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Adventures of the 35G

40K views 480 replies 13 participants last post by  Chesh 
#1 ·
I started this tank- my first tank, back in October, if I remember correctly. It's come a long way since then, and I've definitely developed new skills and taste. So it finally came to the point of me being completely sick of the Flourite Red gravel I had in the tank, and making the switch to Flourite Black Sand.

Let's have an adventure.


This is what the tank looked like right before making the switch.
 

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#294 ·
What about Indian Almond Leaves? They're really big and pretty tough, although I'm not sure if cories are too big for them. I have a thick layer of leaves so my loaches squirm around in between the layers, but they're very slim. (My mom calls the little ones my worms, and the bigger ones my snakes, hahaha)

How are your shrimp faring JDM? I'm thinking about adding a few to my tank but I'm not sure if they'd have enough places to hide.
 
#295 ·
Being in Canada, our selection of leaves is a little smaller. Oak is our best bet, maple second..... not sure what would be next. I've never seen anything at the store other than plastic or some silk... which are nice but need to be cleaned I understand.

When we had four shrimp, we only ever saw three at one time once. Now with a supposed 10, we see three or four regularly so I think they are doing fine. I have driftwood that is all cracked so the are tons of crevasses that they tend to hang out in. They don't typically stay on the plants other than to clean some of the leaves off. I'd be happy if they reproduced .... not sure they will.

If you get them large initially, the fish probably won't get them, those suckers are fast.

Jeff.
 
#296 ·
You should be able to buy them off of eBay, unless Canada doesn't allow them in? I'm not sure why they wouldn't but hey, weirder things have happened.

I think shrimp are so cute, but I also picture them and moss hand in hand. Do yours pay special attention to any particular plants?

On another note, I was at the LFS today, which kind of ****** me off. They had DYED frogs. They were green and pink. WTH. They also had a tank full of random plecos, one of which I think was a clown pleco (which I really, really want. SO CUTE). I used to buy from that shop regularly but seeing those frogs has really made me not want to give them my money anymore. I'm really considering going back and getting the pleco, but...I don't know. I'm afraid my water is too soft for it anyways.
I was hoping to pick up more Harlequins today but the other LFS didn't have any in stock, which was a bummer.
 
#297 ·
Oh those poor, poor lil' frogs! I really wish people would stop doing that. *sigh* The dyed animals make me feel so sad. I've seen the dyed frogs in images, really glad to have never seen them IRL. The tattooed fish were horrible enough. . . I love my little greyish brownish speckled froglings!

I REALLY want shrimp. . . I *might* be brave enough to try putting some in the big tank. . . if they were big enough, in all that space, *maybe* they'd survive! My rams have prolly never seen a shrimp IRL. Perhaps they wouldn't realize they were food? Heh. Unlikely!

Have you put the IAL in your tank yet, Jen? Wondering how you like them? They're SO much 'stronger' than Oak leaves. . .
 
#298 ·
I have no idea how those poor guys were even dyed. They looked so sad, I'd never even heard of them. When the owner was telling me about his new stock, he said 'colored frogs', which, I assumed meant an array of NATURAL color variations (I don't know much about frogs...or their colors) but then when I saw them I was just appalled. They looked so sad.

I really want to get my hands on some cherry shrimps, or some 'brown' shrimp. They're so fascinating.

Yup! And you were right, those leaves are HUGE! I really do like them, they're so tough. I haven't seen any water discoloration yet, but eventually I'm hoping to create a blackwater setup if I can figure out how to keep the ph stable and do water changes on it. The leaves look so pretty though, I love that reddish tinge that they have.
 
#299 ·
I think this was the first place I heard of them . . . it's really SAD!

Glad you like the leaves :) Those are considered SMALL by IAL standards. I think they're HUGE, lol! Surprised they aren't coloring your water though. My water went really dark with seven of them, I think - in the 55. Maybe just luck of the draw. . .
 
#300 ·
Dyed frogs.... no thanks.

The shrimp seem to prefer smaller leafed plants.... but that may just be a proximity thing as the swords are out in the middle and the shrimp stay near the drift wood at the ends. Dwarf hygros, little crypts, pennyworts, go, and the vals. I guess any green that has a bit of algae on it. I love watching them riding the duckweed around. Some times they pull the duckweed down and they really slowly sink, sort of like parachuting but it's a bit of a gauntlet, even though the fish don't bother the it certainly attracts their attention and the shrimp alway take off before getting to the bottom as a result.

Yah, fun to watch.

Jeff
 
#302 ·
I think hiding spots are the key. My driftwood has cracks and crevasses which they prefer over the plants. They come out to the leaves but actually prefer the wood and java fern or moss that is attached to the wood... that's why I think it's a proximity thing.

Cichlids may never have seen shrimp, but if it moves and is anywhere near fitting in their mouths, they are considered food.

Jeff
 
#303 ·
Lol, yeah. . .I know. That's why I haven't tried it just yet. I *think* I have a lot of hiding spots, here's the current vid of my tank but the cichlids use them, too - so I haven't been brave enough to sentence shrimps to doom. Perhaps they'd hang in/under/around the rocks at the right of the tank? Nah, the 55 is too small - they'd never make it. Just got ahold of a 125, *maybe* when I upgrade I'll give them a try. . . I just have to convince myself that I'd be okay with risking their lives. I don't really like the idea, but if I had a big enough colony to start with, maybe? *ponders*

This has nothing to do with Jen and her gorgeous tanks tho, lol. Sorry Jen! Didn't mean to steal your thread :) I just love shrimp, can't help but try to get opinions on if they'd work - even though I know I shouldn't!
 
#304 ·
JDM that sounds so cute! Especially the parachuting haha. I wish my LFS stocked them, all they have are ghosts. Which are cute and all, but I'd rather not play 'Where's Waldo' on super hard mode. I don't think my rasboras or kuhli would bother the adults, but I have no idea if they'd pick at them or not. I removed my big pieces of driftwood, but I'm hoping my little 'crypt forest' would be enough shelter...Shrimp would probably be my last addition though.

No! You're not derailing it haha, I like hearing about other peoples tanks and experiences. We've been over this ;)

My sister had the two German Blue rams (which have both since passed...I told her they're sensitive.) and she also had shrimp...which only lasted a few days both times she bought them. This isn't to say the Rams for sure ate them, but..idk. She also has a ton of big tetras who could have had a hand in it.
 
#307 ·
Neither my lucens nor wendtii melted, but Crypt Spiralis is one of the worst melters out there. I thought for sure it would fall to pieces but it's been doing great, I'm super surprised. Have you seen Boredomb's puffer thread? His poor crypts have all fallen to pieces. :(
 
#308 ·
I'm SO happy to hear they're behaving themselves for you!!! I've never had a problem with Crypts melting on me, either. The C.Sprialis were the worst, but I only lost a few leaves when I brought them home - as opposed to the entire plant, lol, and they've been fine ever since. No other Crypts have melted on me. . . Makes me happy that they're already growing so well for you - they'll be spreading soon, I hope!
 
#309 ·
The day has finally arrived! 10 Harlequin Rasboras are now in QT, so excited to finally have gotten my hands on a few more! Goodness gracious they're so tiny, most are about half grown, maybe 3/4. And the poor guys are incredibly pale. I'm thinking about 2 months for QT, but it depends on how things are going after the first month.

Funnily enough, I just did a major overhaul on the QT yesterday, it looks totally different haha. I decided to remove the driftwood and the rocks, plus the remaining lilies to go outside into the tadpole tank.

Eventually after I finish stocking the main tank (I'm thinking 14-18 Rasboras and 9 or 10 Kuhli...) I want to turn it into one of of these, but that's like...6 months down the road or so xD
-Neon Tetras and Corydoras
-Betta
-ADFs
 
#311 ·
Maybe :D I'd really like some but...I'm so nervous about feeding them! It's really hard for me to get a good supply of live/frozen food :(

Also just found out that Petco sells Mosquito Rasbora...THEY ARE SO CUTE AND TINY SQUEEEEE~ And I could have SO MANY of them in the 20gal.

Each - was a different option, just to be clear o.o I wouldn't put all of those guys together in a 20, haha.
 
#312 ·
...
Also just found out that Petco sells Mosquito Rasbora...THEY ARE SO CUTE AND TINY SQUEEEEE~ And I could have SO MANY of them in the 20gal.

....
Those were one of the first fish that I wanted to keep, same reason, lots of them. Weren't for my water though.:-(

Jeff.
 
#314 ·
I haven't tested the town source yet, I've been concentrating on getting the nitrates back down and just forget... I don't bring the test kit in, just bring the water home.

So far the tank is down to 10dGH.....

HEY! Whose thread is this anyway?:shock:

Jeff.
 
#317 ·
Oh, OK, in that case....

I've been working on that in my main tank and my jug experiment. I can get 23dGH down to 15 with plants... I just have to really overstock the plants and under stock the fish. Regular 1/3 fish stock levels Would be the max. I feel I still need to have fish that can handle the source water at it hardest in case of large changes down the road although long term they rarely should be needed very often.

Nice lilies BTW. Flowering and all.

Jeff..
 
#319 ·
Do you think your driftwood has an impact on the hardness? I've always wondered a bit. I think you've picked beautiful fish for your water, I've always thought cherry barbs were so cute.

I wish my brain was as mathematical as yours. I'm still at a bit of a loss as how to get dGH and such, I wish I could keep better tack of my water hardness but it's all a bit 'over my head' haha. I have the API GH/KH test kit but it's a bit confusing. Feels like chemistry class all over o.o

Also, I think the rasboras in QT are feeling a bit more at home...they've been spawning all day. I'm actually a bit curious if I'll get some fry, without kuhli loaches to eat the eggs...hrm. They may end up eating their own fry though.

Their colors are still SO pale compared to my four, it makes me sad :( Mine have such vibrant reds and blacks and oranges, and they're just...pale and whitish looking.
 
#321 · (Edited)
Do you think your driftwood has an impact on the hardness? I've always wondered a bit. I think you've picked beautiful fish for your water, I've always thought cherry barbs were so cute.
I can't say for sure but I think that the wood has little effect on the hardness and maybe more on the pH.

I wish my brain was as mathematical as yours. I'm still at a bit of a loss as how to get dGH and such, I wish I could keep better tack of my water hardness but it's all a bit 'over my head' haha. I have the API GH/KH test kit but it's a bit confusing. Feels like chemistry class all over o.o
Just count the drops... I hated measuring the hardness initially as it is add one drop, shake, add one drop, shake, add one drop, shake.... 23 drops takes a while. Now I just squirt ten drops and go two at a time until I get close. Measure the KH first as it is always lower than the GH. That way if the KH is 8, just squeeze eight drops into the GH test, then go drop by drop... and use a small piece of plastic wrap rather than the leaky messy lids they sent with the tubes.

I think I am the only one who tests my water hardness as much as I do... most just test it once and that's it... if that.

Also, I think the rasboras in QT are feeling a bit more at home...they've been spawning all day. I'm actually a bit curious if I'll get some fry, without kuhli loaches to eat the eggs...hrm. They may end up eating their own fry though.

Their colors are still SO pale compared to my four, it makes me sad :( Mine have such vibrant reds and blacks and oranges, and they're just...pale and whitish looking.
They'll colour up.
 
#320 ·
They'll come along, dear. They will! Remember that aside from being new, they're still YOUNG, and so may not have fully grown into their coloration. :)

I often find myself wishing for a scientific mind, too - but it's okay. You have taddies and lillies on your back porch, and dodge crocodiles while tripping through a pond in search of fish and fun new plants to catch. And that's pretty darn cool, too. :D Have you read Byron's article? I found it very helpful :)
 
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