Autumnsky's Conversations in water keeping

[Autumnsky]

No new pics yet, had my laptop go out of service and then a trip away for near 2 weeks so finally getting back to everything again.

Also if anyone is on Instagram I post there sometimes too, plants, flowers sunsets, bugs and fish usually.
AutumnskyCO

Using a different laptop now small and older, and not convenient to load post pics yet, too new/different to get used to yet.

Really excited that a new lfs opened. There was a guy around the corner which sold SW online out of the house /business SW stuff and they just opened a shop! Went today and dropped some bucks to help them get a good start. SW and FW but mostly SW although had a great amount of FW plants and good, maybe 12ish types of shrimp, sadly too much per shrimp than I like to pay.

Had all the maintenance pretty much caught up before I left for the trip end of June. Worked pretty hard for that to be all done.

I was super happy an aquarium friend took appx 200-300 Guppies / Endlers before I left! I told him hopefully he could off load a bunch to his lfs.

Tanks look pretty good overall, a few minor annoyances like lots of algae in the SW from the sunshine coming in and the lack of water changes before that plus my Purigen and Phosguard were exhausted.

Spent $20 on 25 raffle tickets at the new lfs, hoping to win something wonderful, or at least worth $20, lol!

Drawings today and another tomorrow!

 

[Delapool]

12 types of shrimp!! It’s like three here of which two are technically illegal...

 

[Autumnsky]

I am feeling blessed!

Also went back to the new lfs and bought a new bunch of / kind of plant and a bag of special shrimp substrate as well, Shrimp King Active soil. Asked some questions and looked at some things I missed.

Spend over an hour scooping and picking out algae, mainly from the 30G Waterbox Guppy / Endlers grow out. And capturing several male fish which went to the 72G.

I love my new frags, check my Instagram for a couple pics if you use it. I tried using this borrowed laptop and it loaded my pics somewhere on it but I couldn't find them, hahahaha. Will need to ask about where they mysteriously went...

 

[Autumnsky]

Recent up date Post #13364 What did you do with your tank today
aquariumadvice.com/forums/f23/what-did-you-do-with-your-tank-today-195155-669.html#post3546936

The tanks are really stressing me out. Which is a bummer because I have so many awesome tanks.

The worst part is 5 gazillion from baby to adult and always pregnant momma Endlers and Guppies.

Then how I do not care for larger tank maintenance.

Yet have a number of larger tanks. And much of the additional maintenance is due to the feeding so much because of the fry..

I plan to tank a big bag of less awesome /not my most favorite male guppies and Endlers over to the pet store and see if I can get anything for them.

Then find out if they would want the mommas and fry. If not I will post them for sale.

Will wait on the Endlers tank which had that one sick fish for another couple weeks though as not give anybody possibly stressed or sick fish.

The fish need to move around a little bit too.

The Endlers might need to move out of the 80G. That will make room for about 25-35 male Guppies and Endlers, as the tank needs a little bit more color.

I think that is how many I will have left after the reduction in the 72G, hoping so much that the lfs would appreciate some male Guppies in trade.

Back in early June I had ordered Vampire Shrimp and Bamboo Shrimp, never have got a call about them arriving.

Will ask the new lfs how much theirs would be if they ordered them for me.

End of part 1 of 2 for today's ramblings. I don't have anybody to talk to almost all the family went for some not too vary far away vacation trips. Only one family member is mildly interested anyway haha.

 

[Autumnsky]

part 2 of 2

This is where I try and figure out which fish goes in which tank and which tanks I can shut down (again).

Please feel free to skip it.

To start out, I wish I was smarter in setting up the lighting and creating a auto water change for the 5 tanks on my tank wall corner

- I fear I would cause a flood. [glad to get that lament out of the way]

My brand new build white Fluval 12G Edge. Have substrate (might need some magic substrate dust though first, and keep forgetting to order it.)

Then will need to move the black 12G Edge Golden Bee Pencil Fish shrimp tank off the white stand. And put it where?

But guilt is getting to me as I love that tank set up and don't want to ditch it just yet but also do not want to have another tank plus not a good place to put it.

The spare room is open right now but if my family member with memory issues decides to stay, and to feed my (now shrimp before Betta) tank an ounce or more of freeze dried chicken cat treats again, I might lose all my shrimp.

Very risky option .

Leaving that tank switch in limbo for now.

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SW will get upgraded to a rimless more cube like, a little more narrow tank than 36" Hoping for low iron glass. Or wondering about using the 30G Waterbox tank for a SW, but rn I have way too much Live rock, might have to rehome my big Coral banded shrimp.

____________________________________________________

The tank 80G Innovative Marine Lagoonaka Congos lazy river, is awesome and huge. End of the room show piece. Just need to switch the Endlers colony with the male Guppies Endlers for color and done for stock.

Add some plants and figure out how to make the huge Cypress knees driftwood float above the tank just dipping water level...... Magic?

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The the 72G bowfrontneeds some design updates, might move 1 of the the Anubias covered big DW to the 80G if the Cypress knees can levitate.

Decide on a nano fish ideas list. Find a home (or move to the 80G) for the Dwarf Petricola or whichever name they call them by now.

One odd issue is they have a sharp toxic spine which they use on fish sometimes. In the 72G I have found one Congo Tetra and one Clown Loach dead at different times like 6 months apart, and no other fish ill or looking ill, and actually found a puncture on the Congo Tetra.

Circumstantially... I fear they will kill big beautiful fish and eat small ones. I have a friend who would want them, haven't asked but he takes most anything, but would probably love these guys. They are quite expensive. These were gifted to me from a hobby friend who was moving far away.


Then there is the new White Fluval Edge stocking. Was to be shrimp. Can't decide that either. Some what depends on the stock list for the 72G nano fish tank.

There is the PRL temporary cube, was waiting for the Fluval White 12G Edge. But there are only 5 and the tank doesn't have any biofilm yet. Might add a Betta until the tank gets matured.

See? too many options. They are all interesting in their own way. But not enough time for 10 tanks.

 

[TMaier]

If I had 10 tanks, I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night. To much planning and maintenance stuff rolling in my brain.

 

[Autumnsky]

Exactly.

I sleep fine, it's when I'm awake (and especially at home) which is my problem. :/

So the next plan begins of digging myself OUT of too much.


What I think I see is more like my original reduction plan.

X large bowfront or marine low iron tank for the Clown Loaches and Congos and other pretty fish in a display tank.

A SW ~30q-45G better than what I have now / more narrow.

2 shrimp tanks



Maybe keep the 72G for the nano fish and shrimp Golden Bees (maybe something else background is black glass so need bright Caridina shrimp) and a colorful Sakura neo shrimp.

Vampire shrimp and Bamboo shrimp and Kuhlis and Cories. Sand substrate switch at some point at least in the front half to 1/3 sand. Grow long Val or Crypt Balansae in back. To brighten up the background.

Gotta get my focus sharpened! Floated off track winning awesome fish tanks and growing a gazillion Guppies and Endlers.

Focus, focus, focus!

 

[Autumnsky]

...and that monster Hornwort!

 

[Autumnsky]

The Betta I found almost last on the shelf like a ray of sunlight for me to take him home back maybe May 2020

Such a beautiful color combo!

 

[Autumnsky]

270 days since last post here on this thread.

Lots going on. Pandemic last year. Ended up with a couple thousand Guppies and Endlers, found the majority of them new homes. Just have a couple females and mainly have 2 tanks with lots of males. The females were babies and grown up now. Had intended to get rid of the babies at the local Aquarium Society monthly meetings and auctions. But we didn't have that because of the no meetings orders.

Ended up expanding the amount of fish and tanks. And then unexpectedly found I was moving homes this spring. Then had to reduce the amount of tanks and fish. The amount of space for storing fish tank supplies was cut to a quarter of what it was.

Also have been upgrading the tanks and equipment through the past year or so. Finally set up the 12G Edge tank.

Honestly, I have been overwhelmed with moving the fish and tanks. Didn't really get the time to scape the tanks like I would have wanted to. Still haven't got the new SW tank rock work done yet.

Family and other obligations have me too busy. I would like to cut back one more tank but I really do not know how to do it.

Now have the
72G bowfront Clown Loaches, Cories, Cories, Pearl Gourami pair and Wadai Tetras

30G Waterbox mixed fish Neons, Cardinals (Trying to find a time to capture the Cardinals and move to the 72G.

12G Edge new tank PRL

12G Edge old tank Mixed Shrimp

50G SW Rimless Cube

I also have a 5G Spec V which just is sitting there waiting for a new owner, full of plants and a handful of snails.

Plus some buckets of rocks still with air bubblers waiting to make sure I don't need them in any of the tanks.

The wine glass tank will be a terrarium for now.

Small chance that I can reduce the fish in the 30G, and add the mixed shrimp to the Waterbox tank. Just not sure yet.

4 tanks is the goal, 5 is good for now.

 

[Autumnsky]

Not too much has has changed.

The 50G SW cube is up for sale. I got that tank for the Mandarin Goby, for one special fish. Then, was away for 2 weeks and came back and the fish had died (they were fed while I was gone.) And I didn't really want a tank with a sump with only have 2 fish in there anyway... Adult Gold Nugget x Lightening Maroon Clown and Yellow Clown Goby.

Thinking of setting up a nano tank and just doing small. If a local keeper wants my Clownfish. My Yellow Clown Goby is around 7 years old now nearing the lifespan end.

If I didn't have either fish I might just make a Macro Algae tank with some inverts. The loss of the Mandarin was super sad. Disinterested feeling. SW tank depressed there.

A local shrimp breeder /hobbyist getting out of shrimp keeping, offered me his Deep Blue Bolt shrimp. Then stalled me and looks like he doesn't want to sell them now. I am a little bummed about that too. Was very excited about it.

At this point there are an increasing number of personal family things to take up my time.

The tanks are doing pretty good and run pretty well with regular water changes.

The Clown Loaches are doing well, the 2 new guys are doing great. Got them a new cave to hang out in.

The Cories in the 30G just laid eggs yesterday and today there are still eggs. Wondering if they will hatch. Snails and Guppies usually eat them the same day.

 

[Autumnsky]

281 days since the last entry. Some things have changed a little bit.

I still have the 50G SW tank, but after a long - 6 week absence (family emergency) the Yellow Clown Goby was no more and the body of the Clown fish was found. I fear the salinity just was more than the fish could deal with, and no water changes for 6 weeks. So the tank was just hanging out since February 2022.

But also feeding the BB by throwing some food in.

Hoping to get it a new home soon. It is such a lovely tank, but I really do not need it right now or in the near 2 year future probably.

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Now there are some algae problems in the tanks. Some Diatoms in the 72G bowfront, and brown algae. Have some plans to get it under control. Have eliminated about half, but the amount of light seems to be so much worse where the other lamp also shines in.

30G Waterbox has a luxurious amount of BBA. The Betta loves the cushion on the leaves. But it is a hideous display tank right now. So it will get a redo in the next few months.

There are a variety of fish in that tank right now. I will be moving some fish around.

Was wondering about what to make of the 30G.

There is a used CO2 set up, I will be getting in the future. Though not sure which tank it should go on. 72G or the 30G.

The tanks are set up across the room from each other so it doesn't seem possible to use it for both.

Then also there are the 2 12G Edge tanks.

Black Edge tank has a nice colony of PRL parentage CRS shrimp. I didn't really want CRS, but after the PRL shrimp I bought were not truely PRL and one at least was mixed and therefore CRS. I just kept them. Added a few Blue Bolts and Shadow Panda and Mosura.

I had a huge bunch maybe 150 including little ones, until the 6 week trip and lost about 2/3rds of the colony.

Extremely disappointing. Those shrimp just couldn't deal without a water change for 6 weeks. And the unknown feeding amounts as I had only packed pre-portioned food for a 2 weeks trip. The tanks caretaker did all that could be done with such unexpected circumstances.

The other 5G long Spec V by Fluval just had snails (misc RH, MTS, A Rabbit snail and a number of young MS) and a couple male Guppies, basically hanging out.

Moved out the 2 Guppies. It is running just fine so I just left it. A friend wants a gob of Subwassertang and it's in there also hanging out. When I go through and redo the tanks, one by one, I can add the snails into a different tank. Easier to redo tanks and add the snails than have to pick them out.

The other White Edge is the newer one and has some hair algae from so much light and then the different more nutrient rich substrate than I had used for a long time, also didn't use Purigen on any of the tanks after I moved last year. I forgot some in a bucket of rocks.

So if the other guy wants the colony of CRS, I plan to take the Blue Bolts / BB and Shadow Panda Mosura to create a Taiwan Bee tank, with mainly the BBs. That would mean maybe retiring the Black Edge for awhile. The nice thing is switching the glass actual tank part of the tank to the other color tank parts.

Technically I have 6 tanks running right now, but just 4 tanks for the future.

There is actually the got over 2 years ago Zoo Med Paludarium with the 4G tank in it which is just sitting in the sidelines. Have been wanting to set up a crab tank. But this year probably is too busy to be able to give it enough attention. So it will just need to wait.

The crabs are Mandarin or Apricot Vampire Crab (Geosesarma Notophorum). Been following a few people who keep them and really enjoy watching the little guys.

Also been wanting to build a paludarium in general. This might be too small for my long term plan though because I'd like it to be more substantial.

I already have it though, so maybe a starter.

Also wanted to make a little pond. Have a ~100G rigid pond liner . Again, probably not enough time this year. But a friend of mine is keeping a fancy GF for me I could put in with some WCMM or Endlers.

Kinda had it in the back of my mind to have a fancy GF tank. IF I find a bigger bowfront I might be able to have the 72G as a GF tank.

So that is the summation. Many possibilities for the future.

Best Fishes wishes.

 

[Autumnsky]

516 days since last posting.

Some things change and some things don't.

I have 4 tanks now (and still the SW 50G cube but still need to sell it... has water no fish, just fill evap and throw some food for the LR periodically).

SW - have a nano SW 5G cube but bought a used 20G Innovative Marine Panorama Abyss.

Was all done with SW but then decided I missed it. Got a bunch of new frags and found out that being away from home (no choice in the matter), makes things die. I bought the IM Abyss because I had always wanted one.

Now I am considering making it a nano fish tank instead of SW. I had really just wanted a good home for my Red Mangrove Seedlings which had been growing very well and then it snowballed again into too much work for how much time I have to spend.

Anyway, I will have a nano fish tank (presently the newer white 12G Edge).

And I need a shrimp tank just a few misc. Cherry and Blue Bolts shrimp in the nano fish tank. Have been waiting for fall to get a new batch of shrimp.

Have the 30G Waterbox with misc fish, mainly a group of ~5-6 Kuhli Loaches, and a few old Green and Bronze Cories, with some Blue eyed Black Emperor Tetras and a Pair of Platinum Sailfin Mollies, which have a baby, Japan Blue Endlers.

The 72G Bowfront has about 7 or 8 Clown Loaches, not too big yet but will need to make some decisions probably next year about a rehoming or bigger tank for the couple of larger ones, 18 Sterbai Cories, A few Glass Cats, they seem to be dying off, and a few of the Wadai Tetras maybe 8-10, a few neons and Cardinals and a pair of Spotted Danios and appx 10 Giant Silver Hatchets. A pair of Albino Red Millennium and a pair of Boesemani Rainbowfish.

A couple pond plants in a planter tub but no pond. And a friend who is keeping my 1 big Goldfish in their pond. It is on an extended loan. Maybe someday I will have more time for fun stuff like a pond.

I will be getting rid of some more un-needed fish room stuff because i have entirely too much, in the way of things I store and don't need to keep.

Thinking of moving the 30G tank fish over to the 72G if I think up a way to do a continuous water change drip system. Technically I know how I could do it, the problem is storing the new water (which currently is no place for it, and where the old water would go out of the house to. Freezing temps in winter.

Basically stuck with the same issue I have always had for setting one up.

I still love my fish and inverts but maybe it is time again to think through which type I really would rather have.

 

[Autumnsky]

Well there was a big outbreak of Columnaris in a bunch of fish I got, and even though treated it, lost most of the fish in QT. Just glad it was in the QT and not my display tank. Heartbreaking none the less.

Took down the 5G SW nano which just had a mucky brown mess. I just can't do it right now.

Planning to move my Red Mangroves into one larger space, maybe the 5G, possibly the 12G.

I have the 20G IM Abyss SW tank still, which I never got up and running. SW never recovered from the weeks I needed to be away. It turned into a project which I knew wouldn't work in the near future.

Anyway, the 72G tank is going well, the Rainbow fish pairs are matured now, and added an additional young female Boesemani. (There was 1 male and 2 females, but 2 died in the outbreak in QT)

I am adoring my orange and speckled Plakat Betta with the Tancho red head spot. He is beautiful and spunky. He was one no one bid on him, so I got him for around $5 or 6 maybe. Can't recall atm. Cheap though. He came from a Betta importer and breeder, trying to make room for incoming shipment. He is a special fish.


So far I am hoping so much for him to stay orange. And in in the past 3 months, so far so good.

3 tanks:
12G white Fluval Edge
30G Waterbox tank
72G Bowfront

QT and Mangroves sidelines.

I feel a sense of making the goal finally, of just 3 actual fish display tanks. So many years striving for that reduction.