|
Post by Crazygar on Feb 17, 2020 18:25:11 GMT -5
Pearling and clear.
As you can see, all my Chili's are hanging out as a group now, something I enjoy watching.
For such a little tank, it sure cleans up quick. Grow Blyxa, grow.
Gary
|
|
|
Post by Crazygar on Feb 19, 2020 12:02:36 GMT -5
I MANAGED TO GET CRYSTAL RED SHRIMP!
Aquarists Christmas over here right now. I am picking up a group of 12 tonight from none other than Saul. I was looking on Kijiji for "Neocaridina" for a few weeks now and decided this morning to check for "Caridina" and boom, there he was.
Tonight at 5pm I am going to pick them up. Two pieces of Blyxa decided to pop up for a repeat performance, I replanted one and decided I'll give the other to Saul for my gratitude for the Shrimp (great price btw, much lower than I've seen anywhere in the area).
I'm so excited!
Gary
|
|
|
Post by Crazygar on Feb 19, 2020 20:15:22 GMT -5
Pictures tomorrow, they are getting adjusted to their new home. Already going after what I would call, my algae hot spots. I have enough to keep a colony going in the tank.
Stocking is complete. Well, For Chilis and Shrimp. Still need two more Zebra Otos. But I am going to wait a while and determine if it's truly necessary.
Gary
|
|
|
Post by Crazygar on Feb 20, 2020 20:32:36 GMT -5
Presenting some of the Crystal Reds...
Most of them are spending their time working away at the debris at the back of the tank. A few spend it in the Hairgrass but this lot tends to hang out in plain view. I have some seriously large ones and tiny ones. Looking forward to seeing shrimplets in the tank.
Chili Rasboras photobomb each picture.
Gary
|
|
|
Post by Crazygar on Feb 21, 2020 19:31:51 GMT -5
To really get most of them out you need to feed them...They even behave like Caridina species when it comes to food.
They were fighting over 2 pieces of algae wafer that landed on that side of the tank. A few of them dragged a piece into the Hygro forest while some remained with the other piece in the open.
My poor Rasboras, they like to nibble on the wafers and were obviously a bit mortified when the shrimp were chasing them away from the wafer.
They (Rasboras) did find a piece that fell on the left side of the tank and nibbled on that. Chasing off a Shrimp (a smaller one) that tried getting close. I might have to construct a feeding regimen for this group.
The white really adds a nice splash of color in the tank, along with their deep reds. Saul once again, much appreciated sir! Hope to see you at the next meeting.
Gary
|
|
|
Post by Crazygar on Feb 23, 2020 7:44:05 GMT -5
Going to be a definitely Aquarists Sunday today.
I have a CAOAC Remote meeting at 11am, which is supposed to last until 1pm, then of course it's the Trim and pamper for Office Space II.
My goals today are the Hairgrass and Hygro. One of my Buce Plants is sending a massive amount of runners into the water column at the back of the tank. I plan to trim a few of these down and neaten it up a bit. Hopefully, not uprooting that one Blyxa plant that if even sneezing in it's general direction, will uproot.
The Shrimp have adjusted nicely and really started going after the patches of algae. While no tank is perfect and will have some sort of algae or another, they are doing a bang up job getting rid of the noticeable stuff at the front.
They really LOVE the Hairgrass/HC area. They tend to congregate in this area quite a bit. Unfortunately, to get head count, food is involved.
Put in some Brine Shrimp yesterday and the Shrimp were zipping into the water column to get some. They have the exact personality of Amano's and food. Greedy b-----ds, the lot of them.
Gary
|
|
|
Post by Crazygar on Feb 23, 2020 15:27:00 GMT -5
Hygrophila pinnatifida is not the fastest growing Hygro. While I cut all the tops off and replanted, I was surprised at;
- How fast it transitions from big ugly leaves to small pinnate ones
- How little I actually have after trimming
- How little I actually have after replanting
Will need to continue with propagation of this plant at a slower rate than I previously thought. I was expecting to cover the rocks at the back with it, I'd be lucky to do that with the rock in the front of the tank.
Trimmed the wandering roots from my Buce at the back, yes, I uprooted two of the three Blyxa. Created a few new swear words replanting.
Hairgrass trims up nicely, it's just a pain to remove. I spend a good deal of time, just capturing errant pieces and there is still a few left in the tank. Though it does look much nicer, I think I need to create a Hairgrass Comb to speed up trimming and making it more even. I'll be a Barber to the Plants.
Started designing my dual output system. This way, I can remove the Powerhead and solely rely on the filter for water movement, CO2 distribution and of course, filtration.
The dual output will still have the "Violet" glass (or stainless steel deciding) output while the secondary will be Jet facing towards front right to spin the water around the tank and create movement. Which means upgrading to a much larger filtration unit. Eheim 2217 should be able to do all I need.
I can throttle back somewhat if I need to keep the flow from turning the Aquarium into the raging torrent of death.
Gary
|
|
|
Post by Crazygar on Feb 23, 2020 21:06:28 GMT -5
Quick picture before calling it a night...
The Hygro at the right will grow back, smaller and more towards the look I want. For some reason, every Shrimp in the tank was a the back.
Gary
|
|
|
Post by Crazygar on Feb 24, 2020 19:44:03 GMT -5
How to Entice Shrimp for A Photo-Op:
Food
Gary
|
|
|
Post by Crazygar on Feb 29, 2020 16:48:58 GMT -5
I finally managed to get the Blyxa to stay rooted. I literally had to poke a hole with my finger, place the offending plants into said hole and then rebury without disturbing the other plants.
Spent a small fortune on nice tweezers and there the lowest tech possible was the solution. Sigh.
Tomorrow's trim is may just be Hairgrass and Staurogyne and a bit of cleaning up as usual. The Hygro is taking off but man, it's a slower grower. Painfully slow.
Gary
|
|
|
Post by Crazygar on Mar 1, 2020 14:08:00 GMT -5
A quick 48 minute session today. It was a simple trim and mainly clean task this weekend.
- Trimmed the Staurogyne repens, started to plant some in the empty spots around the driftwood
- Trimmed the HC mound to resemble more of a mound. It had a serious case of bed head
- Cleaned the glass with both my little sponge and old debit card.
- That is it
For the most part, things are moving along. I did check out the Blyxa today and it's starting to gain height again. Give it a couple of months and it'll be back to the Don King variety. Though I like the look of more space, I may keep it trimmed nice and short.
Most of the Shrimp are hiding in the back of the Aquarium during my maintenance sessions so getting a head count is difficult. Tomorrow, during feeding though, that will change.
I am heading to the Petsmart on Walker Crossing tomorrow evening. Been a while since I poked around a Chain Pet Store and need more "powdery" food for my Chili Rasboras.
Strangely, they prefer to nibble on Algae wafers than eat what is floating in the water column, which to the chagrin of the Shrimp.
NoodleAquatics, I'll keep an eye out for any Corydoras ambiacus.
Tank is very healthy, algae issues are minimal and nothing that the Shrimp are gladly helping me with. What is really thriving is the Buce. I can not believe how much its grown since I first received it.
Continuing to de-snail when the opportunity presents itself. I am making a dent in the population, the addition of the Shrimp has added to further decreasing the population.
Albums listened to: Ross., by Low Roar and started (as 2 songs in) The Waves, The Wake by Great Lake Swimmers. In a bit of a folky mood this afternoon.
As usual, pictures are forthcoming. Early this evening.
Gary
|
|
|
Post by NoodleAquatics on Mar 1, 2020 15:55:34 GMT -5
Thanks for keeping an eye out! If you see one or two, that would be amazing. I love nano tanks, or at least nano species. I keep a 10g so its on the large end for a "nano" tank, but theyre quite enjoyable. I can't keep shrimp in mine, my sparkling gouramis would make a snack out of some lol I didn't read through everything yet, but do you use CO2 for your plants? I don't know if it's doable for you but for some reason my ghost shrimp put a major dent in my bladder snail population. Ramshorn too, but i moved them to another tank because i like my ramshorns... unsure how theyd do with other smaller shrimp but these guys took every opportunity to hunt my bladder snail and small ramshorns lol (And for sure ghost shrimp, not whisker shrimp. They have orange bands on the legs and tails)
|
|
|
Post by christopher on Mar 1, 2020 18:28:47 GMT -5
I can give you an assassin snail for your pest snails. And take him back when hes done if you want.
|
|
|
Post by Crazygar on Mar 1, 2020 19:57:03 GMT -5
Looking a bit more lush again. As you can tell, spent a good deal of time tweaking the Stauro and HC.
NoodleAquatics , to answer some of your questions:
Yes, I use pressurized CO2 (5lb Cylinder) for the tank along with my own variation on the EI Dosing. Its working for me, so I am sticking with it. Once you establish a routine and stick to it, you get success. Constantly changing parameters give algae a chance to take over.
Ghost Shrimp (Palaemonetes spp) are larger than my Chili Rasboras and would pose a serious threat to them as well. I continue to pick out the ones that go to the top of the tank or are reachable with my extended tweezers.
Since the introduction of my Crystal Reds, they are making a difference as well. Snails breed to food source. Limit food, limit population. Besides a few is beneficial its just getting them to hide for my photo ops.
christopher , thanks but no thanks. I've seen them go after small Shrimp. As I've stated, some are beneficial, and am making a good dent along with the Shrimp.
Gary
|
|
|
Post by Crazygar on Mar 3, 2020 7:48:31 GMT -5
This weekend, I'm going to start collecting parts for the Dual Output for the tank. Yes, I am going to order the next size Eheim (sans Cardboard and plastic bags) and 3 Lily Pipes (1 Violet, 1 Jet, 1 Intake). I have an extra tank I can run testing on before actually setting on the live tank.
I think my MacGyver job on the Powerhead is slowly unwinding itself. Hence the urgency to get this piece done.
Gary
|
|