Fat Guy's ADA with hand made lily pipe

[Dollface]

I know I just commented but man, this tank keeps getting more and more amazing. I love my some boraras.

[lasutaku]

Great choice for fish. I was really debating on either those or the CPD's. I'm sure you'd enjoy those better though, the CPD's are quite skittish, and are continually squirming around the tank.

[Fat Guy]

thanks dollface and lasutaku. I'm really stoked about the setup. looking forward to snapping a picture with all of them schooling together. I'd love to get 12 more of these guys.

best, el g

[A Hill]

Great fish, I'm considering getting around two dozen of them for my tank.

First I need to get algae under control.

-Andrew

[forrestp38829]

I love those little guys. They compliment your scape nicely.

[MissGreen08]

Love the Boraras!! The red will contrast nicely with the green of the plants and the minimal color of the hardscape. Very nice!

[Fat Guy]

even though the ICH is not on every boraras, I decided to treat all the fish regardless. I temporarily relocated the boraras to my 3.5gallon (which I've kept running with the cycled filter media in case I had to use it as a treatment tank) put a heater set to 86F and a small powerhead for aeration. Added 2 teaspoons of salt which I diluted before hand. Threw in some driftwood and java moss. The boraras seem at ease and not stressed. I know from experience in the hobby what a disaster ICH can be. and experience should've told me to quarrantine the fish before I put them in the mini. another lesson on being patient- reminding me there's no need to rush in this hobby.

[amphirion]

i hope your fish recover quickly! you've got a great looking tank! i wish i could afford an ADA tank and equipment. super nice!

[cervantesmx]

Fat Guy, I love your HC carpet, I am growing HC myself and would like to know what steps you recommend to ensure growth and health, thanks!

[Fat Guy]

Originally Posted by cervantesmx

Fat Guy, I love your HC carpet, I am growing HC myself and would like to know what steps you recommend to ensure growth and health, thanks!

thanks cervantesmx,

HC needs ample light, nutrients and co2 and maintenance. It does well in a nutrient rich soil. I had contemplated doing the dry start method with the HC, but didn't have the patience.

For this tank I started with two portions of HC that I picked up from my lfs and separated the plants from the wool and planted in three to four stem clumps. I didn't have any occupants in the tank for about a month so I blasted the co2 and started the first week to week and a half with nearly 50% water changes each day. I dose seachem potassium and comprehensive daily and now dose seachem nitrogen after each water change.

But once you start getting good growth with the HC, I think that the real trick is trimming. Once I started to see the HC rooting in the soil, I very carefully trimmed it back. And as it filled in more I started trimming more. Now that the entire tank is carpeted and there is a substantial root system that has developed, I am more aggressive with my trimming. Every week to week and a half, I cut it (almost down to the substrate) and have found luck encouraging smaller, more compact leaf growth. And the plant seems to respond very well. I've had a little green filament hair algae every now and then, which I remove with the bristles of a tooth brush. And in the beginning had experienced the normal occurrence of diatoms but stayed the course. I spend around an hour a week trimming the HC (believe it or not). 40 minutes or so trimming and 20 minutes removing the clippings from the water. If I had a better set of curved scissors, I think the process would go a lot faster. I really enjoy this plant.

Hope that helps. Thanks for the inquiry. best, el g

[Betta Maniac]

Originally Posted by lasutaku

Great choice for fish. I was really debating on either those or the CPD's. I'm sure you'd enjoy those better though, the CPD's are quite skittish, and are continually squirming around the tank.

My CPDs aren't at all skittish. They check me out and come right up to be fed (esp once they figured out that I = bloodworms, LOL!).

[Zareth]

I'm probably gonna get CPDs for my Mini M, have yours ever jumped? I'm fine with a glass top, but its just one more thing I have to buy to delay my build.
How many do you think would be comfortable in a Mini M? I'm thinking 5-6. Sorry for the thread hijack!!

[Fat Guy]

Yeah. I don't have cpds in mine. I think however, glass tops are a good to have for lots of fish in these tanks. If they get spooked, you very well may find them on the floor days later even if they aren't known jumpers. The other day I was about to clean the glass on my tank (and I have a glass top that I had made) and set down a small towel in front of the tank, turned around to pull up a chair and went to pick up the towel and discovered that my otocinclus was laying on it. I spooked him when I moved the chair I figure. And I also had a top on the tank, but he made the leap through a small small opening. Lucky that he landed on the white towel. If not, he would have been food for my cats.

best, el g

[beedee]

loving it dude!

sounds like you are doing the right treatment for ich. i did the same thing, minus the hospital tank (since i didnt have one). it cleared up in a week, but i slowly discontinued the treatment over another week.

[Fat Guy]

Just an update. I've been aggressively cutting the HC and it has really paid off (although very time consuming). My nano diffuser from aqmagic broke today when I was adjusting its position so I had to purchase one here in NYC. I think the quality of glass and pressure had a lot to do with the break, as the diffuser seemed to burst from the bottom curve after I bumped it on the glass. The only downside with the diffuser I purchased today is that it is not as small as the aqmagic one. Unfortunately I lost the boraras brigittae from a severe ich outbreak. But I picked up 6 emerald eye rasboras yesterday from New World Aquarium on 38th street. I'm very happy with these fish, and they are also super healthy. I also snagged an amano shrimp for some maintenance. The shrimp is a monster. Here's a new picture of the setup. To clean the rocks, I've been using an old head from an Oral B Sonicare brush that I hook up to the sonicare base. High tech cleaning device. here's an updated picture (right before I broke the nano diffuser).

Best,

-el g