Angelfish Biotope-ish Tank

[Jawjagrrl]

Looking good! The wood is amazing. And petrified wood never occured to me but I really like the idea of how it will look as the plants take off! I want to study up on plants more (I think the Coop listed a bunch that were out last time I looked), but I'm with you on color and like the idea of swords for that. Any concerns about the plecos munching on them? I thought I saw a Cory LS on plants saying they were tasty to plecos. 🤷‍♀️

I know you want the kois, but those BSPs are lovely. Hope you find those hatchets... have not seen them either, but was thinking about pencilfish for my upper level fish- the ones that hang out at an angle. I did see silver dollar tetras at AH last night, never seen before, could be interesting. I loved my dollars, but I didn't have plants then.

[Odd Duck]

On 4/1/2022 at 6:16 PM, Jawjagrrl said:

Looking good! The wood is amazing. And petrified wood never occured to me but I really like the idea of how it will look as the plants take off! I want to study up on plants more (I think the Coop listed a bunch that were out last time I looked), but I'm with you on color and like the idea of swords for that. Any concerns about the plecos munching on them? I thought I saw a Cory LS on plants saying they were tasty to plecos. 🤷‍♀️

I know you want the kois, but those BSPs are lovely. Hope you find those hatchets... have not seen them either, but was thinking about pencilfish for my upper level fish- the ones that hang out at an angle. I did see silver dollar tetras at AH last night, never seen before, could be interesting. I loved my dollars, but I didn't have plants then.

Thank you!  I did find the alternate hatchets, the spotfins.  I don’t think I’ve had issues with plecos munching on swords but my Red Flame swords in my other 100 G got taken down to nubs.  But I’m pretty sure it was from tail action and some sparring between males since I found leaves floating.  They are behind the middle wood piece in my other tank so I can’t watch them from across the room.  They could have munched, I don’t know.  Those have a slightly firmer, crisper leaf than the Amazon swords, so I would think they would eat the Amazon swords before the Red Flames.  They hadn’t messed with them when they were younger and no one goes hungry in my tanks.  😆  I guess that it’s a “use at your own risk” situation.

[Torrey]

ORD 😍😍😍

[Brandon p]

Are you going to igo black water route?

[Odd Duck]

On 4/2/2022 at 8:33 AM, Brandon p said:

Are you going to igo black water route?

Not full black but I’ll probably run a tint.

[Brandon p]

I like the tiny as well but the neon and shrimp tank does best if the water is dark

[Odd Duck]

On 4/2/2022 at 1:52 PM, Brandon p said:

I like the tiny as well but the neon and shrimp tank does best if the water is dark

I want to be able to see the fish optimally.  This is first and foremost a display tank.  It’s only going to have 5 species of fish, the angels as the feature, plus the hatchets, 2 species of cories from different families so they shouldn’t hybridize (sterbais and gold lasers), and super red bristlenose plecos.  If I get any breeding of any species besides angels the fry will be caught and moved or sold once they get to a happy number 8-10 of each species of cory, for instance.  Might let it get to double that on the hatchets although I think it will be very unlikely for hatchetfish eggs or fry to survive at all.  SRBN I wouldn’t want more than 5 in the tank so fry would be removed.  Angels will likely be pulled out if they pair and start to breed.  Or at least I’ll pull eggs out.  There won’t be shrimp or neons in this tank.  Not with angels.

Edited April 2, 2022 by Odd Duck
Clarify

[eatyourpeas]

Beautiful tank! 😍

[Odd Duck]

Posting a link here just so I don’t lose this thread in the shuffle.  I may want to refer back to this at some point and I’m sure my old brain is at potential risk for forgetting the title of my own thread.  😂 🤷🏻‍♀️ 😝  Besides, this belongs in here anyway so everybody can see the goofy angel behavior and my pea soup progress.

 

[Colu]

Really nice scrape 

[Odd Duck]

On 5/24/2022 at 5:01 PM, Colu said:

Really nice scrape 

Thank you!  Now if I could just see it again, I’d be happy!  😆   The pea soup is thinning gradually with the lights cut way back.  Timer is set for only 4 hours but I sometimes turn it on early so I can see my fish swimming through the murk.  My nitrates are minimal (5-10 ppm, ammonia and nitrites 0) but everything is primarily root feeders and I’ve got Osmocote granules in the bottom clay layer, so plants should be fine for now. I’ll get my UV filter running again as soon as my replacement bulbs arrive (supposed to be today) then it should clear pretty fast.  Couple pics of pea soup from May 4 about when it started and the slight improvement so far as of today.  I don’t think I took a pic during the worst of it.

 

[Colu]

I had the same issue with green water on my goldfish tank till I added an inline uv to my canister filter

Edited May 24, 2022 by Colu

[Odd Duck]

On 5/24/2022 at 5:43 PM, Colu said:

I had the same issue with green water on my goldfish tank till I add a inline uv to my canister filter

Yep, once the UV is working again it should clear up quickly.  That lets light actually get to my plants who will start using up nutrients even better than they are now.  Things will settle. It’s just frustrating until they do.  The fish are happy as clams except for the angelfish confusion about the side lighting before the tank lights come on. The other species are not affected by special effects on the angelfish brains.  😂 🤣 

[Odd Duck]

Well, my replacement UV bulbs are still not here (supposed to get here yesterday, now supposed to still get here today), but the tank is turning the corner anyway and clearing significantly even from yesterday with no water change yet this week.  Here is today’s photo.  It’s easy to see the difference already as the tank comes back into balance.  The UV filter should finish cleaning this up in a couple days.

 

Edited May 26, 2022 by Odd Duck
Typo

[Odd Duck]

Here’s the pic from this morning after about 18 hours of a working UV filter.  Look!  I can see my fish!  😆

This should finish clearing very quickly now since it was already turning the corner before I got the replacement UV bulb installed.

I can’t quite see well enough yet to assess the aesthetics of my sponge blobs.  I think the plants will look OK as a pseudo grass clump “falling into the stream” if they do well.

 

Edited May 26, 2022 by Odd Duck

[Jawjagrrl]

On 5/26/2022 at 1:21 PM, Odd Duck said:

Here’s the pic from this morning after about 18 hours of a working UV filter.  Look!  I can see my fish!  😆

This should finish clearing very quickly now since it was already turning the corner before I got the replacement UV bulb installed.

I can’t quite see well enough yet to assess the aesthetics of my sponge blobs.  I think the plants will look OK as a pseudo grass clump “falling into the stream” if they do well.

 

excellent! Is that a bulgarian green seal point angel in there? 

[Torrey]

On 4/2/2022 at 1:25 PM, Odd Duck said:

I want to be able to see the fish optimally.  This is first and foremost a display tank.  It’s only going to have 5 species of fish, the angels as the feature, plus the hatchets, 2 species of cories from different families so they shouldn’t hybridize (sterbais and gold lasers), and super red bristlenose plecos.  If I get any breeding of any species besides angels the fry will be caught and moved or sold once they get to a happy number 8-10 of each species of cory, for instance.  Might let it get to double that on the hatchets although I think it will be very unlikely for hatchetfish eggs or fry to survive at all.  SRBN I wouldn’t want more than 5 in the tank so fry would be removed.  Angels will likely be pulled out if they pair and start to breed.  Or at least I’ll pull eggs out.  There won’t be shrimp or neons in this tank.  Not with angels.

Why is it green water is easiest to get going *only* in display tanks? If only we could all have Dean's bathroom, with the bathroom window, perfectly growing greenwater, maybe our display tanks wouldn't feel obligated to grow it for us😆

 

Everything seems to be coming along!

[Odd Duck]

New pics from today.  This is roughly another 24 hours with a functioning UV filter.  😆 🤦🏻‍♀️   The water isn’t completely crystal clear yet, but quickly improving.  Plus a pic of the sponge blobs holding the narrow leaf Sagittaria.  Not as cosmetic as I’d hoped, but Fissidens loves to grow on foam, so I may leave it as is.  I should have done my foam blocks about half this size and crowded the plants together more.  I do hope to have a fairly significant clump of plants, so I guess I was dressing them for the job I want them to do, not the job they’re ready for.  Eventually if the plants prosper this way, I think it will give me the effect I want.  It’s just ignoring the foam blobs until the moss gets there (I’d even be OK with algae on them at this point) or the plants get dense enough to cover the blobs.

 

On 5/26/2022 at 2:33 PM, Jawjagrrl said:

excellent! Is that a bulgarian green seal point angel in there? 

Yes, it’s a new strain I’ve just developed.  Do you like the green tinge?  😃 😊 

On 5/26/2022 at 3:33 PM, Torrey said:

Why is it green water is easiest to get going *only* in display tanks? If only we could all have Dean's bathroom, with the bathroom window, perfectly growing greenwater, maybe our display tanks wouldn't feel obligated to grow it for us😆

 

Everything seems to be coming along!

When I did my last water change, I kept 5 gallons in a jug to pass along to my friend who’s Daphnia cultures recently crashed.  It should do nicely for him to restart his cultures.  😂 

[Torrey]

ORD 🤣

I love Nerm humor!!!!

[Odd Duck]

Today’s pic.  Not quite crystal clear, but getting close. I don’t know if I’ll ever get truly crystal clear with old tanks, cories and plecos, and sand substrate.  Bonus pic of the sun coming in the window into the tank this morning.  I was lazy and took that from my easy chair.  The sun was coming in just right and really lighting up the petrified wood on the right side.

 

Edited May 28, 2022 by Odd Duck
Add pic.

[Jawjagrrl]

On 5/28/2022 at 6:13 PM, Odd Duck said:

 Bonus pic of the sun coming in the window into the tank this morning.  I was lazy and took that from my easy chair.  The sun was coming in just right and really lighting up the petrified wood on the right side.

That's what I'm talkin' about! This is similar to our little Endor tank at the right time of the morning, which doesn't last long. Those shafts of light coming through the tank and seeing the inhabitants flash through it just makes coffee that much better!

My tanks have made it into the house now. But just got word that my elderly mother is in the hospital, so it may have to remain a space in chaos for a few days. 😕 But seeing your sun Ray's made me feel a bit better, thank you for sharing!

[Odd Duck]

On 5/28/2022 at 8:55 PM, Jawjagrrl said:

That's what I'm talkin' about! This is similar to our little Endor tank at the right time of the morning, which doesn't last long. Those shafts of light coming through the tank and seeing the inhabitants flash through it just makes coffee that much better!

My tanks have made it into the house now. But just got word that my elderly mother is in the hospital, so it may have to remain a space in chaos for a few days. 😕 But seeing your sun Ray's made me feel a bit better, thank you for sharing!

Sorry to hear about your mother, hope she gets better soon!

Glad I could brighten your day in even a small way.  I do love seeing the sun slanting across the tank that way.  Especially now that my pea soup has cleared.

[Torrey]

On 5/28/2022 at 7:55 PM, Jawjagrrl said:

That's what I'm talkin' about! This is similar to our little Endor tank at the right time of the morning, which doesn't last long. Those shafts of light coming through the tank and seeing the inhabitants flash through it just makes coffee that much better!

My tanks have made it into the house now. But just got word that my elderly mother is in the hospital, so it may have to remain a space in chaos for a few days. 😕 But seeing your sun Ray's made me feel a bit better, thank you for sharing!

There needs to be a hug emoji, I hope your mom recovers quickly!

[Jawjagrrl]

On 5/29/2022 at 1:32 AM, Torrey said:

There needs to be a hug emoji, I hope your mom recovers quickly!

Thank you. She just tuned 84 and doesn't look it, but is a tough lady - beat breast cancer, 6 bypass heart surgery years ago, and more... now a pacemaker happening. I'm being told it's pretty routine, but we're going to make the trip just the same on Tuesday. I lost my Dad in an accident on Memorial Day in 2010, and risk for any family member at the same time is a bit anxiety-inducing, much less our matriarch. 

On 5/28/2022 at 10:00 PM, Odd Duck said:

Sorry to hear about your mother, hope she gets better soon!

Glad I could brighten your day in even a small way.  I do love seeing the sun slanting across the tank that way.  Especially now that my pea soup has cleared.

It helped more than you think. 🙂 I cannot wait to enjoy the side by side in a similar way soon. They are on the stand!

[Odd Duck]

On 5/29/2022 at 3:56 PM, Jawjagrrl said:

Thank you. She just tuned 84 and doesn't look it, but is a tough lady - beat breast cancer, 6 bypass heart surgery years ago, and more... now a pacemaker happening. I'm being told it's pretty routine, but we're going to make the trip just the same on Tuesday. I lost my Dad in an accident on Memorial Day in 2010, and risk for any family member at the same time is a bit anxiety-inducing, much less our matriarch. 

It helped more than you think. 🙂 I cannot wait to enjoy the side by side in a similar way soon. They are on the stand!

She sounds amazing and it’s wonderful you still have her!

I’m looking forward to seeing your side by side adventure developing.  I think it’s a great concept and your plans are fantastic!