A lot of you would know that I have two display tanks set up - 46g (175L) and a 23g (90L).
I received my first ever shipment order last night, and was very excited to get home and find about a dozen new plants & 4 new baby clown loaches!
Following advice from Nutter & Carol (aka Butterfly), I gave the plants a quick ice bath (finding a stowaway in the process) and floated them in my 46g.
I then set up a drip acclimating bucket and added my newest fin babies. Knowing I had to leave the house for about 1.5hrs, I put a second glass bowl under the lip of the bucket incase for some reason the bucket overflowed in my absence. Assuming I had all my bases covered, I left for my dance class.
I came home to discover an upended bucket, with 2 new babies sitting in a miniscule amount of water left in the side of the bucket, and the other 2 on the carpet. One of my cats was sitting eagerly watching one of the fish, and the other slunk out of the house as soon as she saw me enter the lounge.
Needless to say, in a panic, I scooped up the loaches, expecting them to be dead, and both the carpet ones started flopping around. Into the tank they went!
I saw two of them over the rest of the night, and the other two went into hiding. I don't know what I will come home to tonight, all I know is everyone will be getting some bloodworms!!
I DID take photos, but my stupid work computer is not recognising my phone, nor is my phone sending the pics to my work email address. So you are all going to have to wait for that till I can figure things out! Sorry...
Cats. What a pain in the rear end they can be. Clown Loaches are usually pretty tough critters so hopefully they will be alright. I emptied & redocorated a tank once & couldn't find one of the four Clowns I had in it. I shoveled substrate around all over the place, looked in every plant, piece of wood & rock that was in the tank before & couldn't find it anywhere. Once I had put the new decor in & started to refill the tank, surprise surprise, there was my missing Clown. Swimming around in the tank, quite happy with the world. That tank was empty for about 2hrs. It must have had enough moisture somewhere in the substrate for it to stay alive. That same fish still lives in one of my mates tanks.
Can't wait to see the pics when you get a computer to work properly for you. Glad your Loaches are still alive to.
So.... things are progressing MUCH better! I am glad I got that pH in the 46G today though, that spiked from 7.4 to 8.6 in 24 hours, a week after it was put in.
Pics:
1. I put down the bucket for 2 seconds to rest, and one of my cats got thirsty...
2. The setup to drip acclimate the loaches
3. Drip acclimation
4. My new babies!
5. Plants temporarily dumped in.
I'll bet you & the fish are much happier now that the ammonia has started to come down. I think this will make quite a nice home for your finned friends when all those plants fill out in a couple of months.
Thanks! You bet we're happy...
I can only see 7out of 8 loaches, but I think everyone is settling in quite well.
I'm looking forward to doing the test tomorrow to see what the results of the 60% pwc on both tanks reveal...
It's crazy to think that all this time I have kept fish, that not once have I cycled a tank properly.
I'm looking forward to doing a fishless cycle on the 180g - will be much more rewarding!
Some updated photos for you all.
Thought you might like to see how things are progressing with the plants...
Pics were taken a couple of weeks ago now, and my plants have had their first haircut. water change day today, so will take some more pics tomorrow.
1. Sara - one of my babies (completely lazy)
2. Paige - interested in the 23g
3. Paige
4. Inhabitants enjoying their planted tank!
5. My beautiful gourami
6. Shadow
7. Loaches
8. More loaches & honey gourami
9. Who you lookin at?
10. Munchin on my finger... umnum num
Last edited by bubblynutter; April 9th, 2010 at 09:48 PM.
As promised, more pics. I basically tore down the 46G yesterday, and put in new gravel. I kept all the rocks and plants in a spare esky, bagged the filter media and put it in the esky too, filled the esky with tank water and fished everyone out. A few hours later - the results:
1. The tank
2. The tank
3. Rock tunnel & female 3 spot
4. Some of the new glow lights
5. My new male 3 spot (sorry for the quality, he is REALLY quick)
By the way - esky = cooler in Aus
6. View to the back of the tank, with the "river bed"
7. Glow lights
8. Male 3 spot
Last edited by bubblynutter; April 10th, 2010 at 11:06 PM.
Similar Aquarium Fish Forum Threads 
to my blog!
in the process) and floated them in my 46g.
)
