. He hasn't eaten for a week now, so I feel like I'm running out of time to get him healthy again.

In the mean time, I lost an albino cory out of the blue. I keep saying "when I get more corys I'll get albinos because they seem to be so much healthier"... grr. I'm really stressed about the recent losses but most people seem to think I'm not doing anything terribly wrong.

Good news, though! I was watching the community tank tonight when I noticed a shrimp on the back glass that was half the size of all the others. I guess one of my female shrimp laid her eggs! Then, I spotted a spec on the driftwood. I got a flashlight and shined it on the wood so I could see better, and sure enough the spec was a shrimp too. I found five or six of them in the tiny gaps and channels in the wood. Hooray for babies! I'd take pictures but I don't have the proper lens - it's hard enough getting a decent shot of the adult RCS.

[Brhino]

The tank is literally crawling with baby RCS, ranging from tiny to perhaps half the size of their parents. The other fish don't seem to be paying them any attention, which goes against the common wisdom that nearly any fish will eat baby RCS if not the adults as well.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0547.jpg
One of the females, not currently carrying eggs. There's at least one other female that still has a huge fat batch of eggs, so there may be more on the way.

Can you spot the baby RCS in this picture?
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0558.jpg

Right there:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/rcssmall.jpg

The bristlenose seems to be chasing the corys away from his cave he dug, and he tries to hog the sinking pellets as well. I'm starting to wonder if he's not responsible for their ill health and occasional death. I've never seen him do anything other than chase, but I guess the stress could be effecting them or they could be injuring themselves getting away. Hopefully when I get the 75g up and running everyone will have more space, but that won't be for a while yet.

[Brhino]

I decided to start getting proactive with the snails... the assassins just aren't keeping up. Maybe if the LFS had more than the three I've gotten so far they would be.

I put a piece of lettuce in the tank last night. I forgot to remove it first thing in the morning like I should have. When I went to the tank I found a shredded piece of lettuce with four snails attached, and pleco poop EVERYWHERE. It's a start, I guess.

[HeyNow]

Just read through your thread (slow day at work for me) I recommend loaches to take care of the snails (but you will most likely lose your RCS)

I have tried (and been successful) with Botia striata (zebra or stripped loach), Botia almorhae (Yoyo/pakistani loach) and Botia Kubota (Polkadot/Marble loach) I don't have snail problems anymore.

[Brhino]

well, my tank's pretty much fully stocked as is, and I certainly don't want to lose my shrimp.

The snails aren't a huge problem, mostly I'm just trying to take care of them with as little effort as possible.

[HeyNow]

If you aren't squeamish about this- as you find them, crush them and let the fish eat the remains. Most fish love fresh killed food.

[hockeyhead019]

Brhino have you noticed if the snails like to lay their eggs on anythin particular? I noticed that when I had snails they would almost always just lay eggs on my anacharis, so I took all of that out and now really don't have a problem, although I suspect one of my fish has figured out what a treat snail eggs are lol

[thedeanorama]

Brhino have you noticed if the snails like to lay their eggs on anythin particular? I noticed that when I had snails they would almost always just lay eggs on my anacharis, so I took all of that out and now really don't have a problem, although I suspect one of my fish has figured out what a treat snail eggs are lol

My snails, pond and now also ramshorns seem to be laying them everywhere. I have them in all my plants, both peices of driftwood, on the substrate, even the back wall ... the only place they dont seem to lay them is on the acrylic.

Try dropping in some boiled veg perhaps. I did that with some zucchini the other day. I managed to get a bunch of teensy baby ones plus a couple of adults this way. A few rounds of this may help a bit.

[Brhino]

I've seen a few clusters here and there, but nothing consistent. I'll stick with the overnight veggie technique for now. I don't have to kill them all, I just have to reduce them enough that the assassins can keep up.

[Brhino]

Just watched a danio suck up a baby shrimp. That's the first confirmed fish-on-shrimp fatality. There are still babies everywhere I look, so unless the danios really start hunting them, I think several of them will make it to adulthood. I have yet to see any indication of attacks on the adult shrimp.

[Brhino]

Random photo day!
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0616.jpg
Haven't taken a FTS in a while, so there it is. some of the elodea is now tall enough that it's draping across the top of the tank, which the fish seem to like.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0629-1.jpg
I'm pretty sure the first generation of shrimp born in the tank are adult-sized now, because all of a sudden adults are everywhere. I had no sooner set this cucumber down in the tank then it had three shrimp on it and two more hanging around next to it. The pleco even shared... for a little while.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0639-1.jpg
There's still several little baby shrimp around too, like this one here. The danios hunt for them but don't seem to find them very often, even when they're out in the open.

The gourami is still in the hospital tank for his constipation. He hasn't been fed in two weeks but every day he poops more, so hopefully he's on the road to recovery. He may be a baby shrimp eater when he gets back, we'll see.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0651.jpg
If this update has been heavily focused on shrimp, it's because they're much better at posing for photos than danios!

[Brhino]

The three goldfish survivors seem to be doing well. When the hospital tank gets freed up we'll pick up a new fourth. This time I'll quarantine him, feed him anti-parasite food... hopefully that'll help keep him around longer this time.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0671.jpg
The larger two goldfish have started a new behavior... they chase each other around, spinning around each other, like two dogs sniffing each other's butt. They take turns being the chaser and the chasee. I'm not sure what the significance of the behavior is. The little one tries to get in on the action but he's too small and swims too slow.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0674-1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0685.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0688.jpg

[thedeanorama]

Random photo day!
If this update has been heavily focused on shrimp, it's because they're much better at posing for photos than danios!
Yay! love random photo day! I admit to taking way too many shrimp pics as well, they are good subjects and just too cute.


The three goldfish survivors seem to be doing well.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0685.jpg


I admit to not knowing much about goldfish, but wow! I love that tail! It always amazes me that something so wispy can actually be considered a control surface.

[hockeyhead019]

Nice pics Brhino... what kind of shrimp are they? And I definitely think you're gourami will be a shrimp hunter when he gets back to the tank

[Brhino]

It always amazes me that something so wispy can actually be considered a control surface.

the veiltail (mostly white) is slow but graceful. The big (orange and white) fantail is more streamlined, so he can move faster. The small veiltail is the funniest little thing. He's too small to go very fast, so when he tries to keep up with the big ones he shakes his tail so hard his front end vibrates back and forth.


what kind of shrimp are they?

They are Red Cherry Shrimp, Neocaridina heteropoda.

[Porcelina]

Those goldfish are so cute!

Is that 60g going to be their permanent home? Are you fully stocked at just 3? I'm just trying to gather some info because I'd love to set up a goldfish tank some day.

[Brhino]

it is their permanent home. The final stocking plan is 4, but unfortunately I lost one of the original four and then lost his replacement as well.

The "rule of thumb" for fancy goldfish is 20gal for one and then 10gal for each additional one. By that rule a 60gal could hold five, but the shape of the tank trades some surface area for depth, so I think five would be a bit overstocked.

The rules and calculations also assume the goldfish are full-grown, in the 6-10" range. Mine are far less than that, so the tank is really quite understocked at the moment. I could easily handle twice as many goldfish at the size they're at now, but my intention is for them to grow to their adult size and live for a very long time in that tank, so the stocking, tank size, and filtration all reflect that.

Also, there's no way I could get common goldfish for the tank. Not only is it a bit too small in terms of gallons, the fact that it's a cube means there's not a long distance in any one direction to run. For fancies it's not as much of an issue because they don't move very fast or go very far, but for more active fish it wouldn't work.

[Brhino]

well, the pearl gourami died after nearly a month in the hospital tank trying to reduce his swelling. I imagine we'll get a new pearl gourami and a new goldfish in a couple weeks. That's four fish I lost in october, which is twice as many as I've lost in any previous month. Hopefully we can reverse that trend in the future.

[Brhino]

After a dreadful october, november starts out just as bad. One of the red glo fish started looking a little off three days ago, like his skull was too big for his body. The next day his eyes looked a bit bulged, the day after that his eyes were fine but his movement was lethargic, and then today he was flopping around at the bottom of the tank. I euthanized him, which is the first time I've done that to a fish but I think it was the right decision.

My emotional reaction is a desire to go out right now and buy a few more fish to make up for the losses and give me a positive to outset all the recent negatives, but logically I know I should keep an eye on things for a while and make sure nothing else goes wrong. The deaths have all been so different that I don't think there's anything sweeping through the tank... I hope.

[thedeanorama]

Ugh, sorry to read about your run of bad luck. I can relate to the desire to replace right away, it's hard to just say no until things stabilize.

[Brhino]

Another one of the glofish is looking skinny and hanging out just below the waterline. He's not eating pellet foods but he did eat some bloodworms. There's two possibilities: either he has whatever affliction killed the other one, or since the death of the other one the pecking order has been rearranged and now he's on the bottom.

I'm conflicted about what to do here. One the one hand, if it's a pecking order issue, it may help to add a few more fish to the school. On the other, if it's a disease, that's just asking for trouble. I could isolate him, but that will just make him more stressed. I think maybe I'll get some brine shrimp at first, and see if I can get the skinny one eating again. If so, I'll add to the school a bit. If not, and he dies, I'll keep an eye on the rest and decide what to do from there.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0842.jpg
The male zebra danio. He seems to be doing just fine.

The shrimp are practically becoming an infestation. I counted 30 of them today, which means there's probably 50 or 60 of them in there. Their population has doubled in two months in a tank full of fish big enough to eat them. I would say my RCS experiment has been a success.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0838-1.jpg
The RCS appear to be negotiating sinking pellet rights with the BN pleco.

It's about time to pick up a new 4th goldfish. It's been nearly a month since the last one died and there's been no signs of issues with the surviving three.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0880.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0879.jpg
Hopefully I've learned about some of the warning signs, so if something does go wrong again I'll be able to react more quickly.

[boogernose]

Is it possible that your fish are overeating on shrimp? Or perhaps consuming shrimps that are too big? Is their large number causing stress for the other inhabitants? Just seems to me that a large population of shrimp like that must accommodate for something.

[Brhino]

It's a thought, but if the fish were eating the shrimp in any notable quantity, the population wouldn't be exploding like it is.

As far as their numbers are concerned, small shrimp have an extremely low bioload and the fish seem to ignore them for the most part.



I got a new pearl gourami today. I'm finally using a quarantine tank like I should, so he'll be in there for two weeks. No pictures for now, then. I also got some brine shrimp for the glofish and zebra danios. The sick one approached several of them but did not eat, I think he's a goner. I saw a RCS grab a brine shrimp, roll it up into a ball, and start eating it... that was pretty surreal.

[DLewis]

Heya bud, you've helped me out a ton with all my questions and given me various input so I just thought I would stop by to say thanks. I read this thread and I gotta say I love that cube shaped tank you got, its really slick! Also, the marbles are way different and a neat touch! Thanks again for all your help and keep up the good work!

[Brhino]

Thanks!

Some additions and subtractions to the community tank:

first, the subtractions. The glo fish got worse looking and wasn't eating, so I put him down. That was a week ago, and the surviving six show no signs of problems, so hopefully it's not going to spread, whatever it was. Also, the bronze cory that was looking worse and worse for the last few months passed on. That leaves only one bronze cory and two albino corys alive. One of the two albino corys suddenly has a bunch of red marks on his tail, I started a thread about that here (http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/aquariumforum/showthread.php?t=70909) but so far no suggestions.

Now then, the addition. I have gotten a new Pearl Gourami to replace the one that died last month. He's in the community tank now after a quarantine period. Since the previous one was named Solid Snake, I've named the new one Raiden. Unlike the previous one, he's not shy at all, and doesn't seem to mind having his picture taken:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0014-1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0026.jpg

The only bronze cory survivor, the big female. Whatever keeps bumping off the others one at a time doesn't seem to affect her.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0020-1.jpg

The bristlenose pleco is growing a bunch of new vertical bristles.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0021-1.jpg

[Brhino]

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0078.jpg
Shrimp swarming a sinking pellet. The next time I'm in my LFS, I'm going to ask them if they want any.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0081.jpg
Bristlenose pleco is getting more bristle-nosed all the time.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0077.jpg
I'm still amazed how much less shy the new pearl gourami is than the old one.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0092-2.jpg
One of the female glofish. I only have two females, so at one point the ratio was as high as 6 males to one female. I've never seem them breed even though the females are very plump. I would think I have enough plants that a couple eggs would survive here and there, but so far, not that I've seen.

[Brhino]

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0110-1.jpg
I had to put Wedge into quarantine, because his tail got red and inflamed for the second time. Once again, it cleared up after a few days, and he's back in the goldfish tank now.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0097-1.jpg
Flash photography: good for taking pictures of fish and pointing out all the finger prints and water marks on the glass that you didn't even know were there.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0095.jpg
Palpatine the goldfish is now the last of the original five fish we started our tank with ten and a half months ago (I think - I'm not positive whether the last two glofish to die were part of the first batch or a later one).

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0111-1.jpg
The three amigos. Should be getting the fourth soon, just need to clear up the quarantine/hospital tank (albino cory in there now).

[wolf_eyes]

very beautiful pearl! I really think they're one of my favorites. Wish I lived closer to you, i would take some cherries off your hands ^_~

[Cliff]

I love the pics of your shrimp and your cory

[CassieLEO]

I like the marbles too!!!!

[Brhino]

two weeks since the last update? Time for more pictures.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0199.jpg
FTS of the community tank. The plants are mostly doing well except the Water Sprite at center rear seems to be slowly dying off. The Water Wisteria in front of it is practically overgrowing the tank. I'm not really doing much aquascaping now since all these plants will be moving to the 75g tank, so I want them large and healthy since they'll have more space to fill.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0204.jpg
Watching the BN Pleco grow new bristles is probably my favorite part of tankwatching right now. Every day it seems there's a new bristle or more growth on an old one. His very first vertical bristle has started to fork.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0214.jpg
A very red RCS was kind enough to pose for photos at the front of the tank. Their population seems to have stabilized, maybe.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0249.jpg
Speaking of things that are red, a glofish stopped moving long enough for a photo.

[Brhino]

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0202.jpg
I took these photos right after the weekly water change, so all the plants have bubbles all over them. Very pretty.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0238.jpg
The Pearl Gourami is hunting for food around the petrified wood and anubias. Fortunately for the shrimp behind him, he doesn't seem to regard them as food.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0252.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0256-1.jpg
Sadly the goldfish tank will continue to have just three fish for the near future. We did pick up a fourth one, and placed him in quarantine (only the second time we've done that with a new fish). He did well for a few days but then started getting very sluggish. We thought perhaps he was bored by himself and were seriously considering transferring him to the main tank after only a week, but the day I was thinking about moving him ich appeared. I tried treating it with salt but he was already so weak by the time the ich actually showed up that he didn't last long. I'm not as stressed as I normally am about losing a fish because he clearly was not healthy when we got him. Now, though, the quarantine tank and spare filter are infected, so I'll have to kill the ich in those and then reseed the filter before we can even think about trying again.

[SwordTaleLair]

Sorry about your luck, but on the bright side, better to reseed the quarantine tank than your main tank.

[Brhino]

Looks like I may be losing another glofish, the same issues as the previous one. I'm also down to two corys. I want to restock both of those schools, but I also think maybe I should wait until the new tank is ready. I'll probably wait with the corys at least, as I think the pleco might be stressing them out, so I want to hold off into they have the much larger footprint to play with.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0365.jpg
The shrimp all come out when I put down a sinking pellet. Yesterday I counted over a hundred of them, so I am officially trying to reduce their numbers at this point. I put a few each in the betta and goldfish tanks to see if they'd get eaten, and the fish in there tried but at least initially the shrimp were too fast for them.

Couple more random pictures just for fun.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0347.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0362-1.jpg

[Cliff]

Nice looking pleco, my favorite fish by far

Good pics Brhino

[Taurus]

Yes, that Pearl is gorgeous too!

[Rue]

...I luv the herd of shrimp...:1luvu:

[Brhino]

The glofish died, so I decided to restock the school. I got two new orange glofish, although one of them was in bad shape by the end of the ride home and died shortly after acclimation. The fish store replaced it, though, and the new one is looking much healthier.

I wanted to get two leopard danios as well, but the only ones the store had were longfins, which I don't care for. They did have something else, though. They're clearly zebra danios, but the stripes are a little bit broken up, like they have a little bit of the spotted gene but not a full-on leopard pattern. Very interesting and unique. Got a decent picture:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0473-1.jpg
aw, you can't see that well at all. Okay, closeup!
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/danio.jpg

[Brhino]

Picture day! First, since the newest additions are danios, we have danio pictures:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0538.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0533.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0530-2.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0507.jpg

New and old danios all seem to be doing well. The males are chasing around the females and there seems to be lots of "flirting" behavior going on, but if there's any actual eggs being laid I have not seem them or their results.

[Brhino]

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0494-1.jpg
I've watched the danios hunting shrimp, but they only go after the smallest ones, and they don't seem to be very good at it. The shrimp population may have stabilized... I haven't seen any berried females for a while, although there are several with saddles.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0499.jpg
My first pearl gourami was terribly shy for the first several days in the tank. The current one started out not shy at all, but the new additions seem to have spooked him. He runs and hides at times now, but he'll still come out frequently, especially for food.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0500-1.jpg
Bristlenose update: his nose is bristley indeed!

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0540.jpg
I took several photos of the goldfish tank, but this is the only one that turned out decent. We'll probably try once again to add a fourth goldfish to the tank in the new year. Right now the QT tank filter is in the goldfish tank regrowing its BB after I had to nuke it to get rid of the ich that the last goldfish brought with it.

[Sharkman]

great journal! it was fun to watch your tank and your bristlenose grow up right before my eyes. i hope you continue to keep the journal going, it was quite entertaining for the last 20 minutes.

[Brhino]

I plan to, although I'm not sure how I'm going to handle things once I move all the fish in the 29g over to the 75g. The 75g currently has its own thread, so I could talk about the fish in that tank there, and then leave this thread for just the goldfish tank, I suppose. I wish I could say not much happens in the goldfish tank, but I guess with the occasional illness and untimely demise that's not completely true.

[Bearitone]

great journal! it was fun to watch your tank and your bristlenose grow up right before my eyes. i hope you continue to keep the journal going, it was quite entertaining for the last 20 minutes.

Haha I just did the same thing I think. I saw the thread and looked through the whole thing since the beginning.

It was wonderful to watch your tanks evolve.

[Brhino]

One year ago today we first put fish in the 29g tank. Like most people I started without any idea of the concept of cycling, but thanks to a lot of luck and the bottle of Seachem Stability the LFS employee sold me, the fish got through it, for the most part. My first fish were two fancy goldfish and three glofish. One of the glofish died in just 10 days. The other two I can't be sure about, because I have added identical fish and then lost a couple, so they may or may not still be alive. One of the goldfish lasted seven months and a day before dying, which leaves exactly one fish that has been with us for the entire year we'd had fish tanks: Palpatine the fancy goldfish.

Here he was over 8 months ago:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0717.jpg

And here he is today:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0599.jpg
has he even grown at all? Without a good frame of reference its hard to say.

[Brhino]

Took a bunch of community tank pictures today.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0601.jpg
Today's pleco food is broccoli stem. As always the shrimp provide plenty of help eating it.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0602-1.jpg
Assassin snail patrolling the tank. Shortly after this picture was taken, the snail was plowed over by the pleco.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0610.jpg
My java moss is horrifically overgrown by some sort of black hair algae. Lately the danios have taken to wriggling through it and sometimes just resting on it. I'm sure they're hunting baby shrimp in there, and I guess it makes a good fish pillow too.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0633.jpg
Closeup showing how bad the algae is. I try pulling it out sometimes but it's so intermixed with the java moss that I can't remove more than a tiny bit at a time. At this point I'm just planning on throwing out the java moss when I move everything to the new tank and getting a new clump of it.

[Brhino]

Some of my plants are doing well, and some are not doing as well. The rhizome plants in particular are really looking good:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0620.jpg
Java fern

and

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0621.jpg
Anubias

I'll be dividing these up and attaching them to new rocks and driftwood in the new tank.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0638.jpg
I've noticed that not only has the pleco dug out a cave under the driftwood, he also likes to sit in it a wiggle his fins. He's fanning water through it, just like he would do over eggs he was guarding. I think he's trying to tell me he really wants a girlfriend.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0639-2.jpg
FTS. Sort of overgrown at this point, but again I'm letting things grow wild so there'll be lots of plants to populate the larger tank.

[Brhino]

Decided to take some pictures of the community tank today:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0735.jpg
Pearl gourami patrolling the top of the tank
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0746.jpg
The bronze cory and some glofish making runs at the sinking pellet...
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0728.jpg
...while a red cherry shrimp waits her turn.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0751.jpg
The danios like to hang out in the forest of water wisteria stems.

[Brhino]

We're trying again to add a fourth goldfish to the goldfish tank. My wife picked this guy out.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0723.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0721.jpg
No name for him yet. He's a big guy, bigger than the other three and I think bigger than the late Porkins the Ryukin, which makes him the biggest fish we've ever owned.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0755.jpg
He's set up in a 10 gallon quarantine tank under the 60 gallon tank. Losing the last goldfish to ich after a week in quarantine was pretty upsetting to my wife and I. We certainly don't want to be just buying and killing fish like that. So, we're trying again, and paying extra attention to the new guy. So far, he seems good. Active, swimming well. He didn't notice pellets dropped at the surface, but he did energetically go after pellets that were squirted in front of him with a turkey baster.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0759-1.jpg
Wedge has another skin irritation, above his right eye. He seems to get this about once a month. If the pattern holds it'll get worse for a couple days, then get better and be gone a couple days after that. Still don't know what's causing it... I've started them on another regimen of medicated anti-parasite food just in case that's what it is.

[kingkarter]

Wow your tank's look realy nice

[Brhino]

thank you!

[DylanisHawttt]

You're tanks are amazing; like I want to go blow my bank account right now to match your tanks :hmm3grin2orange: Hopefully, this goldie will bring about good changes to the goldie tank thumbs2:

[Brhino]

shriiiiiiiiiimp!
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0767.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0768.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0774.jpg

That is all (for now).

[rich311k]

Nice looking shrimps!

[Cliff]

Those shrimp look great

I wish I could keep some in my tank

[Brhino]

Goldfish update!

As I mentioned a week ago, one of our goldfish ("Wedge") had another outbreak of the skin irritation. As nobody on these forums has been able to diagnose what's going on, I decided to look for a wider group of people. I found a forum exclusively dedicated to goldfish and posted there. They identified the outbreak as a fungus (which some people here, including Lady Hobbs, have suggested), but most usefully, the owner of the forums said she thought the large driftwood chunk in the goldfish tank might be trapping pockets of stagnant water. We removed the driftwood from the tank, and as predicted it had a mild foul odor to it. Hopefully removing it will stop the problem from reoccurring. More gas exchange was also recommended, so we're going to be moving the bubble bar from the 29g to the 60g when we take down the 29g and move its fish and plants to the 75g. In the meantime Wedge's skin seems to have returned to normal.

With Wedge in good shape again, we moved the new goldfish, which we have named Chewie (short for Chewbacca, of course), from quarantine to the main tank. Photos for the occasion!
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0787.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0785.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0813.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0804-1.jpg
In the last photo you can see a bunch of diatoms growing back where I couldn't really clean before with the driftwood there. I'll take care of that during the next water change.

Overall it's been a pretty good stretch for the fish... after losing several in October and November of last year, things seem to have stabilized. Hopefully they'll stay that way as I get the new tank up and running. After that, it'll be time for many more fish!

[Aminax]

Great shots as usual! :19: Chewie is such a cutie! Once released into the tank, initially, all the goldies were swimming around cautiously. I helpfully narrated Wedge's, Palpatine's & Anakin's thought processes as "OMG! They released a shark in here! SWIM AWAY!"

But once it was discovered the new guy was just another goldie (thanks to brave, little Anakin), they were all schooling together. It looked like the established fish were giving the new kid a tour.thumbs2:

[Brhino]

I did some redecorating of the goldfish tank. It's been looking a bit empty since I took out the big chunk of driftwood, so I went looking for some extra tall fake plants for the background. My LFS had some that were 20" tall, so I picked up a couple of those. I also removed the bubble bar from the 29g tank and moved it over.

The extra tall plants were an extra tall pain in the butt. Rather than having weights at the bottom, they have what are basically plastic bowls. You're meant to put your substrate in the bowls, and that weighs the plants down. Well, turns out marbles aren't dense enough to do it. So, I "planted" the new plants, walked away, came back and found them floating. I had to get some gravel just to fill in the bowls. Hopefully the goldfish don't dig up the gravel too much.

Also, I already knew this, but don't put an airstone right under a filter intake... especially a canister filter intake. :ssuprised:

Here's how it looks now:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0817.jpg

[Taurus]

Yeah Brhino, I learned that lesson the hard way too. I ended up buying 18" tall plastic plants that are weighted on the bottom. They work well for me. When I do a gravel vacuum, all I have to do is pickup the weighted plants and set them to the side, vacuum the place where they were, then pop'em back in place. Petco carries plastic plants with the weighted bottoms and so does Fosters and Smith. I actually like the plants that came from Petco the best as they have help up better than the ones I got from Fosters and Smith.


The extra tall plants were an extra tall pain in the butt. Rather than having weights at the bottom, they have what are basically plastic bowls. You're meant to put your substrate in the bowls, and that weighs the plants down. Well, turns out marbles aren't dense enough to do it. So, I "planted" the new plants, walked away, came back and found them floating. I had to get some gravel just to fill in the bowls. Hopefully the goldfish don't dig up the gravel too much.

[t0m^]

Your new goldfish didnt look that much bigger in the older pics but in that new one he looks like beast. Do you know the sex of the fish, will you be expecting some babies in the future?

[Brhino]

My understanding is that it's very difficult to sex goldfish. I certainly don't have any idea on mine. I haven't read much about goldfish breeding, but it sounds like it's not an easy thing to do. I'm certainly not going to try, I'd have to give away all the babies anyhow, but I guess you never know what the fish are going to do on their own.

[Brhino]

Came in this morning from shoveling snow and saw a tiny snail crawling down the front glass. That's not at all unusual, but when I looked closer I saw spirals on the shell.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/babysnail.jpg
It's a baby assassin snail! I've had 3 adult assassins in my tank for 4 months now (not that I see them very often) but this is the first baby I've seen. After the RCS, this is only the second species I've deliberately added to any of my tanks that has reproduced. Hooray!

[Brhino]

Random picture day!

Community tank:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0925-1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0931.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0934.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0937.jpg

[Brhino]

goldfish lineup:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0947-1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0949.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0946.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/starmike82/DSC_0945-1.jpg