talldutchies 33 gallon semi-biotope

**talldutchie** · 02-18-2013, 08:18 AM

Thanks Amelia!

The three species of the Trigonostigma family are more or less identical in needs and care. I suspect it was a single species in the not too distant past. I got these back then because they were the best looking fish in the shop, better than the other two trigonostigma.

When I planted this tank I used JBL 7+13 clay pellets. IT's a fairly big pellet of very dry clay and supposedly loaded with nutrients. Not a specific choice, I just asked my plant supplier for what he had. I know JBL makes good planting products but I'm sure there's others. Some of these I chopped in half, others I buried whole. Be sure to push them down at least 3/4 of an inch.

In the first two weeks or so I lost a few leaves on the bigger plants. Not unusual since plants you can buy over here are grown emersed and the transition to immersed means they need to adjust. I also lost a load of leaf on the Pogostemon Helferi which I'm sure was due to the transition. It can be a sensitive plant.

Three weeks in I got impatient. I was seeing some growth but noticed a few plants struggling. Especially the medium sized echinodorus (latifolia I think) was visibly struggling. I did some research and found that these are real iron hogs. So I resorted to a trick I learned from a grey haired Dutch school keeper in the 1980s. I buried a rusty nail in the sand. I also added a few rabbit droppings under the P. Helferi and the small Echinodorus Tennelus.
After that I saw slow but steady improvement. Because the hair algae was getting a bit out of hand I started a low dose of liquid nutrients (1.5ml easy carbo daily and 5ml profito twice a week). Now I'd hit the magic ratio! The crypts exploded into growth. The vallis were recovering from heater damage and both the vallis and the echinodorus started sending out runners.

Looking back. Clay pellets are a big help but certainly in the first two months or so supplementing with a general liquid fertilizer is a good idea. Manufacturers are often rather generous with their recommended doses. Start with half the recommended dose.

**steeler1** · 02-18-2013, 09:27 AM

Dutchie I thought you be interested in this fourth speices of Trigonostigma (somphongsi). From what I've read they are the rarest fish in Thailand.
http://vimeo.com/4782880#t=0

**talldutchie** · 02-18-2013, 10:59 AM

Hmm...

Thanks for pointing out something I missed. So there is really 4 species in the genus. On the other hand I now find myself wanting a species that's really quite rare. I sincerely hope these can be bred commercially.

**talldutchie** · 02-18-2013, 11:42 AM

Oh, and I forgot leaves. I find that pretty much any species of oak works well. I've used Quercus rubra which I think is called northern oak in English. I like the shape of the leaves and the fact I picked them from my mother's grave.

collect int he fall, pick only dry clean leaves that have fallen to the ground. Find a location with clean air and no pesticides used at all. Brush away any visible dirt or rinse. I don't bother with boiling or nuking. Dry very well and store in a ziploc baggie somewhere dark and cool. When adding you can either throw them in right away or presoak to get the worst colour out of them. Replace if they get tattered or leave them in. Eventually my shrimp and snails leave me the stems and scattered parts of leaf.

**ameliaaahx** · 02-18-2013, 11:15 PM

Thanks for the replies, Dutchie.

I did love the vibrant colour of the Lambchops for the short time I had them. The only reason I did send them back was that I was planning on getting an Angel for that tank and I was worried they would become snacks, seeing as they are more streamlined and "bite-sized" than the deeper-bodied Harleys.

I've never heard of those clay pellets -- our range of aquatic ferts is very limited here. We get the odd JBL things and the Flourish range, and that's about it. That is a very nifty trick with the nail! I would have been concerned it would stain the sand. I'll keep that one up my sleeve. And rabbit droppings! You really are intent on bringing me out of my comfort zone on things which are safe to put in fishtanks. I'm always terrified of bringing in contaminants of some kind. But I guess it's all natural, and you're right, this kinda thing ends up in the water where they come from anyway.

One of the hardest things for me is the lack of knowledge and expertise available here, the aquatics scene is so small its hard to find someone who actually knows what they're talking about, especially with plants. Not to mention I've not met a LFS yet -- even specialist ones -- who label their plants with proper scientific names. They're all labeled with wierd common names which when I come home and google I get no results on. That or they're labeled with the wrong common name. Makes it hard to know what these specific plants need.

Thanks so much for all your help. And sorry for hijacking your thread!

**talldutchie** · 02-19-2013, 05:46 AM

Hijack all you like. This thread is not only me showing off but also about providing inspiration.

I didn't use whole handfuls of rabbit poo, 8 I think (Small, 5mm diameter) pushjed in the sand.

What brands can you get? With doubtful plants, take a few pictures with your cellphone. Common names vary around the world.
Are you on northern or southern island? On northern island collecting plants yourself could be a theoretical option

**ameliaaahx** · 02-19-2013, 05:59 AM

South Island, the cold one!

That's a good idea on the plants, I'll take photos next time I buy some. Plants I have in my tank with I can successfully identify are sagittaria, java moss, java fern, and ambulia. I also have this broad leafed plant which was sold to me as cherry leaf, although I have no idea what it's real name is.

Brands of fertilizer? We have limited JBL stuff, the Seachem/Flourish line of fertilizers and the API fert products. That's about it. I went to my LFS today and decided on JBL balls and a combination of Flourish and Flourish Excel. I was thinking of maybe going for Flourish phosphate too if I end up with holes in the leaves like I did last time.

On a different note, I think it's so strange that the Juwel range of tanks have made it all the way to NZ and AUS but aren't on the US market.

**talldutchie** · 02-19-2013, 06:36 AM

Seachem is now also available over here. First indications is that it's excellent quality liquid products.

The US market... yeah, bit of a puzzler. There's very few suppliers of complete aquariums on that market it seems. I think they get fluval. Perhaps Juwel is not strong enough in the huge tanks that are popular over there? Or perhaps there's a crippling import tax on German glass? Or they're afraid to get sued into bankruptcy should any of their products fail.

**ameliaaahx** · 02-19-2013, 06:44 AM

I know what you mean about there being few complete aquariums on the US market. Seems weird to me. It's so much easier just being able to buy one product that comes with everything -- tank, stand, lights, filter and heater. Even if I usually add an extra filter anyway. I wouldn't want to do it any other way. They usually look nicer too.

We get Seachem but I've never seen Prime around. Maybe in the North Island, but here we don't have to dechlorinate or treat our water at all. Comes out of the tap chemical-free and perfect for fish tanks at a stable 7.4pH. Do you have good water in the Netherlands?

**talldutchie** · 02-19-2013, 07:00 AM

Bit on the hard side for most fish, ph 8, GH around 10, nitrate of around 8ppm. Chlorine is pretty decent most places, safe for hardy fish, borderline for shrimp. It's good to drink but for taste we run it trough a brita filter.

I've been all over Europe and there's places in France where the tap water is truly horrible, heavily chlorinated.

Tetra is also on your market, http://www.tetra.net/nz/en I've used their aquasafe, good product.