[peachii]

Started a new nano for some BVS shrimp. I got a box full of buce and crypts in the mail this week and this driftwood just called for the buce. If you don't own a buce, you should. There is absolutely NO explaining or taking a picture of the amazing color on these plants. I only hope I can care for them as well as they deserve. Quickly jumped to the top of my favorite plants.

Still deciding on a permanent light for the tank, the tank came with a saltwater lightbulb so have to find a replacement for it. Please don't ask about the tank - NO endorsements will be given to the company that made it, even took the sticker off the front of the tank to avoid advertisements. It's a beautiful design with subpar silicone and horrible, awful customer service.

Plants - 6 buce plants of various species - these are new and I don't know all the species names yet, Need to find those out - 1 is a "Brownie Ghost" that was a complete and total present from the person that sent the package to me.
3 or 4 tiny buce babies that are growing out so I don't lose them in another tank.
Narrow leaf java fern - OVT brand
Mayaca- OVT brand - thank you friend
Unknown narrow leaf crypt
Rotala Mexican something - growing out from some that melted badly when shipped in a trade. Hopefully they continue to recover. Out of 20+ stems these are the only ones that survived.
Moss (my favorite)which I don't know the name of, vaguely looks like weeping moss on the fronds sandwiched inbetween 2 pieces of mesh and attached to the back of the tank with poster borders. I got this moss in a trade, tiny, tiny pieces that have since grown out like crazy and turned into a beautiful moss.

It needs a carpet plant but all I have are dwarf sag and s. repens which both will get to tall. Maybe will look into a e. hydropiper or monte carlo or something small along those lines for the front.

Will house Blue velvet shrimp and Blue Ramshorns and probably a few purple mystery snail babies. And possibly a few Malawa shrimp in the future when I get them from Soothing Shrimp.

And bonus shot of the other piece of driftwood in my 20 long Wild (not wild caught) betta Simorum home. Who are complete and awesome fish, grow to be about 5 inches long and can live peacefully together. We have 5 about an inch long, who are growing fast and quite little characters. Have huge personalities which I didn't expect from a wild (not wild caught). They haven't gotten big enough to color up yet but hopefully in 6-8 months we will have babies. They also got a few buce plants because I love them.

 

[Duck5003]

Looking good! Congrats on being bitten by the buce bug. No going back now

 

[peachii]

Tank is almost ready for shrimp. It's well cycled and I see tiny organisms in the water starting. Pretty sure I'm going to move the BVS in this weekend.

It dawned on me that the middle of the driftwood is hollow, I hope the shrimp don't take to hiding in there. I have to pull it out tonight and check, the tiny nerite I put into the tank yesterday is MIA, either he crawled out and I can't find him or he is inside the driftwood. Hope he didn't crawl out, beautiful orange striped tiger nerite.

The buces are all doing well without Co2, putting out new leaves regularly and the tiny ones I have growing out are growing slow but sure. The new leaves seem to have great color, not enough time has passed to really tell but I think they are going to be beautiful without Co2, even if not quite as vibrant a color.

 

[Duck5003]

Looking good peachii The shrimp may go in the middle from time to time but eventually, im sure you'll have enough in there that your always seeing them.

 

[H2Ogal]

... Still deciding on a permanent light for the tank, the tank came with a saltwater lightbulb so have to find a replacement for it. Please don't ask about the tank - NO endorsements will be given to the company that made it, even took the sticker off the front of the tank to avoid advertisements. It's a beautiful design with subpar silicone and horrible, awful customer service.

... And bonus shot of the other piece of driftwood in my 20 long Wild (not wild caught) betta Simorum home. Who are complete and awesome fish, grow to be about 5 inches long and can live peacefully together. We have 5 about an inch long, who are growing fast and quite little characters. Have huge personalities which I didn't expect from a wild (not wild caught). They haven't gotten big enough to color up yet but hopefully in 6-8 months we will have babies. They also got a few buce plants because I love them.

Maybe you should reveal the maker of the tank so we'll know what not to buy? No, never mind.

Love the B. simorum. Where did you get them? I'm fascinated by wild betta species and keep looking at that empty 20 long in my back room. You are giving me ideas.

 

[peachii]

Thanks Duck!


@H2Ogal - I got them from a breeder on Aquabid, they came in healthy and she sent 1 extra. I called her before we purchased and talked over water parameters and how she kept them. I planned to do a blackwater tank but these are F3 or 4 so are completely transitioned to normal water, no special requirements needed as far as blackwater tanks like actual wild caught which was great as I could keep the tank planted. They also do not eat their young and can be raised in the same tank as the parents. They have grown to about 1 1/2 now and have the biggest personalities. Their color will be coming in soon, probably another week or two and we'll get to see slightly what color they will be as adults.

I really should do a journal for them.

 

[Duck5003]

I really should do a journal for them.

:thumbsup:

 

[peachii]

The blue velvet shrimp got moved into their new home today, busily exploring and scrubbing the plants and driftwood now!

 

[jem_xxiii]

The tank looks great! As someone above me started, don't worry to much about the hollow wood. The shrimps will use it to molt and stuff.

Ever find your nerite?

 

[BBXB]

Nice tank. Big fan of buces myself!

What type of light are you using and any dosing?

 

[peachii]

Ever find your nerite?

I did not I've searched the entire tank as well as the entire half area of the living room it could have crawled to - no where to be found. So disappointed, my favorite colored one. I just failed to remember that the nerites needed a covered tank as they like to crawl out until it was to late.

BBXB - right now I'm using a Fluval light until we find a light fixture I like for it to sit on the table the tank is on. Will just be a simple CFL that can light the entire half of the table and tank so I can fill area on the table behind the tank with riparium style house plants. Couple drops of Flourish on water change day and root tabs for the crypts is all I am using right now.

A few of the buce leaves have melted a bit but I expected that since they came from a high CO2 tank, seeing new leaves pop up and they, as well as the rhizomes, look very healthy.

 

[peachii]

GUESS WHAT!!!!!!!

My tiny nerite snail made an appearance today in the tank so no idea where he was hiding, I literally tore the tank apart looking for him. So glad he's alive, made my day I was really upset about it. Now to decide if I want to leave him in that tank or move him to a tank with a lid. I was so upset, moving him would make sense, right?

Also have my first berried blue velvet. The eggs are interesting as they are whitish/blue color and not the same color as the red cherry shrimp or the pumpkin shrimp. newly berried so babies to come in a month or so. YAY!

Also have a few more melted buce leaves. I'm going to leave them in this tank for now but if any of the new leaves start to melt, I'll pull them out to a different tank and replace anubias petite on the driftwood instead. I really wish I could afford a stardust or white anubias to go in that tank, it would really look awesome in there. Goals are good to have though!

I'm thinking of attaching a strand of ivy to the top of the driftwood with fishing line and letting the roots grow in water - string the growth of the ivy over the driftwood and down the outside of the tank. I've been looking at it for a few days and I'm leaning towards doing that. Will probably set that up this weekend since I don't have any other plants that would grow the way i want them to across the driftwood and then switch it after I find something that would flower nicely.

 

[cape]

Any update on how the buces?

 

[ctaylor3737]

Its nice to give them a hiding spot sometimes, they will do alot better when having babies. Fry like good places to hide also, I have a hollow tree and that is where my fry like to hide unless its feeding time.

 

[peachii]

So far the new leaves look really healthy and have good color. No melting on anything that has grown in since I got them and the rhizomes all look good. I have hope that they will be ok in this tank. The new leaves are all still small but I'm inspecting them daily and if any of the new leaves show signs of being unhappy i will pull them. I also starting very lightly dosing this tank as the shrimp and snails aren't putting off enough to help feed the plants. Just going with 2 drops every other day of PPSPRO ferts to start, start very small because i don't want to cause algae. The petchi crypts and mayaca already have root tabs and seem to be happy with great growth so far.

The buces I put into the 20 long with my wild Simorum bettas aren't showing any melting on the leaves and are popping out new leaves as well, which is a good sign.

My rechargable batteries aren't working for my camera but I'll get new pictures when we get new ones.

 

[cape]

Awesome, can't wait for pics.

 

[skindy]

So glad you found your nerite! I just found mine today making it's way into the betta tank. It originally lives in a CRS tank and I came home to it already halfway in the next one.

 

[peachii]

The tank is doing wonderfully. I got some wonderfully bright blue velvet shrimp from Soothing Shrimp to add to it.

The buces are doing really good. Have some great new growth coming in. The plant that did melt - I let float and almost all the pieces with a leaf or two now have roots coming off them. I think I will let them continue to float and should have 3 small individual plants in a month or so. I also have my very first flower coming up, can't wait to get some pictures of it when it blooms.

You can see it starting to come up in this picture -

 

[peachii]

The buces are doing wonderfully! I even had the first flower pop up and a second growing right now. Flowers are just so dang awesome, like a beautiful present every time one pops up. I'm surprised I have them and that my buces are growing so very, very well. I lost 2 of them completely from melting but the others that survived are not only surviving they are growing really well and showing great color PLUS giving me smile inducing flowers. This plant is really a joy to have and on bad days, these and my beautiful shrimp bring me much happiness.