Sus' Forest Aquascape- And the Other One

[SuspiciouslyFishy]

Today I am feeling awful, so I can't go out and get the medicine I need. I'm hoping that tomorrow I might be able to, but it's a long shot. I have work and no magic wand. I will look into seeing if I can get it delivered.
Every day I think that maybe the Otos are looking better, but really it could be wishful thinking. They are eating the cucumber though. I have Repashy Solient Green coming tomorrow, fingers crossed that they eat that. They are utterly adorable and I think between them and the neon tetras, they are my favourite fish. I have wanted to keep them since I found out about them and saw them in the pet shop 3 or so months ago when I was in the middle of cycling their tank. I've been trying to grow algae on rocks in a 1G biscuit jar on the windowsill, but it's not going well. I'm not sure if it's lack of light or lack of nitrates. It could well be both.
The neons are utterly thriving, and it's good to see.

I have grand plans to redo the aquascape, but I will need a lot first. I've decided that it will be a gradual thing. One new decoration here, one old one removed there... Although at some point, I am going to want to remove some substrate, and there's no way to avoid the stress of that.
Today I siliconed some driftwood to a rock. It looks like a tree. I am going to use java moss as the "leaves". I'm hoping to find more like it on walks in remote locations (before boiling it, of course). I'm unsure whether I will tie java ferns or marimo moss to the rock... I guess I will decide after the silicone has set. I have a piece of driftwood that always produced a lot of biofilm in a tank, and will look good partially buried as a "tree stump" with plants around it. And I plan to leave a decent amount of space for leaf litter, because I've noticed that the otocinclus really love hanging out on and cleaning it, and I like to see them happy.

I also figured out at the end of last week where to fit my second tank into the flat. It's at my mums currently, so I can't set it up just yet. I plan to get the otos settled in first for the most part, and so once it is set up it will be an algae grow-out tank for a bit. But once I'm confident I won't have an emergency with the otos, I will get a single betta in there. It will be planted, but mostly just with the plants I already have in the 15G. I actually already have most of what I need for it. I'm very excited.

 

[FishPlanet]

This looks interesting! Following!

 

[HummingbirdNSabath]

I’m fallowing to!

 

[SuspiciouslyFishy]

There is an irony in going out to get medicine for your fish and coming back to one of them dead. Swim In Peace, Bash, buddy. Swim in peace. It's not a shock. They had been hiding and generally looking awful for the past few days. Poor wee guy.
I'm going to top up the water in the tank and dose what I have at a bit less than half strength and hope that helps Pyg, who is also having issues with some kind of fungus. The other two otos, Bam and Spot, are looking better. They have round tummies, finally, and no fungus patches. They love cucumber. I will find out, hopefully, if they like other things too soon. So far, none of the otos have gone mad for the Repashy, but fingers crossed that soon they figure out that it's food... It would be a lot easier to prepare some of that to feed for when I go on holidays.
The tetras are all looking amazing as always and are still eating well and active.
I think at the next water change, I will add in the first new decorations, which is exciting though. And the plans for the second tank are getting way more concrete. I know more or less what I'll need for it now. I'm just a bit iffy on where exactly to put it. There is a dresser that is very sturdy next to where I thought it could initially go, but on the other hand, it is the landlord's, not mine, so I would probably get into trouble if it got water-damaged. And I am not the most smooth during water-changes.

 

[HummingbirdNSabath]

S.I.P Bash, you and King Brian suffered the same fungi fate.

 

[SuspiciouslyFishy]

Well, Today is water change day, and test-the-tank day, and I have good news and bad news. Mostly bad news.
I dosed the tank with 4ml of the medicine, 2-Phenoxyethanol the day Bash died. I didn't think to check the parameters the next day and in hindsight I should have done.
So, the first of the bad news, is that Pyg did not get better. Yesterday morning, Pyg was lying on the substrate gasping, looking very fluffy, and generally in a bad way. I decided to euthanise them with clove oil. When I netted them to take them out of the tank, they barely moved. It's sad, but I think I made the right choice. Swim in peace, Pygmy. You will be missed. Since they died, I've barely seen the other two, so I think once I get the situation under control I will get a few more.
The next of the bad news is, that when I tested the parameters today, I had a slightly lower pH (6.6), and -0.25 ppm Ammonia, and 0.5 ppm Nitrite. (Nitrates, if you're interested, were 5ppm, as per usual)
I did a 50% water change just in case it's because of the medicine, and just in case it was leaving in food too long, I will be taking out cucumber sooner and going back to feeding the neons every other day. I'll need to test daily until it's under control. I also dosed extra Prime with the water change.

The good news is that none of the fish are showing signs of illness or stress, apart from the fact that the remaining otocinclus are hiding most of the time now (but when I have seen them, I've checked them over as much as I could and their bellies looked nice and full, and there were no fuzzy patches. I heavily suspect that they just don't feel safe enough to be out in the open while there are only two of them).
And further good news is that I have all the driftwood I need to make the new aquascape now, and I will just need to boil that and wait on getting the second tank over and set up so that I have somewhere to move the excess plants and decor while still keeping them wet. Now that I have the wood, the idea is really coming together. I just need, possibly a few more lava rocks? I have limestone rocks, but I'm worried that they will up the pH and I don't need that right now. The pH went from 6.8 (which is the usual value) to 7.0 last time I put some in. Although, saying that, the driftwood will produce quite a bit in way of tannins, which would lower the pH... And the new aquascape will be very exciting. I didn't add the first part of the new decor, because the first attempt at siliconing didn't hold and I had to re-do it. The loose java moss (which will eventually form the canopy) in the aquarium is currently forming something of a jungle which I personally find rather nice.

 

[SuspiciouslyFishy]

Well, today is nothing but good news! The fish are all looking healthy, and the very next day, water parameters were fine (pH 6.6, NH3/NO2 - 0ppm, NO3 - 5ppm) like nothing had happened. The otos are enjoying mostly cucumber with some algae and repashy and their bellies now look like smooth, round peas. They still hide all the time but I wouldn't feel safe with just two of me either.
The driftwood is now boiled and is soaking. I will re-scape next week.
Attached is a bonus picture of one of my otos, probably Spot. Bam is really elusive, and I haven't managed to find them today.

 

[Kathylee]

Well, today is nothing but good news! The fish are all looking healthy, and the very next day, water parameters were fine (pH 6.6, NH3/NO2 - 0ppm, NO3 - 5ppm) like nothing had happened. The otos are enjoying mostly cucumber with some algae and repashy and their bellies now look like smooth, round peas. They still hide all the time but I wouldn't feel safe with just two of me either.
The driftwood is now boiled and is soaking. I will re-scape next week.
Attached is a bonus picture of one of my otos, probably Spot. Bam is really elusive, and I haven't managed to find them today.

I was just browsing through new posts, and started reading yours, I'm glad your tank is doing better & hope things improve from here on out for you once Ottos get established, I find them to be very hardy fish (and adorable).

Are you still going to try and add "leaves" to your tree with moss?

I tried it, I found 4-5 Jumbo marimo moss balls, and I cut them open and planted them around my driftwood & other objects, in my mind, this was a brilliant idea! After a few weeks, they collected lots of "debri" and looked a bit dirty, I removed them, to squeeze them out and they literally fell apart on me! Ha, they have been in a 5g grow out for the last 6 months, I now have 30 pieces of moss balls.

 

[SuspiciouslyFishy]

I am, but I'm going to use java moss for the leaves. I might tie on marimo moss in places, but as actual moss. The otos are utterly adorable. Definitely my favourite fish. Once the fish are settled in the new aquascape, I will try to get another... 4? Probably. Then they will hopefully feel safe enough to school in the open again.
This time I have a variety of food to feed them so they will, fingers crossed, do a bit better. I have learned my lesson, never again will I rely on just algae wafers to keep that particular species fed.

 

[SuspiciouslyFishy]

Well, yesterday I tried to rescape the main tank and I got the second one set up. I will attach some pictures below. The second, smaller one is still quite cloudy, but I'm not worried about that as there aren't any fish in there.

The otos are in fact, faster than the neons, as I discovered when I tried to catch them. But actually, everone looks happier in the new aquascape for the most part. The neons look more colourful, are fighting with each other less and are more interesting to watch now. I didn't consider how much swimming space that large piece of driftwood was taking up, I guess that was stressing them out. Their blue and orange colours really pop against all the moss now.

I'm not 100 % happy with it (talking the 15 G). I lowered the substrate to 2 inches instead of 3, but I forgot to add depth, so it looks a bit flat. And messy. I'll try to adjust that at the end of the week when I do my next water change, just by raking it a bit and then re-planting whatever gets uprooted. There's one "tree" that I want to move to the back, and another one I want to lean slightly more towards the middle. I want to move the heater to the side, because I find that when I'm looking in, it breaks the immersion of the scene to see a heater right there in the middle- it would be better hidden at the side.
And I didn't have enough java moss, but tbf, I used 5 pots so it will just have to grow out. I am not affording any more of that. However, I'm very happy with the overall effect.

In the second tank (7.5 G), I put that big piece of driftwood. I'm not happy with it, it's too big. And overall pretty messy in there. I have another, smaller, more interesting piece that I will replace it with when I get the time and energy. I have an idea. Plants at the back will stick to the tall ones, the Hygrophila, the bacopa, the rotundifolia. But I think I will add the cool driftwood, some rocks, and once the tank is cycled, I'll try to plant some montecarlo in the foreground. I'm considering getting a new bulb for the hood, but I'm not sure what would fit in there, and funds wise, it might have to wait until Christmas.
I am not sure whether to get new rocks. I have some limestone ones, but my water is pretty soft and as far as I can tell has a very low GH/KH. So I think limestone would result in a drastic change. I experimented with it in the 15G and it changed the pH from about 6.6/6.8 to 7.0 overnight. So I worry that I would shock the future inhabitants every water change if it was in my tanks.
I am seriously considering adding shrimp before I get the betta, and I'm going back and forth in my head between red cherry shrimp and amano shrimp. I find them really rather cute. I'll need to do more research, including on what I can do to offset the softness of my water for them so they don't get issues with moulting, and how to go about drip acclimating.

 

[SuspiciouslyFishy]

I'm finally happy with the aquascape for the 15G. I did some last bits of tweaking on it today, and it looks great! I had just added flakes to the tank when I took this picture, so you can see the neons, sort of.

The plants are: java moss (which forms the canopy), cryptocoryne, dwarf hairgrass, java fern and marimo moss. Non- plant wise, it has heather wood and a tiny bit of azalea wood, and lava rocks. I might try blackwater and some leaf litter in the middle in a bit, but I will just enjoy this for the time being.
I did a water test on it today, and the levels were Nitrous compunds- all 0ppm, and pH 6.6.



I am still not happy with the 7.5G, and I'll keep thinking of how I can work on it. I might get some new plants for it.

 

[SuspiciouslyFishy]

I came back from holiday to a small ammonia spike (0.25 ppm) in the main tank. The fish actually looked okay, but I can't find Bam the oto. And based on how much more skittish Spot is, I think Bam didn't make it. I found the cause when I did a water change. A whole slice of uneaten cucumber that the person I had been asking to feed the fish had put in had become stuck in the canopy and started rotting away. I removed that and all is well now. Other parameters were NO2 and NO3 0, and pH 6.6 in the main tank.
I'll get some more oto friends for Spot at the weekend, and see if I do better with them the second time around. Otherwise, if it doesn't work, I'll get more neons, and just accept that otos will have to go on the list for my dream community setup in a larger tank when I have more experience.

In the smaller tank, parameters were 0, 0, 0, and pH also 6.6. But I don't trust it considering it hasn't had an ammonia source for a week and a half. I dosed some ammonia and I'll test that today to see how it's doing. Despite the lights being off, the plants, while not looking amazing, do actually look alive. I'll see how they recover over the coming weeks. I have actually bought some new plants for it- Marsilia Hirsuta and some Limnophila Sessiflora. I need to go visit my mum to get the Marsilia, and then at the weekend I will try to scape the tank. I think I should be able to get it looking pretty okay, especially once the plants grow in and recover. I've finally definitely decided what to put in there. I will get some snails (I love the look of ramshorns, but I'll see what I find, considering there is only the one betta in there, I shouldn't be overfeeding anyhow), and a single plakat betta. I was tempted to add some kind of wild betta, but it seems a bit cruel to do in a mere 7.5 gallons. Maybe one day I'll get a bigger tank and try getting some betta imbellis, or mahachaiensis, or something.

And at the same time, I think I will aquascape the biscuit jar. I won't add any animals. It's only 3.5 litres, so I think it would be cruel. But I wouldn't mind experimenting with aquatic plants in there, and the airstone, and seeing what I get out of it.

I'm also seriously considering getting a small tank, maybe 12-24 litres, and doing a cherry shrimp species tank in it. I think I'll try to save up for it. MTS is real. I'm just a bit in love with this hobby. For that I think I'll need another timer, a heater, some substrate, a thermometer (I know that's not essential, but I really like having one in every tank) and I bet, I bet I will get more plants for it. Which, I guess means that I will not be getting a cat this year.

 

[SuspiciouslyFishy]

Spot is looking so sad, I think today I will go out and get him friends, because I just feel so bad for him. I'll make sure he has at least 5.

I tested the second tank yesterday, and was happy to see that the cycling has definitely begun. I've been dosing to 3ppm ammonia, and the parameters yesterday were NH3- 1, NO2- slight tinge, and pH 6.8. I topped up the ammonia afterwards.
Today I am testing again. pH- 6.6, NH3- between 1ppm and 2ppm, NO2- 0.25ppm. I might think about adding some limestone decor to the tank while it cycles.

 

[SuspiciouslyFishy]

Well, the new otos survived acclimatisation and the first night. They are so small and skinny. Hopefully they'll take to either cucumber or repashy once they run out of biofilm, which is rampant on the new driftwood. So far a lot of them are just surfing on the glass, but hopefully over the coming days they settle in a bit. I dropped a dried oak leaf into the aquarium and they seem to like it a lot. I do occaisionally see some of them nibble the cucumber, and hopefully over today it softens some more. Spot is hard to, well, spot, but when I think I've seen them they definitely seem happier.
Parameters for the main tank today are NH3- 0, NO2- 0, pH 6.6. I'll test NO3 when I do a water change at the weekend.

In the newer setup, today NH3- between 0.5 and 1ppm, NO2- 0.5ppm, and pH is 6.6. On either Friday evening or on Saturday, I will aquascape it, finally (pictures when done). I'm pretty excited for that. I'll also finally have a timer so lighting will be more consistent. I might see about adding some media from the established tank at the weekend if all is well there to speed things up a little. I just didn't want to remove media from the main tank just before adding more fish. I'll add some more ammonia today.

 

[SuspiciouslyFishy]

Today, I have pictures!

Firstly, the main tank- all the new otos are still alive, as far as I can tell, and they are in fact eating the cucumber. They are still skinny, but as long as they continue to eat and keep looking happy, I'm not going to worry. They are likely to fatten up over the coming week. I'd like to experiment with other vegetables over the coming weeks. If anyone has ideas, let me know!
An accident happened the other day, it seems the last time I did a water change I forgot to turn the heater back on and the water was less than 60F. I'm surprised the fish lived through that, but here we go. I've rearranged the plugs so that the heater is with other things that I'll notice being off, like the filter and the airstone. All the fish that were hiding and sluggish have started being more active since the tank warmed up. As a result of this, I feel like they've been through enough this week, especially seeing as the otos only came in from the LFS on Wednesday. So I'm going to skip the water change until next week.
Parameters today are: pH- 6.6, NH3- 0, NO2- 0, NO3- 0. I attribute the low nitrates to the sheer volume of java moss in there. Which I'm hoping will grow even more! I honestly want double the volume of moss in there, but I'm sick of buying it. After 5 potfuls, I'm just going to let it grow. It will get big enough eventually.




This is the main tank today! And here is a happy oto, snacking on cucumber:




Right, so, the second tank. Yesterday I aquascaped it. I'm pretty happy with it, it only needs tweaking once the last of the wood properly sinks. It actually has more variety of plants than the main tank does, with more coming (in a few days I should get hold of some elodea and some duckweed). I discovered that I had a LOT of java fern plantlets, which I put to as much use as I could manage. I ended up using all of it and I'm rather pleased with myself. The only downside is that my jar aquascaping project is clearly not to be at present (as I have no plants going spare anymore).
I ended up adding a small limestone pebble thing as a weight for the larger piece of wood, and tbh, if it doesn't majorly affect the water chemistry I might keep it in there. I'll try tieing some moss to it when I don't need it to weigh down the wood anymore.
Before aquascaping, the parameters were: pH- 6.4, NH3- 0.25, NO2- 2, NO3- 20-40.

This morning when the lights turned on, I noticed that despite the cycling process, I have quite a bit of small invert life in there. I have seen detritus worms, what I think and hope is rhabdocoella, and possibly even some very tiny water fleas or daphnia in the water column, on the wood, on the substrate, and on the glass. It's very interesting to watch. I don't see detritus worms in the main tank, or any of the others, presumably because the neons are rather quick and greedy and eat what they can.
I tested parameters today as I changed the water and added new ammonia yesterday (to 3ppm) and they were: pH- 6.6, NH3- 1, NO2- 0.5, NO3- 5. I didn't manage to get any media from the established tank, largely because, I tried, but I couldn't for the life of me get the chamber open to remove any media. So I guess I'll just be doing this the hard way.
Here is a picture of the smaller tank today:


I've been researching betta options, and I like the look of betta imbellis a lot. It'll be relatively pricey for the one fish, but if I prepare with some variety in foods, and leaves for some extra tannins, I could try getting one. Otherwise, I will probably go for a plakat betta, or a female betta. I'm still super tempted to get shrimp, but I suspect that the betta might just eat them, and that would be a rather expensive snack considering my LFS is selling their cherry shrimp for £3.99 each.

 

[Natalie666]

I love seeing people have luck with otos cute little guys!

 

[SuspiciouslyFishy]

They really are adorable. These little fellas are the star of my tank, honestly!

 

[SuspiciouslyFishy]

Well, I came home from work to snails. They arrived earlier than I wanted, but I've done as good a water change as I can manage (22/28 litres), forced the established filter open by sheer force of will to get some seeded media, and now I hope it's enough to avoid a full on snail-in-cycle. Since I stuffed the extra media in, the filter has been making a very whiny noise, so I hope it's okay...

Anyway, here are my new snaily babies? I have no idea if they are alive or not. Time will tell.


They're alive! And they also like cucumber.

 

[SuspiciouslyFishy]

Well, the next day, it's going well. I tested the tank this morning. So the pH is slightly lower than is normal for my tanks at 6.4, but I'll keep an eye on it. The other parameters aren't giving me any hints, so it's possible that when I kicked up the substrate yesterday, which I did considerably, it released some kind of acid? Tbh, as long as it's stable, I'll just keep testing.
Other parameters are looking good though. NH3 and NO2 are 0ppm, and NO3 is 5ppm. And the snails are looking great so far.

This is Ruby:


These two are Pict and Agate-tha:


This is Strawberry. They're the biggest:


And this is Banana:


There is a 6th snail, who I've called Houdini, but they disappeared into the leaves as soon as they were introduced. I'm happy that the parameters stabilised. Now I need to think of what to add next!
I'm still umming and ahhing between some kind of betta or wild-form cherry shrimp.

 

[SuspiciouslyFishy]

So, I decided. I flipped a coin.
It was heads. I flipped it 5 more times and it was eventually tails, so I went out to the LFS and looked at the bettas.
And despite having said to myself I'd try to get one with short fins, I fell in love with a blue and red crowntail boy. With long fins. He's a very weak swimmer. When the time came to put him in the tank I scooped him up with my hand and lowered him in.
He did not appreciate this and went to sulk under the driftwood for a while. But overall he seems to like his new home. And he hasn't bothered the snails too much. He seems more preoccupied with scaring off his own reflection.
Everyone, meet Steve!

 

[SuspiciouslyFishy]

It amuses me that I tried to feed him flakes tonight, and he tried one, and spat it right out. Before promptly going over to a flatworm chilling on some driftwood and eating that instead!

 

[SuspiciouslyFishy]

Well. For now I don't have any more immediate builds planned. Goodness knows I want to. I'm still thinking of aquascaping the algae-growing jar. I could afford to, in a few months? But I might be moving next year, and to be honest, moving with two tanks scares me enough, never mind three. Plus, I don't know where I'd keep a third tank, even if it is small. I'm best off seeing if I move, getting a new tank (a big tank), and then seeing about switching stuff around. So for now, it's a pipe dream.

15 Gallon: It's looking good! All the newer otos are still alive and eating. They're starting to look rounder now. I've had success with Repashy Solient Green and cucumber so far. Today I'm going to try carrot because the cucumber started growing mould and I had to chuck it. In a few days I'm thinking of trying the Bacter AE I got hold of. The otos are also gradually getting slightly less skittish? I think.
There's some kind of grey mass (algae?) growing on some of the driftwood. It's not harming anything or growing on plants, and it doesn't look hairy, so I'm going to mostly leave it. I might trim it back sometimes. I kind of like the atmosphere it adds to the scape. In the right places it looks kind of like spider webs, so it could fill in the darker bits where moss won't grow so well. Although, I must say, the moss is growing rather well. So is the salvinia. I'm glad I made myself a feeding portal, because otherwise I'd not be able to feed the fish anymore with how thickly it's growing on the surface.
In fact, all the plants are doing pretty well.
I've neglected water changes for a bit longer than usual. I just haven't had time. I will try to get one done either tomorrow or at the weekend though on both tanks.

7.5 Gallon:

Everyone is doing pretty okay. The snails haven't bred as far as I can tell, but they've done a number on any algae or biofilm. I've dropped some cucumber and repashy in for them occaisionally over the past week. They've put on new growth on their shells. When Steve bothers them, I've noticed that they retreat into their shells and float to the surface. In fact, they move pretty fast, for snails, when they want to. They appreciate the dead leaf litter I added as well. I'm seriously thinking of getting a couple more snails? They're such cute little dudes.
Steve is his handsome sassy self. He's stopped chasing his reflection as much.
He still hasn't eaten anything I've given him. But I watched him for an hour yesterday, and was surprised by just how many nematodes and flatworms he was finding to eat. So I'm not worried. It seems he has plenty of food? I'm thinking of getting hold of some frozen foods and trying some in both of my tanks. He actually spends a great deal of his time foraging for worms.
I noticed two teeny tiny spots on him yesterday though. I'm going to monitor to see if it's just a thing, or if it's an issue, seeing as he doesn't seem stressed. It could just be that food fell on him or something.
The plants in here have some new growth too. I'm noticing it more on the faster growing species. So they are recovering from their days of no light. The duckweed came last week, and that and salvinia are both growing on the surface. It's pretty, honestly.I've made another feeding portal to make sure that even if it overgrows, Steve can still get to the surface to breathe.
Actually, talking of Steve, he made his first bubble nest the other day! That was nice to see.
Oh, by the way, the filters are not making whiny noises anymore, that had just resolved itself on it's own by the time I went to bed that evening.

 

[SuspiciouslyFishy]

Yesterday I did maintenence on both of the tanks.

In the 15G- parameters are NH3 0, NO2 0, NO3- 5 and pH 6.4.
I can count at least 6/7 otos. Although they all keep trying to hide under the same leaf. So I think I will try to get a small coconut shell or something for them to hide under. Maybe if they have a better place to hide, I'll see them more. They are eating though. They have really taken to the zucchini I added, especially when I moved it to a location they feel safer hanging out in.
The tetras are as vibrant and greedy as ever. I added plant weights to the airstones in both tanks to help them stay down.

Pictures:




In the 7.5- parameters are NH3 0, NO2 0, NO3 5, and pH 6.4
I have no idea at all why the pH is lower. None. The snails are building healthy shells though, so, I guess it must be okay? I added another limestone rock in there to try to help stabilise the pH a bit.
I also noticed a little baby snail today, which I am excited about. I guess Steve isn't eating all the snaibies. I will name this new snail Tiger, after the tiger's eye stone. Its shell is a very shiny new brown colour, and it reminds me of that stone. I also noticed eggs during maintenence.
Steve himself is his same gorgeous self. I had a little photo session this morning with him.

Pictures:


And finally, I added aquasoil and plants to the algae jar, so now those will hopefully grow out and get healthier with the extra light.

 

[SuspiciouslyFishy]

Today I was looking for my otos in the tank when I discovered the body of one of the neons stuck behind the filter. Parameters were immediately tested and were 0, 0, 5 (Nitrates) and pH 6.6.
I think what might have happened is the poor guy got stuck there, couldn't get out, and died. This actually happened again during the water change with a different neon. They swam there in a panic, got stuck, and I had to push the filter aside to let them out. It's not even the first time it's happened. The first neon I ever lost was also discovered stuck behind that filter. I might need to work something out.
I did a water change though, and added a coconut hide, replanted the plants that had worked their way out of the substrate, and finally buried the airstone. The plants are getting some good roots. I started adding fertiliser recently at a low dose. I also noticed that actually, the detritus worms in that tank are the biggest I've ever seen.
When I was doing my water change I only saw 5 otos, so perhaps two of them died. The ones that are left have good round looking tummies though, so I must be doing something right. I'll keep an eye on them and keep feeding them. The addition of the coconut hide is actually really instantly affecting their behaviour. Suddenly, they are no longer darting away when I approach the tank. I love watching them so this is great news!
The tank is super cloudy now on account of me stirring up the substrate, or I would share a picture.
I'll post about Steve's tank in a few days. Although as far as I can tell, all is well there!

 

[SuspiciouslyFishy]

I can't find my old journal, and to be fair, I didn't like the title and wanted to do over on that thread.

I have two tanks. A 7.5 Gallon, and a 15 Gallon.

The 15 Gallon has neon tetras, ramshorn snails and otocinclus in it, and is very heavily planted. In fact, I recently moved almost all the plants from the 7.5 gallon to the 15, and with them, more snails. There is a problem though. The heater (25 watts, I only noticed a week ago) in the 15 is not powerful enough to keep it heated in winter. I've ordered a 100 watt (arriving tomorrow) to help fix that as, aside from the temperature being consistently too low at 20-23C, it also fluctuates every time I put the heating on, which is not good for the fish. I procrastinated too long on it, to be honest, because a new heater is £20, and I am kind of worried about money. But it will be fine. If I'm willing to consider spending £20 on plants (because they're "pretty"), I can consider spending £20 on a heater, at the end of the day, which is most certainly far more necessary.
The plants in there are growing amazingly well. I've done a forest aquascape scene, which is really starting to grow in now. The picture of the tank is from today, just before the water change. Ignore the cucumber floating. It's the snail's fault (they keep floating to the top with it) and it will be removed in the water change.

Today, I'm moving a lot of the rest of the plants in the 7.5 gallon over to the 15 and doing a water change on the 15. I'm really not sure what to do with the scape in the 7.5 and whether or not I should even keep it running. It's hard whether I take it down or keep it going. I'm considering a blackwater tank with minimal epiphyte planting and a bunch of leaf litter at the bottom, but in fairness I've also seen some really cool ideas for planted aquascapes. But if I get more plants and later take it down, I won't have anywhere for the new plants to go, as, as great as I am at shoving new plants in the larger tank, it's honestly pretty much at capacity just now with both fish and plants, especially after I move the last of the crypts over today. And I already have a bunch of indian almond leaves, oak leaves, and birch leaves handy, along with some fairly interesting driftwood...

The thing is, Steve the betta used to live in the 7.5 (One of the attached pictures will be Steve). But a few weeks ago Steve died. And that was hard. I miss my feisty boy. I think I know what the mistake was that killed him. I would go away a lot when I was really struggling with my mental health. Now, I'm doing much better, but there was a time where I went away for 2 weeks, and while my brother fed him once, he didn't really know how, it wasn't enough, and when I came back Steve was thin and pale, and he never really recovered from that. I know next time that there needs to be a better plan in place. I need to make sure whoever is feeding them while I'm away is comfortable with how to do it. Honestly, I'm still grieving. I may have the bigger tank with all the flashy neons and adorable otos and cool snails with cool shells. But he was my boy. I'm starting to warm to the idea of another betta, but it takes time. And if I do, it could be this week, or it could be several weeks or months from now. Swim in peace, my gorgeous betta friend.

 

[SuspiciouslyFishy]

Today, I'm going to be doing a water change on the bigger tank. The fish in there seem fine, from what I can see, and the snails are growing f a s t ( swear they were all wee dots a week ago lol). The new heater went down well. Now the water is a reasonably consistent 24 degrees. I barely see the otos, but when I do, they look healthy. They're just too skittish for me to really get a closer look.
Well, the fish seem to be fine, aside from one, perhaps? See, one day I fed too much brine shrimp at once, over a month ago now, and the neons fed themselves silly. Three of them started having swim bladder issues, and though those resolved overnight once they'd had a good poop, one in particular looked fairly battered afterwards. I presumed it would heal, but they still look about as battered as they were then. They're eating and acting fine, but I do worry... The battered one is the one in the centre of the picture below.


Otherwise, here is the tank before todays water change:



On Sunday, I went to the LFS to look at bettas. There weren't many, but there was one that I had seen there 2 weeks before when I went to get some frozen fish food. I decided that if she was still there yesterday, it was a sign. And she was! Everyone, meet Bertha/Bertie/Betty!
The white spot on her head, I think, is just her colouring. She had that when I first saw her two weeks ago. And the other females she was with had taken offense to her, which is why her fins are so ragged. Her display tank in the store was tiny and there wasn't really any cover from the other girls. If she isn't showing improvement in a few days, I will start looking for some aquarium salt for her, but for now, I'm going to keep her water clean and full of tannins, and keep an eye on her.
I fed her frozen daphnia earlier, and she loved them. Also, here are some gifs of my new girl:

Seeing as Bertha only moved in yesterday, I'm going to do the water change for her tank on Sunday to give her time to get used to the water in there.

 

[SuspiciouslyFishy]

Yesterday I did a bunch of maintenence on Bertha's tank. I did a 50% water change
(vaccing out a lot of snail poop, removing a lot of leaf litter, and uprooting a lot of plants in the process), relocated about 10 snails to the bigger tank, rinsed the filter and filter media in old tank water (after which is stopped whining and went back to being silent), scrubbed the glass, and added in more tannins with the water change, and a new IAL. The photoperiod has been reduced to six hours as well.
I also took out as much duckweed as I could be bothered to, during which Bertha was very curious and almost got scooped up with said duckweed. She got a bit blown about when I was adding water back in, but enjoyed the bloodworms I gave her afterwards.
This morning, the tank lights aren't on yet so I couldn't take a picture, but the hole in her dorsal fin has healed, and the slight fuzz I was looking on at in growing worry is completely gone. And she's still as bright and active as ever. I'm happy to see her improving!

 

[SuspiciouslyFishy]

Today I couldn't resist doing some maintenence. There's some kind of green/brown hair algae growing in the bigger tank. I removed what I could by hand, reduced the photoperiod by 4 hours, and plan to reduce how much I feed the tank for a few days in the hopes that the snails might eat some of it. I took out some of the marsilea, a bit of java moss, all the marimo moss, and whatever dwarf hairgrass I could find, and put all of that in Bertha's tank:
It's not too much now, but I hope it all grows in and fills out over time. I'm trying to be good and not buy new plants. I have so many plants.

Bertha herself is doing well and her fins are healing over time. I watch and talk to her several times a day. And honestly, I like the light being on for less time. I really want to manage to get more tannins in the tank to make it a bit darker, but that can wait.
I also had fun taking pictures today. Bertha, an oto, and some snails all got a turn in the spotlight today!

 

[SuspiciouslyFishy]

Well, good news and bad news.
Good news, the snails ate the hair algae. All of it. Bad news, they are also eating the oto food before the otos get to it. But I have a plan for fixing that. The otos pretty much only come out at night (much to my dismay), so I need to start putting food in right at lights out time.

For the otos, I'm pretty sure I have at least 5, maybe 6 left. I occasionally use a flashlight to peer into the dark nooks and count them to make sure they're still alive. They look healthy then, although I admit, they don't appreciate me checking in on them. Otherwise I never see them. On the one hand, I'm glad they're using the hiding places they have available. But on the other hand, I do wish I saw them more. The tank definitely isn't up to supporting more. I've tried. So for now I'll have to accept that my scaleless babies are going to hide until I get a big enough tank to get like, 15 of them.

Also, if anything, the patchy neon, Scar, looks worse. I would separate him if I had anywhere to put him, at this point. But seeing as he's lived in the tank for months in this condition, and not passed whatever is going on with him to other fish, it's probably not contagious? I'll keep an eye out for him.

Financially and life circumstances wise, I can't get a bigger tank just now. Goodness knows I daydream about it enough. I'd love one with at least 20 otos . And at least 20 neons. And cherry shrimp and ramshorn snails. Heavily planted, with different types of moss and whatever other plants catch my eye. For that I might need a large tank indeed. And then in the 15 gallon I might keep a betta. Or more shrimp and snails. And the 7.5 can be a spare (or another heavily planted betta tank?).

I did some water changes yesterday, and managed to clean up all the water spillages just before the landlord came over. He liked the bigger tank, and uh, doesn't know about the smaller one yet.

Also, yes, Bertha's rather bloated in these pictures. I made a mistake. I fed too many bloodworms at once. Luckily by the next day she was back to her regular size and shape. I'm going to have to half the bits of cube I give her even more (I think I'm already down to 1/16th of a cube, roughly). I continue to see progress on her fins, I think. And she seems like a happy li'l bean.
I do wonder sometimes if she'd get more stimulation in the bigger tank. But I also wonder if she'd just beat up all the inhabitants, and I must say, I'm a bit attached to the neons and the otos. She is mellower than Steve was, but she is still a betta, and there are already 13? fish in the 15 gallon, so I worry that there just wouldn't be enough personal space for a fish with such a big personality.

 

[SuspiciouslyFishy]

I did the water changes tonight. I've been away for a week. I was only meant to be gone for 5 days, but bad weather delayed me for a couple more. But everyone is looking okay. Mostly.

I decided to catch and euthanise the neon I've been worried about. They'd developed a tumour that was growing over their mouth, couldn't eat and were gasping for breath every time I saw them. Swim in peace, friend. So now I only have 6 neons, unfortunately. I'm on the fence about upping the school size again. They seemed happier when there were 8 of them, but 15 gallons isn't a lot, and adding more neons could introduce a disease to the tank which would be a big headache. I'm leaning towards leaving things as they are.
I've caught glimpses of the otos- they have great colour and full looking bellies, despite the fact that I'm sure I must have at least 40 snails in there (of various sizes, ranging from grain of sand to a good inch across) with them competing for food. It's a shame they are so skittish and hide all the time, but I have to accept that 15 gallons isn't enough to support more. One day I'll have my big tank and I'll get them lots of friends.

I actually had to trim some plants for the first time today. I composted loads of duckweed (which was blocking out the light in the 15), and trimmed and replanted the limnophilia in the 15 and the elodea in the 7.5. The 7.5 is slowly but surely starting to grow in a bit. I'm hoping one day I'll have a thick forest of plants in the background. But all the same, I'm rather firm with myself- I'm not allowed to buy more, and will have to wait for the plants that I have taken out of the 15 to grow in sufficiently. It doesn't stop me dreaming for sure. Pearlweed, guppy grass, and/or hydrocotyle tripartita would be lovely as thick background plants...

Bertha's fins honestly don't look any better. But they also definitely aren't worse. And she seems like her normal self. So I'm just going to make sure I keep her water clean, let her plants grow in, and do my best to keep her happy. Tomorrow she'll probably get some brine shrimp. She does like her brine shrimp.

The lights in both tanks are off now as it's late where I am. Tomorrow I'll try to remember to get pictures!

 

[SuspiciouslyFishy]

So, it's been a while and a lot has happened.
Bertha's fins are still growing slowly, but she seems pretty happy. I moved her into the 15 gallon. She loves it there. I used to worry about her getting bored by herself, and now she has all these neons to chase. I have been keeping an eye on her though, and there have been no attacks, and honestly she spends most of her time staring intently at the substrate as she hunts for worms.

I re-did the aquascape on both tanks. And, despite everything, it had been a few months, so, I bought more plants (I noticed a small bladder snail in the new arrivals, but I think it's pretty and the ramshorns didn't get out of hand, so with any luck neither will these). And I added some leaf litter to the bottom of the 15 gallon, and some other botanicals- alder cones and some kind of dried pod. The water has a brown tint to it now, and I'm super happy with how things turned out.

I had to drop the water level because I got a water lettuce and it wouldn't have fit under the lid otherwise, which is a shame. but if I go lidless, then the otos and the betta might jump out. I already had one death due to an escapee.

When I took everything out to do the rescape, I discovered a few things. Firstly, there was a lot of poop under the decor. Secondly, I have 11 otos! The only death since I upped their numbers to 12 was from the one who jumped. They were looking a little thin though, so I've been dropping in some repashy powder since then to help supplement their feeding. Since adding in the leaf litter, I've also been actually seeing them for the first time in forever as they munch on the biofilm that presumably forms on the leaves. I think it might also help that I've moved the sofa off to the side, so now I can watch them, but they are no longer spooked by my every little movement.

I still consider getting more neons, but for now I'm holding off on that. The tank isn't as ridiculously planted as it was and I'm already a bit overstocked. The idea seemed more feasible when I thought most of the otos had died.

The 7.5 isn't tinted, and is more heavily planted than the 15 is at the moment. I honestly added most of the plants I had into it- shockingly, they all fit. The plan is to let the snails live their best lives for a couple of months, as I have a holiday coming up and don't want to take on new arrivals when I won't be here to keep an eye on them. I bought a sponge filter, but it turned out I didn't have the right tubing so I'm hoping that comes soon. And then, I might get cherry shrimp! But I'll see how I feel in August.

Getting shrimp seems a bit daunting, but I keep telling myself it will be fine. I have shrimp food (BacterAE, I feed it to the otos occaisionally, plus the odd sprinkling of repashy), a sponge filter, and a heavily planted tank pretty much all for them if you don't count the snails.

Also, I just love the way the frogbit roots look. They're so feathery and it's very satisfying. It's a shame my phone camera isn't good enough to pick it up. The picture of the tank is from a few days ago, before the roots had really grown in, and before I'd added the water lettuce.

 

[SuspiciouslyFishy]

I moved house. Moving the fish went just fine. But I figured that seeing as I was moving anyway, and taking down both tanks, removing all gravel and so on, that it was time for an upgrade. So today I will set up my 160 litre (40 ish gallon) tank. Complete with all the plants from my other two. I have many questions and here I will gather thoughts.
Like, I should use the 15 as a quarantine tank for new fish, but I will need the filter media for the new tank... How many fish I can safely add at once to the new setup once it's up. I need to sit and think about my stocking. Will I need more plants? Who knows. I'd like more, I'd always like more...
But today I'll just throw in what I've got and turn it all on. I may or may not add the fish today. It just depends on the temperature of the water I add and how powerful it turns out the included heater is.

In other news Bertha just disappeared one day. I'm starting to give up on bettas, tbh. I love them. I love their colours and their quirky personalities. But they aren't even lasting 6 months and I just don't know why. The neons have been dropping numbers too and I only have 3 left. But I still have all my otos, so, it's clearly not a water quality thing...

 

[Revan]

I haven't been keeping up with this thread, but I will say that neons just tend to randomly die. They don't have the best genetics due to how much they've been overbred.

 

[StarGirl]

I'm starting to give up on bettas, tbh. I love them. I love their colours and their quirky personalities. But they aren't even lasting 6 months and I just don't know why.

Im with you there....I gave up too. Everything else does fine, just not bettas.

 

[CopperIsEpiK]

S.I.P Neons..
I too know the feeling of having a happy school of Neons (whom I loved), die before I could stop it.

 

[SuspiciouslyFishy]

Thanks guys. I appreciate the reassurance.

I still haven't set up the big (160L) tank, but I did move my room around and move the (empty) tank in the process. Now it's in a much better place for watching casually through the day. And I feel like I have more room in the place now, I could even get a desk in, potentially. I'll try to take it slower with the setup though. maybe do the sand on Tuesday, and the dry decor, then maybe setting up the equipment, filling with water.... and so on. And then I can move the fish over and get my first new fish!

I am set on getting at least 10 more otos, maybe even more. So I'd have 20, or perhaps 30. Which makes me happy and should make them happy. I also know I want cherry shrimp, maybe I could start with 10? I also want the tank to be pretty heavily planted, although I think I'll at least partly need to be willing to just let some of what I have fill in... I love the look of bucephelandra. Or maybe I could go for more of a driftwood/blackwater/leaf litter vibe. The otos do really love leaf litter.

After that, I'm not sure, but have ideas floating around for the rest. It would be amazing to have some bronze corys. They were my favourites before I discovered that otos exist. At least 10? Maybe more?
Then, options get more hazy.
Some kind of tetra? Cardinal, or Ember? The three neon tetras will be going in the big tank, but tbh, I feel like maybe I'm otherwise done with neons for now.
Sparkling gouramis are also just... gorgeous. If not in the main tank, maybe in the 55 litre...? But I need to do more research before seriously considering that, because from what I remember they are pretty territorial. Or maybe a different kind of betta? Someone in the UK does breed betta imbellis... And those are also gorgeous.

Just some thoughts.

 

[StarGirl]

I am set on getting at least 10 more otos, maybe even more. So I'd have 20, or perhaps 30.

Ottos are not known for eating regular fish food. I would be careful to not get too many as they will eventually starve for lack of food. I would say stick to your 10. Test and see if they eat blanched veggies or something first.

 

[SuspiciouslyFishy]

Ottos are not known for eating regular fish food. I would be careful to not get too many as they will eventually starve for lack of food. I would say stick to your 10. Test and see if they eat blanched veggies or something first.

My 10 are currently eating Repashy Solient Green and will eat blanched veggies. The 15 gallon otherwise just wouldn't be enough to sustain them. Thanks for the heads up though, my first four died because I couldn't get them to eat sinking wafers or flake food. I about cried the first time I saw them monching on blanched veg!

 

[SuspiciouslyFishy]

I got the tank set up, but wow, I am paying for it in pain. I didn't even get all 160, probably more like 130? Which is enough to make sure the heater is submerged. And also, the filter is the sort that has this waterfall effect in the tank. Which is nice, but I sleep in here. I'll have to turn that off at night... And that's no good for fishes.. Maybe once I get the rest of the water in (probably tomorrow?) it might be quieter? I can deal with some trickling. I slept with a noisy air stone for almost a year.
No photos because all there is to see just now is muddy water. The fish are still happily in the 15 gallon, which is... wise. Setting this up by myself in one day is not feasible.
Now that I've seen more or less what I'm working with, I'm back to considering keeping the 15 going. Maybe just for plants. Maybe I could throw in some guppies or something to watch while I work. Because honestly, I'm in love with the idea of a blackwater setup, with floating amazon frogbit and limnophila in the background, maybe some crypts under the driftwood, java ferns and/or buce on the wood, lots of leaf litter and other botanicals... I could get cardinal tetras and really go for it. I've heard the red stripe more or less disappears if the water is dark enough. And the massive amount of leaf litter would be great biofilm for shrimp and otos. Which means that a lot of my plants just don't fit with that? I tried it before and they just got smothered in leaf litter. But in the 15, the marsilia could make a great carpet, and the other plants could really fill out the background. I would just need more aqua soil. the moss could even be my carpet, actually. I've seen some great pictures of mossy setups and I do have a lot of moss.
For this to work, I think I'd need to buy more botanicals, some aqua soil, maybe some dream plants I've been wanting (hydrocotyle tripartita? Hornwort? Buce?), and more limnophila.

 

[SuspiciouslyFishy]

So. Plans changed and changed again. I ended up getting a desk and having to take down the 15. As of now, it's still empty and the fish are all enjoying life in the 40. I'm slowly building up the amount of leaf litter and other botanicals in there, and the driftwood is slowly sinking down. I have some hydrocotyle leucocephala and a nymphaea stellata bulb on the way, hopefully to arrive when I'm in? I'm currently trying to think of what else I might want.
The current plan is to try to go full blackwater. The otos should love it. And then I'm still at least partly debating on the other stocking. Someone suggested that once leaf litter, driftwood, and surface vegatation is established that I could go with some dwarf pencilfish and black darter tetras.
In preparation for this, I got hold of KH/GH kits and plan to get hold of a TDS meter. I tested the tap water and found that both KH and GH are at 2 degrees.

I planted all of my previous plants in my little 12L box, with a heater and an airstone. Currently every snail I can find gets dropped in there. It's actually quite nice to watch them going around and doing their thing, gliding on the glass and monching. There's quite a bit of growth already, considering. But I suppose, I am using the light from the 15 gallon on there, and the water is a lot shallower. I've even put an orchid that had been struggling onto some driftwood that was sticking out. I attached a picture of it.

I do keep looking dreamily at the now empty 15 gallon. I could do an asian swamp biotope. I could keep a betta or some sparkling gouramis... Reduce the water level by 6 inches and get a good light and go open top, with hygrophila, rotala and limnophila species growing partially emersed out of a thick substrate, with leaf litter mixed in (a mix of beach and oak, foraged from a hillside walk out in the country, perhaps with supplemental mini catappa), and a homemade blackwater extract... But I did do a cost assessment for this, and on top of the £150 cost of plants and substrate and lighting and fish... I'd also end up running 3 heaters, 3 lights, 2 filters... So I'm going to have to see what the coming months bring and assess just what I can afford, especially going into winter, where indoor temps could reach 13C/55F. Or maybe lower, it all depends on how bad winter is.

 

[SuspiciouslyFishy]

Well, today there are more musings about tanks. The otos are still doing well, as far as I can tell. I've not turned on the lights in that tank often as I just don't have room on the extension lead to run a heater, both filters, and a light on a timer. Plus duckweed. It just won't die! I'm going to have to do a long session with a pair of tweezers and a lot of patience, I think.
I didn't get my plants. I ordered them to my old address by mistake. I'll have to re-order them, and honestly, I might just order the plants for the 15 as well. I think for the 15, rotala sp., limnophila sp. and some hygrophila sp. will work nicely (if I keep the water level lower, many of these species will also grow partly emersed, and then things can grow wild for lots of cover for future fishes), along with maybe a nice bit of driftwood with some buce on it. For the 40, I'm currently thinking vals, nymphaea, and floating pennywort, but I'm still looking into it.
I can afford in the 3 gallon to keep the heater on a lower temp, considering it's just snails and plants and won't be anything else. So I'll also need to make sure to do that. I wonder if, if I got hold of some live daphnia, I could manage to start breeding a colony as a treat for my other fish. I'll need to do some research on that. IIRC, they would need a source of green water, or something equivalent. It would be especially good for the darter tetras, if I still end up getting those.
Talking of which, I think it's high time I go to the place with lots of oak and beech trees, far from roads, and collect a bunch for the tanks. A mix of leaves always looks more natural, and I'm really quite low on oak and beech leaves. Currently, though, it will still be some months before I get more fish for any tank. Much more maturing and leaf littering and plant growing still needs to be done.

 

[SuspiciouslyFishy]

I'm still thinking of ideas for both tanks. This is just going to be another throwing ideas around post, because I can't actually work on any tanks until I get home, as I'm away this week. Which gives me so much time to plan. I'm literally scouring google images and aquaessentials daily looking for inspiration and ideas.
Now, plans for the 40 are similar- dwarf pencilfish, darter tetras, and the otos still feature. But the plants ideas keep changing. Ranging from building up substrate so that there's a shallow "marginal area" filled with fast-growing plants (probably not), to various ideas for floating and creeping plants for the top levels. I definitely want to get out when I'm back to pick up more wood (I mostly forage dead heather wood, so far it's worked well and has a lovely texture) and leaves (I made a mistake in the last post, it's birch, not beech, that grows there).
The current favourite plan is to drop the water level a bit and grow a thick layer of brazillian pennywort, sweet potato vine (I can get a cutting for free) and possibly some patches of frogbit and red root floater, possibly with dwarf baby tears growing out of the HOB... With peat filtered blackwater and a build up of botanicals on the substrate. Then in a few months, after things have grown in a bit, I could start adding the new fish. Which would probably be after Christmas.
The ideas for the 15 have been evolving as well. Plant ideas have scaled down and scaled up. Currently, pothos or philodendron growing on emersed driftwood could be cool. With a betta, despite saying I wouldn't get another one... And hygrophila rosea austrailis and limnophila heterophylla, which I already have, and hygrophila corymbosa, which could grow partially emersed... I could cut down costs by relying mostly on plants I already have, getting the houseplant from a local facebook group, lowering the water level so that there's less water to heat, and getting most of the wood and botanicals from the local countryside. I could buy some potting soil and use that in the substrate, capping it with the sand I already have... And then that could sit "empty" for a few months before I add any fish.

 

[SuspiciouslyFishy]

I am back. I'm honestly just writing this because I'm excited. There's not much to update on yet.
The plants came and I wasn't in. I'll need to make the 2-hour round trip to the depot tomorrow. The soil won't actually come for a couple more days, so I'll float the plants for the 15 gallon in the 12 litre grow out tank until the time comes. I added fertiliser to the 12 litre last time I topped it off, and I must say, it has been entirely worth it. Already the plants look greener, and that was only yesterday. And the orchid I've tried to mount to some driftwood that sticks out is so far not dead and it's been almost a month. It's even growing a new root and some new flower buds. Though I don't think it likes the light. The leaves have this dark tint to them.
I've been slowly adding more leaves to the 40. And today I was rewarded with a yellow tint. May it get ever darker. The duckweed is finally dying, though I suspect it'll come back when I add plants. It's lost it's roots and that means it's pretty impossible to get out manually for now. I will come back to it. I might end up just living with it. I "rescued" a few pieces of my old red root floaters and frogbit. They're recovering in the grow-out tank for later. The plan is to let them grow and once they look a bit healthier they can be returned to the 40 gallon.
Also I got my TDS meter! The tap is 54ppm, the 40 gallon is 75ppm (it had been a good couple of weeks since the last water change), and the 12 litre is at 115ppm, probably because it gets topped off with old tank water and rarely water changed. But there, that accumulation is really the whole point. It's almost entirely for plants and snails. Snails will survive anything, it seems, and it'll take some time for it to harm the plants. This knowledge also cements for me that no shrimp can thrive in my tanks unless I also add kH to the water, which currently I don't plan to do. It also sort of rules out guppies, but tbf, there are so, so many other fish out there, that love how soft my water is, and guppies would get me up to a 4th tank... Tempting, but no. Moving with two was hard enough, and I didn't even have any fish to worry about in the 7.5 gallon!
Also also also. I've made a decision on maintenence.
The 15 gallon will ultimately be water changed weekly to fortnightly, depending on how mental I'm feeling at the time. This is okay considering the whole single betta and snails thing, and the fact that I plan to go more or less with the Walstad method. I say more or less because I still 100% plan on having a filter, though a less powerful one than I'd go for if it weren't for heavy planting and light stocking and a soil capped with sand substrate.
I will feed and water change the 40 gallon daily regardless. It's just a lot easier to change 10% of the water daily, about one bucketful per day which takes all of 5 minutes, than it is to change 30-50% weekly, which is more of an all day affair. I also don't have to make sure the water is temperature matched with a 10% in that size of tank (or at least nothing bad happened today). Plus I was talking to a friend who kept a betta for 4 years and asked her the secret. Turns out the secret is routine. Consistent good care. She fed him daily and kept his water clean (he had a whole 10 gallons all to himself and loved to play in the high flow of the filter- Swim in Peace Leo <3). And that helped her mental health too. So I will have a routine, for the fish! Because having one for myself is just too hard. I did a water change today and yesterday, and so far so good.
Also also, I read that black darter tetras like caves. So I might try to get a hold of some of those bark logs and add them in. Mostly because I don't have the tools to safely hollow out a log myself, and while PVC pipe is cheaper, it also doesn't grow biofilm, plus, the aesthetic! Although that said I can't buy anything like that for two weeks and I'll see how my finances feel at the time. Maybe PVC is the way to go after all...
Also, picture of the 40 gallon. The green at the bottom is moss that was attached to the wood in a previous scape, and I figured, if it survives blackwater, it deserves to just stay there. I may eventually lift those bits of wood to be closer to the surface so that once the water gets darker and covered in pennywort it has *some* light.

 

[SuspiciouslyFishy]

Today, I've actually written a lot on paper before writing here. But I've realised I have questions and I think trying to write about them here will go over well before I possibly make a post about anything.
I've been doing research to stave off a bad mental health day. Research into darter tetras and blackwater systems and live foods.
I remember getting my first 6 otos. It was unfortunate. I learned a lot. Including not to trust anyone who says "they've been eating algae pellets" and "they were tank bred". I quickly learned that they were wild caught and treated algae wafers as if they didn't exist. So this time, I know I'm going to be getting some fairly niche, possibly wild caught species and I'd rather be overprepared. I want to have live food cultures thriving, the plants at the top of the tank overgrowing, and more leaf litter, branches and twigs (maybe even some pebbles and/or pvc pipes) than I know what to do with before getting darter tetras which may or may not be wild caught and may or may not accept that frozen foods are food.
But with live food culturing, I just don't know a whole lot. Like, should I add anything into their water to increase the hardness? What should I culture (so far daphnia is on the list)? Can I have multiple different foods culturing in one container or would I need one for each critter? What equipment might I need? I think that's most of it for now.
Aside from the question about how to best de-snail plant cuttings (limnophila heterophylla, hygrophila rosea austrailis and java moss, maybe java fern) and decor before adding it into the 15 gallon again. It's too late for the 40. I'll have to do some very intense blanched veg treatment, maybe with a couple of assassin snails for good measure. I'll go for blanched veg alone before I try any assassins though. I only need to keep numbers down so that the leaf litter doesn't just become snail litter.

 

[SuspiciouslyFishy]

Today we get pictures of my very much work in progress aquariums!

The 40 Gallon:
I'm adding in cucumber and repashy gel cubes. The otos love it and today I counted all 11 of them still alive and thriving and chowing down. One brave nugget even stayed still long enough for me to get a picture of them! Or perhaps just frozen in fear... And the other day one actually rested on a leaf in front of me. He moved when I went to get my phone so you'll have to take my word for it.
I love seeing them moving about. Otocinclus are still my favourite fish.
I just wish I could get the water a darker colour. I ran out of leaves and still haven't made it out to get more. The peat came, but I've not actually got a bag to put it in the filter in, so it's just sort of sitting there in the box (I might do an experiment with it, see if soaking some in a mug might get it to sink). And daily 10% water changes are slowly diluting what's left of it all. Although, a side effect of small daily water changes and thus more consistent care and feeding, is that the snails shells aren't breaking down and going white anymore.
The plants are slowly growing in though. Dwarf baby tears, unsurprisingly, didn't catch on and is now mostly dead. But the brazillian pennywort is thriving. Slower than I'd like, but a watched plant never grows. Part of me thinks about getting some valisnera and seeing if it fills in in some of the corners sometimes, but, I'll hold myself back for now and just keep focusing on getting more leaf litter in first.
If I get more branches and twigs, I'll probably move the twigs with moss and java ferns on them to the 15 gallon to make it more densely scaped.

The 15 Gallon:
So, so far my somewhat poorly researched attempt to start a Walstad tank is... Going. The soil I used ended up having a "slow release" fertiliser in it, which is unfortunate. The water is thick with a bacterial bloom, the snails are dead, but the plants are in fact, as far as I can tell, thriving, especially the ones rooted in the substrate.
So, if it must be a plants only tank I think I'll take it. If I can eventually get the water clear, and then maybe after a few months of daily 25% water changes... Then I might test the water by putting the last of my neons back in there, if the neons last that long. 2 out of 3 have a white growth on their mouths and it's making it hard for them to eat.
I'm telling myself that there's progress. The water was ever so slightly clearer today.
I have a small filter in there just to keep water moving, for now. I do wish I had thrips to deal with the fuzz growing on the emersed driftwood, but investigations under various pot plants have come up empty. I'm sure some will turn up somewhere eventually.
once I move over the mossed/java ferned wood and get the plants growing thickly and accidentally introduce some duckweed, I'm sure it will look great. And then I can turn attentions to the last of my empty tanks... I mean, what?

The 3 gallon:
I rescaped it to take out all the plants I wanted in the 15 gallon. currently left in there are crypts, lots of moss, java ferns, lilleaopsis grass (not braziliensis, some other one), anubias, guppy grass, and lots of snails (in additions to growing out plants, it's where I dump snails that I fish out of the 40 gallon). Today I also dumped the daphnia jar in there to see if I could start a culture. I'm feeding them a mix of BacterAE, fast action yeast, and repashy powder. It's very much an experiment. If it thrives, then great and if not honestly, I might try again, and keep trying? The experimental aspect of it is a bit exciting. I might even add shrimp to that tank one day, though I've been talking about maybe getting shrimp one day for forever.

 

[SuspiciouslyFishy]

It's been a while and I got some pictures. The daphnia did not pan out, by the way. I'll try again another day. Potentially, when I get the darter tetras, I might have to just buy in live foods if they aren't eating frozen. But we shall see.

The 40 gallon:

So far so good. The tint is building, the leaf litter is building up, and the plants are ever so slowly growing in. I suspect growth is so slow because the stocking is so light. The tank really doesn't have a chance to build up any nitrates for the plants to use. There's hardly any growth in the 3 gallon either, which is usually topped off with water from the 40. TDS is currently at 67ppm. So it's actually gone down, rather than up. I'll have to see if the pH has dropped... I do find the water chemistry fascinating. I've been adding the peat in small amounts every few days- it does turn out that if I steep it for a few hours in hot water, most of it sinks.



The 15 gallon:
I ended up giving the limnophila a trim today. Growth in here has exploded and the snails are also thriving. I replanted the cuttings on the other side of the tank. Ultimately, I want this tank to be a jungle of growth. I just needed to make sure that the hygrophila rosae australis wasn't being entirely shaded out. It's sorely tempting to order in some limnophila aromatica... But if I'm patient other plants will grow in and fill the gaps.
I added some moss a while ago on the emersed wood, sitting right at the water line. and in it I've poked a few other plants, java moss, an odd bit of the rosae australis, the only surviving pieces of bacopa caroliniana from the first scape in there... And today I added more moss round the other side and poked in a tiny piece of the limnophila heterophylla, and the last surviving piece of dwarf baby tears in the hopes that growing it emersed might revive it.
And finally I've set up the filter on a really low flow, in such a way that it sounds a bit like gentle rain. And so far I'm liking it. There are no fish in there and the snails are indestructible, so there's really no need for high flow, especially with the copious plant cover and daily 50% water changes (I use the water I take out of the 40 gallon during it's daily 10%, waste not want not, I guess?). To be fair, is it even worth calling the 15 gallon a 15 gallon? I'm quite sure I only have 10 gallons in there...

Before water change and trim:


After trim:


Also, obligatory picture of the 3 gallon:

 

[SuspiciouslyFishy]

A week ago? I took down the 3 gallon and distributed the plants between the other two.
Today I noticed that the stand for the 15 gallon was failing and I took it down. It's a bad day. The foot of the 15 gallon was sunk into the plywood stand at one corner and causing it to tilt. Not good. Luckily I still didn't have fish in there. The plants moved to the 40 gallon. I'll take a picture soon...? I'm just so tired.
I got the substrate out and rinsed/cleaned out the filter and so on... And now I'm just a bit tired and it's hard to think. I don't have the energy to deal with this today. I don't generally have the energy to sell things either. I don't know if a charity shop could take fish tanks. Arranging a collection for them is just a lot of brain space. It's just sad and exhausting.
So, no betta for me, and I might have to rethink stocking plans for the 40 gallon. I'm not sure anymore. I know now that there is no-where else for the neons to go, so maybe instead of pencilfish and darter tetras I just get more neons...? They are pretty and the three are still alive. I need time to think on it.

 

[TClare]

You could have both neon tetras and pencilfish, no problem.

 

[JustAFishServant]

I just rescued (and am currently fostering) a betta yesterday who I named Big Bertha. Perfect timing!

I really like your tanks, especially in post #34

 

[SuspiciouslyFishy]

I'm back from Christmas. First up, a picture of the tank:

Just after the first water change after I returned.
Second up, there's a little baby neon! I saw it just now during feeding time. I think I'll have to make sure I'm dropping food in that tangled mess of limnophila and hygrophila on the left there to make sure the little guy gets enough food. Some of what I feed is the powdered form of repashy, mixed with some yeast and BacterAE, so it's probably been subsisting on that and the odd critter (the substrate is reasonably rich in nematodes, baby snails and flatworms).



This might shift my plans for new fish. I'm going to have to think on it. I'll definitely wait until the babies are a bit bigger and maybe swimming with the shoal for themselves. And then, honestly, I'm tempted to just get a few more neon tetras and just enjoy life, as long as they stay healthy...
Wait, wait, there are TWO baby neons. The one pictured and there's one towards the back of the aquarium. Wow.
Also the otos are still doing great! They've come out to feed now that I'm sitting still and a bit away from the tank.