Jacko's 29 gallon journal

[Jacko]

Finally got around to doing something with the 29 gallon I've had sitting empty for the past few months (traded my brother a zippo for it :P)

Current stats:
Playsand and white silica mix
lace rock
madrone branches
AC110

Tank sitting pretty much dry:
http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp174/awise13/IMGP6438.jpg

With hardscape in it:
http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp174/awise13/IMGP6532.jpg

I'm not too fond of how bright the white sand is so I'm picking up some black flourite sand to mix in there today and hopefully I'll have it filled up sometime today!

I'm debating between doing an open top with a metal halide pendant or keep it closed up and just use a t5 or similar... any thoughts?

Lemme know what you guys think!

[Rhaethe]

Oh! I really like the way you've hardscaped it!

I've something similar in mind for the 20g minnow tank I'm plotting. What kind of branches are those and where did you get them?

[hockeyhead019]

o idk i'd leave the bright sand cuz if you do live plants the contrast in color will really make the color pop... if you have the appropriate light source some small grass like clumps would look great imo

[Jacko]

Thanks you guys!

The wood is from a very dense local hardwood, madrone... basically it's a giant manzanita. I've had success with it in the past and this way I save the 100 bucks that that much manzanita would cost :hmm3grin2orange:

I don't plan on having too much in the way of plants in this tank, maybe a few eriocaulon or dwarf hairgrass, some moss and if I can find it otellia (dunno if it's even available in the US though). I'm not adding alot of flourite sand, maybe a cup or so, just enough to make the color a little different from the other tank that I have playsand in... I like my tanks to look as different from each other as possible lol

off to get a background and some flourite now

[wolf_eyes]

I think playsand is really bright and can be annoying as well. I replaced my playsand with pool filter sand. Its a lot nicer looking, not so bright and has more varibles in the color.

Love the hardscape as well, it looks very nice. So what are you thinking of stocking it with?

[kel]

HI Neighbor lol :22:

It's nice to see someone else from NW Washington on here :)

The tank looks great so far thumbs2:

What exactly does that tree look like and is it local as in around the Sound? Those pieces are exactly what I have been hunting for around Oak Harbor but haven't found the right one yet. Do they sink pretty good or do they need a lot of soaking still?

[Jacko]

Alright, got the background on and the seachem added, only used about 2 handfuls mixed in... not too dark :) filled it up too but it's too cloudy atm for any pics

Thanks wolf_eyes! I'm planning on stocking it with sulawesi shrimp and snails if I can ever find any of the former.

Yay for washington! You should have some madrone/madrona nearby, it's all over up and down the puget sound coast, gets harder to find the further inland you get. lemme see if I can find a pic online...
http://www.island-business.com/images/madrona.jpg

Try to get dead branches, the live ones take a year at least to dry out completely, doesn't float for too long, boiling will help... I just weight it down in my tank, don't bother waiting till it's water logged :P

[Jacko]

Finally cleared up enough for a picture! The white clouds are temporary, they're there to help with establishing the seeded filter media...

Tank stats:
PFS, flourite sand and white silica mix
lace rock
madrone branches
AC110
200 W heater
24 W 50/50 CFL
dozen snails
7 wcmm

New tank shot:
http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp174/awise13/IMGP6544.jpg

Some of the snails...
Adults:
http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp174/awise13/IMGP6545.jpg
http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp174/awise13/IMGP6546.jpg
http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp174/awise13/IMGP6548.jpg

[Jacko]

The babies:
http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp174/awise13/IMGP6549.jpg
http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp174/awise13/IMGP6554.jpg

[Jacko]

Added a few plants, 1 small square of fissidens fontanus and one gigantic moss ball that's there momentarily... impulse buy and I have no other tank to put it in :P

Hopefully next week I'll get 10 cardinal shrimp as testers to make sure I do this all right lol

http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp174/awise13/IMGP6558.jpg

[R2 Ranch]

Love it!!!! Great aquascapingthumbs2:. Thanks for sharing.

[rich311k]

Very nice. Looks like it will be a great tank.

[korweabo0]

love the hardscaping.

[Lab_Rat]

Looks good Alex! Now you need some sulawesi shrimp for that tank.

[Jacko]

Thanks everyone!

I know labby :hmm3grin2orange: but being under 18 means I can't get the licenses necessary to import those guys so for now all the other types are wishful thinking :P

Placed an order for 25 more tylomelania snails, plan to pick the best ones out of the bunch and sell the rest on aquabid :hmm3grin2orange:
be here on friday...

[MCHRKiller]

Tank looks great! Those branches are screaming for some fissidens covering them :14:

[Jacko]

lol mc, but fissidens is so expensive, my little patch of it cost me 5 bucks

And I'd need a melon sized ball of it to cover all those branches... so maybe in a couple of years, once my wallet recovers from the stupid shrimp lol

[Bristley]

Looks great Jacko, and I have to agree with what has been previously stated by some of the others that I absolutely love how you did the hard scape.

[Jacko]

Thanks Bristley!

I actually don't like the hardscape all that much, I set it up like that more for the shrimp than my own preferances... they like caves to hide in (hence the lace rock) and the branches still have the bark on them so that'll slowly fall apart in the tank giving the shrimp tons of microorganisms to chow on, similar to the idea of adding oak leaves to shrimp tanks.

[Jacko]

time for some updates...
The snails came in, bagged them up and set them on the counter, only to have a customer walk off with them, they brought them back the next day but there were only 14 still alive (not sure if that was the extra day in the bag or if there were that many DOA to begin with)

But they're happy in there, have a total of 18 adult snails now, and they're breeding pretty well, have about 15 babies... :19:

Won an auction on some shrimp earlier this week, for 6 cardinals, but he just had a heater malfunction so I'm not sure if I'll be getting them or if I'll be getting babies instead or what's happening... still up in the air

And I'll have some pics up in an hour or so, once my camera battery charges and I do a water change on the tank (never thought snails could poop so much :hmm3grin2orange: )

[Lab_Rat]

It's been an hour...where are the pics?!?!?!

[Jacko]

hehe... forgot :P

Think I'll wait to put the pics up til tomorrow, seeing as (barring unforseen circumstances) I should have at least 7 cardinal shrimp juvies by noon :19:

I'm so anxious for them to get here...

[Jacko]

Got the shrimp today!

Them acclimating:
http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp174/awise13/IMGP6626.jpg

In the tank:
http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp174/awise13/IMGP6649.jpg
http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp174/awise13/IMGP6647.jpg
http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp174/awise13/IMGP6650.jpg

[Jacko]

in their dark little corner
http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp174/awise13/IMGP6666.jpg

this pic shows their claws pretty well:
http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp174/awise13/IMGP6665.jpg

Two snails came with the shrimp:
http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp174/awise13/IMGP6645.jpg

The tank:
http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp174/awise13/IMGP6654.jpg

[Taurus]

Great looking shrimp, Alex.

[hockeyhead019]

nice shrimp man... they truely are cherry lol any stocking plans?

[aquariums+me=happy]

Very nice tank. Looks extremely natural!

[Lab_Rat]

Great sulawesi shrimp there Alex. Sweet that you got a couple more tylos too.

[Jacko]

Thanks everybody!
They've been so much fun, mostly hide in the holes in the rock, but it's fun to try and find all 7 with a flashlight, they did all come out and take a bit of kens pellet last night.:19:

I really want to add another 10 or 20 adults, but that'll cost alot of moolah, and being 16 means it takes a while :hmm3grin2orange:

[Jacko]

Got 8 more shrimp today.. post pics in a bit once the camera charges :22:

[Jacko]

Camera is charged!

The tank (working on refilling it, but it takes 24 hours to make 5 gallons of water lol)
http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp174/awise13/IMGP6724.jpg

Acclimating:
http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp174/awise13/IMGP6701.jpg

One of them is berried!
http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp174/awise13/IMGP6696.jpg

Shots from around the tank:
http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp174/awise13/IMGP6709.jpg

[Jacko]

http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp174/awise13/IMGP6709.jpg

http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp174/awise13/IMGP6715.jpg

http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp174/awise13/IMGP6716.jpg

http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp174/awise13/IMGP6718.jpg

[Jacko]

http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp174/awise13/IMGP6711.jpg

http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp174/awise13/IMGP6726.jpg

[tori.lock]

That's an awesome tank. I love the branches in there. Quite the palace for those little shrimp! What are your stocking plans?

[Lab_Rat]

Very nice! That's 3 sulawesi shrimp species now? How many tylo species?

[Jacko]

Thanks guys! No fish are planned for this tank, don't want them to eat the shrimp or stress the shrimp in the slightest

Labby, I think there might be 4 tylo species because a couple of the babies I picked out of the store tank seem to be yellow antennaes, but I've actually bought 3 different species (yellow, white spot and orange)

[mac]

Great tank there mate!:22: :help: thumbs2: thumbs2:

[Taurus]

Well done!

[Jacko]

Thanks!

I'll get an updated tank shot hopefully tomorrow, added quite a few more plants, IMO it looks more finished this way.

Got a couple more snails today! 4 Chocolate Posos

http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp174/awise13/IMGP6764.jpg

http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp174/awise13/IMGP6761.jpg

[Jacko]

Got the pic...

http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp174/awise13/IMGP6774.jpg

[MCHRKiller]

It is definatly shaping up into a wonderful looking tank! Do you plan to add more plants?

[Jacko]

UPDATE!

http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp174/awise13/IMGP6952.jpg

Counting babies this morning, nearly 20 baby blue leg posos and I think I saw maybe 5 red orchid babies, but they were tiny so I couldn't be sure if they were red orchids :(
Adding more shrimp in a month or two, trying not to blow all my money on tanks right now