marchmaxima
Aquarium Advice Addict
looking nice Fort. What are those blue bottles in the cabinet?
5 Gal FW Planted Shrimp Tank
- Thread starter fort384
- Start date
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timwag2001
Aquarium Advice FINatic
so you dont sell them anymore? i suggested that someone ask you if you still did.
mfdrookie516
Aquarium Free - 2+ Years
that somebody was me... i guess its a good thing i didnt ask yet lol. One of these days after things settle down and i get a chance to have some extra money, maybe things will settle down and you can start selling ferts again?
yeah maybe I will get back 2 it soon... never really did it to make a ton of money, just liked providing a really easy dosing system for fellow hobbyists. I may have some extra empty bottles laying around somewhere in a box I haven't unpacked yet since the move. I will look in the next few days maybe I can get you out a batch... it may not have the fancy labels on it since my color printer went kaput.
Ok, so I am back from Afghanistan. My tank was in pretty poor shape (my wife isn't much into the hobby). I have been working on it the last few weeks and am getting it back into shape somewhat. Here is a current photo:
It is currently stocked with about 15 RCS and just 1 cardinal tetra and 1 black neon. I am going to add a few more cardinals now that I am back and can keep the tank up.
This is the third redesign for this tank (thanks to the military
). Got rid of the baby tears. They did really well, and covered the whole bottom of the tank before I had left, but a lot of work to keep it all planted and looking decent. That mixed with the fact that the microsword went crazy and grew all mixed in with the baby tears by the time I got back. Fert dosing wasn't done correctly, the CO2 ran out, and all the plants were covered with algae. It was out of control.
I am going to try and stick with the dwarf hairgrass and see if I can get it to cover most of the foreground. I decided to go back to a stem plant (rotalla wallichi) for the background but not sure whether or not I like it. I really like this nano tank, but it is so difficult to scale a decent looking scape in such a small space.
Anyways, good to be home. Thought I would share the latest with my 1 remaining tank.
It is currently stocked with about 15 RCS and just 1 cardinal tetra and 1 black neon. I am going to add a few more cardinals now that I am back and can keep the tank up.
This is the third redesign for this tank (thanks to the military
). Got rid of the baby tears. They did really well, and covered the whole bottom of the tank before I had left, but a lot of work to keep it all planted and looking decent. That mixed with the fact that the microsword went crazy and grew all mixed in with the baby tears by the time I got back. Fert dosing wasn't done correctly, the CO2 ran out, and all the plants were covered with algae. It was out of control. I am going to try and stick with the dwarf hairgrass and see if I can get it to cover most of the foreground. I decided to go back to a stem plant (rotalla wallichi) for the background but not sure whether or not I like it. I really like this nano tank, but it is so difficult to scale a decent looking scape in such a small space.
Anyways, good to be home. Thought I would share the latest with my 1 remaining tank.
elwaine
Aquarium Advice Activist
- Joined
- Nov 11, 2008
- Messages
- 174
Welcome Home Soldier!!!! Great to have you back.
I have always found it difficult to start over again after a tank goes to seed, especially after all the work it took to get the landscaping just the way you want it. I commend you on your efforts.
If I get the energy, I'll post a picture or two of my two tanks... both of which have grown wild - intentionally. I discontinued the CO2, dose only when I feel like it, and I don't bother much about the quality of the lighting. Furthermore, instead of fighting algae, I have learned to appreciate it. However, I chose to use mainly different varieties of ferns and mosses, both of which require very little care.
I still do water changes and keep the pH, Alkalinity, and hardness steady; however, I almost never measure those parameters anymore. I just keep using the same formula to replace water due to evaporation, and another mix to replace water after a good water change. As long as the fish and shrimp look happy and keep reproducing, and the plants keep growing like the weeds they are, I see no need to change anything I am doing. -- It is a much more relaxing hobby for me now - the way it was when I was a kid... long before i ever heard about dosing or using CO2.
The 18 gal tank looks like something you might see in a clear bog or backwater... not picture pretty - but very "real" or "natural," I think. Building a natural looking, not obviously landscaped aquarium was always my intention. So I am happy with it.
The 3 gallon is sort of bare now as I just weeded out about 40 tons of Cladophora and took out most of the plants into which it had intertwined. But the few guppies and CRS that live there are quite happy.
Good to have you back, Fort...
Regards,
Larry
I have always found it difficult to start over again after a tank goes to seed, especially after all the work it took to get the landscaping just the way you want it. I commend you on your efforts.
If I get the energy, I'll post a picture or two of my two tanks... both of which have grown wild - intentionally. I discontinued the CO2, dose only when I feel like it, and I don't bother much about the quality of the lighting. Furthermore, instead of fighting algae, I have learned to appreciate it. However, I chose to use mainly different varieties of ferns and mosses, both of which require very little care.
I still do water changes and keep the pH, Alkalinity, and hardness steady; however, I almost never measure those parameters anymore. I just keep using the same formula to replace water due to evaporation, and another mix to replace water after a good water change. As long as the fish and shrimp look happy and keep reproducing, and the plants keep growing like the weeds they are, I see no need to change anything I am doing. -- It is a much more relaxing hobby for me now - the way it was when I was a kid... long before i ever heard about dosing or using CO2.
The 18 gal tank looks like something you might see in a clear bog or backwater... not picture pretty - but very "real" or "natural," I think. Building a natural looking, not obviously landscaped aquarium was always my intention. So I am happy with it.
The 3 gallon is sort of bare now as I just weeded out about 40 tons of Cladophora and took out most of the plants into which it had intertwined. But the few guppies and CRS that live there are quite happy.
Good to have you back, Fort...
Regards,
Larry
Larry, thanks! It is good to be home. Would love to see your tanks when you get a chance. If past precedence tells me anything it's that you are probably selling your tanks short. You always have some great things going.
FishEggs
Aquarium Advice Addict
welcome back home and thanks for serving. Glad you made it back safe.
Looks like a good design on the tank to me.
Looks like a good design on the tank to me.
Well, no good source for cardinals within an hour of here, and I am not going to pay $30 in shipping for $6 worth of fish, so I went with neons.
I also finally decided to get a small canister filter and some glass inflow/outflow tubes to throw on the tank in keeping with the minimalist look. Can finally dump the HOB. Should be here next week.
kbuser92
Aquarium Advice Regular
I have 4 Blood fins in my 10 gal. with what started as 3 Ghost shrimp, that turned out to be 7. I've never seen more than 4 of my shrimp fry, so I'm assuming that any other eggs that were laid didn't get hatched or the eggs were eaten. Maybe either Blood fins don't like shrimp or they could never find all the tiny Ghost shrimp (because they're...ghost?) That's just one experience from one person, but I felt the way this was worded ^^ was that they WILL for sure eat them...maybe I misunderstood; no disrespect meant.
Thought I would share this. My new Rotala Wallichii is showing some great new growth... very reddish/pink. I am trying to keep the N as low as possible without causing too much of an imbalance or an algae outbreak. It appears to be paying off.
Maybe the 27W light is sufficient after all.
Also have the CO2 cranked.
The RCS love both the rotala and hairgrass. It is hard to spot them in the tank.
Lowryder
Aquarium Advice Addict
Welcome home hoorah. Tank looks great!
FishEggs
Aquarium Advice Addict
let me know when you're ready to trim that rotala. maybe it will look that good in my tank. lol not likely. that is some nice looking rotala
Jason7894561230
Aquarium Advice Addict
Beaitful tank!
ChizerBunoi
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Very very nice. Do you find that you have to clean the glass probe often? How do you like it? Do you bleach your glassware often?
Ziggy953
Aquarium Advice Addict
Awesome tank!
Fastfossil
Aquarium Advice Freak
Nice one Bud.
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