Misa Posted December 14, 2022 Share Posted December 14, 2022 I got back into the hobby early this spring after being away for years. It started with a 5 gallon planted tank for a betta and I quickly fell in love with the idea of an indoor water garden. After many You-tube videos, blog articles and much debate I decided to get one of the fish I had always wanted and started planning a 40 breeder for Bolivian Rams and other community Amazon fish. I took my time finding hardscape (moapani wood and a beautiful slate-blue river rock), planning my plants and making sure the tank was well cycled before adding any fish. A few guppies went in early May; a pair of young Bolivian Rams and 3 ottos were added in June. I went thru all the algae growing pains, green spot, black beard, hair algae... Learned about balancing light and fertz, ripped out masses of Vallisneria as it took over and then it just hit this amazing point in Sept when the tank was just beautiful, the plants were so lush, and my Rams actually bred! I was over the moon! All the hard work and patience had finally produced the amazing, peaceful aquarium I was hoping for. I added 14 emperor tetras and 5 more ottos in October and it was Awesome! Fast forward to the day before Thanksgiving... I topped off the tank early in the day while doing water changes, spent the afternoon prepping for cooking and sat down with the family to eat dinner. A few minutes later I'm hearing water, like the water level is low and the filter is making noise... only it's not the filter. The tank has water pouring down the stand and is flooding out across the floor so fast I could see the water level dropping. In absolute panic mode, and with the help of the hubby and daughter, I got buckets filled from the tank and all the fish netted before the tank emptied. It took 5 hours to get the fish safely into a 20 gallon plant grow-out tank I had just set up, the water vacuumed up (very thankful for laminate flooring and slab foundation), and all the plants and hardscape into totes. The plants sure took a beating as I ripped them all out trying to get the fish before I ran out of water. Needless to say, I was gutted...so many hours of planning and work; so many months of growth and maturity lost...all due to a shoddy bottom seal that wasn't caught beforehand. However, it didn't take long to decide that I was going to turn this disaster into an upgrade... May I present my Amazon inspired 75 gallon tank - complete with 2 Bolivian Rams, 14 Emperor Tetras, 8 Otocinclus and an Elf 😉 P.S. All the fish survived, and the guppies now have their own tank with 2 mystery snails. 4 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Zenzo Posted December 14, 2022 Administrators Share Posted December 14, 2022 Oh no! Sorry to read about your 40 gallon tank leaking/breaking, but I am happy to see that everything survived and that you upgraded. Very nice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted December 14, 2022 Share Posted December 14, 2022 Beautiful tank. I can't wait until things get settled and you show us the fish! Obligatory Bolivian Ram tag. 🙂 @Chick-In-Of-TheSea I really like the plant selection you have. Very nicely done. How are you enjoying the Anubias Hastafolia? 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer V Posted December 14, 2022 Share Posted December 14, 2022 Incredible upgrade! Good for you for not giving up. You created something very beautiful and I'm sure your water pets are very happy. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chick-In-Of-TheSea Posted December 14, 2022 Share Posted December 14, 2022 (edited) My Bolivian ram’s favorite food is boiled squash! Edited December 14, 2022 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misa Posted December 14, 2022 Author Share Posted December 14, 2022 On 12/13/2022 at 10:16 PM, nabokovfan87 said: Beautiful tank. I can't wait until things get settled and you show us the fish! Obligatory Bolivian Ram tag. 🙂 @Chick-In-Of-TheSea I really like the plant selection you have. Very nicely done. How are you enjoying the Anubias Hastafolia? I like the Hastafolia a lot, more of an upright growth than most anubias I've tried. On 12/14/2022 at 2:48 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said: My Bolivian ram’s favorite food is boiled squash! OMG I'm going to have to try this! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chick-In-Of-TheSea Posted December 14, 2022 Share Posted December 14, 2022 On 12/14/2022 at 10:56 AM, Misa said: OMG I'm going to have to try this! I boil it til it's really mushy. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PineSong Posted December 15, 2022 Share Posted December 15, 2022 So scary! The sound of gushing water would chill my blood. Champion effort to get your fish netted in time! Hooray for giving yourself the larger tank, it’s lovely and I look forward to seeing it grow in. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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