Semi-budget 40g Breeder Aquascape Journal

[TheSwissAquarist]

On 11/6/2022 at 5:26 AM, Schuyler said:

Pretty much. I got coconut coir because I could only find the moss in big gardening size packs.

Watching them they seemed to like spawning in the coconut hut so my plan was to use a flat mason jar to put the coconut coir in and then put the hut in top but it didn't turn out quite how I envisioned it... I think I'll be looking for other jars or maybe just scattering a few containers and seeing what they like (for all I know they mate in the coconut hut because he can corner her there)

Crucially, we named the fish. The males name is Fin because he has one transparent pectoral fin. Her name is Cindy because the kids wanted to make her Cinderella.

He's (or she's???)really looking good!

[itsfoxtail]

On 11/5/2022 at 1:37 AM, Schuyler said:

Thanks! I took a lot of inspiration from an aquascaping contest page. One of the aquascapes that had this street of roots growing over rock was from Malaysia I think and under the hardscape material section it just said "roots collected from local area".

All of the hardscape is stuff my kids and I collected outside. The sticks from a river near our house and the beach near Grandma's house. Some of the smaller roots are actually from a dried up huckleberry bush. The rocks are landscaping rocks from our back yard. I broke up with a pickaxe or by throwing it at another rock. Pretty sure it's basalt with quartz veins.

That clump of moss in the middle is actually the coconut hut. That was the dry start half of the experiment. It's Christmas moss on the shell of a coconut we bought at the store. Here's a comparison between it and the super glue method that way glued on and then put in the tank right after things dried 

I'm going to give egg collecting a try but I'm also happy to just watch them swim around and look cool if that doesn't work out.

I absolutely love the look of the wood running right along the rocks like roots! It makes it look so natural. And I must admit I really expected you to say you got that stuff from a store! Who on Earth has THAT beautiful of rock outside?! I think I'm living in the wrong place. You've got it made!

Any worry about introducing unwanted pests from the outdoor finds? I found an awesome piece of driftwood at a local lake but have it sitting in my garage because I'm too much of a scaredy-cat to actually put it in a tank lol.

Wow! The coconut hut is barely even visible under that spectacular moss! I'm sure the fish absolutely love it!

Keep us updated on any egg finds! You may find the most luck in just scattering containers for the eggs to fall in. In my very limited experience with killifish they have no rhyme or reason to the egg scattering which is sort of frustrating but also kind of neat.

[TheSwissAquarist]

On 11/6/2022 at 9:22 AM, itsfoxtail said:

I absolutely love the look of the wood running right along the rocks like roots! It makes it look so natural. And I must admit I really expected you to say you got that stuff from a store! Who on Earth has THAT beautiful of rock outside?! I think I'm living in the wrong place. You've got it made!

All you need to do is look!

[itsfoxtail]

On 11/6/2022 at 2:24 AM, TheSwissAquarist said:

All you need to do is look!

😞 Why do you do this to me?! I've waded around in local lakes and creeks for longer than I'd care to admit and all we seem to have are tan little rocks and extremely brittle shale. I'm so jealous! 😆

[TheSwissAquarist]

On 11/6/2022 at 9:35 AM, itsfoxtail said:

😞 Why do you do this to me?! I've waded around in local lakes and creeks for longer than I'd care to admit and all we seem to have are tan little rocks and extremely brittle shale. I'm so jealous! 😆

Try going near some mountain creeks, they usually have quartzite rocks in them. 

I went to an old mine the other day (iron ore?) and found some really nice rocks with fools gold enclosed in them => destined for the shrimp tank!

[Schuyler]

On 11/6/2022 at 1:22 AM, itsfoxtail said:

Who on Earth has THAT beautiful of rock outside?! I think I'm living in the wrong place.

I'm pretty sure mine was landscaping rock that a previous owner brought in

On 11/6/2022 at 1:22 AM, itsfoxtail said:

Any worry about introducing unwanted pests from the outdoor finds? I found an awesome piece of driftwood at a local lake but have it sitting in my garage because I'm too much of a scaredy-cat to actually put it in a tank lol.

Yeah I was kinda nervous about that and about introducing chemicals. I scrubbed, pressure washed, and boiled most of them. Then I read this website that reassured me that it was ok even without boiling (but that seemed more that I was willing to risk).

https://aquariumscience.org/index.php/14-10-wood/

I actually ended up creating a Pinterest account specifically to make a collection of aquascapes to reference.

https://pin.it/7FQZrCf

And this is one of the scapes I had as reference. There are tons of other good ones there.

https://showcase.aquatic-gardeners.org/2015/show456.html

[TheSwissAquarist]

On 11/6/2022 at 4:54 PM, Schuyler said:

Yeah I was kinda nervous about that and about introducing chemicals. I scrubbed, pressure washed, and boiled most of them. Then I read this website that reassured me that it was ok even without boiling (but that seemed more that I was willing to risk).

 

@Cory mentioned leaving the rocks in a fast flowing river, so that all the potential chemicals & pests leach out into there.

[Minanora]

On 10/15/2022 at 10:10 PM, Schuyler said:

I need some advice from some veteran aquarists. Should I use the full spray bar across the back to get more aeration and flow or should I use half and the left so that it's pointed towards the intake? Does it even matter? Is the spray bar even any good? I bought it because it was on clearance and it seemed like a good way to get more surface agitation.

Big day today!

Set up the filter and spray bar. Still need to adjust the length of the intake. Didn't really think of that part...

First think that happened when I opened the canister: my son picked up the media rack and dropped it on my toes. I'll spare you the picture but they are black and blue (bio rings are heavy).

Pulled some bio rings and sand from my established tank. In a few days I'll ring out the sponge but I'm nervous that could crash the old tank if I need with it's bacteria too much. Hopefully between that, the bottled bacteria, and the eco complete that this won't take too long to cycle (fingers crossed). It looks like there may already be a bacterial bloom but that could just as easily be from not washing the sand enough. Not really sure how to tell the difference yet.

Filled the tank up and added some of my stem plants. I left some in my smaller tank for my other fish and shrimp while this tank cycles.

PSA: Check your aquarium lid better you bring it home. I picked one up just before the are closed, got home, opened the box, and it's broken...

Still don't have a lid.

Still need more plants (underestimated how big a 40g breeder is)

So, I have just set up my own 40B. I'm going to use the whole spray bar for now. I have a whole one in my 75g. I keep mine just below the water surface and use an air stone on the far side of the tank, away from the intake. No issues except the bubbles popping under the lid and making a mess in one area but I don't mind it. I'm using a 207 and am happy with the flow at full throttle. I like the size of the spray bar compared to the 40B seems like an even flow with no dead spaces. I'll probably cut the flow down to 70% when I get everything settled in.

Your scape is super cool. I really like what you've done! Everything is filling in nicely and your stocking looks amazing against the plants and sand. Totally in love with your mosses.

For the lid I chose to use the top fin glass on my aqueon tank. I can't stand the aqueon branded glass lids hinge. At least the one on my 5.5. The lid makes a huge span across the 40B tank, using the plastic on the back helps with the flex. I went through three boxes of lids for my 75, lots of broken lids and even one box had missing parts.

[itsfoxtail]

On 11/6/2022 at 5:26 AM, TheSwissAquarist said:

Try going near some mountain creeks, they usually have quartzite rocks in them. 

I went to an old mine the other day (iron ore?) and found some really nice rocks with fools gold enclosed in them => destined for the shrimp tank!

I've been wanting to take a road trip to somewhere more mountainous than where I live (gotta love the flat Midwest). Maybe this is my sign. Nothing like a trunk full of rocks.

On 11/6/2022 at 9:54 AM, Schuyler said:

I'm pretty sure mine was landscaping rock that a previous owner brought in

Yeah I was kinda nervous about that and about introducing chemicals. I scrubbed, pressure washed, and boiled most of them. Then I read this website that reassured me that it was ok even without boiling (but that seemed more that I was willing to risk).

https://aquariumscience.org/index.php/14-10-wood/

I actually ended up creating a Pinterest account specifically to make a collection of aquascapes to reference.

https://pin.it/7FQZrCf

And this is one of the scapes I had as reference. There are tons of other good ones there.

https://showcase.aquatic-gardeners.org/2015/show456.html

That was a really interesting read! Thank you for sharing that link! I think I'd be too nervous to not at least boil it; I'm excited to keep tabs on yours and see how it goes!

Wow! Those tanks are stunning! Unfortunately I do now know where the rest of my day is going. Had no idea they ranked scapes around the world. You learn something new everyday!

Also just a quick two cents of my own. I've opted out of spray bars in favor of bubble bars. In my opinion the bubblers do a better job at creating surface agitation, and I put all of mine right underneath/behind my heaters which makes the heat circulate more evenly, and also hides the bubble bar itself almost completely. I know that look isn't for everyone, but just thought I'd throw it out there!

[Schuyler]

On 11/6/2022 at 5:28 PM, itsfoxtail said:

 Unfortunately I do now know where the rest of my day is going. 

Haha I'm sorry and you're welcome.

 

Today I called my LFS about getting more females but they said the wholesaler one sells them as pairs.

I reached out in a local Facebook group and got connected up with a guy who lives about an hour away and just so happens to breed Eggersi Red Killifish. He seemed excited to talk about his experience and even says he was willing to give me a female for free.

Apparently he breeds them 1 gallon shoe box sized totes with just an air stone, lots off floating plants, and coconut coir as the substrate. Apparently he's having success with that but I'm not sure that's something I want to do.

I did feed them a large portion of cut up blood worms. Now he has a fat belly and seems to have calmed down. I'm hoping he was just stressed and that's why he was so aggressive with her. Just in case I've also ordered a breeding basket so I can give her a break and feed her without also feeding him or the guppies).

I think he may have eaten a small ramshorn that was about the size of a coriander seed. It was next to the blood worms and got caught up in the feeding frenzy. I don't think I would mind if he decided he liked eating snails. Hopefully it doesn't hurt him.

[TheSwissAquarist]

On 11/7/2022 at 2:28 AM, itsfoxtail said:

Nothing like a trunk full of rocks.

Correct! There's nothing like that when it comes to gas bills!

[Schuyler]

Fin (the male) has calmed down considerably. I did see him dig in the coconut coir by himself. He put his belly down and shook with his mouth open. Feels like a good sign.

I put her in a box so I could try feeding her specifically. She doesn't seem to like my food. She would show interest when it was floating but she then she would take a bite and spit it out. She turned down frozen blood worms and freezedried bring shrimp. I may try rapashi community plus but I suspect that will be the same. We also have fruit flies in the house so we may try throwing one of those in.

If none of that works I'll need to get a source of live food. Or maybe I'll try frozen brine shrimp or daphnia.

[Minanora]

Maybe add floating plants to the box and leaving her unfed for a day or so. I've always had issues getting fish to eat while in breeder nets/boxes... Except guppies, they're special. Only fish to just swim into anything no matter the danger of the unknown. 🤦‍♀️

[Schuyler]

On 11/8/2022 at 6:54 AM, Minanora said:

Maybe add floating plants to the box and leaving her unfed for a day or so. I've always had issues getting fish to eat while in breeder nets/boxes... Except guppies, they're special. Only fish to just swim into anything no matter the danger of the unknown. 🤦‍♀️

No kidding... When I was setting up the box I had to shoo them out. They just swam up like "Ooo this is new! What's in here?"

[TheSwissAquarist]

On 11/7/2022 at 10:29 PM, Schuyler said:

Fin (the male) has calmed down considerably. I did see him dig in the coconut coir by himself. He put his belly down and shook with his mouth open. Feels like a good sign.

I put her in a box so I could try feeding her specifically. She doesn't seem to like my food. She would show interest when it was floating but she then she would take a bite and spit it out. She turned down frozen blood worms and freezedried bring shrimp. I may try rapashi community plus but I suspect that will be the same. We also have fruit flies in the house so we may try throwing one of those in.

If none of that works I'll need to get a source of live food. Or maybe I'll try frozen brine shrimp or daphnia.

Maybe try some BBS ?

[Schuyler]

On 11/8/2022 at 8:16 AM, TheSwissAquarist said:

Maybe try some BBS ?

I just ordered some eggs. I'm going to try getting some frozen daphnia in the meantime.

[Schuyler]

I got a variety pack of frozen foods and it's like she doesn't even see it. Occasionally she'll peck at smaller bits of brine shrimp but then she'll immediately spit it out.

She seems to be constantly hunting in the plants for detritus worms, copepods, etc. It's a large tank with lots of plants and the guppies show no interest in going into the planted areas. I'm hoping there is a decent amount of stuff for her to hunt for while I hatch some BBS.

I also plan to take water from my shrimp tank. Without any predators, that thing is just crawling with little critters.

Outside of trying to feed the fish, I did pull some guppy grass and cut a few plant stems to give to someone just getting started. The goal is to get all the guppy grass out once the other plants are established enough to keep nitrogen low. Then again my knowledge of aquarium plants is limited to half a book, a few months of YouTube, and what little transfers over from gardening so someone else would know more about if that's actually a good plan...

The plants seem happy. The val runner is nearly as tall as the original plant it came from now. There's also lots of new growth on the buce and Anubias plants.

Java Fern doesn't seem to like me for some reason but I think I can live with that.

[Schuyler]

Also, feeling like a mad scientist with this jerry rigged BBS hatchery going. I forgot to dechlorinate the water for about an hour... Hopefully that doesn't ruin the whole batch.

It's made out of a seltzer water bottle (from a reverse respiration attempt), styrofoam, screws, and grow lights we use for seedlings in spring.

I put a metal nut (ie nuts and bolts) on the end of the tubing to keep it at the bottom.

Edited November 10, 2022 by Schuyler
Adding description of what the hatchery is made of.

[TheSwissAquarist]

On 11/10/2022 at 7:15 AM, Schuyler said:

Also, feeling like a mad scientist with this jerry rigged BBS hatchery going. I forgot to dechlorinate the water for about an hour... Hopefully that doesn't ruin the whole batch.

It's made out of a seltzer water bottle (from a reverse respiration attempt), styrofoam, screws, and grow lights we use for seedlings in spring.

I put a metal nut (ie nuts and bolts) on the end of the tubing to keep it at the bottom.

Dechlorinator doesn't really matter when it comes to BBS. I've fed my fish tens of batches and they're still alive & swimming. Have you thought of maybe adding some baby shrimp to the tank to see if she will go for them?

[Schuyler]

On 11/9/2022 at 10:22 PM, TheSwissAquarist said:

Dechlorinator doesn't really matter when it comes to BBS. I've fed my fish tens of batches and they're still alive & swimming. Have you thought of maybe adding some baby shrimp to the tank to see if she will go for them?

That's the plan once they actually hatch 

That's reassuring, I was worried the chlorine could kill the eggs and it's have to start all over again tomorrow when nothing hatched.

 

[Minanora]

Chlorine actually helps your hatch rate from what I've seen. Even Dean, Cory and Zenzo talk about about it in various videos.

Cool science experiment. I'm not sure how much water is there or how much BBS you have there, but if there's a lot of shrimp know that when you turn the air off, you need to use them quickly or turn the air back on soon after collecting. And collect within 10min. Lots of BBS, use lots of air. I've killed BBS on accident by forgetting I was collecting them. Killed my flashlight batteries several times as well 😂

[Schuyler]

On 11/10/2022 at 6:33 AM, Minanora said:

Chlorine actually helps your hatch rate from what I've seen. Even Dean, Cory and Zenzo talk about about it in various videos.

Cool science experiment. I'm not sure how much water is there or how much BBS you have there, but if there's a lot of shrimp know that when you turn the air off, you need to use them quickly or turn the air back on soon after collecting. And collect within 10min. Lots of BBS, use lots of air. I've killed BBS on accident by forgetting I was collecting them. Killed my flashlight batteries several times as well 😂

That is super helpful actually.

It's a liter of water and half a teaspoon of eggs. That was the smallest amount of water it had directions for on the box and half the eggs it says to put in.

[Minanora]

On 11/10/2022 at 6:45 AM, Schuyler said:

That is super helpful actually.

It's a liter of water and half a teaspoon of eggs. That was the smallest amount of water it had directions for on the box and half the eggs it says to put in.

I think you're safe to collect within 10-15 minutes. Maybe longer but I'm bad with time. My family has it's own time standard... "Thompson time" 😅 be warned.

[Minanora]

How is your little lady doing, btw? Still not eating?

[JJenna]

Shuyler, I've been thinking about a title for my journal and today I stumbled across your journal! You've already done it for me....loved reading about your journey, have been slowly working on mine for about a year and did not even buy my tank until about 6 months ago, and spent the next 3 months hardscaping over and over. I knew it was time to "fish or cut bait" and plant it. Thanks!