Semi-budget 40g Breeder Aquascape Journal

[Schuyler]

On 11/10/2022 at 8:17 AM, JJenna said:

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!

I thought I was being patient and thorough and it only was only a few months.

Did you end up making one?

Did you scavenge for rocks and hardscape?

On 11/10/2022 at 7:56 AM, Minanora said:

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

My son has started calling her "Cinder". She eyed the flakes I gave the guppies this morning but then went on her way.

I'm no fish behavior excited but I think she's getting more comfortable. Fin the male is giving her more space. I think she just feels safer in the plants and she she has little critters to eat there.

I'm hopeful that she'll eat the BBS because what fish will turn them down? Plus when I got her from the LFS that's what they were feeding the tank.

[JJenna]

On 11/10/2022 at 11:41 AM, Schuyler said:

Did you end up making one?

Did you scavenge for rocks and hardscape?

I have not made one, joined the forums well into my journey! I guess it's not too late. As far as my hardscape I scavenged at my lfs (The Reef Aquarium Shop) for stones....Had a beautiful piece of wood, but when I put it in the tank I couldn't come up with a decent scape that it fit in. It's nice and heavy so it will go into the turtle tank because Squirt won't be able to move it haha. Have one little piece of wood that was just put on the shelf at lfs....finishing up filling it...only have a 2 gallon tank for my RO system. I'll post photos then.

[Schuyler]

She did it! She ate BBS!

And she seemed enthusiastic about it. Not as voracious as he is but she also doesn't have the massive mouth that he does.

They're just tiny but it's something. Hopefully she stops being so picky.

It's a three day weekend and depending on how things go a lot will happen. I'm definitely buying ten pygmy cory fry, probably getting another female killi, maybe getting some live blackworms, and then hopefully at the local aquarium club fundraiser auction I'll get a few plants. If all that happens, then I'm thinking I went add anything more until after Christmas. Maybe Santa will bring fish stuff.

[TheSwissAquarist]

On 11/11/2022 at 3:37 AM, Schuyler said:

She did it! She ate BBS!

And she seemed enthusiastic about it. Not as voracious as he is but she also doesn't have the massive mouth that he does.

They're just tiny but it's something. Hopefully she stops being so picky.

It's a three day weekend and depending on how things go a lot will happen. I'm definitely buying ten pygmy cory fry, probably getting another female killi, maybe getting some live blackworms, and then hopefully at the local aquarium club fundraiser auction I'll get a few plants. If all that happens, then I'm thinking I went add anything more until after Christmas. Maybe Santa will bring fish stuff.

It's great seeing this tank come together! I'm glad you're having a great time with it!

 

On 11/11/2022 at 3:37 AM, Schuyler said:

Maybe Santa will bring fish stuff.

Is that a 'almost certainly' maybe or a 'if I'm allowed it' maybe ? 😉 

[Schuyler]

Big day.

Did some trimming this morning. Went to move the val runner and turns out it was putting it a runner of it's own. I get the feeling these will grow fast and take out if not kept in check.

Did a 10% water change. Not totally sure it's needed but figured it was better before getting the new fish eater than after.

Met up with with the guy who had an extra female for me. Traded him since extra frozen food I had and he also gave me and pennywort, frog bit, and extra eggs. He was wearing an aquarium co-op hat so I mentioned the forum.

I also picked up some live daphnia from a fish store in that area. That's another project.

The new female defining looks healthier with a round belly.

[TheSwissAquarist]

On 11/12/2022 at 6:47 AM, Schuyler said:

The new female defining looks healthier with a round belly.

Hows the old one doing??

[Schuyler]

On 11/11/2022 at 10:17 PM, TheSwissAquarist said:

Hows the old one doing??

Seems fine. I was gone most of today so I didn't see her much but she got two doses of BBS because there were just so many that hatched and she could use some extra food (at least it seems like she could)

Edited November 12, 2022 by Schuyler
Corrected autocorrect error and added more clarification

[Schuyler]

Another eventful day!

GSAS fundraiser auction was so busy with tons of plants and fish I'd never heard of. Sat next toa guy who looked like modern day Gandalf took up fish keeping. He guy a lot of cool fish. My member number is in the 1700's his was under 100.

I got hornwort because I recognized it and knew it would survive. Then I also got eriocaulon "feather duster" because bidding was pretty low on it and I had no reception to look up and see that it may struggle in my tank...

After that I went to my parents house and gathered some alder cones from the woods to potentially use to add tannins.

Then on the way home I picked up 11 pygmy cory fry from someone in a Facebook group. She also threw in a bunch of floating plants. The fry are now in the breeder box with the hornwort and most of the floating plants to help them feel safe 

I fed the tank most of the remaining BBS.

 

[Minanora]

I'm so glad you went!!!! @Mmiller2001, @gjcarew, @Seattle_Aquaristcan give some tips on that challenging eriocaulon. I have one type in my 75. It has survived, and grown a little bit, over the last 14 months.

[Mmiller2001]

On 11/12/2022 at 8:52 PM, Minanora said:

I'm so glad you went!!!! @Mmiller2001, @gjcarew, @Seattle_Aquaristcan give some tips on that challenging eriocaulon. I have one type in my 75. It has survived, and grown a little bit, over the last 14 months.

I've never tried it.

[gjcarew]

I'm jealous of that Eriocaulon, they are such a graceful species. Unfortunately I had to leave the auction early today so I missed out on a lot of the deals. I haven't heard that Erio Feather Duster is particularly difficult, just a slow grower (especially in low-tech conditions). My only experience is with Eriocaulon Vietnam, so I don't have any specific advice.

A lot of the tanks in the Aqua Design Amano gallery recently use it because it has a lovely ethereal quality similar to Eleocharis vivipara and Eleocharis montevidensis without the unsightly adventitious plants that @Mmiller2001 knows too well. I would love to get my hands on it, if you ever want to trade just point out a plant in my aquarium we can swap for!

[Patrick_G]

It was a fun auction. I started to lose steam after about four hours, just as the deals started to get good. 
I bought some Eriocaulon “Vietnam” at the last GSAS meeting. It seems to be doing great, I’m really enjoying it. 

[Minanora]

On 11/12/2022 at 8:03 PM, Mmiller2001 said:

I've never tried it.

I don't blame you. 😛

On 11/12/2022 at 8:34 PM, Patrick_G said:

It was a fun auction. I started to lose steam after about four hours, just as the deals started to get good. 
I bought some Eriocaulon “Vietnam” at the last GSAS meeting. It seems to be doing great, I’m really enjoying it. 

that's the variety I have!

[Schuyler]

On 11/12/2022 at 8:34 PM, Patrick_G said:

It was a fun auction. I started to lose steam after about four hours, just as the deals started to get good. 
I bought some Eriocaulon “Vietnam” at the last GSAS meeting. It seems to be doing great, I’m really enjoying it. 

I wish I could have stayed longer. I imagine period calendar down a bit near the end once all the $90 plecos and that sort stuff has all been sold

[TheSwissAquarist]

On 11/13/2022 at 5:34 AM, Patrick_G said:

It was a fun auction. I started to lose steam after about four hours, just as the deals started to get good. 
I bought some Eriocaulon “Vietnam” at the last GSAS meeting. It seems to be doing great, I’m really enjoying it. 

Those things always seem to drag ! I was at one in Geneva and an auction meant to last 3 hours lasted 5. 😴

[Minanora]

I feel like you will be going to another one on the future! 💚

[Seattle_Aquarist]

Hi All,

A huge thank you to everyone that showed up and helped to support our local club.  It is events like the auction that allows us to bring in local, national, and international speakers for presentations on subjects of interest for our members.  Coming up in January an international speaker - a cichlid speaker from Canada! -Roy

[Schuyler]

Black spikes are growing on my driftwood. Looking at what other people are saying it may be BBA but that didn't seem right. It's only on the driftwood not the plants or anything else.

I also tried to cut the end off of one of the big sticks that has been blocking the spray bar. I figured it would sink since it's been in there for at least a month now... Nope totally floats. I stuck a rock to the end with a rubber band until the next big water change when I can try gluing it down again.

 

In happier news, here is a picture of baby pygmy corys (~3 weeks) eating some rapashi:

After this picture I put a little flat rock in the so that the fat guppies would stop stealing the food from below.

Changed out the container for breeding to try and keep down the mess and allow for deeper coir.

[TheSwissAquarist]

On 11/14/2022 at 12:25 AM, Schuyler said:

Black spikes are growing on my driftwood. Looking at what other people are saying it may be BBA but that didn't seem right. It's only on the driftwood not the plants or anything else.

I also tried to cut the end off of one of the big sticks that has been blocking the spray bar. I figured it would sink since it's been in there for at least a month now... Nope totally floats. I stuck a rock to the end with a rubber band until the next big water change when I can try gluing it down again.

 

In happier news, here is a picture of baby pygmy corys (~3 weeks) eating some rapashi:

After this picture I put a little flat rock in the so that the fat guppies would stop stealing the food from below.

Changed out the container for breeding to try and keep down the mess and allow for deeper coir.

Those Pygmy fry are cute!

Have the killis shown any spawning behavior yet?

[Schuyler]

On 11/13/2022 at 9:55 PM, TheSwissAquarist said:

Those Pygmy fry are cute!

Have the killis shown any spawning behavior yet?

Funny you should ask...

Not sure if I should mark this as NSFW...

[Patrick_G]

On 11/14/2022 at 9:27 AM, Schuyler said:

Not sure if I should mark this as NSFW...

Give those fish some privacy! 😆

[Schuyler]

@Fish Folk, these are my nothobranchius eggersi females. The top one isn't eating and it looks like her stomach is starting to go in. Does this look like an age related thing? Or should I try pulling her out into a small container by herself to feed her directly?

[Fish Folk]

On 11/14/2022 at 5:45 PM, Schuyler said:

@Fish Folk, these are my nothobranchius eggersi females. The top one isn't eating and it looks like her stomach is starting to go in. Does this look like an age related thing? Or should I try pulling her out into a small container by herself to feed her directly?

Hope you get eggs!

That female doesn’t look too good. I’d personally put her in a hang-in breeder net, and try to see if she’ll take food. My guess is… she won’t last long. Honestly, I lost a number early on. The ones that do best will be fry hatched and raised in your own water.

[Schuyler]

On 11/10/2022 at 1:44 PM, JJenna said:

I have not made one, joined the forums well into my journey! I guess it's not too late. 

Did you ever end up making a journal?

[Schuyler]

Quick update since I've already posted today.

1) There's been some breeding going on between Fin and Beauty (the new female)

2) Just spotted hydras in the tank. I guess that's what I get for over feeding and not quarantining anything properly. Going to do a big cleaning and pull back on feedings.

3) Moving Cindy (the old female) in with the Cory fry to try and feed her directly. I've noticed her stomach receding which looks like that may be what happens as they start to dye of old age.

On 11/14/2022 at 3:29 PM, Fish Folk said:

Hope you get eggs!

That female doesn’t look too good. I’d personally put her in a hang-in breeder net, and try to see if she’ll take food. My guess is… she won’t last long. Honestly, I lost a number early on. The ones that do best will be fry hatched and raised in your own water.

Luckily the guy who gave me an extra female (the nice round one in the picture) also gave me a two pouches of eggs. So if all else fails I should have a second attempt lined up.