MatticusRexxor Posted November 29, 2021 Author Share Posted November 29, 2021 On 11/28/2021 at 10:57 PM, Torrey said: I like snails, now that @Guppysnail has helped learn to identify them *and* properly care for them. I would hold off on nerites until the tank is older. Nerites are hands down the best snails for eating hair algae and keeping the glass clean. They are also advertised as having a 2 year life span, and I suspect that is because they are not flexible in what they eat. I have 2 nerites my friend bequeathed to me, and she had them for 10 years before I inherited them. I almost accidentally starved them to death😬 I didn't realize that they would not eat anything other than algae. Not algae wafers, not green beans, not spirulina. Just algae. As for adding livestock, how long has it been since you have seen ammonia on the test strips? Personally, I ghost feed my tanks when I am cycling, because I know what I will be putting in the tank and have a pretty good idea how much they will eat. Other people will use Tim's ammonia. Either way, you want to get the ammonia up to 1.0, and the next day see 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites, with potentially an increase in nitrates (unless plants consume it). Once you have the tank going from 1.0 ppm ammonia, to 0 ppm ammonia and 0 ppm nitrites in a 24 hour period, without carbon in the filter, the tank is ready for fish. If your well water has nitrates in it, you may want to look at Guppysnail's method of planting, and I can't remember the name, maybe @dasaltemelosguy did the experiment on lucky bamboo and pothos for nitrate removal? Guppysnail talks about it in her journal and how she was influenced, if I am wrong about who did the experiment.... I have never had ammonia in the water when I've tested. The closest I've seen was some nitrites last week, but those are down to zero at the moment. I have not been adding any fish food to the tank, but I've been leaving any melting plant matter that hasn't found it's way to the surface (at which point I net it out). As for the nitrates, our well water seems to just have them naturally. No idea what that's about, but it's what I've got. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torrey Posted November 29, 2021 Share Posted November 29, 2021 On 11/29/2021 at 12:19 AM, MatticusRexxor said: I have never had ammonia in the water when I've tested. The closest I've seen was some nitrites last week, but those are down to zero at the moment. I have not been adding any fish food to the tank, but I've been leaving any melting plant matter that hasn't found it's way to the surface (at which point I net it out). As for the nitrates, our well water seems to just have them naturally. No idea what that's about, but it's what I've got. I can't remember if you have any charcoal/ activated carbon in your tank? That will prevent you from seeing ammonia. If there is any farmland above the aquifer that feeds your well, you will have nitrates in your water due to the farms fertilizing. It happens. Before you add your danios, you want to make sure that the beneficial bacteria colony is sufficient to break down their waste. Try [ghost] feeding a pinch of food in the morning, and a pinch of food at night, for the rest of this week. (Crumble the pinch up, until it becomes dust, so you don't get mold growing at the bottom of the tank). Then test your water on Friday. If you ghost feed 2x a day, for the whole week, don't add Prime or any water conditioner (except you can add Stability, or Fritz bacteria starter, or similar liquid beneficial bacteria), and on Friday only have nitrates and no nitrites or ammonia, then your tank is cycled and ready for your danios. I would limit to only adding 6 danios, and then monitor water quality for a few weeks, before adding anything else. As the plants grow more, the nitrates will drop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MatticusRexxor Posted November 29, 2021 Author Share Posted November 29, 2021 On 11/28/2021 at 11:44 PM, Torrey said: I can't remember if you have any charcoal/ activated carbon in your tank? That will prevent you from seeing ammonia. If there is any farmland above the aquifer that feeds your well, you will have nitrates in your water due to the farms fertilizing. It happens. Before you add your danios, you want to make sure that the beneficial bacteria colony is sufficient to break down their waste. Try [ghost] feeding a pinch of food in the morning, and a pinch of food at night, for the rest of this week. (Crumble the pinch up, until it becomes dust, so you don't get mold growing at the bottom of the tank). Then test your water on Friday. If you ghost feed 2x a day, for the whole week, don't add Prime or any water conditioner (except you can add Stability, or Fritz bacteria starter, or similar liquid beneficial bacteria), and on Friday only have nitrates and no nitrites or ammonia, then your tank is cycled and ready for your danios. I would limit to only adding 6 danios, and then monitor water quality for a few weeks, before adding anything else. As the plants grow more, the nitrates will drop. I do not have any carbon in the aquarium at the moment. We're surrounded by farmland, though this particular area hasn't been farmland in decades. Lots of orange/almond groves and dairy farms just outside of town, though. I've got some API Quick Start. Would that count as something I could safely add? I'll get some food and start ghost feeding tomorrow. I just bumped my light to 7 hours a day today. Should I gradually bring it closer to a normal day cycle over the week in preparation for fish? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted November 29, 2021 Share Posted November 29, 2021 @MatticusRexxorthe API QuickStart is an insurance policy for when you add fish - do a water change, add the QuickStart, then add the fish the same or next day. You’d add QuickStart with each water change until you’re getting 0 ammonia and nitrite and 5 or greater nitrate. Lighting is an individual thing. I usually start with 10-12 hours and then dial it back once I get green spot algae. A WiFi timer like the ones from Kasa are really important for consistency and so you don’t ever leave it on for 24 hours. Also use the search function and look up lighting siesta. Many of us turn the lights off in the middle of the day for a couple hours to allow the CO2 to build back up. It’s mentioned by Diana Walstad and other low tech planting people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torrey Posted December 1, 2021 Share Posted December 1, 2021 On 11/29/2021 at 6:21 AM, Beardedbillygoat1975 said: A WiFi timer like the ones from Kasa are really important for consistency and so you don’t ever leave it on for 24 hours. Also use the search function and look up lighting siesta. Many of us turn the lights off in the middle of the day for a couple hours to allow the CO2 to build back up. It’s mentioned by Diana Walstad and other low tech planting people. The WiFi timers also prevent a problem with the old 'peg style' timers: turning the lights 'on' for doing maintenance, and then forgetting to switch it back to 'timer'.... for an entire week 🤦♂️ and not realizing it sooner because the tank wasn't in the bedroom with me😅 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MatticusRexxor Posted December 3, 2021 Author Share Posted December 3, 2021 Been ghost feeding this week (sometimes doing one two-pinch at night because I’ve been sick this week). No ammonia, no nitrites, nitrates still around 80. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted December 4, 2021 Share Posted December 4, 2021 @MatticusRexxorthat's excellent news! Patience paying off. I'd give it a few more days, testing regularly and some more ghost feedings to prep the beneficial bacteria, do a big water change and then start adding some liverstock! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MatticusRexxor Posted December 10, 2021 Author Share Posted December 10, 2021 It’s been a few days since I added my first fish, and things are going smoothly. The danios are getting settled in, and seem to have already eaten any detritus worms swimming around. I’ve got them on a diet of API tropical flakes, one small pinch twice a day. I also give them a treat of freeze-dried bloodworms every few days. My crypts are doing well, and the swords seem to be really taking off. The lily bulb has sprouted. In the left corner, I’m not sure if another bulb has sprouted, or if the stem plants I propagated sent runners. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted December 10, 2021 Share Posted December 10, 2021 @MatticusRexxorthis looks great, well done! looks like the wisteria or water sprite is starting to take off again on the right and the other plants have new growth as well as those swords look very healthy. Great job. How do your numbers look after adding the danios? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MatticusRexxor Posted December 10, 2021 Author Share Posted December 10, 2021 On 12/10/2021 at 2:51 PM, Beardedbillygoat1975 said: @MatticusRexxorthis looks great, well done! looks like the wisteria or water sprite is starting to take off again on the right and the other plants have new growth as well as those swords look very healthy. Great job. How do your numbers look after adding the danios? My numbers are the same. Ammonia 0, Nitrites 0, Nitrate ~60-80. It was like that even before introducing fish, right after a water change. This is all either former farmland or surrounded by farmland, so I guess there's no helping that. Maybe add more plants? I'd like something more for the foreground, since the dwarf hairgrass doesn't seem to be thriving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted December 10, 2021 Share Posted December 10, 2021 Microsword or dwarf chain sword have worked for me, I have had great success with dwarf sag, crypt parva can be great I lost mine in one of The Sad Bowls first incarnactions, hydrocotyle japan would be some of my recommendations for foreground. I often just put a bunch of crypts (wendtii variants typically) in the foreground - buy a couple of containers of crypts that are in culture and I put root tabs in a grid pattern underneath - you can do this with any of the above. That nitrate is a blessing and a curse, you'll just have to be real careful with dosing ferts. Yes, more plants would be totally reasonable as I really think the vast majority of low to medium difficulty plants are going to do well but you'll have others like the hairgrass that will struggle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MatticusRexxor Posted December 14, 2021 Author Share Posted December 14, 2021 The tank one week after adding the danios. Made a run to get some more crypts, as well as a rock with a little anubias on it. The water parameters haven’t changed, though it’s still cloudy from adding the plants. Gave the danios a treat of freeze dried brine shrimp and they went crazy for it! About how long should I wait before adding more fish, and what should I add next? More danios? Mollies or platies for cleanup? Cory cats? I also think I’m going to go with a gourami of some sort as my centerpiece, but I’m torn between the blue, powder blue dwarf and neon dwarf. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MatticusRexxor Posted December 18, 2021 Author Share Posted December 18, 2021 Had the day off, so I actually got to see the tank during the day for a change. Looks like the water onion bulbs are finally sprouting, and the lily has a lot of growth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MatticusRexxor Posted December 22, 2021 Author Share Posted December 22, 2021 It's been two weeks with the Danios, and my water parameters remain stable. Zero Ammonia, zero nitrites, nitrates hovering somewhere between 40 and 80 at all times. I'm wondering when it would be OK to start adding more fish, and what those next fish should be. More danios? Platies/Mollies? Wait a few more weeks and get Cory cats? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MatticusRexxor Posted January 1, 2022 Author Share Posted January 1, 2022 New Year, new post! Some of the plants are really starting to take off! The water onion (?) on the left and the lily on the right have shown a ton of growth in the last two weeks. Both swords are thriving, while the Wisterias are sort of hanging on. The other stem plants are getting taller, but shed leaves every day. The crypts are doing well, even the one in the shadow of the sword. Speaking of the swords, I’m curious what’s causing some of the leaves to melt. Are those parts not getting light? All six danios are doing well, and I’ve got at least ten bladder snails. I’m thinking it’s about time to add more stock, but I’m unsure what. More danios? Cory cats? Platies? Water is stable, but nitrates remain naturally high. I get ~80 from both the tank and regular tap water. Maybe some floating plants would help? Not sure what might work without taking over and killing the other plants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MatticusRexxor Posted January 4, 2022 Author Share Posted January 4, 2022 Added six Cory cats to the tank (3 pepper, 3 albino) yesterday. They mostly seem to have settled in, though my biggest danio seems to enjoy harassing one of the albinos.* Having never kept Corys, I had a question about feeding them: about how many API bottom-feeder pellets should I be giving them per feeding? Mine seem to have a knack for rooting around everywhere *except* where the pellets land. Should it be one pellet per fish? Two? Any tips on how to distribute them or what to do to keep the danios occupied? These danios are a greedy bunch, and it's already hard to measure the "how much they can eat in 60 seconds" rule when one or two of them are faster than the others. Also, is it unusual for Corys to hide a lot when they're newly introduced? I know I have six in there, and none have died as far as I can tell, but I only ever seem to see four of them at a time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MatticusRexxor Posted January 5, 2022 Author Share Posted January 5, 2022 Got home from work to find that one of the albino Corys had died. Checked my water and found 0 ammonia and 1.0 nitrite. Nitrates are at the usual level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minanora Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 I feed my corydoras after I feed everyone else. I only feed them every other day, and I feed them one sera bottom feeder tablet per two adult corydoras, however I have swordtails and guppies that like to eat their food as well. I have 7 corydoras in my 75, I feed them three tablets at the evening feeding. They scavenge the fallen pellet food that the swordtails/rasboras/guppies leave due to size at each feeding. Corydoras can be shy, especially with lower numbers. I've found that numbers under 4 tend to hide out more. Nitrates also effect their activity levels. My peppered corydoras, I have a pair in a 20g high. I started with 3 in there. The two that are still with me, they hid out a lot for a few months, now they're all over the place, dancing around and feed openly. I have seen higher death rates in new corydoras compared to any other fish I have kept. About a 30% loss rate for me. I've had issues with parasites with them more than anything else. Keep an eye on them and make sure they're keeping weight on and growing. Your tank is beautiful! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MatticusRexxor Posted January 9, 2022 Author Share Posted January 9, 2022 One week since adding the Corys, and my water parameters have stabilized. I have only seen three of the new fish since the one albino died, but also haven’t seen any bodies… Plants are growing well. I’ve got a lily pad, and while cleaning algae off the lid I noticed that one of the bulbs I planted in the back has quietly been growing this entire time. The snails have done a great job keeping algae out of the tank. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXInkedPhoenixX Posted January 10, 2022 Share Posted January 10, 2022 Looks great! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MatticusRexxor Posted January 10, 2022 Author Share Posted January 10, 2022 Since I’m unsure whether the two Corys I haven’t seen are dead or just shy, my feeding pattern is to drop 4-5 API sinking catfish pellets in the front parts of the tank and one in the back behind the driftwood. That way there’s plenty if I’m down to three, and one in the back in case the other two are shy. I also need to give a little extra because the Danios also like to go after the pellets, regardless if they’ve just eaten. Speaking of the Danios, I can’t be sure whether they bullied that albino Cory to death. I noticed one had part of its dorsal fin missing, and that the Danios were chasing it around. I can’t tell if that’s the one that died, because by the time I got home and found the body it didn’t have any fins left… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torrey Posted January 11, 2022 Share Posted January 11, 2022 Danios can be like little sharks. The fewer danios in the tank, the more aggressive they will be. I have found that the larger the group, the more comfortable (and therefore less bullying) danios seem to be. Having 12 danios in a tank is much less bullying than 6, and 30+ almost eliminates bullying as the danios will take turns playing follow the leader. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MatticusRexxor Posted January 12, 2022 Author Share Posted January 12, 2022 (edited) On 1/11/2022 at 12:02 PM, Torrey said: Danios can be like little sharks. The fewer danios in the tank, the more aggressive they will be. I have found that the larger the group, the more comfortable (and therefore less bullying) danios seem to be. Having 12 danios in a tank is much less bullying than 6, and 30+ almost eliminates bullying as the danios will take turns playing follow the leader. How many Danios should I add? And should I try to replace the Corys that I haven't seen in a week? I haven't seen any bodies, and there hasn't been an ammonia spike or anything. I'm not sure what my stocking numbers should be if I'm also trying to have a gourami in the tank. Edited January 12, 2022 by MatticusRexxor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MatticusRexxor Posted January 17, 2022 Author Share Posted January 17, 2022 Went to Petco today and brought home some new fish. I ended up getting five danios (originally four, but the employee added another when he noticed that one had a bendy spine and might not make it) and three peppered Corys. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted January 17, 2022 Share Posted January 17, 2022 Love that new fish smell! Coming along nicely! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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