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candywife posted:I have some neat small pieces of beach driftwood that I'd like to throw in my tank for my pleco to nibble on. I'm guessing you don't have a saltwater tank, otherwise you could just check the specific gravity of the water it's been soaking in. Maybe try freezing some of the water? I don't know what level of salinity would prevent it from freezing though.
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Oct 30, 2013 02:14
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| # ? May 11, 2024 13:50 |
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Tannins won't hurt the fish. As far as salt content, I'd highly doubt it's an issue after a few hours of boiling. You could always taste the water. 
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Oct 30, 2013 04:37
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Tannis is good for your fish. They prefer the color and something aboutthe tannic nutrients are good fort hem as well. Some captive bred fish only breed in tannic water in captivity.
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Oct 30, 2013 06:48
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Ever since my Siamese Algae Eater decided to jump out of a tiny hole, the algae situation in my 29g planted has deteriorated. I'm going to list the current stock, list what I'm thinking of adding, and hope someone here has other ideas, or notices any possible issues. Stock: 1 2.5" Cinnamon Loach (similar to a Kuhli Loach, but brown) 3 2.5-3" South American Bumblebee Catfish (will hopefully get traded in when I buy algae eaters, if I can catch the drat things) 1 5" Albino Polypterus senegalus 1 4" Polypterus ansorgii 1 2" Dwarf Flame Gourami 1 3/4" Convict 1 Nerite Snail Malaysian Trumpet Snails What I'd like to add: 1-3 Siamese Algae Eaters 1-2 Farlowella (my LFS usually has acus and gracilis, I'd prefer gracilis) 1-2 Bristlenose Plecos (longfin albino if I can get them) The SAE's worked out fine before, and I doubt the Farlowella or Bristlenose would go after the slime coats on the Bichirs. Amano shrimp would be awesome, but they'd just be really expensive food. I'm also considering adding a small school of something, probably Rummynose Tetras and/or an Angel of some sort, since the tank looks pretty empty. So, any suggestions? Algae eaters, and top/mid water fish that won't become Bichir food like the seven other tiny convicts I had.
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Oct 30, 2013 08:02
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Got rid of the SA Bumblebee Cats. Picked up an albino Bristlenose Pleco, a small Angel, and 11 Lampeye Tetras. They didn't have any true SAE's unfortunately. Also got a medium sized Salvini for my bigger tank. It's weird to have stocking space and nice to finally fill it and make it look like I actually have fish in my tank. So now I need an SAE or three and a new bulb and I can finally get rid of this algae.
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Oct 31, 2013 22:18
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29 gallon is way too small for two polypterus, is this a growout?
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Nov 1, 2013 00:32
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Whale Cancer posted:29 gallon is way too small for two polypterus, is this a growout? Yep. The 40 breeder is the eventual home, but it's currently got a 10-11" Poly endlicheri growing out in it. The two in the 29 would be delicious snacks. I believe that a tank should be 6" wider than the largest fish, so I'll unfortunately have to rehome the Endli at 12", but I have a buyer lined up who I know will love and care for it, so I don't mind too much. It eats any other Bichir under 5" or so, and has tried to eat one 7-8" long. Once it hits 12" it is gone, and my smaller Bichirs get a new home.
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Nov 1, 2013 01:50
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Ive got a baby delhezi in my 75, hes about 4". Hes sharing the tank with a school of congo tetras and a couple of sydontis cats and a green terror.
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Nov 1, 2013 02:25
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Okay, so I threw the driftwood in my tank and haven't noticed any weird stuff going on with the water. Probably helps that the piece was smaller than my hand. My albino bristlenose pleco LOVES it and she has been chowing down on it often and oddly enough, my goldfish likes to push it around the tank. 
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Nov 2, 2013 08:03
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Hmmm, all the baby snails that were in my tank a couple of days ago seem to have vanished and one of my adult ramshorns has died too. The parameters are fine, so I'm assuming that they just can't handle ultra-soft welsh water, either that or the minnows ate them off the glass but that seems unlikely.
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Nov 2, 2013 11:39
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Just replaced my ~40 liter with a 90 liter (45x45x45) and holy gently caress was that a chore. Took 6 hours. Will post pictures soon. The Betta is tooling around checking out his new digs. He seems to appreciate the extra volume killing the current of my canister filter.
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Nov 2, 2013 15:26
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Alright, fun times. Was doing a little research and found some people saying baby tears grow best emersed, so I figured I would give it a shot. I went out to get some Eco Complete, but all I could find was Seachem Flourite Red. This is literally the worst substrate I have ever worked with. I absolutely cannot get it clean. I've cleaned gravel, eco complete, and sand, and they all worked out fine using the bucket + running water method. Not so much with the Flourite. It'll get to the point after about half an hour where it's running clean, but the slightest disturbance and the water turns to mud instantly. Over and over. I also found this in it: A rather sizable chunk of glass (Contact lens case for size comparison). And the more I sift through it, the more I realize there are a fair amount of small shards of glass throughout. Do plants just love shards of glass, or....? In any case, I gave up on rinsing it and will just fill the tank very slowly in a few months when it's time to. In the meantime, I planted my baby tears.  After planting the twentieth clump, you get pretty good with a pair of tweezers  After planting the fiftieth clump, you start bargaining with God, praying that he lets your experiment work.
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Nov 2, 2013 22:43
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Anyone know their stuff with LED lighting? Tempted to upgrade in a month or two. The Korean stores all use LEDs and their tanks all look gorgeous.
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Nov 3, 2013 05:37
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Eifert Posting posted:Anyone know their stuff with LED lighting? Tempted to upgrade in a month or two. The Korean stores all use LEDs and their tanks all look gorgeous. I went off this :http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=160396 And that is how I ended up with a fugeray that has done well. Far as the information I've seen, the big key with lighting no matter what type is keeping your ferts to the appropriate levels. If you are running high lights with too little ferts, the plants won't grow well. On the other hand, too much ferts with minimal lighting, and you get algae and such. So you can't really go wrong with lighting outside of improper color spectrum. Also, I ran across a video on youtube you guys might enjoy. It is a three tiered aquarium setup mirroring the low water levels of some rice paddies. They had one male betta for a little color that was supposed to hang out in the upper area. The fish though kept ending up in the basin area. He would "jump" down the tiers to the bottom. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkfWg35lgXU
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Nov 3, 2013 07:35
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That betta is so cool. Crafty little fish. So, since I want to get rid of my snail infestation, I was thinking of changing the gravel of my tank for something else, and since my anubia is growing so well (my java fern has lost a few leaves and the ones left have some brown spots in them, yet there's one tiny new fern growing off the tip of one leaf  ), I was wondering what other plant i can add to my tank. I've seen pictures of beautiful planted nano tanks, but I don't wanna deal with CO2 and anything that complicated in my 5 gallon tank, so any idea of what kind of small plant I could add that won't grow fast, but will cover part of the bottom? I thought about java moss, but I've seen different comments online about how it grows really fast. Would baby tears be another easy option?
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Nov 3, 2013 08:08
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Java Fern grows fast... for a moss. It'll be fine. It's not really ground cover though. Untrimmed, it just forms bushy looking clumps.   The way to do this is to either weave it into a metal or plastic mesh that'll cover the bottom of the aquarium. I've never had much luck with that method myself, all my moss has pretty much withered on plastic mesh, but they absolutely thrive when attached to driftwood. I like fissidens, but its a really really slow grower. The plant doesnt reach much more than an inch in height though, and if you've got the patience, you can get a really nice carpet/patches of it.  I cant even imagine the amount of time it took to do this scape:  It's a really really hardy, but incredibly slow growing plant. I got a patch a few inches across when I first started getting into the hobby again a few years ago. It's only tripled in size. I suppose I could put more effort into propogating it, but yeah. Slow. Synthbuttrange fucked around with this message at 08:20 on Nov 3, 2013 |
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Nov 3, 2013 08:16
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I guess I should also update on my aquarium while I'm at it. Mainly, the reason for the silence was because I gutted the original one for a new layout. Poor fish lived in a bucket for a few weeks while the tank cycled back in. Due to the height in one of the drift wood, removing it would have caused the bottom layer to come up and dirty the tank which it did). So I tore it down and cleaned everything real good. Previously, I was using aquasoil normal type. I was able to obtain the powder type for this go around which has been oh so much better. Water circulation is also better. And yes, I took precautions while they were in the bucket. I used a small airstone powered filter (kind of surprised at the current as I used to laugh at those things) along with a 30% water change every other day.
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Nov 3, 2013 10:08
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I am entirely new to this, but figured I would join in as the forums have always been an excellent place for learning about new hobbies and I'm sure I will have many questions. A month or so ago some friends asked my wife if she would like some fish, their teenage daughter had lost interest and was not looking after them properly. My wife said we would have them as our boys love fish. So we ended up with a Black Moor and a Fan Tail in a small, empty tank. No pump, nothing but some ugly gravel. The fish were not happy and after a trip to the local aquarium shop I was sent home with a water testing kid and instructions to call them back with the results. They basically needed a complete water transplant and were suffering severe ill effects from ammonia. They have better environment now and mostly seem to be on the mend. The fantail is still spending a lot of time sat on the bottom but treatment continues. Last week after a rare lie-in I woke up to be advised by my wife that she had bought a bigger tank and I needed to drive down to Dorset to get it. This is what I found :  A 3ft tank on a stand, previously used for marine and in a grotty state. The guy gave me the rocks along with it. Another trip to the fish shop resulted in instructions on how to clean it and a plan to set it up for a planted tropical tank. They also bought the old marine rocks off me which covered half the price of the tank, it cost £25 in all not including all the bits we needed to get to set it up. We are a week down the line now and itching to get some fish into this thing.  Excuse the skull, as mentioned we have two small boys, everything has skulls. Also I have snails, I assume they came with the plants, from reading this thread they seem to turn up by magic regardless of what you actually want.  We are thinking to stay safe with some Danios as the first arrivals, once it is ready. The ammonia and nitrate seem to have been sat at around 0.25 for a few days now. Also my wife would like an Angelfish, any thoughts on that? They seem more of an intermediate fish than for beginners.
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Nov 3, 2013 10:47
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Jekub posted:I am entirely new to this, but figured I would join in as the forums have always been an excellent place for learning about new hobbies and I'm sure I will have many questions. A month or so ago some friends asked my wife if she would like some fish, their teenage daughter had lost interest and was not looking after them properly. My wife said we would have them as our boys love fish. So we ended up with a Black Moor and a Fan Tail in a small, empty tank. No pump, nothing but some ugly gravel. I'm no expert but if your goldfish are in a small filterless tank right now it'd probably be best to put them in the big one asap, then do regular water tests / changes.
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Nov 3, 2013 11:00
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Extra Smooth Balls posted:I'm no expert but if your goldfish are in a small filterless tank right now it'd probably be best to put them in the big one asap, then do regular water tests / changes. Sorry, I didn't make that clear, they are in upgraded accommodation now. They have a pump, a cycled environment and some decoration / hiding places to keep them happy. They are still in the small tank and still under medication, it is much easier to treat them in a 15 liter tank than a 150+. The Black Moor has a clean bill of health but we are still working on the fantail. They'll move to a larger tank in the next couple of weeks all being well but I've been advised that putting then in a tropical environment would not be ideal.
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Nov 3, 2013 11:10
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If those are real plants goldfish would enact a holocaust upon them. Is that just gravel for the substrate?
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Nov 3, 2013 11:20
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Eifert Posting posted:If those are real plants goldfish would enact a holocaust upon them. All real, and yeah, I won't be putting goldfish in there if that would be the outcome, they can stick to playing with their plastic plants in other tank. The substrate is in two layers, there is soil at the bottom, bit mixed up in places now.
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Nov 3, 2013 11:29
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Ah, good. There are lots of easy tropical species that play nice with plants. I wouldn't put goldfish in with that if you paid me. Try skinning some boiled peas and throwing them to the goldfish if you wanna see what would happen. Would be the most expensive salad you've ever been privy to.
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Nov 3, 2013 11:37
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Java fern and anubias are too tough for goldfish to usually bother with most of the time. Depends on how desperate your goldfish are though.
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Nov 3, 2013 11:39
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Not a great picture and I definitely need to pull up some (more) vals but I really, REALLY like how this tank looks when the sun hits it. I only get to see it like this on weekends, so it's a little bit of a special treat.  There's something about filtered sunlight that just can't be beat, if you ask me. In sadder news, my little betta buddy Ray Bill was floating when I checked him this morning. Not sure what happened, parameters are all good. Poor little guy  Also means I have now-empty 6.6 gallon bookshelf tank with nothing but snails in it. I don't think I want to get another betta, Ray Bill was my boy and it wouldn't be right to just replace him.
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Nov 3, 2013 19:04
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SynthOrange posted:Java Fern grows fast... for a moss. It'll be fine. It's not really ground cover though. Untrimmed, it just forms bushy looking clumps.  that plant is so pretty! I hope I can find it in a store.
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Nov 3, 2013 20:20
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So, I think I need some help with my CO2 setup. I am pretty sure it murdered all (except 1) of my forktails last week while I was away at a conference. But I have 4 baby angles 5 or 6 otos and 12 amano shrimp that are all fine even after the rainbow apocalypse. I feel like my bubble counter and drop chekcer might be to blame but I'm not sure what else to do? My drop checker is always a light tealish color (see picture) which according to the chart that it came with is low on CO2 but my bubble counter seems to be reading well above the advised 3 bubble per second count. I tested the water when I got back and everything showed up fine, but the last rainbow was surface swimming, which corrected itself after adding an airstone. This is my first CO2 setup and I'm just not sure on how to tweak the set up for max plant growth. My ground cover is glasso and just now at the 4ish month mark I am starting to see some new growth, most of the other plants are doing okay but not as awesome as I would expect with as much light and CO2 as is going into the tank. I think I just need help on how to tweak my dosing and CO2 without murdering more fish? Help! Here is a terrible cell phone picture 
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Nov 3, 2013 22:36
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In updated news on the apacolypse of algae in my tank: I have given up. The test kits say my water is stellar, I have only lost a fish in a few months and it was to cichlid aggression. If my tank wants to look like a rotting decaying swamp so be it. I will change my water and wipe down the insides but I am done trying to stem the ever advancing tide of green and brown.
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Nov 3, 2013 23:13
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Ray Bill is a good joke. A+. Would laugh again.
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Nov 4, 2013 00:21
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I want to moderatelt plant my 75 with low and medium light plants and would like to keep it low tech and no c02. Would the finnex ray 2 be a good choice for lights?
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Nov 4, 2013 06:01
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I would think you'd be better off with the Fugeray. PAR above 50 is considered high light - I'm assuming you're using a 48" fixture, so the Ray 2 puts you at 56-73 PAR at a depth of 18", and the Fugeray puts you at 38-48. Those PAR values are through open air, so not sure what the real world values work out to, but I feel like the Ray 2 might end up giving you just a bit too much light for a low tech option. People are successfully growing baby tears with the Fugeray, so at the very least, it shouldn't be underpowered for your application.
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Nov 4, 2013 07:32
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I totally
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Nov 4, 2013 09:43
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Current status of my 3.5g tank: That peacock moss is really loving the hell out of the tank, it's taking up all available space basically. The pothos roots in the back help keep the water clean too, it's drat near pristine. Red cherry shrimp and trumpet snails are the main inhabitants. There's a small number of limpet snails, but they're kept in check by the more active tank inhabitants. With all that surface area on the moss for stuff to grow on, the snails and shrimp almost dont need feeding. There's some anubias at the bottom, who dont seem to mind the moss hogging all the light.
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Nov 4, 2013 10:46
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I think I have finally worked out the last issue with the fantail, it looks like the pump was creating a bit to much current in the tank for him. I had switched it off last night and he sprang into life as soon as the flow stopped. A bit of rearranging of decorations and changing where the pump outlet points and he finally seems happy again, swimming about and back to normal. I can move onto getting a new tank for them now that is sorted.
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Nov 4, 2013 12:12
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Here's the new tank.   I have a video with the details. If you think you know what the plants are let me know. The language barrier means I never reeeeeaaaally know what I'm buying. Eifert Posting fucked around with this message at 14:28 on Nov 4, 2013 |
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Nov 4, 2013 13:47
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Eifert Posting posted:Here's the new tank. I believe that stuff in the back corner by the filter is called Amazon Compacta. I have a ton in my tank and it grows really well.
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Nov 4, 2013 18:03
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Eifert Posting posted:Here's the new tank. Using your second photo as a reference, the red stuff in the back looks like alteranthera reineckii. Short foreground stuff looks like probably dwarf hairgrass. Anubias Barteri on the wood, Java ferns front right (you knew those, I'm sure). Green stem plant behind the ferns looks like a hygrophilia of some sort. Swordplant looks like a plain 'ol amazon sword.
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Nov 4, 2013 19:51
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How is it my betta has the most personality of all my fish?
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Nov 5, 2013 20:13
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Mine is a Betta Photobombens. It's a rare subspecies. Little jerk has to be in every shot.
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Nov 6, 2013 01:47
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I bought 4 of these plants because they were selling for about 80 cents each and they look like the rare and expensive plant (Purple Bamboo) that I'm actually looking for. Any idea what it is?
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Nov 7, 2013 11:54
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