135 gallons transformation

[Dechi]

Still about 1.0 ppm ammonia on day 6. I so want to do stuff on the tank but all I can do is wait…

I bought something to mount the plants over the tank. It was hard to find because of my Euro brace but Poth-o-carry makes a 4 hole plant holder. It should be here in 2 weeks hopefully.

I also got some API leaf for the plants. It’s a very light and basic fertiliser so it shouldn’t cause algae. I cleaned the lines on my Kamoer X4pro so it’s ready for when the plants are in. I’d rather dose a very small amount daily than a bigger amount weekly.

There is lots of fuzz on the wood now. I brushed some of it but I know it will go away so I don’t really care.

I am having a hard time finding shops anywhere that have aequidens diadema in stock. A LFS has an adult aequidens superomaculatum that I could have but I don’t like it’s color tone as much. Also there would be a risk with the tetras if they are too small. I’m keeping it as plan B.

 

[TClare]

Is there any reason why you can't put the plants in already?

Hopefully by the time you are ready some shop will have Aequidens diadema, but if not the supermaculatum is nice too. But it could be awkward if its already adult size and the tetras are not..

 

[Dechi]

Is there any reason why you can't put the plants in already?

I want to empty the tank to make the whole process easier but do not want to do that now as it would disturb the cycle and remove the ammonia in the tank.

The new piece of wood is not sinking yet and I can’t arrangé the pieces the way I want because of that. So the spots aren’t ready yet for plants. It all goes together so it doesn’t work if a piece is missing.

I’m going to call around when I ready for the royal acara. Hopefully someone can import one for me.

 

[Dechi]

Purgien is definitely working.

 

[Dechi]

I tried to work on the scape but the new food is still not floating. It should be ready in a week.

I went to my (not great) LFS to get some guppy grass but there wasn’t any. So I got some Rotala rotundifolia or similar (the owner doesn’t know the name of the plants he sells) to put in the refugium. I set the Tunze lamp on a Govee smart plug to turn on between 8 pm and 8 am. This will help keep the PH stable.

Let’s hope the plants acclimate well.

 

[TClare]

I'm not familiar with the light you have, but 12 hours on seems a long time when plants are new and not yet established...

 

[Dechi]

I'm not familiar with the light you have, but 12 hours on seems a long time when plants are new and not yet established...

The plant was under water at the store and under regular lights I suppose. But you’re right, I’ll decrease it a bit for now.

That’s the light. This is a saltwater channel but it also works for freshwater.

 

[Dechi]

Ammonia is 0.75 ppm today so cycle is still going in the right direction.

Good news ! The LFS owner that has the Aequidens superomaculatum was placing an order for fish and saw some aequidens diadema on the list. He remembered I wanted one and ordered three of them !

I didn’t know so I called him today to ask if he could place a special order for me and he gave me the news. WoW ! So I reserved one (they are babies so can’t be sexed but I asked for the bigger one so maybe it will be a male) and asked him to find an electric blue acara as well. He says he gets them often so it shouldn’t be a problem. I also reserved 12 lemon tetras, the biggest ones so they don’t get eaten but I’ve seen them and they are a good size.

So the plan has changed a bit. If all goes well I will introduce the diadema, blue acara and 12 lemon tetras together. Then give it a good 2-3 weeks and add the angel and the diamond tetras and later the cories. This LFS has a really nice red angel but it’s fins were a little nipped so we’ll see.

He agreed to hold the fish for me for a little over 2 weeks, when I am ready.

That made my day !

 

[TClare]

That's good that they can get the diadema, I don't think it matters whether male or female as both are just as attractive. The only thing that slightly concerns me is introducing the blue acara after the diadema, as the first cichlid will have a chance to claim the whole tank bottom as its territory and might resent the new cichlid. If they are both small juveniles it mightn't matter as much. Anyway maybe they will have the blue acara by the time you are ready to add fish, from what I can tell the EBAs are very often available, the natural ones seem to be less common these days.

Hopefully you will have all the plants in place by the time you add the fish. I would definitely recommend some floating plants such as water lettuce, as these grow quickly and provide a good "insurance policy" in a newly set up tank.

 

[tinylostwine]

males are quit a bit larger - if you can tolerate the orange a superomaculatum is actually a little smaller.

 

[TClare]

Yes, I was actually considering saying in my last post that a female might be better as they don’t get as big. But then i thought a female will sometimes spawn and could cause issues for the other inhabitants, though only for a few days at a time usually. Anyway as youngsters it will be very difficult to tell. The superomaculatum could be a nice alternative but I think the OP prefers diadema.

 

[Dechi]

The only thing that slightly concerns me is introducing the blue acara after the diadema, as the first cichlid will have a chance to claim the whole tank bottom as its territory and might resent the new cichlid

The plan is to get the blue acara at the same time. If not there won’t be much delay, maybe a week or two and both wille juveniles.

Hopefully you will have all the plants in place by the time you add the fish.

Yes, that’s the plan. The whole aquascape will be done and the fish will be left alone to acclimate.

. I would definitely recommend some floating plants such as water lettuce, as these grow quickly and provide a good "insurance policy" in a newly set up tank.

I will get some for sure. No water lettuce though because I don’t want it in my plumbing or equipment, especialy the return pump.

males are quit a bit larger - if you can tolerate the orange a superomaculatum is actually a little smaller.

I like them but prefer the diadema. Not fond of the orange color.

The superomaculatum could be a nice alternative but I think the OP prefers diadema.

Indeed !

 

[TClare]

No water lettuce though because I don’t want it in my plumbing or equipment, especialy the return pump.

You can keep it away from the plumbing by making a corral out of airline tubing, put a suction cup at each end of the tube and attach to the glass wherever you want.

 

[Dechi]

I worked on the aquascape for two hours, as the new piece of wood had finally sank. I’m not 100% satisfied but I don’t think I’ll ever be and I was getting tired so I stopped and that will be it. At least for a while.

Next step : plants, probably next week.

 

[TClare]

It looks good and will be even better with plants…

 

[Dechi]

I went to a not so great store today to get some plants. I bought all the Vallisneria they had (14), all the Amazon swords (2) and java moss (1). I drove almost an hour to get there so I wasn’t going to leave empty handed.

Plants are okay but they were mixed with Salvinia which I didn’t want and there were some snails among them. Hopefully I got them all out.

It almost doesn’t show and the tank looks very bare with it.

I ordered some more from an online store of greater quality, I hope. There are 30 plants, mostly different sword varieties and I should get them Tuesday or Wednesday. Hopefully it starts looking fuller when I put them in. I still haven’t found anubias but I will add some later.

Strangely the tank looked less bare when there weren’t any plants…. I turned the lights on at low/medium capacity for 6 hours for the first weeks, including a 40 minute ramp-up and 40 minute ramp-down. I’ll increase slowly over the next months.

 

[TClare]

Don’t worry about the snails, the acaras will almost certainly eat them all. Meanwhile they will help in the case of any algae.

 

[Dechi]

I redid the aquascape to regroup the plants together to have two thick walls instead of thin bits of green everywhere. I like it better and I’ll arrange the new plants around it.

I think I’m getting carried away… At first I wanted almost no plants and now I’ll have over 50 and it’s not even finished. From my long experience with plants, even with good soil and top light (which I don’t even have at the moment), plants don’t thrive without CO2. So I’m doing research on this topic and I’ve pretty much decided to get a CO2 Art regulator and take the plunge.

Ammonia is about 0.35 ppm today and the tank should be cycle this week.

 

[tinylostwine]

Add some zebra loach - small - pretty - and excellent snail eater. I recommend 50.
--
More seriously with the vals - if one does well 18 months later you will have 1 million.

 

[Dechi]

Add some zebra loach - small - pretty - and excellent snail eater. I recommend 50.
--
More seriously with the vals - if one does well 18 months later you will have 1 million.

If I see even one, I’ll get some !

 

[DaveKS]

Seriously, bring the Val 3 or so inches forward so they are in the light. Their just going set there and stagnate back in the dark edges.

 

[Dechi]

Seriously, bring the Val 3 or so inches forward so they are in the light. Their just going set there and stagnate back in the dark edges.

View attachment 930510

I’m trying to give depth to the tank. Vallisneria doesn’t need that much light and I’m still only at 38% brightness to acclimate so it should be okay.
If they start melting I’ll change plan but there are many other plants coming that will take the spot in the front also.

 

[Dechi]

Wow. I got the new plants in 1 business day, in excellent condition. In fact I wasn’t expecting such vigorous and healthy plants, and mostly not emersed plants.

They all are huge, with gigantic roots and crispy leaves. I made a detailed placement plan and will be doing that today. Yesterday I calibrated my dosing pump and will start daily dosing today (half dose).

Here they are waiting for me in the tank. There is a lot more than it looks. I have a bit of sand left and will be using it to try to cover the biggest roots a little more.

 

[TClare]

You are starting with a lot of plants and fairly low light, which is good. Snails will help with any algae that might appear. You might find some plants do very well while others not so well. I found that Vallisneria when I first had it was a little slow to take off but once it did there was no stopping it and I have since thrown tons of it away as well as using it to start off many a new tank. I always plant it at the back (but new runners inevitably appear at the front. I doubt very much that you will need to use CO2, depending on the species you have. I did once consider it several years ago but decided against it as it seems quite hard to get the balance of light, CO2 and fertilizers correct, more things to potentially go wrong and I feel more for people whose main focus is aquascaping with fish mainly just a decorative item. Others may not agree.

Add some zebra loach - small - pretty - and excellent snail eater. I recommend 50.
--
More seriously with the vals - if one does well 18 months later you will have 1 million.

When I agreed with this post I meant about the Vals, not the loaches!! The cichlids will deal with any snails.

 

[Dechi]

I doubt very much that you will need to use CO2, depending on the species you have. I did once consider it several years ago but decided against it as it seems quite hard to get the balance of light, CO2 and fertilizers correct, more things to potentially go wrong and I feel more for people whose main focus is aquascaping with fish mainly just a decorative item.

It’s been on the back of my mind for decades. I’ve never had really nice plants before even when I spent a lot of money on lights, soil and fertlizer. I know it’s not necessary but I’m at a point in my life where I want to do what I always wanted but was stopped by fear or other.

So I’m going to try it, and maybe if I have success with those really easy plants I’ll start looking into the harder ones. The red ones that are so nice.

I worked on the plants for 3-4 hours. I’m done for the day and we’ll see if I feel like changing anything tomorrow. They all have weights on them (tedious job) so they are very easy to move.

I also adjusted the lights more towards the back so the light is more evenly distributed to all plants. I think the fish will be happy.

 

[TClare]

Ok well it will be interesting to see how it goes.

 

[Dechi]

Cycle is done. It took 15 or 16 days. Now I added 2.5 ppm of Dr Tim’s ammonia, just like on Day 1, and I will test again tomorrow. The first fish should be coming at the end of next week.

 

[Dechi]

I still have 0.9 ppm ammonia and. 0.20 ppm nitrite after 24 hours. I’ll retest tomorrow and add more ammonia to be processed so the tank is hopefully ready next week.

 

[DaveKS]

Wow. I got the new plants in 1 business day, in excellent condition. In fact I wasn’t expecting such vigorous and healthy plants, and mostly not emersed plants.

They all are huge, with gigantic roots and crispy leaves. I made a detailed placement plan and will be doing that today. Yesterday I calibrated my dosing pump and will start daily dosing today (half dose).

Here they are waiting for me in the tank. There is a lot more than it looks. I have a bit of sand left and will be using it to try to cover the biggest roots a little more.

Get those starts planted. Swords placed into substrate, tips barely emerging from water.

 

[Dechi]

Get those starts planted. Swords placed into substrate, tips barely emerging from water.

I did the next day.

 

[Dechi]

Today is the big day ! Yesterday I removed the dead leaves, scrubbed the thick biofilm on the wood, added some more sand for the plants, did a 95% WC (and forgot to add dechlorinator but will do it) and replaced filter floss and Purigen.

All parameters are 0 and TDS is 106 so the tank is ready !

We’ll see what fish I can get but for sure, aequidens diadema and 12 lemon tetras. Maybe an ancistrus to help for the wood and electric blue acara if they managed to get one for me.

 

[Dechi]

I went to my LFS and the owner forgot to order an EBA for me but I got the aequidens diadema (small), 12 lemon tetras, 11 diamond tetras (small) and 1 somewhat medium koi angel.

Diamonds are exploring, lemons mostly staying put on the bottom, angel moving around and royal acara exploring the bottom and sifting a bit of sand.

I’m going to have to be patient; every one looks the same color except the angel.

Next batch beginning of august will be 8 x adolfoi corydoras and 1 x EBA. Unless I change my mind, lol !

 

[TClare]

Post some photos when they have settled in…

 

[Dechi]

Post some photos when they have settled in…

I sure will !

I bought the same food they ate from the LFS (Hikari micro bites) and everyone was happily eating, except the royal acara who was hiding somewhere. The angel caught on late that dinner was served but still had at least 1-2 bites.

 

[TClare]

In my experience angelfish much prefer flakes.

 

[Dechi]

In my experience angelfish much prefer flakes.

I don’t like feeding flakes but I’ll be feeding frozen which most fish love.

 

[TClare]

I can’t get frozen fish food here, unless I make it, which I do sometimes. Most of my fish eat pellet food of different brands and sizes, but the angels and festivums only really like flakes. All do get livefoods sometimes as well.

 

[Dechi]

So I’m changing my mind (again) and would like to look at other options to replace the EBA (that I haven’t bought yet).

As a reminder I am setting up a zen, relaxing tank with peaceful and non-frantic swimmers.

Criteria for this fish are: 5–6 inches, plant-safe, no major digging, calm, and with vibrant colors. Current stocking : 1 Aequidens diadema, 1 Koi Angelfish, 12 Lemon Tetras, 11 Diamond Tetras, and a group of Corydoras. I’m currently looking at Acarichthys heckelii 'Red' and Krobia xinguensis 'Red Spot'.

What are your thoughts on these two for my setup? Also, if you have any other ideas that fit these criteria, I’d love to hear them.

 

[TClare]

Acarichthys get very big, the Krobia should be OK I think, no experience with them though. Bujurquinas are nice, not too big and pretty peaceful. I have some collected from Ecuador, probably an undescribed species, but there are a few other species that sometimes appear in the trade. Keyhole cichlid, Biotodoma and festivums I like, but all these are probably better in a species group. An interesting cichlid, but probably difficult to find, is Heroína isonycterina, it’s like a small severum. I don’t know if they eat plants…

 

[Dechi]

Acarichthys get very big

I read 6-7 inches, similar to the royal acara. It’s not the case ?

An interesting cichlid, but probably difficult to find, is Heroína isonycterina, it’s like a small severum. I don’t know if they eat plants…

Oh, I love this one, in blue ! I’m going to research it. Thanks.

 

[TClare]

I read 6-7 inches, similar to the royal acara. It’s not the case ?

20cm, that is 8", they are also quite deep-bodied and with long flowing fins when adult, you already have the acara that potentially will get quite large, so I think the next fish should preferably be a little smaller.

The Heroina could be very interesting, it has a different body shape from the acara which can often reduce potential aggression, but doesn't seem to be easily available. I have had it on my wish list for some time but never seen it for sale here, anyway I would need to research it a little more.

Another thing that occurred to me, but I am not sure about, would be a dwarf pike cichlid, either Wallaciia regani, nothopthalmus or the Orinoco species (not compressiceps, which is very aggressive). I had a pair of the Orinoco species, the male got to about 6", but slim of course, and the female only about 4". They were totally unaggressive to other fish and had a lot of personality, but I never kept them with small tetras except when they were tiny. In the wild they eat invertebrates rather than fish, I am just not 100% sure that your tetras would be safe, it might be worth investigating some more.

Thinking about it, I have some silver tetras and had the pikes with them (in a large tank), they are about the size of full grown diamond tetras, not so sure about the lemons...

 

[Dechi]

The Heroina could be very interesting, it has a different body shape from the acara which can often reduce potential aggression, but doesn't seem to be easily available. I have had it on my wish list for some time but never seen it for sale here, anyway I would need to research it a little more.

Another thing that occurred to me, but I am not sure about, would be a dwarf pike cichlid, either Wallaciia regani, nothopthalmus or the Orinoco species (not compressiceps, which is very aggressive).

Okay I’ll look into those, thanks. Right now I’m thinking about maybe a xingua and an EBA or true blue acara. I think 3 cichlids is the right number. My dream would be to find a bright yellow one that fits my criteria.

Here are the fish after 1 day. They are eating like little piglets. I did my first 8 gallons WC this morning and will keep doing them daily. I also ordered a Seachem ammonia badge, just to be safe.

 

[TClare]

The tank looks very nice. I honestly think that one other cichlid would be sufficient, especially as you are planning on getting Corydoras as well. Aequidens tetramerus can sometimes have a lot of yellow but others have more red, it’s a widespread species so probably there are geographical variations. Ae. metae is the yellow acara, but it’s too similar to diadema. I believe tinylostwine said that Krobia ate tetras, I think they were cardinals so slimmer than yours, so you may be ok.. You might look at some of the larger Laetacara species, though they are probably not very colourful. Hmm not many South American cichlids are yellow…Gold ram but would need higher temperature…

 

[Dechi]

I honestly think that one other cichlid would be sufficient, especially as you are planning on getting Corydoras as well.

Thank you !

I’m questioning the corydoras as of a few minutes ago. I discovered huge, deep scratches on the tank due to the sand (and using a magnetic scraper) and it’s not even been up for a month. I am not a happy camper, as I take very good care of my tank and scratches aren’t in my plans.

I am thinking about adding a 1/2-1 inch layer of small pebble or gravel to hide the sand and I have to research if it’s still suitable for cories.

As for the third cichlid, my dilemma is not adding it now while they would all be new to the territory (and juveniles) and having a war on my hands if I do later on. Worse case scenario, I would rehome one fish if too many.

 

[TClare]

I hate those magnetic cleaners they always seem to scratch the glass. I have sand in all my tanks and clean very carefully near the substrate and only with a razor blade type scraper to avoid dragging any sand up. It’s very difficult with the magnetic type I’ve not used those for many years. Corydoras would prefer sand.

And yes, if you really want three cichlids (4 with the angel) it’s best to get all of them now and be prepared to rehome later if necessary.

 

[tinylostwine]

Yes krobia will gobble down cardinals.

I only use glass aquariums and only plastic scrappers though in truth 90% of my aquariums (i have around 22) never get algae at all for some reason.

 

[Dechi]

Corydoras would prefer sand.

I know. Would you forget about them ? Any replacement ideas if so ?

I just bought some 2-4 mm gravel : it’s rounded so it won’t hurt them but they can’t sift it through their gills.

AquaNatural Gold Pearl 20lb Gravel Substrate for aquascaping, Aquariums, vivariums and terrariums 2-4mm.​

Also, as I can’t seem to find any yellow or red 4-5 inch cichlid that fit my criteria from South America, do you ave any suggestions from Central America ?

Yes krobia will gobble down cardinals.

The ones I got are bigger so should be okay if I get one : lemons and diamonds. Why did you not like your Krobia ?

 

[TClare]

There are some yellow Central American cichlids yes, like Nandopsis Salvini, Amatitlania nanalutea and Herotilapia multispinosa, off the top of my head, but I certainly would not mix Central and South American species, they need completely different water parameters and most (though maybe not those last two) tend to be more aggressive. I believe Herotilapia eat plants as well.

The gravel you got may be OK for Corydoras I think, but hopefully someone with more Cory experience might confirm this.

 

[tinylostwine]

I know. Would you forget about them ? Any replacement ideas if so ?

I just bought some 2-4 mm gravel : it’s rounded so it won’t hurt them but they can’t sift it through their gills.

AquaNatural Gold Pearl 20lb Gravel Substrate for aquascaping, Aquariums, vivariums and terrariums 2-4mm.​

Also, as I can’t seem to find any yellow or red 4-5 inch cichlid that fit my criteria from South America, do you ave any suggestions from Central America ?


The ones I got are bigger so should be okay if I get one : lemons and diamonds. Why did you not like your Krobia ?

Can't promise - diamonds are pretty large but never had lemons so a bit unsure. Also you want the tetra to be adults before the krobia.

The problem with larger stones like you have is bacteria gets into the crevices and that is what will harm cory barbels.

 

[Dechi]

Can't promise - diamonds are pretty large but never had lemons so a bit unsure. Also you want the tetra to be adults before the krobia.

The problem with larger stones like you have is bacteria gets into the crevices and that is what will harm cory barbels.

I went based on other people’s advice online and this popular aquarist on Youtube who had a diadema with lemons and diamonds for a while without problems. No krobia though.

I’ll research more about the cories but I’ve also seen tanks with this gravel and cories without issues.

I got my Co2 kit today so I’m watching videos on how to set it up properly and maybe I’ll go fill up the tank. This thing is heavy, more than I thought (I got a 10 lbs one). Maybe I’ll find a company that fills them at home.