Pika Posted March 23, 2014 Report Share Posted March 23, 2014 Finally starting my first journal! Never mind that the most dramatic two months will be posted all at once... now I have a place to add! So... Mid-January 2014... My very first fish tank since childhood! I somehow can't find a pic from the original phase, pre plantage. But here's very early on: Mopani driftwoodTaiwan mossGreen myriophyllum stems (plants from a lovely RAOK on TPT) Lighting = my old sunlamp (T5 bulbs, who knew?) while I am still deciding on the LED I wantAquaclear20 HOB EcoComplete substrate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pika Posted March 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2014 Later Jan/early Feb... added some more plants, another piece of driftwood, and the heater (Aqueon Pro 50) Added plants: (from h4n!) Dwarf Sag Anubias - Petite Nana Java Fern "Windelov" Marimo balls - nano size Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pika Posted March 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2014 Late Jan/Early Feb again... finally added the LED light (18" EVO by greenelement 6500k) and some Salvinia minima floaters! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pika Posted March 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2014 Getting a little bored with the fishless cycling, so decided to spruce things up a bit with some Sculpey art... a "trellis" for my moss (yes, I really did handweave all those clay snakes... sometimes you just need a brain break and some busy work!) a tiny but fierce Cthuhlu... old god of the deep (full disclosure, I stole the idea from someone else, but I did sculpt him myself) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pika Posted March 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2014 Cycled and ready for some Otocinclus catfish! I was so excited, and instantly in love with these little guys... never thought I would be, but you can't fight love. Acclimating... don't mind the old cookpot I'm using to keep them dark in their glass bowl. This picture shows their tendencies from early on... they got named Bert and Ernie, and Loner. Cleaning up the algae I struggled against my mild OCD to grow for them... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pika Posted March 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2014 Added some more plants... Current inhabitants: Green Myriophyllum Taiwan Moss Anubias - Petite Nana Java fern "Windelov" Dwarf sag Marimo moss balls Salvinia minima floaters Rotala - green Rotala - red Hygrophila angustifolia Riccia fluitans 3 Otos (spinach dinner around Chtulhu) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pika Posted March 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2014 Filling in nicely... practicing my stability and growing some biofilm for the next step... shrimps! (Riccia actually got added here, I had it prior, but not in the tank yet) Louie 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pika Posted March 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2014 Shrimps arrive! St. Patrick's shrimp on 17 Mar 2014 Red cherry shrimp, purportedly from Speedie's "Supreme Red" line. Hopefully I can keep them nice and red! In their bowl immediately after arrival, before going into a darker area for drip acclimation. So tiny! Here's a few pics from that night and the next day! 3 Amigos on the mountain Itty bitty! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pika Posted March 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2014 And some more for good measure... Love this one... Mr. Bug Eyes Louie 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art by Stef* Posted March 23, 2014 Report Share Posted March 23, 2014 Such awesomeness and so well done! Can you get a closeup on Chtulhu? I bet if you tuck a few pieces of food near it, it would make for some cool photos -Stef* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pika Posted March 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2014 Here he is... no masterpiece, but I like him. He had a matching wing vein originally, but I broke it off when I was sanding off some of my fingerprints. I didn't notice them originally, but somehow the tank water magnified them, and I couldn't stand it any longer, so I pulled him out, sanded him with a little wet/dry, and busted it. Yeah, I haven't managed to catch the Otos cleaning his head, but they do! And the shrimps haven't really hopped on him yet, but feeding happens in that open space in front of him, so it'll happen. Desireenfh, Louie and High5's 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art by Stef* Posted March 23, 2014 Report Share Posted March 23, 2014 Love it! Lol, last pic looks like it's glowing. I am hesitant to use Sculpty in a tank. If I did, it would have to be the colored kind like yours, where the color goes all through the clay. I never used the colored kind. I paint and seal the Super Sculpty II because it's the strongest. Found the original not as strong, but if it holds up to Oto sucking, I'll reconsider -Stef* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted March 24, 2014 Report Share Posted March 24, 2014 LOL Tanks should be fun, and I think so many hobbyists forget that is what they first were drawn to. Love your Chtulhu. Keep it fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc4PC2 Posted March 24, 2014 Report Share Posted March 24, 2014 Looks like a great home for your animals! Congratulations! I love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liberty1776 Posted March 24, 2014 Report Share Posted March 24, 2014 Awesome looking tank Pika! And your cherry shrimp have a real nice red to em too. Is that the trellis you were telling me about?, looks real cool great job! So what kind of clay did you use to make it? How are the floaters doing? I was unsuccessful with my first attempt at frogbit, the water surface was to intense from my hob and they died off slowly but surely. From your pics yours are doing great. Whats the secret ?! Lol Thanks for sharing your sweet tank! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pika Posted March 25, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 Yep, that's the trellis. It's Sculpey (Premo type) clay, the plastic-type clay you bake at home in a low-temp oven. Supposedly, it's inert like PVC when cooked/cured, although they warn against using it for food/beverage because it's porous enough you can't really disinfect it. I didn't think that would be an issue in the tank where I'd like a good biofilm, so I did a little water testing (seeing if it would change parameters in a tub of water... didn't) then just chucked 'em in there. I still acknowledge I'm doing a bit of an experiment, but the Otos have done great with it, and all my shrimp are still happy too. Once the pieces start showing signs of breaking down at all, I'll pull them out. My floaters are growing slowly, but steadily. (Fine by me!) The HOB flow definitely pushes some of them down, and they get stuck on the filter sponge, which is annoying. I try to push them all out to the edges during water changes and run the filter lower until they "settle", then turn up the flow later. Today, I caught a little shrimp hanging upside down off the floater roots and grazing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pika Posted March 30, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2014 Got the phone camera out tonight... Shrimp seem to occasionally enjoy launching off his head, and once in a while stopping for a nice graze. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pika Posted March 30, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2014 Better pics later, but... LOOK!!! Berries!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art by Stef* Posted March 30, 2014 Report Share Posted March 30, 2014 BERRIES! Yay! and love Chtulhu's toupee! Congrats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 Gotta love those berries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pika Posted April 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 13, 2014 More recent picture of the tank! Got my souvenir hidey-cave-tower-thing from Toronto, my giant marimo and IAL from Jaime, and a new set of Sculpey hidey-tubes in the back. Next, need to get on those berry pics! I have two lovely, knocked-up shrimpies now! Oh, and get on the fertilizer regimen, as I'm getting a little more BBA than I would like, and I think it's a lack of proper nutrients thing. Need to complete the "literature" (ie, forums) review, and then decide on an appropriate regimen. ETA: also on the to-do list, figure out what my dwarf sag would like to grow faster. It's holding steady, and one node is putting out a side-baby, but this is WAY slower growth than I expected from it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted April 13, 2014 Report Share Posted April 13, 2014 Careful on ferts. Shrimp and ferts often do not mix. Sometimes an experienced person can do so quite effectively, but from what I have seen- it is hard to come to a happy medium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pika Posted April 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 13, 2014 Yeah, that's why I haven't done it yet. I really do want the shrimp to be "happy"/comfortable. But, as this is my one and only tank, and I'm loving the planted aspect too, I might dip a toe in. I am using a few osmocote+ root capsules and standard Flourish Excel right now (at about 3/4mL per this 10g, which is a little under dosing) and they are tolerating it well. I'm thinking of either getting dry, separate fertilizer components and doing teeny doses at first. Either that, or doing a scaled-back EI pre-made mix regimen, "under dosing" it (which I think is basically counter to what they intend with EI, but oh well!). I won't be doing weekly 50% changes, so I can't be piling on the ferts like others do. I know my EcoComplete isn't used up yet because it's so young, but I worry about the floaters sucking up water-column nutrients, and also the recent slowing rate of growth on all my plants that were going gangbusters before. I should probably start us a nice, general ferts advice thread over in the plants section. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liberty1776 Posted April 15, 2014 Report Share Posted April 15, 2014 just wanted to chime in for a minute in your Journal Pika. been awhile since i checked it out and it is loking tops! great work. congrats on the berries and welcome back from your trip as well. So my two cents on the dry ferts, you have the right idea to start with teeny doses. i started dosing at the recommended amount for my size tank, and used too much, over dosing will encourage algae growth from what i have seen and read. the calculator i used to get the measurements was found on GLA website. I also dosed with dry ferts, using the EI method vs the PPS Pro. this required a 50 percent water change every week though. on a 10 gallon, its not so bad. however, one thing i would make sure of if going the EI method, is to get the water temps as close a possible when doing water changes. i got my dry ferts from GLA as well as the containers used for holding premixes of your micro and macro nutrients. in the planted realm of aquariums, ive noticed more hobbyists doing EI. if cost is an issue for you, and if you dont mind paying the shipping, i can send you a months worth of dry ferts to try out since I am not dosing any ferts at the moment. well, not counting the flourish i put in my moss only tanks, bucket.. whatever Great looking tank Pika! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pika Posted April 27, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 27, 2014 Some slightly better berry pics... have 3 girls berried now! Lost one of my males to unknown causes ( ) but everyone else seems to be going strong. And because the fish felt left out, here's one of them too. All three are still doing well, even "Ernie" who got himself wedged in the sponge and had to be rescued! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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