[Jalopy]

So I took down my 55 gallon Truvu high tech tank. It was just too much work with a baby, school, and work. I downsized to a Mr Aqua 60p. Since I live in a condo, I can have only 1 tank at a time. I transferred all of my fish and shrimps to a 5 gallon bucket with an air pump and kept them in there for 2 days while I redid everything.

I bought a Mr. Aqua 60p size tank with matching stand. By the way, ADA in SF has matching stands for this tank so I didn't have to get an Ikea Besta. The Besta is lower and no openings for equipment.

I replanted everything that was suitable for low light and dumped some of my fish and shrimp back in and gave the rest away. I know the tank hasn't had time to fully cycle so I placed my trust in Seachem's Stability and Prime. It worked like a charm, no losses and it's been a week.

Just after setup:


Cherry shrimp (can someone tell me if this is a male or female?):

 

[DGarone]

Do you worry about the powerhead with the shrimp?

 

[Jalopy]

Nope, I've never had a problem with it.

Also, please comment on the hardscape. I feel like I don't really have a focal point and it's really bothering me. Maybe it just needs to grow in? I kinda want to cut the top Y part of the branch off and position it so the branches form a V. Is that a good idea?

 

[Naja002]

Nope, I've never had a problem with it.

Also, please comment on the hardscape. I feel like I don't really have a focal point and it's really bothering me. Maybe it just needs to grow in? I kinda want to cut the top Y part of the branch off and position it so the branches form a V. Is that a good idea?

Personally, I think the driftwood looks fine. The only thing I see distracting about it...is the piece sticking out at the left front. If that could be moved to "flow" with the rest of it...I think it would look better/be less distracting. Otherwise, incorporating a few stones underneath it might help visually bring it back into the bigger driftwood picture.

You could consider some moss, mini pellia, etc to make the driftwood into a "Tree"...

A black back ground would help, and then giving it some time to grow in to see how it's developing...

HTH

 

[Jalopy]

Personally, I think the driftwood looks fine. The only thing I see distracting about it...is the piece sticking out at the left front. If that could be moved to "flow" with the rest of it...I think it would look better/be less distracting. Otherwise, incorporating a few stones underneath it might help visually bring it back into the bigger driftwood picture.

You could consider some moss, mini pellia, etc to make the driftwood into a "Tree"...

A black back ground would help, and then giving it some time to grow in to see how it's developing...

HTH

Ok, yeah I agree with the piece sticking out in the front. I'm going to cut it off with shears when I get the chance. There's already fissidens tied to the wood so I'll have to wait until it grows out to see. I just moved some pellia and moss rocks under the wood. It looks better now.I think when my moss grows out I'm going to make a couple more moss rocks for the base of the driftwood. Thanks for the suggestions!

 

[Jalopy]

Two week update. When I started the post, I was already 1 week in. I experienced a lot more melting this time with my crypts than before. Looks about the same but new leaves are poking through. I went away for 3 days and the SS filter guard was plugged with leaves and poop, clogging up my Aquaclear. Didn't lose anything though.

 

[kman]

I look forward to seeing how this grows out.

 

[Jalopy]

Update on my tank. The plants have recovered and are starting to grow in slowly. I've not had much experience with the Azoo substrate and have had some problems dialing in the fertilizer. It looks like it's lacking in micros and iron so I've been dosing both for the last 2 weeks. Right now, there are some diatoms and BGA, on top of that, my c. pygmaeus have spawned. I was doing water changes to try and get rid of the diatoms but now I'm not sure if I should keep up with the water changes so the fry can grow out? Also, I had 2 cherry shrimps die but I have no ammonia and nitrate.

 

[Jalopy]

Weekly update. My pygmaeus have spawned. Fighting some deficiency issues right now. Thought Azoo plant grower substrate was going to mean less dosing but I guess not.

 

[Asu1776]

Is that the Archaea Ultra Gro fixture? How is the color/power on that?

 

[Jalopy]

Is that the Archaea Ultra Gro fixture? How is the color/power on that?

No, it's the Slim Pro. the color is a bit washed out. I estimate it to be about 7000k-10000k and medium light. Would've liked it to be warmer. I think the Ultra Gro has better color but I was going for less light.