Santa tank - 59G -

[cdylnicki]

I love that you involved your son in the entire process! 

He must have been a wonderful boy for santa to deliver such a gift!

I agree with fischopp; I would skip the pleco - or at least the common pleco.  Maybe a clown pleco or a bushy nose. 

Has your son considered khuli loaches or a small school of cory cats as bottom feeders?  The ghost shrimps will be hard to see against the white sand.  He might also enjoy rock shrimp or african dwarf frogs!

[Consigliere]

Cool looking build.  Off to a great start.  Glad to hear your kids are enjoying it as much, or more, than you!

For plecos, great recommendation to avoid common plecos.  They will get too big and destroy your plants and generally just create more waste than they are worth. 

As mentioned, bushynose, bristlenose, clown are great options that are fairly easy to find.  Another one not mentioned is the rubbernose or bulldog pleco.  It's usually stocked in most stores and stays small.  Great algae eater.  Tom Barr once mentioned he uses bulldogs instead of otos.

[Peekay]

I really love cory cats, but the appeal of the pleco is that mouth on the glass!  Definitely will research varieties.

What I learned today:  Your dog WILL eat the fish food if your kid leaves it on the coffee table.   

[delslo]

I really love cory cats, but the appeal of the pleco is that mouth on the glass!  Definitely will research varieties.

What I learned today:  Your dog WILL eat the fish food if your kid leaves it on the coffee table.   

cats will too

[touchofsky]

I would get a bristlenose pleco (ancistrus).  They stay small (under 5") and look much like regular plecos.  There are some very nice albino ones with long fins, and some pretty spotted ones.  You will get the mouth stuck on the glass effect 

[Peekay]

Jan 12
Recording here for my own future reference that I took one bulb out of the fixture, now running a single 54W T5HO 6400K bulb.

We almost lost a fish today to the filter intake.  Pulled the plug and he was able to unwrap himself from the tube.  Added a prefilter sponge and have our fingers crossed that he's going to make it.  He's limping.   

[Peekay]

Jan 15 - First PA meeting.  Came home with a wonderful 'booster pack' of plants for my tank.  Thank you to all who shared!  


IMG_3931 by Peeka2, on Flickr

I planted them, and here it is this morning.  So excited.  
But.. erm... I don't remember what most are.  Can you remind me of the names if you know them?  


numbered by Peeka2, on Flickr

I think:  (updated with IDs!)
1.  Rotala rotundifolia
2.  Blyxa japonica
3.  Echinodorus (purchased at BAl's)
4.  Ludwigia repens 'rubin'
5.  Assorted Cryptocoryne (purchased at BAl's)
6.  Staurogyne stalks
7.  Ludwigia repens
8.  Vals

Thank you!

[daworldisblack]

Looks good!! 1) is Rotala Rotundifolia and 7) is Ludwiga Repens as well

[pm]

Okay

2. is Blyxa japonica
4. is Ludwigia repens 'rubin'

Can't id the others

[Peekay]

Thanks guys!  Fixed my list. 


I've done some reading about better pictures, and I'm going to bust out the tripod and see if I can get some better photos tonight. 

[charlie]

Looking great Brenda, now i still get to enjoy that tank 
Sylvia ( Fishnut) has a meeting planned to help us all with getting those pics of our tanks,keep an eye out for the posting.
Maybe next PA meeting Fischkop can also give us some finer points too?

[Peekay]

Jan 17 -
New fish!  We added four otocinclus.  Two made themselves comfortable and are happily munching away, one is on the glass but not as active, and one is sluggish and resting on the bottom.

Happy fish:

IMG_3955 by Peeka2, on Flickr

Stressed out fish:

IMG_3957 by Peeka2, on Flickr

[charlie]

Brenda since this is Santa`s tank, i have some of this plant but i`m not sure which specie
any way either one should do well enough,LMK if you waht to try it
http://www.aquascapingworld.com/plantpedia/full_view_plant.php?item_id=122
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/plantfinder/details.php?id=125
Errol

[Peekay]

YES!  Thanks Errol, that's a plant I've seen used with great success in tanks like mine.  PM on the way!

I need to take some new pictures.. looking at the old ones, I'm amazed how much bigger some of these plants are! 

[touchofsky]

Looking forward to new pictures.

[Peekay]

February 4

Took a few pictures, but seriously need a photo tutorial... looking forward to that meeting! 

Recently topped and chopped most of the stem plants to get rid of sad looking lower parts.  Could be nutrition, could be how I handled them while planting originally, could be adaptive shock.  I guess how the next bits grow will help me know.

Comparing the older photos, I can see where some holes have been created by losing some blyxa.  Think I'm going to eventually get rid of the rotunda, it's too spindly for my tastes.   

Plans going forward:  Ferts:  root tabs,   Livestock:  add!  Keith has his eyes on his flock of neons this week.  Esthetic:  That sponge on the intake.. prettier version!


Feb 4 by Peeka2, on Flickr

I love how Peter's ludwigia is looking these days... he gave it to me red, but in my situation it's growing green... so it's this amazing luminous red bottom with glowing lime tops.  LOVE it.
Crypts only lost one or two leaves in the move to my tank, new leaves are growing in brown-er.


Feb 4 by Peeka2, on Flickr

Thanks for looking, feedback always appreciated and welcomed... you may see something I don't!

[charlie]

Looking good Brenda, ever given any thought of adding Java fern, Anubias @ the base or moss to the wood.
There are some good plants in the classifieds that would do well  i the tank , have a peek & look up theirrequirementt.
http://ovas.ca/forum/index.php?action=classifieds;sa=view;id=1330
Is it possible to move the Aqua Clear to the extreme left of the tank & possibly extend the pick up tube.
Errol

[jetstream]

Reasons that the new growth is more green in color are, either your light intensity is lower or your tank's  N value is higher than it was in the original tank that you got the plant from. There are other possible factors too. Nice looking tank and plant! 

Cheers,

[touchofsky]

Looks good    I read through your thread, and it is funny to read that your interest in the hobby was started with some guppies.  Mine was started when I, at the end of the school year, "won" the guppies that were kept in my Grade 5 classroom.  It is shocking to admit that was almost 50 years ago, and I have been lugging aquariums around with me ever since.  I have moved a lot of water over the last 50 years  

As for the lower parts of your plants, I find that most plants seem to go into a bit of shock when moved to a new environment, and the lower leaves will often show that.  Also, as you mentioned, just the act of moving them causes damage to the fragile leaves.

Are you still running one tube in your fixture?  If so, your tank is fairly low light (as Jetstream mentioned that will cause the green colour in the new growth), and Errol's suggestions of Java ferns, Anubias and moss is a good one.  I also have had good luck with Hygrophila polysperma as a stem plant.  It grows like crazy in my little LED tank, which is low light.  Another you might have good luck with is Bacopa caroliniana.  Another plant you might consider is Cryptocorne crispatula 'Balansae'.  It is a tall Crypt and a good background plant.  It is great for hiding things such as intake tubes.

[bizfromqc]

Great looking setup, I really like the overall look of the tank!

That Red Ludwiga is looking pretty sweet, I love the green/red combo, now I want some, thanks 

I'm going to suggest the same that was suggested to me some time ago about the intake tube. Get the Fluval Edge pre-filter, it's black, rounded and blends in nicely with the background. My otos love hanging out on it or around it from time to time. I bought two, one for each of my current tanks.

Great work, keep it up and pictures are always good
(but not in your forum signature though, I got busted by the OVAS police for that one...)