Tropical Fish Forum
Tropical Fish Keeping Help and Advice => General Fishkeeping advice => Topic started by: fcmf on June 18, 2016, 12:30:54 PM
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All these wonderful pictures of tank developments have got me thinking about potential changes to my own tank.
The situation re the lighting doesn't look as though it's ever going to change - the fish just won't tolerate anything more than a table lamp beside the tank. I put on the tank light the other day to take some pics and it's not just the tetras but also the harlies who behave completely distressed and don't calm down with time. I've tried covering the top of the tank in fake floating plants and putting on the light in the tank lid with the tank lid open, in the hope of gradually lowering the lid to see if they'll tolerate increased lighting, but it's a definite no-no. Therefore, I think, for the current occupants, lighting is never going to be an option, nor are real plants which will require at least some form of lighting. [cf http://www.thinkfish.co.uk/forums/fish-tanks-and-equipment/dim-lighting-suggestions/msg21971/#msg21971]
I'm just thinking through the pros and cons of changing the substrate to a dark one - a dark one would be more suited to their natural environment (although it may make the tank seem even darker than it already is in its non-lit state - will I actually be able to see in?!). I've read a couple of useful threads about changing substrates eg http://www.thinkfish.co.uk/forums/fish-tank-plant-advice/changing-substrate/msg17255/#msg17255 and http://www.thinkfish.co.uk/forums/new-fishkeepers/changing-gravel-in-a-fishtank/msg14938/#msg14938 but don't want to cause any unnecessary upheaval/stress when all's been going so well. If I were to change the substrate, do you think it would be do-able with the fish remaining in the tank? On occasion, when I've vacuumed too thoroughly into the sand, there's a lot of debris which comes out and which distresses the fish. What would be the best way to do this:
*try to scoop out chunks of the wet sand in containers? ...or...
*purposefully disturb the sand to dislodge as much as possible of this debris and put in my spare third filter to try to capture as much of this as possible prior to scooping out chunks of the wet sand in containers?
Alternatively, I might not change the substrate at all, but try more decor - more wood, leaves, etc. If anything, I'd probably rather do this in order to minimise distress to the fish. Pics of the tank with light off and light on are in this thread http://www.thinkfish.co.uk/forums/fish-tanks-and-equipment/dim-lighting-suggestions/msg21971/#msg21971 but the tank has since got an additional 5 silk plants in it. The tank looks barer in the pics than it is in reality, and the taller pinkish plant which gets propped up above the wood actually covers a good part of the top of the tank like a canopy.
Suggestions welcome. :) Health warnings and advance apologies for any distress caused to those by the sight of a tank with silk plants.
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Both of these species are from dimly lit environments, so I would suggest a darker substrate, a dimmer light than a standard tube, and more plant cover. Also a few more fish might help - either more of the same or another species or two (dither fish need dither fish too :) )
Is the water level normally as low as it is in your pictures? This could be causing refraction of light down the glass panes making it difficult for the fish to see through them, which could be adding to their nervousness.
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Since many people keep these fish without such problems, it has to be the tank rather than the fish. To be honest, from the pictures, it looks a barren, hostile and uninviting habitat for fish, more suited to coral reef fish than small tropicals. I don't think a darker substrate would be the answer, the fish are still going to feel that they are out in the open and vulnerable. Real live plants in plenty are the best answer.
Are the back and sides of the tank clear glass? If so, I'd cover them with dark card or something so that the fish at least feel that they are not threatened from all sides at once. I painted all of mine black, which I think looks better and gives the fish security, but it wouldn't be a good idea while there are fish in the tank, fumes definitely a risk.
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Thanks for the replies so far.
I ought to have clarified for contextual purposes that the fish seem very content in their dim environment, with the exception of two situations - the weekly or twice-weekly water changes and the tank light ever being switched on which is very rarely done for the aforementioned reasons. The tetras' dorsal fins are strikingly bold and their tails very bright red, and the harlequins' patterning is similarly bold with the pink/orange shimmer. The behaviour is normally calm and relaxed - swimming (not usually in shoals, though), rest at the various "staging posts" (interspersed with occasional spats/bickering), and some long episodes of mating among the tetras for several mornings in a row every now and again. [During and following water changes, though, the tetras' tails go very pale, and all 12 fish shoal together. If the tank light is ever switched on, which is very rarely such as to take photographs, then, despite forewarning from sitting by the tank and opening the lid and then gradually closing it so that the light strength is gradual, there is complete panic and darting around in alarm and cowering under the silk plants, and which doesn't seem to cease with time.]
@hampalong:
*Yes, the water level unfortunately can't go any higher if I continue to use the filter which came with the tank. It has a waterfall effect and should be an inch above the waterline - unfortunately, it's not possible for it to be pushed up any higher in the tank than it already is. [I also have another filter in there which provides water surface movement.] It might be that I have to consider replacing the filter in order to increase the water level - the refraction (most likely when the light is on, given that they seem quite relaxed otherwise) isn't something I had thought of before.
*I'm pretty much stocked to full capacity, judging by the Community Creator, so I think any additions would probably have to be of the same species although open to further thoughts on this from anyone.
@Richard W:
*The back and right-hand-side are covered in dark blue aquarium background paper; it had originally been black but I changed this a few months ago; due to the location of the tank, and to be able to view it from the sofa, the left-hand-side hasn't been covered, and the fish seem to like this particular location when the table lamp adjacent to the tank is switched on (despite their extreme dislike to the lighting in the lid of the tank).
With real, live plants, I'm going to have to get some form of lighting, certainly a lot dimmer than this if the fish are to tolerate it https://fishkeeper.co.uk/product/fluval-aqua-glo-t8-fluorescent-aquarium-bulb-40w-107-cm . Again, any suggestions welcome.
I'll take a few more photos if I can, which might help others to suggest further thoughts; thanks.
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Do you have any bogwood or room for some? I suggest live plants strapped to bogwood since the sand will dislodge them. It has worked in my tank https://goo.gl/photos/Qxa3fo9cM3pRjaj26
And works fine.
Best of luck
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The bogwood, with Java Fern, Anubias, Java Moss etc is a good idea. Some of my tanks have the top completely covered with Amazon Frogbit (helped, unfortunately by a fair amount of duckweed) which dramatically cuts down the light level. Having said that, the filter you describe doesn't sound very compatible with these.
If you want a dimmer light, I'd suggest trying to get LED lights which can be controlled with a dimmer. That way you could start very low and slowly increase the light levels.
I have 20 similar-sized fish in very slightly larger tanks (X-rays and Glowlights in one, Lemon and Flame tetras in another). They've been in for 2 years with normal to low levels of filtration with no problem, so you might consider adding still more fish.
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Apaches idea of plants on wood is a good one. Anubias grows in dim light. Floating plants can help and so could having brown water staining. I've got all of these in my tank - the bog wood stains the water, the silvania <sp?> covers ~½ the surface and I've got black substrate. If anything, the fishes colours have intensified under these dimmer conditions.
The black substrate I've used is Caribsea Eco-complete which doesn't need a soil base with gravel capping. It's expensive, but I only needed one bag so I figured it was worth it. the Fish were only out of the tank for an hour, so didn't need a filtered container. I can now grow things I've failed miserably with all my fishkeeping days. Vallis is growing like a weed and other things are chucking out new leaves left, right and centre. I do have some DIY CO2 too, but the Vallis was rampant (oo-er) before that.
'scuse the typos, Tufnell is licking my hand while I'm tring to type. :)
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Thanks, folks - some really helpful ideas here. I'll take a deep breath and take the long-overdue plunge into "real aquatic plantkeeping"... :yikes:
Would LED lights be suitable/attachable for the inside of this lid, do you reckon? (It's slightly curved and tends to get very wet with condensation.)
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I have an LED in my 50 litre which has a lid which looks a bit like that. The downside is that it has 2 settings, on and off, not the controllable type that Richard mentioned. It is a glass tube with LEDs inside and it has plastic end caps which fit over the ends of the tube so that it can be mounted in the T5 fluorescent holders. But it has its own power supply, it can't be powered by the fluorescent power supply. There are types than can be used with the fluorescent power supply if it has a magnetic ballast rather than an electronic ballast.
If that was my tank, I'd definitely replace that filter for one that you can use with the water level up to the bottom of the trim. I wouldn't be able to stand having that gap.
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I have anubias
I agree with richard
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I agree that apache's idea of plants on bogwood would work. I have anubias and java fern tied to wood etc. all of my tanks, along with other more demanding plants in some.
A light with a dimmer might get your fish used to having lights on, which would be great for watching them. :)
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My plants are all java fern/anubias/bolbitis on wood too. I even grew java fern in the old betta's tank which did not have a light, though it did have a perspex cover which let light through.
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That's exactly the same tank I have, I now have a sponge filter in it as its my shrimpery and pygmy cory tank. I usually prop the tank lid up first thing in the morning before the lights come on and then lower it mid-afternoon and then lift it early evening. My take on a dimmer switch and because I'm not brave enough to tackle electronics myself. My 200l has blue and red LED lights that are timed to come on before the main light and then back on again before the main light goes off.
I'd probably suggest a lot more plants, real or artificial at differing levels to provide them with a lot more cover, at least double what you had in the photo. Then they'll feel safer with the lights on. Thats my tuppence worth anyways :isay:
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Thanks, folks. I thought the tank was plant-heavy and why the fish enjoy spending so much time in the part of the tank without the plants ("the clearing" as I call it), but this has all been quite enlightening.
The tank already has bogwood in it but I bought a second piece today which I've been soaking in a bucket which I've been topping up with boiling water, to try to help it to sink and hopefully minimise the slimy/fluffy stuff which I had for the first 8 weeks or so on the first piece. For how long ought I to soak it for?
As mentioned in the "quarantining plants" post, I've bought anubias which I've been "preparing".
Once the bogwood has been sufficiently soaked, I'm going to attach the anubias to the bogwood in various places - hopefully it will grow onto the bogwood during its time in the QT, and the piece of bogwood with its thriving (I wish!) anubias can all can be moved into the QT in a few weeks' time.
Update a little later: been browsing through the plant section on this forum, and noticed in the following thread http://www.thinkfish.co.uk/forums/fish-tank-plant-advice/lighting-for-plant-growth/ about the potential effects of the lack of calcium on plants in a soft-water aquarium, so I'm going to add a lump of limestock rock to the QT.
That's exactly the same tank I have, I now have a sponge filter in it as its my shrimpery and pygmy cory tank.
Yes, I remember reading your post about the Marina i110 filter and how you changed its filter cartridge - I followed that advice (and Sue's) for converting its media to a sponge one. What filter do you now have in there?
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I can't actually remember the brand but I'll check when I clean the filter tomorrow. I'd been looking for one online for ages without success and saw this one in a display tank and got them to order me one as it was perfect. Sponge filter with very adjustable outlet for surface agitation.
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Do you mean the filter in this thread (http://www.thinkfish.co.uk/forums/fishtank-filtration-and-cycling/maturing-new-sponge-filter/)?
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Do you mean the filter in this thread (http://www.thinkfish.co.uk/forums/fishtank-filtration-and-cycling/maturing-new-sponge-filter/)?
Oooo thank you Sue, thats the one
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Thanks, both.
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Some of the live plants were moved into the tank from the QT last week and all seemed to be going reasonably well. However, the new piece of driftwood, to which java fern, java moss and anubias were attached, was kept in the QT for a further week until it stopped floating. Took a quick ten-minute "timeout" from working today to move it into the main tank approx 9 hours ago. Unfortunately it's not gone down well at all with the inhabitants - the tetras' tails have been pale and haven't coloured up at all since, while everyone's been crouching in a group of 12, too afraid to move and refusing to eat dinner. I think they've been so used to having lots of space to spread out in and mingle together in the "clearing" area as they pleased, and now they've lost a substantial amount of space. Is it likely that the situation will change with time, or ought I to restore the tank to its original layout and "accept" ;) that it's time to get a second, substantive tank to accommodate the new bogwood adorned with live plants (oh, and some fish for it too, of course)?
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I'm not sure that I'm the right person to respond to this, but I would always consider an extra tank. ;D
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Update this morning: breakfast was refused which is most unusual; there is some swimming up and down the glass by the harlequins; 4 tetras' tails have coloured up (the males) and these males are chasing one another and having "spats", mainly near the water surface as that seems to be the area where there's room to swim freely.
I'm beginning to think that, in small tanks such as this where space is at a premium, they value a larger proportion of more open space to swim in.
Thoughts from others would be really welcome, though - do I "ride this out" and hope they adjust (with no adverse impact on their health through what seems to be stress) or restore the tank to its original layout (and somehow create the space for a second tank to accommodate the extra furnishings)?
Edited to add: would Vallisneria, which allegedly can grow in low-light conditions albeit does better in hard water, work by being planted in a mini terracotta pot or does it need to be planted in the substrate without its roots being restricted?
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As a further update, I was planning to wait until 24 hours had passed, and, if the situation hadn't improved, remove the extra "furnishings". However, I've just come into the fishes' room (aka the living room) and... drumroll... all 6 tetras' tails are now red in colour after 23 1/4 hours. There's some more natural-looking behaviour taking place, such as the female tetras foraging for and retrieving their breakfast from the substrate. Behaviour is not "normal" or relaxed but they're taking turns in swimming out nervously in groups of 2 before returning to their original position, then the next pairing swims out a bit further and returns, etc - all at a more usual position in the tank rather than up and down the glass or near the water surface.
I think I'll leave all "as is" for now and keep monitoring the situation.
Advice re the Vallisneria, as per previous post, would still be appreciated; thanks.
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I don't see any reason why the vallis wouldn't grow in a pot, why don't you want it in the substrate out of curiosity?
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I don't see any reason why the vallis wouldn't grow in a pot, why don't you want it in the substrate out of curiosity?
I just have a sand substrate ie Unipac's Tana sand. I'm assuming I'd need to change the substrate if I were to plant the vallis in it, and I think it's abundantly clear from the fish that they just don't like upheaval/changes of any sort!
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I have more than one pot of vallis in the dwarf puffer tank.
The dwarf puffer tank still has mainly silk plants, but I've been purchasing live plants for when I get the new tank to upgrade them. I had a plant tank where I kept all purchased plants, still in containers, but needed to use that tank when I collected the extra pair of dwarf puffers. In desperation to empty that thank, I just started plonking potted plants into tanks in the hope that everything would be ok. It seems to be ok (still keeping fingers crossed) and one of the vallis has even grown another plant from a side runner, which is just floating in the water and trailing roots, but still attached to the main plant.
Hope that helps. :)
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@Littlefish - very helpful indeed; many thanks, LF!
[Update: progress in the tank - more courage, activity and normal behaviour including swimming through the java fern or hiding on the other side of the java fern and keeping a watchful eye on me through it, as though a threatening glare not to lift the lid of the tank and do anything else for a while yet...]
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Vallis would grow ok in sand if you want to consider that option.
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Over the course of yesterday afternoon, the situation improved considerably to the extent of near-normality resumed - and, major newsflash - we actually have light which is being tolerated, something I thought I'd never, ever witness! I put the light on to take a photo, conscious that I was subjecting the poor souls to even more trauma than they'd already been through but intending it to last only a minute or two, when I discovered that they were actually unperturbed by it, instead of the usual, terrified reaction. Maybe, after 23.25 hours of stress, they've worn themselves out and are prepared to tolerate anything..?!
Hidden in the background include a piece of bamboo embossed in java moss (leaning against the original piece of redmoor wood, a moss ball sitting on top of 2 terracotta pots, and, on the right hand side, the additional piece of redmoor wood with an extremely amateur attempt of java fern (left), java moss (middle) and anubias (right) wrapped around it. Silk plants have been pushed towards the back. I'm under no illusion that the plants will survive, given my reputation with household plants. However, time will tell... Going to get some vallis next; thanks for that tip about it being ok in sand, @Fiona.
Photo taken deliberately close to spare Sue (and anyone else) from the 'trauma' of seeing the low water line ;) while I'm still using the original filter. I'm aware folk probably think the tank is still too sparse but I can experiment a bit during the weekly water change with positioning of silk/live plants, etc.
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Personally, and I know everyone has different taste, I'd get rid of all of those gaudy coloured "plants" and replace them with more realistic green, I'm sure your fish would be more comfortable then.
You need to give them time with the light on, they will get used to it eventually, a bit of "tough love" is required, they'll be better off in the long run.
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Thanks, @Richard W - I'll monitor the situation over the next while and, provided that the fish continue to tolerate the light*, and, depending on whether or not I manage to keep the live plants alive, I'll think about replacing them with more realistic silk or live green alternatives. With no tank light on for the past year-and-a-half, the tank looked very dark and so there was a need for some colour in it; however, if the tank light can now remain on, then it opens up opportunities for less garish silk plants and more options for live plants. That purple-coloured one on the left is a big favourite among the harlequins, though - the two little harlequins enjoy nesting in on the leaves, while the others have started using it for mating in.
[* I appreciate what you're saying about "tough love" although it seemed at various points that I was going to drive those fish to a very premature and sudden demise due to the stress of the new addition to the tank. Let's hope they remain unscathed from the experience.]
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Welcome to the wonderful world of tying plants onto stuff. I think it's great. ;D
Amazing to see your fish swimming around with the lights on. Congratulations. :cheers:
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Thanks, @Littlefish :cheers:
I did "cheat" slightly - the bamboo embossed in java moss was bought like that :) , purely so that I could have a template to copy, of course. ;)
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Of course. ;D
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Imagine how much fun they'd have in a vallis forest, the stuff slowly spreads via runners, I just cut them off and replant them when they're large enough.
and congratulations for persevering with the light :cheers:
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*phew* I'm really glad it's all coming together for you. :cheers:
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Thanks, all.
Hopefully the vallis will be purchased and in the tank by the end of the week, after which I'll provide a further update.
Floating plants probably wouldn't work due to the (spare) filter in the tank which causes the water surface to move in circular fashion round the tank albeit gently. Are there any floating plants of which the roots could be gently tied/wrapped around the top of some wood ie which would float on the surface but which would have sufficiently long and flexible roots (maybe 10cm +) to keep the plants in place by them being tied to wood?
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Hornwort isn't a floating plant but it can be used in the way you describe. When you buy it the stems will be short but they grow. And grow. I have some stems about 2 feet long in the shrimp tank. I have the kind of wood that is all branches in there and I wind the stems through the branches and allow the tops to float on the surface.
Hornwort does drop its leaves like an old Christmas tree and the older part of the stem gets bald, but I just pinch those bits out and leave it to grow longer. Every so often I take it out and throw away the scrappy bits.
I have also put some more in the betta's tank looped through a holey rock. He has taken to resting in a hammock of twisted hornwort.
Hornwort also grows well with the stems floating horizontally on the surface.
The photo is my 50 litre and the mass of fine leaved plants on the left is hornwort.
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@fcmf do you have a timer for the light? I think they are quite cheap on Ebay
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Timers are sold just about everywhere - supermarkets, B & Q etc etc. I prefer the digital type as they keep better time than the mechanical ones I've had.
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The frogbit in some of my tanks circulate with the flow from the spray bar. It doesn't seem to have any adverse effects. Last week I saw one of the amano shrimp clinging on to the underside of one of the pieces of frogbit , riding around as the plant went with the flow. I don't know if the shrimp thought it was some sort of Alton Towers style ride, or if it was too busy picking at the frogbit to even notice that it was going around. ;D
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I've got clumps of riccia moss floating in one of my tanks
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Thanks, all - very helpful. (Have conjured up an image of your amano shrimp, LF - bet you'll find it will return to do that frequently due to enjoying itself so much.)
I don't have a timer, Apache; I'm at home throughout the day almost every day and so don't have a need for it. However, if the situation changes, then that would be a good plan.
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Brazilian Pennywort can be grown as a floating plant and might do well in your setup. It could be fixed to wood or even the side of the tank and grows small 'aerial' (not sure if I've used this word correctly but can't be bothered to look it up) roots along its length (like any other floating plant).
I'm going to get some myself this week, my lot ate it all last time I went away after the auto feeder got clogged up due to moisture ingress.
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I like the look of that, @Matt - thanks.
Sorry to hear that the autofeeder wasn't a success, especially after you had researched it so well.
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I was using the 'old' auto feeder at the time - I've trialled the new one since and it performed admirably over a period of 2 weeks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpEsz-_LaiU (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpEsz-_LaiU)
Still going to get the pennywort as a just in case measure though! :isay:
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As an update, I now have:
* redmoor wood with anubias, java moss and java fern attached to it (anubias and java moss ball look perfect; java moss and java fern doing ok - I've read that the dark patches on java fern are normal);
* vallis nana and vallis tiger - the former is doing better than the latter but I've had to remove some decaying leaves or parts of stalks from each;
* Brazilian pennywort - was looking good but developed holes in it overnight (despite a 20-min salt dip prior to putting it in the tank, 2 snails seemed to have been brought in with it and were to blame; I've since removed them);
* Amazonian frogbit and red root floater - the former looks better than the latter, and definitely my preference as it's less likely to clog up the filters and get swilled around the tank.
These were added in 3 fortnightly stages, to try to minimise algae growth.
The anubias was from the LFS; the java moss, java fern and vallis from Aquarium Gardens; the Brazilian pennywort and floating plants from Aqua Essentials. Overall, between the two online purchases, I felt Aquarium Gardens to be a more professional experience (answered queries immediately, packaging was much superior, standard of plants and quantity of free-floating plants better, didn't contain snails, sent an automatic e-mail with details of purchase and when dispatched) albeit more expensive (from recollection).
Still have some silk plants in but am removing approx 2 per week, to minimise loss of good bacteria.
Pic to follow.
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Fishtank with combination of live and silk plants. May still look bare to some folk but, having watched the fish behaviour this week after additional plants were added and while there were still another couple of silk plants in it (the latter two were removed during yesterday evening's water change), it was definitely overcrowded and the fish were struggling to find a route through the tank to go about their business - it looked as though they were negotiating a maze. I've been keeping a watchful eye on the tank this morning and there's a feeling of "harmony" as though they can swim freely and pause as/when they wish.
[Have deliberately cropped picture, so that @Sue and others aren't perturbed by the low water line. ;) The filter that requires the low waterline is the filter whose filter bracket the male tetra was trapped in, yet the fish love swimming under the waterfall current and playing in it, so I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with it - think, while they're enjoying playing under it, it will have to stay, as will the low waterline.]
[Health warning to @Evolution Stu that he's probably best not to look at my pics, otherwise he'll have a sharp intake of breath as to my lack of photography skills. ;)]
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Having a little play around on the Community Creator.
Current stocking level is dependent on whether I go with theoretical tank volume (54L) or 'true'/actual tank volume which takes into account decor plus lower water line due to my filter (45L) and whether I go with an internal filter or an oversized filter (which, with having 2, theoretically I do have, but would be reduced to one if moving one of those filters into the QT for whatever reason).
Stocking, therefore, ranges from 59% to 84% depending on which combination of the above factors is used, with 70% or 84% being based on the 'true' tank volume, depending on whether I base it on over-filtration or not.
Cardinal tetras are the top of the "contenders" list for future stocking but I think would be too risky to try now, as that would put corresponding stocking to 103% or 124% respectively. Ember tetras were particularly nice last week in my visit to the LFS but that would put corresponding stocking to 92% or 111% respectively, and, with the size and ravenous appetites of the female tetras, I'm not sure I would trust them with such small fish. I think, therefore, that shoaling fish are not an option for now as I don't want to take a risk - I know some do overstock successfully but I don't want to be forever berating myself if all goes awry.
I'm not keen on invertebrates for reasons I've mentioned before (ie heebie-jeebies if I found one feasting on one of the fish).
I do like rams but not sure that it would be fair keeping one on its own.
I take it there isn't really another option for now of any fish that could be accommodated in the tank?
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I think ember tetras would be do-able. They are not so small that the xrays could eat them, unless yours defy Seriously Fish's size of 40 - 45mm.
Have a look at Microdevario kubotai as well. They aren't in the profiles on here so when I had some I substituted the same sized ember tetras in the CC. You will find them on SF.
Deep orange red fish (ember tetras once they've settled in) would go with the harlequins while the green microdevarios would make a nice contrast.
Microdevarios are sold as neon green rasboras or even green tetras. The latin name is safest if the shop gives that.
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Wow great minds think alike on this one Sue :cheers:
The other option id recomment would be galaxy rasbora, otherwise known as celestial pearl danio.
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I keep eyeballing ember tetras, very nice fish imo.
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Thanks - very helpful suggestions.
unless yours defy Seriously Fish's size of 40 - 45mm.
The 2 female x-ray tetras are definitely nearer the 5cm mark but both the females are now about 3x the depth and 2x the width of the males - actually quite alarming to look at. As for the harlequins, 4 of them are nearer the 5cm mark while 2 of them are about 3cm.
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I think that both the ember tetras and the green microdevarios are lovely looking fish.
This is very exciting. ;D
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I think that both the ember tetras and the green microdevarios are lovely looking fish.This is very exciting. ;D
I agree - am somewhat torn between the advantages of each of the suggestions. Shame there's no such invention (yet) as an expanding tank to accommodate one's desires, much like dining tables which can be expanded to accommodate extra guests.
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Had a visit to the LFS today. Mr & Mrs FCMF both so tempted by the green neon tetras, neon tetras and cardinal tetras. Embers and CPDs/galaxy rasboras were in stock but no green microdevarios. Think we may need to wait until later down the line otherwise we risk overstocking, esp as many of them seem to prefer being in groups of 8+...
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Now that there's an additional, albeit unintended, tank resident in the form of a fast-moving snail (cf Think Fish Keepers Daily News), I just thought I'd check a couple of things.
Is this http://www.thinkfish.co.uk/fish/ornamental-aquarium-snail.html the advice (eg re size of tank, water hardness, temp, etc) which I ought to follow for care or not particularly?
If I were to decide not to keep him in the main tank but move him into a tank/tub of his own, would it need a filter?
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From the photos in the Daily News thread, it looks like a tadpole/pond/pouch/pest snail from the family Physidae - going by the shape of the foot on the glass. If it is one of these snails, they are indestructible. I didn't have any in the 180 litre tank while I was adding the various whitespot meds though I did add a couple from the 50 litre afterwards to help keep the algae under control. But they are living quite happily with the addition of 3 ppm ammonia every third day. An apple snail as in the link would have climbed out of the tank to get away from it, and a nerite would have turned it's toes up well before now.
I do nothing special for my pest snails, both this type and the tiny ramshorns, and I don't seem able to kill them from neglect. It is true that snails in general suffer from shell erosion in acidic water and need calcium to grow their shells properly, but pest snails seem to cope quite well with water of all types. And breed very efficiently.
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Thanks, @Sue - very helpful, and interesting too.
Edited to add: I've just looked at http://www.molluscs.at/gastropoda/index.html?/gastropoda/freshwater/physidae.html and http://www.ots.ac.cr/rbt/attachments/suppls/sup51-1%20Physidae/Physidae%20Information.pdf - am I correct in my understanding that it may be a hermaphrodite and thus can reproduce itself?
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Shame there's no such invention (yet) as an expanding tank to accommodate one's desires, much like dining tables which can be expanded to accommodate extra guests.
Funnily enough I've discovered you can. The owner of one of the aquarium shops at Crews Hill showed me a piccy of his old set up. A 15ft wall was covered by three 5ft tanks which were also stacked 2 deep, one in front of the other. What he did was butt the tanks up against each other, cut large circular holes through them and then joined them up with silicone. This effectively gave him one very large tank 15ft long and 3ft wide! I was extremely impressed. Might be a trick for you to use @Littlefish, you can use different sized tanks as long as you make sure the level of the water in the tanks is the sme :)
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mmm - that sounds like a recipe for disaster waiting to happen. :-\
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Shame there's no such invention (yet) as an expanding tank to accommodate one's desires, much like dining tables which can be expanded to accommodate extra guests.
Funnily enough I've discovered you can. The owner of one of the aquarium shops at Crews Hill showed me a piccy of his old set up. A 15ft wall was covered by three 5ft tanks which were also stacked 2 deep, one in front of the other. What he did was butt the tanks up against each other, cut large circular holes through them and then joined them up with silicone. This effectively gave him one very large tank 15ft long and 3ft wide! I was extremely impressed. Might be a trick for you to use @Littlefish, you can use different sized tanks as long as you make sure the level of the water in the tanks is the sme :)
Good grief - :o - that probably requires a structural engineer to check that floorboards can cope with the capacity. Looking forward to hearing if anyone tries out such a construction.
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I can't get through a water change without myself and the carpet wearing some of it, so I can't imagine how much mess I could make with an expanding tank.
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I find an old curtain with a rubber-like thermal backing invaluable for water changes. It is currently hanging on the line drying, along with the towel I wedge between the bucket and tank to catch the drips while refilling :)
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Can anyone diagnose what this is on the Brazilian pennywort (eg algae or just rot), please? Some of the leaves have this, others look fine, and others were nibbled on by the snail.
I can try scrubbing it with the fishes' toothbrush tomorrow (or, more accurately, the toothbrush dedicated for tank cleaning) during weekly tank maintenance, as that might help work out if it is algae, but wondered if anyone could identify it in the interim. Thanks.
Updated 27th Aug to add: turned out to be algae.
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Now got water sprite in the tank http://www.aquariumgardens.co.uk/ceratopteris-thalicroides-aka-water-sprite-1408-p.asp and another mini moss ball. :)
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You're really embracing the joy of live aquatic plants @fcmf.
Good to know that it's going well. :)
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While I was waiting for the fish to arrive at the shop I also got a floating plant which seems to be doing well at the moment - remember I can kill duckweed :-[
It is the related plant Ceratopteris cornuta which I read on another forum was a good alternative to C thalcatroides so I thought I'd give it a try since thalcatroides didn't last long in my tank.
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Glad to hear that your Ceratopteris cornuta is doing well @Sue - if it's any consolation I managed to kill off a java fern :rotfl:
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... if it's any consolation I managed to kill off a java fern :rotfl:
Respect is due! ;D
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Did you know you can use moss balls to cover things @fcmf. I glued some round a pebble which had a big cave like hole in it, it gave the RCS a little hideaway :)
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Thanks @ColinB I thought it was quite a spectacular achievement. ;D
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Thanks - I'm considering my current experience as a bit of a test, to see which plants fare better than others and which not to get again. That's useful advice if the water sprite doesn't do well; thanks, Sue. At the moment, everyone seems to be having a great time - actively swimming through what's left of the vallis, mating in the water sprite, finding a territory of their own to rest for a while, etc. Lovely to watch.
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Hmmm - plants not doing well at all. The anubias and nano moss balls seem to be thriving (famous last words) but the dying vallis is completely dead, the moss is 95% dead, the java fern's demise has accelerated, the Brazilian pennywort has been gradually dying and the water sprite isn't looking too healthy. The lights were off for 6.5 days which may account for the new water sprite's demise but I think this is proof that I'm not green-fingered. I plan to have another go with some of them, plus some new ones, this time keeping the lights on for a shorter period of time than the usual 12 hours, and perhaps removing the two large silk plants which may have been providing too much cover for some of the live plants and preventing sufficient lighting from reaching them, and see how I get on.
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Been to my LFS, as I noticed they had a good selection of plants in last week, and came home with Eleocharis acicularis, Clinopodium brownei and Echinodorus rubin. Fingers crossed that I have better luck with these.
Good excuse for another browse round the fishtanks. Ember tetras were quite tempting today (but don't think I'd get small fish again unless in groups of 10+), and the various neon/cardinal/green neon tetras continue to tempt me - not taking a risk by over-stocking, though.
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Have you seen galaxy rasboras (sometimes sold as celestial pearl danio)? I have a group of 6 and they are doing great though they can be a little shy...
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I did actually see them today, @Matt, but they weren't "doing" anything for me (colour-wise at least - they looked quite dark). They were in the nano section so perhaps I didn't get the opportunity to see their full potential, behaviour, etc.
For the first time, I saw sparkling gourami today, which I've always wanted to see - I know you have those too, @Matt.
Tell me a bit more about each and how you think they would fare among the existing inhabitants... In the meantime, I'm away to play around a bit with the stocking calculator. :)
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Definitely sparkling gourami in that case they have Gourami behaviour without beating each other up and the health problems of their bigger cousins. I would always recommend having a mixture of fish with different behaviours over anything else, especially if you weren't bought on the colour of the galaxy resbora (they would probably darken once you got then home)
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Thanks, @Matt; I'll sleep on this one and maybe take a look at them again. I did read that they tend to be excellent jumpers - have yours ever made a bid for freedom?
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I havent. They are quite a slow moving fish I'm struggling to imagine them jumping at all. Fyi they'll want you to give them some floating plants.
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Thanks, Matt- yes, I had read that. The Mystery of the Vanishing Frogbit occurred this week, so that would need to be replenished. I would also need to reduce the waterflow in one of the two filters. My fish are fast and boisterous at feeding time - this might prove a problem re the sparkling gourami being out-competed for food.
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Mine are in with harlequins and German blue rams amongst others and do ok, they soon toughened up a bit but I do try and ensure that I put food in at both sides of the tank.
Can you tell I'm a fan my little sparklers!? ;D cichlids and these guys are my favourite due to their unique behaviour
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You do indeed seem a big fan of them, @Matt.
On looking at the tank, what would you say is the main colour you see - silver, blue or shimmer? I already have silver-bodied fish (x-ray tetras) and therefore keen for something different.
Also, I'm wondering how the bubble-nest creation would work when it comes to feeding time and fish are leaping up to retrieve food from the water surface - would that cause a war in the tank if the poor sparkling gourami's bubblenest were to be broken?
I had my mind pretty much made up that I'd be waiting until further down the line until I got more fish (due to not wanting to over-stock) but you're swaying me, now that I realise I probably could have a sparkling gourami or two - would one on its own be an option, do you think?
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They are definitely silver with a blue shimmer, so perhaps not best to get a large group if you have existing silver fish for aesthetic reasons. I can't see why one would be a problem though.
Neons can't really be beaten from a colour perspective though they are also silver bodied in a sense... never kept ember terra but always been tempted too.
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I can't see why one would be a problem though.
Hmmm - was having a hunt around saw this which as rather put me off:
Gouramis have long pectoral fins that are very tempting to any potential fin nippers, Pygmy gouramis are known as very delicate fish, quite difficult and timid. I think they would need a well-planted tank with plenty of places to hide away. Single male dwarf gouramis are notoriously unpredictable and can become tank terrorists.
Oh, to have the space for a second fishtank, with some sparkling gourami, micro rasboras, ember tetras...
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I can only say I've personally had none of these problems... that doesn't rule them out of course...
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That's good.
I'm ultra cautious / a non-risktaker when it comes to fishkeeping, though - I don't want to do anything that might upset the applecart, especially given how upset I get when anything happens to my fish. I think I'll put this "on hold" for now and try to get a better/sustained plant situation in place, maybe reviewing the situation if I manage to get that under better control.
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I always struggle to succeed with plants too fcmf due to having soft water I believe and ravenous fish in the case of Brazilian pennywort. I'm sure there is something I could be dosing to help with that - does anyone have any advice??
I have only tried dwarf hairgrass from your list of latest additions and I'm sorry to report it didn't fair well. Please do let me know how you get on though. I've always struggled to find plants suitable for soft water so we might be able to start a useful list. Amazon Sword, Anubias, and what I think is a crypt have been most successful to date.
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Sue has soft water and the same problem with plants; however, she's succeeding with hornwort and Ceratopteris cornuta (an alternative to water sprite) so they might be next on the to-try list.
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I have very soft water and my Vallis is growing like a weed. I keep having to cut runners off 'cos I don't want any more.
My Java Fern, Anubias and Crypts are growing well, but my sword plant is very slow.
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My java fern and several species of anubias grow well in all three of my tanks.
The C. cornuta hasn't been in the tank long but it seems to be doing well. There are lots of baby plants appearing. And the hornwort in the 50 litre grows like mad. It would all be floating if I didn't loop it round a branchy piece of wood. I've read of a variety of hornwort called foxtail which more compact than standard hornwort.
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Having another wave of temptation re the sparkling gourami again, after their mention this morning. What had primarily put me off them was the reference to "tank terrorist" but, having re-read the description, that actually referred to single male dwarf gourami, not sparkling gourami. I'm guessing that one on its own might find it rather overwhelming to arrive in a tank with 11 well-established residents? If getting 2 or 3, would it be best to try to get them sexed and having so many of each?
I think I'd be quite keen for another fish in the tank, hence the reason I keep flitting back and forth to this idea, but am limited by stocking capacity eg a shoal of small fish is too much at the current time, and my gut reaction (based on the pygmy cory experience) is that 10+ would be needed for the micro-sized fish which is completely out of the question for the tank size. Besides the sparkling gourami, any other suggestions for fish suitable for very soft water and which would complement my current inhabitants, that would be fine on its own, in a pair or up to 3 in number, and therefore wouldn't push my stocking capacity over the limit?
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Remind me, how soft is your soft water?
If it's not completely lacking in hardness, how about 1 male 2 female peacock gudgeons/gobies (http://www.thinkfish.co.uk/fish/peacock-goby.html) - you'll find them listed under both names. Seriously Fish reckons a 40 litre tank with a 45 x 30 cm footprint is OK for a couple of adult pairs, though personally I think that's a bit small for 2 males. I had two males in a 60 litre tank, footprint 60 x 30 cm several years ago and the two males I had in there did not get on at all. In my defence, I thought one was a female when I got them :)
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My favourite fish by far are my dwarf cichlids - like gourami, they are full of character. You could get a ram (German blue, electric blue, or golden) or a checkerboard (make sure to get the lyretail variety as the normal ones get much bigger overall). 2 would be too many with a tank of your footprint.
2x Otocinclus would be an alternative too.
Also what about snails or shrimps which will have little to no impact on your stocking level.
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Thanks very much for the replies.
Remind me, how soft is your soft water?
My water hardness is as follows:
Calcium (mg Ca/l) - 9.24
Hardness as mg/l Ca CO3 - 28.96
Clark degrees - 2.03
French degrees - 2.90
German - 1.62
With the test kit, KH is 1.5 from the tap but 2 in the tank (due to the limestone rock) and GH is 1 from the tap but 2.5 in the tank - the previous test kit tended to be GH as 2 but 4 in the tank, so not sure how much to trust the test kits.
We just happened ;) to drop into the LFS today to have a quick browse again. Always the way that what's not that enticing one week is much more so the next week, etc. Cherry barbs were tempting today (but that would push the stocking limit over-the-top at the current time). The celestial pearl danios' orange fins were really showing today so they elevated considerably in the temptation stakes. The peacock gudgeons/gobies (which grow quite big eg 7cm) and sparkling gouramis were quite pale - but they were on the bottom row and so this probably wasn't doing them justice - but might next time I go in if experience is anything to go by!
I do very much like dwarf cichlids, rams, etc - would one be happy on its own, though, I wonder..?
Otocinclus need to be kept in groups of 6+ (according to Seriously Fish) which would send my stocking limits awry.
What puts me off shrimps and snails (another one of which I found in my tank yesterday and which must have come in on last week's new plants) is that I couldn't handle finding a semi-decomposed corpse that they might have feasted on or find them actually feasting on a corpse, which they have a tendency to do.
Any further suggestions/thoughts, and in light of the above info, very welcome. Thanks. :)
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The last peacock gudgeons I had didn't grow anything like 7cm and there's a comment about the size on Seriously Fish. But they don't like water that soft so they are not a good choice for your tank :-\
Neither do celestial pearl danios, though the gouramis would be OK. And most Apistogrammas would love your water. The problem is that they do need to be kept as more than one, and if they were to spawn they'd keep the other fish in one end of the tank.
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One ram would certainly be happier than 2 in your tank as there would not be enough floor space for two territories. As to whether you feel it would be truely happy on its own really I believe is up to you... technically it doesnt need others of the same species to interact with...
Otocinclus in my opinion don't need to be kept in such high numbers, whilst they are found this way in the wild, they are not schooling or shoaling fish so to speak. I keep 2 currently and they don't interact with each other in the slightest.
I've learnt better than to question Sue but I believe celestial pearl danios would be ok - your open thoughts appreciated @Sue :wave:
Other thoughts although someone would need to verify these are suitable.. Would a female Betta work?? Dario Dario?? What about killifish??
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I use Seriously Fish for water parameters, and that gives a lower limit of 90 ppm for CPDs while fcmf's water is 29 ppm. These are fish that can be kept in quite hard water - up to 268 ppm - which is another reason they may not be too happy in extra soft water.
Female bettas can be as unpredictable as males, and I would be wary about adding one to a tank in a household with just one tank as there is nowhere to move it to if it does turn out be be a feisty one.
Killifsh are surface dwellers, there may be some that would work but the tank could do with bottom dwellers as there aren't any already there.
Rams - while 2 males is not an option, possibly an already mated pair could work. If a male and female are put in this tank without being already mated, there could be problems if they don't like each other - no room to get away from each other. But if they were a mated pair, they could spawn, causing problems for the other fish.
But Dario dario, the scarlet badis.... these would work. Small, water requirements down to 18 ppm hardness (from SF :) ). Tank size minimum 45 x 30 cm footprint. The problems are their need for live or 'frozen live' food, and the fact that females are not often available, and males are territorial. If females could be sourced, 1 male and 2 or 3 females would work OK.
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I also remembered fcmf liked the look of neon tetras - so hows about Axelrods Rasbora - essentially a much smaller version!
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They do like soft acid water. In my tank with water right at the top end of their preferences, they were not a bright as neons, but would probably show more colour in softer, more acidic water.
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Really, really helpful info here; thanks so much for your thoughts and suggestions, both @Matt and @Sue. (Looks, from Seriously Fish, as though the Axelrods ought to be kept in large numbers, though, with 20+ suggested! - my tank would need an extension...)
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More fish shop trips are clearly required fcmf :cheers:
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Agreed :cheers:
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More fish shop trips are clearly required fcmf :cheers:
Any excuse... tee-hee. :)
Notes to self re:
* otos: "There have been reports of otos feeding off the sides of certain other fish" [Seriously Fish], so perhaps not the best choice of fish for me.
* sparkling gourami: "I had sparkling gourami quite a few years ago and the sound was a bit like a short burst from a football rattle" [Sue], so perhaps wouldn't go down too well with Mr FCMF.
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Observations on the plant situation:
The more recently purchased Eleocharis acicularis, Clinopodium brownei and Echinodorus rubin bought a few weeks ago seem to be faring well, and the Anubias and nano moss balls continue to do so. It’s possible that this is because I’ve reduced the time the light is on to no more than 10 hours per day or it’s possible that those bought in the LFS (from a different supplier than the online purchases) are of better quality – I plan to buy plants there from now on if possible.
Java moss (one lot partially hidden by overhanging silk plants; the other out in the open) and thin-stemmed vallis (nano) didn’t fare well at all and gradually died altogether. The water sprite also didn’t fare at all well – but it was bent double in the way it was packaged and the lights were off for most of its first week, so that most likely accounts for its sudden demise. Red root floater rotted away leaf by leaf. Each of these might fare better if the lights were on for this shorter duration rather than the ~12 hours that they had been on while I had them.
Java fern has been gradually turning rusty-brown coloured but this presumable demise seems to have halted since reducing the length of time the light is on for – and none of the rusty-brown coloured leaves are weak enough to be easily removed so I’ve left them in situ. The demise of the thicker-stemmed vallis (tiger) also seems to have halted since reducing the length of time the light is on for although there are only a few stems of it left.
The Brazilian pennywort and Amazonian frogbit have been gradually dying but at a slower rate since reducing the duration of lighting.
Bought an Alternanthera rosaefolia this morning – fingers crossed for it as it is lovely.
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Ooh, more plants, very exciting. ;D
Glad to hear that your plants are generally doing well. :cheers:
I've also had problems with things like vallis melting over a period of weeks, but the one's I've bought more recently have done well (no idea what is going on really). The brown leaves on your java fern will eventually come off, but will be replaced by new greenery sprouting from the rhizome. Don't do what I did, and think it was dead so threw it away.
As for the alternenthera, the one's I have that are doing well are in what I tend to think of as my messier tanks, i.e. with fish that are messy eaters (dwarf puffers) or don't feed on anything that has fallen to the bottom of the tank (hatchets & tetra), so there is probably quite a lot of nutrients for the plants to use inbetween the weekly clean.
Best of luck with your plants, please keep us posted on progress. :)
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Latest observation: didn't put the aquarium lighting on for a day, with the consequence that the dwarf hair grass went from 95% to 40% green overnight (the remainder having turned yellow). Dwarf hair grass clearly requires good/regular lighting!
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I also had no success with hairgrass fcmf... :(
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I also had no success with hairgrass fcmf... :(
Yes, so I recall. That's partly why I updated the thread, to add to the knowledge base and my own memory/record of what the requirements might be for that particular plant - it seemed to be fine until the day I didn't put the lights on but went into a swift demise the following day.
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I also came to the conclusion that it wasn't a low light plant as some advertise following my experiences with it.
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FCMF - I've recently started experimenting more with plants. It's still early days, but I having great success with Rotala rotundifolia. It's a stunning stem plant that is very easy to grow and turns a beautiful pink as it gets closer to the light.
Two weeks ago I bought Ludwigia palustris. After initially losing a lot of leaves, it seems to be growing well and is also turning redder as it grows. The Tropica website shows it turns to a very dark red as it matures and I hope this is the case in my tank.
I'm experimenting with carpeting plants of Lilaeopsis brasiliensis and C. Parva. Neither have done much since planting a month ago, but still appear healthy. They're supposed to be better suited to low light than E. acicularis, but require a fertile substrate. I'll keep you posted!
I also replanted C. balansae, C. willissii and C. wendtii from my previous setup. Neither were doing particularly well in the old gravel substrate, but early signs are that the Colombo Florabase is much more to their liking.
I've also had mixed results with Java ferns and moss. I honestly feel that the less I do for these plants, the better they do. They looked at their best so far after I had been away for almost three weeks!
Will be doing a water change and general tidy up in the next couple of days and will hopefully get some pics up then.
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Very interesting, Cod - I'll investigate those tomorrow, and keep an eye out for how you get on. Thanks.
I also came to the conclusion that it wasn't a low light plant as some advertise following my experiences with it.
Yes, seems like another one to cross off the list. Between us, we'll hopefully be able to work out what does fare better in soft water.
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I honestly feel that the less I do for these plants, the better they do. They looked at their best so far after I had been away for almost three weeks!
That's my conclusion, too... including house plants and garden plants. I think a lot of plants are 'killed by kindness'.
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Latest observation: the broader and thicker the plant leaf (or stem, if no leaf), the better its survival rate in my tank.
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Interesting... I don't seem to be having the same results here.
I have crypts (when I don't plant them too deep), pennywort (when not being eaten) and now the hygrophila that Paddy sent me which seem to be doing really well ( ill update my thread this weekend)... would you see these as being thin?
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Further observations on the plant situation, as an update from post 103 in the thread:
The Eleocharis acicularis (dwarf hairgrass) didn't survive, possibly accounted for by the day spent with no lighting on.
However, the Clinopodium brownei, Echinodorus rubin and Alternanthera rosaefolia have been surviving :) while the Anubias nana and moss balls continue to thrive - in fact, the roots of the Anubias have been growing longer and longer and it's produced what looks like a little curtain and which the fish seem to like. Java fern is about 30% rusty-brown coloured but the leaves are staying intact.
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I've not had much luck with dwarf hairgrass whenever I've used it.
Great to hear that your other plants are doing well. :cheers:
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A couple of pics from the tank, now with fewer silk plants and more real plants. It seemed as though the plants were dominating last week, and the fish struggling to find space to swim, but I feel as though the removal of two large silk plants yesterday has struck the balance right this time. :)
I've got the lighting on for 7-8 hours these days - this seems to be about right for keeping the plants alive, and some are even thriving and growing fast now, but without the same amount of algae as I had been getting.
Toying with the idea of putting a layer of dark sand over the current sand - I know some of it will fall through but I think a darker shade might be preferable to the fish. I'm also thinking of getting some plants to sit on the base of the tank and wind round the wood - perhaps hornwort.
Any other suggestions welcome.
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Speaking as someone who has hornwort I can recommend this plants. The stems just grow and grow so you can let them grow long enough so the free ends float on the surface providing some shade for the fish. If you don't like that effect, they can be cut to keep them shorter. The only downside I've found to hornwort is that the older stems drop leaves like an old Christmas tree.
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The tank looks great and it's good to hear that there is a balance between plants and fish. :)
Perhaps some darker sand might be nice, it doesn't have to be all over, or in a consistant layer. Sometimes some variation across the substrate can look good.
I quite like hornwort, I think it's a nice soft plant that fish seem to enjoy swimming through.
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Where are you thinking of sourcing your darker sand from?? I can never seem to find cheap sand that isn't really light in colour and it just looks so fake to me. I have also considered mixing them to reduce brightness...
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Where are you thinking of sourcing your darker sand from?? I can never seem to find cheap sand that isn't really light in colour and it just looks so fake to me. I have also considered mixing them to reduce brightness...
I notice that my LFS has this https://fishkeeper.co.uk/product/aqua-range-aqua-substrate-black-sand-20kg and this https://www.jbl.de/?lang=en&mod=products&func=detail&id=5011 in stock. My current sand, bought from this LFS in the past, comes from this range http://www.unipacpet.co.uk/aquatic/aquarium-sand/- you'll see the Limpopo sand is its darkest (while I currently have the Tana sand). I found a thread on alternatives in the past as the original poster had made the same comment as you - will try to dig out the suggestions from there and let you know, @Matt, but my vague recollection was that there was no consensus on which seemed the least fake.
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I have used the Unipac sands, and even the samoa fine looks ok.
I know that in the past I have bought 3 brands of dark sand, and one of them did feel quite sharp, so I didn't use it.
I just went into the spare bedroom where I found that I had a bag of Unipac Limpopo, so stuck my hand in the bag for a feel and it is not the one that I thought felt too sharp to use. I quite like mixing different sands to get the colours I want.
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I know that in the past I have bought 3 brands of dark sand, and one of them did feel quite sharp, so I didn't use it.
If you/anyone has fish that like to forage in the sand, I would exercise some caution with choice of substrate. In the past, I had problems with 2 of my goldfish (in separate tanks) ingesting gravel stones and choking on them, taking several hours to release them (cough them back up) - this happened one time to many, so I converted to a sand substrate in one of the tanks. The sand substrate ended up being ingested too, leaving a large pouch forming on the side of my fish's abdomen and massively thick sandy poo passing out which looked ever so painful, and ultimately I ended up having to opt for a barebottom tank. Thinking back to all of this, I'm semi-minded now to keep to what's working - my two female tetras have a habit of foraging and grinding on the sand pieces before spitting them out but thankfully this doesn't seem to have caused any problems (yet) but I wouldn't want to find that a change of substrate might bring problems with it.
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I like the look of the unipac stuff. I've read quite a bit about the benefits of different grain sizes. Does anyone here have their own experiences with different grain sizes they could share. I'm thinking about plant growth and ability to gravel vac etc.
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I bought some limpopo sand a few years ago and never used it. I tested it with vinegar and it fizzed. It looked just like finely crushed, dyed coral. But I understand from elsewhere that the company has changed it since I got mine and it no longer affects hardness and pH.
When I replaced the sand in my 180 litre tank this summer I looked round for dark sand but failed to find any that I liked. There were black sands but they all felt sharp and granular rather than small and smooth like the sand I had, which I got again.
I would strongly recommend looking at any sand in person before buying, even if you then go on-line to buy it cheaper.
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...and ALL tank plants are, as of today, live. Six months ago, I most certainly never foresaw this being a possibility.
[Updated to add, for my own records, that I have another Alternanthera plant in, am having another go with the Water Sprite / Ceratopteris Thalicroides, and have a Bucephalandra 'wavy green' plant in there too.]
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Just think, you doubted your ability to grow live plants, and here you are a few months later with a tank full.
Brilliant. :cheers:
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@fcmf am i right in saying you have low powered light on this tank?
I have decided to get myself a lighting upgrade for Christmas to see if I can have more success... I have a knock off version of an interpet tank and one of the things that was made cheaper was the lighting - half the number of leds on the original. Given recent experiences with the plants kindly donated to me by forum members I think this may currently be the growth limiting factor in my tank especially in the lower reaches of the tank where of course most of the plants are...
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am i right in saying you have low powered light on this tank?
The tank came with a Sun-Glo light but the light I actually have in it is an Aqua-Glo light https://uk.hagen.com/Aquatic/Lighting/Fluorescent-Bulbs?brand=glo [NB a light tube, not LED].
[Here's the background to the lighting: http://forums.thinkfish.co.uk/general-fishkeeping-advice/advice-re-change-of-lighting/ Oh my goodness, how different and bare my tank looked two years ago!]