90 gal FW journal - wish me luck!

**fishmommie** · 11-16-2012, 02:48 PM

Originally Posted by jeffs99dime

Is this the same pleco that you had asked about which type to get previously? That's lame. Sorry to hear that.

thanks Jeff and no, this is the pleco I stocked when I initially set up the 90. I've had him for a little over 2 months and I THOUGHT he was doing great. I'd often catch him during the day happily mowing through the beard algae on the driftwood. it's just so perplexing.

I got the royal just this week. now I'm worried about him.

**fishmommie** · 11-16-2012, 02:49 PM

Originally Posted by KevinVA

Oh no! Napoleon?!? I wonder if there was a squabble between Plecos over territory? It's odd, to me, that once you added the new guy, he old one keeled over. =/

I'm sorry, Cindy, that's so sad.

thanks Kevin. I don't know - that could have happened but I don't think so. they totally ignored each other - at least during lights on. I'm so bummed.

**~firefly~** · 11-16-2012, 03:05 PM

Oh dear, very sorry to hear that. What a shame!

Are all your water parameters normal? You'll probably never know the cause, but worth checking.

**fishmommie** · 11-16-2012, 03:08 PM

Originally Posted by ~firefly~

Oh dear, very sorry to hear that. What a shame!

Are all your water parameters normal? You'll probably never know the cause, but worth checking.

Checked them first thing. had just a trace of Ammonia but I suspect that was from the dead pleco - and I think he might have been dead all day yesterday too. nitrites 0 nitrates 5 ph 7 (as it always is)

thanks

**~firefly~** · 11-16-2012, 03:11 PM

Hmmm...just replied to your other thread.

**steeler1** · 11-16-2012, 09:05 PM

So sorry to hear about this. Like you said he might have even passed away before you found him. Pleco's can fool you like that.

**fishmommie** · 11-16-2012, 10:23 PM

Originally Posted by steeler1

So sorry to hear about this. Like you said he might have even passed away before you found him. Pleco's can fool you like that.

thanks, steeler. poor little guy. he was so darn pretty. "o(

**fishmommie** · 11-20-2012, 01:18 PM

It's been a few days since I updated. Through process of elimination, the kind people on this forum have helped me arrive - sort of - at a possible reason for the Emperor's demise. We've concluded that it's quite possibly that the Angel - who likes to pick at smaller fish a bit - maybe have caused enough stress that he just couldn't take it. Another possibility was that emperors require 0 nitrate conditions. Nitrates in this tank are always at 5 or less but still, it could be a possibility.

In any event, I decided I didn't want to take a chance with the Royal pleco I had just purchased - in case it WAS the angel - and I reluctantly returned him to the LFS who gave me full credit.

I opted to bring home 3 nice sized silver dollars - bigger than my biggest BP - and 3 snails. The snails are doing a bang up job on algae control. The Silver Dollars, while not skittish as I had been prepared for, are pretty reclusive and so far are presenting problems as far as eating. The only thing they've liked so far were the frozen blood worms I fed out of desperation one day.

But I need to get them on a regular diet so at others suggestions I'm trying veggie chips, lettuce leaves, peas and seaweed sheets. Also zucchini and cucumbers. It looks like a produce market in there

This morning when I got up, much of the lettuce leave was gone so we're having a little progress. One of the issues is that the Blood Parrots are such piggies that it's difficult to feed flakes or pellets to the SD's because it all gets eaten so fast. But the BP's aren't much on veggies to I'm hoping they will soon start chowing down on them.

Am hopeful the tank will get into some kind of a flow here with this mix of fish but if I can't solve the eating issue, I'll have to reluctantly return the SD's as they are too nice of a fish to let anything happen to them.

I'll update later.

**Delphe** · 11-20-2012, 06:56 PM

just saw the pictures from snapfish, i love your tank.
How did you fix the wood to the platform and what material is the platform if I may ask?
thanks

**fishmommie** · 11-20-2012, 07:45 PM

Originally Posted by Delphe

just saw the pictures from snapfish, i love your tank.
How did you fix the wood to the platform and what material is the platform if I may ask?
thanks

Hi and thanks. Glad you like it.
There are more photos and video in photo bucket if you want to see it stocked. I think the video link is on page 18 or 19 of my journal

Can't take any credit for the driftwood. I bought it already fixed to a slab of marble at my local indy LFS. I believe the wood is glued to the marble with aquarium safe silicone glue. But I've seen some of his other pieces where he drills through the bottom of the marble and up into the wood and fixes it with a screw.

Good luck if you're making a piece!