Gabbie's Aquarium Journal

Hi, I'm Gabbie! I am a newer member here on fishlore (January 2019) but have had my own aquariums for over 10 years. Growing up, my dad had a beautiful 125 gallon tank built into the wall of our basement. There was access to the back of the tank and all equipment through the unfinished part of our basement. As I got older, I helped him with the maintenance of his tank. One year when we were on a family vacation there was a power outage and unfortunately, the tank overheated and the fish died. Somehow, my dad's neon tetras had spawned before the overheating and when we returned, 2 neon tetra fry were all that was left. My dad was devastated but I insisted I now needed my own tank for these babies. That 12G was my very first tank.

I will be sharing my aquarium keeping journey from here on out. Please comment for some conversation so I'm not just talking to myself or just creep and let me talk to myself

Currently I have three tanks set up and they are either cycled or cycling (5G). I have my eyes on a fourth, a 120 gallon that I plan to add within the next year. At this time these are my tanks, their equipment, my plants, and my inverts/fish. I will update this section as things change:

Tank 1 -- 15 Gallon Fluval Flex

• Start Date -- December 2017
• Equipment:
  • Included fluval flex filter/pump and light kits. Not amazing but decent enough for a small set up.
  • Heater -- Tetra Submersible Aquarium Heater 100W
  • Bubbler with bubble want
• Water parameters:
  • Ammonia -- 0
  • Nitrites -- 0
  • Nitrates -- 20
  • Temperature -- 78 F
  • pH -- 7.2
• Plants:
  • Moss Balls
  • Java Moss
  • Amazon Sword
  • Ludwigia repens
  • Aciotis acuminifolia
  • Hygrophila difformis
• Fish/Inverts:
  • 1 'Spotfin' cory (Corydoras punctatus)
  • 2 Sterba's corys (Corydoras sterbai)
  • 2 Assassin snails
  • 1 Mystery snail
  • 2 Honey Gouramis
  • 4 Neon tetras (Paracheirodon innesi)
  • 1 Burmese loach (Botia kubotai)
  • 2 Zebra loaches (Botia striata)
  • Runt angelfish (literally not growing much larger than a nickel)

**I know my 15 gallon might seem over stocked, it's my grower tank. This is where fish I purchase as babies grow. Once they are larger, they get moved to my bigger tank.**


Tank 2 -- 55 Gallon

• Start Date -- December 2018
• Equipment:
  • Light -- Marineland Aquatic Plant LED
  • Heater -- Marineland Visi-Therm Submersible Aquarium Heater
  • Filter/Pump -- Penn Plax Cascade Canister 1000 and Tetra Whisper EX70
  • Bubbler with bubble wand
• Water parameters:
  • Ammonia -- 0
  • Nitrites -- 0
  • Nitrates -- 15
  • Temperature -- 77 F
  • pH -- 7.0
• Plants
  • Moss Balls
  • Java Moss
  • Amazon Sword
  • Ludwigia repens
  • Aciotis acuminifolia
  • Hygrophila difformis
  • Crinum calamistratum
• Fish/Inverts:
  • 1 Golden Angelfish
  • 1 Silver Ghost Super-veil-tailed Angelfish
  • 2 Turquoise Blushing Angelfish
  • 1 Blue Silver Pearlscale Angelfish
  • 5 Paleatus corys (Corydoras paleatus)
  • 4 Assassin snails
  • 3 Mystery snail
  • 10 Neon tetras (Hemigrammus rhodostomus)
  • 1 Blue Eyed Lemon Bristlenose Pleco
  • 7 KuhlI Loaches (Pangio kuhlii)

Tank 3 -- 5 Gallon

• Start Date -- May 2019
• Equipment:
  • Light -- Adjustable desk clamp lamp with LED bulb
  • Heater -- Submersible Auto Heater 200w with protective cover and adjustable temperature
  • Filter/Pump -- Sweet Potatoes!
• Water parameters:
  • Ammonia -- 2
  • Nitrites -- 1
  • Nitrates -- 0
  • Temperature -- 76 F
  • pH -- 7.0
• Plants
  • Moss Balls
  • Java Moss
  • Ludwigia repens
  • Aciotis acuminifolia
  • Hygrophila difformis

**I plan to add a Betta to this tank as well as some shrimp potentially.**

 

GABBIE!!!!!
Its about time you start a journal and get involved!!

that must have been so devastating to your dad! (and you) I am so sorry that happened!!

Those sound like really cool angels you have!! Where did you find them?

HAHAHAHAH totally kidding!!

I would love to see pics of all your tanks and fish when you have a chance!!

 

Here is my 17 gallon and how it has changed over time with 4 different builds/setups in order from first build to most recent!

First Build -- Plants look depressing because I had just planted them.



Second Build



Third Build



Current Build

 

Beautiful!!

 

My 55 gallon tank and how it has changed over the last ~6 months.

First day home.



After a couple weeks.



About 1.5-2 months ago



Today (June 6, 2019)

 

My Blue-Eyed Lemon Bristlenose Pleco, Bleu (how unoriginal, sorry)

Chowing on some fresh zucchinI (her favorite)



Enjoying her old/small driftwood, irritated she is being photographed

 

The newest additions to my 15 gallon tank, very young Zebra Loaches (Lola and Chile) and a Burmese Loach (Maurice). They will eventually move to the 55G, if not directly to the 120G that is in my near future. I adore these little guys, so fun to watch, plus they eat Malaysian Trumpet Snails

Lola (I know because she is the smaller of the two zebras)



Maurice

 

Some other inhabitants of my 15G

My 4 tetras, the largest of which with the bent tail/spine is Gimpy



Kora (the cory HAHA) and Gimpy



My adorable runt angel, Bandit and a fleeing honey gourami, Amarilla

 

My first angel (since living in Minnesota), Gemma, she is about two years old. I unfortunately don't have many pictures of Gemma when she was younger despite having her for ~15 months.

Gemma



Gemma and Draculina facing opposite directions



Gemma and Draculina facing the same direction

 

Cute little Draculina isn't so little anymore. She (or he cause ya don't know) is from the wonderful bizaliz3!

Little Draculina






Draculina earlier this week

 

The adorable turquoise blushers, Topaz and Zircon. Also from the amazing bizaliz3! I cannot wait to see what these two look like when they are older. They follow each other around the tank and are rarely found without one another.

When they first came home. Itty bitty babies!



After about a month with me!



This week! You can faintly see some of their turquoise coming in.

 

Last picture I'll be sharing today but this is Opal! She is my newest addition. I have been wanting a pearl scale desperately and saw her in one of my local fish stores earlier this week. I tried to convince myself I didn't need her for about 40 minutes but obviously it was all in vain : )

 

I’m new here also and love seeing your photos! I have a fairly new 75 gallon with 5 mid-sized angelfish (Golden and Platinum), 12 Panda cories, 12 tetras (bloodfin and flame), and 3 bristlenose. I had a disaster similar to your Dad’s in a 125 gallon tank with 6 full grown discus. One of my in-tank heaters failed and cooked them. I was devastated to the point that one of my co-workers gave me a pet sympathy card. I sold the whole set-up and it’s taken me 15 years to get going again. I’ll stay tuned for your updates.

 

My first angel (since living in Minnesota), Gemma, she is about two years old. I unfortunately don't have many pictures of Gemma when she was younger despite having her for ~15 months.

Gemma
View attachment 563301

Gemma and Draculina facing opposite directions
View attachment 563302

Gemma and Draculina facing the same direction
View attachment 563303

Your photos are beautiful. What sort of camera/phone are you using? Flash??

 

I like the layout for your thread, looks rather familiar. Keep it up, your 55gal looks great!

 

I’m new here also and love seeing your photos! I have a fairly new 75 gallon with 5 mid-sized angelfish (Golden and Platinum), 12 Panda cories, 12 tetras (bloodfin and flame), and 3 bristlenose. I had a disaster similar to your Dad’s in a 125 gallon tank with 6 full grown discus. One of my in-tank heaters failed and cooked them. I was devastated to the point that one of my co-workers gave me a pet sympathy card. I sold the whole set-up and it’s taken me 15 years to get going again. I’ll stay tuned for your updates.

Thank you! I only have a couple people physically in my life with any interest in my fish keeping journey so I LOVE sharing on here (albeit this is my first thread of the sort). I am so sorry about your discus, I cannot even imagine the loss I would feel. You get attached to your fish, especially if you invest the time, money, and and emotions into a large tank and fish. It can be just as devastating as any other loss. I am happy that you are giving fish keeping another shot. Of all the fish I have kept over the years, angels are in my top five favorites, I love them!

As for my camera, its the standard iPhone 8 camera, no flash. It just takes some ridiculous patience. That's why I have more pictures of the fish that *tolerate* pictures more than others

 

I like the layout for your thread, looks rather familiar. Keep it up, your 55gal looks great!

I did not even realize how similar our layouts are! Yours was posted first but I do not remember looking at it

I modeled mine off of my little info thingy that shows up when you click my name. It must be great minds thinking alike! I will follow your journey as well, you have some fun fish in your tanks!

 

My turquoise blushers are getting turquoise! For whatever reason, they did not want me photographing the sides that had turquoise bizaliz3

 

Bleu also decided for the first time in a blue moon that getting her picture taking was appropriate. The other pictures of her I posted do not do her justice!

 

Some other photo appearances today. Now if only I could get my rummy nose tetras!

One of my kuhlI loaches. This one is noodle, the second largest.



One of my paleatus cory's



Lastly, a nice picture of Opal, the second most photogenic only beat by Gemma.

 

My last update today is the progress of my sweet potato tank! Ignore the floating plants, I have not decided where I want to plant everything yet! However, my sweet potatoes have readily visible roots!!!

 

Thank you! I only have a couple people physically in my life with any interest in my fish keeping journey so I LOVE sharing on here (albeit this is my first thread of the sort). I am so sorry about your discus, I cannot even imagine the loss I would feel. You get attached to your fish, especially if you invest the time, money, and and emotions into a large tank and fish. It can be just as devastating as any other loss. I am happy that you are giving fish keeping another shot. Of all the fish I have kept over the years, angels are in my top five favorites, I love them!

As for my camera, its the standard iPhone 8 camera, no flash. It just takes some ridiculous patience. That's why I have more pictures of the fish that *tolerate* pictures more than others

Thanks Gabbie.

 

Your cories and loaches are so cute. and the sweet potato tank is a really cool idea, I've always wanted to try something like that. Keep the updates coming!

 

Yay, another loach keeper! And I love kubotai, so pretty. I have 7 Botia dario in my 75 g and will soon move the 8 sidthumunkis into the 40 b from their grow out tank.

And I pretty much talk to myself in my tank thread lol!

 

Yay, another loach keeper! And I love kubotai, so pretty. I have 7 Botia dario in my 75 g and will soon move the 8 sidthumunkis into the 40 b from their grow out tank.

And I pretty much talk to myself in my tank thread lol!

I literally adore my loaches! They're so fun and have some individual personalities. I think my favorite is when I do a water change and my Kuhli's go wild. For whatever reason, any KuhlI loaches I have had, they start flying around the tank anytime I do a water change. Skimming the surface, flying up and down, playing chase, lounging on plants! Love them!