TheSwissAquarist Posted December 31, 2023 Share Posted December 31, 2023 On 12/30/2023 at 8:57 AM, Schuyler said: The LFS finally had springtails. Am I supposed to be looking for something in that pile of hay? 😂 Tanks looking gr8 btw! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schuyler Posted January 5 Author Share Posted January 5 They're color has really started to explode and they are not shy at all. I went to take pictures and the one with the spot came to investigate the camera: The palm frond is pretty much completely gone now. I may add a few leaves to replace it. The licorice fern is starting to show signs that it's dieing off. That's disappointing but half expected for something that is native to a temperature climate and mainly grows in winter. Luckily, it was just picked from my parents back yard. The water lettuce is surprisingly struggling too. Maybe the just isn't enough nitrates in the water? But the important thing is that the fish seem happy and healthy. I'm debating between putting a sparring mop in here directly or moving the female to another tank for a couple days to condition her and then adding a male and a mop. Any suggestions? 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSwissAquarist Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 (edited) On 1/5/2024 at 8:03 AM, Schuyler said: I'm debating between putting a sparring mop in here directly or moving the female to another tank for a couple days to condition her and then adding a male and a mop. Any suggestions? @Lowells Fish Lab did a tank seperated in the middle by a semi-transparent partition so that the fish could see each other but not spawn…I’ll link the vid… Edited January 5 by TheSwissAquarist 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schuyler Posted January 5 Author Share Posted January 5 (edited) On 1/5/2024 at 7:40 AM, TheSwissAquarist said: @Lowells Fish Lab did a tank seperated in the middle by a semi-transparent partition so that the fish could see each other but not spawn…I’ll link the vid… I like Lowell's videos. I thought about doing this but decided against it because it wouldn't really work in this tank with the river bank and roots. That said, I may just do it in the breeding tank. Move both in at the same time but add the divider. Then take the divider out after a few days. That said, I take offense to him pointing out that breeding killis is an old man thing Edited January 5 by Schuyler 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 On 1/4/2024 at 11:03 PM, Schuyler said: The water lettuce is surprisingly struggling too. Maybe the just isn't enough nitrates in the water? What are all the parameters? On 1/4/2024 at 11:03 PM, Schuyler said: I'm debating between putting a sparring mop in here directly or moving the female to another tank for a couple days to condition her and then adding a male and a mop. Any suggestions? Putting one in won't hurt anything, so you're fine if you want to go ahead and do that. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schuyler Posted January 5 Author Share Posted January 5 On 1/5/2024 at 10:43 AM, nabokovfan87 said: What are all the parameters? Maybe 10 ppm nitrates and pretty soft but there was a water change yesterday. On 1/5/2024 at 10:43 AM, nabokovfan87 said: Putting one in won't hurt anything, so you're fine if you want to go ahead and do that. My main worry is that they will just eat the eggs immediately after laying them. I guess it's with a try before trying a breeder tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schuyler Posted January 21 Author Share Posted January 21 The anubias has sent roots down so far that they are already poking through the bottom of the lid: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schuyler Posted February 17 Author Share Posted February 17 Sometimes these fish look totally surreal It doesn't really come though in pictures but they almost seem to glow in low light. You can also see an anubias root growing down behind him. I didn't really expect those roots to grow so fast. I'm going to need to pull things out periodically to make sure that they can still be separated. Still no signs of spawning in the tank 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schuyler Posted February 24 Author Share Posted February 24 On 2/16/2024 at 9:33 PM, Schuyler said: Still no signs of spawning in the tank Looks like they are just good at hiding the eggs because guess what just popped up: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schuyler Posted February 26 Author Share Posted February 26 While feeding brine shrimp at lunch, I noticed another, even smaller fry: It looks like you can still see part of its yolk sac. Based on it's size the other fry must be a few weeks old already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schuyler Posted March 5 Author Share Posted March 5 More fry have started popping up. There is the large one who is not shy at all now: That is a macro picture so it makes it look bigger than it really is. Here's a picture with better sense of scale: Oh wait! There's a tiny one in that picture too! It seems like the are at least two but possibly three or more small, one to two week old fry: There are some floating leaves in there and I've noticed the small fry will hide on top of the leaf. The adults don't really pursue the fry. They'll start towards them but as soon as the fry moves they'll give up. I guess it's not worth the effort. Honestly, it's cool that they are spawning and there aren't any signs of injury from the males sparring. Eventually they'll need to be moved to a bigger tank I suspect. Maybe a pair can stay behind but at this rate it's going to get crowded fast. It's already a bit cramped in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schuyler Posted March 23 Author Share Posted March 23 The anubias next to the output is going nuts and pushing against the lid (and may not be getting enough nitrogen): The roots are taking off Pretty soon the cap on the back area may not be able to open soon 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oS3R0o Posted March 30 Share Posted March 30 Beautiful growth on those anubias, nice paludarium! 😎👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schuyler Posted April 7 Author Share Posted April 7 I've been feeding lots of brine shrimp and white works as fry have been popping up. Some of them are a little more ambitious: 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Posted April 9 Share Posted April 9 (edited) This is incredible. Your vision. Your detail. This is everything a biotope should be. Well done! Very original. I've never seen a setup like this before. Be proud! Edited April 9 by Jeff 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted April 11 Share Posted April 11 Really enjoyed the build journal especially after the video at the home show of your build! Awesome stuff @Schuyler! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schuyler Posted April 11 Author Share Posted April 11 On 4/8/2024 at 6:06 PM, Jeff said: This is incredible. Your vision. Your detail. This is everything a biotope should be. Well done! Very original. I've never seen a setup like this before. Be proud! Thank you so much! I'm definitely proud of how it turned out and it was really fun doing the detective work and learning about they're natural habitat. On 4/10/2024 at 9:19 PM, Beardedbillygoat1975 said: Really enjoyed the build journal especially after the video at the home show of your build! Awesome stuff @Schuyler! Thanks! I actually signed up for the home show specifically to show this tank. Then when they came I completely forgot how to talk lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schuyler Posted May 9 Author Share Posted May 9 Quick updates: The oldest fry started coloring up as a male so I brought him to the auction (I have enough males already...) A lot of the finer roots have deteriorated away but that's not too much of a surprise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schuyler Posted May 25 Author Share Posted May 25 Cleaned it the back some. The roots are really staying to grow in: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted May 26 Share Posted May 26 Love watching the evolution. The fry are gorgeous! I’d have imagined with all the live food that you’d met the plants nutrient needs but those pothos are so thirsty and Anubias are much slower with the uptake then them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schuyler Posted May 26 Author Share Posted May 26 On 5/25/2024 at 11:31 PM, Beardedbillygoat1975 said: but those pothos are so thirsty and Anubias are much slower with the uptake then them That's actually all anubias. Supposedly they we the same species (anubias heteropholia if I remember right). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schuyler Posted June 20 Author Share Posted June 20 I'm debating trimming the anubias. The new leaves are yellowing where the stem is growing over the water. I wonder if it's a potassium deficiency. I'll try dosing potassium and see if anyone changes. You can't even see the little river of water running down any more. Actually a quick search makes me think it's an iron deficiency 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PonyPlantedTanks Posted June 20 Share Posted June 20 I just barely had a chance to read through this journal. I can totally see the amount of effort you put into this - it shows! Those killis look insanely cool! Everything about the tank is awesome. I know you’ve been complimented 100 times but it truly is incredible! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted June 21 Share Posted June 21 On 6/19/2024 at 7:32 PM, Schuyler said: Actually a quick search makes me think it's an iron deficiency Yeah, I forget the source but for mosses and anubias I was recommended to dose in a little iron. Optionally, take a bag of aquasoil in a media bag and hide it in the back of the tank. It will add some nutrients that can slowly release over time and probably the most effective thing you can do for the anubias over time. It's an old aquascaper trick. I would trim off the worst of the leaves and check out the rhizome for any signs of issues as well. You can always cut the rhizome just to have a chance at keeping the plant from killing itself too. (Take the big rhizome and cut it in sections so that each section is it's own plant...) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schuyler Posted June 21 Author Share Posted June 21 On 6/21/2024 at 11:15 AM, nabokovfan87 said: Optionally, take a bag of aquasoil in a media bag and hide it in the back of the tank. They're actually growing out of the aquasoil (mixed with some coco coir). It could be that the end of the rhizome has grown off of the soil. When they get cut do they tend to grow forward more or do the branch perpendicular? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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