125 Gallon Journal

[Torrey]

On 2/20/2022 at 6:22 PM, Kevin F. said:

Week 32.  No changes this week.  Did filter maintenance on the aquaclear.  Tried some filter floss in it to try and polish the water some.  I also gave the sponge pre-filter a hydrogen peroxide bath.  It was awesome purple afterwards.  You couldn't really see it but it was covered in black beard algae.  I'll do the other filter next week.  No water change today.  Unfortunately after church today I've had several meetings.  In my hurry to get the one filter clean I didn't write down the water test.  I do remember it was almost the same as last week.  The Oto's in the quarantine tank are doing ok.  One of them didn't make it, but he wasn't swimming to well when I got them home last week.

ORD 😍

[Kevin F.]

Week 33.  This week I trimmed the emperor 400 tu e to give it a little more clearance under the pre-filter sponge.   Did a test trim on so.e of the vail to see how it eould react. Took out some of the drift wood and scraped off the black beard algae, treated with peroxide. The emperor 400 is acting up again.  I have a spare body with pump I may have to change it out, or just replace it with something else.   Water tested good.

First number is before water change second one is after.

Nitrate 25/10

Nitrite 0/0

Hardness 300/300

Buffer 80/80

pH 7.2/7.2 

Chlorine 0/0

Ammonia 0/0

 

[lefty o]

looks really good. i especially like the val in the back center.

[Kevin F.]

Week 34.  No changes this week.  Staying on the new lighting and feeding schedule.   The algae is slowly receding.  The corkscrew val that was trimmed last week still looks good. I'll give it one more week and if it still looks good I'll trim the rest.  The moss has really taken off over the last week.  I thank it's because the Denison Barbs won't leave it alone.  They pick at it and spread it out allowing move light to get to more moss. The Cory's still love sleeping in it.  The smallest one will swim full speed across the tank and just crash head long into it. Another water change today and the numbers were exactly the same as last week.  I tested 3 times and it is just the same.  First number is before water change second one is after. 

Nitrate 25/10

Nitrite 0/0

Hardness 300/300

Buffer 80/80

pH 7.2/7.2 

Chlorine and Ammonia both 0 before and after. 

 

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Looking awesome!!!

[Kevin F.]

Week 35.  I didn't trim the val most of the overhang is in the middle and since all my carpet attempts failed I thank it will be ok.  I moved two of the Oto's out of quarantine and into the tank today.  I did finally loose the one zebra danio that had the bent spine.   I feed some frozen blood worms and brine shrimp this week.  Had a slight alge increase afterwards.  Fish took care of most of it.  I'm hoping that the otos will be able to get into the small places they can't. Rest of the fish are doing good.  My old Emperor 400 is about to give out.  It was one of my filters from when this tank was set up before.  It's still running just not as good as it should.  I thank I've decided to go with the pro 450 as a replacement.  I like the motor in the tank and the pre-filter is in the filter were the impeller use to be.  You can also use a polishing insert here.  What do y'all think?

Water change today. First number is before water change second one is after.

Nitrate 10/10

Nitrite 0/0

Hardness 300/300

Buffer 80/80

pH 7.6/7.2

Chlorine 0/0

Ammonia 0/0

 

[Kevin F.]

Week 36.  Changed out the Emperor 400 for a Emperor 450 pro.  The motor on the old one was about to give out.  I've had the filter for for a long time it ran on the tank for about 8 years.  Tank is doing good, scraped so.e algae today made it look a lot better.  The Oto's seem to like there new home even got a pic of one.  Put in a couple root tabs here and there.  Water change.  If there is only one number than both were the same.

Nitrate 10/25

Nitrite 0

Hardness 300

pH 7.2/7.6

Chlorine 0

Ammonia 0

 

[Odd Duck]

That stand of Val is just sooooo fabulous!  The whole tank looks great, but that Val?  Just yummy!

Makes me want to be a fish so I can swim through it.

[Guppysnail]

Your tank is so beautiful.  I’ve been toying with the idea of trying different mosses in my Cory tanks in hope of having some fry survival. The entire image of cories sleeping on it or zooming into it has me sold!  😁

[BeeD]

The cave in the front left is nice, where did you find that one? 

[Kevin F.]

@BrettD I got it from a pet store, back when we lived in South Carolina.  I've had it for a long time.  

[Kevin F.]

Week 37.  Tank is doing good.  Had one of the pearl danios die. But other than that good.  The Denison Barb that ripped his side open is healing nicely.  He now has a Iine from top to bottom. The injury looked pretty bad at first scales lifted up and flesh sticking out. See link. 

Finally did a trim of the corkscrew val.  Tops had a lot of algae growth.  Tired to tuck some of the moss to cover the hole top of the fake cave.  Put in the rest of the root tabs on the plants I didn't hit last week.  I have only seen one of the Oto's since I put them in.  Going to give it another week if I still only see one, I'll add another one from the quarantine tank.   Water tested good.  First number is before water change second one is after.  

Nitrate mabe 10/20

Nitrite 0/0

Hardness 300/300

Buffer 80/80

pH 7.6/7.6

Chlorine 0/0

Ammonia 0/0

 

[Kevin F.]

Finally after two weeks I got to see the other oto.

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

In my Parent Tank I have somewhere around 14-18 and I rarely see more than 3 at a time. Little brats. 

[Kevin F.]

Week 38.  Tank is looking good.  Still a couple spots of black beard algae.  The smallest of the derp boys died today.   He just never grew.   They were all bought at the same time the others grew quickly but he didn't.  The other 4 were almost triple his size.  I am really loving the new filter, with the pump in the tank it starts right up after water change.   It also dosen't siphon back into the tank during a water change like my ac 500 does. I still haven't had any spreading of the dwarf sagittaria.  There are two different sets in there, one that came in small and one larger.  Neither have produced any offshoots or even gotten bigger.  Took out some of the corkscrew that had grown all the way down beside the Pogostemon Stella's.  Did about a 35% water change today.

Nitrate 10/10

Nitrite 0/0

Hardness 300/300

Buffer 80/80

pH 7.2/7.6

Chlorine 0/0

Ammonia 0/0

I also dosed some iron after the water change.

[Kevin F.]

Week 39.  I uped the light a little.  Have seen a little more algae but the plants do look a little better.   The glue holding one of the golden coins down has come loose.  Only thing holding it in place is the roots dug into the plant next to it.  Hope it can hold on.  That piece of wood has a slate bottom to hold it in place, so taking it out is a no go with all the plants rooted around it.  I did my water test and it is exactly the same as last week.  I'm going to do a test with the master kit tomorrow so I'll update then with the water parameters.  I left the camera on normal exposure for the pictures this time.

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Still one of my favorite tanks on the forum!

[Odd Duck]

Really has grown in so nicely!  Excellent work!

[Patrick_G]

On 4/10/2022 at 4:43 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

Still one of my favorite tanks on the forum!

I agree, it’s a great look!

[Kevin F.]

Happy Easter everyone. 

Week 40.  All plants and fish are looking good.  I took a couple suction cups and used them to hold the moss to the glass.  I like the way it looks gave it some hight.  The fish are loving it too.   They've been over there since I did it picking at stuff.  I took pictures of the water parameters this time.

[Kevin F.]

Week 41.  Another week down.  I tell you setting her looking at the tank every day never gets old.  I increased the light duration a little.  I added a pic at the end with the settings.  Fish seem good.  Plants are doing ok.  Finally saw one of the snails after not seeing any for a while.  Sorry about the pictures I was in a rush today. 

Water parameters.  First number is before water change second one is after.

Nitrate 10/20

Nitrite 0/0

Hardness 300/300

Buffer 80/80

pH 7.2/7.6

Chlorine 0/0

Ammonia 0/0

 

[Kevin F.]

Week 42.  This week I did something we all know we shouldn't.  I saw some fish and just had to have them.  The fish were six more hillstream loaches.   Now o e of them unfortunately didn't make it eight hours but the rest are doing fine and coloring up nicely.  What I  did wrong was I put them straight into the main tank.  Now before y'all scold me to much, I know how risky this is.  I weighed my options and went with it.  Everything else with the tank is doing good.  

Water change first number is before second is after.

Nitrate 10/25

Nitrite 0/0

Hardness 300/300

Buffer 80/80

pH 7.2/7.6

Chlorine 0/0

Ammonia 0/0

[AndreaW]

On 5/1/2022 at 4:02 PM, Kevin F. said:

I did something we all know we shouldn't.

In over 20 years I've done this countless times (as in every single time). In fact, I had never heard of quarantining fish until recently, anyway. Luckily, I've only dealt with ich once, many years ago, and *knock on wood* I've been pretty lucky so far.

I've had more problems bringing in unwanted things from plants than fish. I'm sure their are plenty of horror stories out there though, but if I buy healthy fish from a reputable source, I wouldn't even think twice about it. 

[Kevin F.]

Unfortunately I don't have a reputable local store.   All I have is 2 box stores.  The one I get fish from does try there best, but there's only so much they can do with central filtration. 

[Kevin F.]

Bad start to a morning.   Found two hillstreams dead this morning.  I have looked all over the tank and can only find three.  My two originals and one of the new ones.  Went ahead and retested the water, everything except the Nitrate was the same as yesterday (Nitrate went down to 10). Temperature is still holding at 74.  I just don't know.