moving day

[euglossa]

I moved Jack and Ilya to their new home last wednesday evening. They love the extra space and Jack has spent a lot of time surfing in the outflow from the canister filter.

Still red veins in his fins and he's been flashing occasionally. And there is a dark spot under his wen which I'm worried about-you can just barely see it above the left eye in the top picture. I started them on another round of medicated food saturday after a couple days off. I'm hoping the food and regular water changes and more space will help him fight this off.

I'm still working out how to get the plants to stand upright, with no sand to bury them in. I looked at the bases you can get to plug the plastic plants into, but they seemed too sharp-edged for goldies.

[Hurley]

Thats really cool! Did you make the background?

[dixienut]

I'm still working out how to get the plants to stand upright, with no sand to bury them in. I looked at the bases you can get to plug the plastic plants into, but they seemed too sharp-edged for goldies.

walmart has tiny clay flower pots just take the base off and put in pot and fill with the colored stones or beads that they sell there and they should hold them in place and it will look nice that they are flowers in pots in a home, ....lol...

[squabeggs]

You could try to silicone the plants to a small piece of glass with ground edges. I've used 1/4" glass cut into 2x2" squares as bases. Slightly bigger depending on the plant. This way they are out of the way, smooth, not too noticeable, cheap and heavy enough to keep the plants down.

They will move around though.

[PuppyFluffer]

That background is beyond awesome! Is that tile or fabric? It looks like a quilt.

I hope they are better soon. They are very pretty!

[Flaringshutter]

Jack looks like he's definitely improving. One of the key symptoms of septicemia is sluggish behavior, and he looks like he's on the mend.
Love your background, as always! :)

[euglossa]

Puppy Fluffer, the background is 1cm glass mosaic tile, glued to glass panes with silicone. My first, 20 gallon tank, has 1 inch glass tile glued directly to the tank back. I think it looks better with a little bit of algae, but the trick is to prevent it from taking over :)

Thanks, Flaring Shutter, I was thinking he was looking better, but it's hard to be objective. He's definitely active.

I'll fish out the plants and dishes tonight when I do a water change, dry them off and glue the plants into the dishes and get some nice rocks to cover and glue those in place as well-I don't want the fish spitting gravel all over the floor and I really don't want them swallowing it.

And, do you concur that the crystal lotus candleholder would be a really bad idea for the goldies? I'd love it in the tank, but I'm worried about the edges, which are not sharp, but there are a lot of them. I'd love to stick an airstone in it.

[PuppyFluffer]

I didn't notice when I first looked that the tile is on the floor of the tank as well. I originally thought it was placed behind the tank on the outside. A second look and i see it correctly now. That is so cool.

My husband is quite the artist. I bet I can get him to create something like that for the 180 I will set up at some point.

I'm glad he's better!

[euglossa]

That would be awesome. I'd love to see it. If he does, have him contact me. I learned some things toward the end of the project that would have made it easier. I fastened the back panels to the tank with a sort of plastic velcro, so I can move them and expand, if I ever want a larger tank, as I suppose I might when the goldies get big. The tile wasn't expensive, but shipping out here doubled the cost. I see you're on the east coast, lucky for you, my source is in the east (no connection, just a happy customer), so shipping probably would be substantially lower.

http://www.wholesalersusainc.com/mosaic-tiles-c-23.html
I used the mini vitreous glass tiles.

Here's a picture of the 20 gallon tank with the 1 inch tile. When I made that one I went to a local tile shop and asked for remnants. I got them half price, but then had to make a design with the colors on hand. I really liked the translucent tiles I used on the back. There were opaque ones I used on the floor and they were really too reflective to notice any pattern. That tank really looks a lot better with just a little bit of algae growing on/between the tiles.

Oh my! Look how tiny Jack was back then!

[PuppyFluffer]

It's a really stunning look I think! When we get around to setting up, I'll certainly take you up on your offer to lend some tips!

Jack was a little thing then! They grow fast don't they.

[Flaringshutter]

Oh my goodness, he was so small! I hadn't realized how much he grew!

I would watch that crystal flower. It might be fine until they start breeding and shoving each other up against the decorations. Then, even the dullest edges can cause damage.

[euglossa]

Oh my goodness, he was so small! I hadn't realized how much he grew!

I would watch that crystal flower. It might be fine until they start breeding and shoving each other up against the decorations. Then, even the dullest edges can cause damage.

yes, I'm not convinced it's a good idea. So far they avoid it, but it's a worry. I'm looking for those white lotus shaped dessert bowls. I might try to drill a hole in the side of airline tubing and use that instead. Or commision a potter to make something with a design etched and glazed, but not shaped.
Besides, that crystal won't be so pretty once algae starts to accumulate.