1st attempt at a planned 55gal. - natural look

[FishyMamma]

Forgot to add a pic for how I adjusted the wood...




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[FishyMamma]

Finally, one with the fish!


Here's a somewhat still pic of one of my danios along with the lovely diatoms on my rocks. I guess I should get them out and wash them off with water?

Also, the danio looks like it has red gills. How could that be???!!!!! The water parameters have been fabulous with tons of water changes at the beginning as soon as there was a tiny bit of need. I do twice daily water checks!


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[FishyMamma]

Here's the pic for above.



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[FishyMamma]

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[FishyMamma]

Here's a slow-mo short of my Danios this morning! I gave them some exciting music... Tee hee

(This video-making is getting fun!)

Should open straight to YouTube.

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[Fresh2o]

Spacey music! Fun. Very cool to see these in slow motion. Rare treat because they are always in Tasmanian Devil mode.
What app are you using for the video production?


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[FishyMamma]

New long-term stocking scheme:



Comments, critiques, general observations?

Current tank looks like this:


Right now there are only the three Nerite Snails and seven Longfin Gold Danios in the tank. The Otos will have to wait until I have algae in the tank or algae covered rocks available.

I won't be available for a heavy water changing schedule next week, just parameter checks and PWCs. So I need to hold off on starting with the rest, I guess. I was thinking of picking up some RCS today as I was going to go to a LFS today anyway, and I checked this morning and they do have them.

My gut is telling me to apply some patience and restraint to myself right now! I doubt I have much of a biofilm yet. I'm know I can get shrimp food, but I suppose the RCS would be better off I wait until I have a more mature aquarium. I will order bulk catappa leaves today probably, so that I have something for the RCS adults and babies to eat and hide under.





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[FishyMamma]

What app are you using for the video production?

I use iMovie on my iPhone 6. It is soooo easy and intuitive! A far cry from how iMovie on the Mac just a few years ago! That's the last time I did videos.

It has some limits, like I don't think I can add words over video. I have an app on my phone called "Over", which I believe I only available for the iPad now, it let's me do text over pictures quickly.

iMovie lets me add the doctored prints and my own music in a snap.



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[FishyMamma]

Ordered some Catappa leaves. I'd like to add RCS in a month or so and that will give the tank more time to develop a bio-film and for a few Catappa leaves to break down some do the RCS can hopefully utilize them right away.

Although I will add a couple to the tank right away to start getting water-logged benefitting the tank, I want to put a few more in a large jar of tank water to start breaking down and leaching their tannins separately.

It's not that I mind tannins per say, it's that I read the leaves can change the pH of the tank and I don't want to do such a drastic pH change that PWCs are disturbing.

I'm still not settled on how much water to change twice a week. I ordered a TDS monitor from Amazon to help give me information in this area. Fussing with the pH significantly is not what I want to start doing.

Even if I condition the leaves in a separate jar all the time in batches, I think I can provide future shrimp with their benefits without having to mess with the pH too much.

We shall see...


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[FishyMamma]

I have diatoms!!


Off to do research...


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[fish wrangler]

http://www.aquahobby.com/articles/e_freshwater_algae.php different algae types

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[FishyMamma]

From the article recommended above by fishwrangler:

"Brown Algae (diatoms) are more likely to appear in low-light aquariums and new setups, where nitrogen (N) is low and phosphate (P) level is high, with excess silicate (SiO2)."

Thank you, fish wrangler! I'll google how to raise nitrogen and lower phosphate - or at least not set up such a situation again, if possible.

I just finished scrubbing the visible diatoms off the rocks in old tank water and wiping the tank walls, although those appeared clear. When I added the water back in I let it go much higher to the top of the tank as it was suggested somewhere to me, (can't find it or remember which thread!! So sorry, brilliant and wonderful AA Forum member.)

Tank top now:


While doing a 75% PWC, I WAS finally able to locate all three of my Nerite snails. I had only been seeing one at a time and was worried it was the same one and that the other two were dead and decaying under somewhere. (A little dramatic, I know.)




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[fish wrangler]

I feel the same way about my otos! I can find 1 or 2 at a time, but I should have 4...great at playing hide-n-cant find us lol

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[Fresh2o]

Them are purty snails.
Look at this link for a DIY mod you can do to reduce the splash and provide some direction for your HOB filter output. See post #3:
Micro bubbles and overstocked?


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[FishyMamma]

Niiiice! We got us some smart whippersnappers on this here forum!!!!

I hate to reduce it too much, won't my danios hate zero agitation?


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[Fresh2o]

With the modification, you can tailor the amount of surface movement by adjusting the curve and pitch. By putting an upward curve at the end of the extension, the water will flow along the surface providing good surface movement. Less agitation? Probably. However, IMO good surface movement will provide adequate gas exchange.


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[FishyMamma]

Fascinating. So much to learn. Thank you.



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[FishyMamma]

See these guys...


They're DEAD to me! Or at least will be soon. Getting some Assassin Snails today. They're $3.50 ea., which seems steep, not sure why.

Hubsters is going with me so I may show him the rummy-nosed tetras I think he would like. He is interested in a school that will shoal together. (Am I using that term correctly? He wants to see them swim and turn together.)


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[FishyMamma]

Update on the pond snails - I put in a couple Assassin snails last week an haven't seen them since. The pond snail population seems to be decreasing, however, so they must be doing their job.

Since hubby likes neon tetras I am beginning a school of those today. On the way home from an LFS with them right now. (Teenage son is driving.) I picked up three Moneywort plants to hopefully propagate, also. This time I will do a bleach dip! (Going to go Google that now.)


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[FishyMamma]

Did a heavy-concentration-salt dip instead of bleach. Seems gentler. Will see how that worked.

The Moneywort is very pretty. Here's a few stems as I planted them:


The six neons are acclimating as I write:



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