laritheloud Posted August 14, 2021 Share Posted August 14, 2021 Finally getting started on a journal! My vision for this tank is a peaceful larger gourami community, still deciding between a pair of moonlight gouramis or a small group of pearl gouramis. For the middle, I'm deciding between blackline rasboras or platy fish, and for the bottom we want a moderately-sized catfish -- one pleco (heavily leaning towards blue or green phantom, the Starlight bristlenose, OR the leopard frog pleco) and possibly smaller woodcats, dwarf petricolas, or synodontis nigriventris. We're at the infant stages of this new project, but I'm anxious to get started. We're doing our leak test for the tank tonight, and if all goes well, I can put together the hardscape tomorrow. Here's the scattered pieces I have so far, including a wooden tank stand we placed and leveled yesterday, some driftwood that's serving as my main inspiration pieces (plus more that's soaking), and a sample of the rock work we're using. I'm aiming to make a sandy/rocky riverbed look. It'd be nice if it were vaguely Southeast Asian, but I'm not strict about making it a biotope. Once I set up my hardscape, I'll share my progress. I have no idea where to start with planting, either; all I know is I want to stick to easy-to-care-for and easy-to-grow plants, plenty of epiphytes to tuck into the wood and rockwork, and floating plants to provide shade and keep gouramis happy. Thanks for joining me on my new journey! 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solstice_Lacer Posted August 14, 2021 Share Posted August 14, 2021 Good luck, look forward to seeing it 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbit Posted August 15, 2021 Share Posted August 15, 2021 Yay! Very exciting! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laritheloud Posted August 15, 2021 Author Share Posted August 15, 2021 (edited) Hard scape playing! Thoughts? Suggestions? I'm not going to fill the tank until I have plants, and the sand will be shifted around to my liking. Help me plant this tank! Edited August 15, 2021 by laritheloud 5 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbit Posted August 15, 2021 Share Posted August 15, 2021 Honestly it looks amazing! My only very minor suggestion would be to take the rock in the front right (near the center) and tuck it up against the driftwood a bit more… but that’s only if you’re going for a more traditional look. I LOVE the way the driftwood’s laid out. So many great lines. It gives the scape a lot of energy! 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laritheloud Posted August 15, 2021 Author Share Posted August 15, 2021 On 8/15/2021 at 10:17 AM, Hobbit said: Honestly it looks amazing! My only very minor suggestion would be to take the rock in the front right (near the center) and tuck it up against the driftwood a bit more… but that’s only if you’re going for a more traditional look. I LOVE the way the driftwood’s laid out. So many great lines. It gives the scape a lot of energy! I just moved the rocks around a bit, pushing the rocks this way and that. I'm letting it sit and I'll back to it to see what other adjustments I need to make. Really excited about this one 🙂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott P. Posted August 15, 2021 Share Posted August 15, 2021 You're off to a great start. Looks good so far. I really like the driftwood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laritheloud Posted August 15, 2021 Author Share Posted August 15, 2021 Feeling good about it 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guppysnail Posted August 15, 2021 Share Posted August 15, 2021 Your wood is fantastic. I wish I could do placement that wonderful! Great job!😍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laritheloud Posted August 15, 2021 Author Share Posted August 15, 2021 On 8/15/2021 at 12:19 PM, Guppysnail said: Your wood is fantastic. I wish I could do placement that wonderful! Great job!😍 These wood pieces are HUGE -- it was a challenge to get them in there in a way I liked 😆 Thank you! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laritheloud Posted August 31, 2021 Author Share Posted August 31, 2021 So my wood floated for a few weeks after filling the tank... Of course it did, LOL. I couldn't get it back exactly how it was (the largest piece swelled in such a way that it was impossible to rotate back like it is in the picture) but I got the wood and rocks to a place where I like them. I added some hornwort cuttings from my other tanks (and water lettuce) to help cycling along, this will be replaced by salvinia cucullata when I start planting 'for real.' I ordered a few crypts, some rotala, bolbitis, aponogeton, crinum calamistratum, hygrophila corymbosa, and a number of new-to-me plants to try out in my water. I'm probably going to order a few more and rearrange/prune as I figure out my arrangements. I'm thinking some pearl weed to add bushy, lush, carpet-like growth. We'll see once I start really planting! I'm thinking about getting a pleco cave or coconut hut as 'hides' for fish. Do you think that's necessary in this tank? I figure it wouldn't hurt... I'm adding an air stone, but I'm not happy with how a sponge filter looks int his tank no matter where I put it. I might forgo the sponge filter and just figure out a prefilter for my canister intake. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isaac M Posted September 1, 2021 Share Posted September 1, 2021 Sounds like a solid list of plants! Cannot wait to see how it turns out! As far as the hides go, I do not think they are necessary assuming you are going to let the plants get dense and lush but they do not hurt like you said. I am sure the possible future catfish would enjoy it. A prefilter sponge would look similar to a sponge filter in my opinion but once the plants grow in, you will likely not be able to see the sponge anyways. The beautiful hardscape you have going in this aquarium already has set up your aquarium to look beautiful regardless of where the sponge goes haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laritheloud Posted September 4, 2021 Author Share Posted September 4, 2021 As you can see the wood shifted a bit, it grew biofilm/fungus, and I started adding plants. Cycling is pretty much finished and I’m gonna clean the glass and do a water change soon. Current residents are rams horn snails, Malaysian trumpet snails, and bladder snails. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laritheloud Posted September 6, 2021 Author Share Posted September 6, 2021 Purchased my first fish for the tank, and it's something unexpected: the start of a school of Pacific Blue-Eyed Rainbowfish (Pseudomugil Signifer). They are the absolute coolest, and so, so pretty. They're really skittish right now and school very tightly whenever I walk by, but I've caught them flashing their gorgeous colors when they don't notice I'm watching. I plan to build them up to a school of about 12. They are way too quick and active to take proper photos, but I find them to be lovely fish so far! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laritheloud Posted September 6, 2021 Author Share Posted September 6, 2021 https://streamable.com/2d68gg Best video I can get so far! Those are bubbles in the tank you’re seeing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick_G Posted September 6, 2021 Share Posted September 6, 2021 Good purchase! I’d like to try keeping some Psudomugil some day. It’s interesting that their taxonomy seems to have changed. You can go down the rabbit hole on Google if you want to geek out but essentially it seems like they’re in a different family than the Australian Rainbows now. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laritheloud Posted September 6, 2021 Author Share Posted September 6, 2021 On 9/6/2021 at 2:44 PM, Patrick_G said: Good purchase! I’d like to try keeping some Psudomugil some day. It’s interesting that their taxonomy seems to have changed. You can go down the rabbit hole on Google if you want to geek out but essentially it seems like they’re in a different family than the Australian Rainbows now. It's such a rabbit hole. I'm fortunate that my LFS has a huge variety of rainbowfish in stock right now. We looked at the rasboras and kept going back to the rainbowfish, so we ended up with these little guys. We were between the Kamakas, the Dwarf Praecox, and these; the kamakas had a bit of lip irritation going on (I know that's common in rainbows) and were already pretty large. The Praecox were beautiful and shimmering, we almost took them... but I'm glad we picked up the pseudomugil signifers. So unique and different from a lot of schooling fish. They're going to make a gorgeous display when I up their numbers some more. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbit Posted September 6, 2021 Share Posted September 6, 2021 Ohh are those the yellow Pom-Pom fish? I know @Irene recommended in one of her videos a while back. They look so fun! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laritheloud Posted September 6, 2021 Author Share Posted September 6, 2021 On 9/6/2021 at 3:36 PM, Hobbit said: Ohh are those the yellow Pom-Pom fish? I know @Irene recommended in one of her videos a while back. They look so fun! No, but they're related! Irene's fish were Furcata Rainbowfish, and they have yellow pompoms. These guys have black antennae fins instead of the yellow pompoms. The males are like this photo: 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tihshho Posted September 6, 2021 Share Posted September 6, 2021 Tank looks great! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laritheloud Posted September 13, 2021 Author Share Posted September 13, 2021 https://streamable.com/o10se4 I just got RABBIT SNAILS and they are amazing! My diatoms are going nuts, though, so they have plenty to chow on. Can't wait til the gross-looking early stage of of a new tank gets over with. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick_G Posted September 14, 2021 Share Posted September 14, 2021 On 9/13/2021 at 4:49 PM, laritheloud said: just got RABBIT SNAILS and they are amazing! My diatoms are going nuts, though, so they have plenty to chow on. Can't wait til the gross-looking early stage of of a new tank gets over with. I think my fam might love these! I’d have to figure out how to raise ph a bit though. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laritheloud Posted September 14, 2021 Author Share Posted September 14, 2021 On 9/13/2021 at 8:09 PM, Patrick_G said: I think my fam might love these! I’d have to figure out how to raise ph a bit though. we have alkaline water out of the tap so I'm not too worried about it. They are so cool! The entire family gets a kick out of them! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tihshho Posted September 14, 2021 Share Posted September 14, 2021 If they go missing, look for a odd patch of sand, they are going to love to burrow. Be prepared for base jumping, so if you have a cat and they are now going nuts in front of the tank, blame the snails. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laritheloud Posted September 20, 2021 Author Share Posted September 20, 2021 (edited) The growth is insane in this tank. My aponogeton is flowering. Still have diatoms, but they're slowly reducing. I changed my plans from pearl gouramis to a group of thicklips to make my Lady Marmalade happier. She'll be coming home to this tank after I give the rainbows a clean bill of health. Don't mind the floating banana plant... I gave up trying to anchor it to something, the rabbit snails keep dislodging the heck out of it. When it starts sending out roots I'll figure it out. Edited September 20, 2021 by laritheloud 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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