FishGirl-Seattle
07-03-2010, 05:46 PM
And the saga continues. Having strolled into the LFS last week with cash in my pocket (never a good idea), and walking out with fish that overloaded my current tank capacities, I've finally gotten things back under control. Well, mostly. I had to move my minnow school out of a 55 gallon and combine it with the small school from a 20 gallon long, and also moved a neon school in there too, but I replaced that tank with a 38 gallon high (almost the same foot print, just 6 inches longer) so finally there's room for everyone. Never had a 38 tall before, it seems so narrow for the height, but I guess that's ok since the inhabitants are so small. Biggest fish in the tank is about 1.5 inches. The critter list is: 7 pygmy corys, 13 golden white clouds, 7 neons, 8 celestial pearl danios, 2 ottos, one guppy (long story), and 7 amano shrimp. If you have ever tried to net pygmy corrys and ottos let me give some advice. Learn some really good swear words first, you are going to need them. :hmm3grin2orange: After getting the plants in the tank and the cats out of the water bucket and the terrified and stressed fish into the new tank it just looked funny - there is soooo much water above the plants! So I stuck my sword plant on top of some driftwood, not sure it's an improvement but I couldn't bear to see so much open water. Then it was another trip to the LFS, casting menacing glances at the clerk who seduced me into buying 6 rosy barbs (and thus creating this drama), I got some tall grass and something that was really lanky and tall - leaves look like a sword kind of, but they grow on stalks that start from a corn - it's ugly but tall so in it went. The result is what you see in the picture. Not exactly an Amano nature aquarium, but I'm hoping things will grow and develop and maybe not look so thrown together. Fish seem happy with it, but you know fish, low standards on design! Lastly, I installed a second filter - a fluval 304 ('cuz I'm in love with them) and for the first time ever I used polishing media. - WOW - wish I had used this before! Water cleared rapidly and I don't have that haze that always follows mucking around in substrate. The tank is now filtered by a fluval 205 (fully cycled and seasoned) and a 304 with new media - lots of ceramic, carbon and polishing media. Fish should be happy and in a few monthsthe 205 will be available for a another tank. Just in case I fall off the wagon again in the LFS. Gee, I have the perfect wall to set up the old 20 long... all I need is a stand.......and substrate...and fish....and a different husband....:hmm3grin2orange: