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Added Fluval Compact Heater

Added a small (25 watt) heater designed for the Fluval Edge to left of the Aqueon AT10 filter. So far it seems to be working and slowly warming the tank. It is designed to just raise the temperature to 78 F (26 C) and then shut off, that should be more than adequate for the planned flora and fauna. Since the tank is in our kitchen where the ambient temperature is usually about 72 F (22 C), I am not too worried about needing a stronger heater.



If I had space to use a canister filter, I would have gone with an inline heater, but the current option with submersible filter and heater does not look too bad.

Here is a detail of the DHG from today (Day 4)



I've begun transferring a bit of water and filter media from my 125 gallon to help begin the cycling process. Not having any luck finding a small bottle of ammonia to really start the cycle though...

Here are measurements for the tank water:

Ph: 7.6 (morning) to 6.0 (evening)
NH3 / NH4: 0
NO2: 0
NO3: 0
GH: 11 degrees
KH: 8 degrees

 

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Gah! Fluval Aura light fell into my tank because the adhesive failed. Back to the drawing board...

 

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We may just do just one pea puffer, still not sure. I've read they leave Otos alone. If it does pick on the Oto, I will move the Oto to my 125 gallon community tank.

 

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I ordered an Ecoxotic 12" light to replace the Fluval Aura that fell into the tank. I still haven't figured out how to get part of the Fluval light's adhesive off which is stuck to the back of the tank. I will try using a razor when I have time.

My daughter decided that she wanted more than just two pea puffers in her tank, so we ordered six P. Gertrudes and half a dozen blue neo shrimp. Unfortunately, two of the Gertrudes jumped into the afterlife a few days after settling in, so we are all a bit sad. Feeding the remaining guys is turning out to be quite a challenge. They only seem to like crushed flake food; they were curious about daphnea, but did not eat them.

In the meantime, I am tweaking the lighting and Excel to keep algae at bay.

I will post photos soon. Thanks for reading...

 

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Hoping this photo of one of our P. Gertrudae checking out some flame moss posts....

 

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Fissidens Fontanus Tree

So I completely removed the Seriyu (Ying) stone after I lost the gertrudes and otos. I think the main reason the fish died was neglect of water changes.

So I am trying a new aquascape with a manzanita branch and fissidens fontanus as the center piece. I am also trying to lower the TDS from 130 to less than 100 by adding distilled water. (I've ordered a RO+DI system which will be here in a few weeks).



Here is a little closer look. The only inhabitants are three otos and several blue neo-cardinia shrimp.



I have been battling hair algae, but I think I am winning the war. Still a few strands to eliminate/remove...

 

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Thank you. My daughter is happy with the three Otos and she does not want any fish that will harm her "shrimpies," so unless I screw up we won't be getting any more fauna... But I really would like a dwarf puffer.

 

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Now with even more manzanita!

I decided to triple the number of manzanita branches in the nano tank to add some more depth and complexity. It was not easy getting all these in there, but I am happy with composition (for now...). Oh and I've added two dwarf coryadoras (I'm waiting for my LFS to get a few more in stock) to keep the three Oto's company.



I have been using distilled water to lower the TDS reading to about 50 and I am using an airstone at night to circulate and aerate the water. The fish seem remarkably happy and playful. Hair algae is way down but still not completely gone. Here's one more picture of the tank...



Thanks for reading...