Kbuser's Amazon Biotope

[kbuser92]

Here she is. It's been up for about 3 weeks, now and I'm looking forward to some plant growth, but patience is a virtue, I'm told.

It's a standard 40 gallon breeder with a mix of gravel and some Eco. There's some Jungle Val, Pygmy Chain Sword, Micro Sword, E. piniculatis, Rosette Swords, Red Ludwigia and an Asian Water Fern. I use Florapride and it's worked well for me in the past, but I don't have CO2.

There are also 15 Black Neon Tetras, 6 Glowlight Tetras, 2 Otocinclus cats, 2 Bristlenose plecos, 3 Mystery snails, a Horned Nerite and I think 7 Ghost Shrimp. Instated with 10 and a few have gone...missing. We'll be getting 11 more glowlights Tuesday or Wednesday when our LFS gets their order in.

 

[kbuser92]

Here's a couple more.

 

[Barliman]

Very nice start! I'm willing to bet those shrimp aren't missing, but hiding under the wood or in its crevasses.

 

[kbuser92]

Very nice start! I'm willing to bet those shrimp aren't missing, but hiding under the wood or in its crevasses.

Thank you. Im looking forward to those plants filling in, but after we pick up the rest of the fish this week, that'll do for stocking. I don't know about those shrimp, though. I've never seen more than 7 at a time and I have cleaned under a couple of those pieces. I did find one stuck to the back of the filter tube one day, poor guy got a little close and stayed there until I found him. Needless to say, he'd expired by then.

 

[kbuser92]

I'm bad at updates, but here's a new one. We had 1 casualty, a glowlight, but we picked up 15 or so more so now the school is around 19 in number. I did some plant propagating (if one could call it that) in that I took a couple clippings of ludwigia, one of the sword and one of whatever it is that looks like the ludwigia and tried to fill in a few gaps. The pygmy chain sword has several runners and the ludwigia grows (almost) like a weed. Everything else looks nice and happy for the most part. The fish are all growing and getting fat and there are at least a dozen baby mystery snails crawling about. We just finished a 3 week dose of pimafix for a fungal infection and everything cleared up really nice. Water tests are all spot on and I'm very happy with the progress. Thats that for now!

 

[Barliman]

Sounds great. That school of glowlights should be really pretty.

 

[kbuser92]

So I've had a problem with bladder snails recently so I went out and bought a yoyo loach to control them. I wanted a couple assassin snails, but the ttendnt asked if I'd rather a loach and my wife was attached before he as netted. Meet Bob. Also got two good mystery snails because I like them, too. The pictures aren't the greatest, he's gone into hiding, but I hope to get more.

 

[kbuser92]

Here's Bob.

 

[kbuser92]

Bob was picking on my mystery snails (killed one) and so he got his own tank. My wife was too attached to return or trade him so she got a birthday present. Hes got a trio of male cobra guppies and theres a couple cryptocoryne and a hygro. corymbosa in as well.

The 40 received a couple of new swords yesterday, as well. Most everything is growing well.

 

[Delapool]

Liking the driftwood and yoyo loach! If you have room, the yoyo will enjoy being in pairs (some will suggest more).

Grand news everything is growing well - it looks nice.

 

[kbuser92]

Liking the driftwood and yoyo loach! If you have room, the yoyo will enjoy being in pairs (some will suggest more).

Grand news everything is growing well - it looks nice.

Thanks! We plan to set up a 20 long for him here soon (we had everything for a 10 gallon so we chose to do that for the time being). Would a pair be okay in a 20? We probably won't do anything bigger than that.

 

[Delapool]

Probably a little tight just picturing it with your stocking (mine must be about 4 or 5 inches). They do slow down a bit with age. Will also have a go at all snails. Ramshorn snails went but mature mystery snails were too big for them.

I'd keep them on the stocking bucket list as tank evolves over time (they definitely like to team up swimming around) or I think you can get Pygmy / chain loach over in the US.

 

[kbuser92]

Probably a little tight just picturing it with your stocking (mine must be about 4 or 5 inches). They do slow down a bit with age. Will also have a go at all snails. Ramshorn snails went but mature mystery snails were too big for them.

I'd keep them on the stocking bucket list as tank evolves over time (they definitely like to team up swimming around) or I think you can get Pygmy / chain loach over in the US.

Yes, pond snails were gone in a couple days and then he started picking on my bigger mystery snails. Two died, not from the attacks, but I think from the stress. You think only one in a 20 long? We've got the tank, but it needs a light and top so it'll probably be a month or two (in no hurry since he was just moved twice, I'd hate to do it again so soon.) and he'll probably have a few more guppies and a few pearl danios in the end.

My wife does like these loaches, though, so if he'd do that much better in a pair, we could probably amend the stocking list, but not if the tank is going toi be too small. I understand they stay smaller than some, but as active as they are, I'd hate to crowd them.

 

[Delapool]

I read back through and for the 20 I'd try trading him back for dwarf loaches. The yoyo's would do better in a small group and in the 40 imo.

 

[kbuser92]

I read back through and for the 20 I'd try trading him back for dwarf loaches. The yoyo's would do better in a small group and in the 40 imo.

My wife is rather fond of him and has named him Bob. He's probably not going anywhere (sorry to argue!) Can you recommend a good food for him, though? He's not eaten since putting him in his own tank, we've tried bloodworms, ocean nutrition pellets, shrimp pellets, hikari bottoms feeder tablets (for cories and loaches) and frozen marine cuisine. I believe he's nibbled at the on pellets and marine cuisine. Tonight I had to stop by petco for a couple things and had trhem bag up a few pond snails (where I got them from in the first place...) and he devoured then within minutes. It seems that he only has an appetite for those little bigger. Any tips?

 

[Delapool]

No worries - it gives you some thoughts for whole tank stocking. I've always found they will grab leftovers or take food from surface. Never had a fish starve yet - as they get hungry they get confidence ime.

 

[kbuser92]

I hope you're right. I kinda figured he'll figure it out when he gets hungry enough. Thanks a lot!

 

[kbuser92]

I added 2 more otos and 2 blue rams this morning. I'd still like a few more otos, but that's all they had. I'll see how the rams do and would like to get 2-3 more of those, too, but we'll see. They're still shy and kinda washed out from bringing them home, I'll get some better pictures when they color up.

 

[kbuser92]

One of the rams died sometime between Thursday night and Friday morning. She was eating fine, no explanation. I bought another and everything had done well over the weekend until I found my male bristlenose and a glowlight dead last night. Again, no explanation. The bristlenose was just starting to mature and show the bristles on his cheeks, the tetra was one of the bigger ones, but not fully grown. I'll be taking some water tests this afternoon to see if I can't find a cause.

 

[Barliman]

She was eating fine, no explanation.

I've heard other GBR keepers complain of that same thing: sudden death with no symptoms.