46g Weekly Photo Journal

All of my bladder snails have finally passed. They got outcompeted for food sources I think and got picked off by my fish (and ghost shrimp when they were in there)

I put the shells of my snails in my plant

 

Added some new plants. Id like an ID still, but pretty sure it is ludwigia ovalis "orange" or "pink". Or just a very faded red.



My dark red plants ended up being a type of scarlet temple lol.

So:

Narrow leaf ludwigia
Wisteria
Amazon swords
Ozelot swords
Scarlet temple "purple"
Cryptocoryne wendtiI
Java fern (tiny)
Ludwigia ovalis

 

Keep on posting! I love this thread!

 

I think your tank is beautiful but...……………………………………..I liked it better with the grass and the "root" driftwood. LOL
You could put som jungle val in the back.

 

I think your tank is beautiful but...……………………………………..I liked it better with the grass and the "root" driftwood. LOL
You could put som jungle val in the back.

I miss my grass too it was beautiful and offered nice height. But it just decided it was done thriving and wasn't making it.

I am working on getting more driftwood. But its dead of winter for couple more months here in the great lakes region, so I'm not too fond of going out and attempting to chisel out driftwood off the frozen shoreline lol ill wait til it thaws. I'm wanting more tall pieces to span diagonally bottom to top

 

I miss my grass too it was beautiful and offered nice height. But it just decided it was done thriving and wasn't making it.

I am working on getting more driftwood. But its dead of winter for couple more months here in the great lakes region, so I'm not too fond of going out and attempting to chisel out driftwood off the frozen shoreline lol ill wait til it thaws. I'm wanting more tall pieces to span diagonally bottom to top

If I already asked this, Then sorry, but What lighting is on the 10 gallon and what plants? I’m considering rescaping my 10 gallon and I just LOVE yours and want mine to look like it!

 

If I already asked this, Then sorry, but What lighting is on the 10 gallon and what plants? I’m considering rescaping my 10 gallon and I just LOVE yours and want mine to look like it!

Do you mean this 46g or the 10 gallon nano on another thread?

 

I miss my grass too it was beautiful and offered nice height. But it just decided it was done thriving and wasn't making it.

I am working on getting more driftwood. But its dead of winter for couple more months here in the great lakes region, so I'm not too fond of going out and attempting to chisel out driftwood off the frozen shoreline lol ill wait til it thaws. I'm wanting more tall pieces to span diagonally bottom to top

That is so cool that you collect your own driftwood. I have to buy mine at my LFS.

 

That is so cool that you collect your own driftwood. I have to buy mine at my LFS.

I wish my lps sold driftwood lol cleaning it all up is a pain sometimes. Freshwater beaches, but a lot of algae to scrub off and heck knows what pests I'll find. Leeches aren't so fun lol

 

Do you mean this 46 gallon or the 10 gallon nano on another thread?

nano

 

nano

Ah, then just the simple small dual LED that snaps into the hood on the Top Fin tanks. Nothing special at all. But seems to work for the plants in there (besides the ludwigia, all are low/any light)

 

A bit delayed but this week's update.

I got a new crypt plant. Its a pathetic few leaves, but itll grow nice. Crypts seem to like my water. Its in the middle towards the right side by the log.




Gave them a small piece of wafer for their weekly wafer treat. Theyre going nuts for it as usual

Water change day. Empty into bucket, refill with garden hose. Easy peasy compared to dragging buckets around like before.



And then other photos... many of the wafer battle

 

Who won the wafer battle Lol? How do you get your fish to eat them? My cories don’t like my algae wafers

 

Who won the wafer battle Lol? How do you get your fish to eat them? My cories don’t like my algae wafers

I dunno ive never had an issue convincing them. I put them in for other fish and the cories help themselves. Theyre not needed for cories anyways as theyre not really herbivores. I save them as a weekly treat. The small piece is all they get.

 

Alright so long story.

My sparkling gourami from my nano tank was bullying everyone else in the tank, so I put him up available for trade or sale on local classifieds. Not fussy over what I was looking for, but something that I already had or could fit.

Ended up trading someone for a java loach (finally a female too!) and two neon tetras. I figured I may see how they mesh with my black neons.

Holy poop were they nippy little buggers by themselves. So I call my husband up and ask him to bring me home 4 more from the store while he was out. He does. But also 3 glass catfish. None of the catfish made the trip home even, but don't send husband to store for fish. That ended up with me bringing back the catfish and using the exchange for a new betta, tank for the betta, and a heater, but that's another story.

Anywho, introducing the new ones.
Ravioli, the java loach. Finally a girl based on her wide round fins without the thickened second ray. All my other 5 javas are boys. And of my 6 kuhlis, only one of those are a girl too.




And one of the neons from the trade. Nice vibrant healthy fish too.




And then all 6 with some of the black neons after lights out. I question if one will survive, one of the ones from the store. Its rather pale still even hours after acclimating.



Black neons still win for my favourite tetra. Theyre just so polite and docile and carefree. They don't even get hangry.

 

Also, the platy boys were all turds today, its been nonstop showing off and clashing and chasing

 

And lastly for now, some more individual photos.
The new neons. You can see clearly the one I'm not sure about. But theyre cute.





And the new loach girl. Shes still settling in finding her way around, but I see her making her rounds, sifting sand and eating with everyone else.




And then the aeneus corydoras. I'm loving this group of cories. Such weirdos. One planking between a plant and snail, one just so tiny and adorable...







^^he got sand stuck in his nostrils lol he got them out by rolling but still.

 

Changed this week, had to net a few platies to ship off to a new home so stuff was moved to catch them and I didnt put it back the same.



Stock sits:
12 corydoras (6 aeneus, 5 weitzmani, 1 agassizii)
11 java/kuhlI loaches
2 farlowella vittata
6 neon tetras (plan to up to 10)
6 black neon tetras (plan to up to 10)
2 platies
1 dwarf gourami

And now photo heavy. I ordered a pretty expensive pair of new weitzmanI corydoras to increase my school, since the opportunity came up.

The two newbies are the smaller darker two. They should lighten up as they reach adult size like my original three.

 

 

A photo of Tree and a photo of one of the new weitzmanI cories.




The newbies are starting to brighten up already. Very cute little guys.

 

Two random photos tossing in here.

One of my neons. Havent lost any of them. Theyre pretty cute and definitely brighten things up.



Both the newbies. Still settling on a name. The one on the left is for sure male and seems to be my only male. Once theyre mature I will probably look into breeding them.




Next month ill be adding a 50 gallon sponge filter to this tank as well. So itll be the 2x 50 gallon aquaclear HOB plus 1x 50 gallon hydra sponge filter running on this tank.


I'm considering moving my smallest sword plant to my 2.5 gal since its getting so shaded out in the 46. Ill place something else in place of it instead.

 

Update for today...

 

Update for today...

View attachment 663913View attachment 663914View attachment 663915View attachment 663916View attachment 663917View attachment 663918View attachment 663919View attachment 663920View attachment 663921

I love this tank to death!! Especially how half of it is very planted and the other half is very rocky, it’s like two tanks in one!!

 

As usual everything looking great!

 

I love this tank to death!! Especially how half of it is very planted and the other half is very rocky, it’s like two tanks in one!!

I think I may actually like this set up finally. I took a few aspects I used before and liked and mixed them up. Plus made room for the sponge filter that will be ordered in a few weeks (center behind the chunk driftwood where my current DIY rock filter is)

Id love to go all plants, but my loaches love the rock piles while my cories prefer the plants. So I tried to make both happy because I have about equal of both at the bottom level lol

I might just add some longer branches of driftwood to span over the right side and that's it.

As usual everything looking great!

Thank you!

 

So I did a thing...
I now have a total of 140 gallons of filtration on this tank.

 

So I did a thing? What does that mean?

 

Unsure why my previous photos aren't showing, probably a forum glitch.

Anywho. My tank went on a cloudy streak for a bit, probably due to medications since I'm treating for skin flukes.

My grassy plant has grown to a nice 3 feet long. Still going too. My java fern's leaves broke off the roots, so I saved what baby plants I could and had to toss the original. Sad day.

View attachment 629793

The height of this grass is impressive
View attachment 629795

Tried my hand at making some handmade gel food. It was a hit, I think. Used mealworms, zucchini, spinach, garlic, and broccoli.
View attachment 629800

View attachment 629801

Woah, that’s easily the coolest thing I’ve seen on fishlore thus far. I’m all over this for my Cory’s. Thank you

 

So I did a thing? What does that mean?

Means I did something new or different

 

Means I did something new or different

I know, I was just giving you a hard time.

It might not have been clear to everyone tho.

 

Dang, that camera is the bomb. Such detailed photos, down to the individual grains of sand
My little Google Pixel 3a doesn't even compare, or I'm not using it properly lol.

Edit:
1. Are those stills from video, or just stills? Is this still your Samsung phone? (How many times should I say still, still doing it).

2. What light fixture is on your aquarium?

 

So I did a thing...
I now have a total of 140 gallons of filtration on this tank.
View attachment 665208View attachment 665209

Needs more

 

Dang, that camera is the bomb. Such detailed photos, down to the individual grains of sand
My little Google Pixel 3a doesn't even compare, or I'm not using it properly lol.

Edit:
1. Are those stills from video, or just stills? Is this still your Samsung phone? (How many times should I say still, still doing it).

2. What light fixture is on your aquarium?

Not stills from a video, ive used my phone camera for them.

Err as for lighting, its crude but ive got two hood fixtures from older tanks since this tank was second hand and didnt have the light included. So I threw two hood lights on it that I had on older tanks... they both take 18" fluorescent T8 bulbs. I just picked up a new bulb today that's 18000k for better plant growth.

 

Thanks for the lighting info. Good for you for 'recycling' older lights, whatever works.
Interesting touch with the bamboo shoots.

 

Thanks for the lighting info. Good for you for 'recycling' older lights, whatever works.
Interesting touch with the bamboo shoots.

Its lucky bamboo, not real actual bamboo. But to help with nitrates since my tap water went sky high with nitrates recently (my readings were well over 80ppm)

----------

So new bulb is quite purple. Wasnt sold as a "plant light", but had a high light rating so I chose that since deeper tank. Welp, its purple. I sorta like the effect and may just keep one like that and the other normal if my plants grow better.
It sure brings out the reds though, and its got a neat effect.




Water change.



That's 3 filters on it, not counting the air-powered DIY rock one inside the tank. 1 Aquaclear 50, 1 Aquaclear 20, 1 Aquaclear 70.



Purple.

 

Interesting effect there. I have mixed thoughts about it.

 

Interesting effect there. I have mixed thoughts about it.

Yep me too lol

I may move the light fixtures up top so that they both overlap to help blend the light a bit

 

"Overlapping" the lights definitely disguised the purple tone. I'm happy with that and still get the benefit of the brighter light.




I found a nice listing for a 30" hood light fixture for cheap, so I can finally put one of the dinky little lights back on my 20 gallon lol thatll be dropped by later today

Assortment of photos.

Izzy



Red the DG



Neon tetras



Tree, farlowella vittata


Smoke


Izzy



One of the new weitzmani, this was the very thin male. He is improving.



Hobbs

 

The new light. 30" fixture in front of the other light (the purple casting one).
Got it really good price!

 

Good news.
I increased my neon school to 10.



Bad news.
One brought in ich.



He was clean at the store and in the bag, but alas. Ah well, heat treatment has started so all should be good. Rather ich than flukes.