Are you going to put the ship back in? LOL!
Looks like a nice start. Sorry if I missed it, but how are you cycling this tank?
Looks like a nice start. Sorry if I missed it, but how are you cycling this tank?
125 gallon planted project
- Thread starter Snagrio
- Start date
I'm going with all natural decor, so no.
As for cycling, it's effectively cycled already to a degree as the filters were already from a long-established system. Things got disrupted due to the substrate being replaced and the filters were off for a couple days due to cleaning and rearranging, but they've been running on an empty aquarium for two weeks before any fish were reintroduced and it's been about another week since then and there's been zero spikes (I've been testing all parameters almost daily).
Probably tempting fate as I was going to give things more time, but just today I got these two little cuties.
Admittedly a little bit of an impulse buy. Mystery snails were on the blueprint plan but I was going to put sponge guards on the intake grates of the filters first as I've heard accounts of them getting their heads/feet stuck in the suction, but I completely forgot about it and was already on the road by the time I remembered. Will try to rectify that soon though.
Bit of an update. Due to some rocks having to be removed (they were raising the PH) there was a big open space to fill in so I just planted some cryptocoryne (tags didn't say what kind so I don't know) and have more pieces of driftwood (one mopani like the others and two small/medium pieces of spiderwood) soaking in a bucket. What's more I've noticed definitive signs of growth from the other plants.
One of the vals has a baby (the little sprig just in front of the parent).
One of the anubias is already putting out a new leaf and the amazon sword in the back is going crazy, all the leafs in its center are new.
The micro swords and bacopas haven't been having the best time of it though. The plecos and snails keep knocking both around (keep finding micro sword blades floating around and have to rebury the root system a couple times as they keep coming loose) and the bacopas are slowly but continuously melting some of their leaves. They weren't underwater when I bought them though so it's probably just replacing leaves.
The ludwigias are also losing some leaves here and there but otherwise don't look any worse for wear and the Java ferns basically look the same aside from some root growth.
Overall I'm happy nothing's outright died yet. The signs of growth are a plus as far as I'm concerned. ?
One of the vals has a baby (the little sprig just in front of the parent).
One of the anubias is already putting out a new leaf and the amazon sword in the back is going crazy, all the leafs in its center are new.
The micro swords and bacopas haven't been having the best time of it though. The plecos and snails keep knocking both around (keep finding micro sword blades floating around and have to rebury the root system a couple times as they keep coming loose) and the bacopas are slowly but continuously melting some of their leaves. They weren't underwater when I bought them though so it's probably just replacing leaves.
The ludwigias are also losing some leaves here and there but otherwise don't look any worse for wear and the Java ferns basically look the same aside from some root growth.
Overall I'm happy nothing's outright died yet. The signs of growth are a plus as far as I'm concerned. ?
Looking good! The plants are nice!
You can put some small rocks around the plants the plecos keep uprooting. Just temporarily until the plants root better, they don't have to be pretty...
Can we have a full tank pic soon? Maybe after the wood goes in...
You can put some small rocks around the plants the plecos keep uprooting. Just temporarily until the plants root better, they don't have to be pretty...
Can we have a full tank pic soon? Maybe after the wood goes in...
I will don't you worry. Want to wait till the wood goes in for a nice picture and not have a quarter of the tank weirdly empty. Has to soak for some days first of course. As much as I like the look of tannin water I don't want so much of it that it's hard to see much of anything. ?
Okay, here's how things look thus far.
Had to move some plants around on the right to make room for the new pieces of driftwood, which have been tanning the water but I don't particularly mind. Fits the theme anyway.
I think structurally things are about complete to my tastes. The last things to do are to add a sponge filter to get a colony going in it so I'll have any easy instant cycler for my quarantine tank and figure out how to cover up the back panels to prevent escapes (thinking of taping cheese cloth across the gaps).
Once the QT is ready I'll finally actually start adding fish to this thing after they've gone through that process.
Current residents:
2 bristlenose plecos
1 giant danio
1 Australian rainbowfish
4 mystery snails
1 baby guppy (was a stowaway that came with two of the snails)
Had to move some plants around on the right to make room for the new pieces of driftwood, which have been tanning the water but I don't particularly mind. Fits the theme anyway.
I think structurally things are about complete to my tastes. The last things to do are to add a sponge filter to get a colony going in it so I'll have any easy instant cycler for my quarantine tank and figure out how to cover up the back panels to prevent escapes (thinking of taping cheese cloth across the gaps).
Once the QT is ready I'll finally actually start adding fish to this thing after they've gone through that process.
Current residents:
2 bristlenose plecos
1 giant danio
1 Australian rainbowfish
4 mystery snails
1 baby guppy (was a stowaway that came with two of the snails)
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The ludwigias and micro swords are driving me nuts. Nearly every new day it's there's a chunk of either or both floating about that I have to replant into the sand, the ludwigias in particular are constantly sending leaves adrift as well. Both species have been (at least trying to) put out healthy roots so they aren't dying, it's simply frustrating.
The culprits are the mystery snails and the plecos to a lesser extent. Every night they mobilize and the snails in particular seemingly go out of their way to bulldoze straight through the middle of every plant. They aren't eating them thankfully but it's still annoying.
That irritation aside though they are nonetheless earning their keep at least. Some brown algae has started to form on the anubias, and not only did I notice that it's mysteriously receding almost as soon as it's cropped up, but I saw one snail this night gliding across their leaves to meticulously glean the nuisance off. And this is with being fed the same portions as everyone else (they often munch on sinking pellets right alongside the plecos, it's genuinely adorable).
The culprits are the mystery snails and the plecos to a lesser extent. Every night they mobilize and the snails in particular seemingly go out of their way to bulldoze straight through the middle of every plant. They aren't eating them thankfully but it's still annoying.
That irritation aside though they are nonetheless earning their keep at least. Some brown algae has started to form on the anubias, and not only did I notice that it's mysteriously receding almost as soon as it's cropped up, but I saw one snail this night gliding across their leaves to meticulously glean the nuisance off. And this is with being fed the same portions as everyone else (they often munch on sinking pellets right alongside the plecos, it's genuinely adorable).
Ooo >_< sorry bout that, my dwarf hairgrass tends to do the same. Pretty annoying..
