My fish room/home office oasis journal

[NoCo tap water]

Hello all!

I’ve been fish keeping since I was a kid, heck I even brought a tank to college (fish do not enjoy beer). It faded from my interest, 20’s, kids, until a little over two years ago. 

Im 100% work from home and am in my basement home office all day. One day staring at blank walls and going a bit crazy from stress a lightbulb went off.

One tank has turned into 6, 7 if you include “my sons” glo-fish tank. I now have an outlet for my stress energy while working and no more blank walls!

 Night vibes

Dawn vibes

Rainbow Tank - 75g with a china canister filter and a “living” overhead sump. I consider this my “main” tank. It’s the one I stare at while pretending look at the camera. It has a mix of rainbows, full grown forktails ( funny, this tiny male is tank boss) and juvenile bosmani, a dwarf neon mis-ship, and a turquoise impulse buy from Petco.

On the hunt for 1m2f New Guinea red rainbows if anyone knows a guy.

Cory cats, rubber lip plecos(who are very aggressive at feeding) amano and some misc 2-3 orphans.

There are also some bamboo and viper shrimp.

Aggression prior to remodel 

https://streamable.com/2ccswv

 

Guppy Tank - 55g “pond”. Sicce canister (super cheap at aquashella) and an overhead living sump. This tank has been a challenge, its previous life housed an unwanted “by me” axolotl. Which of course turned into two, and duh they would start breeding and making gross noises while doing gross things and slime up my tank with baby love jello yuck. Nope Out.

I hastily threw this tank together with what I had in hand and moved my guppy from another tank. It’s basically an axolotl tank still without big caves and added a heater. There are a couple super red plecos now too. Still balancing and seasoning the system. I like to experiment with lighting on this tank. Completely changes the feel of the tank throughout the day 

 

Darter tank - See build here. 

 

Barb tank - 40long. Internal filter and an overhead sump.  Recently remodeled from a platty/feeder fish tank. Currently has a bunch of juvenile tiger barbs, considering a smaller secondary barb school. There is also an albino BNP, amano and some khuli loaches.

 

 

Tank Anger - 75g Male Peacock/hap tank. Chinese canister and a home made sponge filter from an old fluval sponge. I’ve had the fish for a while, lots of hardscape experimenting, figuring out how to have plants by discouraging digging in some areas and encouraging it in others by using large buried rocks that also are used to weigh down the plant.

There are a couple of BNP and a monster of a redtail.

Killi/neo shrimp tank. 10gal. Sponge and micro hob for filter. I am terrible with the shrimp, and scuds are the enemy. Killi won’t eat the scuds, the betta will, but also eats killi fry……. This is what it looks like today. No substrate, just a dusting for color, can’t live in the substrate WHEN THERE IS NONE! Rebuilding both colonies at the same time. Don’t try to starve out scuds, lesson learned.

On the hunt for female clown killi. My killi population was decimated in the scud event.  The m:f ratio is off right now…

My son’s glo fish tank - 20gal. Hob filter. Assorted glofish and fish I didn’t have room for anymore 

  

Edited Friday at 02:12 PM by NoCo tap water

[tk_yt]

Thanks for sharing! J enjoyed reading about your tanks and the inhabitants.  The glow in the dark setup was very interesting, looks almost like real jellyfish in there 🙂

[NoCo tap water]

On 10/10/2024 at 10:25 PM, tk_yt said:

Thanks for sharing! J enjoyed reading about your tanks and the inhabitants.  The glow in the dark setup was very interesting, looks almost like real jellyfish in there 🙂

Thanks. I’m jealous my son gets that as a night light.
 

When I was a kid I remember glowing fish being inhumane it was injected color or something. I haven’t really read up on it due to lack of interest but it I’m pretty sure it’s dna modified now , I saw some glo angels at aquashella that were out of this world! Super cool stuff !

[Schuyler]

On 10/10/2024 at 8:47 PM, NoCo tap water said:

One tank has turned into 6, 7 if you include “my sons” glo-fish tank.

Lol I just started putting together a tank "for my daughter" today

On 10/10/2024 at 8:47 PM, NoCo tap water said:

Killi won’t eat the scuds

That's so weird... That feels like they would be perfect killi food. I used some larger killis to clear scuds from one of my tanks before.

[NoCo tap water]

On 10/11/2024 at 1:24 AM, Schuyler said:

Lol I just started putting together a tank "for my daughter" today

That's so weird... That feels like they would be perfect killi food. I used some larger killis to clear scuds from one of my tanks before.

They want to, they are too small to get the bigger ones. Scuds will tease them like a squirrel to a dog.

 

Edited Friday at 12:54 PM by NoCo tap water

[NoCo tap water]

Good shot of the wavey hand guys in my rainbow tank

[NoCo tap water]

Morning breeding colors

 

Barb tank starting to fill in. STILL waiting on the rest of my plant order

Edited Saturday at 01:57 PM by NoCo tap water

[NoCo tap water]

 

This is why you don’t facebook marketplace.

It has the footprint of a 20, but taller. 30gal ish..    $20 for the tank, stand I had on hand.

I have no intention on setting it up yet, couldn’t let the deal go on a not 20gal that fits in this spot that isn’t a corner curved glass tank

Edited Sunday at 03:49 PM by NoCo tap water

[NoCo tap water]

How I help keep my autofeeders from caking/clumping.

This is some diffuser grid with a plant weight wrapped around it. Helps a great deal plus it kinda “taps” the feeder when it turns cleaning up the outlet.

I don’t like to fill these more than 25% if I don’t have to. They get moist, I can’t find a way around it other than raising it and I don’t want to do that.

I was told by a sera rep that their staple food is designed for auto-feeders. In my experience there is no difference 

[NoCo tap water]

I’ve also changed the fan on my darter tank to a hygger cooling fan. I’ve only had it for a couple of days but I have some observations.

It’s a good product, though not without a serious design flaw. Overall on the lowest setting the fan is no louder than a computer fan. Medium is noticeable. On high it is demanding your attention.

The main reason I purchased this fan is due to its thermostat function, brand and price. The thermostat will allow the fan to only turn on when tank temp reaches 68 or higher and will turn off once cooled. Works perfectly.

Major design issue - the vent director does not move to a downward enough angle to enter the tank. I’ve messed with the mounting and could not get it to blow into the tank, just run across the surface. Granted this is an acrylic tank, but the opening is pretty standard.

I ended up using a cut piece of a clear desk protector and tape it to help direct the air, works great now, but like most of the mechanicals in my fishroom, works great but is ugly.

Edited Sunday at 02:40 PM by NoCo tap water