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Hello all

First update since december. Dealt with tax sorting, car repairing, apartment organizing (last 2 are ongoing challenges lol). A few new things though, so wanted to share

Got these thru 3 local trades 3rd week of Feb.
12 stem plants and 5 types of moss, 3 types of floating plants (all listed below), 12 Endlers livebearers.
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40g - new plants added

Jungle Val
S polyrhiza - like a giant duckweed with purple underside.
Ludwigia repens, Elodia crispa, Potamogeton gayi
Watersprite (Ceratopteris pteroides) - removed already
H corymbosa 'siamensis', H polysperma 'ceylon' & 'sunset'.
Rotala indica ?

Notes - Keyhole cichlids & amanos are well. Not much done other then the new plants, w/c, and scrubbed the top clean. Occasional diy co2 & flourish excel to prevent algae - vals and elodia don't like excel, so cut it back. BBA is improving, going to try the hydrogen peroxide tip shared by FishKeeperJim. The new stem plants need a bit more light then what I have, I've pulled a couple out already, but a couple should do good. Definately need new light tubes. My crypts/swords halted growth and some dieback happening. No nutrients dosed but hardly needed that in 3 yrs ? I think it's the old lights. My smaller light strip has a deteriorating plastic strip behind the lights. (falling apart in chunks) Need to fix this up somehow & paint or foil it until I get better lighting.
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** 10g **
Last month was a bare tank, red ramshorn snails, 1wpg. This month it's gotten a facelift, all my tank time spent here.

* Endlers livebearers, added a turface substrate, bumped the light up to 2wpg of 6500k, made a sponge pre-filter to keep plants & snails out of the filter.

* Mar 19th - tied the mosses to driftwood, they were in their baggies since Feb. Erect, Christmas, Singapore, Zipper (F.Zeppelianus), F fontanus. I hope they do well

* New plants = Asian ambulia, Amazon frogbit,
Watersprite (small leaf - Ceratopteris thalictroides),
Najas grass, Star Grass (Heteranthera zosterifolia) The star grass bits are tiny, but I hope they grow

I've painted the inside of the hood Flat White. That is better then foil from what I've read to help more light get into the tank. That's going back on tonight.
Analog timer no longer working, time to check that out.
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Iimmediate plans are to fix and replace what needs attention & waterchanges. Also considering making diy co2 with a pair of 2L bottles for the 40, so I can move the small hagen unit over to the 10.

A local breeder had a first spawn of L dorsigera, the fish I've been hunting down for a few months. The fry will be 2 months old in a few weeks, I have dibs on getting a group of them. I think 6 will be good I may need to give my keyholes to a good home, which sucks but they're kinda aggressive for what's supposed to be a timid fish and I think they'd pick on the juvies. If only I had more room for tanks !

Welcoming your thoughts and comments, pics coming soon as well





The Amazon Nut...

Pics would be great , the 10 sounds excellent, I got a few endlers from JB before she left the country and I'm starting to like the little guys (they'd always hurt my eyes before, they're really bright ) The 10 sounds similar to what I'd wanted for my 20, but I'm having some lighting issues with it...

You mentioned a DIY CO2 unit. I had one back in the states that kept popping the seal around the hose until someone here mentioned hose barb adapters from the hardware store. Took a tiny bit of hunting to get the right one, I think the size had been mentioned at some point but I know I'd never remember it for all the fishtanks in the world. After I got one though, never had a problem with a leaking hose connection again. Best under $2 I ever spent on my tank! Quick google image search found one similar to what I had, though mine was more cone shaped and flatter on the big part.

^_^

Attached Image:

Thanks for the tip with the pic Babel

The painted hood is on the 10 now & it looks brighter. Reset the timer to see if it still works, looks good ! Set for 8 hours for now.

Also back from wallmart. 2 Globe F15t8/D tubes, 6300k but better then the old ones atm. Popped them in the 40g

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I find FP's Log Books and Calendar to be invaluable. I use that as my journal. EVERYTHING gets logged. I encourage you to use it, if you don't
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The Amazon Nut...

Update.

In the 10 the timer didn't turn off the tank lights last night, so it looks like it needs replacing after all.

The floating plants and najas grass always end up on the right side of the tank, so the mosses, ambulia, and stargrass bits are kinda shaded, moving those over to the left side to get more light. Then checking temps for water change.


The Amazon Nut...

While the narrative is good, pics would be greatly appreciated

G_T

Never be afraid to try something new. Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark. A large group of professionals built the Titanic.

You're right

Ok here's the 10 as of today.
Don't expect aquascaping, plant placement is where it will get the most light until growth is bumped up on the ambulia and mosses. Rooted and mosses on left, floating and najas on the right.

Front centre




Upper right: Amazon frogbit, najas grass, other plant bits.




Left: asian ambulia, red ramshorns & a male endler.



the f fontanus on the larger driftwood in the middle looks like it's not going to make it. I left in the bag too long and it took it's toll. I re-tied the erect and zipper mosses. The xmas and singapore looking the best so far. There was a touch of green threadish algae I suspect from the doubling the light, hoping the co2 will offset that and going to start dosing some flourish excel just half dosing.

Hiding the 40g for the moment, it's not lookin good lol.





The Amazon Nut...

Cool! That tank is much improved from the neglected, bare bottomed tank we saw a couple of months ago. The ramshorns and endlers must be loving all that cover.

Do you know which species of najas you have? I'm considering N. tenuifolia for a couple of my tanks but I've seen reports of it breaking up into messy little pieces if its not happy.

How are you finding the turface as a substrate? Does it silt or cloud up during water changes or anything?

I'm definitely no aquascaper but I see a couple of things you could do that IMO would greatly improve the look of the tank without too much effort or expense - firstly, I would bury that green square thing in the substrate (I assume that is holding the DW down?); and secondly, a black or grey coloured prefilter sponge would be much less obtrusive (ATM that sponge is really distracting and the first thing you see when you first view the tank).

Looking forward to pics of the 40G when you feel ready to show it off again.

G_T


Never be afraid to try something new. Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark. A large group of professionals built the Titanic.

I'm glad you like it Troppo

"Do you know which species of najas you have?"
Najas Graminea - they have fossil records of this stuff in Japan

"I've seen reports of it breaking up into messy little pieces if its not happy." - All najas species does this, happy or not. It's how the plant spreads, plantlets break off and float away in the current.

"How are you finding the turface as a substrate? Does it silt or cloud up during water changes or anything?"
Haven't vacced yet as only just in. Want the good bacteria to build up. I expect it'd be the same as flourite, only cheaper

"I would bury that green square thing in the substrate (I assume that is holding the DW down?"
the grey thing ? I'll do that The green thing is the top of a chinese pagoda.
"a black or grey coloured prefilter sponge" - I'll check next trip to the fishstore

Yeah the 40 I'm not happy with atm. The new plants aren't all doing well. Some of the old not happy either, my fave crypt totally melted, a C undulata 'copper' that came from Crazygar ages ago

The Amazon Nut...

It's a chinese pagoda

I didn't mean the pagoda... I was referring to the pale green flat thing sitting on top of the substrate between the pagoda and the Najas; it looks like one of the DW pieces may be attached to it.

G_T

Never be afraid to try something new. Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark. A large group of professionals built the Titanic.

Caught that now, sorry it's Monday lol

The Amazon Nut...

DaMossMan

Glad to find your tank blog

I didn't see the before tank, but what you have going here is quite nice. How are your baby endlers. BTW, I've found that any guppy of mine didn't eat fry either. I don't have any now, but when I did, they didn't eat their fry. For a while, I had a couple of left over guppys in with my apisotos & otos - no other fish. No-one in there ate the fry & they grew up to adulthood. Now in the community tank - different story. Everyone else quickly ate them.

Look forward to more pics later

Cheers
TW

Glad ya made it

"what you have going here is quite nice." - thanks !

"How are your baby enders."
Only one spotted so far, I named him Fred Looks like the mom is still holding.

In some live bearer species tanks (usually planted) adults get used to having fry around. VERY surprised your apistos didn't munch em though.

Determined to catch up on my slacking w/c's so that's tomorrows activity. 15g aging tank full and degassing.








The Amazon Nut...

My platys always ate their fry, but not my guppys. My step daughter has guppys too, & they've never eaten fry either. But I was surprised about the apistos for sure. They showed absolutley zero interest. That was both cacs & aggies.

In my divided tank, the half with african pt.nigerian red dwarves - they hunted & ate glass shrimp. On the other side, my trio of apisto aggies totally ignored the glass shrimp.

Ah, the strange way of these fish at times.

Cheers
TW

"That was both cacs & aggies."
They're more leaf litter forager then fry hunter in the wild, but in a tank, fry would be an easy catch. Weird they don't go for them.

Awhile ago, one of my 'timid' keyholes (think they're piranhas) ate an sae whole. Caught with the tail sticking out of it's mouth. I think I still have 3 amano shrimp, good hiders though. Guppy fry would be toast. The mts numbers also dropped ALOT but not sure if coincidence.

"Ah, the strange way of these fish at times."
I'm still trying to figure mine out

Edit 6:32pm 25% waterchanges done. Time for a couple other tank chores.

The Amazon Nut...

Nothing done last 2 days. I'm not feeling so well

The smaller male keyhole has a couple wounds from trying to escape the alpha male, looks like it hit something. I added Melafix. I hoped the male and f/m were forming a pair. Then I fed them, the alpha male chased the female away and hogged all the food.

Hoping to re-tie a couple mosses, do nitrate tests, then remove a couple leafy stem plants tonight from the 40 that aren't doing too well. I may arrange another local trade to get more moss as well as some dwarf hairgrass if still available. You never know when you'll stumble on a plant that does well in the tank if you don't try new ones.





The Amazon Nut...

Still feeling under the weather since last week so nothing done.

But I've arranged another local trade, this weekend brings more f fontanus to replace mine that died.
Also flame moss, dwarf hairgrass, Riccia, C lyarta, and Hemianthus micranthemoides. Cost $14.00 and 6 of my snails



The Amazon Nut...

Bought a digital timer on Sat, hit the fishstore and bought 3 small plantlets of Downoi (Pogostemon helferi) for $10. That's a steal And Flourish Comprehensive.

10g - Need to thin out the snails, floating plants, and endlers. The snails disturb the moss. The bottom plants need the light and extra water movement. Want to add red cherry shrimp and fancy mts snails so they can tend the moss.

40g- 2 events here

1. The keyholes may be pairing up, going to re-home the other male and add a flat rock or two. Now I want to simplify this tank for easier care until I bump up overall tank health, leading to #2.

2. The recent stem plants didn't work well and others were hurting. I pulled alot out. Now they're out of the way so I can concentrate on cleaning the tank well, including vaccing the substrate to reduce TDS (total dissolved solids), and treating the bba with hydrogen peroxide.

I'm also thinking get a 96w coralife lighting unit and going open top. I feel like I'm getting on the right track with the changes to both tanks but have some work ahead of me still.

New stuff not planted yet but threw the C lyarta and dwarf hairgress into the 40. Time to edit the plant list then time for bed lol.

*phew*

The Amazon Nut...

I felt like yuck today, so I treated myself after work.

I beelined to the fishstore and came home with a
Coralife 96w 6700K lighting unit

1.5 to 2.4 wpg doesn't seem like much of a jump but the higher intensity of a T5 with reflector made a HUGE visual difference in the brightness of the tank and the amount of light penetrating to the substrate. The color of everything looks better too I'm liking this !

I also left my 30w strip with reflector on the back so I'm just over 3wpg total light. The coralife is a bit more to the front to help out the hairgrass and downoi. Crossing my fingers that it grows. Edit - I hear hairgrass needs a very fine substrate and that flourite isn't it. Hmm.

Small chain swords ? E tenellus ?

Cleaned the front glass.. Vaccing starts tomorrow..


The Amazon Nut...

HYDROGEN PEROXIDE VERSUS BBA

At the moment my mopani cave, fake cave, filter intake, pre-filter sponge, and a couple rocks are soaking in a 5g bucket with at least 10ml per gal dose of hydrogen peroxide. I'll let that soak for half an hour to an hour, then a quick rinse, then back in the tank it goes !

*crosses fingers*

The Amazon Nut...

The BBA definately looks like it's going to die off.
Reading up on EI dosing.

Local plant trade ad - looks like I may be getting more dwarf hairgrass, plus some e tenellus !



The Amazon Nut...