progress with planted

[mfdrookie516]

II have planted tanks with fish in them... Not fish tanks with plants in them .

Really? Hmmm... I thought I had your planted tanks with fish in them... minus the tanks part.

I agree... looking good. The blyxa does look a bit too deep. I suppose my impromptu 'jam it in the substrate' presentation was a bit misleading.

 

[Coleallensmom]

It won't ever get as orange as rotala w, but it will get a nice golden color, with little specs of red along the veins. The key is high light, high co2, and keeping the tank N limited.

Hmmm..I thought I was killing it. Then again, I don't really have high light or high Co2 either, so maybe I am. lol

 

[fort384]

Really? Hmmm... I thought I had your planted tanks with fish in them... minus the tanks part.

I suppose this is true at this exact point in time, but I was speaking more on a philosophical level than a contemporaneous level.

 

[hippy guy]

So here's an update, the neons are gone, in the 20 gal, and now its just betta and loaches. Now that its quiter, I've seen them chillin in the blyxa and eating algea crumbs for the cherries. I like the idea of the only main swimming fish being the betta, and he seems happier now because of it
Official stock list
4 kuhlis, 1 male crowntail, and 1 hill stream loach, 3 cherries, and 1 vampire shrimp, and 1 amano shrimp.

I may order a ninja shrimp for the tank (only breed in brackish) because they can apparently change colors very fast

 

[Monkeymama]

My tank seems to be coming along fine, and the water actually seems cleaner (not that it was dirty, but with plants it just looks so natural) my betta could not be happier, and I've even had some kuhli spottings in the blixya this morning. Here's what I got so far hope you guys approve lol

Where did u find that big open rock?

 

[hippy guy]

It was a cichlid cave, but noone would actuallyy use it (no cichlids) so I smashed the side, and used the original door as a sunroof haha. My fish and shrimp seem to like having multiple exits (I'm the same way lol)

 

[hippy guy]

So my hillstream didn't make it found him this morning, took him out did a water test, 50% pwc, and did a test, still have .25 ammonia..do another psw? Or just let it die down?
My other readings are 5.0 ppm or less nitrate, 0 nitrite, and 7.2 ph. My tap water made it go from 7 to 7.2, but I figure itl fix it self.. is this all right?

 

[hippy guy]

Here's my diy c02 system, still working on a better diffuser, but for now its an airstone, and the corner of my cave (forms a pocket of c02 in the top corner)

 

[hippy guy]

Ammonia is down to zero again, c02 is going and I may up the amount and see what happens.. moves some things around. The only fish are the betta, and the kuhli loaches. The rest is just skrimps n snails lol

 

[mfdrookie516]

Are you measuring your co2?

 

[hippy guy]

How do I do that?

 

[Oscarr19]

Very nice tank! Are those RCS with your Betta? I'm scared to put those in with mine lol I haven't tried but I'm going with ghosts for now. What size tank is that?

 

[hippy guy]

Its a 10 gal, have cherries, amano, and vampire no problem. My betta has never chased anything (maybe a neon ot two lol)

 

[mfdrookie516]

How do I do that?

Either by testing kh and ph and using a chart, or by using a drop checker. You really need to be testing it somehow... too much is bad, too little can cause problems with algae.

 

[hippy guy]

My kit has ph test, what's kh?

 

[Oscarr19]

Its a 10 gal, have cherries, amano, and vampire no problem. My betta has never chased anything (maybe a neon ot two lol)

Ohh my betta thinks he's king lol guess I'll have to try though.

 

[hippy guy]

The only fish he's been sketch twords was a dwarf gourami that I put in the wrong tank (wasn't thinking) the betta flared, but then ran away..he's a baby haha

 

[hippy guy]

I think I'm at too little, because I've noticed mlre algea, but I've been keepin up on it.. a drop checker, they use some liquid and such...should I just go for that?

 

[hippy guy]

So possibly ordering a pretty neat glass c02 diffuser tomorow, and even without, I feel like I can see the effect my changes have had.
My betta is happy now that its basically just him and the jungle (neons in a new, established 10 gal transfer project(all is well with that as well)
Added 3 amano shrimp (algea clean up) and and hopefully getting 6 to 10 s grade crystals in a few weeks
This tank isalmost to where I want it, a few pieces of java moss here and there (when I get the crystals). And maybe another chunk of driftwood to replace the cave.... any pointers?

 

[hippy guy]

Success! I have about 25 or so red cherry shrimp, and after a day or watching, the betta is still not interested in the shrimp, so that's promising (hopefully they can out reproduce what my betta eats if he does haha)