15 Gallon Hillstream with No Hillstreams?? I want a goby!

[MagnifcentBett]

This is the thread formerly known as Designing a tank with ChatGPT.



ChatGPT was useful up to a point, but when it began hallucinationing, as they do, I gave up.



So.

Equipment

15 gallon Lifegard Low iron glass

Seachem Tidal 35 HOB mounted on the right end to create linear flow.

Hygger Clip On Full Spectrum LED light, with timer and lots of colors I will never, ever use.

Natural black sand

Black sand-capped Controsoil in the back for plants

A cool piece of driftwood I like that didn't fit an earlier project

Large smooth river rocks, super cheap at Lowes and vinegar tested



Plants:

Anubias petite nana

Jungle Val



Fish (so far)

8 gold WCMMs



Planned fish:

I would love to have a goby or m/f pair and some reticulated Hillstreams, but I think there isn't enough real estate to support them all unless I use gobies who will eat prepared foods like Repashy Soilent Green, wafers, etc.

At the moment my favs are

Annie's

Stiphodon rutilaureaus

Red Belted

Neon Blue

Rainbow

Palauan

Dwarf Gold Neon

 

[MagnifcentBett]

My HIllstream/goby tank is looking good. The algae Is growning, and biofilm. I need to pull out some hair algae, but it's not too bad. My question is how do I tell where there is enough algae to support 3 stiphodon gobies?

My algae farm expericment is going well. I'm repurposing water jugs. The rough white rock has more visible algae. The smooth dark rock is slippery to the touch. Biofilm?

If you have a tank like this, could please post some pictures here? Thanks!

 

[Mudminnow]

My question is how do I tell where there is enough algae to support 3 stiphodon gobies?

It's not so easy to tell. Some of what the gobies eat isn't easy to see, and some of what's easy to see isn't what they eat. I supplement the diet of my gobies, so I don't have to worry about them getting enough from the rocks. As a result, my gobies have chubby little tummies. If they start to look skinny, they're not getting enough food.

The smooth dark rock is slippery to the touch. Biofilm?

Sounds like biofilm to me.

If you have a tank like this, could please post some pictures here?

 

[MagnifcentBett]

It's not so easy to tell. Some of what the gobies eat isn't easy to see, and some of what's easy to see isn't what they eat. I supplement the diet of my gobies, so I don't have to worry about them getting enough from the rocks. As a result, my gobies have chubby little tummies. If they start to look skinny, they're not getting enough food.

Sounds like biofilm to me.

View attachment 926422

Thanks! I noticed that many goby/hillstream tanks are not planted.

 

[Mudminnow]

Thanks! I noticed that many goby/hillstream tanks are not planted.

True. But if you look closely, mine is planted (at least a little bit). I've got a bunch of bucephalandras in there.

 

[MagnifcentBett]

This is the thread formerly known as Designing a tank with ChatGPT.



ChatGPT was useful up to a point, but when it began hallucinationing, as they do, I gave up.



So.

Equipment

15 gallon Lifegard Low iron glass

Plants:

Anubias petite nana

Jungle Val

Fish

Stiphodon rutilaureaus

The three gobies are doing great. They are out front most of the time, and spend a lot more time swimming up in the water column than I expected. They get along with the gold WCMMs.. One of the three is a bit larger and beginning to show a hint of red. He's also getting bossy, so I believe i have at least one boy.

 

[MagnifcentBett]

Our pet sitter left the tank light on from Fri-Sun. I've been battling hair algae anyway and now it's made a come back. Or is it? It's more bushy than waving, like before. Good news is that the gobies are nibbling on it. They like Repashy Soilent Green, too.

Aside from watching feeding amounts and light, and pulling it out by hand, any suggestions?

 

[Mudminnow]

Here are the things I believe can cause hair algae:

1. Bright Light
   • If you don't already have one, consider getting a timer so it's harder to accidently leave the light on.
2. New Tank Settling In
   • Time is about the only thing that fixes this one.
3. Mini Cycle
   • Ensure you have adequate filtration, don't overfeed, remove that hypothetical dead Apple Snail from the back corner.
4. Unhealthy Plants
   • I've seen this when the hair algae's growing mostly on the plants and nowhere else. Unhealthy plants feed algae rather than fight it. This doesn't appear to be the case in your tank, but it's something to keep in mind.

Addressing these 4 things should help bring the algae back under control.

Algae eaters are also worth considering. I see an Amano shrimp in one of your photos. You could always consider getting a few more.

 

[MagnifcentBett]

Thanks MM!

I'm still figureing out how to set up the Hygger light. A timer is the best solution, by far. I just need to find one.

New Tank: This one was set up 11/24 of last year, so I think that does still classify as new?

I'm running a Seachem Tidal Power Aquarium Filter - 35 Gallon on the right side to create the current down the length of the tank. Would adding a seasoned sponge filter help? No dead snail, just rocks. I put 4 Amanos in there and they are very busy, but in the past week I've found the remains of two dead at the front of the tank. I'd like to add more, but I'm not sure what could be killing them.

Yeah, my Val is spreading all over the place and the anubias seems fine, except for being covered in hair algae. I hadn't been using ferts regularly but am going to do 2xweek of AC's Green and Iron. The stem plants are in Controlsoil.

On a happier note, the gobies love the hair algae and slurp it down like spaghetti.

 

[Mudminnow]

New Tank: This one was set up 11/24 of last year, so I think that does still classify as new?

Probably. Not every tank matures at the same rate, but my low-tech tanks seem to take 6 months to a year before they really settle in. The older the tank gets, typically the more stable it gets. It's like there's an ivisible (or not so invisible), succession of life taking place in our tanks over time. It can take a while until everything finds its equilibrium.

I'm running a Seachem Tidal Power Aquarium Filter - 35 Gallon on the side to create the current down the length of the tank. Would adding a seasoned sponge filter help?

Likely not. Once you have enough filtration (which I believe you do) adding more doesn't do anything.

No dead snail, rocks. I put 4 Amanos in there and they are very busy, but in the past week I;ve found the remains of ttwo dead at the front of the tank. I'd like to add more, but I'm not sure what could be killing them.

Are you sure they died? Their molts can look like a dead shrimp. Unless you found a solid (usually pinkish colored) shrimp body (not a relatively transparent one), your shrimps are likely just growing.

Yeah, my Val is spreading all over tghe place and the anubias seems fine, except for being covered in hair algae. I hadn't been using ferts regularly but am going to do 2xweek of AQ's Green and Iron.

Sounds good. More plants can help (so long as they are healthy), so the spreading vals are a good thing.

On a happier note, the gobies love the hair algae and slurp it down like spaghetti.

My guess is that you just need to find the right amount of light (probably less) and keep it consistent with a timer. Then, time and physical removal of the algae (either by you or your algae eaters), should bring it under control.

 

[MagnifcentBett]

Molting! That's exactly what I am seeing. have had only small shrimp in busy community tanks, so it was rare to see a molted shell. But man do they breed, there is definely molting going on. Thanks!

 

[MagnifcentBett]

Update;

The hair algea is under control, if not gone. The tank confinues to mature and naturalize. The Val is creeping around and spreading. The gobies are happy and fat. And the Amano shrimp are getting really large, with a flouresent red stripe down their backs.

 

[MagnifcentBett]

At 2.5 months I am really pleased with this scape. On goby has disappeared but that’s the only loss so far. Could an add another Stiphodon of a different type? A random Malaysian Trumpet Smail showed up in another tank and I linked it in here to save it from my Assasin Snails. It must have been pregnant because I’ve got babies!

 

[MagnifcentBett]

Heart broken this morning, One dead goby and the other missing. Did they eat themselves to death? Was it the Repashy? They've had it before. The water parameteres are fine, and recent water change.

 

[Mudminnow]

Heart broken this morning, One dead goby and the other missing. Did they eat themselves to death? Was it the Repashy? They've had it before. The water parameteres are fine, and recent water change.

Sorry to hear it. I feed Repashy to my fishes every day without issue, so I doubt it was the food. Was it spoiled or something?

 

[MagnifcentBett]

Sorry to hear it. I feed Repashy to my fishes every day without issue, so I doubt it was the food. Was it spoiled or something?

I had just made it that day. But later in the morning I saw there is one survivor, a girl, I think.

There continues to be lots of algae and biofilm on the rocks, but wonder if there wasn't enough, even though I added more rocks. The gobies loved the repashy

 

[MagnifcentBett]

Update: the tank is thriving! My two remaining gobies appear to be girls. I'd love to add a male, but that type is hard to find locally and it's expensive to have them shipped.