ADMWNDSR83 Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 I started this conversation in the plants forum, but felt it needed to move over here to photo journals now. About a week ago, I was in a big store that rhymes with "let go," and my wallet did just that. Seeing a sign for 50% off frameless aqueons was all it took for me to end up with a brand new 6 gallon cube on my dresser in the bedroom. After a few days of decision, I decided it would become a tiny little slice of southeast Asia. In the plants forum, I got some ideas of plants that originated from the Thailand/Asia area (thanks to everyone over there!), and today, my plants came in! What you're seeing in the picture is a mix of leftover substrate that I had lying around (planted tank substrate capped by black diamond sand), and a nice chunk of wood from my local lfs attached to a piece of slate. Glued to the piece of slate are now TWO chunks of java fern (a surprise from the one pot I ordered!). In the foreground are some crypts, a standard wendtii to the left and wendtii greens on the right. In the far back are a couple water sprites to hopefully create a barrier to hide the mirror the tank sits in front of, although I'm still considering whether I should back the tank with some black paper. Now, I will be stalking the local stores for my dream betta. I'm in no hurry, it has to be perfect. I'd love for it to be a king betta, but there are some other options if the are colorful and have just the right amount of awesome. I dosed the tank with safestart betta, which claims to make the tank immediately ready for fish, but I'll still probably give it some time unless I see something amazing! Eventually, I will also likely round out my southeast Asia vibe with a couple kuhli loaches to clean up the bottom. Let me know your thoughts, or if there's anything I'm doing that could be better. I'll add some more pictures once I have an inhabitant. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colu Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 Nice tank once the plants start to fill out I think it will be a Betta paradise 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADMWNDSR83 Posted March 27, 2021 Author Share Posted March 27, 2021 So in the past two days I have been to 4 petcos and 2 ma and pa lfs looking for the perfect betta. I was hoping for a nice king, or something with just the right amount of color and good plumage. Instead, I decided to gamble. The last petco I went to had a couple decent king halfmoons, but I didn't love them, and for $20 I wanted LOVE. Then, I turned and saw this little guy. He's about 3/4 of an inch long, and is just starting to show some color. It will be interesting to see what he turns into as he grows up. For $2.99, he's worth the gamble! At the moment, he doesn't have a name. He's extremely shy right now, and still working on getting around the tank. I'll give him a bit to get accustomed, then introduce a couple kuhli loaches for clean up, and call it a day. 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrozenFins Posted March 27, 2021 Share Posted March 27, 2021 He's gourgoues! One of the things I love most about bettas can be their price! $2.99, thats a STEAL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lifeisgood Posted March 27, 2021 Share Posted March 27, 2021 Just perfect!!😊 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADMWNDSR83 Posted April 15, 2021 Author Share Posted April 15, 2021 All right, biome enthusiasts! A question... As of now, I have Steve the betta and a kuhli loach in the tank. I'm seeing growing amounts of a brown hair algae. Is there anything, fish or invert wise, I can put in to handle the hair algae while staying true to my southeast asia theme? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CorydorasEthan Posted April 16, 2021 Share Posted April 16, 2021 33 minutes ago, ADMWNDSR83 said: All right, biome enthusiasts! A question... As of now, I have Steve the betta and a kuhli loach in the tank. I'm seeing growing amounts of a brown hair algae. Is there anything, fish or invert wise, I can put in to handle the hair algae while staying true to my southeast asia theme? You could try a Siamese algae eater, though they would get around four to six inches, which would be way too large for your aquarium. You could use a juvenile for a few days and then return it to the store after it's done though. They work very fast. I don't know what else would work, as many things I can think of grow too big or don't fit into the biotope theme. I know in @Irene's video she mentioned that her hillstream loach tackled hair algae. Hillstream loaches are from Thailand, so they might work well. The only thing is that they need at least a 10 gallon tank. Also, just a side question, do you plan on getting more kuhli loaches? They are social fish (like Corydoras) and prefer larger groups. Anyways, I hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADMWNDSR83 Posted April 16, 2021 Author Share Posted April 16, 2021 (edited) I do plan on getting... probably 3 more. I had thought about a hillstream but then was concerned that they are a colder-water species. I do have other tanks I could shift someone to once they get done their work. Edited April 16, 2021 by ADMWNDSR83 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CorydorasEthan Posted April 16, 2021 Share Posted April 16, 2021 Just now, ADMWNDSR83 said: I do plan on getting... probably 3 more. I had thought about a hillstream but then was concerned that they are a colder-water species. I do have other tanks I could shift someone to once they get done their work. I think they would be fine in your betta tank for a little while. Cory has even bred them in warmer water, so they are certainly an option. If they don't eat the algae or get the job done, you can always move them to a new tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colu Posted April 16, 2021 Share Posted April 16, 2021 You could get some nerite snails or Ramshorn snails for algae control 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betsy Posted April 30, 2021 Share Posted April 30, 2021 I'd love to see some updates on your tank (and Steve!)!!! It looks like a lush green paradise!! 😍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laritheloud Posted April 30, 2021 Share Posted April 30, 2021 On 4/15/2021 at 7:30 PM, ADMWNDSR83 said: All right, biome enthusiasts! A question... As of now, I have Steve the betta and a kuhli loach in the tank. I'm seeing growing amounts of a brown hair algae. Is there anything, fish or invert wise, I can put in to handle the hair algae while staying true to my southeast asia theme? You can try nerite snails, but my nerites won't eat the staghorn algae I have. Sigh.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWilson Posted April 30, 2021 Share Posted April 30, 2021 Hello Steve the betta! Very cool colors! I wonder if they'll change as he grows up. You could "cheat" a little and try amano shrimp - though they are not from the same part of the region as bettas or Kuhli loaches. Though they may end up as a pricey snack for Steve. For what it's worth, we started out with just 2 kuhli loaches (the ones that survived quarantine), and almost never saw them. We recently added a batch of 6 more, and now with that size of a group we see them out in the tank much more, even during the day. They are very fun to watch zipping around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADMWNDSR83 Posted April 30, 2021 Author Share Posted April 30, 2021 So, here are some pictures. I ended up adding 3 more kuhlis, who do tend to zip around some, and a hillstream. Once I get a chance to get a decent pic of him I'll post it. I'm a bit ashamed at the state of the tank, as the driftwood I have in there now makes it REALLY tough to clean. I'm probably going to take that tree out and either put in a slightly smaller tree, or leave it open and attach the javas to some rocks for a more open look. Steve's getting a little bigger, and his fins and colors are really popping now! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADMWNDSR83 Posted April 30, 2021 Author Share Posted April 30, 2021 Oh, not sure where he's hiding, but I did introduce a nerite as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betsy Posted April 30, 2021 Share Posted April 30, 2021 3 minutes ago, ADMWNDSR83 said: Oh, not sure where he's hiding, but I did introduce a nerite as well. The only time I see my nerites these days is after a water change...for some reason they feel like they need to glass surf when the water is fresh! 🏄♂️ Speaking of fresh...Steve looks great!!! So does the tank! I am jealous of your ability to grow stems...I struggle! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADMWNDSR83 Posted May 1, 2021 Author Share Posted May 1, 2021 29 minutes ago, Betsy said: Speaking of fresh...Steve looks great!!! So does the tank! I am jealous of your ability to grow stems...I struggle! I have three crypts I tried to keep out of the picture because they melted, started to grow back, and melted again. Crypts may not be in my wheelhouse! My other tank is my plant wonderland for now! I had to take out one sword because it got too big for its britches, not the other one is booming! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADMWNDSR83 Posted May 1, 2021 Author Share Posted May 1, 2021 OK, just a few more pictures that I was able to snap before getting back to schoolwork... In one I was able to almost get a clear shot of the hillstream. Another has the nerite, one of the loaches, one of my sorry excuses for a crypt, and some hair algae mulm. The third is just another picture of Steve because he gets all excited when he sees the camera... or the food jar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADMWNDSR83 Posted May 1, 2021 Author Share Posted May 1, 2021 After some thinking last night, I decided the tree in the tank was just taking up too much space. This morning, when I was doing a water change anyway, I pulled the monster out of there, and re-attached the java ferns to some rocks I had lying around. Figured I'd share the update picture, as well as a better pic of the Hillstream. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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