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Here he is the 1st day I removed him to a hospital tank. You can see his sore just a little behind his eye.
.

Here is is now, all recovered


I think it was Penang E that died, anyway this one


This one was my saddest loss
The pic doesn't do him justice. His face wasn't as washed out as it appears in the pic. It was a brilliant yellow colour & he really stood out as he patrolled the tank.

Here's the Alenquer


Here's the albino in quarantine. There's no light in his little tank, so pic quality is even worse than usual


Cheers
TW

Robyn,

thanks for posting! Poor little P. eruption, so he/she was the second casualty. The culprit discus which you nursed back to healthy life is a very very pretty fish. It is probably no consolation for the loss of your favorite, though.

...so pic quality is even worse than usual

Fishing for compliments? I like your pictures and their quality is not bad at all.
However, I see what you mean with the old tank been taken apart to provide plants for the new ones by the attractive potted floater

I just wonder who comes up with the names for the different color strains of discus. Your 'albino' has plenty of pigment not only in the eye but also in the fins. Cute round fish, BTW

How much do you feed your discus daily? Reading up on their dietary requirements on the site you suggested I got the impression that I did not feed enough.

Well, with pics of your departed finned friends and the ones alive I am looking forward to your log describing their new home. Good luck and lots of fun setting it up!

see what you mean with the old tank been taken apart to provide plants for the new ones by the attractive potted floater

a full shot would reveal several pots of hair grass, plants that are just floating (run out of substrate) & even a net fry saver, that has my latest purchase of riccia - just waiting until I get the energy to cover my little stones with it - a tedious horrid job.

Fishing for compliments?

Discus are about the only fish I can take a photo of, without it being a blurry mess.

Your 'albino' has plenty of pigment not only in the eye but also in the fins

Yes he does & his body is a nice creamy yellow. Probably wouldn't have bought him as a pure white fish. As he grows, he may get some red spotting on his body & with the right naturally colour enhancing food, he should colour up nicely. He lets me touch him, stroke him etc & nibbles my hand looking for food. He is my smallest & all alone in quarantine, so maybe this helps make him less spooked by my presence in the tank. My other round fish wouldn't allow touch, although the "culprit", who also spent time in close contact with me in that hospital tank, has also let me stroke him.

I increased feed to 3 times a day since reading up on that site, plus buying 2 fairly recently written discus book - but hope that will reduce to once daily when all are adults. The guy who sold the "culprit" to me said that even he (my largest) wasn't an adult. Somewhere between a juvi & a sub-adult. All I read seem to say they will be stunted if not fed up well prior to adulthood.

Cheers
TW

Robyn,
the site you suggested is very helpful, indeed.

I increased feed to 3 times a day since reading up on that site, plus buying 2 fairly recently written discus book

Yes, I did a fair amount of reading myself and purchased a book but apparently a not so good one! Now my 'primadonna' might be permanently stunted. These guys pack away an incredible amount of food and I feed three times a day. Nevertheless, they are always giving the impression of borderline starvation.

Hope everything is okay with your tanks and no more emergency treatment for you.

Below a picture of the patients restored to complete health. Nevertheless, I am beginning to show signs of severe paranoia and might be up for this month's neurotic discus keeper award . I am fussing over every single no matter how insignfiicant color change/abnormality in the skin. Plenty of opprotunity there as the blue diamonds are most of the t ime a very nice darker purple blue. Aren't you running a UV sterilizer? I seriously consider getting one for the discus tank.

Claudia

Those are really beautiful blues on your discus. They both look a little angry - funny how sometimes fish look that way in particular shots

If there is a runner up for that award, it will be me

Aren't you running a UV sterilizer? I seriously consider getting one for the discus tank.

I paid for 2 UV sterilizers back in June from one of my fav on line LFS. They have "literally" been on a slow boat from china all this time. I think it must be by row boat. Apparently they arrived in Australia yesterday & are being quarantined (something to do with the wooden crates they came in. I won't be able to connect it to the discus tank until I start up the new one, but I will be able to set up the one for the divided tank as soon as it comes out of quarantine.

EDIT: Do you have UV? What wattage?

Cheers
TW

They both look a little angry

You have very good perception! I took this shot during a little break they took to regain strength for another round of sparring. Two seconds later they were kicking at each other again.

Spent another week fussing over the discus. The little diamond decided to put on a 'tiger like' pattern for a day. Fortunately, the fish is back to his normal color, who knows what that was about. I do not hav a UV sterilizer (yet) but I am tempted and clueless about the wattage, etc. No time right now to think about this, it will have to wait a bit. BTW, you have a good sense of humor and patience. Waiting patiently for an item you order in July deserves a medal!

Hope all is well with your discus tanks. Are you working on the set up already?

Week 12:

Metro treatment completed and everybody fish in good health. I hope it stays this way. Tank looks pretty wild despite trimming of Rotala and hygro. The tenellus lawn which decided on an interesting growth pattern was trimmed as well (removal of 16 plants to other tank). Any suggestions for a more tidy layout are welcome even if it looks like a hopeless case.

Hi,
IMO, I think I'd leave the tank as it is for now. The
fish are back to healthy, the plants are flourishing,
and you have provided what they wanted for spawning.

That being said, I would leave plants growing across the
surface as Discus prefer some shade as well as places to
swim between pieces of driftwood or plants. They also
prefer open areas that they can swim into and out of.
I'd keep that in mind as I trim or move things around.

It is a beautiful tank that shows off the fish and their
colors quite well. It is a beautiful species tank.

It is not, however a place to breed Discus in.
In this tank you would have to count on luck to have
any fry survive to adult hood as the fish other
than the breeding pair would make quick work out of the
fry, and hound any juveniles to their deaths.
In this tank you might be wise to have some nice broad
leafed swords for the fish to spawn on, or better yet,
a piece of slate or two, and then remove the spawn to
a separate rearing tank.

Frank

-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Beautiful fish & tank! I'm with Frank on leaving the tall plants alone. But I'm with you on thinking it needs a trim. It's so bushy that all the plants blend in together, in my opinion. I know I'm just a beginner & don't even know the names of the plants. But I know what I like to see. I would trim around all the individual plants & hardscape so that each one shows up better. I like the tank in the before trim pics like on page 4. The tank is full yet each plant & object stands out cause there is not that much around each one. So if you just trim the excess around the plants & objects they will stand out more. IMHO
I hope the tank stays stable for you now. You've definitely had your share of problems.

Claudia , Wow,some fantastic growth you've got going there . I think I would be with
Frank & Patty . You've just got everything going well, leave it for a while ( few weeks at
least).I know its hard but I would just do a little trimming here and there and let
the tank settle a bit .

When you have done that a break in the jungle , slightly off centre ( either right or left )
might add some focus and depth to the scape . Something like Tetratechs or LFs 125g .
Just a thought .

Tank looks fantastic and I'm in awe of the growth , well done .


Garry

Hi there:

thanks for the compliments and suggestions! I did not perform any trimmings ... - ... instead we are back to metronidazole! "Miss Priss", the female red turk developed intestinal problems (keep in mind that it was her and the pale blue Diamond who brought the flagellates to the tank). The patient is out and about again and took some food today but I guess the metronidazole episodes aren't over yet. The tank looks like a green jungle by now.

t is not, however a place to breed Discus in. In this tank you would have to count on luck to have any fry survive to adult hood as the fish other than the breeding pair would make quick work out of the fry, and hound any juveniles to their deaths.

I know, that's why I will set up a bridal suite for the couple if they continue to make breeding attempts. Not to mention that the parents have to develop mucus. One of the reasons I bought in the two new discus was to get rid off the pair bonding as these fish are too young for successful breeding anyway. So far it works but for an entirely different reason
left side of tank
right side of tank

catdancer,

The tank is looking nice and seems to enjoy some healthy plant growth. I cannot comment on the Discus, I am a total amateur when it comes to these fish and the required maintenance is just too much for me (don't like to worry too much about my animal life in the tanks).

Ingo

---

Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Ingo,

Thanks for stopping by, your contributions were sorely missed! The flora in the tank is exploding despite lack of CO2 (snowed under with work, I am sure you can relate so I did not have the time to set it up yet) and covering the surface. Unfortunately, the beautiful red crypt is still opposed to metronidazole, oh well.
The discus have more than rectified their repuatation as delicate in my tank and I am trying to balance their needs with those of the plants. However, any contributions to plants and aquascaping will be greatly appreciated and put to test as soon as the health of the delicate round fish allows for it.

Claudia

Claudia

Sorry i havent been able to keep up with your tank, the shots of the tank and fish are awesome. I hope the red crypt comes out okay. Maybe you can send me a plantlet if they sprout. hehe

Shane

Thanks for your input as always, Shane
http://thetanklog.blogspot.com/ - [ Thanks to ScottF ]
http://www.natureaquariumclubofutah.com/main.html

So sorry your troubles continue, Claudia. I hope you beat it soon. More important than the bridal suite for your lovebirds, is a quarantine tank for any new discus. As you know I learned my lesson too & my new little albino (or whatever he is) spent more than a month in a small desktop quarantine tank, being given precautionary treatment. He only went into the main tank yesterday & he has been my easiest "round" fish addition to that tank (he learned to recognise & trust me in the close quarters of the small quarantine tank, so that when he moved into the big tank, he already knew I mean food & he never gave me the usual worry of a new discus sulking & refusing to eat.

My fingers are crossed that your trouble soon passes.

In the meantime, your tank is looking very nice & lush.

Cheers
TW

However, any contributions to plants and aquascaping will be greatly appreciated

Well,

This is the fun part of scaping. You have a lush tank with a nice variety of plants. Spent some time looking at these plants by species and observe what they do.

How do they grow? fast/slow/medium?
How do they spread? runners/branching/clipping?
What do they need? light/ferts/CO2/substrate?
How much do you like them? not/medium/much?
How would a tank look if they were the center of attention (but, of course, not center of tank)?
What could I build around them in order to complete the picture (building in sense of other plants and hardscape)?

And so forth. This puts soo many images in your head that you have many tanks at one. Eventually you will settle on one, get everything ready for it, and do it (for better or worse, as I may note, happened to me quite a few times).

Ingo

---

Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Claudia , Sorry to hear you having those problems again . Life's not fair sometimes ,
but you will get thru it .
Tank is looking more like an Amazon jungle than ever You do have a way
with plants

Hope work lets up for you soon and you get the time to scape the tank the way you want.
Look forward to it

Garry

Spend some time looking at these plants by species and observe what they do.

I have vivid imagination, unfortunately it has to be applied to something very different right now, but I got the idea For the time being the fishprofiles community will have to do with a tank that looks very untidy.

Dear Garry:

You do have a way with plants

Umm, what do you mean? My gran would say 'just like your hair'
Funny, your remark about the amazon jungle. It is a jungle by now albeit a submersed one!

I will have to get the scissors coming weekend, otherwise my poor discus will not have any room left to paddle around!

Claudia

Sorry to hear about the meds episode again. The plants look awesome, I agree with you about clipping some so you have some space. You can always send the clippings to me hehehe. Im serious....

Anyways Good look with the treatment

Shane

Thanks for your input as always, Shane
http://thetanklog.blogspot.com/ - [ Thanks to ScottF ]
http://www.natureaquariumclubofutah.com/main.html

Metronidazole or not, they don't care!

Holly and No.1 spawned again

This time I was allowed to watch and quite frankly, Dad needs to improve on his fertilizing technique

Please excuse the poor picture quality but the solid canopy that has formed near the surface of the water prevents good photos - Mom at work

Short update:

The parents are getting better at guarding the spawn and this time we had wrigglers! Unfortunately, still no mucus generation by the parents but there is hope. The plants were trimmed over the weekend but the hygro, rotala, tenellus and didiplis (blood stargrass, thanks to Countryfish I am now familiar with the common name) have regained their territories. The macrandra is also going strong. A few pics below

Claudia , No problem , glad to help if only with names . Just wish I could get some myself .

Beautifull Fish .BTW

Which type of Macrandra do you have ? I understand there are 2 types. Mine is called " Magenta "
which is the narrow leaf version and is supposed to be easier to grow .

Hope the parents give you some young .

Garry

Garry:

I have the other, more delicate one! Of course ... the leftover of the big mess that I brought home quite a while ago is finally taking off and developing side shots and other stems are very tall. Very nice red color, but I am scared to touch it because it is so senstive. The experience with this plant (ordering something entirely different convinced me finally to order plants online again.
You can't get didiplis, I can't get my hands on heteranthera zosterifolia, a quite common plant. BTW, if the weather continues to be bad and the dscus take a break from spawning, I will hook up the CO2 to this tank. I am curious as to the difference it might make.

I had to do something about the 10G on my kitchen counter... plus I had some leftover plants from the discus tank that were not worth getting them to the LFS and some gravel to stock up the substrate. Here is the result

Nice tank. I really like the eco complete. Do you find it easy to clean. I had this in my 29 for a while, then i switched it to fluorite. After seeing your setup, i might want to set up an aquarium with it again.

Claudia , Nice , can't see any inhabitants ? though .

Love the bit of wood almost looks alive from that shot .


Garry

I did the same thing, first fluorite followed by Eco Complete. I still think that fluorite makes for easier aquarium maintenance. The grain size of Eco is pretty fine and that makes it (at least for me) not so easy to clean with the python vac. The fluorite is a breeze as every tid bit is readily remopved. Aside from that it is a matter of taste regarding looks, both support the growth of plants extremely well.

Garry,
don't worry, thee is nothing wrong wih your eye sight

I completely cleaned the tank last weekend and set it up with what i had a hand (hence the meager planting ...), right now there is no fish in it. I am not sure what I want to put in yet, maybe dwarf puffers, if I can find some, but then I will have to add java moss (arrgh) and much more plants. Any suggestions are welcome! I got the wood from the reptile department of my LFS, it is red and looks very different from driftwood, works also nicely with the substrate color. Unfortunately, the lighting is a problem , only 1.8 WPG.

Claudia

Claudia , Oh good my eyes are bad enough , thought I might need new glasses .

Sounds like the perfect set up for a Betta and a few Corys and Rummies to me , but thats just my taste . Dwarf Puffers sounds interesting never really knew anyone who did those .

Let us know what you decide .

Garry

Claudia

I love the little tank you made. Im curious to find out what kind of wood you added to that tank. Is the florite the redness i see in the substrate? Is the eco on the bottom. Could you give a more indepth review of the tank. Its lookin awesome.

What is your overall plan for this small tank?

Shane

Thanks for your input as always, Shane
http://thetanklog.blogspot.com/ - [ Thanks to ScottF ]
http://www.natureaquariumclubofutah.com/main.html

Hi guys,

thanks for your comments on my 10G set up. I will answer the questions in the order received :

Garry - I actually removed rummy nose tetras that were in this tank. They were purchased for the discus tank but 4 of them refused to move ... I had to take the entire tank apart to finally net them. Now they are happily shoaling with the other 11 in the discus tank (I do have some small fish!) I an quite open to suggestions but cories are not so great as the substrate would be a bit rough on them. Maybe some small Asian fish? Dwarf puffers are from India ... if I ever see them here. Dwarf gouramis? I added some Wisteria from the big tank, as already mentioned, lighting will present a problem as I have only a standard 18W bulb for illumination. Although, the top cracked and this is a perfect excuse to look for something more suitable for a planted tank the Amazonian sword will have to go, though.

Shane: long time no see - sorry, I was and I am still very busy with work. The tank is a standard 10G All Glass and it is the first tank I purchased as a kit when I decided to get back into fish keeping. You can see that the corners are starting to show the sealant ... and the hinges of the top just broke. The tank is equipped with a little hang on filter that works quite well. Substrate is a mixture of fine gravel with a slightly reddish tint mixed with red fluorite (Seachem). There is no Eco Complete - that is in the discus tank. Eco is almost black and rather fine. Personally, I think there is not much difference between these substrates when it comes to plant growth, at least for te standard plants! Fluorite is easier to clean, though. Water temperature is set at 80 F at the moment.

I will have to go back to the LFS where I purchased the wood a while ago. I found it in the reptile department but they highly recommend it also for aquaria. It looks very interesting as it is actually red! It is also very tough and impossible to break by hand (at least for me). Right now it sports some nasty aufwuchs, which I have to get rid of prior to putting fish into the tank. Here are some pics:
the left side with the wisteria
and front shot.

Week 15 update:

I took the scissors to the hygro and the wisteria as they were again choking the tank and the lawn mower to the HM. One full bucket was removed fish can now swimm through the thicket again (before, even the rummies got stuck!). All hygro stems were removed and replaced by the top trimmings, yes, all of them

Unfortunately, the tank shot does not show much difference to the green jungle, except that the hideous filter intake is again in full view
front shot and some detail.I admit that I obsess over what is left of the macrandra. Such a beautiful dark red color


This is the first shot of 'Hubble'

Eventually, I want to replace the Vals entirely with C. balansae (prettier to me and less work) and add some stargrass, although reading LF's log I am not so sure anymore...

Your little 10G is very interesting. Like everyone else, very impressed with the red wood. I've not seen that around here.

Tank looks good after the trim. I always like the trimmed down look. Not to worry about the filter in-take. With your fast growth, it will no doubt be covered again soon.

BTW, thought I'd mention I spoke with another Aussie fishkeeper on Friday (sold him my 20G on ebay) & he ordered plants from that Malaysian ebay sellers we spoke of. His plants made it through ok - I just must have been unlucky. I'm not game to try again though, as I received a warning letter from Customs to tell my "friends & relatives overseas" not to send me plants in the mail. Scared next time it might be a fine, if they keep records of people who've already received a warning.

How do you find the rummy nose? They're meant to be pretty sensitive too, aren't they? I've read where some keep rummuy's to give them a warning about when water quality drops (something changes in rummy's colour when all is not at optimum). Or am I dreaming that I once read this ???

Anyway, all is looking good in both tanks.

Cheers
TW

Hi Robyn,

You were the unlucky buyer of malaysian plants, poor you. There was someone else on fishprofiles from AUS who ordered from the Malaysian guy and he received his order okay. I don't blame you for not trying again, though. Customs might keep records ... but maybe you have a friend who could order for you?

How do you find the rummy nose?

I like them very much and your memory serves you right: They are pretty reliable indicators of water quality! If something is not right, the 'nose' turns pale. I don't know if I would describe them as sensitive, though. Quite a few aquarium shops here described them as hardy. My experience with them is only positive, pretty, active fish, long lived and they do not school too tight. You always see several indivuals swimming around separate ways from the big crowd. They are also great for discus as they like warmer temperatures (and beef heart)

very impressed with the red wood

As soon as I can take a break from work, I will head back to the LFS to inquire about the name and origin of this wood. It is beautiful and it was purchased for the discus tank but I decided against it because of the many branches which would not be good for larger fish.

Claudia

Claudia , So have you been back to the LFS yet . Have you decided what you what to put into that new setup ?
I like the sissors job you did on the Discus tank , lets have some more close ups of your plant groups , if you have time .

Garry

Hi Garry,

thanks for stopping by. Unfortunately, my weeks are occupied with urgencies of a very different matter. Hence, not much has changed in my tanks aside from metronidazole again (I refuse to count the number of treatments performed. It is the pretty Red Turk lady that gives all the problems and I might have to purchase some farm animal dewormer for her )

Tomorrow and the day after I will be in the hinterlands for professional reason and I only hope that the tanks and their inhabitants will be okay without me.

What do you think of trichopsis pumila?

Claudia

P.S. tank pics after my return

Claudia , I was offered these the other day at my LFS and turned them down as I have
my heart set on some Sphaerichthys osphromenoides . But I know Gone Troopo has
them and loves them . The other one you might try is Parosphromenus deissneri , they
are a very cool looking fish which I also passed up because they looked pale and washed
out at the LFS . Dumb me when I got home and checked them out on the net. I
liked them but when I got back to the LFS they were all gone .

Oh well if I can't get the Chocalates , I might go for the Licourice , sounds like I've got a sweet tooth ,

Garry

A few people inquired about the wood in the 10 g tank: it is called manzanita and this particular one is endemic to California (at the moment probably less ...). It is mostly used for bird perches and reptiles, I got it in the reptile department of my LFS. However, it makes for an interesting display in aquaria due to its dark red color, it is also extremely hard and so far, does quite well in my little tank.


The tank has one fishy inhabitant at the moment (and way too many ramshorns which he will hopefully dine on). Kudos to those who can spot him! Hint: he looks like a little balloon with dark spots and a tail fin. Currently, he is less than half an inch long but bobbing up and down the tank full of excitement. I hope to get him company next week.

Not much going on in the discus tank side from a massive trimming (30 tenellus, 18(!!!) huge vals, one E. bleheri and 7 fat bunches of hygro made it to the LFS). Nonetheless, the trim is not very apparent compared to older pictures. Here is the left side:



Front shot


and one willing poser:


Mortimer the big pigeonblood and his little bride started cleaning the driftwood again update: a clutch of eggs is already decorating the driftwood and the other inhabitants of the tank are cornered left and right to the center of attention.

Claudia , congrats on the new batch of eggs . Hope you get a result .
On the 10g , I lightned up the shot looking for your fishy , but alas I'm stumped . You will have to help us out .
The Discus tank looks fantastic btw . Maybe its time to replace you Hyrgo p. as well .

Garry

I love that 10g. tank! Very interesting aquascaping!

Garry:

Thanks for stopping by! I am not very optimistic for the present spawn, there are simply too many hungry mouths around, not to mention the snails. In order to get more serious and successful with discus breeding I will have to set up a tank for the pair with spawning cone and RO water. No time for that right now but it is a sure project for the future. Right now the parents are driving everybody nuts and that pretty regularly as they spawn every other week ...

The Discus tank looks fantastic btw . Maybe its time to replace you Hyrgo p. as well

Thanks for your kind words! I am waiting for 'tigermom' to provide feed back regarding her shopping experience with AZ gardens (lame excuse, I know). They have quite a few plants I would like to try but for that I will have to make room in the big tank. I would like to keep a small colony of the hygro as we can not get it commercially in the US. I am thinking about removing some more of the huge E. bleheri as these plants are too big for the tank and don't allow for any scape that I have in mind (I do think about aquascaping!). Some 'hardware' instead and plants would be more becoming.

I really don't know why all pictures that I upload are way darker than they appear to be prior to publication on this site. Anyway, sorry for the trouble spotting my little fish. I have the same problem. He looks like a tiny spotted balloon with a little bit of tail fin sticking out: it is a juvenile male dwarf puffer very cute but way too small for a decent picture with 1 cm total length. This is easily the smallest fish species I have ever kept. I tried to get a pic of him with the camera using the zoom but that was not enough. I hope he will eventually grow to 1 inch ... and what was I thinking?

Patty, thanks for stopping by and your nice comment of the manzanita tank! I just have to be patient with fish and plant growth.

Everything is looking so good Claudia, in both your tanks. Conditions must be great too, with spawing every other week. You're obviously doing things right

Cheers
TW

Claudia ... Hardware ...now you've got me excited ...Driftwood or rocks?

BTW , on the darkness of photos , I found that even if it looks light on your desktop you need to lighten it more so that it looks washed out . Then it will look right on here .

Garry

Rocks! I had much more driftwood in the tank and removed it. What I have in mind now requires rocks but I haven't made up my mind what type of rocks I would like to get. Any suggestions are welcome, you are a very good aquascaper!

Thanks for the tip regarding the brightness and contrast of photos destined for this site, I was considering the possibility that the settings on my computer are off (but powerpoint presentations are always okay). Now I know that it is not my settings. I will have to experiment a bit. On a different note, there will be NO company for my lonely little puffer boy this week due to the holiday ... You know, I am having difficulties myself to spot him in the tank he is this small. Nevertheless, he is bold! Swims right into my face when he feels being watched.

Robyn, what's going on? Long time no update I hope everything is alright with your tanks. (Just called several farm stores to inquire about availability of pig and cattle dewormer )

Claudia

Well it depends on how prominent you want them to be . I have some very red looking volcanic rocks in my 60g , but the ones in the 240 g have a more sandstone type of look .

So up to you as far as that is concerned , but from my point of view I always like to have some redy/brown in a rock group as it creates focus . I've tried for a variety of colours in the 240g but only the Very red in the 60g . Both look ok to me . I know of some folks who like black rocks as well , not my cup of tea , but that can also look stunning .
Interested to see which way you go .

Garry

Week 19 ...

Not much going on (translates to not much time to spend with the tanks). however, a massive cut back of the hygro was in order - as Countryfish/Garry had put it aptly " I am over it". Almost the entire right side of the tank was freed of the hygro and replaced with Diandra that I moved more to the back of the tank. Good news is that the fish like it as there is much more room to swim, the bad news is that the second heater and the filter intake are in full view again

Sadly, "Ramzes", the big blue diamond decided that his his disposition should match his looks, very much to the disadvantage of the other peaceful inhabitants of the tank. I hope to replace him with a more demure, pretty female discus soon.





Near future plans are addition of rocks and new plants (and removal of some of the giant swords)

The Manzanita Tank (10G low light) has new inhabitants, unfortunately not easy or better, impossible to spot: a total of 4 juvenile dwarf puffers! So far, all attempts to get decent pictures were highly unsatisfactory.




The 'biggest' one is 1.5 cm in length and sports a big brine shrimp belly, the smallest one is 1 cm only ... way to grow up! BTW - anyone who has experience with flame moss? Any input would be greatly appreciated.

So is Ramzes a bit of bully?

Tank looks nice after it's trim. Could you have the heater in a lower & more horizontal position, so you'd see it less?

Hope to see what these dwarf puffers of yours look like soon.

Cheers
TW

Robyn,
glad to hear from you again! How are you and your tank projects doing??

So is Ramzes a bit of bully?

Unfortunately, not only a bit. He turned into one mean and nasty piece constantly attacking others. Preferred aim is the most recent addition, a beautiful young Brilliant Turk. The poor little guy is too scared to take a bite of food if his attacker is anywhere to be seen. Nobody else is spared either and he is even trying to charge the big pigeonblood breeder (they keep spawning nevertheless). Number two on his list of most desired enemies is the smaller blue diamond. I am not into discus psychology but is it possible that the constant spawning activity contributes to his nastiness? He turned mean after I lost the Red Turk female that I had purchased with him (and introduced disease with) due to massive worm infestation.

Could you have the heater in a lower & more horizontal position, so you'd see it less?

A possibility, I left the heater in this position for accessibility but now that the temperature has settled I might move it bottomwards. Leaves the hideous filter intake ... but hopefully I will have new plants soon to cover the hardware.

The puffers are growing bellies, I don't know how quickly they will grow up. The first one I introduced was in the dealer's tank for several weeks without gaining much in size. They are way too tiny for a regulr picture (at least for me).

Hope to see an update of your tanks soon, Robyn

I don't have many plants in my tanks, so I keep the heaters low & behind rocks. To hide the intake tubes I just put a stick or piece of driftwood in front of it.

Another possibility, I guess I will go for plants for coverage though I plan on adding some more hardware in form of rocks but I am not sure that this will cover the intake which sticks out particularly bad due to its color. Notto mention that i still have to set up the CO2 ...

Hey Claudia ... Like what you've done with the ex Hygro area so far ... will be interesting to see what you decide to do with that area . Just a couple of suggestions !. Leave a beach at right front ...just a little one.... I think it adds to the contrast in a planted tank . 2. Try to have a valley from front to back in the plants leading down to the beach ...this adds depth to the scape .
Anyway just a couple of thoughts /ideas .

Garry

Garry,

I absolutely agree with you regarding 'beach' and 'valley'. That's what I want to to after a from a prolonged business trip (not much sense to order plants before). I had already removed a lot of the tenellus that started to close in on the foreground. There is a list of plants that I want to order from AZ Gardens. I have to look for it and post it to get some input from fellow gardeners like yourself on FP. What about your update??

It will be interesting to see your tank with a beach front. Do you intend adding sand?

Whenever I get around to setting up the discus tank, that will have a beach front too- seems to be the fashion with a few of us now, so interested to watch yours evolve.


Cheers
TW

Claudia ... New plants ... great fun ... What are you going for ...something different ?
Update done btw , like you I've been away .

Robyn , your right it seems to be a trend , Ingo led maybe .

Garry

The first I saw here was tetratech (Jeff)

Cheers
TW

This is for Garry and all fans of small fish:

First shot of two of my dwarf puffers, bellies full of brine shrimp. There are 4 of them in the 10G 'Manzanita' tank. I will try to post more pictures of these little cuties but it is a challenge! They are small and smart enough to avoid the camera.



Anyone on FP who has experience with them? I want to try to breed them.

Happy New Year Claudia!

Those are tiny fish, how big are they? Big eyes. Good luck with breeding.

Cheers
TW

Hi robyn:

happy New Year to you as well! The 'tinies' did some growing and have reached their gargantuan size of 2 cm by now. They are very cute and curious ... and spoiled. I must have done something wrong as 2 out of the 4 flat out refuse to eat anything but live food translates to trips to the LFS to get brine shrimp and clean black worms for me.

I think I have one boy and 3 girls, with the former being smaller. They boss him around, I am not sure if I will ever have success breeding these little buggers, it is just something I'd like to try.

How are your tanks coming along?

Claudia

That's such a pain, when they only eat live. I had an apisto pair like that. After a long time, they finally took frozen, but stubbornly refused all flakes or pellets.

Glad the puffers are happy & growing well for you.

How are your tanks coming along?

Thank's for asking. Just added update to the 43g. The final of the 3 new tanks sits empty, being used for plant storage in that new (almost) waterless method I'm trying.

Very close to winning the bet with hubby. If I win, he's to buy me the 6ft tank. Then the fun begins. I'll know by the 27th if I've won.

Apart from that, I have finally sourced a replacement male aggi double red. Been looking for months - none to be found. Got him yesterday & he's in quarantine - with a PT.nigerian red pair, a tripple red cac pair & a red alencer discus(I've seen it spelt Alenquer as well - don't know which is right).

Look forward to your next update.


Cheers
TW

Claudia ...so how are the new plants etc ...time for an update ?

Garry

PS Happy New Year

Happy New Year, Garry

It is about time for an update, true. If I only had the energy ... I purchased quite a few plants online (and readers of my report to tigermom know all about it). I finally got almost all plants, but the stargrass (H. zosterifolia) was in pitiful condition. I suspect by now that this plant does not ship well as several LFS whom I had approached regarding this plant had reported DOA. Mine arrived 'melting'. Currently I have several stems that will hopefully survive and will post pics of them as soon as they are in picture condition. (I am trying to nurse them back to health).
I removed 2 giant E. bleheri from the tank to make spacr for new plants, below is a picture of one of them - they are now on display in my LFS' big show tanks

I also removed a piece of driftwood and replaced it with petrified wood, several pieces. Almost all of the vals are gone (I stopped counting when I had reached 60 ...). Below is a picture of a nice big specimen, they also went to the dealer
Now I have only 2 Vals left in the tank! Last time I checked they had already formed runners again.

The Blood stargras (Didiplis diandra) is doing extremely well and has formed a nice bush on the right side of the tank


I was courageous enough to add a little pot of HC to my order (courageous because of Little_Fish's woes with this plant) and was very proud of myself after planting it ...

Those darn trumpet snails started digging right away (you can see the colony of first arrivers on site in the picture) and by day 3 all HC was gone!

I also placed an order for dwarf lily plants but received the bulbs instead (way cheaper than the plant). Oh well, this went on twice and I finally gave up and planted the bulbs - both of them developed into twin Tiger lotus! Here is the smaller one, the other one is already huge and I will have to trim the largest leaves next weekend

Onto the fish:

that's a sad story as my pretty female Blue Diamond suffered a relapse from her intestinal problems and I had to put her into a hospital tank. She endured 10 long days of Metro and is hopefully on the road to recovery for good. If all goes as planned I will return her to the tank next weekend. However, before the big and aggressive Blue Diamond male (Ramzes) will have to go, he continues to harrass every other discus in the tank. His most sought after enemies are below, they geared up to fight him with combined strength but had only little success

'Ramzes' developed into a rather pretty fish, if he would only adjust his behaviour accordingly to his looks ...

Nice plant purchases Claudia. Must be time for a full tank shot, so we can really see what you've done with them.

Shame about the HC. Darn snails. I'm growing HC in my waterless tank, so hope to have decent amount for the new discus tank when all is ready.

Poor pretty blue diamond. Hope this will be the end of those parasites.

Shame about Ramzes turning into such a bully

Cheers
TW

Claudia...You have my sympathy ...and empathy ...I know what its like when your residents decide that your plants are just too delicious to pass up Can't they tell the difference !
The Didiplis diandra looks fantastic , wish I could get some here . The Tiger Lotus is interesting ...does it have leaves that stay submersed or do they all grow to the surface ?

I agree with Robyn ...time for a detailed study of your new look tank ...if you have time .

Garry

Garry:

It looks like I got two regular sized tiger lotus with one of them sending leaves already reaching the surface - I will clip tomorrow. According to an article published in FAMA you can 'train' the lotus the growth pattern you desire: trimming of leaves touching the surface will encourage the formation of leaves which will stay submersed and smaller. I have seen pictures of tanks and will give it a try. The second bulb generated 2 plants with blood red leaves that are very small and the growth is slow. I suspect that these are dwarf lily plants which I had ordered. I will post pics of them how they develop. They are very pretty!
The development of the other new plants is so so - crypts are doing very well, myrfoil as well; the alleged L. aromatica is a different story and not too pretty, A. reineckii is trying to adjust. These plants arrived with tissue damage. The stargras H. zosterifolia is in the worst condition, but I am confident that I will eventually develop a nice quantity of healthy plants . The new growth looks very promising.
I had also bought Pogostemon stellatus and a few stems of A. reineckii at a new store and they are doing very well! I hope to be able to post pics soon.

Didiplis is simply beautiful and my pictures do the beauty of this plant not justice. Keep your eyes peeled, the plant is worth it.

Claudia

P.S. I have too many plants and am still suffering from the hunter and gatherer bug ... Detailed study will have to wait a bit, I am snowed under with work again

This is not going to be the typical update (which I haven't done for a while, I know)
The discus tank is stuffed with plants and I removed a lot of the R. indica to make more space for new growth and sawimming. E. tenellus will have to undergo a massive trim at the end of this week! Pics and a more appropriate update to follow...

BUT: Today my fish club did its biannual auction. No discus there that deserved a bid but I got 2 pairs of young A. viejita and a pair of A. hongsloi! The latter were an absolute bargain (people favor African cichlids here). My purchases are keeping 'Gramps', an elderly, 4 inch A. cacatuoides and his spouse good company and will undergo preventive treatment for intestinal worms in these temporary quarters. I hope that all goes well and I will have Apisto fry in the near future!
This is what the tanks looks like (lots of plants and hiding holes for the pairs, though probably not as obvious from this pictureb):

One of the A. viejita

The second pair inspecting their living quarters

I know I went overboard but could not resist as Apistos are difficult to get where I live (I haven't seen one of these fish in 4 years here offered for sale, neither private nor commercially!) Unfortunately, the hongslois were not willing to pose for the camera, here is a shot of another acquisition, a female BN out of a group of 3, please excuse the blurriness

Claudia ...Great pick up .. Apistos are very hard to get here as well ...
Never seen A. viejita or A. hongsloi in the flesh around here .

So are you planning a complete makeover with all those plants you
have stuffed in the tank ...or just a rearrangement ?

Love the BN ...great fish .


Garry

Great acquisitions, Claudia.

I know I went overboard but could not resist as Apistos are difficult to get where I live

That's exactly what I did the other week when I went to get the male Aggi. Been waiting for a male Aggi double red since Oct 07. None around. Apistos are hard to find here too, so, you know how it goes, I came home with several other apistos & riverine africans - but none as exciting as your purchases. Even harder to find are viejita (never seen one in the flesh). I was briefly the proud owner of a pair of hongsloi, but they only survived a couple of weeks

Hope to read of fry in your tank, when I get back from hols

Good luck

Cheers
TW

Hi Robyn and Garry:

The discus tank is currently undergoing a gradual transformation, that's why there is really nothing obvious to post. Just tigthening up the positioning of the plants, creating free areas and removal of plants I am over with (Hygro, the majority of R. Indica). The foreground is dominated by E. tenellus on the right side and I have to do a serious weeding out as the plants are growing on top of each other. I am thinking about removing the last remaining amazon sword as well. After removal of the other ones it gained twice its size and does not appear to slow down. A pity, really, as it is quite beautiful.

The BNs were actually more expensive than the rare apistos!! Something is wrong here and mine were still affordable as it was already late in the day. Should have brought Ramzes to the auction, though. He would have gone for a nice sum of money - the few discus at the auction were mediocre quality at best but buyers paid a lot of money for them.

I was briefly the proud owner of a pair of hongsloi, but they only survived a couple of weeks

I had a similar situation with a pair of A. macmasteri I had bought at the Convention two years ago. They did fine initially but went without any signs of illness suddenly. I hope for more luck with the viejitas and the hongsloi. They were searching for food within two hours after I put them into the tank and actively exploring their home - but that does not mean a lot.

Hope to read of fry in your tank, when I get back from hols

Lucky you! have fun

Claudia

Discus tank update week 30

the Tenellus lawn in the right foreground underwent a major trim. Altogether, 70 plants were removed. The didiplis and the HM also experienced the scissors. Fishpatty would probably still shake her head (way too many plants, what a thicket and I have to admit that she might be right). Here is a shot before the trim

And afterwards, strangely, the difference is not this apparent in the picture

The dwarf tiger is doing really well, but the stargrass which I planted temporarily in front of it (part of a rescue project) partially obscures the view:

The left side of the tank is still dominated by an Amazon sword (I wanted to get rid of this one as well but Garry convinced me otherwise). Originally, I had 2 amazons there (make that 3 as one of them had formed a side shot already). Since the removal of the other plants the remainder has considerably spread in size. Picture with the tank bully and the second set of 'dwarf' tiger lotus, very dwarfish :

The removal of tenellus is very much appreciated by the bottom dwellers, here is a shot of 'Paula' one of the ancistrus sp.


The apistos are in a different tank, here is a picture of the elusive and always hungry hongsloi male
and of his female counterpart


That's it for now. Any suggestions regarding aquascaping are more than welcome!

Claudia ..love the shots of the fishies ..very nice . As far as the plants go ..I can see the difference between the before and after... just Now advice ...hmmm.. Ok here goes. I think the end with the sword is fine but the midground from there to the other end of the tank is too full of tallish plants ( at least thats how it looks in the shots ) which is giving that no room for swimming fish look . So if it were me I'd clear out that area in the centre between the Sword and the Rock/ Driftwood. Only have tall Background plants and some more Tennulus or HM in there or small crypts to make it look different from the other foreground areas . That would give you very full ends with quite an open middle of the tank .

The other alternative to that is to go for a graduated look from one end to the other . So starting with the sword end being very tall and full to graduating down in size to an open other end of the tank with a beach as a feature at that end. Of course you would keep the background full all the way along the tank .

Just a couple of ideas , hope they help .
Garry

Stunning hongsloi male picture. Female is very nice too. I think your plants look lush, green & healthy. Garry's suggestions sound good, as well.

Cheers
TW

Claudia

Sorry i havent posted in a very long time, but its good to catchup with everyones tanks. I love what you did with the 10 gallon and im interested to see some new pictures. I also noticed you added some petrified wood and I was wondering what it did to your water chemistry.

Shane

Thanks for your input as always, Shane
http://thetanklog.blogspot.com/ - [ Thanks to ScottF ]
http://www.natureaquariumclubofutah.com/main.html

Shane,

nice to see that you are back! Unfortunately, it is me who is snowed under with work so a more detailed update of my tanks will have to wait. Just a bit of info: the 10g turned into a not so well kept habitat for 4 boisterous dwarf puffers. they are cute, they are messy, they prefer live food!

Thanks to bark that was left on the manzanita wood I am battling a problem with aufwuchs, the fishies are fine, but the tank looks a mess despite frequent water changes.

The discus tank is nice and I did some rearranging and trimming of plants, pics will have to wait until next week. A few pics of my most recent 'object of infatuation':

a male A. hongsloi which I purchased recently at an auction:



I am hoping that he will develop a certain fondness for the little female I got with him ...

And I would greatly appreciate if someone handy with the camera could advice me how to get rid of the mirror image of the flash light that keeps ruining my shots ... Garry, maybe???

A few pics of my most recent 'object of infatuation':

a male A. hongsloi which I purchased recently at an auction:

No wonder you are infatuated. I would be too, if I had that hongsloi male in my tank He's absolutely gorgeous. Does he flirt or chase the female - or simply just hang out.

Cheers
TW

gorgeous looking apisto, catdancer!! i'm jealous!!

The hongsloi is truely a pretty fish, congratulations! Reminds me a lot of my viejita II. I never had luck breeding them in my community tank, ACIDRAIN once pointed out that they actually may breed but are lousy parents. And that is not a good thing when other fishies are around.

Ingo

---

Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

He is still in the tank with the viejitas which I turned into the quarantine tank as all fish except are new. He hangs out with her, actually, she is more interest in him and reserves the right to taste any food that is provided first. So probably not surprising that nothing else is happening right now. If I ever have the time I will set up an extra tank for him and the little female.

Ingo!!!! Thanks for stopping by - the viejitas in the tank have a lot of growing up to do but they are on the way. They are still not as colorful as your's was. I realize that I will have to provide a different set up if I want to breed these guys ... see above. The viejitas are already doing what drives the serious aquascaper up the wall - they are digging, I wasn't even aware that these apistos do that.

catdancer,

Just to keep you excited for things to come with your viejitas, here are mine again:

Attached Image:

Viejita II

---

Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

And because I can, here is another one.

I finally had some time to shoot some photos today, and when that happens there is always one or the other shot of my viejitas, by far my most beautiful fishies, but all are pretty in their own way.

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Viejita II Again

---

Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Can't say which is prettiest, Claudia's hongsloi or Ingo's viejitas. It's a close call. Ingo, that 2nd shot of your pair is really a very nice picture. I haven't ever seen viejitas in real life. I hope to get a pair, one of these days. Apistos & Discus are my favourite fish - but I guess you know that.

Ingo, wouldn't another nice pair of viejitas look nice in your other tank Well, I guess you will start to get annoyed at all soon if we keep asking you for fish. I'll try to stop now

Keep up with the photos - both of you.



Cheers
TW

Wow ...Great shots of some beautifull fish ...Like Robyn ..I cant decide between Claudia's and Ingo's...both are fantastic . I really wish I could get American Chiclids around here .

Claudia ...Photography ...hmmmm... It looks to me as if you are taking the shots at the end of the tank with the fish framed against the side glass . That will give you the mirror effect every time . You need to get them away from the corners and take them looking directly into or down the tank...making sure that the glass from the near side is not in shot .

Hope that helps .


Garry

Sorry Ingo, Robyn has better lookin fish IMO.... Great shots of both tho...

Shane

Thanks for your input as always, Shane
http://thetanklog.blogspot.com/ - [ Thanks to ScottF ]
http://www.natureaquariumclubofutah.com/main.html

Dear All!

It's been a while and my apoplogies to all I did not respond too. Well, this is a not so usual update:

I am seeking advice regarding moving of a planted tank! I will relocate to the East Coast next week - Saturday the tanks will go down, fishes will go to my favorite pet store for storage until I have set up their new homes. Will take at lest 2 weeks and then they promised to ship them.

My question to anyone who has done something like this before: will it be possible to rescue the plants (at least some of them) so I do not have to start from scratch again. Plus I have a lot and they are growing nicely despite the neglect they experienced over the last couple of months. I was thinking of transporting them in rubbermaid containers and setting them up in lare buckets until the tanks will arrive.

Also, input regarding shipment of fish is very welcome. These guys have no shipper's license, hence they have to do FedEx overnight.

thanks!!

Claudia

Hi Claudia,
I'd put the plants into plastic ziplock bags with just a
bit of water (a tablespoon or two) and then pack them in
a box for the drive. When you get where you are going,
you could take them out of the bags and place them in a
clean bucket of water to soak while you prepare the tank.
Then plant them as if you'd just come home from the LFS
with them. They should be fine, even after a few days
in the dark.
I don't envy you living back east with all the heat and
humidity!
But most of all... Best Wishes for the new home

Frank

-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Claudia ... Here in Aus good plants means getting them shipped ... the place I use wraps the plants in wet newspaper packed with some very cold water in a plastic bag ( maybe frozen when it starts out ) . All this inside a large plastic bag to keep the humidity up .

So no isuue ....the plants will be fine for a few days in this situation .

As for your fish ... I've recieved Fish posted from 2000k away in great condition so it can be done . The key is Oxygen I believe ... so if you trust the people you should be ok .

It sounds like this is a bit of a traumtic time for you ...you have our thoughts and support ..Good luck

Your friend

Garry

Thanks guys!

Ziploc sounds so much easier than tupperware for the transport. Jowever, it is not the drive I am worried about but the fact that the tanks will not arrive immediately. Will do with some buckets. Some of the plants might not make it but I have so many ...

Frank, you might find me strange but I am actually looking forward to the heat and humidity again


Thanks again for your support!

Frank, you might find me strange but I am actually looking forward to the heat and humidity again

I'm with you Claudia. I hate cold weather & love the heat. Could never live anywhere cold or where it snowed. Here in Sydney, we never get below 8 Celscius (think thats around 46F) - but even so, that is far too cold for my liking. If I didn't have so many things tying me to Sydney, I'd be living futher north, where it's warmer (eg QLD's Gold Coast).

Each to their own, eh Frank

Claudia, good luck with the move. I think you'll be fine packing the plants that way and even if there is some loss with the more sensitve plant varieties, its got to be cheaper than starting from scratch.

EDIT: Is Ramses making the trip?

Cheers
TW

Yep, Ramzes will make the trip as well. He had a little problem with an eye infection and as a consequence was vulnerable to harrassment by his tank mates. Apparently that told him a lesson, it also helped that the pidgeon blood male is much bigger than him by now!

Everybody will make the trip except the puffers I am reluctant to set up too many tanks as I will rent an apartment until I have sold my place ... American real estate crisis ... and some American landlords (especially the ones in the big metropolitan areas) have strange ideas.

It is about time again! I am moved in and the empty 72G is in place. Before filling in the Eco-Complete I have a question for the fellow hobbyists who have moved tanks and kept them empty for a while prior to setting them up again: what are your thoughts regarding a prophylactc application of sealant? There is no indication that something is wrong but I want to get some input before filling it ...

Thanks

prophylactc application of sealant? There is no indication that something is wrong but I want to get some input before filling it ...

Never done it, but have twice helped my son pick up & transport a 2nd hand tank bought on ebay. He simply filled up & went ahead straight away & was lucky with no leaking issues.

Are you able to temporarily place the tank in a place where leaking is not an issue, eg no carpet, etc. Outside maybe? Then you could do a test fill with water & leave it a few days to see if it leaks. If all is well, then you could empty it, move it into position & add the eco, etc. I'm sure you have thought of this yourself, so perhaps you have no suitable place to put it for the test fill?

If not, I think the main thing to ensure is that the silicon you use is aquarium safe. In Australia, not all are. The ones that are, are especially marked as aquarium safe.

Will watch this space for updates. Welcome back

Cheers
TW

Robyn,
thanks for the welcome back, much appreciated. Now, on to the topic at hand: I can do a 'test' on my balcony but that would require quite an effort. The 'seams' of the tank look okay but a friend, currently retired from the aquatic hobby urged me to do the prophylactic resealing... Personally, I think it sufficient to do a 'test run' with a 50% filled tank but I wanted to get other opinions first...

Most of my aquatic stuff is still stuffed into two big boxes (the only ones that are left) and I am sooo eager to get started again. I am assuming that my friends back at the fish store are eager to get rid off my aquatic friends as well.

Claudia

Hi,
Back from a brief vacation in the mountains..

I've never done "prophylactic resealing" to a used tank.
In looking at tanks that had been "over sealed" or
"prophylactic resealing", I have never seen a job that
looked decent. In virtually every case, the silicone was
extended, sometimes way over extended, past the initial
sealing at the factory and the job looked terrible and
greatly detracted from the appearance of the tank.

For me, it does not matter if it is a new tank or a
used tank, virtually every tank gets filled to the rim
with water and sits there for a week before I drain it
and place it in its new home. This has saved me from
some really wet problems!

Frank

PS Gals, The temperatures were in the 30s and 40s
over night and in the 60s and 70s during the day!
Truly wonderful, relaxing, weather! We kept the windows
open 24/7.

-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Hi Frank:

As always, thanks for the input! I will go ahead and start filling the tank. Unfortunately, I will have to do without a test.
Last weekend I visited two stores to locate a good LFS and what a disappointment ... 500+ tanks in one store if you count the tiniest betta container, bare tanks with plenty of sick fish (a 'nice' variety of fish ailments was on display ranging from ich to neon disease). Plants were kept in a large tank filled with algae and what not but labeled "high quality". The second store was not better, oscars with their fins clamped, fight wounds, huge peacocks with them, 20 inch plecos (one of them desperately gasping for air), several pacus. Mercifully, I forgot the rest of the sad menagerie that was stuffed into this tank. In sharp contrast to quality and condition of the poor animals were the prices ... Also, only the very basic assortment of tropical fish.

Unless I find a much better store, I will have to order everything online. On a positive note, one of the guys there was knowledgeable and informed about the meeting schedule of the best local aquatic club. Maybe ...

Claudia

P.S. Since my return I enjoyed several days of 'body temperature' accompanied with lots of humidity. The right weather for me - I did not even turn on the A/C (thanks to neighbors who overdid it keeping me comfortable). Dear Frank, welcome back from Antarctica

Hi Claudia,
My Gosh, What a depressing trip that must have been!
I sincerely hope that there are some truly good LFS in
your area to make up for the two "stinkers" you mentioned.

Yup, I'm back in the Equatorial Zone today with highs in
the mid to upper 90s!

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Any progress Claudia

Cheers
TW

Hooray!

I almost suspected this site dead with a lot of the regulars not posting anymore. Glad to hear from you Robyn and I am happy to tell that my plants will arrive tomorrow evening. I ordered from aquariumplants.com. So yes, expect some (desastrous) pictures this weekend! Can't wait to get the wet hobby going again but it will be tough here - last Saturday I visited another highly recommended store (online reviews) and again, a huge disappointment. Ridiculously high prices, no selection and fish not in great condition. thanksfully there is the Internet. If I am unable to retrieve Ramses and company from my favorite fish store I will order discus online.

Claudia

UPDATE: I planted the new plants, added the driftwood and petrified wood for 'hardware' and filled the tank. So far so good, holding water. However, two of the four 6,700 compact lights of my Coralife light fixture are dead (probably not so surprising for a long distance move) and I am in desperate need of a replacement as some of the new plants are high-light-fans. To make this little enterprise all the more enjoyable, the Eheim filter refused to start and I had to do a manual job.
No pictures for now as the water is totally turbid (Eco-Complete for substrate), the current needs adjustment, lights as well and two pieces of the driftwood are weight down by pieces of slate. Nothing to post in the planted aquaria sectino of enjoyment.
On the brght side, the water here is very soft and I will not need Ro water for a 'mixer' to accommodate discus and other soft water fish I am so fond of.

Well, at least you are started now & I'm sure you'll have your lights sorted out soon. Look forward to the pictures.

Shame your LFS are proving less than satisfactory, but you are lucky that you can get quality discus on line. Not so easy here. Still thinking of calling for Ramses & your originals???

Look forward to seeing your pictures son.

Cheers
TW

Hi Claudia,
It's good that the move is over and you are ready to go!
Are the bulbs themselves bad or is it the canopy
that houses them that has gone bad? Plug them in
and see which work and which don't, then replace the
working bulbs with those that aren't coming on.
If they work, then the canopy is the problem, if they
don't work then they need to be replaced.

Frequently rough handling will break the filaments in
the bulbs, and just as frequently, it can cause wires
to come loose in the canopy. The first is an easy,
though expensive repair. The second could be easy
to check connections for tightness and integrity,
or, even more expensive if the housing needs to
be replaced.

Frank

-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Frank -


tha's what I am afraid of .. I will check the bulbs tonight when I get home. I wanted to order new ones right away but I am reluctant to do so as I might need repair of the fixture instead.

Thanks for the suggestion, though, even if it confirms my worst fears.

Claudia

BTW, it was in the tripple digits yesterday and
today... Miserable, but I guess you two would love it..

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Help!

I am thoroughly PO - tried to test the CF light bulbs to discover that it is almst impossible to remove these darn things without damage from their sockets. The problem is the 4 pins that feel like glued to it! During the first attempt, the white cap at the end of the bulb came off and some corroded material came out! The second went better but not without damage.

Now I have to order new bulbs in the hope that it is the bulbs and not the fixture that is damaged. Is there a way to change these bulbs easier and without the danger of damaging the bulb?

FRAAANK?

Hi,
Wow!
If this "stuff" does not apply skip it and use what does.

I've never had any of my CF bulbs act as yours have.
Mine have 4 "box" pattern pins and when I lift the end
of the glass bulb the socket hinges swing open and the
bulb lifts right out of the socket. The reverse happens
when inserting new bulbs, Simply set the pins into the
holes and push the bulb back down so it is horizontal and
"clicks" into place. I'm more worried about the metal
clamps that hold the far end of the bulbs in place.
Each time I replace the bulbs I have to hold the clamps
open as I'm afraid if I snap them into the clamps they
are so substantial that I think they would shatter the
glass!

If yours are sticking as it sounds like they are, it
it sounds as if you have moisture directly from the tank
getting into them where it evaporates and calcium carbonate
is building up over time. There should be a piece of glass
or plastic that "seals" the light side of the canopy from
the tank. That prevents moisture (splash-back) from getting
into the assembly, and also prevents any condensation from
getting into the canopy when the lights are turned off
and cooling.

It also sounds like they may be running hot. Heat and age
are the main reasons for the plastic and/or sealant in
the bases to be cracking. By "Hot" it sounds like
there is no fan on the canopy, or that the fan is
running slow due to dirt/dust build up, or the intake filter for the fan is clogged. I've replaced my fan
once in 15 years. I purchased an "industrial" one
with quality roller bearings. and I used an old piece
of panty hose, the panty part as the replacement filter.

The cause(s) along with the above, also be one of age.
Remember, for us (fish keepers & aquatic Gardener's) the
bulbs should be changed annually, and not wait till they
cease to come on or start flickering to change them out.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Hi Frank,

thanks for your post. I was initially also concerned that water might be the culprit but everything inside the fixture looked very tidy, no sign of any water built up and the Chicago region where the tank was set up has some pretty hard water. I received the new bulbs two days ago and putting them in was very easy (my fixture has straight pins). I did not squeeze the caps way back onto the pins, just till I heard it snap. I suspect that the peson in the factory who assembled this unit overdid it and combined with the considerable heat that develops, some melting had taken place. The fixture has a nicely working fan and I check regularly for excessive heat.

Now, onto the real disaster that took place: I planted the new plants, turned on the lights, and pang, almost no light. So far not so good but it turned far worse within 36 hours when all the stem plants started melting, followed by the crypts and eventually almost everything else. Dead plant tissue everywhere. I've never seen anythuiing like this before.
Now, with the new lights and a 30% water change yesterday and a very small one today to remove rotting plant parts, things are starting to turn around and I can see some tiny, bright green leaves poking through the substrate. Still a mess. I tried to determine hardness and got no reading at all so I went to the store that is recommended for having a small aquatic section and good cat food ...

This place looks like the light that you see at the end of the tunnel. They have nicely maintained tanks with a small selection of fish that changes every week, plenty of equipment, two tanks with aquatic plants AND knowledgeable, friendly staff. I left with a new gravel vac, a list of other vondors in the area (!), an invitation and info to join the local aquatic society of which they are members and the information that the water is as soft as it can get - a discus keepers dream, except for the pH. A strapping 9.0 reading straight out of the tap! Reason being that quite a few of the lovely old brownstones in my new/old hometown are still equipped with pipes containing lead.

The guys think that the bacteria in the Eco-Complete got some unwanted company during the prolonged period in the plastic bags. I consider it likely that this caused the melt down. They suggest to do regular, almost daily small water changes (small because of the pH that breaks down rapidly but large water changes present a problem and are dangerous). Any ideas, also with respect to the discus that I want to keep? I can not"bubble" or "ripen" the water as they suggested in huge containers prior to doing water changes - alternatively the use of 'discus buffer' to lower the pH was recommended as it will crash naturally from 9.0 within short period of time to 6.0.

Any suggestions welcome

Sounds like you have had a few dramas, but you seem to be getting on top them now. Glad you've finally found a LFS you like.

You're asking for suggestions about discus. So, have you decided not have Ramses & company shipped to you?

Well, if I lived in the US & was able to access wild discus at reasonable prices - that's what I'd be going for. Now I know you won't want to include the infamous Heckel - but I have seen such beautiful pictures of other types of wilds on the net. Besides that, I love my domestics, eg albino, alenquer, rose red, blue diamond & turks. Have I left anything out?

9pH out of the tap. Gee, I thought mine was high at around high 7's or 8. I use C02 to control my pH, so I can't say what buffers work best. Seachem is such a good brand, that I'm sure their Discus Buffer would be fine???

When you have pictures to share, I'd love to see them.

Cheers, Robyn

Cheers
TW

Claudia ...Hi ...Sounds like you've had a hell of a time during and after your move . Sorry I've been absent ..Computer trouble .
I don't like using buffers for PH issues , I'd test how much difference a standard water change makes to your whole tanks PH. I've found over time that higher PH new water doesn't change the PH of the whole tank very much but I don't have 9.0 Ph .
You could use Seachems Acid Buffer on your new water , but in my experience you'll go nuts trying to get it right.

Hope you sort it out and get the tank settled soon ..love to see some photos of course .

Garry

Gary!!!

I am so pleased to see you back in action - I hope that the computer trouble is sorted out and over. I am having trouble here as well but it is all work-related ... stress and very little time to post. Now that you are back I will have to get up to speed again:

I have added fish - a dozen tiny neon tetras. They were the only fish in purchase condition and fitting for a South American discus-themed tank (plus I wanted a change from the rummies). Now that I have ultra soft water coming out of the tap I want to keep some of the small fish that I did not want to subject to medium hard water.
Regarding your suggestion wih buffer: for bigger changes I will have to add buffer as the change in pH will be too much but I have a project: titration to mnimize the amount of it.

BTW, I think you tried R. wallichii with little success in the long run, right? I gave up on it as it looked awful within short time and I had read that this plant needs soft water. I had to give it a try and guess what? It is absolutely beautiful with bright red tops in the new set up. See here and the pic does not do it justice:


I got a dwarf lily on the way back from NYC and it forgot about dwarfism:

Didiplis diandra is also doing well

Here is a plant that I had to try as well - suppossedly it stays small, it is called 'Hygro Kompact', please pardon the quality of the shot


Some of the neons, well fed and always fighting. I am quite surprised about this behavior as they hardly school at all. I had to wait to get this shot


Now here is a project for a dedicated aquascaper: no layout at all. After the initial bacteria-mediated melt down, I was too scared to change much and allowed plants to settle in. Suggestions? I mean it - no discus yet and the plants are fairly established by now:


Waiting for (constructive) criticism but you can bang me over the head as well

Claudia

Claudia... Before any criticisms of the 'Scape' perhaps you best fill us in on your plan ...you do have a plan? or at least a preferred look that you want ... Do you want a River ..an Island ...A Beach etc ...Maybe then we can help.
On the R. wallichii front it went really well for me in the 60g for about 3 to 4 months then just died off and looked crap. One thing you have to do I think is cut the tops of and replant those and dispose of the bottoms ...PIA I know ...but it may be the only way to have it stay looking nice.

Neons ...don't get me started ..I have about 20 odd in the 60g and you are lucky to see 6 at a time ...they never school like Rummies do ...haven't seen them fight though ..probably do it out of sight . I heard that if you have a lightly planted tank and Discus they will school for protection from the big fish ...but I did not work for me with Angels .

Look forward to seeing your ideas for your scape .


Garry

I like your hygro compact. Interested to see it's progress.

I don't know if it's true or not, but I have mostly read that cardinals are better in a discus tank than neons are. Be warned though, apparently some discus like to hunt them by night, while they are small. I'm growing my cardinals up in the 72G, before I add them to the discus tank, after having read someone say "discus like to hunt cardinals by night & then pretend they know nothing about it by day".

Look forward to seeing more pictures. I guess by now, you have decided not to fly your fishy friends to your new home.

Cheers
TW

Clauda ...just let us know you are there . We are watching !!!!


Garry

I know it's been a long, long time. Finally an update and some more fish!Robyn was corrct to assume that Idecided against flying the discus and companions to my new home. Too much of a hazzle and it took a very long time until the tank was finally ready for more fish. Last weekend I finally got something 'bigger' into the talk:

this is what the tank looks like right now as everybody can see, I did not turn into a dedicated aquascaper yet. At least, no algae problems, no meltdown anymore. I had a huge and pretty sword that decided to develop flowers (approximately 30 cm out of the water), but when I cut them off, the plant was not exactly grateful and developed nasty holes in the leaves. It looked almost like a Madagaskar Lace plant. If anyone knows what type of deficiency could have caused this, please let me know!

Out it went and in camethe new inhabitants. Garry, they are for you!
Power in numbers! They are only quarter-sized and afraid of the neons ...
and another close up

Theseare wild caught P. Leopoldi and supposedly more aggressive than the mild mannered, tank raised P. scalare. So far, I haven't noticed any of this. Quite to te contrary, they shy away from almost everything, a little bit of a discus-like behavior.

Reddish plants are doing fine, see M. tuberculatum and I did a big trimming two days ago


Next week, I will add dwarf cichlids, they have very nice Bolivian Rams in the store I bought the Leopoldis. Unfortunately, the store is a good 40 minute-drive away from home and shipments of fish take there time to arrive. That's it for now!

welcome back claudia

Looking nice & the angels look very happy.

So, I guess there are to be no more round fish for you?

Cheers
TW

Hi Robyn,

so good to hear from you! I am taking a short break from round fish, nothing more. I decided on this because I will move within the next 6 months or so again and do not want to move juvenile discus at this point. The time frame that was required to get this tank up and running again got me thinking and I know that my job will not leave me with enough time to take the next move at a leisurely pace. Plus, I want to upgrade to a larger tank for the round fish, 150G is what I have in mind.

The wild, little Leopoldis are cute but they are by no means boisterous as the shop owner told me. More like discus - hiding.

I have to check your tanks ...

Claudia

Changing cities again, or just moving somewhere more permanent?

Moving tanks is such a pain. 2 weekends ago, I moved contents of the 4ft tank (African cichlids) into the 3ft (the divided one, ex honeymoon suite). Plants from the divided 3ft went into the 4ft & some into the 7ft. Took me all weekend to clean out & swap everying over, & I wasn't even moving house, so I don't envy you your upcoming task.

I wondered about the round fish thing, as lots of people say that you shouldn't mix angels & round fish.

Sounds like you have a good plan. Hope you enjoy your time with Angels, but hope you do come back to round fish. It's been nice to share my love for them with someone who understands the passion.

Cheers
TW

Wow, i can't believe you've found leopoldi's Ive been looking for them everywhere, even online, but i cant find a single place that stocks them.

But anyway, they all look amazing And I love how they all shoal together in a tight pack.

Hi,

I don't know where you are located but if you are US and really want these fish, Isuggest that you contact the store I got mine from. They ship within the US!

The link is htpp://www.unclenedsfishfactory.com

Mine were reasonably priced (considering that the Northeast is expensive).

Hi Cat,
You might want to double check your typing.
The link takes you to an "Unknown Site."

Frank

-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Hi Frank:


This is what I copied, please type it in if it is not working

http://unclenedsfishfactory.com/

The site comes up, guaranteed

Hi Cat,
This time it worked. I dunno...
Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--