Clevers South American Biotope - 220g

[mambee]

If you want to keep live plants, then skip the Silver Dollars. I recently re-homed 4 of them that I had for several years. I found them to be too flighty. My geophagus altifrons grew very quickly. Doing large water changes helps.

 

[Gillie]

I feel like my aquascape is missing something without rocks in the tank but in all the pictures I see of the amazon river there are no rocks in it.

It because only the fast flowing parts of the river and possibly the areas to deep to shoot have visible rocks. I'm sure you'd find them in other areas, under heavy layers of detritus.

I felt the same way and the habitats that most SA fish come from are very ugly and not so display tank friendly.

 

[CleverBs]

It because only the fast flowing parts of the river and possibly the areas to deep to shoot have visible rocks. I'm sure you'd find them in other areas, under heavy layers of detritus.

I felt the same way and the habitats that most SA fish come from are very ugly and not so display tank friendly.

Yeah its not pretty but I thought I could at least try to make mine look nice while sticking to only having things that would be found there.

 

[CleverBs]

Try online for the ammonia.

Why do you hate Fishless?


Caleb

Its just a pain to do without pure ammonia. You have to let some shrimp decay in the water until you see the 3ppm ammonia and then you have to take them out wait for it to drop then put some more back in and wait. Its just a pain

 

[CleverBs]

If you want to keep live plants, then skip the Silver Dollars. I recently re-homed 4 of them that I had for several years. I found them to be too flighty. My geophagus altifrons grew very quickly. Doing large water changes helps.

the live plants I will have are just going to be a few very large plants they wont cause any issues with them. I am talking big 18" tall mother amazon swords not some little 7" 6 leaf one. I cant have much for plants anyways because the geophagus will uproot just about anything

 

[ImACoolguy]

Look at a crypt Balansae mother plant. I have one that takes up 1/3 of my 75g. It would take a beast or a whole lot of digging to uproot that thing.


Yeah I get the shrimp... I did that with my salt tank. I much prefer the pure ammonia.


Caleb

 

[Gillie]

Look at a crypt Balansae mother plant. I have one that takes up 1/3 of my 75g. It would take a beast or a whole lot of digging to uproot that thing.


Yeah I get the shrimp... I did that with my salt tank. I much prefer the pure ammonia.


Caleb

Lol, I bought one years ago that lifted all of the substrate in a 55 when the guy tried to pull it out of the tank. Unfortunately they aren't a SA plant, but swords get the same way.

 

[CleverBs]

Update: We are in the cycle process. My Ammonia has been at 3ppm for the past couple days but no sign of nitrites yet.

I am still searching for a place to buy Geophagus Altifrons or Albanios they are really hard to find it seems...cant figure out why.

Driftwood is getting a weird white slime algae on it. I figure its just from the cycle.

I have been trying to find 80w T5ho's here in town without any luck so I think I am going to order them today online.

 

[mambee]

If you have a LFS, they should be able to special order the Altifrons for you.

I purchased mine on aquabid. The vendor was imperialtropicals.com, a Florida fish farm.

 

[Gillie]

Jeff Rapps has both species.

 

[CleverBs]

If you have a LFS, they should be able to special order the Altifrons for you.

I purchased mine on aquabid. The vendor was imperialtropicals.com, a Florida fish farm.

I have talked to all my LFS and no one can get them except for one who wants 75$ each for them for 2-3" Altifrons no thanks...I see some on aquabid right now but they are a bit small at 1.5-2" and my tank isnt ready for them yet.

 

[CleverBs]

Jeff Rapps has both species.

I have seen that but his shipping prices are a slap in the face. and I didnt have the best experience with him on the phone.

 

[CleverBs]

I have to say that I have never done a fishless cycle before and it is hard to wait. The tank is just sitting empty and not having a fish tank is a bit difficult for me. I have had at least 1 tank set up for the past 5-6 years and right now having one empty and the other one cycling is driving me nuts. So I am spending my time shopping.

I bought new t5ho bulbs yesturday. I just got 4x 6500k's. I am having a hard time starting my 30g planted because its just going to be a lot of money to start it up. I have quite a bit of the money for it but I am having a hard time pulling the trigger because I think I am having a hard time totally walking away from saltwater and kind of want to just set up the 30g as a small reef but I know I will regret it.

I think I should of set my 30g planted up first because at least the plants would of given me something to look at and fiddle with

 

[fish wrangler]

I have to say that I have never done a fishless cycle before and it is hard to wait. The tank is just sitting empty and not having a fish tank is a bit difficult for me. I have had at least 1 tank set up for the past 5-6 years and right now having one empty and the other one cycling is driving me nuts. So I am spending my time shopping.

I bought new t5ho bulbs yesturday. I just got 4x 6500k's. I am having a hard time starting my 30g planted because its just going to be a lot of money to start it up. I have quite a bit of the money for it but I am having a hard time pulling the trigger because I think I am having a hard time totally walking away from saltwater and kind of want to just set up the 30g as a small reef but I know I will regret it.

I think I should of set my 30g planted up first because at least the plants would of given me something to look at and fiddle with

Did you use some seeded media to jump start the cycle? Hopefully things go quickly and smoothly for you.
Do you have most of the equipment to start the 30g as a little reef? If you have that stuff you could start a lower tech coral tank or a FOWLR tank.
If you do decide on going planted with the 30g I can help you plant it.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[CleverBs]

Did you use some seeded media to jump start the cycle? Hopefully things go quickly and smoothly for you.
Do you have most of the equipment to start the 30g as a little reef? If you have that stuff you could start a lower tech coral tank or a FOWLR tank.
If you do decide on going planted with the 30g I can help you plant it.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

I have all the equipment for a reef however I got out of the hobby because I dont have the time to put into it. I am going to just go planted and I just need to get a co2 setup at this point. Planting is something I have been good at and have a well thoughtout design of what I want to do. I did not seed the 220g with anything but that should be to much of an issue as long as I keep the ammonia in the right range

 

[CleverBs]

Well the cycle is rolling along. Last night I tested ammonia and its gone down from 3.0-4.0 to .25 and I have 2-5 nitrite...hard to tell because the 2ppm and 5ppm are almost hte same color however I dont know how the color could be any darker so I am thinking its 5ppm. I put ammonia back up to 3.0 again so we will see what happens.

 

[CleverBs]

Thougt I woud post a quick pic. Tank looks terrible because the driftwood purging tannins. Hope that goes quick. Also its cloudy from the cycle. The Fish are just some local fish that where in my grandpas pond. He is draining it now and redoing it in the spring so we went fishing one last time the other day and I figured I would put what I caught in the tank to help it cycle then take them to the lake by my house and let them live. There are way to many in it righ now.I think I am going to get all but 3 out tonight and take them to their new home.

 

[CleverBs]

Also I will be adding a Teacup stingray to my stock list. The LFS has a small one and it should do just fine in my tank.

 

[fish wrangler]

I'd be careful about adding them to a lake. You don't know if they are carrying any disease that might spread on the lake.

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[CleverBs]

I'd be careful about adding them to a lake. You don't know if they are carrying any disease that might spread on the lake.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

they where already in a "Lake" its a big farm pond. The farm pond has been going for like 90 years. My Grandpa is just going to make it bigger.