Akari_32's 55 gallon blog

Bruce has eaten all my guppy grass, so it obviously doesn't grow fast enough for him LOL

 

To see the most recent update, click here ->

I bought what I hope is a female Ranchu today. They stay smaller, so I let my self talk my self into it I named the little girl Banana XD

 

So I'm thinking some danios or rosey minnows for this tank... Or maybe both and one of the schools can go in one of the ponds...

 

Hey-ya, guys! With any luck, if it stops raining, I'll be bringing the tank home today! The other day I bought 7 Zebra Danios and a pair of Platies for the tank. They are in QT and are looking great. I also came home with three Sparkling Gourami, so I'm going to have to try something. Ryuu, my King Betta, will be housed in the new tank with Bruce, Swimmy, Banana and the Pearl Gourami. I will also put the Sailfin in there, and get my female BN from my friend (that's a long story lol).

I need to buy a new magnet for the filter, and think about substrate.... Yay!

 

So, we went to Harbor Freight Tools today and bought a 264 gph pump for 13 bucks I have the same one in my pond and I'm pretty happy with it. This'll be for the sump. I still don't know how I'll get the sump together. I know nothing about them...

Now I just need to get a 20 long for the sump, and glass and stuff to make the baffles. I also need to figure out if I want to do a refugium or a section with a bunch of just biomedia or something. It's all just happening as I go along lol

 

So, we're going to have to run a 10 gallon sump, rather than a 20 long. The stand is home made, and the room just isn't there. The 10 gallon will just barely be able to squeeze in. So, with the money I'll save on that, I'll get the Magnum back running. I really wanted that extra 10 gallons...

 

Started cleaning the tank today, only to be called into work 5 freeking hours early... Gave it a good wipe down with vinegar water, and will give it another tomorrow. Need to start moving tanks around to make room For this one. I'm super excited!

Also forgot to add earlier, I bought 7 zebra danios, and two platies for this tank to add some small-fish movement. I'll up the school of danios to 12 or 15 over time. This is my first time having them and I really love them!

 

I've been debating on substrate for a while now, and I've finally decided to try Black Diamond Sand from Tractor Supply. It's the cheapest, besides play sand or pool filter sand, and it gives me the black look that I want. The tank is ready to go, just need to get the sand, and put the tank where it needs to be. Hopefully thursday I'll have time for that. Mom wants to refinish a stand we bought for Rex's 40 breeder before it goes in the living room, so really we are waiting on that. That's a quick, easy project though.

I also hope to get atleast a couple more panda Cories. My little guy in the 20 long is real sad. I don't know if he'll go in this tank or not. Still deciding on most of the stock....

 

So, ANOTHER change of plans, hopefully. I'm hoping to get CaribSea Flora Max as a substrate instead. It's on a good sale at PetSmart, but they are out. I need to call Friday and ask the to save me some. I'm thinking 3 bags will do it. Two black and one volcano.

I took back the huge awesome fake driftwood thing because it was too big and got store credit for the full price of the item (even though I used coupons and got it for about 20 bucks cheaper ). With my coupons and the same price, it'll be about 10 bucks for 15 pounds. Not bad. It's less that what I'd spend on the BDS driving the 45 mins out to Tractor Supply... So anyways, hopefully that'll work out for me. I'll replace the fake driftwood thing with real driftwood from the lfs. Cheaper, more what I want, better for the plecos and not as huge.

 

Aaaaah, a day of progress

Mom is sanding down the stand for Rexes 40 breeder and will be painting it as soon as its done, and I'm spraying the back of the 50 gallon down with some blue Krylon paint Hopefully I don't screw it up LOL Should look good though. It's exactly the color I wanted pics up in a few!

 

Pics!!! :3

Before




After

 

Nice

 

Thanks!

 

Looking good, Akari! Can't wait to see it filled

 

Thanks, I can wait to have it set up LOL I'm so sick if waiting!

 

Another update

Been searching and searching for black floramax (or any FloraMax at all, really) and I've finally found some.

.... At a PetSmart 45 minutes away...

Anyways, since I have to drive up to school tomorrow, I had them hold it from me and I can stop by on my way home. I almost broke down and bought it on the PetSmart website last night. Luckily, MOM remembered the other PetSmart, so I called them today, and they had two black ones left.

I need an estimated 5 bags total, and I have one bag of the brown already, so I may just break down and buy a second of the brown, and then see where that gets me. I'll just have see when I get there. I'm aiming for a 3-4 inch substrate, since I have some very large plants.

Now I just need to find some driftwood at a reasonable price. While I'm up there tomorrow, I'll hit the dreaded Pet Land, and this one really cool lfs

 

Haha! >=D Lights are ordered, gravel is purchased (hopefully I have enough. May buy one more bag of the black), and now all's I have to do is have time to move tanks around, set this one up and let it sit for a couple days with the heaters to get it stable. Then I'll just need time to play tank swap lol Still no driftwood, but I did find one that I could live with at the LFS, provided its still there when I go back for it.

 

Two moved tanks and 36 pounds of gravel washed later, we have a half set up 50 gallon, and very upset Rex! XD Turns out, I didn't need to two 15 pound bags of brown FloraMax, which is fine with me! I'll save them for something else, I suppose.

The filter that came with the tank (AquaTech 30-60) may or may not work. I've been messing with it and I think I've fixed it, but the tank originally had sand in it, and it's all in the filter components -_- I may bust out the Magnum 350 as well and see about getting it to run quietly without replacing the magnet. And, Jaysee is going to send me an AC 110 for the price of shipping

Hopefully tonight I will have the thing filled up (no idea how that's gunna happen! By the gallon jug full, I guess :/), the filter seeded, and a couple small fish in there.

Oh! And the lights should be here Wednesday

 

Crud. NOT what I want to see....



Have to find out where it's coming from... I think it's the filter. I poured water right into the gravel and it didn't bubble as bad. Could be the difference in height though. Who knows. On ward and up ward, I suppose.... Let's see how this plays out.

 

Alright, another update!

The tank is filled, the heater is working, I've dumped the stupid AquaTech 30-60 and put on an AquaTech 5-15 and a seeded AC 50 from the 20 long, and I've got a Molly and a goldfish in there to make sure the tank is safe. The molly because I'm sick of her attitude, and the Goldfish because if I lost her, it wouldn't be the end of the world, but I would be bummed because she's cute, and it gives me a push not to neglect the Molly should things go down hill for some reason. I'm a good fish mom, I swear!

For now, all that's in the tank is the gravel and huge fake log thing (and the heater). I can't move the plants over until the light gets here. I really hope the light is what I'm wanting. I'm picky about color temp lol

Anyways, turns out, the suds were coming from one of the jugs I was using. I stopped having problems when I stopped using that jug because it was annoying to use two. After I netted out the bubbles and started using the one jug, all was good. Very strange. That jug is going in the trash!

Pics tomorrow after work have to be there at 6:30 tomorrow morning -_-

 

Here is the tank as is stands right now:

I'm very happy with how it looks, and the background couldn't have turned out better! Jaysee has sent my filter out, and it should be here by Friday, hopefully sooner, and the lights should be here some time next week. Yay!

 

When you take pictures, take them at an angle to the tank to get rid of the flash reflection

 

Given the placement of the tank, and the lack of a light over it, it's kind of hard LOL

 

How about that angel LOL

 

what a huge difference that makes

 

It's because the opposite wall looks like this:

 

MTS, MTS, MTS, MTS

caught in the act -- hahaha

 

Atleast one of them belongs to a lizard!

 

It's still a tank....
so it still counts


don't try to explain you way out of it...

It's MTS, pure and simple!
Don't worry - you're not the first
Don't worry - it's uncurable

 

AAAAND they're all coming down soon lol

 

Hummm
Getting bigger tank to substitute the small ones, I hope

 

Yes lol I did manage to get mom to keep the 10 gallon up as "her" tank

 

Here is the tank as is stands right now:



I'm very happy with how it looks, and the background couldn't have turned out better! Jaysee has sent my filter out, and it should be here by Friday, hopefully sooner, and the lights should be here some time next week. Yay!

Is it just me or is there a giant dog in that tank?

 

Yes. That dog is quite the trouble maker. It eats puppies too.

 

Oh!! What a life!
Speak about feeling protected!!!!!

 

Yeah, Bentley was cold LOL

 

Haha that's too cute

 

So, the stupid heater isn't working properly. I don't know if it's because it's just barely big enough for the tank and it's finally been getting down to winter temps at night (in the 40s), or if it's because the thing just doesn't want to work. So, I'm going to put in a second 200 watt heater, turn them both down to 75 and see what happens (I'll do that when I get home). I had the one heater set to 75 and it wasn't heating enough, so I turned it up to 77 and it's heated the tank to 72... I'll get that second heater in and go from there for the next few days.

 

I've got the second heater in and I also have Bruce acclimating

Bruce and both heaters

 

Success! Got the temp up to 75 just needed that extra heater, I guess. Eventually they'll go in the sump, which is my summer project.