Tropical Fish Keeping banner

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.
 

Attachments

See less See more
2
#419 ·
Very nice. As much as I wouldn't use black substrate, it does look great.

Good call on the shrimp. I wouldn't say it's aggressiveness as much as appetitivness.

Jeff.
 
#420 ·
Thanks for the play-by-play, Jen!!! I GOL'd (giggled out loud?) at your 'interlude.' You're so cute. . .You make it look so easy. . . I'm pretty much terrified to do this on my 125, but am still thinking I will. It came out so WELL for you. Maybe I'll practice on my other tanks. I have 2 10g's, to start. . .

As much as JDM wouldn't - you KNOW how much I adore my black substrate. It really looks lovely (to me) - this little tank is shaping up quickly! Your little girly fish is going to really enjoy her time with you, already is from the look of it. Lionheart is so pretty. . .

Ummm, yeah. My daughter's Betta eats MTS, too. He also eats Tetra, as I found out quite by accident one day. I wouldn't even consider attempting shrimp in with him, either. Crazy fish. . .
 
#421 ·
LadyKeiva, I was briefly thinking of Amanos because of how large they are, but with the info that yours attacked his I don't think I'm going to attempt it xD I'd be horrified if something happened. It's a shame I can't get like a tiny toy fake shrimp to test in the tank and see what she'd do....lmao.

Haha, JDM you're just lucky to have that awesome amazonian looking sand, I'd love to have that in my 20 long. I love all the different textures. But I also love how my black sand makes everything stand out, and it doesn't make the floor look so...empty when there's no plants in that area.
 
#423 ·
LadyKeiva, I was briefly thinking of Amanos because of how large they are, but with the info that yours attacked his I don't think I'm going to attempt it xD I'd be horrified if something happened. It's a shame I can't get like a tiny toy fake shrimp to test in the tank and see what she'd do....lmao..
Yeah, and it seems that mine didn't even do it out of hunger.. He just went hulk on it. I came home to find one of them dead with a huge chunk missing. I felt bad >,<. He had no interest the first few days.
 
#422 · (Edited)
It actually wasn't so bad! If you're interested I can PM you play-by-play instructions, tips, etc. The biggest advice though is to go sloooooowwwllllyyy, like do a layer every half hour or so, so it has a chance to totally dry. It feels a bit weird on the tank, like one good razor blade tug could peel it right off, so that's something to look out for when moving the tank/installing stuff. I believe I read that after a week of 'curing' it won't be as likely to come off on accident.

Yeah I remember the tetra story ;( That was so sad. I didn't realize just how big their mouths are until she 'yawned' one day. I could easily see a betta swallowing a small fish now o.o

EDIT: I also LOVE how it makes the tank look, like it makes it look clean and polished. I think I might do the back of my 20 when it's done being used as a QT and will be transformed into a blackwater xD
 
#424 ·
I feel like she would probably do the same, she just seems a bit curiously destructive by nature xD

In other news, I've fallen in love with Oto cats. The LFS got a few in the other day and it was my first time seeing them in person. They are just the cutest little guys ever, and as much as I'd love a group they just seem so finicky. So cute though <3
 
#428 ·
One oto survived the office tank. It is the one fish that wasn't too large, too aggressive or out of its water range so I am planning on keeping him and adding some more after the tank gets setup and running.

Jeff.
 
#430 ·
With the plants currently he just grazes. but he is only one. There was a ton of algae growth in that tank over the years. After there is a herd of the buggers I'll either induce algae or just feed wafers... chances are some broken wafers once the newbies show up as they will know what they are and he won't so they'll show him the way to the food. Intentional algae could probably get out of hand quickly.

If you remember that huge pleco and there was no other food than just the flake stuff.

Jeff.
 
#431 ·
You'll def have to post lots of pictures of them <3 they are just the most adorable things I've ever seen.

Also, I had no idea fish could bite. I'm so used to my happy-go-lucky rasboras who just ignore me whenever I'm doing something in the tank that I didn't even think about sticking my hand in the tank with Lionheart and messing with the plants/adding oak leaves/etc.

I guess she wasn't appreciative of my re-arranging. I almost jumped out of my skin it scared me so bad, she bit so hard I could have sworn she stabbed me xD

Suffice it to say I kept one eye on her the whole time after that.
 
#432 · (Edited)
One week to the rasboras being done with QT and this happens -____- not quite sure when it happened, I noticed it at feeding time. I'm not sure if I should do anything at this point or just let it heal on its own. I don't even know HOW it happened :( poor guy. He seems to be swimming okay, though he 'twitches' his tail sometimes.


Sent from Petguide.com Free App

EDIT: Ugh, the photo isn't showing :(
 
#435 ·
Poor little thing! I'm sorry, Jen!

It's so hard to get a clear picture of these little fish, from here it looks like a torn or nipped fin? If so, I'd leave him alone. Fish heal fins really quickly in clean water - especially with limited stress. He should be right as rain in no time. It was staggering to see how quickly my Tetra healed up after having his fin ripped off entirely!

If you're really concerned, or if it doesn't seem to be healing quickly, a bit of Melafix can really help with torn fins. It's made with Melaleuca oil (a natural remedy I use around the house all the time in the form of TeaTree essential oil - it has amazing *people* healing properties, too!) , and none of my fish have ever had a problem with it, including the wilder Beans and the nano loaches. . .

I think clean water will be more than enough, though. . . IF my assumption of a ripped fin is right?!


heehee, I'll never forget the first time I got nomed on by a fish - a Molly. Yep! Startled me, too! Now they're so used to being hand-fed, even the LOACHES nibble on my arms when I'm doing maintenance. I kind of think it's cute. . . they like me! Or something. . . ;)
 
#436 ·
Yeah, the whole top part is missing :( I don't think anyone would nip that hard, but there's no sharp objects in the tank that he could have snagged it on. Should I postpone the move to the main tank if it isn't healed up next week? :( The only thing I can think of is the water bottle baffle, but they've never really ventured over there before, and I can't fathom how he would tear it on that.

Is there a possibility of it getting infected or anything I should look out for, you think?

It surprisingly hurt! The only fish that ever actively nibbled me before were the goldies and minnows in the pond, and that just tickled.

I hand feed her, but sometimes she 'misses', and ouchies, haha. It's now a bit of a game, when I do tank maintenance. She chases me all over the tank. I suppose it's a good deterrent to keep me from constantly re-arranging her 'house' xD
 
#437 ·
Never had a betta bite. *wince* I guess it's a fun game. . . sounds a bit scary!

Yes, you want to be on the lookout for any fungus or fin rot. Anything that looks off in that area, really. The new growth that I've seen often appears more white than the old fin for a while, and any coloration will fill in last - so don't be alarmed if you see that, it won't be cottony like fungus at all. I'd probably delay the move, just because it will put stress on him - I'd rather let him heal first, with his shoal for support. Depending on what he looks like, of course. If the ragged edges are healing cleanly and you see obvious signs of new growth, you'd probably be fine to move him, I'd think. . . I'm willing to bet that you'll see significant improvement within a week, honestly. . . based on what I've seen in my tanks as far as nipped fins and random accidents. Fins really do heal up amazingly quickly in a tank where the water is cared for. An extra water change or two won't hurt anything, either.

Accidents DO happen, unfortunately. And sometimes we never figure out what it was. . . there are still a few unsolved mysteries that have happened in my tank. I'm nursing an injured baby right now, too. It is always so upsetting to see. . .
 
#438 ·
Wooooh, you just relieved my fear before it even had a chance to become panic xD I was seeing a bit of white on top of where the fin got torn, and I was worrying that it might be fungus. It's not fluffy, just white, though.

I'll go ahead and do this weeks WC early, then, and then do another on WC day :)

Injured fish baby or human baby? :( I hope they get better soon! Accidents are no fun :(
 
#439 ·
YAY! Glad I could help, dear. I know the feeling, believe me I do! Keep an eye on it, hopefully it's already new growth!

A fish baby, who is doing well. The human babies have been sick too, but accidents? That's a constant! The little one's nickname is 'Stumbles' ^.^

Oooh! I keep forgetting to tell you that my lilly is doing well! It grew soooooo long. I just got it into the 29, and lost some of the stems (it was all tangled in everything) but a pretty new leaf is already heading up! I'm shocked that it's still alive, but VERY excited about it! ^.^
 
#441 ·
The re-homed pepper cory I have came with no fins, tail or otherwise. I wondered how the heck he swam to be honest and theya re all growing out nicely now. Soon enough he'll have that little cory "sail" fin again.

Fish heal quickly given the chance.

Jeff.
 
#445 ·
I think about 3 weeks, maybe 4 now.

Yah... best laid plans and all. We had a major failure of some computer equipment which necessitated switching software for one of our 24hour applications.... major upheaval. Even though I get to stand back and say "I told you so" I still have to babysit everything. All nighters aren't my thing anymore... particularly when they aren't fun.

Jeff.
 
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