Author Topic: My 240l planted tank, again. (Read 20840 times) 112 replies

Helen · « **Reply #20 on:** January 17, 2018, 10:12:49 PM »

Hmm, I might try soaking a sinking pellet. Before the barbs were added, I'd sprinkle in crushed flakes and then when all the rasboras were busy feeding I'd drop a pellet in the other end of the tank. The rasboras don't mess with Bertie and the kuhlis. They stay a safe distance and wait for crumbs.

But I'd not thought of sinking pellets for the barbs.

Tonight they had frozen food. I've just dropped in a sinking pellet (after the lights went out). The barbs were first to it, but some of the rasboras seem to be barb groupies. Bertie looks like he's trying to decide whether to claim it or wait a bit longer. Hmm, I thought he was going to tag team with the kuhlis for a minute there...

fcmf · « **Reply #21 on:** January 18, 2018, 08:50:59 AM »

Absolutely loving the fascinating updates on the fishes' antics - keep 'em coming.

Helen · « **Reply #22 on:** January 18, 2018, 09:40:57 PM »

On the menu today was a few flakes to distract the rasboras (I don't think I put enough in as they weren't distracted for very long!) and some sinking pellets. Which went down (still are going down) a treat. Although I don't think I soaked them long enough as the response was definitely delayed.

@Sue, how long do you soak the sinking wafers for? I have tetrawafer mix. Which are approximately 6mm diameter wafers.

I also have JBL pleco wafers, which I put in for Bertie.

Anyway, it made for a great photo opportunity (and fish watching). I just need to work on my photographic skills!

So I managed to take one decent photo of a fiveband barb, that Bertie photo-bombed (very unlike him!). And then I realised that the previous photo, although fuzzy, had an example of each type of fish currently in my tank. So you are looking out for a kuhli loach (tail only, unfortunately, not head), BN Plec, fiveband barb and espeii and harlequin rasboras.

Littlefish · « **Reply #23 on:** January 18, 2018, 09:58:46 PM »

Brilliant. Thanks for posting pics, it lovely to see your gang enjoying their new set up.

fcmf · « **Reply #24 on:** January 18, 2018, 10:21:46 PM »

Great update and pics.

Sue · « **Reply #25 on:** January 19, 2018, 08:48:19 AM »

@Helen I use New Life Spectrum Small Fish Formula which has 0.5 mm spherical pellets. I soak these for 2 to 3 minutes. I also have Omega One Veggie Rounds for the stiphodons; these are just over 1 cm diameter. I feed half a disc, crush it with a pestle and mortar to the same size as the NLS pellets, and soak it with the pellets.
NLS pellets - first one on the right side of the page here http://nlspectrum.co.uk/range/Freshwater - they make the same formulation in larger pellet sizes as well.
Veggie rounds http://www.omegasea.net/products/nutrition/veggie-rounds

Since I feed the fish just after our meals, I use left over water from the kettle to soak the food, and because it is still quite warm I find the pellets/wafer bits soak faster. And it probably has very little chlorine left after being boiled for a pot of tea.

Helen · « **Reply #26 on:** January 22, 2018, 01:07:33 AM »

Soaked sinking wafers seems to be working really well. Because they are softer, they she'd bits on the way to the bottom of the tank. This causes the rasboras to go bonkers. But they stay in the middle of the water column. And the barbs start to go bonkers at the substrate level. It makes for a huge amount of activity over nearly the full height of the tank.

The barbs are definitely settling in. When I opened the door under the tank this evening to get the food out, 9 (of 12) came to see what I was doing and then started picking at the substrate even though I'd not put anything in the tank!

The one problem with the barbs is that they are next to impossible to count. I can't count them when they are feeding because they are too well camouflaged against the dark speckled substrate and crypts. But that is the only time they all come out of hiding.

So at the moment I can only hope I've not lost 2!

(I've managed to count up to 10).

Matt · « **Reply #27 on:** January 22, 2018, 07:13:10 AM »

Counting fish can be a nightmare in a heavily planted tank... it's taken me a few goes to count 10 galaxy rasbora in my 220 litre. I used to struggle sometimes to find everyone in my 64 litre too, especially the 2 Amano shrimp (don't worry I'm not trying to count the cherry shrimp!!). Most of the time though if there had been a fishy catastrophe, it was super obvious and right at the front for some reason (water flow?)

Helen · « **Reply #28 on:** January 22, 2018, 08:15:00 AM »

I guess that's one of the benefits of a sandy substrate. I've not seen a fish body in my tank for ages, despite looking. (There was a rasbora body shaped stone that had me in a panic many times. It was specifically removed with the refurb!)
I think I didn't feed my fish enough that they demolished any unlucky ones very quickly.

Sue · « **Reply #29 on:** January 22, 2018, 10:14:19 AM »

My rasboras are the easiest to count. I bought 18 (asked for and paid for 15!); 3 died within 2 weeks. I can only count 13 or sometimes 14. After the first three deaths I have not found a dead rasbora. So are the last couple hiding or have they died and the bodies vanished?

All my fish know what going into the cupboard means, then when I open the lid they are waiting for me. The betta is worse. As soon as he sees the food tub he goes straight to his feeding place and gets agitated if I take too long. I get told off by a fish

Fishbeard · « **Reply #30 on:** January 22, 2018, 08:23:12 PM »

Glad to see I'm not alone in struggling to count. My tetras and gouramis play fair, but the corys insist on hiding and lying perfectly still on similarly coloured gravel and rocks... it doesn't help that they sometimes "sleep" on top of each other too, just to make it even more of a challenge.

That's a lovely looking tank too, very natural.

Helen · « **Reply #31 on:** February 04, 2018, 04:52:15 PM »

Thought you might like to see a photo of the tank with it's latest inhabitants. Looking a little less stark.

Think I'm going to have to get more green plants to go along the crypts. The fiveband barbs are too well camouflaged, swimming in their favourite area of the tank!

fcmf · « **Reply #32 on:** February 04, 2018, 06:05:20 PM »

Looks great

Littlefish · « **Reply #33 on:** February 04, 2018, 08:08:07 PM »

Fantastic tank.

Matt · « **Reply #34 on:** February 05, 2018, 06:33:13 AM »

Awesome...

Nope, I can't see any fivebands!

Helen · « **Reply #35 on:** February 05, 2018, 06:51:30 AM »

There are 5 visible in this photo - 3 quite clear! The two that photographed the best are on the bottom 'third' line, just to the right of the giant bogwood (on the left, just above the crypts).

They definitely inhabit the bottom third of the tank. The rasboras in the middle and the rainbows the top third.

Helen · « **Reply #36 on:** February 05, 2018, 09:37:55 AM »

Ha ha. It's a bit like "where's Walley". Or maybe a magic eye picture

I was going to put circles round the two I was trying to point out, but my technological skill can't stretch that far.

So here's a cropped section of the photo. Starting from the top, there are 3 harlequin rasboras, one dwarf rainbow fish and then well camouflaged by the crypts you can see the vertical bars of two fiveband barbs, perfectly in profile!

Helen · « **Reply #37 on:** February 05, 2018, 09:39:37 AM »

Perhaps it's why they seem so at home in my tank. They don't hide, because even when they're not hiding it isn't easy to see them!

Sue · « **Reply #38 on:** February 05, 2018, 09:49:18 AM »

I have tampered with your photo

You'll need to click on it to see my "circles"

But I can find only 4 barbs......

Helen · « **Reply #39 on:** February 05, 2018, 10:03:56 AM »

I think the fifth one is half behind the middle leaf of the small anubias on the stone / pebble. I think I can just see one distinctive band and the tail is a blur. I don't think it is the decor.

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My 240l Planted Tank, Again.

My 240l Planted Tank, Again.

Author Topic: My 240l planted tank, again. (Read 20840 times) 112 replies

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