What plants do I have?

[VanDogh]

I see! That's understandable 🙂

How big is it? You can still fit a decent amount of neocaridina in relatively small tanks. I use to have a lot of blue navy's/blue dream unfortunately they all died when I kept getting power outages all the time. When I move my amano to a bigger tank I plan on getting neocaridina again 😄

[Odd Duck]

On 5/23/2024 at 7:01 PM, VanDogh said:

I see! That's understandable 🙂

How big is it? You can still fit a decent amount of neocaridina in relatively small tanks. I use to have a lot of blue navy's/blue dream unfortunately they all died when I kept getting power outages all the time. When I move my amano to a bigger tank I plan on getting neocaridina again 😄

It’s a whopping 2.1 gallons!  Only about 2.0 gallons (8” x 8” x 8”) with the water 1/2” below the rim and about 1/2” of sand substrate.  When the colony is going well, I have to pull shrimp out so I cull any off color shrimp into the tank next to this one which is all about the fish, not the shrimp.  The shrimp are purely clean up crew in that tank.

[VanDogh]

Wow that's a tiny tank! I'm impressed that you can manage such a small tank considering how hard it is to keep those tanks stable. Good job! 😀 When I get neocaridina I was also thinking of having a "cull" tank but instead a planted bowl 

[Odd Duck]

On 5/23/2024 at 9:03 PM, VanDogh said:

Wow that's a tiny tank! I'm impressed that you can manage such a small tank considering how hard it is to keep those tanks stable. Good job! 😀 When I get neocaridina I was also thinking of having a "cull" tank but instead a planted bowl 

Oh, it’s definitely been challenging at times but better since I removed the wood.  No amount of water changes were working with the wood piece in there.  It was just too much for the tank size even though it wasn’t exactly a giant piece of wood.  I’ve had the shrimp go bust in this tank, too, but as long as I control the numbers (and therefore better control the amount I’m feeding) it does well.

Here’s a pic from very early on when the wood piece was in it.  You can see it isn’t giant but it was NOT working!  I’ve had tanks with similar pieces of wood proportionate to the size of the tank, but they weren’t nearly the struggle because they weren’t so tiny.  It made them easier to keep the bigger tanks in balance.  Now I usually set up tanks with smaller or fewer pieces of wood because it’s easier to keep the tanks in balance with less wood.  Most people don’t think of the wood as part of the bioload, but this tiny tank reminded me very thoroughly that it is!  😝 😆 

 

[VanDogh]

On 5/25/2024 at 1:43 AM, Odd Duck said:

Oh, it’s definitely been challenging at times but better since I removed the wood.  No amount of water changes were working with the wood piece in there.  It was just too much for the tank size even though it wasn’t exactly a giant piece of wood.  I’ve had the shrimp go bust in this tank, too, but as long as I control the numbers (and therefore better control the amount I’m feeding) it does well.

Here’s a pic from very early on when the wood piece was in it.  You can see it isn’t giant but it was NOT working!  I’ve had tanks with similar pieces of wood proportionate to the size of the tank, but they weren’t nearly the struggle because they weren’t so tiny.  It made them easier to keep the bigger tanks in balance.  Now I usually set up tanks with smaller or fewer pieces of wood because it’s easier to keep the tanks in balance with less wood.  Most people don’t think of the wood as part of the bioload, but this tiny tank reminded me very thoroughly that it is!  😝 😆 

 

Too bad the wood didn't work out, but you could propably use it in another tank 🙂 I have never heard of wood being part of the bioload until you mentioned it! How did you notice that it was affecting the water negatively? I am pretty new to water parameters and those technical difficult-to-understand stuff haha. In my smallest tank the only wood-related struggle I had was the tannins from my mangrove. This was before I knew what tannins were so I just thought I was cursed with algae forever 😂

[Odd Duck]

On 5/24/2024 at 8:09 PM, VanDogh said:

Too bad the wood didn't work out, but you could propably use it in another tank 🙂 I have never heard of wood being part of the bioload until you mentioned it! How did you notice that it was affecting the water negatively? I am pretty new to water parameters and those technical difficult-to-understand stuff haha. In my smallest tank the only wood-related struggle I had was the tannins from my mangrove. This was before I knew what tannins were so I just thought I was cursed with algae forever 😂

Oh, it’s in another tank.  The Buce on it didn’t do well, but they’re very slowly coming back.  Buce don’t like to be abused.  😝

I have 26 tanks all together if you count the outdoor tub and live food culture tanks, so there’s always room in one tank or another.  I kept having algae issues and then some shrimp would die or another algae boom, etc.  It just never seemed to settle like I would expect.  I’ve got BBA right now but the shrimp are doing well, so I have to be very careful with treating the BBA.  I can only treat small bits of it at a time.  I’ll have to pull the nano sponge and treat it outside the tank since it has some on it.  The tank is kind of a PITA compared to my other tanks, but it’s so charming I love it anyway.  😆  There’s always something with this tank but I guess I’m just a glutton for punishment.  😂 🤣  Tiny tanks aren’t the best for a lazy aquarist like me!  😝  I take too long to treat BBA since it sometimes clears on its own.  Then before I know it (because I tend to work long shifts over short “work weeks”), it’s gotten ahead of me.  🤷🏻‍♀️

One of these days I’ll get all (or most) of my small tanks moved into one room - combined office and fish room - “Offish” and maintenance will be much simpler for all of them.  Those will all go on an auto-overflow system so I only have to hook the fill over the side, adjust the flow for the tank size, and let the fresh mixed water flow in.  Maybe a little glass cleaning although that should be less with more frequent water changes.  Then it will only be the pair of 100 G’s in the living room, the eventually to be set up 180 G riverine tank, and the little 3 G shrimp / snail tank in one bathroom, plus the outdoor tub.  Everything else will be in the Offish.  Although I might leave one of the 20 G longs in the master bedroom.

Grand plans for a lazy aquarist, right?  Someday it will happen.  I keep taking small steps (sometimes only tiny steps), but it will eventually get there.

[VanDogh]

Ah! Sorry for asking as English is not my native language and Google won't give me any good answers but what does Buce mean?

Wow that's so many! Here I was thinking that 4 tanks were a lot hahaha 🤣 Are all/most of them small tanks as well? If that's the case I imagine you must have a lot of work! I am also a bit curious but in moderation, algae isn't really dangerous? I mean if you're just struggling slightly with a small amount of black beard, then it's not too bad? 

I think tiny steps are fine. I have big plans of aquascaping but cannot afford all the okho stone so I'll get one stone at a time, and eventually I'll be able to execute my plan too. 

[CoryWithAKatana]

On 5/28/2024 at 9:37 AM, VanDogh said:

Ah! Sorry for asking as English is not my native language and Google won't give me any good answers but what does Buce mean?

 

bucephalandra, often shortened to "buce," is a genus of aquatic plants popular in the aquarium hobby. They are rhizomatous plants, meaning they have a horizontal stem that grows along the substrate. Buce plants are known for their beautiful and varied foliage, which can come in many shapes, sizes, and colors. They dont require much light and don't need CO2 supplements. They are also slow-growing so no need for trimmings all the time. 

Care Guide: https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/bucephalandra

Edited May 28 by CoryWithAKatana

[Odd Duck]

On 5/28/2024 at 8:37 AM, VanDogh said:

Ah! Sorry for asking as English is not my native language and Google won't give me any good answers but what does Buce mean?

Wow that's so many! Here I was thinking that 4 tanks were a lot hahaha 🤣 Are all/most of them small tanks as well? If that's the case I imagine you must have a lot of work! I am also a bit curious but in moderation, algae isn't really dangerous? I mean if you're just struggling slightly with a small amount of black beard, then it's not too bad? 

I think tiny steps are fine. I have big plans of aquascaping but cannot afford all the okho stone so I'll get one stone at a time, and eventually I'll be able to execute my plan too. 

Yes, sorry, short for Bucephalandra as @CoryWithAKatana said.  Fairly low maintenance plant that tolerate fairly low light but can be a bit picky before showing off their optimal colors.

Most of my tanks are small but I do have a pair of 100 gallon tanks in the main room, a 75 gallon tank in the eventual “Offish” (was originally used as an office, hope to eventually become a fishroom), next biggest is 29, a couple 20’s, 5 cubes from 14 gallon down to the 2 gallon, 10 G’s x 9, 5.5 G’s x 4, a 3 G, plus the outdoor tub (which is around 30 G?).  My eventual goal is to move most of the small tanks to the Offish and put them on an auto-overflow setup so I can just pump my mixed dechlorinated tap and RO (Reverse Osmosis) blend water into the tanks for water changes.  This would make life much easier, far less maintenance to do, better water quality for the fish with more consistent water changes, etc.  Therefore more time to enjoy the fish and better looking tanks, in theory.

I don’t mind a bit of algae and encourage green algae in some tanks, but BBA can so easily take over, and I don’t want that, especially in this tiny tank.

Mostly I’m taking tiny steps because the whole Offish to be, needs a giant revamp.  That room had become the “catchall” room where we put random things we don’t want to throw away but don’t know where else to put them.  So it needs a complete re-arrange except where the 75 G sits.  Even the desk where the 29 G and the 20 G tall sit with a couple live food culture jars needs to be moved over about 4-5 feet to make the Offish work right.  I have file cabinets that need emptied and sold or given away, another small one that needs a new place to live, bookshelves that need emptied (books will go on sturdier shelves in another room) and these shelves sold or given away.

I have a very nice, salvaged, stainless steel, double-sided, industrial sink that will go in the closet (it just barely fits with a couple inches to spare) that will drain to a sump that pumps to a “proper” drain.  That sump will also take the auto-overflow system water from all the tanks in that room.  I get stuck in starting mode because I know how much it’s going to take to make it all work right.  It’s a bit Herculean so tiny steps is all I’ve managed so far while I keep gathering parts and pieces I’ll need to make it finally happen.  So the room keeps getting more cluttered with parts in the mean time.  🤦🏻‍♀️ 😝 But I get a tiny bit done every “tank day” and eventually I get there.  Hopefully before I retire I’ll be able to fully execute my plan.  😂