xenxes's Aqueon 20L - "Bamboo Jungle" + Otos/CPDs/Pygm, PFR/CBS/OEBT/Cardinal/BluBees

[xenxes]

Current Status (7/30/12)

No longer a forest, turned into a jungle (inside and outside the tank). Testing out a new grow light I just setup on 2/10. Established & stable, only maintenance is water top offs and sporadic feeding.

Tank Progression Pics

Latest FTS:


Tank Pics:













Current Equipment:

- 20L tank from Petco ($20)
- Recycled light & filter from broken EHEIM Aquastyle
- AquaClear 20 Power Filter, and AquaClear 50 Power Filter with Edge Pre-Filter Sponge
- Hydrofarm Grow Light System - single T5 54w
- Black Krylon Paint background

Current Fauna:

- 4 Panda Platies + unknown # of fry
- 6 Otocinclus
- 9 Corydoras Habrosus
- 11 Corydoras Pygmaeus
- 50+ Red Cherry Shrimps
- 4 Nerite Snails
- ?? Malaysian Trumpet, Ramshorn, Pond Snails
- ?? Copepods, Amphipods, Ostracods, Cladoceras

Current Flora:

Honestly have no idea, I got 4 plant packages from members here and planted them all, lol.

From: snailer
- Crypt Willisi Blyxa Japonica
- Ludwigia Grandulosa
- Lobelia Cardinalis
- Crypt Wendt Red
- ???

From haterr:
- Sagittaria Subulata
- Lindernia Parviflora Var 'Variegated'
- Vallisneria Americana Gigantea
- Hydocotyle Leucocephyala
- Nuphar Lutea V. 'Cape Fear'

From dewalltheway:
- Ludwigia Arcuata
- Limnophila Veitnam Mini
- Narrow Leaf Java Fern
- Fissidens

From thefisherman:
- Limnophila Aromatica
- Limnophila Repens Mini
- Star Repens
- Hygrophila Polysperma
- Green Cabomba
- Hygrophila Pinnatifida
- Rotala Macrandra

Others:
- Lucky Bamboo (Draceana) emerged
- Xmas Moss
- HC
- Marsilea Minuta
- Amazon Micro Sword
- Assorted Crypts
- Frogbits
- Red Root Floaters
- Rotala Indica



Redacted Original Post:
-------------------------------
Picked this up @ Petco's $1/g sale for $20.

Substrate:
1" of dirt, 1" of Fluval Plant Stratum, 1-2" of Tahitian moon sand, aquarium gravel, river rocks & pebbles

Some pics (water is still slightly muddy from some recent planting)


Full Scape, plants look miserable as a lot were planted yesterday after being in the mail for 3 days. I've actually added more since this pic


Testing a terrestrial moss growth on a frogbit

[diwu13]

Subbing to each of your tanks. Shoulda' let me know you started another one :P.

Did you get all that bamboo from Petco? I like the bamboo forest look ! Wonder how well that bamboo will grow for you. Any idea how to propagate it?

That red moss looks great too, hope it doesn't fall off the frogbit.

As for the bamboo shrine, you could use some fishing line? Those are nearly invisible!

[williamsonaaron]

+1 for fishing line. Go to a fishing store and by fluorocarbon freshwater tippet line. It will truly be invisible I use to catch trout in local rivers(trust me they never see it).

[hydrophyte]

That is fun!

You might be aware of this, but that "bamboo" is not really bamboo. It is Draceana sanderiana, also known as lucky bamboo.

Have you considered a black background? I think it will improve with a black background.

[xenxes]

Originally Posted by diwu13

Subbing to each of your tanks. Shoulda' let me know you started another one :P.

Did you get all that bamboo from Petco? I like the bamboo forest look ! Wonder how well that bamboo will grow for you. Any idea how to propagate it?

That red moss looks great too, hope it doesn't fall off the frogbit.

As for the bamboo shrine, you could use some fishing line? Those are nearly invisible!

Originally Posted by williamsonaaron

+1 for fishing line. Go to a fishing store and by fluorocarbon freshwater tippet line. It will truly be invisible I use to catch trout in local rivers(trust me they never see it).

TY, why didn't I think of fishing line just ordered some. Red club moss would look amazing in water, but it'll probably suffocate. I'm experimenting with a little bit on the bottom though, maybe an air stone?

Got the bamboo from Walmart (Petco was expensive and short), one of those circle bunched ones for $16 (about 20+ stems). I took it apart and only kept the inner circle together. Planted other stems separately. Didn't start this tank until a week ago. Not sure about propagation (I think you just cut long top stalks off), I had 3 thicker stems from years ago and planted those also.

Originally Posted by hydrophyte

That is fun!

You might be aware of this, but that "bamboo" is not really bamboo. It is Draceana sanderiana, also known as lucky bamboo.

Have you considered a black background? I think it will improve with a black background.

Right lucky bamboo (name slipped my mind), they will last a few months-a year if fully submersed because they're hardy, but I have all the leaves out of the water.

Would like to add a black background (the green/black contrast would be great), what do people use? Just black wallpaper? What about adhesive? Tape the sides?

[diwu13]

Originally Posted by xenxes

TY, why didn't I think of fishing line just ordered some.

Wait... you could've just bought fishing line at Walmart instead of ordering some online lol

Originally Posted by xenxes

Got the bamboo from Walmart (Petco was expensive and short), one of those circle bunched ones for $16 (about 20+ stems). I took it apart and only kept the inner circle together. Planted other stems separately. Didn't start this tank until a week ago. Not sure about propagation (I think you just cut long top stalks off), I had 3 thicker stems from years ago and planted those also.

Your Walmart carries bamboo? Was it in the fish section?

Originally Posted by xenxes

Would like to add a black background (the green/black contrast would be great), what do people use? Just black wallpaper? What about adhesive? Tape the sides?

You can easily paint the back glass of the tank black and the color will carry over to the front. You can even paint it while the tank is running, just be really careful and make sure the place is well ventilated.

[androo303]

Originally Posted by diwu13

You can easily paint the back glass of the tank black and the color will carry over to the front. You can even paint it while the tank is running, just be really careful and make sure the place is well ventilated.

+1 for black window spray paint...

Did it on mine and it looks snappy!! But I like the bamboo layout!

[xenxes]

Lol I bought some contact paper instead, bad experience with paint.

Walmart garden section (has to be a Walmart Supercenter). They also have the cheapest planters anywhere I've seen.

[.Mko.]

Loving the bamboo effect great idea!

[xenxes]

The smaller Oto kicked the bucket this morning I noticed it flipping upside down @ the surface last night, moved it to a quarantine tank w/ some stress coat, didn't help. Its buldgy little stomach turned a yellow-ish hue (was white).

Had a nitrite spike yesterday (7.2pH/0 Ammonia/2ppm Nitrite/20ppm Nitrate). I did a 10% water change yesterday and a 25% today, added some more Nutrafin Cycle. I don't know what caused it, perhaps I left the piece of ketapang (almond) leaf rotting @ the bottom too long?

Any idea what caused the Oto to die, is it the nitrite? The other fish and inverts are all fine.

Some new pics (Day +1):


Did some more trimming, water cleared up nicely


Started growing a moss wall for my 9g


The evil ghost shrimp from my Spec, couldn't bring myself to flush it


RIP of course it had to be my favorite fish

[diwu13]

I doubt it's the IAL cause you can leave those for weeks without any issues. People with shrimp tanks leave them until they turn into skeletons.

And I heard otto's are super sensitive so it's very possible the nitrate spike caused it to die. I wouldn't go overboard on the nutrafin cycle though. Not sure how well that actually works.

[xenxes]

Hrmm I just added recommended dosage. It works the same way as getting substrate from an established tank does. Still takes about a week to cycle (much faster than without though). I waited for the spike to go up then goto 0 before introducing fish. I guess I put in too much fish at once. 3 blue platys one day, then 3 pandas the next, and 2 otos after that. Going to hold off on replacing the oto until it stabilizes.

Picked up 3 small ebony rock pieces for $5 (ripoff lol) earlier today and threw them in the tank. I saw maybe 2 RCS while rescaping, some might have gotten eaten off. It's okay, some actually started breeding in my 1/2 gal

Pics (Day +2)


added some rocks, think I muddied the waters again just after it cleared


left side, angled for hiding


right side


rcs hiding


feeding on somewhatshock's veggie stick, even the betta nibbles on it


evil "ghost" shrimp approaching 2" I believe, turning gold?

[xenxes]

Pics (Day +3)


replaced white mesh & green ring w/ fish lines


I found a couple fish fry in the tank! Not sure what they are or where they came from. Can't catch them they swim into the substrate, hope they survive


I know it eats veggies


what manner of creature is this?


oto getting an algae-shell snack


ordered some malaysian trumpets that came in today from HK, largest one is around 2"! is that right?

[diwu13]

Originally Posted by xenxes

what manner of creature is this?


oto getting an algae-shell snack

Haha these pictures are so cute! I wasn't sure what this was at first glance :P! How come all the snails you get are covered in algae?

And do those look like MTS. So you should be good!

[xenxes]

All the pearl snails come preloaded with algae I think the shell algae is hair algae though, and the oto won't eat it.

The MTS are really big, guess I'll throw the big ones into the 20g and distribute the others.