KevinVA's 75gal Journey in Planted Tanks

**fishmommie** · 12-01-2012, 02:12 AM

Originally Posted by KevinVA

I promised pictures of my Rabbit snail, as well, so here

Oh, I love that snail! I want one. Where did you get it? I've never seen any in my LFS.

And your apistos are stunning!

**KevinVA** · 12-01-2012, 02:35 AM

lol, I really hope they make it too. They're such cool little beauties. =]

I actually got my Rabbit snail on Aquabid.com. They're certainly a rarity and apparently new (a few years now) to the US fish keeping hobby. Not many distributors/sellers out there, that I've seen, but they're definitely available through breeders. They show up here and there on Aquabid. They come in a few different flavors (colors). I really loved the orange, but they have yellow, white, black, spotted, etc. They also come in different cone-shaped shells. They're some of the coolest snails I've ever seen. Absolutely love them.

Also, thank you. =] I think the Apistos are beautiful, too. If you ever think to get a pair, look for Double or Triple Red cacatuoides. I think those are the most ornate.

**steeler1** · 12-01-2012, 06:52 AM

Very nice pictures. Tank looks great.

You know I had the same problem with Flame Tetras as you are having with the BP's. The fish always look healthy than they just waste away and you know your water good because the Cardinals and Rummy Nose's are thriving.

**KevinVA** · 12-01-2012, 02:42 PM

Thanks Steeler.

Hrmm, did you get all of your Flame Tetras from the same stock? Now I really do wonder if it's a problem with inbreeding, due to a mutation of sorts. Same thing has happened to Dwarf Gouramis - they've been inbred for so long that now they've started to develop an incurable iridovirus.

Everything I read about Black Phantoms says that they're hardy beginner fish that can live in even some of more harsh environments, so their sporadic deaths/sicknesses doesn't make sense. Perfect water quality, plenty of hiding spots to combat stress, etc... and treating with meds or salt doesn't seem to do anything. I tried using meds to combat parasites on the first one that died. Placed him in a QT and dosed. She was dead within a day. I figured the stress of moving to a QT sped up her death, so I didn't move this one. He lasted longer, but literally decayed before my eyes.

It's a very weird phenomenon. ;/

**Carapar56** · 12-01-2012, 07:05 PM

How big do rabbit snails get? And will the breed in freshwater? Yours is gorgeous, now I'm thinking about getting one for my future 55 gallon c:

**KevinVA** · 12-02-2012, 03:14 PM

They get about 4-5in in length and can be bred in freshwater, so long as the conditions are correct. You also need a male and female, since they're not hermaphrodites. You can't really tell male from female, so you have to go the route of buying several at a time and hoping you got lucky.

Perfect water/tank params for breeding:
1. sandy substrate
2. pH between 7-8.5
3. temp between 70-79'F

There's conflicting information online (per usual). Some say the females lay 1 egg at a time and it will hatch within an hour. The baby snail will hatch, fully formed (and look like a tiny version of its' parents). Others say they're live-bearers, so no eggs are involved.

It could be that since the eggs hatch so quickly, that many don't even realize an egg was involved in the first place, so they're assuming they're live bearers.

I've also read that that females could lay 1-3 eggs at a time, every 2-4 weeks. Either way, they're slow growers.

**KevinVA** · 12-07-2012, 02:07 AM

So, I was doing my water changes and cleaning my tanks today... and what should I happen to find, as I was removing several dead Ludwigia stems (presumably from the salt I added over the last week)?

One LIVE Red Cherry Shrimp! lol

I'm pretty sure this is the one who made a break for it and swam to the other side of the tank. I can't believe he made it... and he was just hiding in the stems. When I was removing them, I saw something red float onto my sponge filter. I thought it was a ludwigia leaf and went to grab it, but it darted away really quickly. So, I searched for whatever the hell it was and found him... one lone shrimp. I can't believe it. I feel really bad for him, because he doesn't have any friends and he's been in there all by his lonesome amongst some beasts... I imagine if the Killifish ever saw him, he'd be in deep crap.

I'm hoping he survives, especially now that I've stripped apart his hiding places. I'll be replenishing it with something else, eventually, but wow... that was a surprise. haha

Not really sure what to do with him, though. Keep him in there or move him into a safe zone. I could convert my 10gal QT into a peaceful shrimp/neon tank, I suppose. Not sure where I'd put it, though... and my wife might kill me. I just don't want him ending up as food, like his brethren.

Meanwhile, all fish except my Black Phantom tetras are doing well. I'm pretty sure that if I don't lose all of the Black Phantoms, I'll at least lose most of them. If that happens, I don't think I'll replace them. I may add more Serpaes to the school or just increase my eventual Cory school.

**KevinVA** · 12-08-2012, 10:29 PM

So, I think I've reached an agreement with myself. I'll definitely be replacing the black phantoms I lost with several more Serpaes. I'll probably add another 3 to increase their numbers to 12.

I still have about 4 Black Phantoms (5 with the 1 in the QT) left from the original stocking, but I'm not sure they're going to last. They're dying off one by one (still, none of the other fish are affected). I put two in a QT last night to treat them for fungus/bacteria and one died (he was on his last legs, though - it was a last ditch effort, since salt treatments in the big tank weren't working). The other one is beginning to acquire the same symptoms, so I'm hoping I'll be able to nip it in the bud (though, it's a long shot - I'm quite certain that it's a genetic mutation, caused by inbreeding, that's destroying them). It's sad seeing them wither away and die, but I'm getting used to it. ;/ 4 down, 5 to go.

Meanwhile, I just sent an email out to the owner of Manzanita Bulrworks for a manzanita branch and a manzanita stump (both pretty long). I'm interested in switching some things around in my tank, because the higher levels are not being utilized in an efficient manner. I'd like to provide my Killies with some shelter near the top, but also provide some cover throughout the mid-section, as well. I'm thinking about adjusting my cave structures to accommodate the new driftwood. The caves are under-utilized anyway, so maybe I'll switch those up by placing the individual rocks around the tank, while creating a couple of slanted caves against the tank walls. I'm getting pretty excited about doing that, since scaping is one of the more fun things involved with fish keeping.

**steeler1** · 12-09-2012, 05:33 AM

I bigger school of Serpaes will look good in your Tank. How are the rams doing?

**KevinVA** · 12-09-2012, 05:41 AM

The rams are doing quite well, actually. They've eased into the community and are no longer harassed (that actually only lasted a day and a half). Even the Apistos get along with them, now.

Every single fish, now, heads to the top to get food, too. It's funny to see that, since some used to hang at the bottom to wait for something to drop. They've learned with the Killies and Serpaes, that waiting gets you scraps. ;P

I'm pretty sure the rams have established the back of the driftwood as their territory, while the Apistos are over by the caves and/or throughout the grass in the front. So it looks like the territory is split between the two species by front and back. Wouldn't have thought that would happen... but everyone looks happy and is colored up very nicely.

Even my lone shrimp seems happy and healthy. He's established a new hideout amongst the grass in the front. lol I'm pretty sure it's just a matter of time before something eats him. I feel bad that his home turned out to be hell, but at least he's doing ok for now.