Akari_32's 55 gallon blog

Excellent news AkarI

 

Bruce has GROWN! Lights are cool too! Which one did you end up settling on?

Still, I'd go ahead and plant the tank as quickly as possible and slowly work up the tank to a full light cycle[however long that is for you]. Believe me, if they're T5HOs, you'd get algae faster then anything if you're not careful but they are EPIC at growing plants!

 

Your tank is looking really good. I bet Bruce thinks he's in heaven right now.

 

Bruce has GROWN! Lights are cool too! Which one did you end up settling on?

Still, I'd go ahead and plant the tank as quickly as possible and slowly work up the tank to a full light cycle[however long that is for you]. Believe me, if they're T5HOs, you'd get algae faster then anything if you're not careful but they are EPIC at growing plants!

Bruce is my little buddy lol he's gotten thicker, for sure XD

I ended up with the Odessea with the bulbs for a planted tank. Couldnt tell you the specs or anything lol I just opened it up and popped it on the tank XD I just know I love it!

I plan on adding as many plants as possible. I just need to have the time to lol I was just clearing up some swimming space in the 10 gallon. Looks much better with Bruce out of there!

Your tank is looking really good. I bet Bruce thinks he's in heaven right now.

Bruce is totally happy to have so much room. He was starting to be a brat to the other fish, being couped up in the 10 gallon. I didn't think it'd take to so long to get this tank up :/ But it's up now and I'm happy

 

It's looking good hope Bruce has outgrown his gardening faze

 

Nope, me hasn't LOL Woke up this morning to the lily uprooted again (you can see its floating carcas from yeaterday before I added more plants on ER LOL) and an apon up rooted. And he got the moss. Little turd...!

 

Lol sorry it made me giggle Mordin regularly redecorates his tank so I share your pain I've given up trying to keep his bonsaI anubias where it is supposed to go

And my snails in the big tank are just as naughty now I have a floating bacopa island with an anubias veranda

 

Haha, gotta love it! The trick with goldfish is to get large plants that root them selves very quickly and very well, and that have thick leaves or leaves that taste yucky. And some fish just like to be brats and tear the plants up just because they can, while other will try and eat anything, even if it is yucky or crunchy. So this tank is just one big experiment. lol

 

Experiments can be fun what do you think he would be like with anubias attached to bogwood?

Marimos would be fun to watch him play with lol fishy soccer

 

How naughty and that look on his face as if to say "what wasn't me it just fell into my mouth" he is definitely a little character

 

So I think I've got some ammonia in the tank. The Molly is sulking off by herself with her fins closed up, so I decided to test the water with my little strips that don't test for ammonia, and I've got no nitrites and no nitrates. Good indication of ammonia. I'll do a small water change with some prime and add my new AC 110 with all the media I have. Right now, I've got an AC 50 with all the media from the 20 long and an AquaTech 5-15 with no media at all (stuff happens...)

 

The tank, plants, and fish look great Akari!

 

Thanks Dillon! It's not done yet! Still have some more temp residents and plants to put in

 

Added the sailfin pleco, 4 swamp darters and two of the platies just now. Way faster than I want to go, but I have to play tank swap, like, yesterday. Tanks need to come down, fish need to move to different tanks, and so on. The good news is, I got the new AC 110 running, but it's noisy, so I have it unplugged for the night. I also got the aquatech running, but decided, since it too was loud, that I'd rather have the AC 110 and AC 50 running and unplug one at night than have two buzzy filters. I'll look into fixing it, though, for sure. I think it may just need some greasing up.

 

Got a couple pics of Ninja

Ninja and Bruce

Ninja taking over the Sailfins long (you can see the Sailfins tail at the back of the log)

She's a total cutie! I've missed her when I gave her to my friend she was a whopping 2 inches and bows she's about 4, maybe 4 1/2. Still has that same old 'tude XD

 

Very nice. I'm not a big fan of goldfish, but with Bruce I might make an exception.

 

You just have to love Bruce. It's one his obnoxious qualities LOL

 

He is so beautiful if not a monkey fish lol

 

Fun times... So, I think I'm dealing with gill flukes in this tank. Bruce has been gasping at the surface at times, the smaller fish soaz out and dash about the tank, scratching on things as they go. As a necessity, I've had to move fish from the 20 long into this tank, to keep them from picking on one of my gimpy goldfish, too. I'm headed to PetSmart in a bit to pick some Excel and something for these flukes. I have to eat first, though, or I might accidentally stop at Chik-fil-A, and I already had McDonald's for lunch LOL

 

Alrighty! First round of API CO2 Booster. It's a cheaper (and available to me) version of Flourish Excel.

I used a syringe to dose 5 mL's directly on to the most infected parts of the tank, dodging the psychotic nut that is Bruce. I'm about the plug the filters back in here soon. I took the time while the filters were off to dump some food in. Bruce of course, thought he was starving and was the first to pounce on the food, followed quickly by the other goldfish, then the danios, and the rest of the fish (not including the antI social plecos lol).

Also, it seems that Bruce has eaten a good portion of one of the BBA covered leaves off my mystery sword in the middle of the tank. Even though he's torn all the edges off the leaf, I don't mind so much because that's just that much less algae I have to treat LOL

 

You tank rocks!

How have you been Akari. It has been a while. I just got a new computer yesterday and now I can go back to foruming and posting on here and videos. <3

 

Thanks! Doesn't look so hot right now LOL Covered in BBA... @.@

Yes it has Not too bad. All work and no play, though You know what they say about that ;D Nice! You've got lots of new people to catch up with lol

 

I know right.. I don't have my bettas or platys anymore.. They all passed..

 

Aw, that's too bad

 

Fuzzy!

Yeah.. Now I ony have my cories.. They hide all day because they are very skittsh of people..

 

Beautiful. For some reason when looking at her with her fins all sticking out all I could think of was a Southern Belle with the big fancy hoopy dresses at a ball.

 

Thanks Oscar! She's got it and she knows it

 

She is very purty I love how she spots you stops and then suddenly starts munching again lol

 

An update

Two trips to Home Depot and $9 later, I have my self a fancy new grounded, double outlet light timer The first trip I got a two pack of the regular single plug timers, then got home, cut the package open to hook the lights on this tank up, and realized that the stupid lights were grounded. So I had to take the two pack back, and got the fancy grounded one for this tank, and then a single pack of the regular kind (for the heat lamp on my 10 gallon leopard gecko tank).

I have it set to be on from 11-11 with an hour of off time half way through the day. I've not gotten a chance to dose the CO2 Booster for the last two days, but the algae is not too bad. It's trying to recover, though. Tonight I can get back into dosing the tank, as well as doing a large water change.

She is very purty I love how she spots you stops and then suddenly starts munching again lol

Isn't she a cutie?

 

Wait are you using your Canon camera? How did you make your pictures so clear(like what setting did you set it to?)

And I see an Aquaclear

 

Wait are you using your Canon camera? How did you make your pictures so clear(like what setting did you set it to?)

And I see an Aquaclear

No, every picture you see on this thread are from my iPhone 4. The last pics were screen shots from the video posted above them.

When I do get to use my camera, I put it on Program and Macro.

Yes, I have a 50 and a 110 on this tank

 

Lil' Update about what's going to be happening here soon (when I get the time to do it...):

My brat of a Bruce keeps bulldozing up my two Cyprus plants, so I'll be moving those to the 20 long until they get bigger and develop a better root system.

I also need to stir up the gravel, and I'll do a large water change while I'm at it. There is BBA growing over the gravel, and its driving me nuts! If I can find some SAEs, I'm going to buy them I can't stand all the fluffies!

Also, the Long Finned Blue Danios have picked off all my Zebras! I'm down to two or three Zebras. I thought'd they'd school together, but apparently, the Blues are too cool for that, and would rather terrorize my babies. I'm going to replace the school with Long Finned Gold Zebras. I may get a couple more Blues. I could move them all out to the 65 gallon pond... We'll see

I may move Bruce to my new 29 gallon (to replace the 20 long) and move everyone from the 20 long into the 50. I could have Bruce, the Darters, and a handful of Danios in the 29. This is just an idea, though. Bruce really loves to move around.

 

Hm, guess I should update this thread

I spent my Easter playing tank swap and fish moving. This tank now houses the common goldfish, 4 small fancy goldfish (1-2.5 inches), the swamp darters, the 3 platies, 8 zebra danios (got some new longfinned gold ones ), and the plecos. It's all been replanted, and given a thorough cleaning.




Bruce has been moved to my new 29 gallon, with the two blue danios.

 

Update time

I'm having an issue with what I think are probably internal parasites in this tank (couple of the Platies and Danios are getting thin for no reason). I dosed with Kordon Rid Ich Plus, and came home the next day from work to one of the fish sitting in the gravel, and an other "stuck" in a plant. Needless to say, I did not dose any more. I didn't get a chance to do a water change, either, but they seemed better this morning. I'll do a water change tonight, and go another route.

I'm almost out of my ferts (some I am out of), so I'll be placing an order for Flourish Comp, Phosphates, and Excel, and also root tabs. The Green Spot Algae is out of control, so hopefully I can get a handle on that with these ferts.

 

Ferts are on the way!

Also not seeing any issues health wise anymore. My male Platy died, but beyond that everyone looks fine. I think it's more a water quaitly issue. I still haven't quite worked out a good system and schedule for water changes.

I did a nice 50% water change the other day, and got the gravel real well. I will do the same tonight, I think. I've also been feeding my gel food, which will increase growth, as well as making my life more complicated as far as water changes go lol But, this is my last week of school so I will have more time for that