Chick-in-of-TheSea journal

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

I guess since it’s Dia De Los Muertes, it’s the most appropriate time to say R.I.P. guppygrass. Cooked in transit I think. But the bulbs and swords show promise. ☺️

[Guppysnail]

When you showed me the pics I didn’t think it survived shipping. But the bulbs did and you may be able to resuscitate the neglected swords. 

[TeeJay]

Yes I have like 10 or more of those lil swords in bringing back to life 😆

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 10/31/2022 at 6:53 PM, TeeJay said:

Yes I have like 10 or more of those lil swords in bringing back to life 😆

We have a mission @TeeJay. I did a nice trimming on the swords today. Maybe it will stimulate new growth.

Also thanks @Guppysnail for the shrimp lolly idea. Credit where credit is due.

[TeeJay]

On 10/31/2022 at 7:35 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

We have a mission @TeeJay. I did a nice trimming on the swords today. Maybe it will stimulate new growth.

Also thanks @Guppysnail for the shrimp lolly idea. Credit where credit is due.

Yes my little 2.5 looks like an Amazon sword jungle 😆. 

[nabokovfan87]

On 6/22/2022 at 9:56 AM, TeeJay said:

This is the one I got from wal mart

Same one I have. It leaks very annoyingly and the bulb pops off all the time. I found an OXO one for the actual kitchen that is slightly more user friendly, but.... Dean had mentioned one with a "no drip" mechanism that he said he'd never get one without it.  Just a heads up for anyone shopping. I haven't found it yet, but his was black with an o ring type of thing on the tip.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 10/31/2022 at 8:24 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

Same one I have. It leaks very annoyingly and the bulb pops off all the time. I found an OXO one for the actual kitchen that is slightly more user friendly, but.... Dean had mentioned one with a "no drip" mechanism that he said he'd never get one without it.  Just a heads up for anyone shopping. I haven't found it yet, but his was black with an o ring type of thing on the tip.

Yeah. It was ok at first but now I notice I have to quickly turn it upside down after siphoning to ensure stuff doesn’t simply fall back out, and I put my finger over the end.

I think I know the kind you’re talking about. Maybe it is called Tovolo Dripless?

Edited November 1, 2022 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[nabokovfan87]

On 10/31/2022 at 7:13 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

Tovolo Dripless

Looks about right, and very likely does work for the hobby use!

[TeeJay]

On 10/31/2022 at 8:24 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

Same one I have. It leaks very annoyingly and the bulb pops off all the time. I found an OXO one for the actual kitchen that is slightly more user friendly, but.... Dean had mentioned one with a "no drip" mechanism that he said he'd never get one without it.  Just a heads up for anyone shopping. I haven't found it yet, but his was black with an o ring type of thing on the tip.

 

On 10/31/2022 at 8:24 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

Same one I have. It leaks very annoyingly and the bulb pops off all the time. I found an OXO one for the actual kitchen that is slightly more user friendly, but.... Dean had mentioned one with a "no drip" mechanism that he said he'd never get one without it.  Just a heads up for anyone shopping. I haven't found it yet, but his was black with an o ring type of thing on the tip.

Maybe this one will do better for you. 

Tovolo Easy-to-Use, Angle Tipped, Dripless Baster for Turkey Roasting, Dishwasher-Safe, BPA-Free Silicone & Plastic, Large, 1 Count, Clear https://a.co/d/ii1o3Tt

[Guppysnail]

I prefer coral feeders. These come in two sizes. One reaches the bottom of my 29 and the other my 10/20 longs.  No wet hands 😁

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

I'm with @Guppysnail and have one like yours BUT I loooveee this set I got, the tall one holds so much  more and I don't get my hands wet, the smaller one I use for my QT tanks and shorter tank. It comes with 2 sets of tweezers but for 12 bucks it's a total bargain- and who doesn't love more tweezers? 

 

(The tweezer size is exaggerated in the pic, they are not as tall as the tallest baster/feeder, they are normal size)

[Guppysnail]

On 11/1/2022 at 9:35 AM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

I'm with @Guppysnail and have one like yours BUT I loooveee this set I got, the tall one holds so much  more and I don't get my hands wet, the smaller one I use for my QT tanks and shorter tank. It comes with 2 sets of tweezers but for 12 bucks it's a total bargain- and who doesn't love more tweezers? 

 

(The tweezer size is exaggerated in the pic, they are not as tall as the tallest baster/feeder, they are normal size)

This is awesome. I just ordered one to spot vac my snail tanks with the rogue panda fry. 🤗

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

@Guppysnail you'll not regret it, the big one is used daily in my house, and the little one frequently since I still have my QTs running. 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

The 5.5 is coming along. Got the sand finished up. I’m trying to decide on which plants to use, or if I should just pull from other tanks.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

I created a minimalistic aquascape without buying anything. Not sure if I like it. Also toying with the idea of a tank of just vallisneria. 

P.S. I don’t know jack about aquascaping.

 

[nabokovfan87]

On 11/2/2022 at 4:59 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

I created a minimalistic aquascape without buying anything. Not sure if I like it. Also toying with the idea of a tank of just vallisneria. 

P.S. I don’t know jack about aquascaping.

Stem in the front looks cool.  I like the "scape" so to speak 🙂 .

I would think when the stem gets big it might be too big, those plants might be too big for that tank?  We'll see!  I like it though, and hopefully you let it grow out and see what the plants do and then trim it as you see fit!

What is the plan for stocking?

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 11/2/2022 at 8:10 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

Stem in the front looks cool.  I like the "scape" so to speak 🙂 .

I would think when the stem gets big it might be too big, those plants might be too big for that tank?  We'll see!  I like it though, and hopefully you let it grow out and see what the plants do and then trim it as you see fit!

What is the plan for stocking?

Thanks. This is just a start. I feel like it needs more. Wouldn’t fish get bored? It could totally change later. I do like how the filter is hidden though.

Irene made an aquascaping video discussing a book she read, and there’s certain patterns of aquascaping. Left tapering to right, right tapering to left, convex, concave, and jungle. This would be left tapering to right where the right is negative space, but I’m not sure I can do that much negative space.

I like to watch aquascaping videos and there are some beautiful ideas, but then you see how many plants they put in and it’s over a hundred dollars’ worth, easily. Very discouraging and impractical. I like watching The Small Scape because she often gives budget friendly ideas. But other channels like Simply Betta and Aquarium Info spend soooo much money.

Small Scape was saying a cryp is a good choice for a 5 gal because it will really fill in, but not so much it crowds. Maybe I will try one of those. Never had one before.

This video is an example of high expense. But super relaxing to watch. Very ASMR.

 

[nabokovfan87]

On 11/2/2022 at 5:53 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

Thanks. This is just a start. I feel like it needs more. Wouldn’t fish get bored? It could totally change later. I do like how the filter is hidden though.

Reminds me of this one:

 

 

On 11/2/2022 at 5:53 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

Irene made an aquascaping video discussing a book she read, and there’s certain patterns of aquascaping. Left tapering to right, right tapering to left, convex, concave, and jungle. This would be left tapering to right where the right is negative space, but I’m not sure I can do that much negative space.

I like to watch aquascaping videos and there are some beautiful ideas, but then you see how many plants they put in and it’s over a hundred dollars’ worth, easily. Very discouraging and impractical. I like watching The Small Scape because she often gives budget friendly ideas. But other channels like Simply Betta and Aquarium Info spend soooo much money.

Yeah, I have the same issue sometimes.  I totally understand what you mean.  I'll add another to your list 🙂 .  Pecktec "scapes" his tanks by following a few key rules.
1.  Don't add a tank unless you take one down
2.  Uses items from other tanks to scape it or items removed from old tanks
3.  Uses plants that he grew, typically doesn't buy plants anymore.  This also is how he knows those plants will work for him.... because they already have.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 11/2/2022 at 9:21 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

Pecktec "scapes" his tanks by following a few key rules.
1.  Don't add a tank unless you take one down
2.  Uses items from other tanks to scape it or items removed from old tanks
3.  Uses plants that he grew, typically doesn't buy plants anymore.  This also is how he knows those plants will work for him.... because they already have

I think that’s for people with a lot of tanks/plant overgrowth (not me! LOL!). I only have 2 tanks; this would be a third (well 4th if you count the qt tote). I tried to pull 2 anubias from the 29 but ended up putting one back because it left a bare spot. Plus I would have had to cut a ludwigia in the 10g to have more stems for the 5.5g, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to go forward with this plan/design yet and didn’t want to mess up a happy plant.

[nabokovfan87]

On 11/2/2022 at 6:32 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

Plus I would have had to cut a ludwigia in the 10g to have more stems for the 5.5g, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to go forward with this plan/design yet and didn’t want to mess up a happy plant.

Yeah, very true.  Once your plants "grow in" you're going to have clippings and will likely have extra, eventually.  For me I had that happen once I had something over 20G and the plants took off.  Especially a 75, you can trim a lot of plants and not make a dent.  It's always going to look wonky right after a trim, but.... eventually, you just learn to live with it. 🙂
 

 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 11/2/2022 at 9:43 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

Yeah, very true.  Once your plants "grow in" you're going to have clippings and will likely have extra, eventually.  For me I had that happen once I had something over 20G and the plants took off.  Especially a 75, you can trim a lot of plants and not make a dent.  It's always going to look wonky right after a trim, but.... eventually, you just learn to live with it. 🙂
 

 

That's starting to happen with the anacharis.  It's so unruly though, and I'd like to have a different look for the new tank.  I wish I could get it to at least look like it's growing out of the substrate, but every time I put a plant weight on the end, it becomes unhappy and usually dies.  So I just let it float around.  My little neon in the recovery unit (10g) appreciates the extra cover at mid- and top-level anyway, I think, since he's not in a school right now.  I think it's safe to let him rejoin his crew this weekend, though. I haven't seen any sign of illness in quite some time.

I think the people that have the growth explosions use special substrates (ie: stratum or eco complete, or even soil).  Maybe one day I'll try it.  I thought about it for this tank, but the pH craziness scared me off.

Edited November 3, 2022 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[nabokovfan87]

On 11/3/2022 at 8:22 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

I think the people that have the growth explosions use special substrates (ie: stratum or eco complete, or even soil).  Maybe one day I'll try it.  I thought about it for this tank, but the pH craziness scared me off.

Mine was on sand with just CO2 injection and easy green.  I definitely didn't add enough root tabs, but I did use them.  Nothing too crazy and it went alright.

Stems can sort of go nuts if you just have good CO2, light, and mid-water nutrients. Having a good size tank / bioload as a result does help.   That's probably what you're seeing with the anachris, and you'll typically notice other plants struggle if you don't keep it trimmed and stuff.  That's what the mulch pile and compost is for!  I've even heard some people feed plants to chickens and stuff.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

Went to LFS today to get some more plants for the 5.5.

First a crinum. It’s big yeah. Who cares? It’s cool. 
 

Then some dwarf sag. Bought 2 pots and they actually contained 4 plants:

And a crypt:

And look who I saw? He’s a King Koopa nerite. I want a nerite for the 5.5 but I did not adopt him though because the 5.5g is running hot. Heater malfunction, so I’m changing that out. & for his sake, I didn’t want to be moving him from tank to tank and stressing him.

@Katherinehave you ever seen this nerite?

Edited November 3, 2022 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[Katherine]

On 11/3/2022 at 5:30 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

@Katherinehave you ever seen this nerite

I have not, but it looks cool!

[OceanTruth]

That is one crazy looking snail! Awesome hitchhiker.