What did you get done today?

[Blaha]

I drew up some wood working plans for a tank stand that'll allow me to line up 2 29Gs next to each other and have enough space to fit all the equipment, including the 5G bucket for siphoning. I currently have 1 29G and an empty 14 in storage with a setup idea.

I've been debating to create a journal when I begin the construction of it and set up of tank #2. It's still a ways off so we will see.

[anewbie]

I did water changes; and cleaned the 2017 canister filter (which i hate cleaning). I really want self cleaning filters. Next week I'll have to clean the fx6; while a pia it is easier than the 2017.

[WillC]

@Picklepuppy I am NOT a guppy junkie but those are amazing! I will be watching for more pics and videos.

[WillC]

I ordered a Anubias nano petite white for myself. And a few Anubias micros to add to my tank!

Will

[PineSong]

Questioned my decision to buy yellow shrimp. I was pretty excited to order them and to open the package and find them whole and hearty despite traveling through a blizzard. But once I added them to this tank...it was a lot like I didn't buy any shrimp at all. Womp womp!

I'm thinking if they were red or orange I'd be able to find them more easily. 

[ShawnG]

I have 6 juvenile Bolivian Rams that I am hoping to get at least one breeding pair from. 

I had them in a bare bottom tank with a few caves and plants but all they did was hide under the sponge filter all day.

I'm liking a more natural method for breeding these days so I added some substrate and a bit more furniture for them. They're already exploring. 

[Torrey]

On 1/8/2022 at 3:26 PM, PineSong said:

Questioned my decision to buy yellow shrimp. I was pretty excited to order them and to open the package and find them whole and hearty despite traveling through a blizzard. But once I added them to this tank...it was a lot like I didn't buy any shrimp at all. Womp womp!

I'm thinking if they were red or orange I'd be able to find them more easily. 

@PineSong, I need to look back through some old pics and see if I still have any pics of a friend's yellow colony.

It took him a couple of scapes to really showcase the colony to its best advantage. 

If you have the lighter yellow shrimp, they are stunning if you cap your substrate with the black diamond blasting sand. Just be sure to take the time to rinse it really well. 

If you are able to grow the darker green nana petite, and some of the dark green buces, and then deeper red plants in the back, the light yellow shrimp start looking like moving pieces of gold.

He ultimately developed 2 yellow shrimp colonies: the darker yellow shrimp went into a tank with white sand and lighter plants and the light yellow shrimp in the "darker" tank.

Programmable lights allow selecting the best viewing light for each (great for photography and when company needs to be "wowed") and plant growth specific lighting with a little less blue (prevent algae).

[PineSong]

On 1/9/2022 at 12:31 PM, Torrey said:

@PineSong, I need to look back through some old pics and see if I still have any pics of a friend's yellow colony.

It took him a couple of scapes to really showcase the colony to its best advantage. 

 

Yes, I realized after the fact that darker substrate is really best for these yellow guys. The tank I have them in now is just a fry grow-out tank--not scaped, just cluttered with plants and algae. If these shrimp survive and grow in number, I hope to put some in my main tank which will definitely make it easier to find them. Meanwhile, I am glad I spent money on premium shrimp food because it looks like they are really enjoying it ;-(

[Odd Duck]

This was done on Saturday but I fell asleep in my chair before I could post, then did a very busy 16 hour shift yesterday so flopped and crashed last night.

I have the wood piece done (except for epoxying magnets to the slate) that I designed for the 46 gallon bow front, that instead will go into the 100 gallon I got free from friends.  The tank is ready but the stand needs some touch up and I won’t have warm enough weather to paint it until Friday.  So here it sits on the floor in the back bedroom.  The wood piece is just laying there until I can glue on the magnets, but the magnets now have their silicone “cushions” to make scratching or breaking the glass less likely.

First pic is the magnets “social distancing” until their silicone is fully set.

Second pic is the wood laying down inside the tank because I couldn’t get a decent pic with hands/arms holding the piece up viewing through the glass with glare and no water in the tank, etc.  😝 

I’m so much more excited about this tank than I was about the 46 G as an angel tank.  I was worrying so much about how they would do as a group long term in only a 46.  Not to mention what a pain it is to work in that 46.  I’m glad it’s out (sold it) and the 100 is in!

 

Edit to add I’ll do a full “build” thread when the tank is actually set up.  In the mean time, I’ll be epoxying today(?) so I can begin my moss “dry” start ASAP since that will take 3-4 weeks.  I’ve decided on a Fissidens moss since I wasn’t able to confirm any aquarium moss from South America besides Christmas moss and that just grows too fast.  Fissidens are all over North America so there’s a pretty decent chance there’s one that grows in SA, right?  Besides, Fissidens are gorgeous, plus minimal maintenance, and if I can pull off Fissidens all over this wood it will be spectacular!

Edited January 10, 2022 by Odd Duck

[anewbie]

Today i am counting my curses. Yes I've been cursed:

 

After I took that picture 4 more showed up; i can understand how they feel safe behind the pump; but there can't be a whole lot of food there ? Anyway probably the cleanest part of the tank....

[Nyssa]

I trimmed my 55 gallon's water sprite back even further, because it was still too wild for my liking... then I realized why it was looking so monstrous... the whole center was full of little plantlets! 😳 There were so many that they were struggling/in so much shade, so I pulled those out along with the trimmings. Into the compost pile it went! I left two plantlets that were healthy as floaters on the top of my tank for now... I'll see how I feel about them later.

[Jorgey]

Changed water in 3 tanks, trimmed back some plants in my 75 gallon, and unboxed my 4th Aquarium Co-op package in the last 4 weeks.  I'm getting ready for a new build and this one had 9 new plants in it.  I was excited to receive my new plants in one of the new cool shipping liners.  But, then my excitement faded.  I went to pull it out and noticed that the liner was not done up. no big deal.  Got all of the plants out and placed them in a holding tank then went back to the liner.  It was not done up because the plastic zipper was broken.  😞  No way to get it to stay closed.  Oh well, the plants look to be in good condition and I guess I'll just have to order more so I can get another insolated bag that isn't broken.  🙂  

Edited January 11, 2022 by Jorgey
corrected spelling

[Torrey]

For the first time since surgery 6 weeks ago, I finally got to do some tank maintenance!

Meaning I selected the tank with the most cyanobacteria, pulled out 2 buckets worth of plants, painted cyanobacteria and BBA with H2O2, filmed the entire adventure, and then fed frozen bbs to tell the fish 'thank you' for their patience. 

It's been a rough few weeks...

[Levi_Aquatics]

Over the last couple days I have done water changes in my 55,10, and 5 gallon aquariums and topped off the others. I also purchased and planted water sprite and Anubias from a lfs. Additionally, I moved some val from my 110 to some other aquariums. I also set up a ACO auto feeder on one of my guppy aquariums and ordered some test strips and heat packs from ACO. The heat packs are for shipping some of my purple mosaic ribbon fin guppies. 

[Struggle]

Received and acclimated (7j new shrimp varieties today, really looking forward to seeing how they turnout. 

[Mahi27]

Today I did a >50% water change on my 10 gallon with a betta, green kubotai rasboras, and shrimp...I noticed the kubotais were gasping after, so I turned up the air and headed to the gym...I came back and more than half of them had passed away...womp womp. So sad, these guys survived getting delayed in the mail and grew to be really fat and sassy in the year that they were in my care. I always feel responsible when I lose a pet, and I hope they forgive me. 

[CalmedByFish]

On 1/12/2022 at 12:54 AM, Mahi27 said:

Today I did a >50% water change on my 10 gallon with a betta, green kubotai rasboras, and shrimp...I noticed the kubotais were gasping after, so I turned up the air and headed to the gym...I came back and more than half of them had passed away...womp womp. So sad, these guys survived getting delayed in the mail and grew to be really fat and sassy in the year that they were in my care. I always feel responsible when I lose a pet, and I hope they forgive me. 

I'm sorry for your loss, Mahi27. I'm always half-afraid that will happen when I change water, mainly because it's sometimes hard to know what exactly caused it. Were you at least able to figure out the cause?

I'm guessing they'd say they have more memories from the year of getting fat and sassy, than they do from their last minutes. ❤️ 

[anewbie]

Cleaned the fx6 today while doing water changes. Hate that thing; only took an hour which isn't the end of all end but still annoying.

 

A long time ago not knowing better I purchased a dwarf lily (Nymphaea stellata) from aquarium coop. Now this is my experience with the plant the past 30 months. At first i was so excited - it was a lovely red colour and quite attractive and not too large. Then after a few months it went dormant. Hum. Did it die? hum... wait wait wait. Then after a while (6 months)? it came back in fury and where I once had 1 plant i now had 4 or 5 scatted around the tank (i think it creates these little planets that break off). Ok not so bad still a small lovely plant. But eventually it works it way to the top of the tank - ok a few leaves on top isn't so bad but then they get bigger and bigger. This is not the largest leaf and it is over 6 inch (picture below) - now one plant with 6 or 8 leaves isn't that bad but each time it takes a nap i get 4 or 5 more plants - now i must have 20 or 30 of them scattered around the tank (most are small but over time....) 30 plants 8 leaves 240 leaves at over 6 inches each.... well you can see where this is going:

 

(taking a picture holding the camera in one hand a ruler in another is well...):

 

Anyway they call this a dwarf lily - i'd hate to meet its non-dwarf daddy....

 

[H.K.Luterman]

I'm lazy and don't clean out my sponge filters often, but I cleaned the one in the 40 today and it made the blackest poop coffee ever.

No pics, sorry. 😉

I also dug out Pooka's (my featherfin catfish) cave, because she's gotten so big she had to squeeze into it. 

[Patrick_G]

On 1/13/2022 at 9:03 AM, H.K.Luterman said:

I'm lazy and don't clean out my sponge filters often, but I cleaned the one in the 40 today and it made the blackest poop coffee ever.

😆 wow, what an image!

[Lefty469]

@Cory  I made this video, based on some things I learned from you and @Dean’s Fishroom

 

[ADMWNDSR83]

On 1/13/2022 at 12:03 PM, H.K.Luterman said:

I'm lazy and don't clean out my sponge filters often, but I cleaned the one in the 40 today and it made the blackest poop coffee ever.

Anyone else thirsty this morning for a big cup o' Joe?

[smoore]

HH Morant I really like your cabinet that holds your new tank.  Did you build it?

[PineSong]

On 1/10/2022 at 7:58 PM, Nyssa said:

I trimmed my 55 gallon's water sprite back even further, because it was still too wild for my liking... then I realized why it was looking so monstrous... the whole center was full of little plantlets! 😳 There were so many that they were struggling/in so much shade, so I pulled those out along with the trimmings. Into the compost pile it went! I left two plantlets that were healthy as floaters on the top of my tank for now... I'll see how I feel about them later.

It's feast or famine with water sprite, isn't it? I can barely keep mine looking good enough to remain in the tank, but I know for lots of people it's easy. 

On 1/12/2022 at 2:33 PM, anewbie said:

Cleaned the fx6 today while doing water changes. Hate that thing; only took an hour which isn't the end of all end but still annoying.

 

A long time ago not knowing better I purchased a dwarf lily (Nymphaea stellata) from aquarium coop. Now this is my experience with the plant the past 30 months. At first i was so excited - it was a lovely red colour and quite attractive and not too large. Then after a few months it went dormant. Hum. Did it die? hum... wait wait wait. Then after a while (6 months)? it came back in fury and where I once had 1 plant i now had 4 or 5 scatted around the tank (i think it creates these little planets that break off). Ok not so bad still a small lovely plant. But eventually it works it way to the top of the tank - ok a few leaves on top isn't so bad but then they get bigger and bigger. This is not the largest leaf and it is over 6 inch (picture below) - now one plant with 6 or 8 leaves isn't that bad but each time it takes a nap i get 4 or 5 more plants - now i must have 20 or 30 of them scattered around the tank (most are small but over time....) 30 plants 8 leaves 240 leaves at over 6 inches each.... well you can see where this is going:

 

(taking a picture holding the camera in one hand a ruler in another is well...):

 

Anyway they call this a dwarf lily - i'd hate to meet its non-dwarf daddy....

 

Thank you for this window into my future--I just spotted the first plantlet thrown off by mine this morning. I was like "Umm, where am I gonna put THAT one?" 

[HH Morant]

No, @smoore,  I had it built by a carpenter. I'm afraid I lack the competence and the tools to build a stand.

 I'd never had a peninsula tank before, so I looked at a few peninsula stands in stores and showed the carpenter what I wanted. There are big doors on both sides, which allow easier access to the sump.

I am still in the process of getting the tank set up, but it is cycled and the sump is working well.

Edited January 14, 2022 by HH Morant