Grace's Garden - A RTBS Planted Tank

[nabokovfan87]

I found this...

And this....

The style of layout is called a Ryoboku and it's a new term to me.  I enjoy the hardscape that he did, especially the first one.  I like the amount of open floor space for the corydoras as well as how dramatic the wood feels at first glance.  the more you sit and watch, the more you see the fine details.  It is something for me to research and the first time I've heard the word, despite having seen many tanks of this style (plants+wood as a main focal).

Quote

The word Ryoboku, which can be translated into English “driftwood”, represents aquariums setup with woods.

Whenever I am able to afford more hardscape, I wanted to have these here as a reminder for myself of something to look at again to get the right mindset when adding more stones and wood.

Edited May 29, 2023 by nabokovfan87
video post removed text when hitting submit.

[nabokovfan87]

First the office cleaned, filters cleaned, kitchen mostly cleaned, and now it's time to attempt to relax and such.

I walked in to fix things and the 10G with Riddick smelled real bad.  Based on whatever I feed, sometimes that room just stinks pretty badly.  Filters and everything cleaned out and I did a pre-emptive test on the big tank just to verify nitrates. 

Then I tried to dose in easy green....

Turns out my pumphead is/was broken.  Probably resulting in a lot of underdosing.  I'll use my measure glass and then replace the pumphead, but for the time being it's an annoyance. 

Riddick is enjoying the moss garden.  The rocks in her tank aren't doing well and are starting to grow some BBA.  The sand is a pain to clean as always because it's too fine.  Eventually I'll add in some better stuff.  Just a little bit more effort on my part to keep the tank in check.  New stocking, removing the swordtail females from the tank will help with the bioload.  Adding the moss will help with the algae.  It's all just a matter of time and effort.  Not a bad place to be!

The big tank is doing just fine.  I'll spend some time tomorrow enjoying the tank and hopefully waking up with the ability to sit and watch the fish do their thing.  Having more swords in there does help with the activity.  I am looking forward to having the fry in there, whenever that happens.

I saw a video today with some that were very similar patterns, just much higher quality.  I know Goliad farms was growing them at some point.  The line being a "berlin black swordtail" variety.   I'll post a few photos, but the general consensus is that we're back to the "black corydoras" issue of things being named one thing and there's a variety of species that find themselves in the spatter.  The true "berlin black" is high quality, great pattern, orange and black and green with a jet black sword.  The ones I have are really awesome, wonderful, but I do need to make sure genetically they are ok.  A project under the way and working on that with @Minanora.

Here is the ones I saw in the video.  The orange on the top fins a bit more intense, something I can slightly adapt with food. The lower fins on mine have a light blue (getting more intense) color.  The body looks great, the sword is a jet black on mine as opposed to the mix with the "neon" swordtail pattern.

From Goliad Farms:
https://goliadfarms.com/blue-iridescent-swordtail/

Quote

The Blue Iridescent Swordtail I envision will have a solid black body covered with blue spangles. The fins will be red. The eye will be red. The male’s sword will be jet black.

 

Edited June 12, 2023 by nabokovfan87

[nabokovfan87]

A day late, but.... 10 buckets of water later, 2 filters later, and a lot of sponges later the tank is clean.  The fish were fed some flake (and they were meh about it) and I spent the morning trying to sit, breathe, and enjoy the work.  I checked in and enjoyed the shrimp, I moved around more power and messed around with cleaning up the mess from rearranging the entire space.

It's been a stressful and busy week.

I wanted to pause and just take a moment to note where we are right now with everything.  I wanted to exhale and try to explain exactly where my head is at with everything going on in this tank. 

I think it's obvious and clear that I do not have enough hardscape.  It is also obvious and clear that while the stuff I do have isn't perfect, it's looks mildly nice and visually "ok".  I get to see the details you don't, but the general feeling when I wake up to the tank is one where I really enjoy having it there.  It has taken time to get to that point.   I see holes in the moss and I see gaps in the decor and it's frustrating.  I see the fish acting uncomfortable sometimes and I see the filter choking up plants daily.  I see the algae (that stupid BBA algae) and it's infuriating, but it is simply a product of the system.  It's going to be there and I have to minimize it's impact.  

I do know that I need to add a lot more plants.  Donations welcomed.  I did have a plant for a lot of plants to make it's way over, but unfortunately that didn't work out.  😕   I will check on stuff when I am able to make it to the local big box store, but I won't have high hopes.  I might be able to pick up one or two plants at a time when I do order some food online, but it's going to just take time.  The goal is to propagate what I have, get a carpet, and to keep the moss in place, thriving.  the goal is to get the Hygro to be a back wall feature on the tank and to do well.  Every plant in this tank I cherish. 

I spent the week asking a ton of questions about exactly how to do a certain trim on the foreground.  Days of research for something that should be second nature.  My own fears of breaking the delicate balance of things working for once is intimidating, but the goal is to push through and to get things done in such a way where the end result is worth those little moments trying to decide exactly how to do the things I need to do to get to that point...

This quote is from a movie I just finished watching, Air.  It's a good story, fun movie, entertaining, but for me this single quote defines most of the movie for me.

Quote

Deloris Jordan: But everyone once in a while, someone comes along that's so extraordinary that it forces those reluctant to part with some of that wealth to do so, not out of charity but out of greed, because they are so very special. And even more rare, that person demands to be treated according to their worth because they understand what they are worth.

Sonny Vaccaro: Or their mother does.

There are a lot of lessons in life we have to learn.  There's not a manual on how exactly we learn them.  There isn't a guidebook and unfortunately the AI, google searches, library books, and the youtubes aren't a complete picture.  In philosophy there is a term for this, experience.  Even such a common word we think has a clear definition for it's use does have a variety of interpretations given a context for it's use.  This is something hundreds of philosophers have been searching for the right words to finally explain it's full definition.  While I can't say it for certain, I am pretty confident in saying that whatever definition we have now isn't quite complete.  The journey of such things is an ongoing experience in our lives.  Right now, that is what this tank is for me.  I am trying to sketch in the lines on the page and I am genuinely trying to visualize the boldest of structure of the image.  It will get there eventually, "precisely when it means to."  (bonus points if you know the quote)

I got through the rushed maintenance routine and dosed in my buffers and fertilizers.  An hour of making a single cup of coffee later I tried to sit and just see the tank.  Even now, in my mind I am picturing what it is.  I will wake up tomorrow, hopefully right as the lights tick on and this box of life in my little piece of the world will start the day for me.  A clock of perpetual nature.  Another philosophy term, but that is for another time.

I will try to run some water tests tomorrow and we will see where we stand with everything.  I will also try to get some photos if things are cleared up and show a bit of the cracks in the armor so to speak on the tank.

My plan right now is to get some thread for the moss and to work on something like a moss wall or figuring out a way to get the hardscape in a bit better shape.  Ultimately, it's a small tweak, but I just want to get things set in a better direction.  Second thing on my mind is removing the unmodded tidal filter.  It's sort of an unnecessary hassle of sorts.  It is something that causes algae to end up in a filter as opposed to drifting around the tank.  I guess either way it's going to end up in the prefilters and the fish don't really understand I'm trying to keep it attached!  Hence, it's in the "mulling it over" stage of things.  Fix part A so Issue 2 isn't once.

Have a good day everyone, thank you for reading and participating in this journey with me.
 

[Guppysnail]

More photos and videos of Grace please 😁🤗

[nabokovfan87]

On 6/15/2023 at 9:28 AM, Guppysnail said:

More photos and videos of Grace please 😁🤗

She's doing ok I swear! She is always eyeballing me and saying good morning. She is a very observant fish hobbyist keeper. 😂

I'll spend some time with her this morning and try to snag some better shots.

 

[nabokovfan87]

@Guppysnail Little Grace is doing good. She got some brine, no clue if she ate any, but her and the corydoras were having a powwow this morning. 

She only tolerates certain ones to lay with her and it's the situation potentially of making sure they only rest in certain spots that she doesn't like to use. The smaller they are, the more tolerant she is. She has the bird mindset of "it's time to leave the nest little one." 😂

The usual shyness.... And then she darts.

I gave her a little time to sit and relax.  Found a wonderful amano who was fighting the army of BBA.

(So annoying that photo is blurry! I was messing with iso)

More darting.... and again....

 

You can see her anal fins there,  When I tried to view the corydoras buddies she decided to get a bit more "in the shot" for me 😂

And then the swordtails wanted in.  Blurry from camera moving and iso again. 😞

Another blurry shot of the Corydoras fry napping with her.

This is the other side of the tank.  A group of the fry that are just cruising on the suface and resting right at the flow output of the spraybar.  the ones facing left are in the calm spot on the underside of the rock. The ones facing right are swimming right into the flow and breathing in fresh oxygenated water.

Edited June 15, 2023 by nabokovfan87
added explanation of photos

[nabokovfan87]

15 or 20 minutes in on this, they hit that point where I am now... It is validating in a way to see the conversation about enjoying your tank as opposed to trying to figure out the puzzle or solve something.

It takes so much work to actually feel at peace in some ways when things aren't perfect.  It's a toughness that this hobby brings out in you.

I highly encourage everyone to pop this on and just observe the conversation between George his friends. Ultimately, he's very good about discussing this topic and it's interesting to hear the details on how he got to certain perspectives.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 6/18/2023 at 9:17 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

It is validating in a way to see the conversation about enjoying your tank as opposed to trying to figure out the puzzle or solve something.

Yeah… lately I’ve been solving something, as you know. 😞 Treating two tanks for illness. But this morning I took a seat in front of the tanks and just watched everybody have their breakfast. It was nice. There are SO MANY new shrimplets! And in the 29g a silly snail took a ride up on the bubbles. 🥰
 

How are your swords doing?

Edited June 19, 2023 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[nabokovfan87]

On 6/18/2023 at 6:55 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

How are your swords doing?

They are doing a little better with the flow changes.  Injured male is doing what he's gotta do, he's got his lady friend and they hang out.  I have no idea how long until I see fry, but hopefully any day now. 

I swapped CO2 on the tank today.  It was a bit of a mess trying to do that when being half asleep, but job is done.  I'll check on stuff in the morning.  I did get to wake up, enjoyed them doing their thing. 🙂

[nabokovfan87]

I just realized....

I had the thought to go check the tank, see how the plants are doing that I moved yesterday. I split up the Hygrophila Pinnatifida into a few stems and gave it some space. I planted some of the S.Repens that hasn't rooted in quite yet. But, then I realized I don't have to worry about the plants being stuck in the skimmer. If anything they are stuck to a prefilter or just floating. It's a small thing, but that is a really nice feeling to have.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

@nabokovfan87 please keep on @Lennie’s case about making a journal bc look what he just got.

And dairy cow crabs and vampire crabs. And made a paludarium for them.

Edited June 20, 2023 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[nabokovfan87]

23 hours ago, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

@nabokovfan87 please keep on @Lennie’s case about making a journal bc look what he just got.

At some point we're just going to have to make a " this is Lennie's stuff" repository.

[nabokovfan87]

A bit of inspiration from Filipe and I am trying to find a better way to use this larger stone.

I found an old picture of the wood initially and so I've gonna ahead and set things up to reflect that original placement. I also need to play with placement a bit more. This was a quick adjustment just to give the fish a feel for the new layout and watch behavior.

Before....

After...

The moss is completely dying on me. Covered in stuff and falling off everything. Summer heat.

The other stuff, not sure. I may need extra water changes to fight back algae a bit.

I am not sure how the wood should sit in terms of that large piece of rock. It's a bit of a puzzle. It's not great at all right now but it's more vertical as a proof of "it could work."

Big rock on the left of the wood maybe? Smaller stones scattered to the right. More of a 60 degree instead of a 90 and play with the placement of which side is up.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

I think it’s funny how your cories line up.

Would Grace do well with taller plants in her tank? 

Edited June 29, 2023 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[nabokovfan87]

On 6/29/2023 at 3:03 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

Would Grace do well with taller plants in her tank? 

In progress. The hygro will get tall as well.

I was meant to have plants sent. They didn't make it. @mountaintoppufferkeeper was kind enough to send me some 🙂

I found this......

I didn't consider, but it makes sense about the contrast of the stone and wood.

 

On 6/29/2023 at 3:03 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

I think it’s funny how your cories line up.

They were a bit stressed with me moving things during nap time. They were all lined up in the flow.  They do that in the wild maybe? They always do it. Pandas even, I have photos of them stacking up.

[nabokovfan87]

On 6/29/2023 at 2:41 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

Well about another 50% of the moss is gone and what is left is pretty yellowed in color.  I owe you a photo for the update, but I don't think it'll be today.

Last water test things were:
-GH: ~10 deg
~KH: 3 deg

I did a big water change, which means that KH remains about the same and GH drops right where it needs to be!  Water is basically "perfect" right now.  The plants are growing, the moss is dying, and it's really just a struggle given the temperature is on the rise.  I've got the hardscape a bit better off.  I have re-learned that the fern I have isn't going to grow or thrive in the current conditions.  It's there, it was submersed growth, but it's not a plant that likes water.  I have a stem plant converting in the side tank that will be added to the 75G soon (I believe it's moneywort).   It will be a vast shift for this tank because it's a new leaf and a new shade of green. 

I had a bit of an eye on the swords today.  The injured male was still getting picked on and so my course of action to ensure he was able to eat was to move the mail that keeps chasing him out for a week or two.  It might only take a few days, but I want to monitor the injured guy and decide if I need to move him to a QT tank.  Whatever that choice is, I'm going to end up with a tank on the floor somewhere, which is a real pain in the butt due to the limited space. 

I think most of his issues are coming from being harassed by the other male, which I'm waiting on 3-5 females to drop fry any moment now!  If I don't see fry soon I may move all of them to the side tank which now has a plethora of cover for any fry that get hatched out.  There's nothing to predate on fry in the big tank, except the parents and there is slowly more plant growth creating those hides for the fry.  The new rock layout helps as well!

It's a work in progress, but it's getting there.

I'll have to post about the filter next time around, but there is a bit of news on that front as well!  (Thank you again @Goldie Blue for the donation!)  Things are in work and it's all about *IF* we can get it going well enough. 

There's enough leaks and floods in this house, I definitely do not need to add another.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 7/11/2023 at 9:47 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

I believe it's moneywort

That’s the stuff in my jar. Doing very well for me. Not sure how it would do in a deeper tank (never tried it).

 

^older photo. No shrimps in there now. (I think)

[nabokovfan87]

On 7/11/2023 at 7:06 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

That’s the stuff in my jar. Doing very well for me. Not sure how it would do in a deeper tank (never tried it).

 

I think that a type of bacopa.  It does extremely well!  Add some to the wilds tank if you feel like it one day.

Here's the aforementioned moss photos.  For full disclosure, I am not pruning, trimming, or doing anything right now because my plan is to pull the rock and wood and remove all of the glue.  I will be trying some thread or something on the next setup.  I may also try a dry-start method on the wood to get the moss to really take hold better.

First photo, moss under the light.  It's doing a bit better now, but you can see the dead section underneath.

Second photo, this is the lower section of the wood where the moss is slightly shaded.  I did turn the lights down slightly due to BBA, but the plan is to cut back on nutrients and turn the light back up to where it was.  Just a slight drop, but I have better understanding as to what is going on.  All of the other plants are doing perfectly fine/well!

Third photo, rock after the move, it loses a chunk of moss a day.  Grace tries to clean it, the shrimp are focused on it, it's all just about the placement here.  Again.... I don't mind losing it because the plan is for something different in future.

 

On 7/11/2023 at 7:06 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

What is your floating plant? 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

That’s dwarf water lettuce. It didn’t work in tanks w/ lids (melted).  It multiplied apparently because the previous photo only had a few, and I didn’t do anything. Gets long roots, I had to trim them recently because they went all the way down (and into) the sand. Pretty neat plant!

I guess glue works if the moss does well, but if the moss is dying back you can see the glue, eh?

Next time I do thread I will try to match the object I'm wrapping on instead of the plant.  I used green thread on the driftwood which was recently moved to the wild tank.  I had to position a few times to hide the thread.  Looked good at first but then the moss grew upwards toward the light instead of outward from where I wrapped it.  I'm sure it would act differently in a tank where the light is more spread out.

[nabokovfan87]

On 7/12/2023 at 9:29 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

I guess glue works if the moss does well, but if the moss is dying back you can see the glue, eh?

I actually like moss shelf or moss wall methods. That's why I have the little plant basket in the tank to try to get it to grow in a column for me. To be fair.... Moss on wood is a thing of beauty! Getting the moss to attach to the wood is a horse of a different color. Dry start method is absolutely the easiest and best way to get it done, but not as easy without certain parameters for starting up.

[JChristophersAdventures]

I would like to do some moss to wood and stone, as well as java fern to wood and stone. However, the possibility of it melting away is making me think twice. Is the dying off a result of simply summer temperature swings, or is it partly due to lower nitrate levels, or is it yet to be determined?

I watched a Bob Steenfott video the other day titled: "Easiest Way to Attach Plants to Driftwood", (from 6 years ago) where he used a super glue gel... placed it right on the plant... reached into the tank up to his elbow and attached it directly to driftwood without moving or removing anything. I didn't know you could do that... thanks, Bob!

 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 7/12/2023 at 2:46 PM, JChristophersAdventures said:

I watched a Bob Steenfott video the other day titled: "Easiest Way to Attach Plants to Driftwood", (from 6 years ago) where he used a super glue gel... placed it right on the plant... reached into the tank up to his elbow and attached it directly to driftwood without moving or removing anything. I didn't know you could do that... thanks, Bob!

You have to be quick about it. The glue sets in seconds once it hits water.

[nabokovfan87]

On 7/12/2023 at 11:46 AM, JChristophersAdventures said:

I would like to do some moss to wood and stone, as well as java fern to wood and stone. However, the possibility of it melting away is making me think twice. Is the dying off a result of simply summer temperature swings, or is it partly due to lower nitrate levels, or is it yet to be determined?

I watched a Bob Steenfott video the other day titled: "Easiest Way to Attach Plants to Driftwood", (from 6 years ago) where he used a super glue gel... placed it right on the plant... reached into the tank up to his elbow and attached it directly to driftwood without moving or removing anything. I didn't know you could do that... thanks, Bob!

I highly recommend you don't be afraid at all to use moss.  This is the dry start method.  It's a really beautiful addition when you manage to get it going well for you.  It's not difficult to maintain and a lot of fish species prefer it for laying eggs.



Here's the other method:
 

 

[JChristophersAdventures]

@nabokovfan87 Thanks! What I may do is have the hardscape already placed and the moss floating in the tank, first. When I am sure it is prospering, then I could use a wet super glue gel method and secure it in place. I prefer to establish the plants long before introducing the fish, anyway.

@Chick-In-Of-TheSea Yes, thanks... that's what Bob said, too.

[nabokovfan87]

A bit of a treat (hopefully) for everyone.

The color is all funky, it's at a wonky angle, and I picked the music by pure random choice. I can fix some stuff tomorrow if need be.

Please enjoy....

I woke up this morning and the goal was to try to share what this little fish was doing. It's unique for her to graze around and to eat off the stuff in the tank when people nare around. She does it all the time, I'm sure, but just not on demand or often when she sees me. If I'm backed away from the tank, she doesn't mind. I had to set the phone and then just sit and observe alongside.

Ultimately, we all know who the "moss monster" is and she's trying to do her part to clean the tank. You can see her clean the S. Repens a little bit as well as her behavior. That's where the real question comes in. Everyone speaks to how aggressive the fish are, but I seriously don't think they are. Maybe it's just Grace and she's aptly named, but she's always been a very calm fish and part of that is because she has her space.

Part 1: Grace wakes up, tank lights just came on, and she's checking everything out. She's a bit shy because I had tried to record from the front of the tank.

Part 2: Food dropped into the tank and we observe for any different behavior or aggression.

She does not like when the food is in her section, obviously, but she doesn't go all crazy attacking the other fish.  She just leaves the area and they do their thing. You can see her push them out or push them away. All normal territorial behavior I would think!