so about 4 days ago my ever so loving daughter did what i like to think was a mistake. she added fruity pebbles to the 10 gallon guppy tank. i am very happy to report that this HORRIBLE atrocity has been fixed. she had a huge JUNGLE of plants, i am sad that some of them didn't make it but i am also happy that i was able to remodel my tank. in doing so i had to take out EVERYTHING. and scrub it all down. so i took out the fish. there were a pair of otos that were the original inhabitants of this tank. surprisingly they are a VERY hardy pair... i must have the only hardy otos in the world. lol. but i digress. i bought another to temp be put into the tank in hopes that it would help eat his new white slimy algae like growth... no go. so i broke down about 4 hours later after 2 guppies died and took everyone out and to my astonishment.... it went from 3 otos to 8! so i am assuming that they did the oto love dance in my tank! they were not small so this must have happened a long time ago. but i am super happy as i didn't even know it had happened! so while i lost 1/2 my pop of red cherry shrimp and 2 guppies i gained the knowledge that my otos have bred in my tank and also was able to spread them out into my mother tanks. lol. i am very happy with the new layout in the tank. and i think it will make a huge difference in the fish's happiness.
thanks canandian. i am happy there was a silver lining. it stinks that i lost the shrimp though... including the female who was carrying eggs. i am so freaking upset!
Your remodel looks nice and it's cool that the Otos bred. When my now twenty-two year old son was two, he dumped liquid laundry detergent into one of my tanks. He was "giving the fishies a bubble bath".
it's cute and so sad at the same time. the things kids do to the tanks.... and in innocence. my grandmother still reminds me how i used to try and pet the fish and kill them.
The tank looks good Yankee!! I am still in awe that your Otos had babies! That's so freaking awesome. Sorry about you RCS especially the one with eggs. Is that the one you were talking about in chat a couple of days ago?? The good thing about RCS is they breed like rabbits so I am sure you will have more coming soon!
yes it is the one i was talking about in chat the other day. i hope that at least one mature female survived! though i am thinking about ordering more shrimp if i can get a decent price on them again.
so i will have pics to follow soon...BUT...i have upgraded my daughter's 10 gallon to a 30! don't think that my red cherry shrimp made it threw the move....but i will buy more. happy with things so far but not happy enough. lol. will be putting more plants in there VERY soon. just waiting for the water to settle better. also might relocate a piece of drift wood to this tank...as NOW i have the room for one! can't freaking wait!!!! a hole new world of possibilities in this tank now!
as i look back and read this...i relise....THE DANG SPONGEBOB! made it back into the tank. i could almost cry but also couldn't tell my daughter no as my son got to decorate his tank...... oh well..... now to try and convince her a castle would look better..... lol. will have to bring her to the store with me and look at what they have. petsmart doesn't carry spongebob so i might be ok.
good news.... SHE COULDN'T REACH IT IF SHE WANTED TO! lol. i had to step on a chair just to get there. lol. she can't lift the hood even on a chair. so that is always a perk! wooters!!! i didn't think that it would be so BIG. lol. but i am happy with that.
she is super happy! and it JUST fits on her dresser! i mean like it was made of it! lol. *wink wink* she is so excited to see the new tank and it's MASSIVE compared to her old one. now my son is jealous and he wants a "huge" tank too. i am waiting for the tank to settle as i JUST finished putting all the plants in.... and i stirred it back up. lol. so in about an hour *with fingers crossed* it should be picture ready. the new light is also purple. so will have to prob change that one out. i am guessing it is a t8 so that will be fun to mess with again! will have to look at it and see if i have any extra t8 lights i like more then the one that is in it. but can't complain for 50 bucks. got a new filter running along side the old one. and all the old gravel is mixed in with the new. DANG it is STILL a lot of color but it's perfect for marri.... she is in love with all the space. as much as i am. she has been sitting watching the water clear back up and counting all the fish she can now see as it clears. also 2 shrimp have become evident. so at least two of them lived! still need to get more...but 2 is better then nothing right?!
so this is the tank today....i am going to be changing the decor later i think. but glad the gravel isn't AS bright..... also fairly happy with the size of my broad leaf pygmy sword plant.
lol, it's fruity pebbles pretending to be rocks.....
it's the same stock as was in marri's tank before. still guppies and red cherry shrimp (by the way counted 8 last night....and 98% sure i have at least one female....so awesome!) and otos. oh and the 2 albino bristle nose pleco babies. they are all accounted for. only one female guppy didn't live...she got stuck on the new filter..... oopers. i have to filters running right as i am trying to colonize the new one. how long should i leave them both running for? some of my guppies are looking like they are running in place near the filter out take there. lol.
I've been told it can take 4 to 6 weeks to establish a filter that way, at least that's what I was told when I added a second tank to my aquarium. But I'm sure someone else knows better than I do.
You could put a lot of the old filter media in the new tank's filter without impacting the old tank much at all. The beneficial bacteria is present in larger volume in the substrate and other surfaces in the tank. The cycling is a matter of preference in my opinion. Plenty of live fast growing plants, appropriate water changes and, gradual stocking is my approach.
well i just upgraded this tank. it used to be a 10 gallon but as of yesterday it is now a 30. i am running both the old and new fitler. have some old media in the new one to help it along, and used ALL the gravel, ordiments and water from the old tank into the new one.
update on the tank. so far no deaths from the move. hoping that everything stays nice and settled. i have also put the background on the tank. i am thinking about making a background with dora pictures. and putting a castle into the tank in a couple weeks.
i would do blue for the rts. and the rainbow fish...i would think a dark blue would be best. that way you don't pic a color that will blend in with them.
maybe pick something vibrant then..... maybe a yellow or something. once i did a white one and let the kids paint it. and then used that as a background. maybe you can let charlie make you one
If I wasn't Charlie's father I would tell you he is a horrible painter.
Just kidding. But not really.
He can paint the background for the Betta tank.
Yellow might work. Jodie was eyeing the construction board at dollarama this morning but I hadn't picked a color. Maybe next time we're there I'll grab a couple of colors to try.
that is what i do. it's cheap so if you hate it.... less then 2 bucks changes my 60...lol. but i normally go with black. but i will be changing to a blue shade for my main tank. the betta tank has a blue and i think it looks very nice.
lol let charlie paint one. it would be super cute! lol. that or you can draw your own background if you have any artistic abilities.... i personally do NOT....but my hubby does. my daughter's was teddy bears and monkeys at one time. my hubby drew them for her. she loved it.
you can also do like a mesh. cut them up and change the colors so it is multi colored. give it some charicture
I think they'll stand out best against a solid color. They move so fast they get lost against a busy background.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Tropical Fish Keeping
597.8K posts
83.7K members
Since 2006
forum community dedicated to tropical fish owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about species,breeding, health, behavior, aquariums, adopting, care, classifieds, and more! Open to fish, plants and reptiles living in freshwater or saltwater environments.