29g freshwater community!

[megastealer]

After I lost my big fancy goldfish Caprica, it became apparent I don't want to keep goldfish until I can get a 70-gallon tank or so and don't plan on moving quite so often.

Still, I don't like only having one fish in my 29 gallon tank, and I can't give up Gaius. I've raised it from a tiny little guy at Petsmart to the big fish he is now.

Thus, I have decided to be a bit unconventional for the time being and keep my fantail Gaius with some tropical fish in a temperature which should overlap both species.

As I actually do things, I will take pictures. LOTS of pictures!

So just to get my thoughts organized, here are some objects in the tank.

Current:
2 Aquaclear 50s
1 fantail goldfish (Gaius)
2 unhealthy java ferns
4 little java ferns
1 small piece of driftwood
playsand substrate

To add in the near future:
Darker sand substrate with fertilizers
DIY CO2 system
Micro swords
Dwarf hairgrass
Corkscrew Val
Another driftwood piece
5 panda corys

[SunSchein89]

Should look pretty good once it's all set up. Panda cories are one of my favorites :11: . What kind of lighting are you running on your tank, though? You may need to upgrade your lighting if you want some of those plants with co2 running. If you stick to all low/med light plants, you may not need the co2 injection at all on the other hand. You may know all this already and just didn't say what lighting you had since I guess it's not technically in the tank, but figured it was worth mentioning :22: .

[megastealer]

Oops, forgot to mention that!

This is an old picture of the lighting system currently on the tank, its two 39w T5 10k bulbs that run the full length of the ballast. This should be sufficient shouldn't it?
http://i41.tinypic.com/5v6u06.jpg

Also I said that there are 2 unhealthy java ferns, that should be 2 unhealthy (but large) amazon swords. I'll take a picture of the tank as it is now when I get back home.

[SunSchein89]

Some better bulbs would be in the 5700-6700K range, 10K bulbs are more for reef tanks and I hear they can cause algae problems. They can grow some plants, just not quite as efficiently as if you would get the proper kelvin rating bulb. Some co2 definitely would help in that case if you keep the same wattage.

[megastealer]

Gotcha. Well when these stop producing light I'll see about replacing them with a few thousand less lumens

Should be getting substrate finished this week, maybe some plants too. My pet store offers "2 fer tuesdays", which is buy one any fish get another free, same goes for plants... but only on the second Tuesday of each month... so if I can hold out till June 8th, I can get a lot of plants for cheap.

Here are the promised "before" pictures. I'll be trading this pleco I've named Tyrol (teeroll) in later this week at the pet store, he is a temporary guest of the tank.

Tank shot!
http://huetetech.com/publicpersonal/fish/IMG_4845.jpg

I'll post 4 pictures of Gaius (Guy-us) in the post below.

[megastealer]

Gaius (Guy-us):
http://huetetech.com/publicpersonal/fish/IMG_4839.jpg
http://huetetech.com/publicpersonal/fish/IMG_4811.jpg
http://huetetech.com/publicpersonal/fish/IMG_4822.jpg
http://huetetech.com/publicpersonal/fish/IMG_4824.jpg

I raised Gaius from a tiny little guy to the 5 or 6 inches he is now. Such a cool experience! =)

[rich311k]

Nice looking fish.

[Lab_Rat]

He's a nice looking fish. I'd be very careful with what you add to his tank size wise as he's got a substantial mouth. Would hate to see him harmed by eating the cories. I'd try to get fish that won't fit into his mouth.

[cichlids209]

After I lost my big fancy goldfish Caprica, it became apparent I don't want to keep goldfish until I can get a 70-gallon tank or so and don't plan on moving quite so often.

Still, I don't like only having one fish in my 29 gallon tank, and I can't give up Gaius. I've raised it from a tiny little guy at Petsmart to the big fish he is now.

Thus, I have decided to be a bit unconventional for the time being and keep my fantail Gaius with some tropical fish in a temperature which should overlap both species.

As I actually do things, I will take pictures. LOTS of pictures!

So just to get my thoughts organized, here are some objects in the tank.

Current:
2 Aquaclear 50s
1 fantail goldfish (Gaius)
2 unhealthy java ferns
4 little java ferns
1 small piece of driftwood
playsand substrate

To add in the near future:
Darker sand substrate with fertilizers
DIY CO2 system
Micro swords
Dwarf hairgrass
Corkscrew Val
Another driftwood piece
5 panda corys

hi there nice looking tank my suggestion would to not add any other fish and just keep Gaius in there alone. Sounds like you care alot for him . 1 fantail needs minimum 30gallon tank they get up to 8 inches big

[megastealer]

hi there nice looking tank my suggestion would to not add any other fish and just keep Gaius in there alone. Sounds like you care alot for him . 1 fantail needs minimum 30gallon tank they get up to 8 inches big

Thanks, yeah I do care for him, but at the same time I want my tank to do what it was intended to do... which was be an interesting thing for me and family friends to watch every now and then. Gaius floats around and is somewhat entertaining, but I am going to risk having a few different types of fish in there.

I'll keep monitoring the ammonia, nitrites, keep up with the weekly water changes, and make sure both filters are running, but at the end of the day I want to experiment a little bit with my aquarium.

Thanks for the input though, I appreciate everyone's advice! :22:

[Lab_Rat]

Platies might be big enough to not get eaten by him. They would add more activity but not be too hyper for Gaius. They come in all sorts of colors, you could mix and match.

[megastealer]

I was under the impression that corys grow to be much larger than you would expect a goldfish to accidentally eat. I remember seeing a post on here with emerald corys, and they grow even larger than the normal ones. Are you sure corys would be eaten? I have a 10g if I needed to raise a school of corys to a large enough size first.

[Lab_Rat]

They might be ok, but remember that cories have sharp side fins. If your goldie eats one and it gets stuck in it's mouth, you may have to do surgery to extract it. All I'm saying is make sure you take into account the size of the fish you add with your goldie. If it can possibly fit into it's mouth then there is the possibility it may get eaten. Bronze cories are larger, pandas are some of the smaller cories.

And there is no "accidental" eating of fish. Fish eat other fish, for the most part if a fish will fit into another's mouth it may become a meal.

[megastealer]

Well, I know the Emerald cory I saw at Petsmart today would never fit in his mouth.

I'm taking a trip to the local pet store tomorrow (they have a huge fish section), and I'll see if I can get a look at a full grown panda cory.

Would this food be suitable for corys?
http://cgi.ebay.com/Spectrum-Small-Fish-Food-Sinking-Pellets-275g-New-Life-/300370862375?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item45ef7fa127
http://www.aquariumsupplies.co.za/images/FO-NL40910.jpg

[Lab_Rat]

That food would be fine. I also feed mine the Hikari bottom dweller wafers (not the algae wafers).

[Sursion]

The local, non mainstream stores (I.E., not Petsmart, Petcetera, etc.) usually have big, old fish. My local store had a Bala the size of my forearm once.

[FishGirl-Seattle]

Getting a good plant substrate in will have a big impact on your existing plants - They look a bit tattered now but I bet they will turn around fast when you add your new substrate. You have enough room to get some really nice plant action going. If you want to save $ you can have lush plants without upgraded lightening or compressed CO2 by using low light varieties and only half doses of liquid CO2 (Flourish) and minimal fertilizer. Fish waste goes a long way towards helping the plants out, and with that gorgeous guy in the tank you won't have a problem there lol! :shappy: Have you thought about adding floating plants? Some have very attractive trailing roots, and with your tall tank that could look really cool - Thanks for posting the before pic - it's so much fun to see the before and after shots! :) Can't wait to see your tank renovations!

[megastealer]

I hadn't thought about floating plants with roots, do you have any examples? I'm very interested in that possibility, although Gaius probably wouldn't be able to resist munching on them!

[megastealer]

Went to the LFS today, found out they only had 5 panda corys left and were not planning on getting any more in the next few months, so I went ahead and bought them. I have a 10 gallon quarantine tank, which is good because these little guys need to get a little bigger for sure before going in the tank with gaius. They'll also need those plants for ground cover which won't be coming till June 8.

The 10 gallon filter isn't cycled, but since I run dual AC 50's I can just drop one down for a while.

I'm bringing my camera to the store next time. They have so many cool tanks in there!

Here are my panda corys in their quarantine tank under the big tank. Still debating on what kind of decorations to put in there for them so they feel safe.
http://huetetech.com/publicpersonal/fish/IMG_4864.jpg

Close up in their bag:
http://huetetech.com/publicpersonal/fish/IMG_4846.jpg

Moved the light onto the 10g to get a quick photoshoot... it scared the living daylights out of them lol!

Here's the 3 muskateers, always seem to stick together. These 3 were in the same little tank at the store, the other two were alone so I guess they haven't all bonded in the 3 or so hours they've been in the tank.
http://huetetech.com/publicpersonal/fish/IMG_4869.jpg

And here is the best closeup I have of one of them. He's one of the two loners. They all have this red area around their gills, I figure that is normal. Let me know if it isn't!
http://huetetech.com/publicpersonal/fish/IMG_4884.jpg

I think they're adorable. Couldn't be happier. Can't wait till they grow up! Waiting on a package of laterite in the mail, then I can redo my 29g substrate. Going out to buy plants on June 8.

[FishGirl-Seattle]

The one I have is a water lettuce (Pistia Oos) But there are others. The roots are very long and bushy and it grows robustly - my foraging fish don't seem to hurt it. I think this plant could be a real problem if released into local waterways though so if you do use it you should take care that you don't introduce it into your water systems. When I cull mine I throw them in the trash where they can dry out and go to the landfill. It grows pretty fast and is a great way to fix nutrients that are pulled out of the tank when you cull the excess growth. Oh and a bonus - fry love them - they just hang in the roots until they are big enough to feel safe in open water. Sadly, the neons have figured this out....snack time.....:scry:

[megastealer]

The one I have is a water lettuce (Pistia Oos) But there are others. The roots are very long and bushy and it grows robustly - my foraging fish don't seem to hurt it. I think this plant could be a real problem if released into local waterways though so if you do use it you should take care that you don't introduce it into your water systems. When I cull mine I throw them in the trash where they can dry out and go to the landfill. It grows pretty fast and is a great way to fix nutrients that are pulled out of the tank when you cull the excess growth. Oh and a bonus - fry love them - they just hang in the roots until they are big enough to feel safe in open water. Sadly, the neons have figured this out....snack time.....:scry:

Ah I'm currently in Mobile, and live in Louisiana during most of the summer. It's illegal to ship to both louisiana and alabama apparently so I would have a tough time getting it!

(P.S. for those of you following my tank there are pictures of my panda corys towards the end of the second page!)

[FishGirl-Seattle]

Bummer. You guys have some crayfish I want but my state won't allow them in. Hmmmmmmmm.......:sconfused:

[megastealer]

Bummer. You guys have some crayfish I want but my state won't allow them in. Hmmmmmmmm.......:sconfused:

I sent you a PM, do you know how to read/reply to them?

[megastealer]

Took a little video of the panda corys in the quarantine tank. They're really active when the light is on :ssmile: :goldfish: :goldfish: They've already grown considerably in just the few days I've had them. Hopefully they keep getting bigger, the water quality in there is pretty good with the lack of decorations.

Q1lEooTc3DY

[Lab_Rat]

Cute cories!

[megastealer]

Well I put in the new substrate today, black sand from PetSmart with laterite mixed in. I had originally planned for the laterite to sit beneath the sand but even the slightest disturbance in the sand caused it to go on top.. but I kind of like the way it looks mixed in anyway.

A bit cloudy right now but I was expecting that because of the laterite. Should clear up soon. Plants in 6 days!

Pictures:

Empty tank
http://huetetech.com/publicpersonal/fish/IMG_0375.jpg


The cory cats were a lot less frightened of the big fish than I thought they'd be. Everyone went right up to the divider and stared at each other.
http://huetetech.com/publicpersonal/fish/IMG_0377.jpg
http://huetetech.com/publicpersonal/fish/IMG_0378.jpg
http://huetetech.com/publicpersonal/fish/IMG_0385.jpg

[megastealer]

Filling up the tank with the new substrate:
http://huetetech.com/publicpersonal/fish/IMG_0392.jpg

Tank full of water with same old plants and decorations for now:
http://huetetech.com/publicpersonal/fish/IMG_0395.jpg
http://huetetech.com/publicpersonal/fish/IMG_0396.jpg

I'll be replacing that hollow log decoration with another driftwood. We're going camping and canoeing this weekend so I hope to find a good piece or two to stick in there! :ssmile:

[megastealer]

Can't wait until I get those plants and driftwood. 6 days till the plants... 4 till the driftwood if I can find some!

Here's some pictures of tyrol and gaius exploring their new substrate and layout.
http://huetetech.com/publicpersonal/fish/IMG_0412.JPG
http://huetetech.com/publicpersonal/fish/IMG_0410.JPG
http://huetetech.com/publicpersonal/fish/IMG_0402.JPG
http://huetetech.com/publicpersonal/fish/IMG_0413.JPG

[megastealer]

Went out to the Mobile bay beach to find some driftwood today. My mom took some pictures. We found about 5 pieces of very nice driftwood... far too much to fit in the tank, but that gives me some good options! I could make a living by picking up this driftwood out there, and I might as well before the oil gets here as well.

No sign of oil yet, but it looks like they're ready - booms are set up and this is what looks like the last line of defense boom on the inside of the bay... hopefully the oil never gets this far in.

http://huetetech.com/publicpersonal/fish/IMG_0415.jpg
http://huetetech.com/publicpersonal/fish/IMG_0420.jpg

Here's one of the pieces of driftwood... it had an inhabitant so I moved him to a bigger log instead... I felt kinda bad about relocating him but I'm sure he doesn't mind! Haha.
http://huetetech.com/publicpersonal/fish/IMG_0418.jpg

Close up of relocated resident:
http://huetetech.com/publicpersonal/fish/IMG_0425.jpg

[hockeyhead019]

nice driftwood... and nice close up of the crab haha keep the pics coming

[Ashley]

What a cute little crab!!

[AmyLynn]

Tank is looking great! Keep those pics coming. Always exciting to see someone else stepping into the live plant zone. :19:

Jealous of your driftwood choices. I need to get down to our lake (reservoir) and see if I can find anything down there for my 29gallon when I get it up and running again.

[megastealer]

Picked up my plants at the LFS today, it was buy one get one for 2 cents "2fer Tuesday" lol. I brought Tyrol in too, so no more pleco. I'll miss him, he was always an interesting guy to have in the tank.

Unfortunately the giant piece of driftwood I found for my tank isn't done soaking so it still puts about 10 pounds of pressure into floating... it needs to SINK. D:<

But here are the plants I bought today. $21 total.

2 x Racadian Sword
2 x Micro Sword
2 x Compact Sword
1 x Riccia clump
1 x Dwarf hairgrass
and a little bit of bonus duckweed that hitchiked with the riccia. Hopefully Gaius eats it when it goes in.

There also seems to be something growing on my dwarf hairgrass. I think its algae, which should hopefully go away in my tank. On the other hand, it might explode all over the tank. I'll take the risk I guess.

What do you think it is?
http://huetetech.com/publicpersonal/fish/IMG_0434.jpg
http://huetetech.com/publicpersonal/fish/IMG_0434.jpg

Here is the riccia and duckweed:
http://huetetech.com/publicpersonal/fish/IMG_0445.jpg

And here is everything in the tank:
http://huetetech.com/publicpersonal/fish/IMG_0440.jpg

It's hard for me to tell how to arrange it since the driftwood isn't there, so I decided to spread out everything a little bit to maximize light for now.

[megastealer]

Well, unfortunately one of my panda corys died today for no apparent reason.

Water conditions were all perfect, even very low nitrates. No sign of fungus, bacteria, or fin rot. He just died on the bottom of the tank, didn't even float. I think he had a heart attack while I was siphoning out water for the water change. He was still under warranty at least, but I am out of town until the warranty runs out. He's in the freezer right now, I'll call the pet store tomorrow. Oh well :(

[megastealer]

Unfortunately I found 2 more dead panda corys today. Only 2 left, and I'm pretty much expecting them to die as well. :( They were so cute.

No idea what is killing them, but I sure am glad I didn't put them in with gaius yet. Perfect water conditions, with an airstone in the tank as well, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, very low nitrates...

At the pet store, the panda corys were all in their own individual tanks, and I think that may have contributed to the problem. They were the last of the panda corys the store had, and they were all isolated... perhaps this stress in their adolescence was too much for them to overcome? Luckily, they are all within the last day or so of warranty so I should be able to get a refund or replacement on them. Its a shame though, because I really liked them. :scry:

RIP panda corys. I wish the two remaining luck that they will survive but I don't know if they're gonna make it. Not much I can do for them.

[s72450]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and ask, Battlestar fan? I never had a Caprica/Gaius/Tyrol, but I did once have an Apollo and Helo. I always wanted a Starbuck too.

[megastealer]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and ask, Battlestar fan? I never had a Caprica/Gaius/Tyrol, but I did once have an Apollo and Helo. I always wanted a Starbuck too.

Haha yes you caught me! :hmm3grin2orange:

[s72450]

Great show, I miss it much, but have learned to really enjoy the prequel series.