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Above And Below Water

Smells Fishy

Member
Joined
25 Oct 2015
Messages
474
Location
Scarbourgh, UK
Whoooooo journal time. This journal has turned into a complete compromise. For all the reasons why, there's too much to say so here's a link to tell you how woeful it was.

https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/fish-fish-fish.52070/

My original concept was to have a waterfall where I could experiment with emerged growth, so the superfish planty 25 was perfect for what I wanted. Didn't happen, let down. So now I'm using an old custom made 100L that I bought from a second hand shop about 4 years ago. Its a very interesting tank and I've never seen anything like it before, I don't think a company made this because the silicones amateur and the tank in general is very unorthodox with siliconed in glass lids, but I'll show more of that later.

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I originally put the 2 calathea's in the 100L because I knew I couldn't give them the proper care they needed anywhere in my flat. Even in here they still are not doing that well, so after about 3-4 months inside I've come to the conclusion its not good enough, their both too big anyway. I'm going to keep the one on the left because its doing much better and give the right one to a florist's or similar and just explain the plant needs more than I can provide, hopefully they take it.

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This is what I bought yesterday. If you haven't guessed yet the tanks going to be dirted. I know I'm not going to need the full 20L of compost so the rest is for my house plants since some need repotting, all ready redone my cacti display. Got black paint and a brush since I want to have a black background, did one coat earlier, I'll do another tonight and see how it looks, might need 3 coats before its sorted. I like to call it the blackground lol.

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This is the Aquael asap 100 I'll be using. Its been in my fancy goldfish tank for a few days to bring some life into it. I've got some Interpet filter start to add when the asap goes in the 100L.

As far as planting goes its just going to be every kind of crypt I can get hold of from aqua essentials. Probably talking £30-£40 in one order, haven't worked it out yet.

The fish for this tank is simple - my Doubletail Betta since Betta Adventures got started and then died, due to life getting in the way. I'm not going to fill the tank up full maybe 6 inchs or so. The reason for this is because I want to give the crypts a chance to actually be able to grow above of the waterline. I might even plant some partly emerged, depending on the humidity created from the aqauel 150W heater I'll be using. Down the road it'll get upgraded to a slim nano. As far as the scape is going to look I'm not sure, probably just substrate with some slopes.

For lighting I have a few options, I'm not planning on buying new lighting just using what I currently have. I will have to test out what looks best, but my options are Aqua one aspire 130 led, AquarienEco led and Hidom led's.

I'm not sure how this tank is going to turn out but I do know its going to be a nice environment for my betta, a lot better than his current 30L dennerle. Anyway I'm going to have tea soon and then after that once my sons in bed, write a last minute valentines card purchase, then do another black coat. This is going to be interesting so I hope a few of you tag along.

Current total - £22.03
 
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Time for a update. Went to Pets At Home today to pick up a few bits, got 8kg of really fine black gravel, x2 Tropica Cryptocoryne Beckettii 'Petchii' and Tropica fertilizer.

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The tanks paint job is all sorted with 4 coats. I should add a pic of it but the glass needs cleaning, I'm sure you would rather see a clean tank. The whole concept for this tank has gone out the window because in my first post I said I'll probably fill the tank up 6inchs or so, now I'm thinking more than half full. With DIY planters at the back left and right. I'm thinking pothos but I'm open to suggestion's. Things are up in the air with what I'm going to put this tank on, to start with I went round some second hand shops but nothing was suitable. I have got the frame of some old draws outside my flat in the corridor and they fit the tanks measurements perfectly, problem is it has wheels on the bottom, so I need to try and get them off, if that works then its paint job time and that should be me sorted. On Monday I'll be placing my big crypt order. I'm getting there...slowly.

Current total - £55.03
 
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I've made some decent progress. As you can see the stand is sorted, managed to take the wheels of the bottom and then did 2 paint coats, its annoying how I scraped some paint off putting the tank on the stand. I'll do another coat tonight then that should be it for painting. Although my DIY planter idea for the back left and right I might have to paint them as well, but using acrylic black paint, if I cant find something suitable in black. The tank is now in the living room instead of the fish tank room because the stand is about 3ft high so its pretty safe, don't have to worry about my son doing worrying things to it when I'm out the room. I did haul the tank into the bath tub and gave it a good clean but to my eye it doesn't seem that way because I wiped the whole thing down with toilet roll and its left little bits stuck to the tank. I'm sure there's a better way with newspaper and vinegar or something like that but I've never tried it.

I was reading the journal Project P and was a little inspired with the wood, so I thought I'd add my own driftwood to this scape and see what you think? Originally I had no intention of adding any sort of hardscape. I pretty much just placed it, wedged it in a bit and left it alone. My thoughts against hardscape are - less space for planting, the wood is going to get that white mouldy thing happening to it and its going to need weighing down with a heavy rock.

I place my Aqua Essentials order, this is what I ordered.
Tropica Cryptocoryne undulatus red 1-2-GROW!
Cryptocoryne undulatus brown
Cryptocoryne undulatus green
Cryptocoryne undulatus kasselman
Cryptocoryne bullosa
Cryptocoryne wendtii brown

Current total - £93.96
 
My order came yesterday.

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I was a bit worried as to how the plants were going to fair in the post because the weather is cold and snowy. Apart from 3 or 4 broken leaves they were all in good condition. The tanks all planted up and looking nice but it wasn't easy to get to this stage because I had so many problems. I would add a picture now but its day time and the glare is killer so I'll wait till tonight and do another post explaining the troubles I went through.

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You might get to see my betta ;)
 
Hi all,
I place my Aqua Essentials order, this is what I ordered.
Tropica Cryptocoryne undulatus red 1-2-GROW!
Cryptocoryne undulatus brown
Cryptocoryne undulatus green
Cryptocoryne undulatus kasselman
Cryptocoryne bullosa
Cryptocoryne wendtii brown
Nice crypts! they look very good.
I'd be pretty happy with those as well.

cheers Darrel
 
So yesterday was very stressful for me. It all started when I had planted all the crypts, next step was to fill the tank up, so I got my python out connected it to the bathroom tap and then made my way into the living room with it. Only for the end of the syphon to literally touch the top of the tank! I was wounded because the tank fitted nicely in the corner with the painting above it (post3). Next PITA was having to rearrange my living room by moving a sofa so the tank could go there. Then I couldn't find my spare heater I was planning on using. We're in the middle of wanting to move so a lot of stuff is packed, I opened every box I thought it might be in but no joy. This was a bad situation since I'm stint a lot of the time and buying a new heater wasn't on the menu. The only thing I could think of doing was to put the betta in the tank the same day, and that's what I did. I was very iffy about this because I know its advised not to add fish right away in dirtied tanks because its not a very stable environment. I got to work and filled and drained the tank twice, the first fill I had the tap on a little too hard and some dirt broke free, surprisingly it didn't mess up the water that much and just floated to the surface. What I wasn't expecting was some of my gravel floated and other bits clotted together which looked messed up, but with me draining the tank it stuck to the glass and got wiped off.
I was paranoid about all the nutrients leeching from the dirt so I added the Salvinia auriculata and Buce red from the tank my betta came from. As a last effort to try and eat up the nutrients I also added my Lucky bamboo from my little indoor water garden.

Anyway time to show you what I've been talking about.
Day 1
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That's enough fish porn lol. This guys only problem is that he hasn't got a name, I would appreciate suggestions.

Cheers.
 
Day 2

Went to my LFS today and bought 2 shrimp because I don't want my precious plants getting covered in algae.

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They were sold to me as Japonica shrimp which I'm hoping is another name for Amano shrimp.

Current total - £99.76
 
Lovely DTHM Grizzle Butterfly.
Those shrimp i think get quite large from the macro family.

Cheers Gill. I have wondered before what my Betta's colour pattern is called, good to know he's a grizzle. I know what DTHM means but the butterfly part is new to me.
 
No Worries, well at 1st i was going to say he was a mustard gas, but looking in more detail i would say butterfly. just how the blue fades into the yellow, Now some would say more Mustard Gas, but dont think so.
 
That is one cutey Betta, i don't like them but that is a beautiful specimen.

Thanks man! I've had quite a few Betta over the years and this guy is by far the best looking. I made a promise to myself that I would buy a show quality betta of the internet, so I looked around Facebook groups like LJB aquatics but nothing really took my fancy. Then one day I was at P@H and saw this beauty. I was very surprised because in my copy of the Betta Bible it says Doubletails are a bit of a rarity in the hobby, due to difficulties breeders face breeding them. Anyway I bought him for £7 or £8 which was a steal, considering if I saw this Betta online I would have had to pay double, probably more + pap.
 
Ahh Lisa does indeed have some lovely specimens. And to find that in a P@H is a bargain find. As that would normally retail for over £25 + PP.
 
I'm interested in seeing your Cryptocoryne undulatus red grow. I planted mine on Friday and I've had at least 85% of it melt. I can't remove the melted bits due to my apistogramma fry inhabiting that particular plant.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
 
Welcome to ukaps and my journal! Brownie points to you for your first post being in my journal. Yeah I'm interested to see how it does as well. Currently it hasn't grown from what I can tell, but it's colour has improved. Thankfully not a lot of it has melted, and that goes for all my crypts.
 
Welcome to ukaps and my journal! Brownie points to you for your first post being in my journal. Yeah I'm interested to see how it does as well. Currently it hasn't grown from what I can tell, but it's colour has improved. Thankfully not a lot of it has melted, and that goes for all my crypts.
I've always enjoyed reading the journals on this site. I only got into fish keeping a month and a half ago with my first tank. If all goes well I hope to upgrade to an aquascaper 900 one day. I'll be following your journal closely.

Have you considered any of the other coloured cryptocorynes such as the albida brown and the SP flamingo?

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
 
I've always enjoyed reading the journals on this site. I only got into fish keeping a month and a half ago with my first tank. If all goes well I hope to upgrade to an aquascaper 900 one day. I'll be following your journal closely.

Have you considered any of the other coloured cryptocorynes such as the albida brown and the SP flamingo?

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

Glad to have you aboard. :)

This hobby is great because there's something out there for everyone, with so many niches like shrimp, puffers, bettas, monster fish, planted tanks etc. So with that in mind you might end up with MTS (multiple tank syndrome).

Albida brown is on my wish list. I probably would have bought it if aqua essentials had it in stock but they didnt so I made do with my pick. I wouldn't say no if I was offered a crypt flamingo for free tho, I would rather try other crypts out first.
 
Here's what I'm thinking for how this tank is going to pan out. I've currently got 2 Amano's and I would like to have 8 in total. I want to get some assassin snails since I found a pond snail on my buce which probably hitchhiked in on the asap filter I cycled in my goldfish tank, I'm thinking 4 assassin's. I currently have 6 adult MTS and a lot of babies so they will be unfortunate casualties, but I'm not having a planted tank full of pest snails. The HMDT Betta is the center piece fish, so I'm sorted there. I want something else fishy to finish the tank off fish wise, been thinking Heterandria formosa might be a good fit. Then there's the above water part that I'm adamant to do. On the back left and right I want some pothos plants. I'm ditching the DIY hanging baskets and just letting the roots trail down into the tank, Prime Time Aquatics on youtube did it this way in one of his many tanks and it has a nice vibe.
 
but I'm not having a planted tank full of pest snails.

You will not....Snail population only explodes due to overfeeding and that's a fact. Why encourage the multiplication of useless carnivores assasin snails in order to kill detritus and algae eating snails in a planted tank? I don't get it. :p I don't see my snails that much at all :)
 
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