[An Aquarist's Journey]

Just a quick pic of single tank water change this afternoon. Not having to carry a bucket around makes water changing so easy.

[Fomorian’s Fish Room]

Very nice set up! The insulation looks very clean!

[Two-Tier Aquarium Stand Build (with storage!)]

@Hobbit and @Fish FolkThank you very much for the kind words! Honestly, I'm glad my crazy idea is working so far and I'm thrilled to provide inspiration!

 

@HobbitThis is going to be a sweet build and I am following along! I used cabinet sliders rated for 150lbs to give me a factor of safety of about 1.5 without breaking the bank. Happy to answer any questions you may have about the build process!

[Short body white cloud?]

@WhitecloudDynastyI tried to get a picture of him, but my best male has a lot of these desirable characteristics. His red lateral line is difficult to see in this picture, but as you know, these fish are fast and difficult to photograph! 

[An Aquarist's Journey]

I did some cleaning of the Cherry Shrimp tank in the rack and was able to take a few pictures of them. I am very proud of this line of them and think they are about as premium as any can find!

[An Aquarist's Journey]

@WhitecloudDynastyI sincerely appreciate the advice! I will keep trying things and see how it goes.

[Hello from Columbus Ohio.]

Another Columbus Aquarist here! Welcome! Your planted tank is beautiful, nice job! You should check out CAFE Fish Club when they start doing meetings again!

[An Aquarist's Journey]

@WhitecloudDynastyYes, and the males are actively sparring with one another. I know its a matter of time and to just be patient, but any other tips would be appreciated, thank you!

[An Aquarist's Journey]

@HobbitThank you very much for sharing your thoughts and observations. I have also noticed some color change over in my C. multidentata. I agree that that is most likely due to differening surroundings. It would be interesting to see if they change color when they go from fresh to brackish to breed.

[An Aquarist's Journey]

The CPO crayfish, the well known and loved orange one, was a very lucky break for the hobby since its coloration remains very stable throughout its life. Other dwarf crayfishes of the same genus (Cambarellus) exhibit an amazing range of coloration and patterns, but unfortunately these change throughout their lives. Here is a gorgeous female C. brazos, but unfortunately she turned brown as well.

[An Aquarist's Journey]

Here is a picture of a female who previously had a gorgeous blue color. Unfortunately, in later molts, she turned brown. Other people's anecdotal observations are this occurs due to pH swings. However, this crayfish was raised in the exact same water the entire time and still turned brown.

[An Aquarist's Journey]

Another project of mine in the racks is trying to breed more blue coloration into my dwarf Cajun crawfish, C. shufeldtii. Here is a picture of where I am so far. I have seen bluer examples, but as they go through successive molts they become more brown. 

[Short body white cloud?]

That red lateral line is gorgeous! You've now given me a model for my own Golden White Clouds to aspire to!

[An Aquarist's Journey]

@StreetwiseI appreciate the suggestion! I'm thinking warming the tanks may be the ticket since I often get more fry in the summer than the winter.  

[Miller's Journal]

You have beautiful planted aquariums! Very well done! 

[An Aquarist's Journey]

I will say, one item of frustration for me is getting my fish to drop another clutch of eggs. I have White Cloud females full of eggs but they refuse to drop them. I think its possible the containers they are in are too small, but I have seen breeding activity in them before. Does anyone have any suggestions? It doesn't matter much as I will be moving them out to the "summer tub" soon, but I would like to see a batch of fry before then.  

[An Aquarist's Journey]

Discovered some brand new baby Blue Velvet shrimp in one of the rack aquariums today! Look at how small this one is compared to the shrimp pellet its munching on.

[An Aquarist's Journey]

@Anita 

ありがとうございますア二タ先輩！こと立山知らなかった、今私はしります！これcrayfish名前の立山富山にです。

(Thank you very much Anita-senpai, I did not know about Kototateyama, but now I do! This crayfish is named for Mt. Tateyama in Toyama.)

あんたの幹事上手ですよ！私の幹事は上手じゃありません。

(Your kanji is skilled! I am not very skilled in Kanji)

So much fun to type some 日本語 in this forum!

[An Aquarist's Journey]

@Anita His pellet consumption is over 9000!!!

[An Aquarist's Journey]

Also residing in the rack is my only "wet pet" a Cherax bosemani var. "Supernova" named Tateyama. He is about 6in now, and as you can see, eats shrimp pellets three at a time!

 

[An Aquarist's Journey]

Just a quick update today, I was fortunate to be able to snap a quick picture of these gorgeous young male E. gilberti pygmy sunfish sparring with one another.

[An Aquarist's Journey]

@Anita Thank you very much for the compliment and the advice! I will be careful to watch for signs of mildew when I finally place them there.

[An Aquarist's Journey]

Finally put the boards on top up. I need to finish it as envision it doubling as a bookshelf for my aquarium books. It is so peaceful and enjoyable to just sit and look at it after a long day at work. Not much in the way of fry yet, still working on it.

[An Aquarist's Journey]

The rack is starting to produce well, I had my largest order of shrimp and dwarf crayfish yet! A local customer is purchasing over 150 cherry shrimp!

[An Aquarist's Journey]

The water change system is finally in place and working! So far so good, it is draining well and the water is becoming crystal clear.

The apparatus is meant to be temporary and run once a week for water changes. I wish I had something as fancy as Cory's, but thats for a future project.