UNS 60U Blackwater Tank | "THE ROOTS" Build Thread

[Northwest_Scapes_]

Hey everyone! Sorry for the lack of updates, not much going on right now since im just letting everything grow out from this point. 

I still have all 4 Hardoldi and the Trio of Parosphromenus. The Emerald Eyes have fattened up a lot, and I should be able to get an updated FTS later today. In the mean time, I got some better shots of the Male Blue Line Licorice! His colors aren't the most intense right now, but i still think he's pretty nice 🙂

[anewbie]

What is a Hardoldi ? I can't find references to such a species.

[Northwest_Scapes_]

On 12/8/2021 at 8:46 AM, anewbie said:

What is a Hardoldi ? I can't find references to such a species.

Parotocinclus Haroldi 

they don't have an official common name but they're sometimes listed as "snowball oto" or "galaxy oto"

[anewbie]

Oh so basically mini pleco; i have some P. maculicauda. I call them mini pleco because planetcatfish call them that but i think catfish is just a better description 😉

 

[Northwest_Scapes_]

Hey Everyone! Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! Meant to say Merry Christmas here yesterday but was too busy catching up with family. Anyways, not much going on as of now, but that'll change soon! A list of updates: 

-Unfortunately to the best of my counting ability, it seems like I may have lost 1 or 2 of the Emerald Eyes. I'm not sure why, things like this just happen. Good news is the rest of the gang (10 is the number I've settled on and counted since I started with 12) seem fat and happy. Other than that, everyone else to the best of my knowledge seems to be doing well. 

-CAN I TALK ABOUT HOW UNDERRATED THESE GUYS ARE? Honestly, I was thinking of switching them out with something more outgoing / colorful such as Cardinal, Ruby, or Reed Tetras, but just by keeping my distance (they are a bit skittish, one reason I thought about switching them out) such as the view from my bed or my desk. they roam everywhere in the tank. Not to mention, their eyes, wow. This is another fish I think shines (literally) in a Blackwater Tank. While they are 100% suitable and do well in Aquascaped / clear water tank, something about the Tannins and way the light hits the underside of their eyes in a Blackwater Tank absolutely blows anything else out of the water. I try my best to capture it on Photo and Video but you really have to see it in person. I always love when I look over, just seeing flashes of Bright Blue/Green. As someone mentioned to me, they're like the Flashlight Fish of the Freshwater World to some extent. (Which I was about to setup a Flashlight Fish only 125G but that's a story for another day). Also, in certain angles they actually get an orange stripe down the sides of their body, there's just so much to them that you don't see at the fish store or even in an aquascaped tank. 

-Plant wise, the Anubias have been growing some crazy roots and new leaves, gotta get some shots of them. Overall, I think I need some Ferts since they are showing slight signs of Nutrient deficiency, but for the most part they're doing pretty well. The Crypts also started showing tiny signs of deficiency,  and the Dwarf Aquarium Lily ended up losing all its tall stalks' 😞 The good thing is, I got some Aquarium Co-op Root tabs and it already looks to be perk up. This will benefit both the Crypts and Lily, can't wait to see an explosion in growth! 

-Fish wise, I believe I still have all 4 Haroldi. The reason I say that is because they've gotten smart about hiding and really take advantage of the Leaves and Seed Pods. They also "disappear" into the shaded areas of the roots, so that makes it even harder for me, but more comfortable for them lol. I've only seen 3 at the most, but I haven't found any bodies yet and it's super hard to tell all but 1 of them apart from each other (The only one I can confidently tell apart is the biggest which has some striping and is also not as dark as the other 3) so I'm still confident all 4 are there. Maybe one day soon I'll see all 4 just chillin. 

I believe I might also have some pairing of the Licorice Gourami's soon! The Male and one of the Females have been really sticking close to each other, as well as the Male now claiming the Coconut hut in the back left corner his, away from the roots where the females like to hang out. Actually just a few days ago, I saw the Female checking it out as well. No Flirting or "Sexy Eye" yet, but maybe that'll be a surprise the new year brings in! 

 

Overall, the Tank is in super good shape, I will say though, from the FTSs it only seems like the Emerald Eyes are the only inhabitants in the tank. That'll change very soon (MAYBE THIS WEEK!!) *cough* new top dwellers to finish off the stocking for now *cough* 🤫

 

And of course with all this time, LOTS of Pictures! I hope everyone enjoyed the update, and hopefully I'll be back soon with new fish 😁

[Northwest_Scapes_]

Hey Everyone! Long time no see! 

First post of 2022 is kind of meh since there hasn't been much going on with the tank. The Tank went through a bit of an Algae phase that was fixed with a 12 day blackout at the beginning of the year. Othe than that, everything has been stable and growing! I also started using the Sony A6100 I got as a Christmas/ Early Birthday Gift and it's been amazing. Going to get some lenses and a Gimbal for it soon so everything taken so far has just been by the base camera. 

 

Crypts and Anubias have been doing extremely well, the Lily took a bit of a hit during the blackout but the Root tabs are helping it out. 

 

The last additions to the tank are probably some floaters, another stem plant for the back left corner (I'm leaning heavily towards Mosaic Ludwigia right now), and a group of Pygmy Hatchetfish to round out the top part. Should be fun! Every Fish so far (except 2 Emerald Eyes) have made it and are doing super well. Especially the Otos and Parasphromenus, I don't put in any algae wafers too often so the biofilm seems to be their main meal. And the Gouramis have been trained somewhat onto frozen which is awesome. Everyone seems quite fat so far. 

I've loved this tank so much I'm actually setting up another 20G (not another 60U unfortunately, just a standard 20 High) next to it that will also be a Blackwater, but more dedicated to tricky fish again like the Parasphromenus. I think those fish will really enjoy that setup. Stay Tuned on a thread for that tank, as well as the Tanganyika Tank I've had running for a bit, just battling some Blue-Green Cyano right now but once that's over I'll start it. 

I hope everyone's been doing well and here are some photos! 

 

[Atitagain]

That is a great picture of your tank. Also the one with the emerald eyes👍

[Northwest_Scapes_]

Hey ya'll! Finally have a new update on the tank: New Fish!  I just picked up the last 5 Pygmy Hatchetfish from an LFS and they're on their way to the 60U! In the end I really want a group of 10 or 12 since they do best in group of more than 8, so hopefully these guys do well for the time being. I also added a lot of Salvinia Natans so hopefully that stuff makes a big mat across the surface. I also added a few stems of Mosaic Ludwigia to the back left corner so I won't really know how it does for a while since they're poor shippers but mine seem to be okay but until I see growth I won't say they're good just yet. But that will look super nice if it reaches the surface. 

I'll send pics of the Tank and Pygmy Hatchetfish later once they're settled in, but here's some pics I managed to grab over the past few days 

[anewbie]

Aren't hatchet generally speaking jumpers ?

[Northwest_Scapes_]

On 1/30/2022 at 3:58 PM, anewbie said:

Aren't hatchet generally speaking jumpers ?

Yes, I'm using a lid from a 125 temporarily while I make something more cleaner looking, no causality so far although I did find where 1 of the Emerald Eyes went on the carpet.. RIP 

Here are some pictures! Excited to say they've been doing good. Eating Flakes so far, I'm going to try Live BBS soon. They were sort of schooling with the Emerald Eyes the first night but they've found each other and mostly stick to the top now 

[eatyourpeas]

Those green eyes!!! 😍  I do want to add some Emerald Eyes some day.

Looking great, and those hatchets look fun!

Edited February 2, 2022 by eatyourpeas

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

I love the marble hatchets we have on my sons tank and would recommend them to anyone, they fit in so well with your blackwater. Great job with this setup! Look forward to your other 2 planned setups as well.