Pseudo-saltwater journal

[OnlyGenusCaps]

Well, I am tickled to report it looks like the plumbing is finally, and at long last, both quiet and not leaking.  I'll admit part of me is nervous saying the last bit, as if I am going to jinx myself just by writing it.  Still, it's been up and running for a combined 4 hours or so (combined because I did a leak test with the tank pulled from the wall for a couple hours, drained it once that seemed to be okay, moved the tank back, then refilled and started the pump again).  I did end up gluing the bulkhead into place.  I am sure that will result in a very cuss-y redo of the tank some day.  But for now, I have a working tank! 

Here is a quick shot of it just after I refilled it once it was moved back into place:

Look at how beautifully the algae has taken hold on those rocks compared with the first post when they were gleaming white and new!  Ignore the forming bubbles, as the cold water was getting ready to off-gas as it warms.  I've got the overflow open so I can level set the water to minimize the drainage noise.  Helps to see where the water level is and whether it's rising or falling. 

In fact here is a shot down the overflow tube:

For those unfamiliar with horizontally drilled overflows (and I was until I've learned the hard way), once the down tube is filled, you won't get air going down it and therefore won't get the gurgling noise that is so annoying.  The gate valve below controls the flow, and by carefully adjusting it, you can match the flow of the pump.  Once I am confident that they flow is matched, I'll put the screen and sponge back on it.  Of course there is an emergency overflow just in case.  It's a bit fiddly to do, so when I change water, rather than closing the gate valve to eliminate the air from the drain and then having to go through the adjustments again, I will do as I did today and cover the drain with my hand to create enough back pressure and fill the drain tube.  That worked great! 

Now to get the heater on, and then I can bring the rabbit snails back up from their current home on the fish rack.  Next week, the Julies can come up and be introduced to the tank.  The Cyps that came in had some mortality, so they are being medicated just to be sure.  I might wait an extra week on them.  But, it finally feels like it is all coming together!  **Nervously checks twice more to make sure there are no apparent leaks**  Yup, feels like it's coming together. 

[eatyourpeas]

I hope you are not like me and will get up in the middle of the night hearing water only to find everything is working as it should. 🙄

Nicely done! Can't wait for the Zen Garden to be up and running again! 😃

[OnlyGenusCaps]

On 7/7/2021 at 2:28 PM, eatyourpeas said:

I hope you are not like me and will get up in the middle of the night hearing water only to find everything is working as it should.

I'd like to say "no", but I've been there.

[OnlyGenusCaps]

Well.  Today is the day.  The day I finally get to add the first fish to the tank.  I added 7 little Julidochromis ornatus.  I'm hoping to get at least one pair in there as they mature.  I have the two rock piles, which are separated by a sand flat in hopes I could have two breeding territories, but we'll have to see. 

Here is a picture of the tank over all.  It's really not that blue looking in person.  A bit, yes.  But not as much as comes through in the image. 

Most of them are sort of clustered in the left corner.  As you can see they are still quite small and not colored up yet.  And yes, I need to clean the acrylic, but right now I'd like to let them settle in for a few days first.

There is one brave loner in the group.  Forging his own path.  Claiming the rock pile to the right. 

I'll be interested to see which of the piles the tank boss prefers.  It's hard to predict.  There was definitely a boss emerging in quarantine, and he's been checking out the whole tank, if a bit timidly for the moment. 

That's about it for now.  It'll be a few days until the Cyprichromis leptosoma can be added.  At least a week.  I lost a few and had to medicate.  The survivors look to be doing far better now!  Thanks for looking!

[eatyourpeas]

The fish are quite striking with their black and white stripes. I am happy to see the snail has not given up on the Zen Garden landscaping! 🙂 

Beautiful and serene looking world you have there!

[OnlyGenusCaps]

With everyone now in the tank, it's lively!  I'm pretty happy with the result at the moment.  Since the last update, I've added the Cyprichromis leptosoma and some süßwassertang.  The süßwassertang is not loving it.  Not sure if it is the light or the hard water, but we'll have to see how it does over time.  I like the marine look it gives though!

The Cyps took a bit longer to get in there because of the med treatment they needed and then the associated extended quarantine.  They took very well to the tank though!

I'm looking forward to the males coloring up, and two are already showing signs.  Interestingly, they and the Julies seem to encourage each other.  They are both quite bold now that they are together. 

I've always been told that the Cyps will stay at the top and the Julies want to be near the rocks, though I've not found this to be a very hard and fast rule so far.  The Julies are just as likely as the Cyps to be grabbing flakes from the top, and though the Cyps haven't gone through the rockwork they are often right near it.  I will say that the Cyps won't touch food once it has hit the bottom though.  That's probably good because they are so voracious that I worry about the Julies getting enough to eat.  Not to mention the poor snails! 

For now it all seems to be working our quite well.  And, yes I need to clean the acrylic.  But other than that, it's going great.  Thanks for looking!

[eatyourpeas]

It is so otherworldly beautiful that feels like you are in a different planet. I know you say the glass needs to be cleaned, but I see stars and the Milky Way!

That is what a desert walk by the light of the moon looks like!😍

[OnlyGenusCaps]

Last week, I came home to find the p-salt tank dark.  Shouldn't have been.  After a few checks, it because clear the inexpensive light I bought off of Amazon was dead, after less than a year.  Needless to say, I was a bit disappointed.

I removed the non-functional light, and replaced it with an even cheaper version of the same brand of light I had sitting around.  This one had two options: blinding white, and deep blue.  I left it on the blue setting for the timer to try to prevent an algal bloom; only turning on the white light for feeding.  That, as it turns out, was rapidly the end of the süßwassertang.  I have more, so no tears needed for me.

This time around I decided to get a spendier light with all the bells and whistles in homes it would last longer.  Well this one comes with a remote and it's own timer.  Cool.  It also does dawn/dusk mode as well as day, and moonlight.  Fancy.  The thing that's getting me is that I have full dimming control on blue, red, green, and white LED lights.  There are so many hue options!  I liked my old color setup, and I strongly believe that for a display tank lighting should be a serious consideration to evoke the desired outcome.  But, I'm getting a bit lost in all the options.  Here is what the lighting looks like currently:

I'm curious, dear readers, what do you think of this versus the initial lighting?  Remember, I am attempting to evoke a saltwater almost reefing setup.  I'd love to get input.  Would it be useful to do a few hues to compare?  I could do that as well. Thanks for taking the time to give me your feedback! 

[eatyourpeas]

On 8/4/2021 at 6:41 PM, OnlyGenusCaps said:

I'm curious, dear readers, what do you think of this versus the initial lighting? 

You have lost some of the magenta but I do not think that is a bad thing. The colors on the fish look better and a bit more natural, and the rocks still look great! Sorry to hear you lost the süßwassertang.
 

I would be curious to see how plants look in this new lighting, and if you are adding them again, you may want to reassess once you have all the tank elements in place. The green bounce may require you to tweak this setting.

[ChemBob]

It looks a lot like the saltwater spots i see put there. If the plants do take (assuming you are putting subwasertang back in) if go with it. 

[OnlyGenusCaps]

On 8/4/2021 at 10:06 PM, ChemBob said:

If the plants do take (assuming you are putting subwasertang back in) if go with it.

I have more süßwassertang in my plant quarantine setup.  I'm planning on giving it a second go.  I got a shorter light bar so I have have darker areas in the tank where it might like it better.  Turns out it can't be the hard water I have as that's in the Qt as well and it seems fine there.  So, I absolutely think it's worth a second go.

On 8/4/2021 at 9:27 PM, eatyourpeas said:

I would be curious to see how plants look in this new lighting, and if you are adding them again, you may want to reassess once you have all the tank elements in place. The green bounce may require you to tweak this setting.

That's a great point.  Hopefully this whiter light will help the süßwassertang thrive. 

This tank is one of my more favorite displays I've built.  I've really been enjoying it, and lighting is absolutely part of that., so i really appreciate the input!

[Isaac M]

The tank is looking great! I think if you are going for a reef look, I would definitely increase the blue lights. Most reef tanks have very low red and green, moderate white and high blue/ violet/ royal/ etc.

It looks like to me that you had more blue in the initial light that went out so I would increase the blue or just reduce the white some more. 

Often our phone cameras need those orange lenses for getting the true color we see in person when the light is a little more blue. That is why it looked so blue in the picture with the initial light. 

The süßwassertang should do better though now that you have some of the “white” color spectrum. It does not need much light though to grow typically. 

[OnlyGenusCaps]

On 8/5/2021 at 11:08 PM, Isaac M said:

I think if you are going for a reef look, I would definitely increase the blue lights. Most reef tanks have very low red and green, moderate white and high blue/ violet/ royal/ etc.

I did end up dropping the white down a bit yesterday.  Blue was already at 100%.  Partly for looks, but also because I don't want a ton of green algae taking off.  I like that I've been able to keep the diatoms going in there for a few months.  It gives the rocks a great look!  I think if I add to much white light I'm going to favor the greens.  Just a guess at this point, but that's delusion I am laboring under.

[Isaac M]

I assume the rock you are using is “dry rock” which often has lots of silicates and causes lots of diatoms so you should be good to go there. This is a point that is always mentioned on the saltwater side when using dry rock vs live rock. 

[OnlyGenusCaps]

On 8/6/2021 at 7:27 AM, Isaac M said:

I assume the rock you are using is “dry rock”

Yup, it's a form of dry rock: Reef Saver.  My rudimentary understanding of it is that it is old reef formations that are mined somewhere in Florida.  Good to know it might help me maintain the diatoms.  I do like the look they provide.

One of the big reasons I went with this rock is that it stacks easily and securely to create loads of caves.  I was hoping this would help the Julies feel secure by giving them places to hide.  That does seem to be true for the pile on the left.  But the one on the right had a larger opening in it, and contrary to everything I have read about Cyps, the largest male took up residence in there and was chasing all other fish out of it.  So, that had to change.  I rearranged the rocks on the right, slightly, so that he couldn't fit in there anymore.  If he can't play nice in the cave, he doesn't get to play in there at all! 

[OnlyGenusCaps]

So, one quick brag and then one small comment about the lights.

A few days ago my wife's lab was over (interviewing for a new post-doc position).  First time since I redid the tank this way.  Two.  Count them: one, two.  Of the post-docs asked about my new "saltwater" tank.  Mwahaha!  😈  Fooled them!  Even better a prof friend of mine who studies fish, and knows I don't do saltwater, couldn't figure out what the "pelagic" fish were in the tank.  He meant the Cyps.  I was pretty pumped by this, but only so much because it was over FaceTime.  Still, I'll take it. 

Secondly, I have fallen for the twilight settings on the new LED on this tank.  It's awesome to have the fish wake up and end their day.  I love the changes!  Seemed frivolous then I bought it, and now I am hooked. 

[Crabby]

What a cool idea! I would’ve been fooled at first glance, before having a good look and going ‘hey, what are those fish that look like Julies?’

The new light looks great, and I love how the rocks are turning out. 

[eatyourpeas]

On 8/14/2021 at 7:08 PM, OnlyGenusCaps said:

Secondly, I have fallen for the twilight settings on the new LED on this tank.  It's awesome to have the fish wake up and end their day.  I love the changes!  Seemed frivolous then I bought it, and now I am hooked. 

Will that be your Barry White moment? 😉

[Torrey]

You are sounding as enthralled as I have been with my first 'bells and whistles' true aquarium light.

 

Most of my tanks are lit by shoplights, 5k to 7.5k does an excellent job growing food plants, succulents... and aquarium plants. 

Why spend >$100 when $39 does the job?

 

But my Walstad is on my dresser, and is only a 10 gallon.... so aquasky seemed like a good idea to try.

My favorite is the lighting option for special effects. 

Also, I wake up in the morning to a proper sunrise, and go to bed at night with a proper sunset, even though my room gets zero natural sunlight. 

 

So win/win.

I am looking forward to an update, and seeing how the rocks are coming along, as well as your zen snails💜

I have liquid rock water, too, and it takes a lot of adjustment to get the light settings just right to maximize plant growth without letting algae (or blue-green cyanobacteria) take over🤷‍♂️

[OnlyGenusCaps]

Well, it's been a bit and my male Cyps are beginning to color up nicely!  They move so much, it's really hard to get a photo of them.  But they have a deep, rich blue starting in their backs and heads, with vibrant yellow tails.  This was the best photo I could get.  Sad, I know.  But hopefully it gets some sense across of their development:

As you can see, the Julis have no interest in hanging out in the rockwork when the party animal Cyps are having such a good time darting about.  I was really hoping to get the species separation by depth, but at least they all seem happy and comfortable in their home. 

And for those like @Torrey who were curious how the algae growth goes, if you look a the rock on the left in the photo you can see I've still got the brown diatoms.  I've managed to keep them dominant, which has made me really happy.  Plus, I've got a fluorescent green algae that seems to only hang out in the brightest locations.  The rocks are looking really good, if I do say so myself.  I'm not sure if it is the color of light I have on them, or the low intensity, but I'm very happy it is shaping up this way.  One bonus of the low lighting is that I only have to wipe algae off the arcylic about once a month, and even then it's not much.  That's been a nice bonus to be sure.

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

I love Lake Tang tanks so you had me at Cyps and Julies but the overall aesthetic is excellent and right in line with your goal. 
Here’s a video I recently saw - really like this guys channel as he is trying to show hobbiests what the biotope looks like. 

Great job and thanks for the update!

[OnlyGenusCaps]

Thanks for the kind words!  I've been enjoying the aesthetic of that tank.  I'm really hoping I can get both the fish species to breed in there.

Thanks too for the video link!  I love the dive vids of the East African Rift lakes.  My Deep Reef tank is going to be inspired by some of the dive vids from Lake Malaŵi, but it won't be a true biotope.  Like, no plants, snails, schistosomiasis.  You know.  Not an exact parallel. 

[Torrey]

On 10/8/2021 at 1:14 PM, OnlyGenusCaps said:

Well, it's been a bit and my male Cyps are beginning to color up nicely!  They move so much, it's really hard to get a photo of them.  But they have a deep, rich blue starting in their backs and heads, with vibrant yellow tails.  This was the best photo I could get.  Sad, I know.  But hopefully it gets some sense across of their development:

As you can see, the Julis have no interest in hanging out in the rockwork when the party animal Cyps are having such a good time darting about.  I was really hoping to get the species separation by depth, but at least they all seem happy and comfortable in their home. 

And for those like @Torrey who were curious how the algae growth goes, if you look a the rock on the left in the photo you can see I've still got the brown diatoms.  I've managed to keep them dominant, which has made me really happy.  Plus, I've got a fluorescent green algae that seems to only hang out in the brightest locations.  The rocks are looking really good, if I do say so myself.  I'm not sure if it is the color of light I have on them, or the low intensity, but I'm very happy it is shaping up this way.  One bonus of the low lighting is that I only have to wipe algae off the arcylic about once a month, and even then it's not much.  That's been a nice bonus to be sure.

I'm ord🤦‍♂️

 

I tried to 😍😍😍

 

I recently learned a fish photography trick:

Wipe the inside and outside of the front glass, and run the mechanical filtration to get the water crystal clear (about 2 hours)

Then feed the tank a little on the heavy side.

Use a bright flashlight or photographer's cube light, to show the colors off on film the best

Put camera on tripod, manually control ISO (which isn't actually standardized on digital cameras 🙄) and take pictures straight on.

 

Turns out fish slow down when in a food coma.🐌

[OnlyGenusCaps]

On 10/9/2021 at 1:24 AM, Torrey said:

I recently learned a fish photography trick

Those are really useful tips!  However, I suspect they are:

1. For someone with a basic degree of skill, which I lack

2. For a person with some equipment, that I am too lazy to find

3. Absolutely for someone more patient and less haphazard in their photography than I.

For people where there is more hope of success than I, I think they seem very useful!

I do have to say, I am not sure I've seen the Cyps slow down, except at night a bit.  After a feeding the Julis like to sit at the bottom doing the urp and burp.  But the Cyps get right back to patrolling, chasing each other, and the males have recently added trying to show off to the females.  I thought Endler's and danios were energetic fish, but those two are down right couch potatoes by contrast! 

[Torrey]

On 10/9/2021 at 7:19 AM, OnlyGenusCaps said:

Those are really useful tips!  However, I suspect they are:

1. For someone with a basic degree of skill, which I lack

2. For a person with some equipment, that I am too lazy to find

3. Absolutely for someone more patient and less haphazard in their photography than I.

For people where there is more hope of success than I, I think they seem very useful!

I do have to say, I am not sure I've seen the Cyps slow down, except at night a bit.  After a feeding the Julis like to sit at the bottom doing the urp and burp.  But the Cyps get right back to patrolling, chasing each other, and the males have recently added trying to show off to the females.  I thought Endler's and danios were energetic fish, but those two are down right couch potatoes by contrast! 

Notice that I said I learned the tricks.

 

Zero references to actually using the tricks. 

 

And I already have the equipment 🤣