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Wanted to share

8K views 62 replies 17 participants last post by  Asteroid 
#1 ·
I just wanted to share my 40 breeder. It’s not perfect, it’s not 100% algae free, and I just rescaped the right side, but I finally feel like it’s becoming something I can be proud of. It’s taken a lot of trial and error, and I owe a lot of the moderate success with this tank to the community here. The people who have helped and answered questions are an invaluable resource, thank you all.

Now if only all of the blyxa japonica would stay planted. [emoji58]




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#17 ·
Now that it’s no longer floating and establishing more, the growth is really speeding up! I’m loving the purple-ish coloration the leaves are developing. The lighting it’s under is a Fluval 3.0 and a Finnex Planted+. In the future I hope to replace the Finnex with another Fluval. Now if only the salvaged staurogyne porto velho would take off lol




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#22 ·
Everything is looking nice and healthy. Very nice work!



Impressive crypt. I had a couple of big clumps of Crypt like that years ago.



When I finally pulled it the root system was unbelievable. It went to every corner of the tank. Should have taken a picture of it because it was really something to see.


Thank you! It’s actually been a long road for me, learning, tweaking, figuring things out. It’s not perfect but I’m no longer embarrassed lol.

Next step is rolling the custom micro mix once this CSM+B is gone.




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#25 ·
Beautiful tank. Your fish are very healthy as well. The red rummy noses are the "canary in the coal mine" for fish health ;).

I see black neons, rummy nose, corydoras ( not sure which type because only see a tail.)

Can you give some information of this tank?

Size?
How long set up?
Types of fish?
 
#26 ·
Thank you! I care about the fish more than the plants. If it comes down to doing what's best for the fish or the plants, I choose the fish every time. One exception is when I found a home for my britslenose male because he was just destroying everything, but that's mainly because it made keeping the tank more stressful than relaxing.

That's exactly why I got the rummies in the first place but really fell in love with their schooling behavior. Only complaint about them is they spook real easy.

Absolutely!

The tank is a 40 breeder, it's been up for about two years now. It currently houses 23 rummy nose tetras, 10 black neon tetras, a sole survivor old neon from a previous tank years ago, a male apistogramma cacatuoides super red, 6 otocinclus, 5 or 6 panda cories that have spawned, but I wasn't aware of it until babies appeared out of nowhere lol, two false julii cories, a good colony of cherry shrimp, some ultra reclusive amano shrimp, and more snails than I'd even care to guess, including a couple nerites, but mostly ramshorns and MTS.

I inject co2 and utilize the EI method for fertilization, the substrate is a mix of BDBS and Controsoil - it used to be capped but after pulling up some big crypts for a partial rescape, that went out the window, at least on that side. lol

8 hour photoperiod at full intensity utilizing a Fluval 3.0 and a Finnex Fugeray Planted+, I've been contemplating upgrading the Finnex to another Fluval 3.0 or revamping the lighting altogether to try out the SB Reef offering.

It seems like a lot of fish but going off the bioload via testing parameters and the fish behavior, I don't even think it's fully stocked to potential, but I'm also not one of those people that needs to cram as many fish as possible into a tank...slow and steady wins the race. I've been thinking about adding a farlowella and a female apisto, but it's not a priority.
 
#27 ·
Thank you for that information! Its nice, along with a picture of the tank, to get a scope of what is not always apparent to the eye by including a description.
I would have never guessed there were that many fish in here, so that is a good indication that they are correctly added by zone. When you think of the fish that you have, they are pretty much evenly distributed by the area they occupy. So, no, I would not say you are overstocked.

Aggression levels and types of fish make a big difference in determining stocking levels as well. In my 180 gallon I recently got rid of half my geophagus because I felt they were doing more squabbling than anything else. Now that that other half is gone the whole dynamic of the tank has changed, the bottom fish are just roaming around foraging for food and rarely demonstrating aggression toward other fish. There is no getting around the fact that there will be some- regardless- they are cichlids after all. But, everyone seems more relaxed now that the largest fish in the tank are relaxed.

I have come to realize that we are really the best measures of our stocking density. We know it by "feel" by being in close proximity where we have become overstocked--- the tank becomes not very enjoyable to watch.

This is a great tank--- thanks for sharing. Makes me also want to get a group of black neons again-- a very beautiful fish that is stunning to watch in natural morning light.
 
#28 ·
Thank you for that information! Its nice, along with a picture of the tank, to get a scope of what is not always apparent to the eye by including a description.

I would have never guessed there were that many fish in here, so that is a good indication that they are correctly added by zone. When you think of the fish that you have, they are pretty much evenly distributed by the area they occupy. So, no, I would not say you are overstocked.



Aggression levels and types of fish make a big difference in determining stocking levels as well. In my 180 gallon I recently got rid of half my geophagus because I felt they were doing more squabbling than anything else. Now that that other half is gone the whole dynamic of the tank has changed, the bottom fish are just roaming around foraging for food and rarely demonstrating aggression toward other fish. There is no getting around the fact that there will be some- regardless- they are cichlids after all. But, everyone seems more relaxed now that the largest fish in the tank are relaxed.



I have come to realize that we are really the best measures of our stocking density. We know it by "feel" by being in close proximity where we have become overstocked--- the tank becomes not very enjoyable to watch.



This is a great tank--- thanks for sharing. Makes me also want to get a group of black neons again-- a very beautiful fish that is stunning to watch in natural morning light.


Thank you! And that is exactly why I’m in no hurry to keep adding stock. I do a lot of research about the potential tank mates and ask questions before making a decision.

And yes, I agree about black neons. I think they are an underrated/under utilized fish.



I was also able to get my hands on a very healthy crypt flamingo over the weekend! The plant has very long, white, hairy roots. Only one leaf melted since Sunday and it is throwing a new one already. I’m really hopeful it’ll do well.




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#29 ·
I moved the Fluval 3.0 to the foreground and the Finnex to the background to see how it would look. I think the Fluval makes colors pop more (as well as throwing considerably more PAR). What do you all think? I’m considering purchasing a second Fluval 3.0 to light the entire tank.




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#30 ·
I'm about to get a Fluval 3.0 that will overlap the rim of my 16G tank because I can't find anything better at the price. This will be my sixth, the first five being Nanos. Ten photo points let me do three photo-periods plus a brief night phase. I can copy my settings from one light to another. I can enjoy my tanks at 07:00 and 21:00 without running all day.

Cheers
 
#39 ·
This crypt forest is really explosive, even still. I’m loving it but also worried that it’s going to get to the point where it’s going to take over that entire side. My pogostemon yatabeanus is struggling a little now, it used to be solid as a rock for me, and I’m afraid it’s because of the dense crypts it’s next to.

Also, would a mod be able to transfer this over to journals? I’m updating this thread often enough to where it seems appropriate.





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#47 ·
This crypt forest is really explosive, even still. I’m loving it but also worried that it’s going to get to the point where it’s going to take over that entire side. My pogostemon yatabeanus is struggling a little now, it used to be solid as a rock for me, and I’m afraid it’s because of the dense crypts it’s next to.





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I want that pearling crypt blob!
 
#44 ·
@varanidguy great looking tank. Gives me some ideas on what to do with my java fern. Making so many babies I started using them as a kind of carpet by burying the root parts (rhyzome above substrate) but the juliis are starting to pull them out when food gets caught up on em.

Question about your filter setup. What filter do ya have? Also the spraybar looks like it runs along the back of the tank directing forward and up a bit. Is this correct? Thanks.
 
#45 ·
This tank is utilizing a SunSun 303b. Yeah, the spraybar runs most of the back of the tank, it is tilted slightly up to create a mild ripple, and there's a few holes drilled on the bottom so it pushes water down the back wall to ensure that there's at least something flowing behind the driftwood and for the stems behind the crypts.

The tank is probably going to go through a mild rescape soon, maybe as soon as this weekend.
 
#46 ·
The new crypt flamingo’s new growth is coming in very, very nicely. It’s also growing faster than I thought, putting out three leaves in less than a month (got it October 20th). Just under a leaf a week? I’ll take it! Hopefully it only speeds up as it gets more and more established.




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