Logic and logistics

[Autumnsky]

I mean, no comment on whether or not there's already a box of nice smooth rocks on a shelf in the garage...

A thing that I'm also trying to keep in mind regarding fish types is that it's an open top so I don't want anything that jumps too much either. I've been going back and looking through all of Rachel's species spotlights on hillstream types. Rosy Loaches? A huge group of CPD's if I don't want to go full hilstream? There's lots of gobys out there but it sounds like finding a type that doesn't need salt water for breeding is another consideration. It's all going to be slow going anyway, the fish budget isn't huge.

Ah, the deeper story!

All those things sound good. I have been watching (almost) all the spotlights from Rachel and have her nano fish book which she signed for me at a conference where I had the chance to talk with her for a few minutes. The "nano" fish are also my favorite and she is one I appreciate for her spreading solid information to the hobby, concerned about genetics, collection, importing, keeping and promoting the hobby - so helpful and kind.

Gobies are a fish I really like but do not really know much about. Stiphodon annieae aka Annies Goby are a fish I was watching for a good deal on a few. Very hard to find and about $18-25 each. So having spare money if I find them is also a "thing".

CPD are a gorgeous fish, and some people can breed them!

 

[Tacit Blues]

So from my basic research it seems that maybe Rhinogobius species breed in pure freshwater and Stiphodons have a saltwater stage in larval development but maybe even that’s too general?

I have her book too, my copy is maybe starting to fall apart even... she’s definitely one of the better ones out there, much more driven by her love of the fish than the celebrity/personality, and it shows!

 

[Autumnsky]

I have what I think is a 20G standard, in the side yard like newish but duty from being outside - PM me if your around my area you can bring me a chunk of Bolbitis and take it home.

 

[Tacit Blues]

Hmm... that's an interesting idea. I think we're planning on coming over with the wife's family to go see the Monet exhibit at the DAM in January, so that might be a possibility. Do you think you could measure the dimensions? I kinda do like the 15 gallon size but I've got more bolbitis than fish money right now

 

[Tacit Blues]

I went up into the dark storage room in my mom's barn and found the old stash of fish stuff. Grabbed the box with the little two gallon hex tank because it had an air pump and a little sponge filter in it. I've been contemplating the debris that forms in the sump and I want to try a "filter for my filter" as it were. I've also been thinking about rigging up a sock filter maybe for the same reason. I also grabbed the remaining section of the old top to the 55 gallon derelict tank (half of it broke during a move but the other half is still ok). Since that old 55 was the same footprint as this 40b it will at least sit across the top of this tank and prevent a little bit of evaporation. Won't hurt to try anyway.

There's still one shrimp that I see. It's the same shrimp each time. I think it's the only shrimp. So I've been considering the hillstream thing some more and lo and behold at one of the LFS's today they had hillstream loaches (labeled as Reticulated but I'm not super confident at the accuracy of that, it seems to be a bit of a trade name anyway. In my dream LFS they'd include scientific and common names so you could compare... I think they were 2/$25 or something ridiculous and would clear out the fish budget for a good group of them... but they'd be cool.

The other LFS had a couple of bamboo shrimp which would be neat too. I'm back to the more options than time thing

 

[Autumnsky]

My older set up had a Hillstream and Bamboo shrimp and they LOVED the flow - always on the flow in side of the tank.

Spare tank dimensions are 24 wide x 16.5" tall and almost 13" or could be a little less with the frosty snow on it - looked like maybe a touch bigger than 12.75" ? (in the snow just took the measure as best I could). Has a thin top with a lame LED which is simply for some light on the fish. Not for anything for serious plants. It is a basic tank. I found some pics from before I will PM them to you.

 

[Tacit Blues]

Ok, got a collection of little black smooth stones soaking in vinegar, gonna get them into the tank tonight maybe. Probably will have to rearrange some of the insane anubias to make room. Then was messing around on Amazon and just went to see what kind of pumps were out there. And I ordered an inexpensive chinese pump that's a significant bump in flow. It had good ratings and on the company's other pumps they've seemed to had good customer service so we'll see. I've been getting some kind of bad debris build up in dead spots anyway so I wanted to upgrade the flow even if it's not gonna be a hillstream tank. But I'm heading in that direction anyway Figure, if it craps out I'll still have this pump to fall back on.

 

[Tacit Blues]

So that’s what my little sponge filter rig has collected in two days in the sump. So that might be a good thing to keep running for the time being. It looks a lot clearer than it was though, the heater was covered in drifts of stuff. I think maybe some moss or the bolbitis in this tank have been adjusting to the lowered hardness and had some die off? I can’t think of why else there’s so much debris. I mean, I just vacuumed two days ago...?Grrrr and etc. Since there’s only one shrimp I’m not worried about babies getting sucked down into the sump so for the time being I also took the intake sponge off so more debris can get down there, and then pulled out a bunch of algae covered Christmas moss that was hiding behind the the big rock. I also lowered the heater down to about 72.

Meanwhile, in anticipation of a new pump, I hooked the loc line Y back in and put another nozzle on. Then, I rigged together a little doohickey to split the return flow in case a 1000gph pump (well, it’ll be more like 650gph once it gets to the nozzles) is too crazy for the drain the handle:

I think I’ll try to do a water test in the morning just to make sure nothing super weird is going on, but I might go by the store with the hillstream loaches and see what happens. Maybe pick up some white cloud minnows too...

 

[Autumnsky]

That pump might be a "blast"!

WCMM are wonderful fish full of colorful curiosity and feistiness.

Hoping you find some healthy HSL's!

Usually I'm stunned by the gunk I find in my tanks / filters/ substrate. I just put in a filter pad in my FX-5 and think I need to check it again to make sure it isn't filled up already.

Keep us posted!

 

[Tacit Blues]

Well, the tank with the loaches wound up having some poor rainbowfish with ich, so they didn’t come home with me. The white clouds were in another tank and looked fine, so...

I got 9, which is more than I probably would’ve, but since the loaches are off the table for now I figured I’d get a good group of them.

 

[Autumnsky]

Not quite as exciting as HSL's but what a great sized group! AlwYs better safe than sorry. Looking good.

 

[Tacit Blues]

Yeah. She had two in the bag already when she noticed the state of the other fish too. So close So I cope by watching hillstream aquarium videos on YouTube since my wife is gone and the baby is asleep.

 

[Autumnsky]

Sounds as perfect as it can be for now. Aquatic Arts online, has some cool fish on clearance beUtiful Rainbows, and Gobies. I made a wish list and and sad it costs too much :/

 

[Tacit Blues]

Hmmm. I might have to check that out too. wondering about going in to my other LFS to ask them about ordering me some hillstream loaches. They usually have a more generic selection but seem to have healthier fish. You always have to go in to both places to compare what you want...

 

[Autumnsky]

I have been comparing prices for Microdevario kubotai - Neon Green Rasbora they had then cheapest yet like 3.08. instead of 4.99. But paying for overnight delivery so it's not really cheaper lfs just called me they got the Boraras Brigittae i asked for... only took 2 weeks - so maybe order the correct HSL's you want. Sometimes if you get there on shipment day they cut you a little slack on price.

Hope you can get them if you decide they are on the tank list!

 

[Tacit Blues]

State of the sump

 

[Autumnsky]

And running???

Did you use a filter sock?

 

[Tacit Blues]

No, not yet at least. But I wanted to be prepared for the bigger pump in case the overflow can’t handle things. This way it’s ready for the pump to be here Monday. I also drilled another hole a little lower than the others in the baffle so it should help the pump from sucking air as much. I drained the sump out but things were still pretty wet so that was a little scary with the drill in there....

 

[Tacit Blues]

Apologies for the cloudy water and rampant algae, but I wanted to show some more stuff.

Added a bunch of smooth blackish stones. I think they blend in with the lava rock... ok. I’d like to find some finer gravel now to fill in that range between the sand and these rocks though.

There’s a baby crypt ballinsae coming up between those two rocks which is funny to me. Glad it’s making a baby though. The one I the other tank is spreading fine, I think maybe this one is underneath the planters enough that it’s shaded and kind of hidden by the roots.

Meanwhile the crypts over here in the sunny corner are going gangbusters.

Also, now that I’ve added some fish, I saw two shrimp! Of course.

 

[Autumnsky]

Looking good!

I once had a die off over time of my old shrimp colony also Scarlet Badis had eaten some young ones I am sure. I looked everywhere nothing left. And at another point, probably more than a month later, I look in and there was a male and a female shrimp and restarted the colony!!! Sooooo....... maybe!