What are you doing to your tank today?

[John58ford]

I finished that corner matten style all in one style 29 with a diy cave today. I moved a large sword with a runner from one of my other tanks into it too break up the sight line and curb some aggression.

Clown wasn't impressed by my workmanship but he'll come around I'm sure

As I was finishing replanting, I saw the Ottos cleaning the mystery snail and had to take a picture of that too.



I made a thread on that tank, and figure I'll share here too since you guys all watched me make it in real time. Thanks for checking it out, it was straight forward but my mistake with the silicone was trying on my patience. All the stock that need QT or meds are moved in so tomorrow after a deep water change we'll start the timer.

29 all in one matten style corner with diy cave | Freshwater Aquarium Builds 457512

 

[jake37]

I also run my 29's with the corner matten style filters. They seem to work well. Been nearly a year and haven't had to muck with it though I suppose at somepoint i'l have to pull the sponge and clean it.

 

[John58ford]

Before the white lights came on this morning I trimmed all my swords back quite a bit. I've been coming back on my water tests with too little nitrate for the last month at the end of the water change cycle . I'm seriously considering playing with fertilizer, but it's so not why I keep fish. I'm conflicted but the planted bug is growing in me. More fish more food more fertilizer right? Maybe I just need more fish to make more fertilizer lol.

Here's the aftermath:

Salad and escargot anyone?


It took a minute to get the snails out of the clippings lol.

 

[jake37]

Don't your swords get miffed when you take all their leaves ?

 

[John58ford]

Don't your swords get er poo off when you take all their leaves ?

I'm not totally sure what you mean. For swords, I take the outside rows of leaves off at the base whenever I trim them. Those are the oldest, usually it makes the center row of leaves grow taller and greener. I've never noticed the plants remaining leaves having an issue after trimming unless I pull up on it to hard and pop some roots in the process.

I thin all my plants to reduce the nutrient uptake systematically to keep things growing without ferts (running on fish poo lol).

The fish on the other hand will be irritated for a couple days until they adjust to the new cover or lack of. And within a couple weeks the swords will be back to the same height or greater than when I started.

 

[jake37]

Ok. I know some plants melt. I generally only remove damaged or leaves with algae; i've never done a massive trim of all the large leaves on my swords. Most of them are 18-20 inches high now.

 

[John58ford]

Ok. I know some plants melt. I generally only remove damaged or leaves with algae; i've never done a massive trim of all the large leaves on my swords. Most of them are 18-20 inches high now.

Makes sense. The swords should only melt while they convert (from long pear shaped above water leaves to long sword shaped under water leaves). From there to keep them under control triming the outside row every now and then is the way to go. The ones I trimmed are in 12" deep tanks, they have been as tall as 8-10" a couple times but take the tanks over and starve my other plants. That will cause the crypts to melt, and when nutrients bottom out the swords themselves get a little ragged. None of the nutrient thing is an issue if you fertilize, but I don't. I have views on self sustaining vs mid-hi tech tanks that are worthy of thier own thread and have been shared a couple times but I will say at the same time it all comes down to the keeper, and the goal. I love the look of a planted high tech tank, but I also live by the idea of natural growth.

With swords at 18", they are probably solidly rooted enough you can trim them with your finger. Just run your finger down the stem of the outside most leaf and when you get to the roots it will split right off, the rest of the leaves usually grow all the better and you can grow a sturdier, taller plant. I'm keeping mine in moderate high flow river tanks and they stand straight up, though I like to keep them under 6" tall.

 

[StarGirl]

All im doing today is getting some vals ready to ship to Basil and Mhamilton0911 !

 

[Fisheye]

I`m watching spawning go on in 3 tanks. CPD`s, pygmy cories and Metae Cories. What is the dealio?

 

[MacZ]

Did the weekly 50% WC as per schedule.

 

[Sorg67]

Did water changes on four tanks yesterday. Doing another today. Going up to LFS this afternoon to give away some assassin snails.

 

[StarGirl]

I`m watching spawning go on in 3 tanks. CPD`s, pygmy cories and Metae Cories. What is the dealio?

They must like what you are doing!

 

[FishGirl115]

Lol. I did an accidental 75% wc... Was eating breakfast and forgot that the siphon was draining... Overflowed the bucket. Luckily the fish still had water.

 

[Gel0city]

Did a water change and a gravel vacuum. The water wasn't a pretty color.

 

[phnx314]

Finished up my emergency 10g... my 20 high leaked everywhere, luckily the fish are okay

 

[John58ford]

Finished up my emergency 10g... my 20 high leaked everywhere, luckily the fish are okay

Bummer about the leak! Glad you got a back up plan set up.

 

[ghostdawg]

I did my weekly WC and had to adjust my sponges, water was flowing over the overflow. I guess it was packed in too tight! SFSG

 

[kallililly1973]

Here was yesterday’s haul to my LFS 2 freezer ziplocks worth of plants in exchange for 5 nice pieces of DW 4 bags of omega one frozen BW’s and two otto cats

 

[StarGirl]

Here was yesterday’s haul to my LFS 2 freezer ziplocks worth of plants in exchange for 5 nice pieces of DW 4 bags of omega one frozen BW’s and two otto cats

Nice haul!

 

[FinalFins]

I simply have not found out if my LFS does that.. if they do i'm trading in lots of jungle vals

 

[StarGirl]

Got my label maker today to do my cords!

 

[CHJ]

I may stop water changes on all breeding tanks.
With the suggestion that I'm a bad person because I don't do water changes we started doing them.
After months of testing only the tanks without them are still breeding.
The tanks that are getting changes have shut down all breeding activity.
The tanks that only get top offs are still producing babies, in some cases unexpected babies like the Emp tetras.
The changes will continue in the tanks where I do not expect or want breeding.
I honestly suspect the RO hitting the nitrate rich water leads to spawning. Spring rains and all that.
Water changes have also lead to a huge increase in casualties. Not sure what is up with that. Coincidence maybe.

I do not recommend this for others as my tanks are set up to do it with tons of plants to sponge nitro. I may also have hit an age where I get "Old fish dude" magic and things will work for me that do not work for others (like a harlequin lancer living peacefully in a tank with shoaling fish. Or immortal Lambchops with said lancer.. seriously those lambchops are getting into Cory years. How many lambchops get to 7 years old?).

EDIT: that is what I should do today! pull out all the caves from the L134s, smooth the sand back down and put the caves back. These plecos dig like cichlids so after a few months the tank is a mess.
Hmmm, I have played this game with cichlids and I never win. Maybe just leave the caves like they have set them up?

 

[John58ford]

Sanitizing and re-straightening hoses (quarantine and all others) and tools, nets etc. Observing in amazement first hand how my diy UV sterilizer is cleaning up the newest tank and condition of a fish. I had a busy week last week so I didn't photo bomb you guys daily lol.

 

[Wrench]

Sanitizing and re-straightening hoses (quarantine and all others) and tools, nets etc. Observing in amazement first hand how my diy UV sterilizer is cleaning up the newest tank and condition of a fish. I had a busy week last week so I didn't photo bomb you guys daily lol.
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My lord...you are on a mission, I love doing there types of things and getting your end result like you envisioned it.

 

[BigSteve2]

Wondering what everyone is doing to their tanks weather its changing decor adding removing, changing substrate, new lights filters air stones or sponge filters etc..... Also pics are very much encouraged
PS if there is a better section for this thread please move it Thanks!!

Yesterday was water change and filter clean today is add some courgette decor for the shrimp day

 

[ghostdawg]

I did a WC Sunday and end up losing one of my Zebra Danios. I think it died while doing the WC. Now I'm down to 4 out of 6.

 

[MacZ]

Got a dozen new vallisneria for free, just planted them.

 

[jake37]

cleaning cleaning cleaning. Did extra water change on the guppy tank. Also my order of 4 blue eye lemon came with 6. Right now they are in the 29 (around 1 inch - smallest one bit smaller largest one a little larger). Hum. Need to disperse them at some point maybe i'll move 2 into the guppy tank.

 

[Broggy]

I need to redesign my tank, because my cichlid always finds a way to pull all of the sand from underneath the rocks and make the whole rock formation fall over lol

 

[KSo]

WC day, and started the upgrade process of a 3.5g to a 5.5 gal in hopes of having better outcomes for my shrimp. Added a bunch of floating plants to keep the pearl gouramis happy... now thinking, but what should I do with this 3.5 g haha

 

[jake37]

I suspect your fishes are a lot larger than my kribs but they like to do the same thing. I won't even mention what my corys have been doing

I need to redesign my tank, because my cichlid always finds a way to pull all of the sand from underneath the rocks and make the whole rock formation fall over lol

 

[Broggy]

I suspect your fishes are a lot larger than my kribs but they like to do the same thing. I won't even mention what my corys have been doing

are your corys being naughty?

 

[jake37]

They like to dig.

are your corys being naughty?

 

[CHJ]

Wife added water hyacinths to the HOBs on the phantom tank. Yeah nitro sponges!
It is the only tank to get real sunlight or we'd be stuffing them in all the HOBs. Customer at the LFS said they need actual sun.

I should also pull all the caves in the L134 tank and smooth the sand before putting the caves back. Little buggers dig like cichlids so the tank is a mess.
Hmm, I do remember fighting cichlids on tank decor before giving up and declaring them the winner.. Maybe I don't engage in another futile fight with my fish.
I also don't want to go messing in there because the floating plants are at least 2" thick.

 

[FinalFins]

Changed the water in both 20 gallons, cleaned up the 5 gallon up of duckweed a little bit, replenished the frozen food supply and currently soaking some wood. Productive day

 

[Fisch]

Watching my brand new Red Veiltail Betta exploring the tank and play in the air bubbles.
On the sad nite my little male Bristlenose Pleco just died, and I am trying to find the reason.
Nothing really different, the only thing I can think of is that he may have eaten too many bloodworms this morning.

 

[CHJ]

Adding fish

Now begins the eternal quest to world first. They will go in the pleco grow out for a while until they get their own species only tank.

EDIT: Planet catfish unlike other sites says these have been bred 3-4 x in captivity so no world first chance. Still going for it.

 

[jake37]

Chopped down my ruffle sword (let this serve as a warning to the jungle val); made some Repashy Soilent Green; now to see if the fishes like goo.

 

[lilirose]

I finally got the time to do the "weekly" water change on my 90 liter tank. I intended to do it last Tuesday but this has been a really rough week in my house and I just didn't have the time or energy. While I was doing the water change, I blasted the BBA that's trying to overgrow the Christmas Moss with a few ml of peroxide (it's a constant battle, but I'm winning to the point that nobody sees the BBA unless I point it out) and trimmed the rest of the plants, especially the Val, which appears to be trying to take over the back of the tank.

Then I began filling another bucket with RO water so I can aerate and remineralise in order to change water in my Betta tanks on Monday. The bucket takes a few hours to fill, and I'm staying up late so I can unhook it from the RO unit and drop an airstone in it before I go to bed (it's currently almost midnight here).

The good part about the late water change on the 90-liter is that I probably can skip the water change next week and not do much but feed the fish until the week after next....but the week after next my four new tanks will likely arrive, so I will be super busy!

 

[CHJ]

70 bronzes are moving from the bronze machine to the LFS. looks like there are at least another 70-100 still in the tank. There were ~75 when covid hit and the LFS shut down for a while.
So when stocking a 15 gal try to have less than 200 cories in it.

 

[CHJ]

As it is a new day I'm considering playing "Pleco rodeo". This is where I will stir up pleco tanks where I haven't seen them in 6+ months to see how much they have grown.

 

[jake37]

Doesn't stirring them up make them hide more ?

As it is a new day I'm considering playing "Pleco rodeo". This is where I will stir up pleco tanks where I haven't seen them in 6+ months to see how much they have grown.

 

[flyinGourami]

Water change day. And feeding the fish(corys ate from the surface and betta ate a tad bit too much), I'm also considering making a cinder-block stand for the tank and moving it.

 

[Broggy]

I put a giant peice of fish flakes stuck together meant for my big boi, but my baby cichlid comes up and eats the whole entire thing. Im not feeding him again today.

 

[AquaticQueen]

I'm going to do a water change later and clean up the tank a little. The algae doesn't look too great. As soon as they start coming back in pet stores, I need a nerite snail. I tried getting one about 2 months ago and no snails, plants, or any fish but those glow light tetras and some corys. There was also a MASSIVE amount of yellow labs for some reason. I thought they were pretty popular
All they had for plants was some curly bamboo.

 

[John58ford]

Today I helped my oldest (9) son with his "science fair project". Of several guided options he was given he chose the Rube Goldberg, and for that machine to feed one of our tanks.

As a parent during this school system shut down I have been tasked with learning to edit videos to send them to the science and PE teacher so excuse the amateur editing.

Here's a video of what HE was doing to our tank today

 

[CHJ]

Doesn't stirring them up make them hide more ?

By "Stirring up" I just mean lifting logs, rocks, and caves. As they already hide 100% of the time I do not think they will hide more.

 

[jake37]

My clown pleco is like that - it spends all day hiding on the underside of a piece of drift wood as it slowly eats it inside out. At least my lemon and female bn don't hide; as well as my flash pleco - it doesn't hide either. The male bn i haven't seen for 2 months now.

 

[Broggy]

My clown pleco is like that - it spends all day hiding on the underside of a piece of drift wood as it slowly eats it inside out. At least my lemon and female bn don't hide; as well as my flash pleco - it doesn't hide either. The male bn i haven't seen for 2 months now.

thats cool, I wish my BN was more active, but every time he comes out, this one fish tries to bite his bristles.

 

[jake37]

Doing the usual water change. Normally i just do a water change on the 120 mid week; but i decided to do a bit of work on the black and white 29s. This is a picture of the white 29 - it has been setup for about 10 months and most of the plants are the original though i did recently add a cardinal plant. Pretty happy with how it has bounced back. At one time the substrate was completely covered by black algae (it didn't grow on the plants just the substrate). Anyway it eventually worked itself out and this is what we ended up with; The left and right front is pretty shallow because the cory just can't stop digging there. Should probably fill it in and add a stone of some sort cause this is the third time they dug it down to the bottom.