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Thanks for all the hard work on getting a new thread up and running. Started working on the bowl again as sharing some pics.  I am thinking to add driftwood to this again, still undecided though..  Covered and ready for a few days of festering before I plant it.  demonR6 fucked around with this message at 03:00 on Jun 17, 2013 |
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Jun 17, 2013 00:09
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| # ¿ Apr 16, 2024 15:11 |
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On the topic of plant selection, please do yourself a favor and read the plant profiles section on The Planted Tank forum. It is a great resource and has really good images of all the plants represented along with the water and light requirements. Nothing sucks more than buying a really neat plant only to find out it needs high light and C02 then your plant dies and you are scratching your head why. Once you find a few you like and think would work, post up and ask us since we may have our two cents to add. Using plain gravel or sand you will not be able to sustain healthy plants unless you are using root tabs or adding liquid ferts to help maintain your plants. Fish poop makes great fertilizer but is not the be all, end all to maintain healthy plants.
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Jun 17, 2013 13:42
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jadebullet posted:So I have one of those bubble clams and I am having a bitch of a time with it currently. It is held together at the hinge with a single metal pin that comes in from one side only. Anyway, my dragon goby keeps playing with it and the pin ends up sliding entirely out so the top of the shell comes off. Does anyone have any suggestions on what I can do to secure the pin that wouldn't harm the fish at all? Heavy test fishing line.. if you can run it through, tie it off with a couple of loops through it and done deal.
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Jun 17, 2013 14:34
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demonR6 posted:Heavy test fishing line.. if you can run it through, tie it off with a couple of loops through it and done deal. I made some links to the plant profiles on TPT if you would like to update the OP. I will edit this if you choose to use it in the OP (or not) to remove all the clutter. Mosses - Java Moss- Low light, slow growth, very easy to keep. Christmas Moss - High light, slow growth, hard to keep. Peacock Moss - Medium light, fast grower, easy to keep. Fissidens Fontanus - Medium light, very very slow growth, easy to keep. Taiwan Moss - Medium light, fast growth, easy to keep. Willow Moss - Low light, slow growth, easy to keep. Anubias - Low to medium light, very slow growth, easy to keep. Lesser Duckweed - All ranges of light, fast grower, easy to keep. Caution this plant can overrun your tank in a very short amount of time choking out all the light. Amazon Frogbit - Low to medium light, fast grower, easy to keep. Tropical Hornwort - Low light, very fast growth, very easy to keep. Water Sprite - Low to medium light, very fast growth, very easy to keep. Cryptocoryne (Crypt) Wendtii - High to low light, slow growth, easy to keep. There are a number of varieties available under this species, picked one of the more common US varieties. Vallisneria (Jungle Val) - Low to medium light, very fast growth, very easy to keep. One of many vallisneria variety. Java Fern - Very low light, slow growth, easy to keep.
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Jun 17, 2013 15:28
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SynthOrange posted:Thanks! Did have to use an edited down version to keep the whole post in the limit, but the plants have picture links now! No problem. I did not know what the limit was but anything is better than nothing right? Cowslips Warren posted:One would be fine but would be a bit dull! In a planted 10 you could easily do 6 or so, depending on the rest of your stock (my pea puffers, however, tore the poo poo out of any fish they could grab a hold of, at least fin-wise) and in a planted 5, a trio would be good. That is the one thing I heard about them, they don't play nice with other tank mates which is funny considering how small they are.
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Jun 18, 2013 14:32
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This snap won me a photo contest a while back. Daddy save meeeeee!!  He was a great fish.. died a few months after that pic. My wife saw him at PetCo and brought him home. He had hole-in-the-head at the time and we were able to cure it but he kept on getting ill as a result of his lowered immune system battling the infection.
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Jun 19, 2013 14:07
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Funny thing about plants, even a stray leaf in healthy condition will have a good chance of sprouting a root and growing into a new plant. I see it happen all the time in my tanks and it is really neat. And sad news, my betta Max who I have had now going on four years is not looking too good. I think old age is finally catching up to him. Over the past few months has has not been himself and recently his fins have started looking ragged, his color is dulling and he has become less active over the past two weeks. He sits on a leaf or in a dark corner of his little bridge. I am going to be really sad, he has been my office companion for a few years at work and here at my home office now. demonR6 fucked around with this message at 17:57 on Jun 19, 2013 |
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Jun 19, 2013 17:52
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Frogbit control is much more simple than salvina clogging every nook and cranny of your tank. Fishing that out is a pain in the rear end I can tell you and even when you think you got it all, it's back before you know it. I have both, the salvina was purposefully introduced back when I was starting the tank to control the excess nutrients and ammonia when I established the tank and it was quite effective. I have been trying to eradicate it from my tank since then.. The frogbit though, I pick off what I want when I feel it is getting crowded in there and move it to another one of my tanks while picking out any undesirable plants from them in the process and throwing them out in the trash.
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Jun 20, 2013 14:41
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You could cap it with about a half inch of play sand once you drain it then you do not have to worry about floating things. You aren't removing anything though, I sifted two bags of MGOCPS down to a consistency of finely ground coffee and it has been growing plants for two years now successfully.
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Jun 21, 2013 02:49
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Check the Swap & Shop section of The Planted Tank. There are a number of members there from Bay area who routinely sell on the forum. I haven't forgotten about the bowl pics, I just don't have anything other than the initial pics. I set everything up, moistened the hell out of the dirt and planted a few cuttings then put a saran wrap top on it while misting it daily to get things started. I am adding plants gradually and capping with black play sand hoping to have this ready to flood in the next week or so.
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Jun 21, 2013 11:49
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Red Mike posted:I figured this might happen a few days ago. Went up to change the ice bag in my tank a few minutes ago, all my neon tetras were dead at the surface of the water, as well as two corydoras. Temperature was up to 38C, despite having just added more ice not more than 20 minutes before. I should have realised this would happen when I got it, but I completely forgot how outrageous the temperatures in my dorm get during heat waves. In this case I would have recommended buying a chiller either a stand alone unit or the fans that mount on the tank, they can drop temps by 5-8 degrees.
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Jun 21, 2013 11:52
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Check eBay, they have these twin fans that hang on the back of your tank and just above the water line blowing air on the water. I would link them but I am at work. They are not too expensive and it was a trick I was using in my other home to cool the water down as it got brutal hot in my room too. I had two in service, one on each end blowing and it kept things stable. They were fairly quiet too. Are you in the states? You can check your local Craigslist ads too, I have seen them in the Orlando locals when people are getting out of saltwater selling off all their gear.Me in Reverse posted:How hot does your dorm get that your tank water was 100 degrees F? Amen to that, I would invest in a portable room A/C.. demonR6 fucked around with this message at 13:11 on Jun 21, 2013 |
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Jun 21, 2013 13:08
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Here is a though, since you can't put tin foil on the windows, buy the thermal black out window curtains that keep the heat out.
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Jun 21, 2013 13:55
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Go for low light, easy to maintain plants for bowls. For lighting buy a desk lamp and a compact fluorescent bulb 5000-6000K preferably and set it on a timer for 6-8 hours unless you can place it somewhere that it will get natural light part day then you can turn down the amount of time. In the OP there is a section on plants with a link to some that you can use also a link to The Planted Tank forum where they have a very comprehensive list of plants and their requirements.
demonR6 fucked around with this message at 00:36 on Jun 22, 2013 |
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Jun 22, 2013 00:34
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Looks like things are going well in there.
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Jun 22, 2013 15:00
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@ booshi - some bettas cannot have tank mates, of any kind.. even snails. @ cheese you have no idea what our overseas friends sprayed on that rack you have and with a 99% probability that it will foul your water with some harmful chemical I would not risk it. If not bricks can you find large enough river stones? Our local Lowe's has some pretty big river stones or maybe even create a small pile of them placed in strategic locations?
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Jun 22, 2013 21:13
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My Max started off translucent with orange and hints of blue then over the years the orange took over almost completely covering him. Now that he is older the blue took over leaving him with an orange helmet. Sadly I think his time with us is almost coming to an end and his health is getting worse so I may not have him much longer. My other bettas also go through color changes but Max has been the most dramatic.
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Jun 22, 2013 21:55
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Equally invasive.. salvina minima.
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Jun 23, 2013 04:37
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Drop checkers are cheap, I suggest getting one. Also you can find the solution for sale from some reputable members on the planted tank forum in the swap & shop section as well. Before you start cranking up the C02 I think you should really consider that. Great for your plants, your fish on the other hand may not appreciate it. Driftwood, manzanita.. TPT as well, lots of people sell it there and for a 55 I would say Plantbrain is hands down the best source for it. I have a friend using the Ray II in his 55 and has a forest of Cambomba across the back of his tank that is amazing.
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Jun 23, 2013 06:11
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I know I mentioned I would post pics of the bowl in progress. Since set up pics are boring as hell I skipped those. These two taken this morning are more interesting. The soil is capped with black moon sand and soaked thoroughly. I have been gradually planting as I get decent cuttings and misting daily then covering with saran wrap to hold the moisture. My latest addition was the dwarf hair grass and the red/pink altenanthera in the center of the bowl. I have a few more cuttings that are soaking now in a tub that will go in the next couple of days. I am gradually flooding it using the misting technique where it will eventually get high enough that I will drip in the water slowly as to not make a hot mess. The bowl is next to a window sill as you can see by the pic and gets minimal light up until late afternoon where it will get partial sun from the left corner. It is supplemented with a 13W CFL bulb running 4 hours. I'll keep taking pics and updating with progress. I hope to have it filled completely in a couple of weeks with the shrimp added first then the Chili Rasboras later in a month's time when I am confident the parameters are suited for it. My 20L is right next to it stocked with hundreds of cherry shrimp so it will be a simple catch and release.  
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Jun 23, 2013 15:03
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So long as you are not tearing down the tank completely you should be fine planting and not having to rehome the betta. I would at least move him out while you are planting though. If you can avoid netting him, I use one of those hang on back breeder boxes and lure him to the top with food and scoop him before he realizes what is up. Cover the top so he does not jump out and you are all good. There are a few varieties of Japanese aquascaping stone available some more expensive than others. Don't just throw any stone in there because some are harmful for fish.
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Jun 23, 2013 19:56
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You could use pH down chemicals but then that ends up being a regimen. I think the brick needs to go. Try making it out of cpvc as mentioned earlier.
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Jun 23, 2013 22:25
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Yep, when I had my betta aquarium at work I had pothos growing along the top and some managed to work its way underwater and grew quite nicely.
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Jun 24, 2013 01:15
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My clown loach has been methodically picking apart the snail population and doing a great job at it. Sure he icked on me the week I got him but since then he is a super star leaving a trail of empty shells in his path.
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Jun 25, 2013 03:21
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cheese posted:So my little container pond has been up and running for a few days now. Looks cool, keep the updates coming.
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Jun 27, 2013 19:08
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cheese posted:Thanks, will do! How much sun would be too much sun for those plants? One of the shoots on the frogbit turned brown and a few of the golden candle leaves on the side that gets morning sun are starting to shrivel a bit. Direct sunlight for extended periods of time would cause what you are experiencing especially if the plants did not initially come from similar conditions so your choices are move it to where it will get some more shade or see what plants work / won't work. SOrt of like when plants like crypts etc. get transplanted wilt when you move them into a new tank.
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Jun 28, 2013 19:17
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Ugh. I had to euthanize Max a little while ago. I came in to feed the fish this morning and he was sitting there perched on a plant near the surface. His fins were looking more and more ragged by the day, losing all color and you can tell he was struggling to maintain. We fed him one last meal, and then I decided it was for the best. It's a betta, why am I a wreck now.  Pardon me if I go afk from the thread for a while.
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Jun 30, 2013 17:37
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I bought two 5 gallon water containers, the kind you get at the supermarket or big box store like Wal-Mart.. I have those filled and treated, ready to go for water changes or in your case emergencies.
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Jul 7, 2013 19:28
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I have three German Blues in my 55 and they are very personable.. they don't tear up the plants and get along with all the other inhabitants. No experience with the others but I heard Electric Blues will work also.
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Jul 9, 2013 13:54
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I found two fry when cleaning out my ZooMed 501 canister once. Since it is a smaller filter I would clean it out every two to three weeks so that gives you an idea how long they were in there. They were fine, I threw them back into the main tank and no harm, no foul.
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Jul 15, 2013 13:23
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I am going to second the suggestion that mindofme made. I have a rubberlip that is afraid of its own shadow. He sees us from a distance and darts under his hiding place and feeding him in the day is almost pointless so I drop his wafer in right before I go to bed in front of his cave. He is always out at night because I did a ninja mission one evening and found him out and about.
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Jul 17, 2013 13:55
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The problem when you replace a filter in smaller tanks is that is where all your beneficial bacteria are mostly at. There are beneficial bacteria everywhere, plants, gravel other surfaces etc. but the bulk being in your filter. When you change the filter out for a new one you are practically starting from scratch again but you have the benefit of having at least some bacteria already in there so it is not like a brand spanking new tank. Either way it is almost like a mini-cycle so your tank parameters out of whack causing the situation you are experiencing. Other's will probably help me out here correcting me where I am off or offering their own suggestions. But my solution to that is I always add a product called FlorinBacter when I swap out the filters in my nano tanks where I keep my bettas. I used that same product to cycle my 20L, my 55 and my sister's 37 and not a single fish was lost. The 20L was more worrisome because it was the aquarium I used to start my red cherry colony and that would have been a disaster if I had the tank parameters go sideways on me. I was turned on to that product by a friend of mine who breeds and sells tropicals and he swears by it. Also another route you may consider, get a mesh bag they sell for adding the bio media and add a handful into it. Keep it in the tank hanging off the back somewhere out of the way. You now have a bacteria colony in place so when you change the filter you are not removing the massive amount all at once. I actually keep a bag in my 20L which is the longest established tank and whenever I break down one of the nano tanks I drop it into the tank to jump start the colony.
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Jul 21, 2013 15:23
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Mean Bean posted:Scoping out my chosen fish store for when I set up my tank and I saw some Galaxy Rasbora/Celestial Pearl Danio and they were sooo pretty! http://www.tfhmagazine.com/details/articles/the-celestial-pearl-danio-a-cautionary-tale.htm I have a school of twelve Celestial Pearl Danios in my 55 and they are great fish. You have to be careful though on your source because there are people selling wild-caught and they come with a host of problems and you end up with dead fish. My LFS was carrying them and got a batch from a supplier who claimed they were not wild-caught and within two weeks they were all dead. They were just unhealthy, sick fish.. even looking at them you knew something was not right. I have had mine for over a year without a single loss, they school well with the Cardinal Tetras I have as well. dirtycajun posted:Guys with planted tanks, what Chem treatments do you use weekly/ daily? The 20L I have is dirt, no chemicals except what I used to initially cycle. The 55 I dose with Brightwell Florin Multi on every filter change.
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Jul 30, 2013 17:00
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See what a night of listening to Al Green will get you..
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Aug 13, 2013 13:05
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Looks like Windelov java, great plant.
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Aug 14, 2013 02:04
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Want to try a cool experiment? Pull off random leaves from the different plants in your tank and let them float on the top.. if the conditions are right you will see roots pop up and before you know it, random plant.
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Aug 14, 2013 14:27
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If there is something wrong with that batch of food there may be cause for concern.
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Aug 20, 2013 13:41
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Being that it is a new tank, brown diatom algae is not out of the ordinary. Oto's will eat it. If it persists then your water parameters may be off i.e. phosphates. Also increasing the lighting intensity may help but honestly the Oto's went to town on mine.
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Aug 20, 2013 15:22
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dirtycajun posted:My god, I leave for a 14.5 hour shift and the problem went nuts... I thought having a bunch of plants was supposed to curb algae problems. I have these white wispy strands, I have brown and green, I have brown wispy strands, what the hell did I do to my tank Plants won't help with brown diatoms and the other algae may be the water is off i.e. too much iron, etc. Could be anything really. Your lighting has not changed at all?? How old are the bulbs if you don't mind my asking??
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Aug 21, 2013 02:38
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| # ¿ Apr 16, 2024 15:11 |
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dirtycajun posted:A bunch of brand new really bright LEDs Some LED set ups are not ideal for growing plants. The Marineland single light for example are not good for it and you end up with an algae farm and dead plants. I don't know what constitutes a good or bad LED setup for growing plants so I cannot answer that intelligently but maybe we can look at that angle. Eifert Posting posted:
I have two 240gph canister filters on a 55g.. one extra basically. I agree that overkill is sweet. If something breaks, you have another. Gotta break it down for routine cleaning? No problem you have a second unit up and running. demonR6 fucked around with this message at 14:25 on Aug 21, 2013 |
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Aug 21, 2013 14:23
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