36 Gallon Bowfront Journal

[fishboy7]

Pics of my fish!

Finally got my fish! I ran to my LFS yesterday and picked up these specimens. I purchased 2 Angelfish, 2 Sterbai Cories, and 1 Calico Bristlenose Pleco. I plan on getting 2 more Sterbais and at that point my tank will be fully stocked. I put the pleco directly into my 36 after a drip acclimation, but he is in weird places so it's hard to get a pic of him. I did get a pic of my 2 Angels and my 2 Sterbais. Unfortunately, the angels are still nervous and sometimes their strips fade away. These are the best pics I could get of them with their normal stripes. They are in the 5 Gallon quarantine and will be there for another week. Well, here they are!

 

[fishboy7]

Well, moved the fish into the 36 today. They all seem to be happy, healthy, and active. Didn't take any pics yet, but the the the tank is mostly cleared up. Here's the water's stats (this doesn't include Gh and Kh, haven't gotten that test kit yet): temp. is 77 F, pH is 8.3, ammonia is 0.25 ppm, nitrite is 0 ppm, and nitrate is 0 ppm. I guess this means my nitrogen cycle is in it's beginning stages.

 

[fishboy7]

Update!

It's been exactly 1 Month now since I got my fish. All of the fish are still alive and survived the cycle. I measured the water today, and finally the nitrites are down. My water's stats are Ammonia - 0 ppm, Nitrites - 0 ppm, Nitrates - 0 ppm, and pH - 8.2. I still haven't acquired the Gh and Kh test kit, but it should be soon. Also, I do 25% water changes a week and change the filter cartridge in my Aqueon 30 once every 2 weeks. The sponge filters don't look dirty at all, so does this mean that I don't have to clean them yet? Also, do you think I should do more or less water changes?

Also, I have a new idea on how to stock my 36. I currently have 2 Angelfish, 2 Sterbai Cories, and 1 BN Pleco. All are still juveniles. I plan on ending up with 2 Angelfish, 1 BN Pleco, and 12 Lemon Tetras. The Sterbais are $10.99 a piece, and I planned on getting 4 more, but I decided not to because I want Lemon Tetras more and the Sterbais cost a bit too much. I didn't have enough room or money for both. So, I decided to sell them to a friend who has a 10 Gallon devoted to cories (including sterbais) who said he would gladly take them. So, what do think of this new idea?

 

[FallenAngel]

Sounds good. I love lemons and was also contemplating getting some for my planted 35g. Very pretty and under rated fish.

FA

 

[fishboy7]

I agree. I had never heard of them before until I updated one of my Ipod's apps, which added the lemon tetra as a fish species to keep. I thought they looked pretty cool, did some research, and decided to get some.

 

[rufioman]

$11 is way too much for sterbai anyways...beating shipping costs or not lol. Good thing you knew to re-home them! Lemon tetras are awesome. I had to pick between them and silver-tipped yesterday and went with the silvers because they looked lonely...lol.

 

[fishboy7]

I didn't pay shipping luckily, but I agree, $11 is way too much for sterbais. Also, I talked to my friend and he said that he his happy he is getting 2 more sterbais because he has 3 already and he would love to add more sterbais to his multi-species shoal of cories!

 

[fishboy7]

Update!

All of the fish and filters are doing just fine! Also, the Gh and Kh test kit came in today! The Kh is about 200 ppm and the Gh is about 50 ppm. Is this good or bad for the fish I have and will be getting? Also, it says something on the conversion chart about the degree of the dKH of the water. Does anyone know what this means? Also, it doesn't say anything about how to determine it.

 

[agp]

Looks nice!

 

[fishboy7]

I've been trying to take pics of the tank, but the pics really stink! So, I filmed a video of the tank instead. Unfortunately, I can't find the USB cord. Until then, no new pics.:cry: