Fish Folk Posted December 16, 2021 Share Posted December 16, 2021 If beauty is “in the eye of the beholder,” then we NERMs should at least own the final say over our tanks. It’s interesting what things matter to different aquarists, and what we each look at with our own tanks. Here’s a rack I’ve just said “nite-nite” to… My son and I built this as a breeding set up. 40-gal. breeder on top, with two 20-gal. long tanks originally intended for grow out. We made the rims wide to hold things, and spaced the lower two far enough apart so that a Lee’s large specimen container could fit diagonally long-ways above each. Crushed coral, Eco-Complete, and Black Diamond Blasting Sand all managed to get involved in each substrate. Large North Carolina shells manage to end up in many of our tanks too. Wisteria is our most prolific plant. Valisneria shows up here and there. Pothos is a normative friend. Amazon Swords are never regretted. Lighting for lower two are $10 Hyper-Tough LED shop lights from Walmart. Filtration is identical on all: 2x medium sponge filters on either side. Most recently, the 40-gal. has been home to a large Electric Blue Acara family. Colombian Tetras hold their own in there as well. Once the young EBAs are large enough to sell as adults, I’ll move along to buyers. There’s a few Bristlenose Plecos in here. I never bother to count them. Just keep wood in the tank. I blame Greg Sage for hooking me on Xenotoca doadrioi (Redtail Goodeids). The middle tank is a cold-water colony for these endangered Mexican CARES species. They multiply slowly at first… but will get to 75+ in numbers after a year in here. I know this because I sold 75 a few months ago, reserving just a dozen to restart the colony. Snails are lively today. Duckweed needs a clearing-out. Fine-flake veggies are much appreciated by these. Bottom is another cold-water set up. Rainbow Shiners are growing out in here. I sold about 60+ last month, but was pleased to find about 20x were left uncaught. These will be kept until maturity, hopefully. They respond well to frozen Daphnia and live BBS. 4 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Expectorating_Aubergine Posted December 16, 2021 Share Posted December 16, 2021 Noyice.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXInkedPhoenixX Posted December 16, 2021 Share Posted December 16, 2021 (edited) On 12/15/2021 at 6:15 PM, Fish Folk said: beauty is “in the eye of the beholder,” then we NERMs should at least own the final say over our tanks. It’s interesting what things matter to different aquarists, and what we each look at with our own tanks. So true. One of the things I love about this forum is how different everyone's tanks and even philosophies are. They're like art and science all in one and if we keep our eyes, ears and minds open there is something to learn from all of us. That said, I always enjoy your tanks...even the ones that are in a state of beautiful chaos. Edited December 16, 2021 by xXInkedPhoenixX Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeJ Posted December 16, 2021 Share Posted December 16, 2021 On 12/15/2021 at 9:15 PM, Fish Folk said: If beauty is “in the eye of the beholder,” then we NERMs should at least own the final say over our tanks. It’s interesting what things matter to different aquarists, and what we each look at with our own tanks. Here’s a rack I’ve just said “nite-nite” to… My son and I built this as a breeding set up. 40-gal. breeder on top, with two 20-gal. long tanks originally intended for grow out. We made the rims wide to hold things, and spaced the lower two far enough apart so that a Lee’s large specimen container could fit diagonally long-ways above each. Crushed coral, Eco-Complete, and Black Diamond Blasting Sand all managed to get involved in each substrate. Large North Carolina shells manage to end up in many of our tanks too. Wisteria is our most prolific plant. Valisneria shows up here and there. Pothos is a normative friend. Amazon Swords are never regretted. Lighting for lower two are $10 Hyper-Tough LED shop lights from Walmart. Filtration is identical on all: 2x medium sponge filters on either side. Most recently, the 40-gal. has been home to a large Electric Blue Acara family. Colombian Tetras hold their own in there as well. Once the young EBAs are large enough to sell as adults, I’ll move along to buyers. There’s a few Bristlenose Plecos in here. I never bother to count them. Just keep wood in the tank. I blame Greg Sage for hooking me on Xenotoca doadrioi (Redtail Goodeids). The middle tank is a cold-water colony for these endangered Mexican CARES species. They multiply slowly at first… but will get to 75+ in numbers after a year in here. I know this because I sold 75 a few months ago, reserving just a dozen to restart the colony. Snails are lively today. Duckweed needs a clearing-out. Fine-flake veggies are much appreciated by these. Bottom is another cold-water set up. Rainbow Shiners are growing out in here. I sold about 60+ last month, but was pleased to find about 20x were left uncaught. These will be kept until maturity, hopefully. They respond well to frozen Daphnia and live BBS. Looks great - Your Son does an awesome job on YouTube! the 40 Breeder is my next tank now the MTS has set-in. Have a 20H a 20L and a 10... Appreciate the tips, advice and great info. Going to try planting real plant next too 🙂 . George 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted December 16, 2021 Author Share Posted December 16, 2021 On 12/16/2021 at 3:45 PM, GeorgeJ said: planting real plant next too ^^ this. changes. everything. ^^ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now