[vanish]

Gee guys, why did you wait until AFTER I pulled the trigger on a co2 setup (cats out of the bag now) to mention this "new" concept? Seriously, flow regulators aren't mentioned on any co2 guides! Definitely following this discussion.

 

[Greggz]

Gee guys, why did you wait until AFTER I pulled the trigger on a co2 setup (cats out of the bag now) to mention this "new" concept? Seriously, flow regulators aren't mentioned on any co2 guides! Definitely following this discussion.

It's funny you say that. I've been using one for over two years, and I think a few others have as well. I talked about it back somewhere here in this journal, but good luck finding it.

And that's why I brought it up again. When Burr tried one and liked it, thought it might be time to revisit. To me, it really is a much superior method rather than trying to count a stream of bubbles.

Bump:

Dont think it'll stop eotd because increasing the working pressure on the reg will raise the bubble indicator on the flow meter to a higher number.

So it probably depends on what the regulator actually does when the tank runs dry. Ive got 3 single stages and the only one that dumps at the end is GLA. Go figure....

Meanwhile...this $35 bad boy doesnt climb a bit

Hey Burr, I just noticed you are the 1,000th post!!!

I guess I have to come up with some prize or something for you!!!:grin2::grin2:

 

[OreoP]

OreoP what is your peak CO2 drop? And how are you diffusing?

Peak drop is 1.3. Degassed pH is 7.8, drops to 6.5 and have a controller on both tanks.

On the 135 I have a 2ft x 3 inch RG reactor and on the 65 a 20 inch Cerges reactor.

 

[Williak]

Every time I see a new pic of your tank in the feed it looks out of this world man. Such crazy coloration across the entire tank. Looking good!


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[Greggz]

Every time I see a new pic of your tank in the feed it looks out of this world man. Such crazy coloration across the entire tank. Looking good!


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Thank you that is very much appreciated. The tank has changed a lot over the last two years. Still lots of room to grow though. Always trying to tweak this or that and get better.

Bump: And why not a little update on the Ammeri Rainbow (Melanotaenia Ammeri). These are pretty new to the hobby. Supposed to stay relatively small (3+ inches), and display a bright yellow color at maturity.

This little guy might be at most 1.5”. Starting to show some color now.

And here’s what these little guys are dealing with. They are the small fish in a big pond!

 

[Immortal1]

Yep, kinda how it looked in my tank when I added the new red laser rainbow - little fish in a big pond. Though, I have to admit - that "pond" looks a little bigger than any of mine ;-)

 

[Greggz]

Yep, kinda how it looked in my tank when I added the new red laser rainbow - little fish in a big pond. Though, I have to admit - that "pond" looks a little bigger than any of mine ;-)

Yeah Linn as far as Rainbows go, those Running Creek fully grown adult makes are the biggest I have ever seen. They are quite impressive in person, and when the males go at it, it's pretty intense......everyone else runs for cover!!

 

[Immortal1]

Yeah Linn as far as Rainbows go, those Running Creek fully grown adult makes are the biggest I have every seen. They are quite impressive in person, and when the males go at it, it's pretty intense......everyone else runs for cover!!

LOL, my guess is somebody runs for towels cause there will be a bit of splashin goin on...

 

[Maryland Guppy]

Hey Burr, I just noticed you are the 1,000th post!!!

I guess I have to come up with some prize or something for you!!!:grin2::grin2:

Maybe you could send Burr some of my Boes! >
I am willing to part with some.

 

[Chlorophile]

Those larger blue ones remind me of cartoon whales! lol cute as heck.
No wonder you have to feed them so small with such large bodies and tiny mouths!

 

[Greggz]

So I was inspired by something I saw today. Was checking out new threads and the one by @SamandSara caught my eye. And it wasn’t just that it had Rainbows in the title.:wink2:

It was the quick transformation of a tank, and how much difference it made.

That got me to thinking. My tank has gone through a lot of transformations as well. Started out here as a guy who didn’t know anything at all, and two years later I am a guy here who barely knows what he is doing. So moving in the right direction.

While the tank transformed, so did my methodology. Saw big changes with higher light, more CO2, better tank maintenance, and a willingness to experiment with fert dosing. Funny thing I noticed was that in the beginning I had three pieces of driftwood, and quite a few large rocks. Over the last two years they are all gone, except for the large driftwood center piece. Had to go to make room for more plants.

All of the pics are from this thread, except for the very first one. It was taken in 2014, years before I went higher tech. Like I have mentioned, I have been keeping Rainbows for decades in low tech environments. It was early 2016 when I started the transformation to higher tech. So here is a little retrospective of where I have been.

2014

3-21-2016

6-25-2016

10-23-2016

3-5-2017

5-6-2017

6-27-2017

9-9-2017

1-6-2018

2-24-2018

 

[Maryland Guppy]

Funny thing I noticed was that in the beginning I had three pieces of driftwood, and quite a few large rocks. Over the last two years they are all gone, except for the large driftwood center piece. Had to go to make room for more plants.

You are not alone here.
I have a large collection of granite and Malaysian driftwood.
1 piece of wood left in the 75G.

Thinking of selling the wood off, I'll never use it again.:grin2:

 

[Immortal1]

Very nice trip down memory lane Gregg! Might have to do something similar once things settle down with the new lights. Funny thing on my part is finding some of the pictures from when I actually started...
Youngest daughter brought home a decent size mystery snail - please daddy, can we keep it? and so it began.

It is interesting how much your tank has changed in just 4ish years. Prior to 2014, was you tank pretty much the same - wood, rocks and a couple plants? Did you originally start out with the 120? I didn't think so as I remember seeing you building the stand and canopy early on in your thread. My guess is you probably have had a few different sized tanks as you journeyed thru this, um, hobby.
Curious, you fish that recently passed, how many different places did he call "home"? I am guessing not many on this forum will be able to discuss the 8-10 years they have had ____ fish.

Anyway, you might have to make note of the above post number - might want to add to in in a few years Never know, might even have a national award pic to add.

 

[Greggz]

It is interesting how much your tank has changed in just 4ish years. Prior to 2014, was you tank pretty much the same - wood, rocks and a couple plants? Did you originally start out with the 120? I didn't think so as I remember seeing you building the stand and canopy early on in your thread. My guess is you probably have had a few different sized tanks as you journeyed thru this, um, hobby.
Curious, you fish that recently passed, how many different places did he call "home"? I am guessing not many on this forum will be able to discuss the 8-10 years they have had ____ fish.

Yes Linn, had very similar tanks for many, many years. Low tech, low light, anubias, crypts, ferts, etc. Lot's of rocks and driftwood. Tanks were 75G & 90G. Went with the 120G when I went higher tech.

Funny thing is I really didn't take many pictures of the tanks over the years. If they got into a shot, it was by accident. I'll have to scroll through some family photos sometime and see if I have any really older ones there.

And yes, a few Bows have seen a lot of different tanks/looks. They have always been colorful, but for me the color looks even better when it's framed by a more interesting back drop.

Anyway, you might have to make note of the above post number - might want to add to in in a few years Never know, might even have a national award pic to add.

Now hold on there partner, as you can see I just went from crawling to walking. Creating a Dutch scape would be like going right to a dead sprint. Not quite there yet, but have considered messing around with it a bit. More than likely will just try to fit in some "Dutch" elements into my otherwise completely free style approach now.

 

[Greggz]

Alright @Immortal1 this is for you.

Here is one of my Running Creek Rainbows in 2008.

And here he is just recently.

And here is one of the Lacustris I just lost also from 2008.

And here was from just a short time ago.

I remember these ones well as I drove a long way to pick them up from a breeder.

 

[Immortal1]

I see your camera skills have been pretty good over the years

Kinda amazes me these fish do live that long (>10 years). I have lost several Tetras since starting this hobby. I also understood they don't live that long (<4 years).
And I do remember that Lacustris from many of your videos - the droopy tale was a very notable feature.

 

[ChrisX]

Greggz,

I've seen you mention that the quality of rainbows is very important to how they end up looking. Do you have any tips for finding good quality rainbows? The LFS often gets several varieties but they are usually juevenile and washed out, so no way to tell the quality.

The thing that causes me to hesitate getting any is your warning not to buy poor stock, yet having no way to tell what is good!

 

[Maryland Guppy]

Hello @ ChrisX our LFS has had some nice Boesemani & reds over the past year in stock.
They were not cheap though and were sold very quickly.
The Boesemani's were brilliantly colored even as juveniles.
It is hit or miss though.

 

[Greggz]

Greggz,

I've seen you mention that the quality of rainbows is very important to how they end up looking. Do you have any tips for finding good quality rainbows? The LFS often gets several varieties but they are usually juevenile and washed out, so no way to tell the quality.

The thing that causes me to hesitate getting any is your warning not to buy poor stock, yet having no way to tell what is good!

ChrisX it really varies from store to store. I have two LFS that buy direct from a very good breeder and have very good stock with known lineage. I also have ones that get very poor quality Bows from anywhere that is cheapest, and they know nothing about the breed.

So the first thing to do is have a conversation with the store, and ask them where they get their stock. If they can't tell you much, you are probably taking your chances. If they are buying good stock, they will be eager to tell you about it.

And as Maryland Guppy mentioned above, some breeds will show great color at a very small size. But that is only a few breeds. Others are not going to look like much at all, and takes months/years to fully color up. It really varies from breed to breed.

On page 59 of this journal I list some contact information for some well known breeders. If you work with a breeder, keep in mind they won't have everything all in stock at one time. I always contact them, and let them know what and how many I am looking for. They are usually happy to work with you.

And I have heard good things about Wetspot. I personally know of several breeders who have sold breeding stock to them. Again, I wouldn't be afraid to ask about the lineage of any species. Those who carry good ones are usually eager to talk about it with you. Good things to hear are F1, F2, F3 and breeding stock from Gary Lange. Bad thing to hear is I have no idea where they came from.

Anyway, I hope that helps. If I can be of any help don't hesitate to reach out.

 

[chayos00]

Got a question for you. I saw Joey's video where he toured an aquarium and he came across a rainbow tank. Now those seemed big as well, but didn't have, for lack a better term, "deformation" as much as some of your bows. Now are the ones in the video just not as matured as yours or is it something about a larger tank size.

Here's the video, go to about 11:55 into it for the tank. https://youtu.be/ANRuOQmASJM (can't get it to share from a certain time on mobile.

Now remember, I know nothing about rainbows. LOL Besides what I've seen from your thread.

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