Forum Tag Extrazaganza: Challenge Edition

[Odd Duck]

On 10/29/2022 at 8:14 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

You add your files, then you type some stuff and leave your cursor where you want the picture to be; scroll down to the picture you want there and click “insert”.

Your cursor is then going to be blinking right after that pic. Hit enter and continue typing more of your post. Go down to hit insert again on another pic, etc

Any pictures you don’t click insert on will be automatically posted at the end of your post

… it looks like you did it in your last post.

Using the iPad I had to go back in and edit the post and move the text after adding space between the pics.  I’ve tried having the cursor on the spot I want as I add that pic and it doesn’t work.  As in: type in text, put cursor where I want the pic to load, add the pic, go below the spot where I tried to link the pic, add text, link next pic, etc.  nope, doesn’t work that way.  So instead I have to link the pics, type a bit, link more pics, type a bit, etc, or the pics will load in whatever random order they want, then hit submit. Then I edit the post, add space between pics, and move or add text between pics where I want it.

[nabokovfan87]

@Beardedbillygoat1975 You get the choice for tagging the next one for the thread! 🙂

Beautiful tank.  Those rocks are so unique and not ones I've ever seen used before.  Especially the high polish black obsidian looking rocks, I really like those!  Beautiful fish / tank as always and the progress is great. I think we're all excited to see it grow in!

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

My fellow GSAS member @Patrick_G consider yourself tagged. 

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

@nabokovfan87they are all obsidian just different types - the red is called mahogany, the black, grey with the white is snowflake and then just good old black. 

[Cinnebuns]

IOmg @Chick-In-Of-TheSea forgive me for taking so long to respond! Life has been busy and i forgot and such!!  

Main Tank Crash

Well, you may or may not know that a couple of months ago I had a massive crash in my main tank which forced me to move everyone into other tanks. That has since been resolved!  The tank now has its inhabitants back with some kuhli loaches added in! I haven't yet added the forktail rainbows back yet but that's because I'm considering leaving them in the 20 and getting something different to fill in the rest of the 29. Top idea is treadfin rainbowfish but I'm slightly worried about my powdered blue gourami nipping at them. He's fine with the male guppies so maybe it will be ok but it's still a concern. Anyone know if this is tank mates worth trying?

First Aquascape

I also did my first aquascape in my main tank. I'm super happy with it. It still needs some plant placement changes but that's ok. Some of these plants will end up in my 20. I'm very happy with how I decided to do the dragon stone. I love how it's functional for the fish and not just for our eyes. The cories love using it as a cave. The plants are growing better than I've ever had plants grow before!  I've never been really good with plants so I'm psyched about this!  I even have some reds staying red although it's hard to see them right now as I have very few of them. Doing the cheap old buy one and propagate yourself. 

20 Gallon

Now that it's not housing most of my main tank refugees, my new project is my 20 gallon tall. My idea is to gave female guppies (pulling fry as it's born), forktail rainbows, an apple snail or 2 and CPO crayfish. Right now it already has the guppies and rainbows and I'm trying to get it set up before I add the CPO. the current step is substrate change. I'm scooping out a little at a time 2x a week and dosing prime and stability after each time. I'm not adding new in while I do this. Instead I have thrown in a bunch of filter media just hanging out in the tank to help stabilize things. So far it has gone great!  After that I plan to set up caves for the CPO and grab some plants from my 29 and put them in the 20. 

I'll post more in a bit. I'm scared of leaving and losing what I've typed so far lol

 

[nabokovfan87]

@Theplatymaster 🙂 You're up.

[Theplatymaster]

Ive just got a 20gallon high with lots of plants, Cryptocoryne Lutea, Wendeti green, red, pink, and tropica, abubias barteri and java fern windelov on a peice of eucalyptus root, java moss, anubias hasifolia, anubias nana petite on a coconut hut, a amazon sword, and a dwarf aquarium lily. Oh and a small Buce Black Pearl That might sound like a lot of plants but they are all pretty small right now (Except for the dwarf aquarium lily) .Livestock is Platy (way to many), Betta (1 crowntail male), and Albino Cory Cats (5 adults, 1 fry). I guess i should tag someone... Umm... @Guppysnail tell us about one of your tanks. (is my @ feature working...) Edited December 23, 2022 by Theplatymaster

[Patrick_G]

On 10/29/2022 at 7:28 PM, Beardedbillygoat1975 said:

My fellow GSAS member @Patrick_G consider yourself tagged. 

Oops guess I missed this one, sorry!

[Cinnebuns]

Oh i just realized did I stop the train by not tagging someone. Omg I'm sorry lol. I was so busy and out of it at the time. 

On 12/23/2022 at 3:17 PM, Theplatymaster said:

Guppysnail tell us about one of your tanks. (is my @ feature working...) Edited 10 hours ago by Theplatymaster

@Guppysnail I gotchu

[nabokovfan87]

On 12/23/2022 at 1:17 PM, Theplatymaster said:

is my @ feature working...) Edited 14

I hate when that happens. So many bugs on mobile for no reason. Weird stuff is always happening.

On 12/24/2022 at 12:14 AM, Cinnebuns said:

Oh i just realized did I stop the train by not tagging someone. Omg I'm sorry lol. I was so busy and out of it at the time. 

No worries at all, I think it was a hectic time for a lot of us! Hopefully it's a good weekend and holiday for everyone at least!

[Guppysnail]

On 12/23/2022 at 4:17 PM, Theplatymaster said:

Guppysnail tell us about one of your tanks

If I have to pick my favorite tank it’s My 40b. Even when this tank was a 20long it was my favorite. No matter what it always seems perfectly balanced. Neither version went through all the normal growing pains and ugly stages most tanks do. 
My hubby bought the 20 L for me a few years ago for Valentine’s Day with all the trimmings (lid,light,filters etc). 
He knew I wanted these beautiful longfin lemon blue eyed plecos but had not pulled the trigger because the fish, overnight shipping, tank and trimmings was a bit much at that time and I did not have an open tank. 
I got mom n dad, a group of chestnut mystery snails (my big boy snail was part of this) I retired my breeding group of CPD to this tank. I moved some neocaridina to this tank  

Hubby (who is not a fish person but the best hubby I could ever dream of) knew mom n dad had outgrown the 20l and that I was slowly getting pieces to upgrade to the 40 B. Only thing I was missing was tank stand and lid. For my birthday last year he bought those. 
A few months ago @dasaltemelosguy gifted me a group of German blue rams.  I’ve added to that group to spread out the squabbles. 
I often think if I could only keep one tank it would be this one. I love this tank and it’s always been my favorite. 
@A3M0N tag

 

Edited December 24, 2022 by Guppysnail

[nabokovfan87]

On 12/24/2022 at 4:08 AM, Guppysnail said:

A few months ago @dasaltemelosguy gifted me a group of German blue rams.

They are really awesome. Very nice pattern.

[A3M0N]

I only have one aquarium, though I am planning a little something for my work desk. "This isn't going to get too fancy..." was the first line of my journal for this tank. I told my wife I just wanted a little aquarium for fun because I haven't had one in a really, really long time back when I worked at a pet store in college. Well, now its planted and thriving and gone through several DIY co2 systems, now on a citric acid/baking soda system that I really like so far. It's gone from a sponge filter to a DIY air powered, still sponge, system that had a recent revamp and I'm probably going to get some kind of internal filter soon.

Anyway, here some pictures. A Neon Tetra chilling in a cave, some ludwigia repens pearling, and the new DIY co2 system doing its think. 

Thanks for having me play! I'll tag @JoeQ. 

[nabokovfan87]

On 12/25/2022 at 2:29 PM, A3M0N said:

ludwigia repens pearling

Pretty epic.  What CO2 kit are you using, looks really nice!

[JoeQ]

I have to laugh at the 'observe your tank for 5-30 minutes' part in the inital post.  

My day usually starts with a good 1 to 2 hour observation of my main tank, a 36g Bowfront, while drinking multiple cups of coffee; it is pretty much my TV. I do have an actual physical TV but, I haven't watched it in months. I just watch my tank from my 'spot', throughout the day, making plans to cut, trim, move various things, but in the end never following up. And on the slim occasion I do follow thru, its usually only a half as*ed job.... 

I guess the watching, reading, writing, learning and taking/posting pictures is more my attraction to the hobby then the actual work. That's not saying I would rather pay someone to maintain my tank, I definitely would not (even tho the scape would be far superior to mine)! I do get the feeling of self satisfaction by doing the manual work, then sitting back & watching the plants grow; which I wouldn't get if I paid someone. At the same time I have a very small window of patients, versus me shouting obscenities at the top of my lungs and on the verge of quitting the hobby. Needless to say I usually compromise on 'perfection' for 'thats good enough'! 

The 10g pictured is also part of my view from my 'spot'. This tank is a quarantine - plant overflow - algae & plant experiment tank, ect, it rarely gets the 'pull up a chair' attention it deserves. Fish that go in there seldom get moved unless absolutely necessary, because, again, its work catching them little buggers!

The pictures below were taken from my 'spot' this morning. I could have easily spent more time taking pictures, but at a certain point the reflection from the window make it impossible. The one picture I tried to capture during this mornings photo shoot, but couldn't, was my small group of corys playing in the bubbles. There are a few more in my 10g I really need to move.........

Anyway, my spot, is where im usually researching, reading or scrolling through the plant section of the forum. Watching my tank and every so often ranting about water quality & your eco system being much more important than light settings for problematic algae, Rant off.......

Anywho, my spot, with this view, my posts, they are usually produced in my happy place!

Happy place view pics

Behind the sceens pic

Overview pic

10g

Magnificent tuff of BBA

Random pics

For those who made it this far listening to me babble, Thank You! In closing I nominate @Mmiller2001

 

Edited December 26, 2022 by JoeQ
Pictures

[Mmiller2001]

Hmm, not sure how this would go. I'm kind of stuck in a waiting game watching emersed growth rot and convert to submersed growth. I guess I'm learning patience right now. I mostly think about my tanks more than I watch them. I'm constantly trying to disprove "bro science" with my relentless reading and digging. I actually enjoy this process more than watching and enjoying the fruits of my labor. Weird huh? 

To satisfy the rule of this post, I'm looking at my tank wondering where my SAE is and how he/ she is about to get fired. I'm also delighted how many new Trident I'm going to have shortly as every leaf is exploding with submersed growth. I'm so excited I spent all that time attaching them to the hard scape to now discover it was pointless. I get to scrape off a large tube worth of super glue and reattach the submerged plantlets. 

I'm also sitting here reevaluating what low, medium and high light actually means. I'm coming to the conclusion that low actually means really low. Medium actually means low and everything above low is high. My Hygrophila is doing amazing with much lower light. Interesting! My Fissidens is looking like she's ready to make me happy so this is encouraging. All of my Crypts are responding well and the tank, though looking rough, is showing signs of good things to come. But where's this damned SAE. Get to working!

The 40 is just a holding spot for plants I don't want to throw away. Not much care is going into it other than dosing and water changes. There's a reason, so I will announce here that the wife and I have decided to sell the 40 and 75 and all of our equipment. We will only be keeping the Chihiros 120, maybe the 90 and buying a second 90 and selling the 120. But I'm leaning towards just keeping the 120. Right now, we are in a 4 month holding pattern. My goal is to get these plants growing submersed so I have plenty of well behaved fona to use in the " 1 tank to rule them all". No more canister filter cleaning, no more pipe cleaning. No more skimmer scrubbing. We can't wait. One large water change and done. 70" x 22" x 16", glory!

I almost forgot, my QT tank has about 300 shrimp. I need to figure out what to do with them. I kind of need to refresh the genetics in the tank at the very least. Also very neglected.

Here's a few shots. And my tag @gjcarew

 

 

Edited December 26, 2022 by Mmiller2001

[A3M0N]

On 12/26/2022 at 2:24 AM, nabokovfan87 said:

What CO2 kit are you using, looks really nice!

Thank you! It's this Decdeal kit: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07W8MYPF7/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1 

My only complaint with it so far is the needle valve adjustment. I got it set pretty good initially, then decided to use it to turn the co2 off at night, now it's hard to get the flow adjusted.  I have to keep opening it up more and more through the day to keep the rate going. I'm looking into either getting an inline on/off valve or a solenoid valve for it, for now I'm letting it run because my filtration is air powered so the fish won't run out of oxygen or anything like that.