Lauren A
-
Posts
211 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Feedback
0%
Content Type
Forums
Downloads
Store
Events
Blogs
Gallery
Profiles
Posts posted by Lauren A
-
-
Hi! I’m so happy your journaling your new project!
I know you found the heater you’re planning on using, but if you haven’t bought it yet, I bought the Cobalt Neo Therm Pro. It’s not cheap by any means, but I’d rather spend more on a heater and have it last and more importantly, stay consistent. I live in an old house with radiator heat so the temp fluctuates quite a bit. This heater has stayed consistent within half a degree (it’s in a betta tank). It’s flat and stays attached to the glass super secure. I originally bought a 100w but it was overkill and long but I now have the 75w and it’s perfect and still fits vertically with about 4 inches of substrate to clear. It’s working out great so far so I figured I’d mention it. I searched for a flat heater that got good reviews and I’m happy with this.
Also, I’ve used that black background you bought on 2 tanks and it’s great. Super easy to put on. I actually found it much easier to cut it to exact dimensions of the tank before applying. The material is a little bit thin so when I left a little extra to trim off the edges after it was attached to the glass, i found the film to be too flimsy and difficult to cut, even with a razor or exacto. I’m not sure if this makes sense. So instead I just took my measurements, cut it larger than what I’d need, laid it flat on a table and taped the edges to the table/board and cut it to exact dimensions with a brand new blade holding a ruler down to guide me and using a steady hand to make sure my line was straight. It seemed to be easier for me this way with this particular brand film.
Good luck! Looking forward to seeing your progress!
I meant to say the film was flimsy - not slims, thx!
-
1
-
-
I also planted another Crypt Wendtii to the left of the sword a couple weeks ago. I had a small one that didn’t look that hot so I figured I’d give it a chance. As you can see, it’s not thriving. I’ll probably remove it. I’m not sure the placement was great and it was weak to start. Looks like that lonely leaf is struggling. An Indian almond leaf fell onto it and I forgot that the crypt was there, so it’s just not doing well.
-
Almost 3 months in and the tanks is doing great!
Just a quick run down on my plants status.
My floating Water Sprite is much happier. I am too, it really struggled and needed lots of TLC and trimming, but I’m happy with the progress.
The Tiger Lotus detached from its main bulb a few days ago, so now I have 3! Each has their own little bulb and enough roots that I think they’ll do just fine floating.
Pennywort is always a tough one to grow for me submersed. I’m switching to a different fertilizer - Thrive C - as soon as it’s delivered. I’m hoping it may cover what I’m currently lacking - iron mainly. I know it has a higher content. I also read Pennywort is usually your first indicator of a nutrient deficiency in the tank. It looks ok. I’d love those big beautiful leaves but we’ll see. Patience.
The Red Flame sword looks great! All of its emersed form leaves are gone and it grows on average one leaf per week. Very happy! It looks strong. Same with the Crypt Wendtii. Such a gorgeous plant! Crypts are my current plant obsession! Move over Anubias 😂!
Oh, and my Val’s. Well, they are healthy. I rarely see any deficiency except for a few brown or yellow blades and it grows soooo slow. It’s spreading but if I can get it to grow a mm per week, I’m happy. Lol. Well, I’m ok. I want some height in that back corner!
And the Crinum Calistrinum is AMAZING! Another new favorite for me. I have two more each with plantlets in my temp plant tank. I will use one in the new tank I’m starting this weekend and I guess I will have to build another tank after this to use the other! Or others!
Almost forgot about the Sag Subulata. It looks great but has not spread at all. I have 4 in the tank and I do see a couple have roots spreading, but no new plants popping up yet. Not sure why.
As for the rest of ny plants, no complaints. Jasper ishappy, always has a nice bubble nest.
I will include a pic of the plants i mentioned and post one of the tank tomorrow after cleaning. If anyone reads this, don’t mind all of the reflections! Just tracking the tanks progress!
-
1
-
-
Hi,
I’m starting a build on a 7 gallon cube very soon. I really want to get started on it since my soil comes in tomorrow, but I have an issue (of course). Maybe someone can help me.
I have this really beautiful piece of wood - I think mopani since it looks like it and sunk immediately. I will attach a pic. I soaked it for a week in a bucket. It was fine. I then moved it over to my temporary plant/snail bin. Basically a tank in a plastic 5 gallon bin.
Anyway, it’s been in that bin for over 2 weeks now - growing beneficial bacteria. I removed it the other day during a wc and it smells like rotten eggs/sulfur. I did my internet searches and some people say it’s mold (I don’t see any mold) or rot (I see and feel no rotting).
I’m not sure if I should sanitize with H2O2 and water but I will lose the bacteria or if it’s fine to add to the tank? I do have Prime as a dechlorinator in the water which has that sulfur odor, but I don’t think that would do it.
Any help would be appreciated. Here’s a pic of the wood from a couple different angles before I filed it and soaked. Thanks so much!
-
On 11/11/2022 at 12:53 PM, TheSwissAquarist said:
I'll be plain & brief: What's the best material to build an aquarium stand and can you build one out of it yourself?
I'm faced with either building one or buying one...it's for a really crazy looking fish...a bichir? (Any recommendations on that are also appreciated & I'll tag @Robert in case he has any suggestions!)
Thanks! 😁
Hi, I wish I had the woodworking skills to build a stand, and maybe I will give it a shot someday but I did buy two of these stands on Amazon. I’ve looked at and ordered and returned a few store bought and would never put a tank on them but if you change your mind on building one, this is very sturdy and I do have complete peace of mind. I have 10 gallons on them. But they have different sizes.
and they look nice too. Here’s a pic of it in real life too.
Aqueon Forge Aquarium Stand 20 by 10-inch https://a.co/d/fzvVhgx
-
Hi, sorry for the delay responding. I completely know what you mean. I had to join a forum - the betta fish forum - when I first got into the hobby because some of the information I read online to learn would contradict each other. It was the best thing I did. I learned so much and continue to learn on these forums.
Ohh and I love the wild bettas. I always say I’d love to either build at least a 20 gallon community tank or a wild Blackwater betta tank. I love the Wild sp. Api Api Jade. A friend has them and they are so beautiful and fascinating fish to watch. They do breed a lot though. A real lot.
And thank you for saying this too. Penny, my little runt, is such a joy. Just like Punk!
-
On 10/13/2022 at 10:45 PM, glenn anthony said:
I have never tried to grow anything from a bulb, but next coop order I do intend on getting a few Hope they grow for me think its the tiger lotus and red dwarf lily, and Cory if your lurkin' stop putting out so many products its starting to thin out my wallet LOL😗🤑
This is my first bulb plant too! I bought it already grown out, but all of the leaves that originally came on it melted very quickly but new growth appeared simultaneously so it has looked really pretty from the start. And remained this way. I have a low Ph and water that’s definitely on the softer side, and I know you mentioned your water is very hard. I thought of all my plants that I might struggle with it, but it just floats and does it’s thing! I didn’t plant the bulb.
Tell me about it! I drive myself crazy - every time someone mentions a plant that’s new to me or I see one in a tank that I love - I just have to have it!!! It definitely gets pricey! Especially when it comes to Bucephalandra- there are SO many types and I love and want them all but they are expensive little plants. 🤷♀️
-
On 10/11/2022 at 4:45 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:
Yea, Punk is super fun- I love the little guy- I'm glad I have him- has made that tank so much more interesting. I had done a whole lot of research and didn't pull the trigger until I saw a post on a local forum where the guy was selling his. I guess that's sometimes the only motivation you need- someone needs a home. 🙂
I'm not sure your friend is entirely correct, my understanding is they come from the Amazon River Basin (hence Bolivian Ram). I thought maybe your friend meant German Blue Rams but I googled that and it says South America. Maybe they can clarify for us. 🙂
Well that's the tough part of having any Cory or in my case Otos- they are bottom feeders and often eat when they please- this leaves room for the bladders to encroach. I'm glad I have nothing but Nerites in my Oto tank! It's got to be a delicate balance for you!!
Well. Mostly because I was very interested in low tech tanks- tanks with no need for heaters, self sustaining really- thoughh I do use sponge and HOB filters with lights. I didn't want to have to worry about my tanks if say I went broke and couldn't afford certain things, or had to go away for some time and the tank is super used to something higher tech or chemicals that needed to be added on the regular- this is also why I didn't do saltwater. This does limit me some when it comes to plants and some species of fish- but honestly I could probably go weeks without touching my tanks, other than feeding even occassionally) and they'd be fine!
Hi, so my friend got back to me and after more research, she said that the Ram does not originate from Germany but from Columbia and Venezuela. She looked into it and it was thought that they originated in Bolivia for many years but that was not right - there is a similar looking species there though. So, I was totally wrong and she said the same! But it’s very interesting now. Curious on your thoughts?
I absolutely understand and think it’s so great you were able to give Punk a new home! It’s funny how things happen and work out so nicely. Plus, how hard would it be to say no to that cute little face! When I bought Penny (my lil CT female runt - I think she’s a runt) I had no intention of buying a betta. I still had Jasper in a QT (he’s in the Mani now) so I was not prepared, but I have a few spare 2.5 and 3 gallon tanks, she looked so scared and SOO teeny that I just couldn’t walk away from her. I could not be happier I bought her now! She is the cutest lil girl with the biggest personality. She’ll go in the 7 gallon. She’s still not even 3 cm’s so at least there’s not a huge rush to move her. She’s perfectly comfy and her 3 gallon is more than enough space for her.
That makes perfect sense with your tanks too. Traveling is not as easy to plan. I’m so particular about things too, I worry about leaving the tanks in inexperienced hands for too long. So keeping it simpler is smart. Plus everything in life in general has gotten so much more expensive, it adds up so much quicker.
I think saltwater tanks are SO amazing. It’s only a dream for me though. It’s just too expensive.
My goal is to keep my fish happy first. And of course my plants too but as long as the fish are healthy and have enough hiding spots and optimal water conditions, that’s all I can ask for.
I hope I didn’t start a controversy with the Bolivian Ram subject! I obviously have no clue!
-
On 10/12/2022 at 7:52 PM, glenn anthony said:
I do that combo fairly often (low tech tank no co2) it really seems to help roots grow in quicker, and IMO helps with the different water parameter my water might as well be a liquid boulder, but i am pretty certain the coop has soft water. Maybe it helps the plant with the initial transition. it does seem to have some effect I purchased some plants for a new 40Breeder but had just missed petcos sale, so i figured id put some in my 20 long and the others mainly anubias into a bucket with a light, used the easy green and a daily dose of advance, those phyto hormones or whatever they are called did seem to give the nanas and gold coin a growth spurt. used every other day with weekly to bi-weekly easy green, used the advance for aporx. 45 days, will be doing that combo again
That’s awesome! Thank you so much. I do feel like my plants could use a boost. They look good, but small observations would be that my floating pennywort is growing in small leaves so I’d consider this stunted growth? Maybe? It’s certainly not taking off growth wise either. I also notice this with the Water Sprite (and the light/white new growth like I mentioned. Same with my Vals. But on the other hand, some plants look and grow outstanding - my Tiger Lotus is a bright bold pink and is constantly growing more leaves. My Crypt Wendtii were taking off but now I’m noticing that has slowed down but they still look great. I did have to cut a dead leaf the other day. It tuned to mush quickly so I’m not sure why. My Crinum Calistrinum is looking amazing too. So it’s hard to nail down what the issue is.
Maybe I’m expecting too much too quickly since the tank is still so young. But I did acclimate my plants and my crypts transitioned to underwater growth before I planted them. All of the plants sat in a “temporary tank” for about a month - floating but they did great.
i really appreciate your help. Did you use the recommended dose of the Advance for your tank size or take into account what Easy Green already provided? Just curious if I use this, how much I would use. Thanks again for your help!
-
On 10/12/2022 at 7:17 PM, Mmiller2001 said:
I would shoot for .2ppm weekly.
Great, I dosed it before lights this am so I hope this helps. I’m seeing some new growth on my Red Flame Sword looks a bit twisted. I contacted the seller and he said it looks good and not to worry and I still have emersed form leaves (the longer stems). Any chance you can spot what type of deficiency this is, if any at all. I know Porassium is right where it should be and maybe the iron is what it needs. I’ve clipped off older leaves, but there are still some there. The. 3 in the middle are all new growth. I have a root tab under it. Thanks again!
-
Ok great! Yes, but I do 0.08 in a dropper of Easy Green. So just once a week should be fine for the iron?
-
Hi! I sent a note to my friend in Germany so I will let you know what she says!
Sorry I hit post too soon. I will continue on a new one tomorrow!-
1
-
-
On 10/12/2022 at 11:08 AM, Mmiller2001 said:
Your flourish dose is only .02ppm Fe, I can't remember what easy green doses. You'll just need to add the easy green amount for your total.
Found it, .034ppm. So about.05ppm Fe.
Thank you very much. Do you know how much that equals in ml?
Then after dosing, should I check my Iron levels within a half hour? I had been adding 0.25 ml once a week. This gets confusing for me and I get even more confused with their website instructions. I just want to make sure I’m testing at the correct times and adding the right amount through the week. I’m sorry for all the questions, I just get so confused. Thank you for your help!
I also have Easy Iron on hand if you think that’s better?
-
On 10/11/2022 at 4:21 PM, The Arthritic Aquarist said:
Re: your new cube... You might also want to check out The Small Scape YouTube channel. The host (Joanna I think her name is) has a number of small tanks and is into aquascaping. She and her husband also have the Prime Time Aquatics channel.
Thank you so much! I will definitely check her out! Is the Prime Time Channel on YouTube too? I can Google it too. I appreciate your recommendation. I need inspiration on how I want to arrange the tank. And different plant ideas.
On 10/11/2022 at 3:19 PM, Mmiller2001 said:How many gallons is the tank?
It’s 10 gallons. But most likely closer to about 8.5-9 gallons since the water level is dropped a bit. Thanks!
-
On 10/7/2022 at 2:45 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:
Punk is my first Cichlid but in observing him I have to say I think it's best to only have one unless you're trying to breed. Especially in my case since he's in a 20 tall there is not a whole lot of "turf" for him to claim. They say they are peaceful and I'd say yes for the most part but they are territorial- he'll chase off my rasboras and/or neons when they offend him- but I've never seen him nip anyone. If I had a bigger/longer tank I'd only consider getting more again if I were breeding but also if I could do enough line of sight breaks in the tank and satisfy their territory needs. Otherwise a solo Bolivian is a joy to have IMO.
I keep mostly easy plants because I don't fertilize or do anything fancy. Most all my plants are easily found, and nearly all of them are easy to propagate and "make more".
I have quite a few bladders but while they used to bother me they don't much anymore. I tend to overfeed that tank since Punk moved in- it's something I'm learning to adjust and the population will go down again. In the meantime they keep the tank sparkling and the nerites do fine so I'm not super concerned. You're right though- they can get quite out of control!
I like it when people name their tanks- for me I've done it because it's easier to refer to them when talking to other people- not as boring to me as "my tetra tank"- not that there's anything wrong with that.
Hi!
I totally hear you on naming them. I got tired of calling them the “new tank” or “old tank” - it was getting very generic and confusing for even me! Plus naming them gives them even more charm IMO.
I always heard cichlids were fun to have. I really think Punk is so adorable. He sounds similar to a betta preferring to be solo. I was chatting with a friend of mine from Germany about how cute Punk is and she told me Rams are German breed. I thought that was pretty interesting.
I definitely think I overfeed my Kubotai. I try not to and when I don’t feed as much, the snails do seem to die off. I’m almost certain that’s what causes them to multiply. I need to ease up a bit. I saw so many babies last time I cleaned the tank they’re in. But like you said, they keep the tank clean. I’d prefer they don’t nibble on my Buce and focus on nibbling the floaters instead 😆. I don’t think bladder snails eat live plants, so I’d rather them, but it’s ok. And same here, as long as my nerites are fat, it’s all good.
Is there any particular reason you don’t use ferts?
-
On 10/11/2022 at 12:55 PM, The Arthritic Aquarist said:
MD's videos are great. I should have mentioned that I also use Seachem root tabs as I have the Val, as well as dwarf sag, crypts, etc. I would use the Co-op's but in Canada so not as easy to get. At any rate, I put in the root tabs every 3 or so months. Seems to be working.
Seems to do the job. 🙂
That's a beautiful tank btw (i.e. the pic you provided).
Thank you so much! I forgot to mention the root tabs as well. I have Seachems in this tank too. I actually have the Co Op’s brand on hand that I tried on a different tank, but I can never get them to stay down. They’ll float up but also turn mushy. It got frustrating for me but would’ve loved to use them. I just couldn’t figure out how to keep them down.
On 10/11/2022 at 12:55 PM, The Arthritic Aquarist said:MD's videos are great. I should have mentioned that I also use Seachem root tabs as I have the Val, as well as dwarf sag, crypts, etc. I would use the Co-op's but in Canada so not as easy to get. At any rate, I put in the root tabs every 3 or so months. Seems to be working.
Seems to do the job. 🙂
That's a beautiful tank btw (i.e. the pic you provided).
I love his videos too. They’re fun to watch - he’s an entertaining guy. I wish I could throw a tank together as quickly as he does! It takes me a week just to figure out how to arrange my hardscape. 😆 I’m starting another tank any day now and it’s a cube so I’m going to check out some of his videos for cubes!
-
On 10/10/2022 at 2:41 PM, Mmiller2001 said:
Iron can be taken up completely as fast as 30 minutes. Hence a zero ppm test. Trust your dosing target and stick with it.
In my CO2 tanks, I dose between .4 and .5ppm weekly.
Hi,
I get so confused by this testing after I add it. If I test within the 30 mins after adding it, how do I know how much to add? I was just doing a small dose of 0.25ml once a week, but I know that’s probably not enough. I just get worried about overdosing since I have my betta in the tank.
I probably will try the Leaf Zone since it has nutrients I’m lacking and seems like people have good luck, but in the meantime, I would like to add Iron today. I dosed the Easy Green after a large water change yesterday.
Thanks for your help.
-
On 10/10/2022 at 1:51 PM, The Arthritic Aquarist said:
I used Flourish products for awhile. I wasn't getting great results (so many products too), so I switched to EasyGreen and, eventually, also started using (don't laugh) Leaf Zone in combination with it (which is essentially iron and potassium --MD swears by it in his YouTube videos!). This, in combination with the proper light calibration did the trick (though it took some time to get there). As for your Val, mine was kind of touchy for awhile (didn't grow very high and wasn't always as green as it should be) but, recently, it's taken off. I've also been getting lots of plantlets. I don't have much experience with Water Sprite...I bought some once at a Big Box place but it wasn't in very good shape and I ended up replacing it.
Hi! It’s funny you mention this because I’ve thought about using Leaf Zone. I also watch MD’s videos and know he swears by it. I’m so glad you have good luck with it along with the Easy Green - I’m going to give it a try!
I figured the Val’s just need some time. But I do think they are lacking too so hopefully this helps!
Thank you so much for your reply and recommendation! I really appreciate it! 🙏🙏
-
Hi, I was wondering if anyone has experience or knows if it’s ok or redundant using Easy Green with Flourish Advance. I have both and currently use Easy Green with Seachem Iron and Potassium as needed. My tank never seems to read Iron on the API test kit so I may not be dosing enough.
I ask because I contacted a seller I bought Water Sprite from. I’m floating it and it’s still going through a transitional period. Some are growing in green, others are pale or actually white. So, the seller recommended Advance.
I honestly can’t wait until I get my act together to start using dry ferts, but I’m just not ready yet. I should note this is a new tank - about 7 or so weeks. My other plants are doing well, although my Val’s seemed to be at a standstill getting taller. They are fuller.
Thanks for your help! I know this isn’t a ton of infornation to go with so please ask me questions!
-
On 10/7/2022 at 12:45 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:
Yes @Lauren A that's my Bolivian Ram "Punk" he lives in my "Angry Man" tank but that picture was taken when he was nervous and shy in QT after I got him from another fish keeper who was breaking down his tank. He is adorable! Kind of like a giant Betta! 🙂
I love him - he’s so adorable. Those innocent eyes. I really like your variety of plants too - I’ll have to look some of them up.
Do Rams do perfectly well alone, without more of them, like a betta does? I’m going to do some research on them. I have to say he’s the most innocent looking punk I’ve ever seen 🥰. And great names for your tanks. This new tank is named The Mani and my other 10 gallon with the Kubotai is named Bora Bora. The one I recently took down was The Jungle. A friend of mine is my tank namer - she’s very good at in IMO. It’s nice to get someone else’s perspective on what they see!
I notice you had a bladder snail explosion. This is one of my Bora Bora challenges. I have pond snails that made their way in months ago and they nibble at my floaters and I noticed a couple of my buce had some nibbles so I’m not very happy with them. Luckily they sort of show up and die off just as quick. As long as my horned nerites stay fat, it’s all good, but ideally it would be nice to get rid of them completely. The poop gets a bit out of hand sometimes. My biggest issue now is preventing eggs from transferring to my other tank as I move plants around. Oh well! We’ll see what happens!
-
1
-
-
On 10/3/2022 at 1:57 PM, Odd Duck said:
It took me a hot minute and a bit of searching to come up with “gravid” as the “most appropriate” scientific term. 😆 I usually end up using “eggy” because as casual as it is, it’s easily understood.
I’ve got some thick Kubotais that I’m nearly certain are females, and a couple have a decent chance of being eggy, but they’re in my 100 G nanofish tank and I don’t think I’d ever be able to get a decent pic. They’re so active that it would be just a blur every time. I’ve not seen them breeding, but it’s an active tank, so if the upper water nanos get amped up, there could be some breeding among them. The other fish would be eating eggs as fast as they’re produced, I’m sure. I would suspect they might eat their own eggs, too. Many, many species do.
On 10/4/2022 at 1:33 AM, Odd Duck said:Seems most of the info on a quick search shows a fairly neutral pH is preferred, 6.0-7.0 but a wider range is tolerated. They seem to be typical egg scatterers so preventing predation of eggs and fry is key to success. Abundant spawning mops and/or moss provided for appropriately conditioned adults, transfer a small group to a breeding tank to minimize predation, then remove adults after a 2-3 days even if spawning isn’t noted, just in case it wasn’t witnessed.
If nothing has hatched after another 5-6 days, then try again with adults. Check very carefully before trying again because babies will be tiny and will likely need to start with infusoria. Might be able to start with vinegar eels. Baby brine shrimp will be too large to start with.
Here’s a list of live food options starting with worms smallest to largest, then various other foods smallest to largest. I didn’t go to “big” foods, just smaller stuff. Pardon the formatting and font size. It doesn’t transfer or edit well from my notes app.
Live Fish Food Sizes
Worms: Sizes by length x width, (binomial), survival time in freshwater.
Vinegar eels - 1-2 mm x 0.005 mm (Turbatrix aceti), up to 7 days.
Banana worms - 1.5 mm x 0.004 mm (Pangrellus nepenthicola), over 12 hours.
Walter worms - 1-3 mm x 0.005-0.01 mm (Panagrellus silusioides), over 12 hours.
Microworms - 2-3 mm x 0.005-0.007 mm (2 sp. - Pangrellus redivivus and Anguillula silusiae), over 12 hours.
Grindal worms - 10 mm x 0.5 mm (Enchytraeus buchholzi), several days.
Whiteworms - 2-4 cm x 1 mm (Enchytraeus albidus), several days.
Blackworms - 2.5-4 cm (up to 10 cm) x 1.5 mm (Lumbriculus variegatus), indefinitely.
Other Live Foods:
Infusoria - 0.005-0.5 mm (multiple different organisms), indefinitely for the overall culture, days for individual organisms.
Baby brine shrimp - 0.4-0.5 mm x 0.15 mm (Artemis sp. - in US is A. franciscana), 30 minutes or so.
Adult brine shrimp - 8-20 mm x 4 mm (Artemis sp), 30 minutes or so.
Fairy shrimp - 6-25 mm (multiple species - like a freshwater brine shrimp), life - 1-8 weeks.
Daphnia - 0.2-5 mm (multiple species), life span -10-30 days.
Moina - 0.7-1.4 mm (multiple species), lifespan - 3-6 weeks.
Scuds/amphipods - 1-8 mm (multiple species, some up to 3 cm), lifespan - up to 1 year depending on species.
Fruit flies - 1.5-3 mm (multiple species and strains), can walk/float on water and will escape if not eaten or drowned. Live 8-15 days.
Mosquito larvae - 3-12 mm (multiple species), 4-14 days before becoming adult mosquitos.
Hi!
Thank you so much for sharing! You are so right, they are very hard to photograph!
I have read they will eat their own eggs and fry. I read somewhere online recently that if they appear to be fighting than they are spawning and that this happens daily, given the right conditions. I notice my females looking thicker and my guess would be that they are gravid. Both males and females always have beautiful coloration and display that pretty blue/purple color on their fins. One thing that is new is that the males are looking even shinier - flashier.
The water in this tank is quite soft with a Ph around 6.8-7. So, I’m thinking there’s probably some spawning going on but also that the eggs are being quickly eaten. Of course, I know nothing about fish breeding and don’t intend to breed them at the moment or maybe not ever, but it’s always nice to know they feel safe and comfortable enough to reproduce or try to anyway!
Thanks So much to both of you!!!
-
1
-
-
On 10/5/2022 at 5:26 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:
Thank you so much! Your fish is SO adorable! Is this your Bolivian Ram? I just quickly peeked at your profile and I think it is but am not familiar with them. He/she is absolutely adorable!
-
On 10/5/2022 at 5:16 PM, Patrick_G said:
I’m not sure if that’s a Crypt Willisi or another type. I might even be a small sword? 🤔
That tank is deceptively simple looking. There’s a lot going on plant wise and the layout with that stump looking piece of wood is really cool. It sort of breaks all the rules of layout but still looks great.
My Microdevario Kubotai tank has a stump shooting out of the top like this. It never appears as cool in photos as it is in person, but I love that look.
I wonder if it’s a micro sword? I’m also curious on those tall plants on the left side with the black stems? Yes, this tank looks awesome. It’s a beautiful piece art and happy home to some lucky fish!
-
1
-
-
On 10/3/2022 at 12:56 PM, dangerflower said:
This is such a pretty tank! I love the rule about not being able to see your betta all the time -- mine loves to disappear into his plants! I think I have that same coconut cave 😁
Thank you very much, too! 🙏I hope it gets even prettier as time goes on.
The Medieval 12G Aquatop Bookshelf Tank build for a Betta Rescue and Guppies!
in Photos, Videos & Journals
Posted
I forgot to mention this. I’m using Aquario Neo Soil in a small planted section of a tank I’ve had running for about 8 months or so and I’m very happy with it. I like Fluval Stratum so far too, but can’t comment on it long term. It seems to be giving my plants what they need on my newest tank. Long term as far as they hold up, I’m not really sure.
I used Aquasolum in the past and it’s also good stuff. But after spending the other day sort of comparing each of them online side by side, Aquario Neo won.
I think Monte Carlo is super difficult to grow submersed. It could’ve just been that I didn’t have as much experience at the time but if I were to try growing again I’d definitely use an aquasoil.