Newman's 40 Gallon Planted Tank
- Thread starter Newman
- Start date
Well i went against my better judgment and bought 10 cherry shrimp...
I expected the goldfish to be all over them, but actually it cant even touch them...they are lightning fast *twirlysmi
Only problem i see with them is the pH change. i bought them from water that had 6.0 pH or lower. My pH is 7.6 This might just shock them over the next few days. I acclimated them for over an hour to both the pH and the temp. Some cannot be seen, but about 4 are constantly eating stuff off my plants. I like these things already
Did some stuff with my 10 gallon today. Also added two 6700K bulbs to this 40 gallon. the light is so much brighter than before! much better visibility. Pics shall be taken next time, once the water clears (took come stuff out of the canister filter fow my 10 gallon)
I expected the goldfish to be all over them, but actually it cant even touch them...they are lightning fast *twirlysmi
Only problem i see with them is the pH change. i bought them from water that had 6.0 pH or lower. My pH is 7.6 This might just shock them over the next few days. I acclimated them for over an hour to both the pH and the temp. Some cannot be seen, but about 4 are constantly eating stuff off my plants. I like these things already
Did some stuff with my 10 gallon today. Also added two 6700K bulbs to this 40 gallon. the light is so much brighter than before! much better visibility. Pics shall be taken next time, once the water clears (took come stuff out of the canister filter fow my 10 gallon)
My tank has finally achived a reading of 0 Ammonia and 0 nitrites and 20ppm nitrates at the end of a usual week. For anyone who hasnt been paying attention, I overfeed like crazy because i have fry in there (mostly its hickari first bites clouding the water two times a day.) and i think readings like that are perfect regarding the current status of the tank: rotting vegitation, plants covered in dust particles, and algae growing everywhere.
In order to lower the nitrates, im going to stop dosing Flourish Nirogen for this week and hope that the reading will improve for next week. If the water stays this clean, i might add 3 otos next week. I really need to get this brown and hair algae under control.
I also lost one of my fry i have no idea where it went (probably goldfish ate it or filter slurped it up) but now i have 7 left.
Also i have lost a few of my anubias cuz theyve rotted. Theyre all in the shade of the cabomba. I dont get why thats an issue though cuz theyre supposed to be low light plats...and YES their rhizomes have been completely in the open water. the only thing in the flourite are the very ends of their long roots. could they seriously not be getting enough light ? .__.
In order to lower the nitrates, im going to stop dosing Flourish Nirogen for this week and hope that the reading will improve for next week. If the water stays this clean, i might add 3 otos next week. I really need to get this brown and hair algae under control.
I also lost one of my fry
i have no idea where it went (probably goldfish ate it or filter slurped it up) but now i have 7 left.Also i have lost a few of my anubias cuz theyve rotted. Theyre all in the shade of the cabomba. I dont get why thats an issue though cuz theyre supposed to be low light plats...and YES their rhizomes have been completely in the open water. the only thing in the flourite are the very ends of their long roots. could they seriously not be getting enough light ? .__.
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Lost another fry, im now down to 6. still have no idea where these are dissapearing off to. either the goldfish is eating them at nigh/ morning or whenever the lights are off, or they somehow jumped out of the tank. its not impossible cuz ive found a dead shrimpon the floor today >_> damn goldfish must be scaring the shrimp into submission. I still have lot of shrimp in the tank. they just kinda hang out on the floating anacharis plants at the left in my tank.
Ill wait another week and do a routine water test/change on sunday. if i find that the water is clean enough for otos, im going to add 4 and hope that a few survive. I got tons of brown algae i want to get rid of.
Ill wait another week and do a routine water test/change on sunday. if i find that the water is clean enough for otos, im going to add 4 and hope that a few survive. I got tons of brown algae i want to get rid of.
Yea my shrimp have been molting too. i see that the goldfish even eats the white husks... Dx
thats proof that theyre growing. theyre constantly cleaning the plants and drfitwood and im thankful for that. mostly nocturnal for now.
Really? more than 4 otos? I planned on 4 cuz when the tank is finally done, ill have:
4 otos
7 panda cories ( iknow i switched from peppered)
4 swordtails
maybe i should buy 5 otos? wouldnt they just eat the algae to death and then die real quick? i'd feed them veggies, but still more than 4 might be a problem? dont know how many to buy at once (all 4 or buy in pairs on different weeks?)
thats proof that theyre growing. theyre constantly cleaning the plants and drfitwood and im thankful for that. mostly nocturnal for now.
Really? more than 4 otos? I planned on 4 cuz when the tank is finally done, ill have:
4 otos
7 panda cories ( iknow i switched from peppered)
4 swordtails
maybe i should buy 5 otos? wouldnt they just eat the algae to death and then die real quick? i'd feed them veggies, but still more than 4 might be a problem? dont know how many to buy at once (all 4 or buy in pairs on different weeks?)
put some daphnia in the algae tank, and whatch them eat up the green water. theyll also be good food for small fish and fry since they multiply fast.
I think my swordtail is pregnant again; she been hiding tons in the driftwood for the past week, only going out to, sleep in the floating plants at night, next to her surviving fry, (who she can no longer swallow cuz theyre bigger than her mouth is) and during feeding time. she's somewhat transparent and i can see some mass starting to build towards the tail.
I think my swordtail is pregnant again; she been hiding tons in the driftwood for the past week, only going out to, sleep in the floating plants at night, next to her surviving fry, (who she can no longer swallow cuz theyre bigger than her mouth is) and during feeding time. she's somewhat transparent and i can see some mass starting to build towards the tail.
very unfortunate
and to add to the depression, i am now down to 3 fry. 2 just dissapeared overnight. I covered the filter intake just in case, but none of them sleep anywhere near the intake, they sleep in the floating plants at the left. female sword hangs out there too at night, but im sure she can swallow them anymore.
The goldfish still can, and thats what i think is happenning. FU GOLDFISH!
lol, but i hopefully will have a new brood soon. maybe once the 10 gallon is cycled, i can transfer some fry there, cuz this goldfish is a real hazard.
Oto is doing ok so far. but i cant really say much about him cuz its only been two days. he hasnt been hiding at all, and hangs on the glas and driftwood.
As expected the goldfish continues to try and eat him, so i feel hes kinda stressed =/
I constantly feed the GF frozen peas (defrosted of course) to try and fatten it up as much as i can.
I can still see about 6 shrimp hanging out in the plants and driftwood, so i think they might be surviving the GF more than the fry.
Gonna buy 5 more otos this sunday
and to add to the depression, i am now down to 3 fry. 2 just dissapeared overnight. I covered the filter intake just in case, but none of them sleep anywhere near the intake, they sleep in the floating plants at the left. female sword hangs out there too at night, but im sure she can swallow them anymore.
The goldfish still can, and thats what i think is happenning. FU GOLDFISH!
lol, but i hopefully will have a new brood soon. maybe once the 10 gallon is cycled, i can transfer some fry there, cuz this goldfish is a real hazard.
Oto is doing ok so far. but i cant really say much about him cuz its only been two days. he hasnt been hiding at all, and hangs on the glas and driftwood.
As expected the goldfish continues to try and eat him, so i feel hes kinda stressed =/
I constantly feed the GF frozen peas (defrosted of course) to try and fatten it up as much as i can.
I can still see about 6 shrimp hanging out in the plants and driftwood, so i think they might be surviving the GF more than the fry.
Gonna buy 5 more otos this sunday
Did i ever mention how goldfish fail at coordination and depth perception?
Well...they do.
On a side note, I'm ****ing angry that my 2.5 gal crashed today with a 5ppm spike in nitrite...
It was my fault by not checking the water more frequently han weekly, and i shoulda seen that clouding of the water a a sign that somethings up.
But the damage has been done. the night before there were tons of thriving blackworms in this tank, but todayall of them have melted. thats right, MELTED. they all turned towhit mush in between the gravel
I thought i lost all of them, but as i set up the filter for this tank, ive found little baby blackworms (which are red) crawling through the new filter sponge media. so some actually have survived. I've done a 98% water change and rinsed the gravel free of dead worms with some old tank water.
I'm pretty much starting over here.
I'm gonna add some christmas moss to this tank, a heater, and once it finishes cycling again, ill add some cherry shrimp from my 40 gallon. The cycling im hopin will be aided from my big gold apple snail and some other unidentified snails that all survived the crash. Is that a good enough sourc of ammonia, in addition to shrimp pellets and algae wafers that i use to feed these things?
Its really lame how i lost so many of my blackworms *ALL*
Well...they do.
On a side note, I'm ****ing angry that my 2.5 gal crashed today with a 5ppm spike in nitrite...
It was my fault by not checking the water more frequently han weekly, and i shoulda seen that clouding of the water a a sign that somethings up.
But the damage has been done. the night before there were tons of thriving blackworms in this tank, but todayall of them have melted. thats right, MELTED. they all turned towhit mush in between the gravel
I thought i lost all of them, but as i set up the filter for this tank, ive found little baby blackworms (which are red) crawling through the new filter sponge media. so some actually have survived. I've done a 98% water change and rinsed the gravel free of dead worms with some old tank water.
I'm pretty much starting over here.
I'm gonna add some christmas moss to this tank, a heater, and once it finishes cycling again, ill add some cherry shrimp from my 40 gallon. The cycling im hopin will be aided from my big gold apple snail and some other unidentified snails that all survived the crash. Is that a good enough sourc of ammonia, in addition to shrimp pellets and algae wafers that i use to feed these things?
Its really lame how i lost so many of my blackworms *ALL*
There are a lot more survivors than just five...in fact i rescued 3 fry from INSIDE my Fluval canister filter. theyre looking active and fine. surprised they survived in there (and their trip through the impeller.) for more than a day.
Unfortunately i couldnt find a 5gal kit so i bought a cheap 2.5 gal tank. Also unfortunately i couldnt find any hornwort for sale so i had to go with wisteria. Replaced the incandecent 15 watt bulb with a 14 watt CFL. Looks bright as ****. more than 5 wpg in there
Gonna place an order on the cal blackworms today.
Unfortunately i couldnt find a 5gal kit so i bought a cheap 2.5 gal tank. Also unfortunately i couldnt find any hornwort for sale so i had to go with wisteria. Replaced the incandecent 15 watt bulb with a 14 watt CFL. Looks bright as ****. more than 5 wpg in there
Gonna place an order on the cal blackworms today.
BTW: Try having 10W over a 1.5gal! That's alittle under 10WPG! Need ferts & co2!! lol
Maybe, I'm going in the wrong direction. I think I need to go Nano-Reef! ROFL
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10 wpg is a bit excessive
The wisteria is only temporary. Im thinking of transferring the chrismas moss from my 40 gallon, and working on it in the 2.5
Dont know what ill do with the wisteria. A remarcable thing i discovered about it is that it can grow a whole new plant just from a ripped off or shredded leaf (roots and all) i have never worked with wisteria, so i just think thats amaizing. its obviously not that amaizing to someone who knows about its hardiness.
I started over with the 2.5 today.
5 otos will be bought tomorrow.
The wisteria is only temporary. Im thinking of transferring the chrismas moss from my 40 gallon, and working on it in the 2.5
Dont know what ill do with the wisteria. A remarcable thing i discovered about it is that it can grow a whole new plant just from a ripped off or shredded leaf (roots and all) i have never worked with wisteria, so i just think thats amaizing. its obviously not that amaizing to someone who knows about its hardiness.
I started over with the 2.5 today.
5 otos will be bought tomorrow.
*BOUNCINGS Yeah, 10WPG is. To add insult to injury, I found some cool coral frags in Petco!
I am not starting a SW tank [yet], I am not starting a SW tank [yet], I am not starting a SW tank [yet]....
ROFL
BTW: Wisteria is one of my favorites. It's pretty cool even tho, Green Hygro[Hygro. Polysperma] will do the same thing! I stupidly bought some Mondo Grass today, but, it has a REALLY good root system and in a 5.5, it might do ok!!
And good to see you are taking my advice with the otos. I tried finding some, and they are gone [hopefully, just for now], but, I ended up getting a free Pumpkin Seed Sunfish!*BOUNCINGS
I am not starting a SW tank [yet], I am not starting a SW tank [yet], I am not starting a SW tank [yet]....
ROFL
BTW: Wisteria is one of my favorites. It's pretty cool even tho, Green Hygro[Hygro. Polysperma] will do the same thing! I stupidly bought some Mondo Grass today, but, it has a REALLY good root system and in a 5.5, it might do ok!!
And good to see you are taking my advice with the otos. I tried finding some, and they are gone [hopefully, just for now], but, I ended up getting a free Pumpkin Seed Sunfish!
*BOUNCINGS
Well a lot of SH** went down today.
I bought 5 otos, and started to acclimate them by putting the bag into the want, and telling my mom NOT to touch it.
What do i find when i come into the kitchen 5 min later?
No bag. 5 otos flailing around in the tank. I got pissed and yelled at her a bit.
what got me pissed even more is that she told me that she lost two (not really sure to this moment what she meant), but i looked in the garbage and found one f**kin oto in there >_< i dont expect that one to make it for sure.
Not that any of them will make it (they come from 6.2 pH water vs. my tank's 7.6 pH. the shock will get em eventually)
Upon further inspection of the tank, i can count 5 otos in there, including the active one that has been there for the past 4 days. this might mean that i indeed couldnt find the last one in the grabage *ALL*
So in conlusion, i'm pretty upset right now -__-
I moved the wisteria into the 10 gal to help out with the growing algae
Made a moss wall, and a moss carpet for the 2.5 gallon. looks really bad right now cuz i cant keep the carpet down on the substrate, and it keeps on making these wavy hills. ill get some pics up soon.
In case some of these otos die, i may have t buy more this friday :'[
I bought 5 otos, and started to acclimate them by putting the bag into the want, and telling my mom NOT to touch it.
What do i find when i come into the kitchen 5 min later?
No bag. 5 otos flailing around in the tank. I got pissed and yelled at her a bit.
what got me pissed even more is that she told me that she lost two (not really sure to this moment what she meant), but i looked in the garbage and found one f**kin oto in there >_< i dont expect that one to make it for sure.
Not that any of them will make it (they come from 6.2 pH water vs. my tank's 7.6 pH. the shock will get em eventually)
Upon further inspection of the tank, i can count 5 otos in there, including the active one that has been there for the past 4 days. this might mean that i indeed couldnt find the last one in the grabage *ALL*
So in conlusion, i'm pretty upset right now -__-
I moved the wisteria into the 10 gal to help out with the growing algae
Made a moss wall, and a moss carpet for the 2.5 gallon. looks really bad right now cuz i cant keep the carpet down on the substrate, and it keeps on making these wavy hills. ill get some pics up soon.
In case some of these otos die, i may have t buy more this friday :'[