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hi ingo,

as with all situations involving other living things, we have no real idea as to the outcomes or posibilities - there are too many variables, and we are only ever theorising, then reporting things as they come to be. your three females and your male all have hard-wiring which is going to make them entirely different to mine. i think if i had three boyfriends in my house i might have favourites from time to time too - and i'm pretty sure their status would change depending on an infinite variety of things.

just get your pair into the tank and see what happens. i for one can't wait to see what goes on!

regards,

justin

Love the current look, Ing; the bolbotis looks imposing .

I for one can't wait to see what goes on

Me neither Justin

I will add the fish on Sunday, if nothing bad happens in between. Both are eating well by now and seem to get along just fine, although I think the female may even be still too young to breed.

Cup - Thanks for stopping by and for the nice comments. The bolbitis is just beginning to show some nice and speedy growth, I can see various new leaves coming straight up. Actually (supposedly), at some point this may cause a problem as I have heard that once the plant is settled it reaaalllly takes off. As such it may require very frequent trimming in form of thinnning out.

Ingo

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Weekly Tank Update - Week 24

Nothing much has happened during this week with the tank, it just keeps on doing what it is doing best, growing slowly.

Before I get into the tank details of this weekend, here is a preview of what I want to do today, add the pair of Apistos.

If you think it is a bad idea, speak now

Attached Image:

Apisto Pair

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Here is a closer look at the female. She has grown a little, but one cannot label her as "fattened up" just yet. She may have a hard time in this tank, but I don't want to leave her behind in the QT either. Right now the male knows only her so I hope he takes a little care of her once he established the tank as his.

Attached Image:

Female Apisto

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And here is the male, screaming "get me outta here"

He for sure is ready for the main tank. He is not quite as handsome as the original was, but still pretty good. If he dies then I don't know what to do anymore, I cannot continue to buy new pairs and may have to make a special "male only" order at the LFS.

Attached Image:

Male Apisto

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On to the tank in itself:

Here is a comparison shot from 4 weeks ago, with some temp plants (hygro and pearl grass) still in place. Since then, small changes have been made every weekend:

Attached Image:

4 Weeks Ago

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And here is the tank now last night. It shows nicely how much the bolbitis has grown. I think it will reach the point where it really takes off very soon.

Also, based on tetratech's special request, the Wisteria on the left has been removed and some Blyxa was put in its place.

Attached Image:

Tank Last Night

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Here is a look at the tank from the left side, without Wisteria. BTW, I used the plant to fill in the left side of the 125G some more.

Before I forget, this tank, like the 125G requires weekly thinning out of the duck weed on the surface. That stuff currently grows like mad in my tanks.

Attached Image:

Left Side

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And here is the front again, in the classic Matty-Angle.

The Anubias seem to form a W in this shot, from the top of the left island, down to the foreground, then lining the open space, and back onto the top of the right island. That wasn't planned, but could have been

Attached Image:

Angled

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If you were wondering about the small specs next to the HC in the tank center, well - here is a closer look at them before I added them into the tank.

Yup, I finally broke down and payed some $$$ and got me 7 Amano Shrimpsters.

Attached Image:

Amano

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Here is one of them floating in the bag. I selected the 7 largest they had in the store and I would assume they are all adults. In length they are larger than my Otos in the tank.

Attached Image:

Amano I

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Here is the first shot I took after adding them to the tank. They immediately went to work and started eating away. I acclimated them for 2 hours and I am pretty sure they didn't need any longer. Or, at least that is what I hope for as I haven't checked on them today yet.

Attached Image:

Amano II

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Here is another one of the group, labeled "The White Ground Diggers" by my daughter. Even the wife came downstairs and looked at them for a while (and seemed rather pleased with them).

Anyone knows what the white speckles on his/her back are?

Attached Image:

Amano III

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Of course it did not take too long before the resident female Apistos became aware of the new entries to the tank. Here is one of them peaking through the leaves and checking out the situation, probably thinking "Can I eat them?"

Attached Image:

Apisto Looking Out

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PLEASE VIEW MORE PICTURES AND INFO ON THE LOWER HALF OF THE PREVIOUS PAGE FOR MORE ON THIS WEEKLY TANK UPDATE

And here is one of these "Close Encounters"

I observed quite a few of them, with the female Apisto looking at the shrimp, moving back and forth, and eventually coming so close that the shrimp makes a fast withdrawal. I guess that settles the hierachy


Attached Image:

Close Enough

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Here are a few more shrimp shots, sorry about that but I had never shrimp in my tanks so it makes me very excited and I could not stop myself from taking pictures. Actually, you can be glad that I am posting only a few of the over 200 I took this weekend.

Here is one observing a snail

Attached Image:

Amano IV

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And here is another shot, probably the clearest that I have gotten so far. But you be the judge, I am sure I boring you to death already with them, but hang in there, just a few more

Attached Image:

Amano V

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Here is one climbing around in my Anubias/Crypt/Bolbitis hill. He is more pinkish then some of the others. Does anyone know why that is? I assume it is caused by different stages of the molting process, but what would pinkish mean - pretty new in its current shell?

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Pink Amano

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Ok,

Last Shrimpster shot for now. Here is one climbing around one of the tallest pieces of wodd and muching away on the small algae that can be found on it. This shows me that these guys are not shying away from the light. Maybe he even enjoyed being up there as he most certainly spent about one hour up there:

Attached Image:

Last Amano For Today

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Now, I have shown you how the Apistos reacted to the shrimp, but you may wonder what the other cleaning crew, aka Otos, had to say about such an intrusion. Well, they became a little more active.

Here are 4 of them discussing what to do about this new animal type.

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4 Otos

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PERSONAL POST No. 6000

And here are the other two, on the opposite side of the tank. I believe they are "holding hands" although it is hard without hands to do so . That's why the fins touch. Just Cute


Attached Image:

2 Otos

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And eventually they all came together and formed a Union, called "The United Ground Crew" and decided to sing their newly composed union song (ok, maybe not all that funny).

Anyway, for real, they seem to have been very busy last night playing chase or something. For sure they were moving around more than usual and seemed to hang tighter as well.

That's it for now, let me know what you think,

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

All My Otos

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Hey LF, the tank is looking better every week. You'll definitely have to start pruning back that bolbitis soon. The angle from the left and the matty special were great shots.

Actually, you can be glad that I am posting only a few of the over 200 I took this weekend.

Dang. I bet that was a good time though. I enjoy shooting the shrimp in my tank, though the SW ones are a bit more difficult to get, as they like to hang out in under rocks and in holes when someone is around. I thought all the pics of shrimp were very clear, except that pink one, which I would guess is pink because of just having molted. I've never seen that with mine though*shrugs*. My SW shrimp are bright red right after they molt.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Thanks for the input and comments Matty,

I guess the color must have something to do with the molting. Just about 30 min ago I checked on the tank and tried to account for all shrimpsters. At best, I counted 5 out of 7 , one of which is hanging below a high piece of wood since pretty much midday. He/she is moving a little, but I don't see the feeding motion. It happens to be the largest, I believe. Either it is sick or getting ready to molt (or release babies as there is some undefined thing along the underside of the belly).

Then, to my shock, I found one tangled up in the plants, all bent out of shape. But, it wasn't all that bad as when I removed him it was only an empty shell. Molted!

Attached Image:

Shell

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I wouldn't get worried, I never see all mine at once either. Kinda like the otos. I'm sure they are doing fine. Nice molting BTW.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Kinda like the otos.

Just look two images further up, there are all my Otos

But I know what you mean, Matty. Actually, I was rather surprised having been able to count them during the first day. I actually assumed that they all would dissapear into the plants as soon as I released them.

Ingo

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Also, based on tetratech's special request, the Wisteria on the left has been removed

Oh yeah The tank looks much better especially the right side with the pearlgrass reduced. Now you could see the rock under/in front of the anubias. It would be great if you could get a rock to show on the left more separating the blyxa from the anubias. The constrast is much better with the rocks showing and it defines the mounds better.

I'm glad you added the shrimp. I'm not sure how many I have in the 72g probably around 6 or 7. I'd like to have more like 20. They definitely will put a dent in some of the algae. In my 12g there are 2 Amanos and 3 cherries and they completely cleaned off the big rock of bba and gda. It's really funny when they grab the algae or bottom feeder wafers and make a run for it.

My Scapes

Thanks tetratech for the input

I will take it slow until I am more certain that there would be enough healthy plant mass even if I remove one or the other Blyxa that is currently blocking the view.

I am also glad that I added the shrimp, they are eating machines.

I almost forgot, this is what else happened yesterday:

Attached Image:

Apisto On The Move

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As announced a few times, I moved the Apistos into the tank. Catching them in the QT wasn't all that hard. Here they are in the bag and you can see the alpha resident female already coming for an inspection:

Attached Image:

Oh Oh

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As soon as I released them from the bag into the tank, the alpha female was busy following the male. He seemed rather interested, although this picture does not quite reflect that notion:

Attached Image:

In the Tank

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This one is more representable of the situation within the first hour of release. A female, yellowing up for the occasion, somewhere around the male. I thought that they may lay eggs right then, but I believe that didn't happen.

Also, I don't think the male looks all that healthy, even my 6 year old daughter identified that he is rather "skinny" when compared to the last male.

Attached Image:

Follow Me

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I couldn't resist, I had to smuggle another Shrimp shot into this set. In this non-edited shot the shrimp looks almost like having a blue hue to it. We have seen them slightly pinkish, but blue is new to me.

Attached Image:

Shrimp

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Here you see the Beta female Apisto, in between yellowing for the guy and darkening as a defensive dress for the other females. She in particular is giving the new girl a hard time.

Attached Image:

Beta Female Apisto

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The male, on the other hand, is showing to any female that is close to him. Here he is with his original female, from now on Gamma.

Attached Image:

Showing

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And here he is with the Alpha female again, although you can only imagine that he is right behind her. But as you can see, there is no blackeing left in her lower body as she is all show.

Attached Image:

Show Off

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Another shot of male/female interaction, this time showing how bright yellow the females can get if they want to. Again, I think the male doesn't look his best though

Attached Image:

Another Showing

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The Gamma female sometimes makes me sad, she is being chased away by the Betta female quite often. She still has enough space in the tank to venture into, but in this shot she looks really sad

Attached Image:

I am sad

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Last but not least, another shrimp shot showing an Amano head on. He is sitting on a Bolbitis leaf and eats away on whatever stuff he may find there. Very nice!

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Eat Away

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Congrates on the 6000 post LF! Some day way done the road I might catch you! A cammera might help the situation a little. That might happen this spring though.

The shrimp are quite nice. I really enjoy mine too. I found that mine tended to hang out with each other for the first month or so. Now they seem to have there own areas in the tank.



55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

I always thought the W (or at lest the V section of the W) was planned. In any case, I like it - it leads you in.

Loved all the shrimp & apisto shots. So shrimp (amanos & cherry in particular) are good for algae. Maybe I should get some for my 2 smaller tanks - but my guarding female krib would not be happy. Justin, congratualtions on all your babies. Tell me, I know you live in Sydney. Have you seen any amanos or cherry shrimps around? I have only ever seen really large looking shrimps that I don't think would suit.

Ingo, are shrimps egg stealers - or do they like algae & other vege things best?

It is amazing how quickly the apisto girls can change dress. Your gamma female does look sad in that shot, but if the male shows off to both girls, then just watch her change looks if she has eggs to guard.

Cheers
TW

Robyn,

The V was on purpose, the W a coincidence,

I don't know if they are egg stealers/eaters, it was one of my concerns. But the gang thought that an energetic protecting mom should be able to chase them away and so far the shrimp wouldn't dare to challenge the Apistos in the tank.

In general, last night all inhabitants are still around and the male likes to display to all females, none of which seems to be protecting something, aka no eggs yet. The Alpha female is currently not so receptive to his showings and actually chases him away.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

My head is spinning from all the pics and posts you and matty and tetra and TW and Wings have been putting up over the past few days. At least the forum is alive again

Anyway, very very nice LF, the tank does look better and congrats on picking up the shrimp. You'll want more, trust me. And I know I'm late on this, but I notice my Amamos are sometimes pink as well, and as you noticed, it has to do with molting. Keep those apistos well fed so they don't decide to have shrimp cocktail one day for an appetizer

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Back in the saddle!

I gotta say that those 2 females I sent you are looking VERY healthy. The yellows are unreal and they have nice full bellies. Great job, and nice pics LF. I sure hope they get along with the new pair.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

I gotta say that those 2 females I sent you are looking VERY healthy

And that is mostly of flake food, can you believe it? Well, they probably eat small snails in the tank like mad, too. But they are for sure some big girls (relative to the male, the viejita is actually longer and bigger than they are).

NowherMan6 - "At least the forum is alive again" And it would be even more so if you would write more
Thanks for the compliments on tank and shrimpsters though.

Ingo

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I will surely do my best, but the past few weeks have been dreadful:

1.) In the 8 days before Thanksgiving I worked 4 all-nighters (22 hour days), plus late nights on the nights i was able to sleep

2.) Then thanksgiving with the family etc

Not too much time for posting... or doing water changes etc.

And what's going on with NJAGC? Changing websites?

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Back in the saddle!

Everyone is so busy. Wasn't the technology at all our workplaces supposed to make life easier for us all. Seems everyone (including me) is having to work extra long hours.

Cheers
TW

In the 8 days before Thanksgiving I worked 4 all-nighters

I don't envy you for this, but I am not too sorry either as I am still sitting in my office right now and I am nowhere (pun intended) near from going home Darn!!!

Yup, the site is being upgraded to a new forum software, be patient. I have seen it tonight as Jay was testing it and I was still here and he asked me to step through to find some errors (or not). But it will be worthwhile for you to find out when and where the next meeting is.

Ingo

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a quick note for robyn:

i just saw some very   (cherry? blood?) shrimp at slippery little suckers in randwick, but at $50 each i wasn't gonna be buying!! michella told me she expects the price to drop as more are imported, so maybe hold off a while... they were so cool looking!!! or if you think you can breed them, maybe it would be a lucrative purchase....

sorry to hijack, ingo! oh, i just bought a pair of apisto. agassizii - they're settling into my 40-litre cube nicely.

justin

how funny!!! i just got censored!!!! hehehehe!!! it was just the word s then an e then an x then a y....

The funniest thing is that there really is a shrimp in SW named the   shrimp. It does this little dance with it's tail raised up. Pretty  .

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

my my, a   shrimp. who would think of calling a shrimp  ?

justin

Wow,

What has my log become? A record of censored entries

Kind of funny that even a legitimate name of an aquarium animal would not be able to be mentioned here.

Ingo

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What has my log become? A record of censored entries

What do you expect from a log titled "40G Breeder"
Sounds very   to me.

My Scapes

hahaha

Thanks Justin for the shrimp update. I will wait to see if prices drop - otherwise, these shrimp won't be for me. Did you get your agassizii from SLS? Someone told me they weren't importing them anymore?

How are your shrimp doing LF?



Cheers
TW

How are your shrimp doing LF?

This, and more, will be revealed in:

Weekly Tank Updates - Week 25

For the same reason than the one for the 125G (work), I was not able to do the same fert schedule for this tank this week. The weekend maintenance has not seen much action, a little trimming on the back Pearl Grass was all that I did.

Here is the full tank:

Attached Image:

Full Tank - Main View

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And here is the tank from the same direction, just a little angled to reveal the open area a little better.

By now, it is getting very green in there.

Attached Image:

Angled Front View

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And here is the tank from the other side.

I will probably start soon with replacing this group of Pear Grass with some more Blyxa, although the Blyxa doesn't grow tall it for sure creates quite some side shoots.

Attached Image:

Back View

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Here is a closer look at the one small group of Pearl Grass that I still have in the front of the tank. Interestingly, at least for me, is the growth pattern of this group, with stems growing in all directions like the crown of a tree.

Attached Image:

Pearl Grass

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The 3 pieces of Java Fern (narrow leaf) that I purchased for this tank when I moved towards the current setup are becoming quite bushy. Unlike the NL Java Fern from the 125, these leaves seem way more compact. Maybe because they are closer to the light.

Attached Image:

NL Java Fern

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The HC that I have in the open is still there, but it is not doing to well. Besides the fact that a few pieces have been floating up, the rest looks like it barely can hang on. I doubt that it will make it in this tank, bummer.

Attached Image:

HC

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The Bolbitis, on the other hand, is doing just great. I am glad that I decided to trim the ugly and algae befallen leaves of it quite a while back instead of removing it completely. It now is a solid arrangement, with tall leaves of a Wendtii peaking through in the back.

Attached Image:

Bolbitis

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All fish in the tank are doing fine as well, including the new female. She is not confined to the worst spot either, but if she comes to close to another female then she is being chased away. Her time will come later

Attached Image:

Bad Shot of Younger Female

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Here is a shot of one of the older females. The other one is squeezing into some gap of the right hill most of the time, usually a sign that she has eggs or fry. But then again, she is coming out too often.

Attached Image:

Older Female

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The male also seems to get his act together, I think he is looking a little better now. Or maybe I just go used to his looks. He is still smaller than the first male was, so maybe he will perk up as he gets older.

Attached Image:

Male

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VIEW MORE OF THIS TANK UPDATE ON PREVIOUS PAGE

Here is the male again, this time flaring off a female that is not in the picture. He seems to try to protect that gap in the right hill where the second female is. But he also is not consequent enough in this routine.


Attached Image:

Male Flaring

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The shrimpsters are doing fine as well, although I am never able to count more than 5 instead of the 7 that should be there.

Here is one sitting right on top of a small bushel of BBA on one of the woods. I thought he may go and eat it, but he kept on marching over it and ate something else instead.

Attached Image:

Shrimpster

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And here is another shrimp, eating on top of a bolbitis leaf. Note the bubbles on the bottom of the leave as this plant is pearling every night (shot taken tonight, one day after water change).

That's it for now,

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Amano on Bolbitis

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LF,

I think your younger female is starting to fill out a bit, same with your male. If you give them the food they need I think they will be just fine.

Were you planing on adding any other fish to the tank? School of something?



55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

Were you planing on adding any other fish to the tank? School of something?

Actually, not really. Although I sometimes think about it, I find the tank interesting enough as it is right now.

I already have 17 critters in there - 6 Otos, 4 Apistos, 7 Amanos.

In addition, what if I ever have Apisto babies? They need their space as well.

Ingo

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Yeah simple is often much better. I am always tempted to add some other fish to my tank but I kind of like how it is. Plus who knows where I will end up after next semester.

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

Oh,

Every day I think about an entry that I want to make here, and every day I either forget or get way too busy at work:

One female has manned the right hill, defending it against any intruder, male or female, fish or shrimp. The breeding has started.

At the same time, the male is supporting the defense of the hill.

Ingo

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Keep us posted

EDIT: Forgot to say, nice pics too.

Cheers
TW

yay!! great news! i, on the other hand, have just lost my beautiful cac male, (i think he shagged himself to death) but i have about 20 fry still between the alpha and beta female...gamma female missed out! also just took delivery of some bolbitus fern, which i'm very keen to get growing - my sturisomas love lying on the wood under it already. wait till you see your first brood, ingo, you'll fall in love with them - but it means less cleaning and less fiddling in the tank too - can you control yourself? justin

Sorry to read that your male died, but if your reasoning for his death is proper then it is a nice way to go

I will still have to do water changes, but replanting is limited anyway these days because most plants are pretty stable right now. The male is perking up as well and his body color is way more yellow than the old male ever was.

Ingo

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Gang,

As mentioned in length in my 125G log, I didn't find a lot of time to stay on top of things concerning the logs and tanks.

I have been very busy getting all ready for an NJAGC meeting at my place (see siggie).

So quickly,

Weekly Tank Updated - Week 26 and 27

Not much has happened to this tank anyway, so here is last weeks shot:

Attached Image:

Week 26

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Growth is good, and I am very tempted to do the first trimmings of the bolbitis (but not in the mood).

The one thing the club suggested was to remove the tall Crypt from the tank, I am thinking about it for a while before I make up my mind.

Here is the tank after water change this week:

Attached Image:

This Weekend

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As a side result from our meeting I got a little more HC and planted it this weekend. Some of the older HC seems to have settled and I think I see some tiny new growth on it. But it may be wishful thinking.

Here is the HC field now:

Attached Image:

HC

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I have been quite concerned with both of my older Apisto females in the tank, I barely get to see them. Actually - one of them I haven't seen all week (wasn't home too often either) and I thought she died. But finally she came out from the right hill last night.

The males seems to chase both of them as soon as he sees them. I don't know why . Justin - any info on this being normal?

Here is the "lost" female:

Attached Image:

Apisto Female

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The male is all over the tank, and currently seems to seriously court the younger female. She seems receptive, but I don't know if she is ready to breed yet.

Here is a not-so-good shot of the male:

Attached Image:

Male Apisto

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Oh - forgot to mention, he is much more yellowish that the previous male ever was. Not in the fins, but the body. The other male was either pale or dark (when threatened).

Here is the tank from the back:

That concludes it for today,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Back View

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one of them I haven't seen all week (wasn't home too often either) and I thought she died

Could she be guarding, either eggs or wrigglers. Not seeing them for a week will sometimes mean that she is busy providing care.

This happened with mine & also with krib mum too. In the case of the krib, even the dad remained hidden during that period.

Cheers
TW

i agree with robyn - whenever i don't see my females it's usually them guarding eggs or hiding their young. your male will court whoever is ready for him and will chase other females in an effort to show off his size/strength - treat 'em mean, keep 'em keen. well, that's how i interpret it. i've never had a male who had just one favourite - his favourite happens to be whichever female will have him!!

hope you see babies soon - i just bought a new triple-red boy - he's young but so hot!! he's gonna colour up beautifully, and my females are chasing him all over the tank.

note for robyn - have you been to B and C aquarium in matraville?? i'm in love - best range of dwarf cichlids i've seen in sydney.

note for robyn - have you been to B and C aquarium in matraville?? i'm in love - best range of dwarf cichlids I've seen in Sydney.

Grrr, I have no room now. But maybe I will go and have a look anyway. Maybe I could squeeze a pair into my community, at least until my krib fry are big enough to do something with. Then I could transfer them to the breeding tank.

By the way, that's where my bita came from (see my aviator)

Thanks for the heads up Jason

BTW, who is Jason

I guess my error (sorry Justin). I jumped to some silly conclusion that jase101 was somehow derived from the name Jason.

Cheers
TW

Thanks for the input

I think it could be guarding of something, but it is different than it was the last time around. It never took that long for the females to come out with the wigglers to another spot.

BTW, who is Jason ?

Thanks again, Justin and Robyn,

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

This tank has really filled in beautifully, it's my favorite of your tanks. I especially like your use of the bolbitus. I may borrow your usage of it when i set up my own big tank

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Back in the saddle!

Thanks NowherMan6,

I may borrow your usage of it when i set up my own big tank

This can be done, if you show up at one of the meetings

I appreciate the comments on the tank, albeit there is still work that needs to be done to it. The NJAGC gang suggested to use Nana Petites instead of the Nanas, but that would be $$$

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

I appreciate the comments on the tank, albeit there is still work that needs to be done to it. The NJAGC gang suggested to use Nana Petites instead of the Nanas, but that would be $$$

Didn't I say the same thing a while back? The Nana does however look much better than the normal Anubias Barteri.

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

The NJAGC gang suggested to use Nana Petites instead of the Nanas, but that would be $$$

So you have a whole team working on your tank First Jeff Senske and now Jay Luto.



My Scapes

Jay took the pictures during our second meeting, the one at my house. One can see these when clicking the link in my siggie (as I assume tetratech did) and then simply click on "Second meeting was held" (as long as it is still available there).

I would have asked tetratech to join as well, but he is living maybe a little too far away, he doesn't like the Jersey water, and he would have to give out his real name

NowherMan6 is a member, or should I not have mentioned that

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Actually I hadn't seen that. I just saw Jay's name listed as a member. So Nowher is a member. What's the first name. My guess is Cosmo.

Nice pics, I didn't see my name (Wisteria Wizard) mentioned as the Wisteria expert/influence.

BTW the 40g looks much better without all the ground cover. Take out the Blyxa and put it somewhere else.

Looks like a nice bunch of guys. I might be willing to reveal my identity. Would the group make a road trip to L.I. to see "Two sides of Paradise"?

My Scapes

LF,

I just checked out the NJAGC site with your tanks. I really like the picture of your 125G from the left that also shows your 29G. It sounds like you guys had a good time!

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

Yes, I am proudly also a member of NJAGC I just haven't made it to any meetings yet. I'll have to check when the next one is, hopefully I can make that one. Partially I'm embarrassed to show my face, since I've no clippings to give anyone

I'm waiting for the official FP meeting in LFs basement. if we all chip in can we fly bensaf in from overseas?

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Back in the saddle!

if we all chip in can we fly bensaf in from overseas?

I guess I am on my own coming from MI?

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

I really like the picture of your 125G from the left that also shows your 29G.

I am glad it is a little dark, that picture, as I am the dude sitting between the tanks.

I might be willing to reveal my identity. Would the group make a road trip to L.I. to see "Two sides of Paradise"?

Not certain, we have members in NYC and Brooklyn, but not any further out in the depth of the Island. You most likely would have to come to Jersey about once a month if you want to be in the meetings (and that is what this is all about, more so then the forum part of it). I thought of you, but then considered the feasibility and didn't come up with a conclusion.

Partially I'm embarrassed to show my face, since I've no clippings to give anyone ... I'm waiting for the official FP meeting in LFs basement.

Any time my friends, any time.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Well, as mentioned in the 125G, work is keeping me away from the forum for two weeks now already.

Anyway, quick update on the tank:

Weekly Tank Update - Weeks 28 and 29

Not much has happened, tank is doing ok, fish are fine, although the Apistos are all over the place, as sign of non-successful breeding (but that's cool too).

Here is the tank last week:

Attached Image:

Week 28

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

And here is the tank today, week 29. As you can see, pretty much looks the same. I did some minor changes, but they are mostly visible on the back side.

Here is the full-on front:

Attached Image:

Week 29

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Here is an angled look, showing the remains of the HC a little better in the center of the tank.

Some stuff seems to have started to grow a little, but it is really tiny, almost as if it is missing something. I would say it is the lack of light. We will see.

Attached Image:

Angled

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Here is a look at the tank from the back, one cannot see all that much as it looks pretty dark. The change I made is that I removed the last group of Pearl Grass, not because I didn't like it but because less (species) is more. Instead, I planted some Blyxa in its place that has been grown in other sections of the tank.

Attached Image:

Back

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This is a really bad shot, but while I actually tried to get a closer look at the new Blyxa group I noticed during the review that there are 3 Otos being followed (or looked at) by a female Apisto,

Here it is:

Attached Image:

Otos - Apisto

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

And here is a better look at the new Blyxa group.

Well, that's it for now anyway, hope you like it and hope to have more time soon,

On to the 29 Log,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Blyxa

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

I like this tank better than your big tank. I think it's the fuller look I like plus the archway you have in the middle of this tank.

Just sharing my personal preference.

Tank is looking really nice, even though you continue to be so busy. BTW, I hope you had a nice Christmas and HAPPY NEW YEAR to you.

Cheers
TW

Really love how the bolbitus has grown in. Looks great LF.

Good luck with work (I read the other log), hope you get a break soon!

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Back in the saddle!

Hi folks,

As mentioned in my 125G log, I have been really busy so far this year. Just like that tank - this one has seen some neglect as well. Nevertheless, things have been pretty good with the tank.

Here it is this weekend, week 33 I think.

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Tank in Week 33

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Well,

I guess it doesn't matter that I am busy, nobody has anything to say about the tank anyway

So, here are some more pictures, from this week and some shots from some events over the previous weeks.

First, I got about 10 Cherry Shrimp at our NJAGC meeting and added them to the tank:

Attached Image:

Cherry Shrimp

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

One evening in the week after the addition, I came to the tank to feed the fish, but unlike all other days, the male Apisto was a no-show.

Eventually, I found him:

Attached Image:

Darn!!!

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

The Apisto survived, but for sure not the shrimp. It took me 30 min to catch the fish, and by then the shrimp was 2 halves, LOL.

Once in a while I kept on seeing one or the other shrimp, but not lately.

Last week, I saw eggs at the edge of my tank, but two days later all were gone. Here they are:

Attached Image:

Apisto Eggs

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The Apistos in the tank are doing fine, and so are all other fish and the Amanos.

Here is the boss of the tank, the eater of fry and shrimp:

Attached Image:

Male Apisto

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Here is the tank from the back as of this weekend, sorry about the glare but the plants are so tall by now that they seem very bright in the shots. Last week I removed the crypt that used to be in the right hill (in this view), it got too tall:

Attached Image:

Back View

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And here is the main view, as you can see - there is not much left of the valley between the hills, the Bolbitis and the NL Java Fern have grown pretty big.

I think I will need to mess with the tank in not too far of a future:

Attached Image:

Main View

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Last shot

Here is a closer look at one of the 3 NL Java Ferns that I attached to the driftwood. It has grown very well and if I judge the situation right then it is about to take off and get out of control.

I just cannot get my act together these days (aka no time) to trim it.

Anyway, have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

NL Java Fern

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Nice pics LF. Good to see you back in action. Other than being a little extra hairy, the tank looks really good. If it weren't the dead of winter I'd ask you to send some of your clippings my way.

Too bad about the cherry shrimp. I wouldn't trust apistos with them or amanos really. Like any other cichlid, they'll eat whatever they can.

Neat egg shots. I'm sure they'll get it right eventually. They seem to be learning anyways.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Thanks Matty for the input.

I am sure I will still (or again, probably) have some clippings left that I can send your when once it gets warmer again.

The Amanos seem to be too big for the Apisto, I guess buying only the ones that were already grown up was a good call.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

i love this tank and the male apisto. do you think an angelfish would eat an amano or cherry shrimp?

Seeing the shot of the Male Apisto with a Cherry Red hanging out of it's mouth brought back memories of my Kribs scarfing down my Cherries. Their colors went nuts after eatting them though....

The tank has really filled out for you. It is almost out of control but it still looks good.

Did you happen to get a batch of both male and female shrip? If so you might be able to keep them going in there just by breeding.

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

Thanks coop for the compliments

Hm, I would not know and answer to your question for sure, but I would say "why not?"

A grown-up angel can eat fish the size of neons, so a cherry shrimp should not be a problem. And as such, younger Amanos fit right in (pun intended, LOL). An adult Amano may be around 2 inches though.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Wings - didn't see your reply until now, so here are some comments to what you wrote:

The tank has really filled out for you. It is almost out of control but it still looks good.

Yeah - my feeling as well, almost out of control. I hope I find some time soon to think about how I can whip it back in shape without destroying the scape.

Did you happen to get a batch of both male and female shrip?

I don't know what I got, I didn't inspect them before I added them to the tank (got them at an auction). And by now I cannot find any anymore anyway (lots of any here, LOL).

Thanks for the comments,

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Week 35

Not much has happened during this week, with the exception that I saw a female cherry shrimp with spasms as she was bouncing on the substrate, filled with eggs. Do the mothers die when they release the babies?

Here is a shot of one of Matty's Apisto females:

Attached Image:

Female Cac

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And here is the tank straight on. As you can see, the jungle is becoming larger and larger. Maybe next weekend I will find some time for some more serious trimming.

Attached Image:

Tank Now

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And here is the tank in a slight angle. As you can see, the valley between the hills is barely noticable anymore. But there is some HC left in there, but it doesn't grow quite well. I assume the light is not strong enough, not to mention the deeper parts of the valley are for sure too shaded.

That's it for now,

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Now Angled

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