2.3g Endlerville

[Knotyoureality]

Originally Posted by mo2vation

How is it you keep your Endlers from flying out of that open-top tank?

How you keeping them in?


-Ken

It's the lead weights I feed them. Or maybe the monofilament leashes?

Seriously, I have no idea why. None of my tanks have tops and I've kept these guys in every sort of set up from a 37g community tank down to .75g planted bowl without a problem.

[Knotyoureality]

A series of water changes and the ever vigilant rams horn snails have cleared up the usual white fuzz from the driftwood. Trimmed back a couple val leaves and sucked up some crypt melt from the left most clump of c. parva--everything else seems to be transitioning well.

The red root floaters have doubled their root systems and added a couple new leaves each in just the past two days. Still water and sunlight makes 'em happy I guess. The ones in the 3g planted vase right next to this tank are in non-stop bloom mode.

Sucked a ton of snail poop off the substrate and pulled the largest rams horn out, sending him back to the riparium from whence he came. As the plants settle in, I'll be pulling more until only 1 or 2 of the smallest red footed brown rams are left. Also added two more endlers, bringing the school up to seven males.

[Aquaticus]

Great tank! I'd like to try something like this eventually.

[Knotyoureality]

Favorite nano-tank tool? A disposable pipette! Perfect for blowing sand/debris off plants and rocks, and sucking up lots and lots of shredded pulpy bits of melting crypt.

Happily only the right corner one was hit hard, the rest are holding strong.

Night shot showing the reverse view from my kitchen sink. Foreground is the 2.3g, midground is my 37g community tank and in the back a glimpse of my various planted vases.

[10gallonplanted]

Needs some more sag and a more vertical plant. Soem sort of stem. But overall its a very nice tank. Props!

[Meganne]

lovin this little tank!

question, with no filtration are you doing water changes and if so how much and how often?

[Knotyoureality]

Originally Posted by Meganne

lovin this little tank!

question, with no filtration are you doing water changes and if so how much and how often?

As I knew I'd be building up the bio-load gradually and seeding the substrate, I didn't pre-cycle the tank. So, 75% daily water changes the first week when it was just sand/hardscape and a few snails, dropped to 50% daily once the plants started going in, and now I'm sitting at roughly 30% daily.

Once the plants are growing well and I'm satisfied with the number of endlers, I'll gradually reduce the amount and frequency of changes until the tank is on the same 10-25% weekly water change schedule as the rest of my no tech nano tanks.

[Knotyoureality]

Originally Posted by 10gallonplanted

Needs some more sag and a more vertical plant. Soem sort of stem. But overall its a very nice tank. Props!

"more" sag would be difficult as there isn't any to begin with. I agree, though, that there needs to be greater vertical plant material. At this point, Im waiting to see how the vals do as they grow in. Eventually I may add either some cardamine lyrata or do an emergent semi-aquatic.

Normally I'm all about shoving the tank full and doing a heavy edit later, but this time I'm going slow and waiting to see how things grow in.

[Knotyoureality]

Not a lot to report on this little tank.

No algae problems yet, and while the crypt parva in the far corner melted down to zilch, I had a bit to spare tucked into the rocks that I moved over. The marsilea died back hard but has strong new growth, the mini bolbitis is taking off like crazy (3 new shoots and a 1/4" of growth on the rhizome!), and the moss--which didn't much appreciate being glued down, is showing bright green tips. Red root floaters are annoyed at being submerged periodically thanks to the rams horns grabbing hold and dragging them under, but are holding their own.

Added a couple more juvie male endlers to build up the school and two of my cherry culls--one a very nice deep speckled chocolate brown, the other a lighter red-brown to liven things up while I decide on a permanent shrimp choice.

[pedropete]

what a fun little tank! thanks for sharing! i'd love to see your planted vases/bowls! i love them, too, and keep tiger endlers in mine

[Knotyoureality]

Update: Hadn't been entirely happy with how this scape was working. I spent a week or two puttering about with minor changes---removed the vals, added blyxa japonica, pulled the snail eaten red root floater in favor of frog bit, tweaked hard scape, etc.

Realized today what I was missing was how the endlers looked as they moved about the tank. I'd wanted a strong positive and negative space so they'd be viewed moving in/out of the two areas, but the planted area wasn't strong enough and the buggers are just too fast for a binary system.

So, yanked everything out (including a suddenly egg-laying nerite-now banished to a different nano tank), cleaned things up a bit, and put it all back a little differently.

Mostly the same plants: crypt parva, anubia nana petite, mini bolbitis, baby tears, marsila quadrifolia, xmas moss, frogbit, that blyxa japonica--and added two crypts---variety unknown but they've off-spring of small crypts that have been in another pico tank for almost a year. One is more of a bronze, the other a bright green.

Shots back and front as this tank sits on the counter separating my kitchen and living areas so it's viewed from both sides.

[crimsonbull57]

That's a really neat tank! I love the shape. Order it online?