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  L# LITTLE_FISH 20G Long Log
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SubscribeLITTLE_FISH 20G Long Log
Wingsdlc
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Somehow I was hoping you would not come across this thread, Wings. There was no way that you simply could have ignored that, wasn't there ?

Well you see I didn't know how to take it right off the bat. I thought about just laughing and saying haha LF has a thing! But I resisted.

Speaking of the original "Thing", you should read about it in my log.

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric
Post InfoPosted 07-Aug-2006 14:12Profile AIM PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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Thanks Wings

Otherwise, this tank is still involved in the gender bending mystery of my Apistos, and I have no clue as to what is going on.

Ingo


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Post InfoPosted 07-Aug-2006 15:54Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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One quick update shot of the QT this weekend. Since about a week or so I added a few additional "Hiding Options" to the tank. Given that I didn't want to lose any plant area I stacked a rock and a pot on top of the wood. I know it is not the prettiest, but at least it assures that even the most scared Apisto is getting some food.

On that frontier, all is the same - meaning that I believe to have at least two males, maybe even all 3 are males.

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Full Tank



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Post InfoPosted 27-Aug-2006 13:16Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
mattyboombatty
 
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EditedEdited by mattyboombatty
What pot

Errrmmm, looks very ummm...functional is the word I think.










So how are the ?confused? apistos?

EDIT: Oh, do I see some of the bolbitis in there?



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Post InfoPosted 27-Aug-2006 15:36Profile Homepage PM Edit Delete Report 
tetratech
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What pot
I would much prefer you stand the pot upright and have some clowns head with flowers on it pop out every few seconds.




My Scapes
Post InfoPosted 27-Aug-2006 15:54Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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Yeah yeah, just keep on using my desparate situation to make fun of my setup, but I don't want the male gang in there to kill each other.

With regards to the Apistos, I added some comment to your offer in my 40G Log, as they are still confused.

And yes, I added some small pieces of Bolbitis (and micro swords) to this tank as well, just for the fun of it (and to see how it does under non-high-tech settings.

Ingo


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Post InfoPosted 27-Aug-2006 16:17Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
Tainted Glory
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What are you using for lighting and CO2 on that tank?
Post InfoPosted 03-Sep-2006 07:24Profile AIM PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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Mike,

The lighting on this tank is an AGA double flourescent strip light, with 2 x 20W 6,700K. But I ordered a new Coralife 65W PC strip for it which I hope to put on next week. Not because I really need it, just because

CO2: When the tank is not housing fish in QT (except the resident Platies) then the tank gets 10ml of Flourish Excel once a week after the water change (50%). Sometimes I only change the water every other week, depending on my time availability.

Well, I removed the pseudo female Apistos this week, and added Matty's real females. As such, the enormous structure on the left was no longer needed. Here is the tank now:

Attached Image:

Tank Now



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Post InfoPosted 03-Sep-2006 12:25Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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I still have two AquaClear 50 hanging on the tank, and if the neighbor asks for his filter then I will give one of them to him. I ordered another one anyway as I like the idea to have less current but with the same filtration effects.

Here is a closer look at the left tank side I like the little Wisteria in front of the wood that almost looks like a palm tree (didn't get light in the lower parts as it was smacked between the wood pieces).

Attached Image:

Left Side



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Post InfoPosted 03-Sep-2006 12:28Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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Here is one of the two female Cacs that I got from Matty, thanks again for that

They seem to settle in ok, although they still have problems identifying the white flakes that float in the water column as food. They rather wait until the flakes are on the substrate and then pick them up. All my Apistos started off like that until they realized that they get more of the food if they feed on the surface.

Attached Image:

New Female



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Post InfoPosted 03-Sep-2006 12:31Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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And lastly, here is a closer look at my Narrow Leaf Ludwigia. I have never seen it becoming so red in my 125G with way more light and CO2. Maybe redding has not so much to do with light as assumed

This plant, originally transported into the tank from the 125G as clippings, is now the sole survivor of Ludwigia in all my tanks as I got bored of it in the big tank. The leaf size is maybe half as large as it was in the big tank which makes it look quite a bit better, IMHO.

Attached Image:

Narrow Leaf Ludwigia



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Post InfoPosted 03-Sep-2006 12:34Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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In the last week the tank has seen one of its new filters go to the legitimate owner of it, my neighbor. Today, I added a few goodies to the tank, one being another new AC50 to replace the one given away. I like the idea of having 2 filters on the tank and run them at slow speed.

The other treat for the tank is a brand new 65W light unit that I bought. Of course Coralife, and of course 6,700K. We will see what the tank does with that much light, like what - over 3wpg?

Anyway, I just remembered that this tank is now a little over one year old and I think I would like to show some full shots that reflect the tank's changes over that year.

Here it is 2 weeks (or something like that) after initial setup:

Attached Image:

After Setup



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Post InfoPosted 11-Sep-2006 02:25Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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Then the tank saw some minor changes in the plants that it contained, you will have to read through the log to find out why things are the way they are at the individual stages:

Attached Image:

Growing



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Post InfoPosted 11-Sep-2006 02:27Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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Growing of these plants worked out so well that there was soon nothing left but plants and what seems just like a little water,

Attached Image:

More Growing



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Post InfoPosted 11-Sep-2006 02:28Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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Then the tank saw its first major change, the complete redo to contain moss and wood, getting a little more styled.

Attached Image:

Starting to Style



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Post InfoPosted 11-Sep-2006 02:30Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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This basic setup persisted for quite a while, I liked it and it gave the shy new fish a welcoming home. Nevertheless, it was not easily maintained as the moss needed constant trimming and the tenellus in the front didn't grow that well either.

Here is the tank with the same layout at a latter stage:

Attached Image:

Later Stage



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Post InfoPosted 11-Sep-2006 02:32Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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After another major overhaul, the tank got its current layout, although it went through some changes in order to house a few gender confucsed Apistos:

Attached Image:

Current setup



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Post InfoPosted 11-Sep-2006 02:34Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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And here is the tank now tonight, with the addition of the other second filter and the new light. I think my fertilizer routine for this tank has to be more stable now.

Attached Image:

New Light



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Post InfoPosted 11-Sep-2006 02:35Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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Last but not least, the whole tank again, this time including the entire light unit. I like the look of such a system more than I like the double flourescent fixture that I had on it before.

Attached Image:

With Light Unit



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Post InfoPosted 11-Sep-2006 02:37Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
tetratech
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Nice chronology of a planted tank. O.K. so now that this tank joins its other high-light cousins what are you going to do with dosing, etc. The tank will have to at least get a daily shot of excel and regular ferting to keep algae away.

On the current scaping, I've always liked the simplicity of the tank and the placement of wood and rock seemed to work, but now the rock on the left seems to have disappeared (or it appears that way) and it looks like there is wood only on the left and rock only on the right.




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Post InfoPosted 11-Sep-2006 02:56Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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Thanks tetratech,

Not too many people come lately into my small tank logs, I guess I don't perform overhauls on them often enough

Yeah, more ferts are needed, I realize that. I will see how it all works out.

The tank, for the time being, will stay like this and once the Apistos are moved out I will do some minor changes to the layout. For example, moving the rock back to the area, as your keen eyes have already identified as changes

Thanks,

Ingo


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Post InfoPosted 11-Sep-2006 03:14Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
mattyboombatty
 
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I noticed the left side, right side as well, but I did see that rock in the center of the tank. I think another one there would do nice. Much better than the round stones there, as much as I like the river stones, they just seemed out of place. I agree, those coralife fixtures are pretty sleek. I think I need some legs for mine to help spread the light around the tank more. Looks good.



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Post InfoPosted 11-Sep-2006 03:56Profile Homepage PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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Much better than the round stones there
I agree, and I only had the round ones anyway because I am too lazy to split a larger rock of the type that I have there. I still have round rocks, but they are hidden in the vegitation by now. I probably will take them out to fit more "green" into the tank

Yeah, the legs make such a unit look more high tech, and help with the cooling of the system.

Ingo


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Post InfoPosted 11-Sep-2006 13:31Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
Wingsdlc
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And lastly, here is a closer look at my Narrow Leaf Ludwigia. I have never seen it becoming so red in my 125G with way more light and CO2. Maybe redding has not so much to do with light as assumed
I am playing around with the same question with my sunset hygro. In the 40G with lots of light, high ferts and CO2 it stays green. I put some in the 29G with no CO2, low light, and no ferts yet and it starts to turn redish pink. Therefore it is a posiblity of three things. I guess it is time to start eliminating one to see and for me thats going to be ferts.

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric
Post InfoPosted 11-Sep-2006 14:30Profile AIM PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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Besides the fact that the growth form of the Narrow Leaf Ludwigia is so different from exactly the same plant (as it is clippings from that plant) in the 125, THE major difference is how close the plants are to the light. Much much closer in the 20. I am sure that has something to do with it. A few stems that I have all the way on the right of the tank are by far not as red as the ones to the middle as they only get some of the light.

Ingo


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Post InfoPosted 11-Sep-2006 15:16Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
Wingsdlc
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I am sure lighting has something to do with the color but I don't know how much. I am really thinking that ferts play a pretty large role. At least in my case with the Hygro.

BTW I have never had good luck with the Ludwigia in my tank. I don't know what I do wrong with it.

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric
Post InfoPosted 11-Sep-2006 15:37Profile AIM PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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I have never had good luck with the Ludwigia in my tank
Well, how did you not have good luck with it? I found it rather adaptable to different tank conditions, with one exception: When placed in a tank with a weak current, and being located far away from the water input, then it started to get algae on the leaves, BGA in particular (at least in my tank).

Ingo


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Post InfoPosted 11-Sep-2006 18:13Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
Wingsdlc
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For some reason it never takes off like other plants in my tank. It normaly just fades away, often rotting at the bottems. I can grow the stuff at work just fine but I bring it home and it dies.

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric
Post InfoPosted 11-Sep-2006 18:34Profile AIM PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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Ok then,

This tank needed a major cleaning, with all the gunk generates with me making it "Apisto Friendly". So while I was at it, here is the first step of cleaning:

Attached Image:

All Gone



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Post InfoPosted 09-Oct-2006 02:13Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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That's right,

It was time for another Ingo-Style tank makeover. Everything had to go, the tank was vacuumed, refilled, revacuumed, and refilled again.

Having only my 3 platies in the tank, I thought "what the heck, let me play a little. I got some sticks that I collected over the year on the various beaches, scrubbed them off, and shoved them under some rocks so they don't float up.

Attached Image:

Fish Sticks



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Post InfoPosted 09-Oct-2006 02:16Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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Then I moved the sticks around some more, replanted the Wisteria, Tenellus (which did bad in the last installment), Ludwigia, and some micro sword all the way to the right.

Here is the finished tank:

Attached Image:

Eh Voila



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Post InfoPosted 09-Oct-2006 02:17Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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I know it is not my best work ever, and I assume the sticks will rot away rather sooner than later, but I wanted to have some fun.

Even if it is only for fun, let me know what you think. Here is a "Matty Shot" of the tank.

That's it for now,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Matty Angle



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Post InfoPosted 09-Oct-2006 02:19Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
mattyboombatty
 
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I kinda like it. It's different at least. To me they either look like bones, or palm trees. Could be an elephant graveyard, or possibly a desert oasis. I like the tighter grouping of ludwigia in the corner, and the ground plants are nice and tight to the ground. Looks good as long as one can accept the fish sticks.



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Post InfoPosted 09-Oct-2006 03:53Profile Homepage PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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Thanks Matty,

Yeah - overall I had worse designs, but I think the last two I had before this one (not counting the Apisto specific modifications) had been a little more "natural".

As in - no graveyard or Laurence of Arabia

But I like the term Fish Sticks, Fish Skewers may work as well.

I am rather certain that this design will be short lived, but the tank really needed a good cleaning.

Oh, almost forgot: for the last week and a half I had quite a bit of duckweed in this tank, from my duckweed production company in my 125. I addded it as I saw an increase in algae since using the higher light. I have not been a good boy when it comes to ferting this tank, I will have to work on that. This duckweed now had to go as it either bunched up under the water return in a ball or it got stuck on the filter intake. Not so pretty and usefull.

Ingo


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Post InfoPosted 09-Oct-2006 10:32Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
TW
 
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Could be an elephant graveyard


I like the plants & will just need a little time to decide on the fish sticks. Looks like you had a lot of fun playing around in there.

Cheers
TW
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Dr. Bonke
 
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Whew... that is quite some change... I really rather liked the previous setup. For this one... Mhmmmm, I don't know, ask me again in about two or three weeks when the plants look like they actually like the place
Post InfoPosted 09-Oct-2006 15:46Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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ask me again in about two or three weeks
I don't know if this design will survive that long though

As I said, I felt like playing and I had nothing to loose. I always get carried away with this small tank, it is sooooo easy to redo the whole setup.

Ingo


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Post InfoPosted 09-Oct-2006 18:02Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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Hi,
I see... It looks like "Mr. No Body" Lives in your
home too. Somebody dumped some kindling from the fireplace
in the tank!

It'l will be interesting to see how the tank matures.
Frank


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Post InfoPosted 09-Oct-2006 21:17Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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Very funny Frank, but will have no chance to see this tank mature.

The makeover of the 125G required me to strip some of the wisteria in here and as such I did not have enough left to make for a decent ground cover. On the other hand, I had some plants left over from the large tank that I could not use there anymore, like some hygro and narrow leaf java fern.

Here is the hoth-potch result:

Attached Image:

New Design - Yet Again



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Post InfoPosted 22-Oct-2006 18:58Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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I know, it is not the prettiest, but that was not the point. I spend quite some hours (maybe around 16) on the tanks this weekend and I had to get the show on the road.

Here is a Matty angle:

Attached Image:

Angled



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Post InfoPosted 22-Oct-2006 18:59Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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EditedEdited by LITTLE_FISH
Make sure you see the latest design in full tank view on the bottom of the previous page

Also, one cannot forget about the permanent residents in this tank, my twin bar platies. Here is one of the mothers, with me for quite some time now and the producer of many many batches of fry:


Attached Image:

Mother Platy



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Post InfoPosted 22-Oct-2006 19:01Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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Here is one of her older children, maybe around 3 months old. By now he is already after the ladies and may be the producer of the latest batch of fry.

Attached Image:

Young Adult Male



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Post InfoPosted 22-Oct-2006 19:03Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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And here is one of the fishies from the latest batch, it could very well be that the male in the last shot is his/her brother and father

Matty, this one is not a challenge for you

Attached Image:

Fry



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mattyboombatty
 
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Where is it

Yeah, I'm not sure about those sticks. It looks a little more natural without them. They sure where interesting though. This tank sure gets changed around frequently, hard to keep up. I think the left side of the tank currently looks good with a nice solid buncg of ludwigia, and the right side as you said is a bit hotch potch, but should look good when it fiils in. Tell those chain swords to grow too.



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Post InfoPosted 23-Oct-2006 15:03Profile Homepage PM Edit Delete Report 
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These chain swords are typical representatives of my original batch these days, at best they stay static in all of my tanks. At worst, they die off. And I still don't know why. I tell you, my best bet is on the constant replanting that they have seen over the last year.

Ingo


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I can't say I agree. I had mine for almost two years in my 38 gallon tank, and replanted them every couple months because they would start growing over themselves and shading each other out. They usually respoded positively to a thinning and replant. They did well right up till the end.

It is true though that continually uprooting plants(without breaks inbetween) can kill them, but I've never seen it happen personally. I wouldn't know what else to guess though. So I guess constant replanting it is*shrugs*.



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Post InfoPosted 23-Oct-2006 15:23Profile Homepage PM Edit Delete Report 
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Yeah,

I blame the constant moving because I ran out of other explanations.

Initially, I thought that in the 29G the tank ran out of usable Laterite as it was about a year old when it started. But even with the change to Eco nothing has improved.

I can't blame any specific fertilizer routine as all tanks are so different, from EI in the 125 to underfertilization in the smaller tanks.

Then I thought it may be a light issue, but switching to a new unit in the 20 as well as replacing the bulb in the 29 did not cause any changes.

And I don't know what else could be the culprit

Ingo


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Somehow, over the last two weeks I lost all Platy fry. I have no idea where they went, but gradually I went from 8 to none . I only can assume that the adults got a little hungry.

Anyway, here is the tank now, I added a little group of Micro Swords:

Attached Image:

Tank Now



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Here is a closer look at the Micro Sword. I am not certain if this is a good spot for it, but whatever. Overall, I think this plant looks actually pretty nice when added as a small group in a foreground.

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Micro Sword



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And here is a closer look at the 3 remaining tenellus. Somehow they neither die nor flourish. As you may see, the older leaves look pretty bad while new ones are still coming out. I always think that the plants will improve, but eventually the new leaves start to look like the old ones.

Weird!

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Not So Pretty Tenellus



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IMO your tenellus might be stunted due to lack of macronutrients. You can either fert more regularly on the tank(especially excel) or maybe drop in a root tab by each. The tank I take care of at work has tenellus that do the exact same thing because I only get to look at the tank and do maintenence once a week. I'm pretty sure it's because the tank bottoms out every week and the CO2 levels fluctuate due to evaporation/splashing filter. They should continue to live like that indefinitely if you don't have the time to pay your QT tank more attention.



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Post InfoPosted 06-Nov-2006 06:43Profile Homepage PM Edit Delete Report 
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EditedEdited by LITTLE_FISH
Thanks Matty on your opinion why the tenellus is what it is. And I bet you that you are right (at least partially). It is not so much that I neglect the tank, it is more that I contiously opt not to fertilize in certain situations, like when I have new fish in QT. Also, I have never even thought about a proper fert schedule for the non-high-tech tanks (this one and the 29G), I usually dose 1/4tsp KNO3 and a pinch (not literally) of P, plus 10ml of Excel and about 6ml of micros - once every week (or other week). That, most certainly, is not consistent.

Ingo

EDIT: BTW, nice new colors


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Not too much new to report about this tank, except that it has 2 fish in QT again and that it got a few more plants based on redos of the other tanks.

Here is a shot of the current setup:

Attached Image:

Current Setup



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And here are the new residents, for the time being. A new pair of Cacs that I simply could not stop myself from buying. There are more pictures of them in the 40G Log.

Here is the male checking out the female.

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Cacs



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Not quite as flaming orange as your last, but still a very nice lookin' fish. I do hope he does well for you.



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Post InfoPosted 13-Nov-2006 05:48Profile Homepage PM Edit Delete Report 
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Very nice re-do LF. I prefer it without the sticks, but I never really thought you'd leave them there too long.

I'm sorry to hear all your platy fry have gone - maybe because there is a lot of open space, so the fry can't hide so well. Still, I have never, never never had fry surive - no matter how densely I planted the tanks. I was going to blame your apistos, but I see they weren't added till later.

Your new male looks very nice & I hope he proves better behaved with his offspring (when the time comes).

Cheers
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Not quite as flaming orange as your last
Unfortunately I have to agree, but I also think this one may be still a little younger. And so is the female, maybe that is why she hasn't fattened up yet as she sure is eating away.

I'm sorry to hear all your platy fry have gone
Well, I am not . I have more platies than I care for as it is anyway. If one or the other makes it in this tank then he/she is transferred into the 29G.

I was going to blame your apistos, but I see they weren't added till later
Maybe it was the Apistos. During last week's water change I did not see any fry and the following day I bought the Apistos. Good chance that, if any of them hung out in the tank before being sucked into the filter, the Apistos got a snack (the older platies seem to tend to eat the fry after they have grown a little).

Ingo


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EditedEdited by TankWatcher
the older platies seem to tend to eat the fry after they have grown a little
Ahh, so they like their meals with a little more fat.
Still, I have never, never never had fry surive - no matter how densely I planted the tanks
Re-read this & thought I should correct it. I meant in my community tank. My krib fry in their species tank are still going strong. If I have lost any, then the loss is too few to notice.

Cheers
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Wow,

I can't believe I didn't have an update on the tank in over a month, but here is one:

I had another one of the Ingo-Redo events last Sunday after I had been given a few plants during the NJAGC meeting in my place.

Here is the tank before the change:

Attached Image:

Previous Layout - Last Sunday



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Just like in the 29G, the tenellus became a totally static plant

Anyway - It went away. First of course I had to clean the tank. That took quite a while and included two water changes with vacuuming:

Attached Image:

All Clean



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Then I place the hardware where I thought I would like it to be, as you can see I reverted back to the wood arch layout, so far this has been my favorite and I would like to recreate it somewhat.

Attached Image:

Hardware In Place



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Then it was time to string some moss on the wood. I don't know how well this moss will do in that kind of medium light, low fert environment, time will tell.

It is Taiwan Moss that had been given to me during our meeting:

Attached Image:

With Moss



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Then I added the Background plants, one species only as I tried to simplify things a little, based on "less is more".

The Hygro had been trimmed and added back in:

Attached Image:

With Hygro



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Then I painfully added the new foreground plantlings, I think they are called Elatine Triandra. I don't know much about this plant, not even if it will grow in my tank conditions.

But it is for sure a pain in the neck, it tends to float up all the time and I am replanting it constantly. It also seems very fragile and breaks when I attempt to push it into the substrate with the tweezers.

Attached Image:

Foreground Added



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Here is an angled look at the layout, still from last weekend. By now, a few of the foreground plants are lost and others float in the tank or have already been replanted. As I said, pain in the neck. Otherwise, the tank seems ok as I see new platy fry for the time being.

That's it,

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Another View



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I love the layout with the two bits of wood moss and back ground plants, I guess the foreground plants will grow in, I have a Crypt in another tank that is so little I am constantly poking it back in the gravel drives me NUTS.

I guess it must be easy to redo this one in comparision to the HUGE tank!

and you spent 16 hours on the tank? WOW.

gfgXX

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Post InfoPosted 17-Dec-2006 18:23Profile Homepage Yahoo PM Edit Delete Report 
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Hey!

I like this layout with the DW. I would though, move the center rock under either of the chunks of wood. Make it look like its being proped up.

Good luck with the new plant. It might be worth trying in the 40G or 125G too.

55G Planted tank thread
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[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric
Post InfoPosted 18-Dec-2006 21:27Profile AIM PM Edit Delete Report 
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Nice re-do. It seems a lot of people are now going for a a less crowded look, with more low plants. I know that's they way I want to go. I may remove all my stem plants.

Nice job LF

Cheers
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Thanks for the compliments and comments, folks

GFG - "and you spent 16 hours on the tank?" No who said that? I spent 3 hours on the redo. Redoing the 20G is actually an exciting thing to do as it takes such little time.

Wings - for the time being, the rock will stay as the last time when I had "the bridge" there was no rock. Makes me think I actually changed something

Robyn - Well, with the hygro I still have stems in there, and I actually wouldn't dare to go without them as all other plants (wait a minute, there are only 3 species overall anyway) I would have too little of matter left.

Ingo


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Makes me think I actually changed something
Well the last time you had the tank set up like this you had the DW much closer together and used little rocks around the wood. This time the DW is farther apart and you used big rocks. There! You changed something! MOVE THE ROCK FROM THE CENTER!

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Post InfoPosted 19-Dec-2006 15:46Profile AIM PM Edit Delete Report 
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Ingo,

I've paid you compliments on your 125,40 and I still really like the 29g, but this one I would change.
I've always like the bridge effect but the rocka don't look nautral at all in their current position. I would do something along this:



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My Scapes
Post InfoPosted 19-Dec-2006 16:47Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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You guys are sooooo hard to please.

First of all, I will have to see if this foreground plant even takes hold. And - if the Taiwan moss will grow nicely (not so convinced yet if I like it, seems to have much longer branches than Xmas moss).

If the above doesn't turn out well anyway then another change will have to happen no matter what.

So, even if you HATE the tank, for now that is what it is. But, "now" is of course a relative term

Ingo


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You guys are sooooo hard to please
Yup!

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[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric
Post InfoPosted 20-Dec-2006 14:56Profile AIM PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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Anyway,

Not much to report on this tank. It is doing ok and the foreground plants have been replaced with Wisteria trimmings.

The platies have multiplied to 6 in the tank now.

And that is all.

Here is a shot,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Tank Now



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I really like the simple layout The moss bridge is especially appealing. The only way this tank could look better were if you had an extra 3-4 inches in the back for another row of the stems.



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The only way this tank could look better were if you had an extra 3-4 inches in the back for another row of the stems.


Unfortunately, the tank is not deep enough to allow me to move the bridge further forward. If I did that then the foreground would be just a narrow strip, not pretty

Thanks for the input Matty,

Ingo


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Post InfoPosted 12-Feb-2007 15:39Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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Yeah, I know. I was just hypothesizing that if you had a bit larger tank, but you don't so I don't see how you could improve.

It was a backwards compliment.....sorry.



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LITTLE_FISH
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I was just hypothesizing that if you had a bit larger tank


Funny, as the wife was asking me this weekend when I will get less or smaller tanks

But in general, and as an advice for all hobbyists, depth is important

Ingo


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Well,

I was time for another change to this tank again, I just love that I can remodel the whole tank in no time, ok - let's say 3 hours, LOL.

This time, no moss and no wood.

Here is the straight on shot:

Attached Image:

New Layout



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Post InfoPosted 19-Feb-2007 23:16Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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And here is an angled view that shows a little more on what is going on behind the rocks. There are only 2 plants in the tank, Java Fern Windelov and Wisteria.

Attached Image:

Angled



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Here is a closer look at one of the two Windelov groups, attached to a rock. I don't think this one is positioned too well, but time will tell. I may wait until the Wisteria in the back is taller then it may not stick out that much anymore.

Attached Image:

Fern



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And here is the other Fern group. That one seems placed better and I am looking forward to see it grow.

That's it for now,

What do you think?

Ingo

Attached Image:

Fern II



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Post InfoPosted 19-Feb-2007 23:19Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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EditedEdited by TankWatcher
I like the new simple look and especially the Windelov on the rocks. You have such a busy work load ingo, as well as your family commitments, so having mostly slow growth plants will make water changes & maintenance less.

I've decided only one of my tanks will ever have fast growers, the others will all be quick & easy tanks to maintain. That way, less pressure from hubby & I currently have his support (due to winning one of our deals or bets ) so he is financing my 2 new tanks I'm planning

If during this time when your work is so intense, your tanks take less time to maintain (eg less stems to be removed, trimmed & replanted on a weekly basis) your wife may forget to ask when you are getting less or smaller tanks.

Anyway, it's good to see your posts here again.

Cheers
TW
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Robyn,

Thanks for the comments. Yeah, I am hoping that this layout will be a little easier to maintain than the moss one (last one and a layout that I had a while back as well). The whole moss trimming is a pain in the neck as the wood has to be removed to do so. And that stirrs up all kinds of gunk, yuk.

I probably will stick to ferting the tank once a week and to bi-weekly water changes though.

Ingo


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I probably will stick to ferting the tank once a week and to bi-weekly water changes though
bi-weekly - I'm still doing weekly on both low maintenance tanks, but I will join you in doing weekly fert & bi-weekly water changes only. We're currently in the midst of our worst ever drought (well - worst since they started recording such things) and our dams are below 30% capacity. We have water restrictions & what not & I do feel guitly about my large water changes.

Yep, bi-weekly from now on I think (except for the C02 tank).

Cheers
TW
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LITTLE_FISH
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I actually managed to be very organized and do weekly water changes on the low tech tanks only for a brief period of time. All other times I did bi-weekly water changes and I did not notice any difference. The only time this tank sees weekly changes is when there are new fish in there for QT and that hasn't happened in quite a while.

Ingo


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Post InfoPosted 20-Feb-2007 02:14Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
Wingsdlc
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Wow LF! The tank looks really nice. I have a 20 long in the basement I want to do something similar with. I was thinking hair grass. Maybe someday....



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Post InfoPosted 20-Feb-2007 04:56Profile AIM PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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Thanks Wings,

Yeah, hair grass may be nice (hell, hair would be nice too, LOL), but it is more complex to maintain than the good ole wisteria. Before I know it I may be thinking about frequent ferts, CO2, and what not. Not in the plan for this tank

Ingo


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Post InfoPosted 20-Feb-2007 15:07Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
mattyboombatty
 
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It's always the case with this tank....as soon as I'm getting to like it, whammo total ingo style makeover. I'm sure I'll love this setup in a few weeks too. Nice job LF



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Post InfoPosted 20-Feb-2007 15:25Profile Homepage PM Edit Delete Report 
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Thanks Matty,

See - the thing is that this tank is so easy to change, with its small size and such. Having hardy fish in it helps as well as they are more forgiving with such adventures. This time around I actually removed them from the tank as I knew it is going to be way too messy.

Ingo


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Post InfoPosted 20-Feb-2007 16:34Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
tetratech
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EditedEdited by tetratech
Looks like there's a new wisteria-saurus in town. LOL.
Tank looks good. Not sure about the contrast between the wisteria and the fern.


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Post InfoPosted 20-Feb-2007 17:29Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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Thanks tetratech,

Yeah, I really come to like wisteria for its ease of maintenance and its rather fast grow as a nutrient sucker.

I am not so sure about the Windelov as well, but given that I got the plant for free (trade at the last club meeting) and given that I never had this plant before I thought I will give it a shot. It may go to a different tank (probably the 29G) if I don't like it in here anymore.

Thanks again,

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Post InfoPosted 20-Feb-2007 18:23Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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OK,

I declare the experiment of having a 65W PC light over a 20G Long that I would like to treat as a low tech / low maintenance tank as over.

And I conclude that it doesn't work too well. There is just too much light and the plants almost seem to burn out. My wisteria started not doing to well, the Windelov Fern burned out completely (could have a different reason though, as the donor's plan also didn't do too well).

So, back to the old 2x20w light hood. And I added some clippings of NL Java Fern from the 40G. BTW - doesn't look all that narrow to me

Here it is now:

Attached Image:

Tank Today



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Post InfoPosted 12-Mar-2007 00:44Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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doesn't look all that narrow to me
How narrow is it meant to be. My standard java fern is much wider.

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Robyn,

Seems to me that you nowadays can get all kinds of Ferns, but the NL that I have in the 125G is much narrower, even after I planted some of it in the 40G it is narrower than the one that was always in there. And the NL grows taller, much taller.

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Post InfoPosted 12-Mar-2007 01:03Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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Can you get your JF's to grow leaves off of leaves that look like flames?

2wpg = good
3+ = bad

I will have to keep that in mind.... I have a 20long I want to set up some day....

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Post InfoPosted 12-Mar-2007 01:29Profile AIM PM Edit Delete Report 
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Not a lot has changed in the tank, the wisteria seems to finally settle in. I believe in the past it may not have done too well because of the intensity of the light and probably because I didn't have enough settled plant mass.

Here is a look at the tank today.

There are a few additions, in plant and fish. The tank functions as a QT once again and is the host of 3 (out of 4, one died within 24h) False Julii Cories, seen in the back left.

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Tank Today



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Post InfoPosted 25-Mar-2007 18:00Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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Here is a closer look at them, albeit not the best. I will try to get some nicer group shots in the next few days. I had one more photo of them all together, but one of them made a weird move and swam upside-down, so it looked in the picture like he was dead.

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False Julii



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Post InfoPosted 25-Mar-2007 18:02Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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Another addition to the tank is a group of Nana Petites that I removed from the 125G. They were completely invisible in there for quite a while now. I actually had 5 plantlets in the large tank but only could find 4 to bring over. I may have to hunt for the other one.

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Nana Petite



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Post InfoPosted 25-Mar-2007 18:03Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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This is also Nana Petite and I got it during yesterday's NJAGC meeting in a swap (for part of my giant Nana Barteri). It is all on one rhizome and I didn't feel like cutting it so I parked it this way for the time being.

It is also of a much lighter green and the leaves are slightly larger. It may well be that this is one of these "false" petites that eventually will grow normal sized leaves (have you heard of them?).

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Nana Petite Again



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Post InfoPosted 25-Mar-2007 18:06Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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Last but not least, I also moved one of the Tiger Lilly babies from the 125G over into this tank. It came loose one day and floated on the top so it was worthwhile moving it over here. I am curious to find out how it will do in these conditions.

Enough for now,

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Baby Tiger



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Post InfoPosted 25-Mar-2007 18:08Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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What



Does this tank have a disease or why does nobody have to say anything about it?

Did it fall of your radar?

Ingo


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Post InfoPosted 26-Mar-2007 17:31Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
NowherMan6
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Did it fall of your radar?


Actually, yes, it did. There are lots of tanks going around, and this one has slipped off my radar.

I don't remember when it happened, but I like the all rock + wisteria combo a lot, especially since this is a Q tank as well.

Not sure why that one particular NL fern didn't grow as narrow as most, but different lighting conditions may have played a part. Maybe it was shaded in its previous position, thus grew broader leaves?

Good move moving the petites out of the 125 as well. Unless you have about 300 of them crawly along some bogwood in that 125, they're not going to make enough impact (and I don't know anyone who'd spend ~$2,100 on anubias petite nana... )

They may even get a bit lost in the 20G though.... that's what nano tanks are for!


And as for the "false petites", I had anubias nanas a loooong time ago that, in high light conditions, with no shading, and when grown with only a small bit of rhizome, grew leaves smaller than petite nana leaves. I think this was just part of the plant growing up in certain conditions. As they grew the leaves got larger and grew in more the usual nana heart shape (the small leaves looked like buttons) My guess is, some people get small pieces of nana rhizomes and see small leaves grow off of them and sell them as petite nana. A good way to tell the difference IMO is to look at the leaf shape. Petite nana leaves look EXACTLY like regular nana leaves - heart or spade shaped. These false nana leaves will be rounder, more button like.


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Post InfoPosted 26-Mar-2007 17:43Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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Thanks NowherMan6 for re-discovering this thread

Yeah, the Nana Petites were not visible anymore since quite a while in the 125G, and I still have not found the 5th one,

The NL Java Fern was actually from my 40G and grew there closest to the light on one of the branches of the right hill. I added to that tank some NL java fern from the 125G and that one still grows narrower in the same tank, and it grows much longer. If it is the same plant then more light would mean shorter and wider leaves. I think it is a different variant, by now they have sooooo many of them. Come to think of it, it looks a little like this Phillipine Java Fern.

Thanks for the info on the false Petites. From looking at the leaf shape of the new plants, it seems like they would be false. On the other hand, the rhizome is rather long, maybe 5 inches, as both leaf areas are growing of the same rhizome (this is what holds it in place behind the rock).

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Post InfoPosted 27-Mar-2007 16:34Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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Baby Tiger
They look very cute at that size. Remind me though, I am pretty sure this is the non C02 tank - but what about light. Is it high, medium or low, as I forget for the moment.

Cheers
TW
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NowherMan6
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Looking at the fern again, it does look a lot like the Phillipine variety. Those "hammered out" marks on the leaves look different than my NL fern. Good call on that one LF.

It's too bad this is going to be a low tech tank. I think this is your second best hardscape (behind the 40G), and I think it would look great with glosso or hairgrass - a real amano type deal. Though I can't imagine you'd want to go through the gloso nightmare any time soon again!


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Post InfoPosted 27-Mar-2007 16:53Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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I am pretty sure this is the non C02 tank - but what about light.

Yup - this is a non-CO2 tank with once a week (at best) the addition of 10ml of Excel, and some ferts. I just recently switched back to the old 2x20 T8 setup as the 65W unit was too intense, or at least that is what I blame for my plants not doing too well in that tank.

I think this is your second best hardscape


Oh - thank you NowherMan6

I don't think upping this tank to high tech is a great idea, too much work and my constant fiddling with this tank would not help either,

Also, new fish that come from the LFS will probably have an easier time to adjust to "normal" water conditions than to 50ppm of CO2.

Ingo


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50ppm of CO2.
That's it? I think mine is around 75-80ppm....

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Post InfoPosted 29-Mar-2007 18:18Profile AIM PM Edit Delete Report 
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That's it?


Sorry Wings, I didn't know we have a competition going on as to who has the most CO2 in their tanks

But you are by far not the highest I know of. I have members in my club that run over 100ppm.

Ingo


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Post InfoPosted 29-Mar-2007 18:51Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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Beat this though....I only have 25-30 and no algae .

It's like the lighting wars on reef tanks. "I gots a 400w metal halide over my 2.5G tank for 160 watts per gallon."

All I have to say is that I have my corals under 2.8 watts per gallon and they are thriving, who seems smarter?



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Post InfoPosted 29-Mar-2007 22:09Profile Homepage PM Edit Delete Report 
Wingsdlc
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I have members in my club that run over 100ppm.
Wow thats up there. Do they have fish?

There are a lot of different things that come into play when trying to grow things. Each tank is going to be different depending on the goal.

I have found with my higher light of 5.26WPG my plants don't grow up as much. I don't remember the last time I trimed my sunset hygro.



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Post InfoPosted 30-Mar-2007 04:13Profile AIM PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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Wow thats up there. Do they have fish?

Yes Wings, they do. Funny story: one of them told me recently that they introduced a fish too fast and it had a really rough time to adjust, but eventually did. It first behaved as if put into poison, jerking around like mad.

Anyway,

Not so good things to report about the fishies.

Here is a full tank shot:

Attached Image:

Full Tank



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Post InfoPosted 01-Apr-2007 10:55Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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In that last shot, there is a female adult Platy between the center rock and the rock on the right. I had to put her down last night, but she would have died within a few hours max anyway. She showed no visible signs of damage, but she was sitting motionless for most of the day (I first thought she will have fry, like soooooo many times before) but when feeding time came she did weird moves around the tank.

I hope that she died of old age as she is one of the original two that I introduced to the tank when I set it up initially, almost two years ago.

On the other hand, one of the cories is having a whitish patch on his/her left side, I will try to point it out in a later picture.

So, here are some Cory shots:

Attached Image:

Cory I



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Post InfoPosted 01-Apr-2007 11:00Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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EditedEdited by LITTLE_FISH
Look at comments and pictures on previous page bottom

Another look at a cory.

The pictures where taken during the morning hours, I don't know why they were so eager to look for food then. Normally they just roam the tank at this hour. I think they begin to associate my presence with food.

Attached Image:

Cory II



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Here is a shot that shows the Cory (on the left) with the whitish patch on his/her left side (on the right from your perspective). The patch is just before and below the dorsal fin.

The fish behaves totally fine, eats well, peruses the tank with the others. I will wait a while and then see what to do about it.

Attached Image:

Cory III



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So much about Cories needing open substrate to find food. Here is a typical shot on other areas of the tank where the cories look for food, the top of the Wisteria plants.

Also, note the rather "bad" look of the leaves on the lower right of the picture vs. the "healthy" look of the leaves on the left. The bad ones are old growth and the healthy ones are new growth. I almost gave up on the wisteria in the tank, but instead put the old light back on. The new one (65W) was just too much for a low tech tank.

Attached Image:

Cory IV



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Last shot for this session, another cory-eating-of-substrate.

I will try to get a better picture of the cory's white patch today,

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Cory V



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As always, everything is looking very nice.
I just recently switched back to the old 2x20 T8 setup
So it will be interesting to see how your baby tiger lily does. I will use you as the experiment & maybe try it myself if it works for you.

My cories (sterbai) also seem happy in a planted tank & spend equally as much time in areas of solid planting as they do in the areas where they can get to the gravel.

Hope the white patch turns out to be nothing. Keep us posted.

Cheers
TW
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Thanks Robyn for input and comments,

Things are going from bad to worst in a hurry.

Now the second adult female is lethargic and just hangs out either at the surface or the bottom. And the patchy cory just sits at the bottom, having a blossoming patch on the other side of his body as well. All does not look too good, I have to say. Only the juvenile and child platies are as active as usual.

Ingo


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Post InfoPosted 01-Apr-2007 17:05Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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Hi,
If you are concerned about the white patch, you might drop
a PM to LHG or Caili with a picture and see what they have
to say about it. I don't think they frequent this forum
very often and might pass over your concerns.
Frank


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Post InfoPosted 01-Apr-2007 18:11Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
mattyboombatty
 
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I agree, Git especially seems to know disease. I'll be the first to admit that I wouldn't have a clue. Sorry to hear about the losses, hopefully you can get this fixed up quick. Thank goodness for QT, huh LF?



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Post InfoPosted 02-Apr-2007 00:42Profile Homepage PM Edit Delete Report 
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Yeah, thanks guys, but I think I pass.

Why? Because I am a lazy bum

I would have to get all kinds of measurements (N, P, and what not) and my kits are old and haven't been used in quite a while. Then, if they would know what it is and how to treat it (if that is possible at all) I would have to go and get meds, do water changes like a madman, and what not. I actually don't have the time for it, and I don't have the patience.

Tonight all fish ate fine, including the adult Platie and the patchy Cory. I will just wait it out and then ask you guys how long you think I will have to leave the tank empty (once all died, but I hope it doesn't come to it).

I know it sounds harsh, but most of the time once you see the illness it is too late anyway (as it is not Ich) and either they pull through or not.

Ingo


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Post InfoPosted 02-Apr-2007 01:23Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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It's interesting I haven't had alot of success with Cory's although I did have one survive my son's 5g (which is now my nano open-top), my yeast factory and my other tank for about 2 years. Other than that I didn't have alot of success, although I attribute loses to the corrupted eco I had at the time. LF I think I had the same species, but couldn't find the pics in my log.

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EditedEdited by FRANK
Hi Ingo,
Actually you kinda surprised me with that reply.
If the fish die, and you want to quarantine the tank
so to speak, you should still know what it was that
killed them. How long you leave it fish less might depend
upon what it was and how it survives.

Frank


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Thanks tetratech for the input

Frank - I know it sounded harsh, I didn't meant it to be that way. To explain it a little further:

Have you ever tried to explain someone the dynamics of your tank, like the interaction and bahvior amongst the fish and the plant etc. development over time? I find it is almost impossible to describe all the inputs (parameters) that may attribute to a certain status quo.

For example:

It makes perfect sense that the "old" platy died this weekend as she was truly old and gave birth pretty much every month ever since I had her. That is a lot of babies and very tasking on the female.

On the other hand - was the introduction of the new fish the reason? On to the current "sick" female Platy, also an adult. She (and the other) show no outwards signs of illness, just strange behavior. For about one year, these two females were together in this tank and managed to divert offers made by younger males (one at a time, never more males of breeding age) between them. Now she is alone and the tank does not offer a lot of hiding places. Can it be that her behavior is based on harassment and that she is not ill at all? If she is ill, how can a non-visual illness be identified with high accuracy?

And the Cory: These catfish are hard to evaluate because of their armor. Illnesses that manifest on the outside are very different from non-plated fish. And what about his behavior? He eats as much and vigurously as the other cories, hangs out almost as often as they do, and is socially accepted by the other two. His spot has not increased. What are the chances that he can wing it? If this is a fatal illness, what are the chances that we only see the effects but not the cause, which may - and most likely is - one of many reasons. Am I going to treat for all of them? How?

About the other fish in the tank: There are currently one juvenile male, one juvenile female, 2 almost juvenile somethings, and 3 youngsters. So far, none of them shows any signs of anything. I would have assumed that the illness spreads from the weakest to the strongest, so what is up with that? Does that mean that even a youngster is stronger than the adult? Doesn't sound plausible.

As you can see, this are only the obvious reasons for me on why asking the experts (and I appreciate their knowledge very much) seems a waist of time as they are most likely only going to add more questions to this equation. I can already hear the reply that it is "most likely" this or that illness, at best. Well, most likely is less than 100% and so the doubts of something else as the culprit remain.

Does it make more sense now? Maybe I invite them to look at this thread and let choose if they would add comments or not

Thanks,

Ingo


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Well, I hope it all comes to nothing. At one stage, I thought I could see a white patch on one of my cories. The more I looked, the more I thought I could see it. In the end, I think it was just a variance in his colour - so I hope the same goes for you. They have been in my tank maybe around a year now.

I have had good luck with cories - albeit not these false Julis (or whatever their name is). I think they are really cute & playful - the way they bounce around the place.

Cheers
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LF,

The corrie with the white spot. I think it might be a heater burn. I have seen it in my story a few times and also on a couple of my Otos too.

Just my thoughts....

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Thanks Robyn and Wings for the input.

The corrie with the white spot. I think it might be a heater burn.

You know what? This was one of the thoughts that I forgot to mention in my brainstorming session further up. It had crossed my mind that this may be from the heater as they went to hide under the heater during the first day. I even considered raising the heater further up as the gap below was rather narrow. But I had to evaluate what is worse, learning that this thing is hot or scaring them even more by messing with their cover.

Thanks, and again another option to consider,

Ingo


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Hi Ingo,

I have to say it looks like a thermal burn to me too.There is a slight swelling too in the picture,you can see the perfect symmetry of the cory from the front aspect is slightly off, and thats fairly typical as the heat damages the tissues and they may take up a little water.

Because burn tissue sloughs outwards there will be be some dead tissue on the exterior of the fish for some time, maybe even a month or two. During this time the fish would will be susceptible to bacterial and fungal infections, fungal infections especially may try to take hold as they rather than bacteria will be the first to colonise dead flesh or slime layers. Should the patch widen or redden or indeed go fluffy, reach for the meds.

I guess you can leave it and see how it goes,maybe try a little stress coat, but I might try just a little pimafix to knock the fungal levels in the tank down a little while he recovers, just as you would if you had eggs in the tank. You keep some pretty clean tanks , so I wouldnt expect too much trouble.


On the other deaths, the swimming upside down and sudden deaths- well TBH aside from acclimation shock (lets face it , it happens sometimes no matter what you do) there is a chance of flaggelate protozoan infection, there are many many species, and cories will be in the frontline of fish that ingest them as they feed. They too can cause skin patches, and they do indeed exploit open wounds. Because many protozoa show no truly indicative external symptoms its tricky to diagnose.Many do not cause significant loss of weight , and some go straight for the nervous system, killing the fish before advanced debilitation and starvation set in.

Looking at the pics of your fish,which are beautifully clear the only thing I really cant rule out apart from a minor fungus infection which would not kill, is a protozoan infection. Theres no hint of heavy bacterial activity, no reddening of the gills, no signs of septacaemia, eyes are clear, skin apart from the one with the patch is very healthy, all barbels intact.Visually theres nothing much to go on.

You live in the states and so could try some jungle labs antiparasite formula, and could treat the fish safetly without ruining the balance of your tanks. Might be worth a go. Protozoa area major mystery killer, they often (more than most other complaints) leave no visible trace.


Somehow though, call it instinct, ill be surprised if you get further deaths. Maybe just sit and watch for any definite symptoms before doing anything.
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LHG,

Thank you so much for your input and help

The cories have been the same yesterday as they had been the days before, more or less active, and very active at feeding time. I see no difference in behavior of the "sick" one when compared to the two others. His mark is the same, no decline is noticable.

ON THE OTHER HAND: I had to put down the second adult female Platy . When coming home from work she was very inactive and was breathing hard. Her movements where no longer proper, albeit she could still swim for a short period she pretty much sank to the floor and sat there. There was no struggle what-so-ever when I caught her, it would have been a question of a few hour max and she would have died on her own.

Having Platies now for over two years I have seen a few "unexplainable" deaths along the way, where out of the blue, without any changes to the tank, a Platy gets sick and dies. Overbred? Maybe. The Platy in this tank that I had to put down a few days ago could have easily died of old age (and heavy breeding frequency), but when I got here a long time ago I bought a second female that died rather young (nevertheless, over one year old), also without major changes to tank and population. There are so many variables in the tank that it is hard to pinpoint what kills a fish (except if clear signs are there). In this case, it could have been the fact the last nights victim wasn't the youngest anymore as well, combined with the stress that she was now the sole target of a male. Under normal conditions I would have removed that male and placed him in the 29G, that's what I did in the past with fry that got too large and stalked the females. But, of course, in quaranteen conditions this would not have been a good move this time around.

Again, all other fish in the tank look and behave fine, even the youngest of the platies (like maybe 6 weeks old).

I will keep an eye open and see what happens next.

Again, thanks a lot LHG for the input and in confirming Wings' possible explanation of the Cory marking,

Ingo


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EditedEdited by longhairedgit
The platys probably are inbred, sometimes its like someone just turned off their clock, they get cancer, (not visible if internal), the immune system goes to hell, and they just start to die.It happens to so many selectively bred species, not just fish, mammals too. I had a shoal of sunset platies that just all died of cancer and no immune system within days of each other, I had full path reports done on them because it was doing my noodle in. Nothing was seriously wrong with them , other than a lot of deformed tissue on a microscopic level, as if they no longer had any oxidant defense. Cellularly,they just suddenly aged and died. They were two years old. No real disease was complicit other than the usual gut bacteria expanding as they weakened.

It might well just be bad genes. Whatever the problem, id guess its specific to the platies and their resistance issues, I think the cories are basically ok. Unfortunately the genetic health of the platies is not something I can predict.If they were my fish however, I might still be tempted to try some jungle formula, just to content myself that id reduced the chances of unseen threats a little.

Its one of those things, maybe im a little paranoid, but id still like to take the option of knowing id tried everything rather than watching them keel over one by one on theoretical calculation, even if I am fairly confidant the calculations are correct. Nature loves to make fools of the clever folks especially Hence I like to cover my bases a lot.Its a probability thing.
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Thanks LHG again,

I think I will wait until the next fish shows any signs of slowing down and then frantically go on the hunt for Jungle Tabs.

And I am 100% with you on the overbred issue of Platies. the female that died yesterday was potentially the daughter of her mother and her brother

Ingo


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Just a quick update:

Things are looking good, no further losses have ocurred and all fish are active. The "marked" cory seems just fine, and I believe the mark is getting smaller, or I simply got used to it.

Ingo


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Thats good to hear!

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no further losses have ocurred and all fish are active. The "marked" cory seems just fine


Cheers
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Not much has changed in this tank in the last few weeks, except that during the last water change the rhizome of the Anubias that was stuch behind the middle rock broke and I had to anchor the plant differently (that's why it is almost not visible anymore.

The cories are all doing fine, it appears as if the one with the heater burns is doing ok now.

Here is the tank,

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Last Night



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Glad your cory is doing well now. Are they still in QT, or is this their home now. IF so, they are lucky to have such a nice home.

Cheers
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They are still in QT Robyn, and I actually think I will eventually place them in the 40G once I "cleaned up" that tank.

Glad you find this tank to be nice, the members of the NJAGC that were at last weeks meeting in my place think that this is actually my best tank (design wise)

Ingo


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Over a month has gone by since I added the 4 Cories, of which 3 made it through the first day and are still going strong. So today, I could not leave them in such small numbers anymore:

Attached Image:

More Cories



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Yay, yippee - more cories. They are sooo cute

Cheers
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So I bought another 3, to beef up the group to 6 (or at least 5, as the one that once got burned by the heater seems a little weak).

Not long after the bag got into the QT, the residents already wanted to school.

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Get Out and Play!



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Here come 5 more shots of them after they finally got out of the bag.

Here are two of the new ones,

And thanks Robyn

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2 New Ones



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Here are two new ones and two old ones, being observed by a juvenile platy in the back.

The new ones are lighter in coloration, so for now they can be easily distinuished.

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Group



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Here is a group shot of three of them, with Lilly,

I think only the left one is an old one, already can't keep them straight anymore

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Smaller Group



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During these group shots, the other new one visited the "burned" one. He is simply hanging out most of the time, not doing much at all.

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Hey Buddy!



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EditedEdited by LITTLE_FISH
Last but not least, enjoy 5 of them together, with two old ones on the left (including burny).

That's it,

Have fun,

Ingo

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Good By



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Cute Corry Cats! You will enjoy having a larger group of them.

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Yes Wings,

They do, and showed me that they like it as soon as the new ones were released.

Not that I did not know that anyway, but I did not have a choice as only 3 "good" ones were available in the first batch (we know what happened to the 4th I bought then, one of the lazy guys, as he didn't make it through the first 24h). This time, they had more active ones in the store and I think it paid off.

Ingo


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Hm,

Last night, when coming home from work, I found the burned Cory dead. As I mentioned in an earlier entry, he wasn't all that active like the others, so I cannot say for sure what killed him (don't suggest testing my water parameters, please).

So, this means that there are now 5 Cories left, so far they look good.

I bought some frozen Blood Worms for them, now if I only would remember how to serve them

Ingo


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EditedEdited by tankwatcher
Sorry for the loss

Now, re feeding with the frozen blood worms, here's what I do:-
I have a spare little measuring medicine cup, that came with some fish meds, that I have saved. I put a little tank water in that & cut off a small portion of frozen worms from one of the cubes & add that to the medicine measuring cup. Let the worms thaw & come to room temperature. I have a spare fine mesh net & I sieve my tank water/worm mixture & poor the liquid down the sink (you don't want to put all that yucky red liquid in your tank - at least I don't think you do).
Now you can just dump the worms (bit by bit) into your tank, or tank the even more cautious next step that I do.

I have a medicine dropper (such as used for human babies). I put the now clean bloodworms back in the medicine measuring cup, add a little more tank water. Then suck up a small amount in my medicine eye dropper. This way I can target feed the intended fish, as well as I find I have better control in making sure I only deliver a small portion at a time. I find I make less waste/mess in the tank with this method & once the stop taking the worms, I just dump the exces in the trash.

Forgot to mention that after I cut off the small portion I'll use at that feed, I put the balance of that cube back in the packaging & then double wrap the whole thing in glad wrap (is that what you call it in US - the clingy plastic wrap stuff) & pop it straight back in the freezer.

Oh, does this question mean you have bought yourself your own fridge/freezer for your fishy supplies?

Cheers
TW
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Oh, does this question mean you have bought yourself your own fridge/freezer for your fishy supplies?

- No, I have it wrapped in a paper bag and told my wife it is sealed fish food (which is true). I guess the trouble will start once I have individual glad wrap packages all over the fridge .

Thanks Robyn for the detailed account on how to feed this stuff. I currently have a very fine dropper for my liquid ferts and will see if that one works (not the one I use for the ferts, a spare one).

Just two more questions:

1) If I just dump them into the tank, will they sink?
2) How long does it take to defrost the portion of the cube?

Thanks in advance,

Ingo

PS: I also saw the female Apisto in the 125G going into "hiding" under some plant/wood formation. I assume she is guarding as she is as healthy looking as she can be. Maybe I put some in that area as well, is she happens to still guard tonight.


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It's about time you got your hands on some frozen food!

Just two more questions:

1) If I just dump them into the tank, will they sink?
2) How long does it take to defrost the portion of the cube?


1. They should. If they are still froze then they might float for a bit but if you defrost them they should sink just fine.

2. Blood worms defrost rather quickly. A minute or two tops.

Are you planning on hooking the Apistos from teh 40G with them too? I think you should!


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EditedEdited by tankwatcher
PS: I also saw the female Apisto in the 125G going into "hiding" under some plant/wood formation. I assume she is guarding as she is as healthy looking as she can be. Maybe I put some in that area as well, is she happens to still guard tonight.
Fingers crossed for you here, although you probably have lots of hungry residents waiting to snack on fry in the 125G.
Maybe I put some in that area as well, is she happens to still guard tonight
Good plan. Not only will she love you for it, if you dump it real close, she won't have to venture too far from her eggs/fry to have a snack. It's always a risk to eggs/fry when mum leaves to eat, unless dad is sharing the guarding burden.

Blood worms will defrost really quickly, especially as they are sitting in tank water to defrost. Yes they should sink to the bottom, but a possible problem with just dumping them may mean the current in the tank will drift the bloodworms where you don't necessarily want them to. Same thing happens with flakes & pellets I guess, but I find my hungry surface eaters don't give that much chance to happen. Your platys will thank you for the bloodworms too

I started off using the eye dropper, so I could direct food to exactly where I want it. Especially useful when feeding fry BBS.

Definitely share the bloodworms around in all your tanks - everyone will thank you. Agree with Wings that the Apistos will love them.

Cheers
TW
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Thanks guys for the input, I will try out how this feeding of frozen stuff goes and report back to you. Depending on how much I defrost I may spread it out over the tanks.

Ingo


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I always defrost the bloodworms, then rinse the "nasty water" using a brine shrimp net(the white kind) and run them under tap water. This removes a lot of excess waste, and will help in the algae control area. So I don't recommend just plunking it into the tank. You can also use a turkey baster(not the wife's ) or eye dropper as to target feed in tough places as stated above.

Sorry to hear about the cory. He didn't look so great in the last pic. I hope these do well for ya. They will definitely enjoy the bloodworms.



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told my wife it is sealed fish food (which is true). I guess the trouble will start once I have individual glad wrap packages all over the fridge
Tell her, quite truthfully, it will always remain sealed. It will be sealed with glad wrap that's all. I return the portion of cube straight back into the little square it popped out of, put the foil cover back in place (I never fully remove it - only peel it as far as I need to access the current cube I'm using) & then double wrap it in glad wrap. Totally sealed, IMO.

I always defrost the bloodworms, then rinse the "nasty water" using a brine shrimp net(the white kind) and run them under tap water.
Exactly what I do Matty, only I use tank water (just being extra cautious). That's what happens when I soak them in the medicine cup to thaw (in tank water) then rinse them in a net, using extra tank water, to rinse till clean.

Cheers
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Thanks folks for the additional info,

Feeding went pretty well last night, I will post a photo documentation of it tonight so bear with me until then

Ingo


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I will post a photo documentation of it tonight so bear with me until then

Well, as you can see I did not post the pictures the following evening, I had somewhat of a crisis but more to this in my 40G log.

So, here are the pictures for the feeding.

First up, the Hikari cube still frozen:

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Food I



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Then I took a small measuring cup and added some tank water and dumped the cube in there. As soon as I did the defrosting started, I thought it would take a while.

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Food II



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Once defrosted, I took the baby brime shrimp net that I bought a while back (don't know why, but I thought it may come handy some day) and drained the worms.

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Food III



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I placed fresh tank water in the cup and gave the worms another swim. This time I used less water, just enought for the worms to be submersed so that I will be able to "scoop" up more at once.

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Food IV



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Then I took one of my 3ml droppers, the same kind that I use for my ferts, and sucked up a bunch of the worms.

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Food V



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And then I dropped some into the 20G QT, right in the area where two of the cories were looking for food. As you can see, neither seems to interested. One eventually stumbled accross the worms, and may have eaten one, but there was no rush for it. So I am a little dissapointed.

The cories, as of today, don't seem to be doing to well. It seems like another one is on his way out, I expect him to go down within the next two to three days. Maybe cories are not for me.

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Food VI



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The fish that really liked the bloodworms though were the Platies in the tank, oh surprise.

Here you can watch a juvenile munching down the third worm in a row, LOL.

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Food VII



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Last but not least, I took some of the remaining worms and added them to the 40G, which also did not seem to raise too much interest right away. I guess they don't know what to do with it.

In the 125G, on the other hand, all fish went nuts over them. Here you see the female Apisto appreciating the snack.

That is it for now,

Have fun and check the other logs as I did a huge photo weekend and all 4 logs have new pictures (in a few mintues, at least),

Ingo

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Food VIII



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Nice picture doc. Ingo, I always enjoy them.

I am surprised that the cories didn't take to the worms...if they like shrimp pellets (like mine) then shouldn't they like something more "meaty"?

Also sorry to here about your sick cory, hope he gets better.




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Post InfoPosted 14-May-2007 00:17Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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Nice picture doc. Ingo, I always enjoy them.

I am surprised that the cories didn't take to the worms...if they like shrimp pellets (like mine) then shouldn't they like something more "meaty"?

Also sorry to here about your sick cory, hope he gets better.




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TW
 
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Have to say that although most everyone else seems to enjoy blood worms in my tanks (except ottos), I have never seen my cories eat them either. In fact, I never see the cories pay much attention to any of the wafers I drop in either. They constantly are picking at the bottom and seem to be strong survivors in my tanks, so I assume they do eat - just not when I'm watching - or else the picking is enough for them.

I'm surprised that everyone else isn't going wild for the worms though. Maybe they just haven't realised it's a food source, since it is a new offering for them. Once they get the taste, it may change.

I hope the sick one picks up and hope you find corys are for you, after all. So cute with their antics.

Cheers
TW
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I begin to think that the barbels are wearing down on them as they dig through the Eco. It appears as if the 3 older ones, of which one is dead and one will be soon, have much shorter barbels than the newer ones

Ingo


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begin to think that the barbels are wearing down on them as they dig through the Eco. It appears as if the 3 older ones, of which one is dead and one will be soon, have much shorter barbels than the newer ones


I had a hard time as well with Corys in my eco-based tank initially, while they seem to live fine in my son's regular color-dyed graveled 5G. I wonder if there's any more info to support a eco connnection.

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I've always heard not to keep cories in tanks with sharp gravel....I didn't think that co complete fell into that category. I'd think they would do fine.



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Yeah,

I also have no idea what the problem is, and I also knew about the sharp gravel - not good for cories thing. But I also heard that Eco would not fall into this category.

I guess some research would be in place, I would just have to find the time to do it,

Ingo


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Kind of a wild guess but maybe the cories' barbles are wearing down because they are rooting a lot in the gravel looking for food. If you could find a food that they really like, they would be full more and not "root around" so much.
Whenever I had a school of cories, I got them hooked on shrimp pellets and they did not root around so much. So maybe this might be it.
Although it could seem likely that it is your gravel - since it has some special plant food stuff in it that could be harmful to the cories, but that doesn't make sense to me because the package prolly says "aquarium safe"... I am not really sure about anything though.()


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tetratech
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It's only a hunch but I do think it's the Eco, but I think it has more to do with the chemical makeup of the stuff than its physical shape. Any fish will be affected by a substrate leaching stuff into the WC, but the corys in particular since by nature they are digging right into the stuff. In nature I'm sure Cory's live with a fairly inert substrate, probably mostly sand or small stones so now their in a tank with a substrate that is heavy on the metal size with Iron and other elements. In my experience with Corys and Eco they did much better after the eco was a year or so old. Again totally unscientific, but a hunch nevertheless.

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lysaer
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It is good to know about this, because I had been thinking about using EC in my 75g when I set it up. Now I will be thinking harder about using something else, or not putting cories in there.

Listen! Do you smell that?
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Hope it's not the eco. I already have the eco waiting to go in the tank to replace the 43g & my healthy cories will be moving house, along with everyone else.

Cheers
TW
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tetratech
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Hope it's not the eco. I already have the eco waiting to go in the tank to replace the 43g & my healthy cories will be moving house, along with everyone else


Sorry to scare you Robyn. Again it's certainly just my experience and a hunch and you'll have to draw your own conclusions. The only correlation here is that LF and I both had trouble keeping cories in eco-based tanks and cories are considered fairly easy fish to keep, but it doesn't mean it's the Eco it could be sensitivity to something else.

My Scapes
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TW
 
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EditedEdited by tankwatcher
Thanks tetratech. I will keep my fingers crossed (bought 3 bags of the stuff [eco that is] and it's really costly here in Aus).

I still have my other planted tank (with ADA soil) but I don't want cories in there. That tank is a safe haven for breeding apistos (even if they didn't read the rules & don't do what's expected). I don't want egg predators (or any predators) in there. I've read cories eat eggs.

The move is still about a month away (tank is being made now & then I'm going to get a tradesman in to reinforce my cupboard). Then fish will move across slowly (only a few each month). Planned to move the ottos last, but maybe I should rethink & move cories last.

Sorry to hijack your thread LF, with this side issue.

Cheers
TW
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