Tropical Fish Keeping banner

Finally moved into the 30 Gallon!

9K views 70 replies 12 participants last post by  angella 
#1 ·
Well I am officially moved into the 30 gallon finally! Received some of my plants today, so I planted and moved the fish over along with the Penguin 100 filter that is cycled and was on the 10 also an AquaClear 70 size bag of Bio-max ceramic rings that were in the cycled 10 for a month (thought I was gonna go with that filter so i bought those in advance). Lighting is 4 15 watt 6500K CFLs. Substrate is play sand.

Currently:
8 Pygmy chain sword plants
6-8 Dwarf water lettuce
6-8 Salvinia Cuculatta
The seller also threw in a couple stems of Limnophila Aromatica, not sure if I will be able to grow them but I will try!

Just placed an order for:
6 Vallisneria Spiralis
5 stems Giant Hygro
5 stems Brazilian Pennywort
3 Java Fern
1 Dwarf Lilly

Current inhabitants:
6 Harlequin Rasbora
1 male Sunburst Platy
1 Male Guppy
1 African Dwarf Frog
5 Ghost shrimp

Excuse the pics...the Penguin 100 had to hang on the front since the tank was too close to the wall to fit it on back, and the BioMax is just laid on a rock....







 
See less See more
4
#55 ·
I went nuts with Crypts recently. (three pots total, 7 plants in the 30g and 4 in the 10g) the first pot (Lutea) was pretty thin and I split into two plants. I had some slight melt but it recovered quickly and a week after planting it was going nuts. The second pot (Lutea) was also a small pot and split into two plants, both of those seem to of stalled out on me, not melted, but just sitting there, not nearly as vibrant as the first pot. Both of those were bought at a local Petco about a week apart. The third pot was a pot FULL of Wendtii green. I put three sprigs in the 30g and four sprigs in the 10g. All of those have been in a week, they stalled out at first, no melting though, just this morning I saw the first new growth, all are doing very well other than a single leaf here and there I trimmed off.

Anyways, sorry for the crypt diversion there, back to your tank. I was simply going to post "your tank just gave me a chub" but then I started rambling about crypts lol.

Looking amazing! I can't get over how awesome that driftwood is.
 
#57 ·
Thanks guys! Man, I didnt even think about splitting the crypts...I just took them out of the pot and planted as is.

Sidenote:
Thanks kangy! He is now 17 months and cute as can be! He loooves the tank. He will stand/sit in front of it all day if we let him haha.
 
#58 ·
I didn't think about splitting them at first either, if it wasn't for the first pot coming apart as soon as I removed and rinsed it I probably wouldn't of done it either. I was so nervous to plant the crypts after all the crypt melt horror stories lol. I was especially nervous seperating the Wendtii, it was a massive chuck bulging out of the pot those roots were so intwined I felt like a surgeon. I was so afraid of damaging the roots, but with slow steady patience it came apart nicely. I think it started as one plant that stayed potted for way to long and just spread until it couldn't spread anymore. Did you cut the roots on yours when you planted? I've read the proper way to plant plants in the aquarium is to cut the old root growth to encourage new growth, but also read that any disruption to the roots is what triggers the "crypt melt" I left mine all intact, not sure if I should of done that, if the old root mass will die off, or what will happen but as I posted above they seem to be doing well. They were a pain to plant with those deep roots though.

Sidenote: Awsome picture, and congratulations, is that your first? We have one girl (and a boy on the way due Feb 8th) She is two and a half now, lol terrible two's, she is awesome though, feeds the dog, picks up dog poo, feeds the fish every day, and helps hold the hose during water changes, she LOVES the aquariums, she will pull up her stool and sit there and watch the fish for 15 minutes at a time (with the attention span of a 2 year old I think that's pretty good lol). My wife asked her the other day if she wanted to go to the store and her response was "yay, I like getting plants for fish" haha shows I take her to the LFS maybe a little too often :)
 
#59 ·
Yes, I did trim the roots some, maybe a 1/4 inch. I have also read people suggests both ways so I have no idea the "proper" way to go about it.

Yes he is our first. Such a wonderful blessing. Yeah we are dreading the terrible twos. Congrats on the baby boy!! He is due on my wife's birthday! Awesome about the store! That is hilarious!
 
#60 ·
I have no will power...

Okay, I decided a while ago that I was going to have some Bolivian Rams. They do better at normal tropical tank temps as opposed to the Blue Ram who prefers warmer waters. I have been saying that I am going to get my Bolivians when my local fish clubs goes to the fish auction in Raleigh in February...

Well today we stopped by a LFS and saw their Rams. Now, I have been going in there every so often for a couple of months now checking them out, just admiring them. My birthday is in 2 weeks and as I am ogling the Bolivians (for about 30 minutes), my wife says "Do any look like they have paired up? Pick em out and let's take em home. Happy early birthday!" So I studied them for another 20 minutes or so and debated getting them now or waiting. The whole time I can hear one of the guys from the club in my head, "You coulda got 5 or 6 for that price at the auction!"

Well as you can surely guess by now....I now have what I am almost positive is a male and a female Bolivian Ram! Pretty much the whole time I was watching them they were swimming together. Here they are!

"Dude, you are already taking pics of me?"


Male




Female





I already love these fish! I can see why people fall for cichlids like they do....
 
#63 ·
Thanks guys! They are awesome! Last night I found myself just sitting in front of the tank just staring at them. It seemed like maybe 5 minutes, but when I looked at the clock half an hour had passed. Love them!
 
#64 ·
Beautiful looking tank and fish! I love that peice of driftwood you have. What kind is it and where did you get it?
 
#67 ·
Thanks guys! I'll have to get some new tank shots up. The Bacopa doesnt look like it is doing well. Doesnt look like there has been any growth. I know it is a slow grower but I havent seen any. And some of the lower leaves of a couple stems are falling off.

Bigfish I got the wood from walking a local river.
 
#68 ·
Thought I'd check back up on your thread, good to know everything is still going well =)
I'm getting two more cherry barbs (to have 8 total) and like 10 harlequin rasboras tomorrow :) And a few more plants. Just today I added three rather large pieces of driftwood and one medium sized piece to my 55gal. LOVING it almost as much as the fish! Hope it doesn't mess up my parameters, I soaked and boiled all the pieces...
 
#69 ·
I want to invent a shrink ray so I can go swimming in your tank. On that same note... I hate you... lol just kidding, but looking at your pictures makes me want to keep changing my tank. Then again I haven't seen it all week. Stuck in flipping Chicago, flight cancelled... drinking beer in hotel... ok I'm hijacking and rambling, time to eat my delivery pizza...
 
#70 ·
Thanks guys! Angella I cant wait to see the new driftwood and the cherry barbs with the harlequins. I really think that will be a great looking combination.

Kangy, sometimes I wish I had a shrink ray too. And don't worry you havent missed anything. Havent taken any new pics since the ones of the Rams. Too busy staring at them! I will try and get some up tho, camera has been geeking out lately.
 
#71 ·
I got my pics up, most of them anyway :)

And I wish my harlequins schooled like yours! Every once in a while all ten of them get together and look awesome, but it's not common. They are doing good though, and have colored up a lot :) I thought two were a different species when I got them because the black spot was nonexistent!! :O
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top