# Blackwater Bayou



## DTL (14 Mar 2014)

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## tim (14 Mar 2014)

Something I want but am not allowed


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## Andy Thurston (14 Mar 2014)

Nice rack!
Keep sneaking in the nanos tim sooner or later youll need one of these tim


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## sanj (15 Mar 2014)

A divorce?


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## Four50 (15 Mar 2014)

Looking forward to see what you do with this


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## DTL (15 Mar 2014)

sanj said:


> A divorce?



Nah, setting up a fish room in the garage means my better half gets the small bedroom back as a study. And of course, means I can have more tanks.


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## Lindy (16 Mar 2014)

DTL said:


> fish room


Don't you mean shrimp room?


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## aliclarke86 (17 Mar 2014)

Do you think the ply shelves will be OK?

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## Lindy (17 Mar 2014)

I think the steel frame will be taking the weight?

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## ian_m (17 Mar 2014)

ldcgroomer said:


> I think the steel frame will be taking the weight?


Not convinced on weight supporting ability. Most shelving like this, with bolt'able uprights are only rated 300Kg max. We have issues at work with quite expensive shelving, rated at 250Kg, bending the shelf on the attachment nuts when less than 100Kg was placed on a shelf.

May be wrong of course.

Unless of course it has been custom made from 2inch steel angle, in which case it will sink through the floor before the shelving unit deforms. .


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## DTL (17 Mar 2014)

Shelves are rated at 275 kg, and that was with original 8mm MDF boards which I've replaced with 12 mm ply.
Each shelf will hold two 50L tanks so no more than 150kg evenly dispersed, two double interlaced connection tabs per corner, so 19KG per tab.
Should be fine, but will obviously monitor.


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## ian_m (17 Mar 2014)

At least you considered this before loading away....


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## Lindy (17 Mar 2014)

Have you ordered your tanks yet and who did you go with in the end?


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## DTL (17 Mar 2014)

For this project I have some livestock being imported so couldn't wait for a custom build. I originally ordered a pair of Dennerle 60L cubes, but the seller couldn't deliver, so I've settled for a pair of Scaper's tanks which I'll be picking up tomorrow from the depot after a failed delivery today (as usual)


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## Lindy (17 Mar 2014)

DTL said:


> livestock being imported


Ooooh, whatcha getting?


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## DTL (17 Mar 2014)

ldcgroomer said:


> Ooooh, whatcha getting?


Clues:







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## Lindy (17 Mar 2014)

Liquorice gourami?

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## DTL (17 Mar 2014)




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## aliclarke86 (17 Mar 2014)

Good stuff . can't wait!!!

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## Lindy (17 Mar 2014)

Brilliant, I'm hoping to get some once I've set up the new tank. After I've moved that is, not going to get fish until then

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## DTL (18 Mar 2014)

Bit like Christmas tonight.
Picked up both tanks, and when I got home had three more packages.

Tanks are set up but water is still cold.
Started with 4Kg of Fluval shrimp stratum in each which keeps the base dark and should help soften the water a bit.
Have added several pieces of bog wood, the ceramic caves, and a good handful of beech leaves to start the leaf litter going.

Tomorrow when the temp is up, I plan to transfer in some of the many microsorums from my other tanks, and hopefully should get my delivery of Indian Fern to act as floating cover.

Not much to see yet, but here's a pic of the work in progress.






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## tim (18 Mar 2014)

Watching with great interest, determined my wife will let me have one (probably not )


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## aliclarke86 (18 Mar 2014)

Tim, few days holiday on the sly and see how long until she notices, its worked for me in the past  

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## Lindy (18 Mar 2014)

Looking good! 

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## DTL (19 Mar 2014)

Planted - first try






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## Lee Sweeting (19 Mar 2014)

Nice rack  looking really good. Which species did you get? 


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## DTL (19 Mar 2014)

I've got 4 Linkii and 2 Parvulus ordered.


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## Lee Sweeting (19 Mar 2014)

Nice fish. Watching with interest. 


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## DTL (23 Mar 2014)

While I'm waiting on my Paros, I decided to work on a regular supply of soft water.
The Ph from my tap is quite low at 7.2, and I've managed to get the tanks at 6.8 through the use of bog wood, leaf litter, and blackwater tonic, which to my mind is expensive.
So here's my solution.
Step 1: Buy and install an RO / DI unit.






Step 2: Buy some sphagnum peat moss.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sycamore-Trading-IRISH-MOSS-litres/dp/B00GJSZP2U/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1395586797&sr=8-13&keywords=sphagnum moss

Step 3: Fill two "pop socks" with 1 1/2 Litres of peat moss and boil in 5L of distilled water, simmering for one hour.



Result:  3 1/2L of black water with a Ph of 4.5




Next step is to work out the required ratio of RO/DI water to black water "tea".
details to follow


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## kirk (23 Mar 2014)

Great job dtl, I'm keeping an eye on this one


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## Nathaniel Whiteside (23 Mar 2014)

Looking like a great job DTL. Well done.
You may have to add some preservative to the blackwater mix, as I made my own and it went mouldy in the bottle, after a while.


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## DTL (23 Mar 2014)

Nathaniel Whiteside said:


> Looking like a great job DTL. Well done.
> You may have to add some preservative to the blackwater mix, as I made my own and it went mouldy in the bottle, after a while.


Thanks for the info.
I'll add a little Ascorbic acid to help prevent mould.


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## Robbie X (23 Mar 2014)

Subbed, liquorice gourami are my new fave fresh water fish, can't wait to see how this project turns out.


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## faizal (24 Mar 2014)

Awesome work DTL!! Looking forward to seeing this progress.


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## DTL (24 Mar 2014)

Found this formula for calculating the resultant Ph of combining two liquids with different Ph values.
Thought some of you might find this useful



Inputs are volume and Ph of liquid to be treated, and dosage and Ph of the treatment solution.
Of course you will need to make up the spreadsheet with the indicated formulas to use this.

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## DTL (2 Apr 2014)

Few new pics.
New tanks are set up and ready to go.
Unfortunately there was a hitch in the shipment of Paros we were hoping for, so nothing to do but wait for now!

I also moved my two shrimp tanks onto the rack last weekend. Always fun to move tanks no matter how small!

Here's some pics of how things are looking.











Here you can see phase two, four 25L tanks of which two are in the middle of setting up.



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## Lindy (3 Apr 2014)

Wow, that is turning into a proper fish room!

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## faizal (3 Apr 2014)

The aquariums look very well established already. Nice work.


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## aliclarke86 (3 Apr 2014)

That's a lot of plugs!! 

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## DTL (3 Apr 2014)

ldcgroomer said:


> Wow, that is turning into a proper fish room!
> 
> Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk


Thanks, it's coming along. Can't wait till I get some Paros to stock up the tanks.



faizal said:


> The aquariums look very well established already. Nice work.


Thank you. About half the plants came from existing aquariums, and good old Tropica "plants on wood" help for a quick set up.



aliclarke86 said:


> That's a lot of plugs!!
> 
> Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk


 Sure is, but thankfully not pulling a lot of power since heaters are of course switched thermostatically, majority of lighting is LED, and the two power filters on the cubes are ECO low wattage models. Rest are for air pump, dosing pumps and solenoid, etc.


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## Lindy (3 Apr 2014)

I have some java fern 'windelov' left over from when I stripped down the nook if you want to pick it up on your way home from work?

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## DTL (3 Apr 2014)

ldcgroomer said:


> I have some java fern 'windelov' left over from when I stripped down the nook if you want to pick it up on your way home from work?
> 
> Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk


 That would be great.
Can you please PM me your address again, and I'll swing by tonight if that's ok.


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## DTL (4 Apr 2014)

Great visit to my local MA today. They had received a shipment of 40 Paros this week and I picked up the last 8. No idea of the species so hopefully once they settle in and grow a bit I can check them out against pics online.


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## BigTom (4 Apr 2014)

DTL said:


> Great visit to my local MA today. They had received a shipment of 40 Paros this week and I picked up the last 8. No idea of the species so hopefully once they settle in and grow a bit I can check them out against pics online.



Nice one. Mine didn't come in. I think I'm cursed.


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## DTL (4 Apr 2014)

BigTom said:


> Nice one. Mine didn't come in. I think I'm cursed.


The guy in the store told me this was the only shipment of the last three that had survived! They had lost a shipment of filamentosus recently too.


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## DTL (12 Apr 2014)

Finally managed to get a couple of pics of my Paros.
Not sure of the species so looking for any suggestions.







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## Lee Sweeting (12 Apr 2014)

Try to get some pictures at feeding time when they are flashing their fins. I think it's pretty much impossible to tell until they start showing some colour. 

The paro project is probably the best place to try and find out which species. 

There looking good though mate, I'm very interested to see which species you have. 


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## DTL (12 Apr 2014)

Lee Sweeting said:


> The paro project is probably the best place to try and find out which species.
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thanks for the response. Have posted on the Paro Project too.
Cheers


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## BigTom (12 Apr 2014)

Yeah I think you'll need to get them showing a lot more colour before there's any real chance at an ID, unless you can get much clearer pictures.


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## Lindy (22 Jun 2014)

DTL said:


> Great visit to my local MA today.


Is that the coatbridge MA? Is it worth a visit?


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## DTL (22 Jun 2014)

Yes, it's the one in McKinnon Mills.
Was over there this morning, but nothing exciting (for me) in stock right now.
There is a great indoor toddlers play area right opposite MA though so maybe you could take the wee one with you


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## Lindy (22 Jun 2014)

What a great idea! 
I'm going to swap my 60cm, in the lounge, for 2 x 30cm cubes side by side. Means I can keep some shrimp and set up a tank to try and breed liquorice gourami.  Still trying to get chocos...

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## DTL (10 Jul 2014)

Some pics of my 4 Paro tanks.
Apologies for poor iPad pic quality












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## BigTom (10 Jul 2014)

They look pretty much perfect. How did the four from me get on?


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## DTL (10 Jul 2014)

BigTom said:


> They look pretty much perfect. How did the four from me get on?


They are doing great, they are in the tank third down. The male spends a lot of time in the ceramic tube on the RHS. I'm hoping he's guarding eggs.


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## BigTom (10 Jul 2014)

Splendid. Do you reckon they're all the same species? I was slightly dubious about the larger female which seemed a bit deeper bodied and slightly more brownish but they were too young to tell really.


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## DTL (10 Jul 2014)

BigTom said:


> Splendid. Do you reckon they're all the same species? I was slightly dubious about the larger female which seemed a bit deeper bodied and slightly more brownish but they were too young to tell really.


One female is definitely a bit smaller and rounder than the other. Not sure if the third is a sub dominant male. it's fins are definitely darker than the other two although no secondary colouring evident.


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## BigTom (10 Jul 2014)

Yeah I'd wondered that about the smallest one as well. Can loose hours staring at them trying to figure out what they're up to! Glad they're doing well for you, I really must get set up again soon.


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## DTL (10 Jul 2014)

BigTom said:


> I really must get set up again soon.


Looking forward to that


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## Nathaniel Whiteside (10 Jul 2014)

Not an ideal title for a thread at present!

Looking cracking though DTL. What a setup you have, and a very understanding other half 

Keep it up.


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## Lee Sweeting (11 Jul 2014)

Looking good David. Hopefully you will get some fry soon. 


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## Lindy (1 Aug 2014)

Hi David, where did you get your shelving?


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## DTL (1 Aug 2014)

http://www.shelfsave.com
*[Heavy Duty Shelving] 1800h x 1200w x 450d 265kg Shelf Capacity SKU *MWSC4/BL


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## Lindy (1 Aug 2014)

Thanks. Had trouble finding something to fit understairs. Got some ordered at height of 1500mm. Shelfs rated at 150kg each but will only have 54l per shelf so should be ok. Might replace the chipboard shelf...


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## Nathaniel Whiteside (1 Aug 2014)

ldcgroomer said:


> Thanks. Had trouble finding something to fit understairs. Got some ordered at height of 1500mm. Shelfs rated at 150kg each but will only have 54l per shelf so should be ok. Might replace the chipboard shelf...



Some 12/18mm Far Eastern WBP ply will be good.


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## Lindy (1 Aug 2014)

Ply sounds about right, cheers. Sorry Dave, hijacked your thread!


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## DTL (2 Aug 2014)

No prob.
This is what I used
http://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Non-Structural-Hardwood-Plywood-12x606x1220mm/p/110401


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## DTL (2 Aug 2014)

Lee Sweeting said:


> Looking good David. Hopefully you will get some fry soon.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Woohoo.
Spotted two Paro fry today. About 12mm long already, looks like 1 male and 1 female.
These are from the fish that I got from Tom.
Guess that makes him a grandfather


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## Lee Sweeting (2 Aug 2014)

DTL said:


> Woohoo.
> Spotted two Paro fry today. About 12mm long already, looks like 1 male and 1 female.
> These are from the fish that I got from Tom.
> Guess that makes him a grandfather



Brilliant news mate. Well done!!


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## Lindy (2 Aug 2014)

Congratulations!


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## DTL (2 Aug 2014)

Thanks for the kind comments.
Interestingly the parent male is still very protective of the fry, keeping the adult females warned away if they get too close.


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## BigTom (2 Aug 2014)

Splendid. Very pleased to hear those runty little rescues from the LFS are doing so well.

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## DTL (19 Aug 2014)

Just a pic of one of my latest Paro species additions







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## DTL (31 Aug 2014)

Latest addition, custom made locally. 650 x 450 x 380 optiwhite.
This will be the home for my adopted Paros from Lee S that I'm picking up next week.








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## DTL (7 Sep 2014)

Short, not very clear video of some of my Paros feeding on springtails.
If you look carefully you can see the springtails on the glass above the water surface.
The great thing is that the springtails don't try to leave the tank, and will stay alive on the glass or the floating plants  for days till they are eaten.


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## BigTom (7 Sep 2014)

These springtails sound pretty ace. Wonder if they'd be sustainable if I released some into my emersed wood and plants. What are they like to culture?

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## DTL (7 Sep 2014)

I pretty much follow the set up as defined for "pure horticultural charcoal" in this article:
http://www.bugpantry.com/caresheets/temperate-white-springtail-care-sheet/
Since I'm using the tropical collembola/seira species, I've got a couple of sealed food containers about the size of a shoe box which I maintain inside a thermostatically controlled heated propagator.
For food I use a blend of approx 50 parts ready brek with 1 part each of chlorella and spirulina, lightly dusting the culture every couple of days.
I'm using pieces of bark on the top of the charcoal to collect and harvest the springtails from.


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## parotet (7 Sep 2014)

Hi all,

Have a look to the video (http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/springtails-as-live-food-for-fish.33634/
I'm seriously considering to begin a springtail culture. Looks easy, clean, low maintenance and no much space is required. If you don't have big fish it looks pretty interesting.

Jordi


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## DTL (7 Sep 2014)

parotet said:


> Hi all,
> 
> Have a look to the video (http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/springtails-as-live-food-for-fish.33634/
> I'm seriously considering to begin a springtail culture. Looks easy, clean, low maintenance and no much space is required. If you don't have big fish it looks pretty interesting.
> ...


Yes, this was the video that started me using springtails, so thanks for the idea.


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## parotet (7 Sep 2014)

So thank you, now I will try it for sure 

Jordi


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## Lindy (7 Sep 2014)

After seeing the video I think I'll give them a go too.


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