Barb Island. its all over.

[awtong]

Re: 90x75x45 optiwhite. update.

[/quote] yes mate, hands off 10 are mine, little smaller than i would have liked but beggars cant be choosers. Ive been trying to haggle a deal on the licorice for weeks now as he only has 4 that have been there months in need of a good home, but he wont budge.

If he doesnt have the vietnamese minnow's ive asked for in by the end of next week i will be having 10 sparkling of him instead, as they are looking really healthy.. again been there over a month now as he said no one wants them???
MA prices do make your eyes water though 🙁[/quote]

Don't worry after adding another 8 congo's I have no room left and they would be to boisterous also I don't have the right parameters and I am not going RO at the moment so they are safe from me . They may be small but are looking like little beauties. I am surprised about the other types not selling as they looked lovely. Maybe people don't know enough about them?

I think the prices are a little more than some but the stock is of a high quality and does really for me so I am usually happy with my purchases from them.

I want to see pics once you have them in and settled

Andy

 

[Iain Sutherland]

Re: 90x75x45 optiwhite. update.

I think the prices are a little more than some but the stock is of a high quality and does really for me so I am usually happy with my purchases from them.

I want to see pics once you have them in and settled
Andy

hey, i have to agree i have always been happy with their fish, think they do try it on a little from time to time with higher prices stuck over the proper price when fish first come in then go in a couple of days later they have peeled it off :silent:

just you try and stop me posting pics

 

[Ady34]

Re: 90x75x45 optiwhite. update.

think they do try it on a little from time to time with higher prices

My local MA had some choccos in the other week, £3.50 each which i thought was a good price, but looked like they needed fattening up a bit.
However, £12 each for dwarf chain loach I know you dont see them too often anymore but wow, ive recently seen them elsewhere for £6 each.
Looking forward to seeing the new ones mate, oh, and turn that light down again....dont want more bba
Cheerio,
Ady.

 

[Iain Sutherland]

Re: 90x75x45 optiwhite.

Light down, co2 up again

Wow, those chocos are cheap mate. £7.50 a pop at MA, deal of 10 for £60 which still hurts but then I'm a tight fisted git

 

[Ady34]

Re: 90x75x45 optiwhite.

Wow, those chocos are cheap mate. £7.50 a pop at MA, deal of 10 for £60 which still hurts but then I'm a tight fisted git

Price of inflation from North to South 🙂

 

[awtong]

Re: 90x75x45 optiwhite.

Wow, those chocos are cheap mate. £7.50 a pop at MA, deal of 10 for £60 which still hurts but then I'm a tight fisted git

Price of inflation from North to South 🙂

 

[Alastair]

90x75x45 optiwhite.

MA. Are expensive for chocco's, the one local to me is doing them for 7 quid a pop too. I get them for 3.95 however the ones they are selling are the rare crossband chocolate gourami ( .sphaerichthys selatanensis) Bloody nice too. Rarely come across them


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Iain Sutherland]

Re: 90x75x45 optiwhite. sculpting stems??

wish i could get them for £3.95 al Crossbands are very nice, never seen them down south though, bloody northern monkeys having 'em all away!

So, touch wood i have rectified my resurgence of BBA after getting excited about it going well and extending the lighting period 😳 Lost count how many times ive caused problems doing stupid things like this

Anyhoo...

My next challenge is definately trying get my stems into a more bushy dome sort of appearance like in this video i posted a while back
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npCITFjH ... r_embedded

The video shows how to maintain the stems but how do i get them to this stage to start with??

My thinking at the moment is using short stems to start with then trim back, each stem then growing 2 new shoots, then trim back to about 1cm above the last shoots so one stem becomes 4 .... continue this for lots of trims then eventually they bush out simply due to mass????

I really have no idea so,anyone with lots of stem experience and how to sculpt them please could i have some pointers as long vertical stems defeats the object of the whole scape.

you rock

 

[Nathaniel Whiteside]

90x75x45 optiwhite.

think they do try it on a little from time to time with higher prices

My local MA had some choccos in the other week, £3.50 each which i thought was a good price, but looked like they needed fattening up a bit.
However, £12 each for dwarf chain loach I know you dont see them too often anymore but wow, ive recently seen them elsewhere for £6 each.
Looking forward to seeing the new ones mate, oh, and turn that light down again....dont want more bba
Cheerio,
Ady.

2 for £12 at Stockton MA 😉
I only found Stockon MA yesterday! I wasn't amazed by the aquatics section, buts its another reasonably close LFS.

Wish they stocked ADA though. And a more impressive selection of Hardscape materials.

Have you seen the 5 foot tank as you walk in Ady? Just been planted up, looks great.

 

[tim]

Re: 90x75x45 optiwhite. sculpting stems??? anyone??

think your right iain every trim produces new shoots so trim untill you get the mass you want then must be like being ocd about your hedge trim off any bits that pop up your not happy with i would be interested to know if you can trim indefinately to maintain shape or if you eventually have to uproot and replant tops to start again

 

[Iain Sutherland]

Re: 90x75x45 optiwhite. sculpting stems??? anyone??

No one ever tried sculpting stems? 🙁

Anyway, i have had to make a tough decision. As much as it pains me to say it i have decided to forego the chocolate gourami in this tank, the ones i have dont seem to thrive which my guess is due to lack of numbers, higher flow than they like and no surface cover. This really saddens me but at the same time id rather have fish that will be happy than unhappy ones just for my pleasure. Chocolates will go in the next low tech scape 🙂

So now i need ideas for a replacement as ive been so focused on chocos that i cant imagine anything else in it!

I had considered dwarf neon rainbows but think i will find them all on the floor so guess they are out.... any relatively shrimp safe suggestions people?

 

[Antipofish]

Re: 90x75x45 optiwhite. sculpting stems??? anyone??

As much as it pains me to say it i have decided to forego the chocolate gourami in this tank, the ones i have dont seem to thrive which my guess is due to lack of numbers, higher flow than they like and no surface cover. This really saddens me but at the same time id rather have fish that will be happy than unhappy ones just for my pleasure.

So now i need ideas for a replacement as ive been so focused on chocos that i cant imagine anything else in it!

I had considered dwarf neon rainbows but think i will find them all on the floor so guess they are out.... any relatively shrimp safe suggestions people?

I have dwarf neons and never had them jump (tanks covered though, lol so all they would get is a headache, although I do lift the lid when its hot). What about Celebes rainbowish ?

Sorry about the chocco decision. I know how you feel because I really wanted them too, and a local shop has them at 2 for £8. I was going to get about 8 of them. But then on top of my water hardness being marginal for them, I also read they like low flow and surface cover and thats the opposite of what they would get 🙁

How about a species tank !?

 

[Ady34]

Re: 90x75x45 optiwhite. sculpting stems??? anyone??

No one ever tried sculpting stems? 🙁

Hi Iain,
im no expert, but i recently trimmed my ludwigia arcuata and a tip from me, as i think you have mentioned before, is to cut low, lower than your intended level to get thicker lush growth where they are to be seen. I trimmed too high and am getting nice new growth, but too high in the water column. If your looking to create a 'halo' above your island around the ferns etc id say trim hard to about 2-3" below these midground/filling plants and that way youll get a nice thick bush above these midwater plants. Instead of trimming in a straight line, just contour the cut in an ark (if this is what you are looking for) which follows the line you want the final look to be. As you know each stem will create 2 new shoots so you should get twice as much plant mass (thicker) and in the desired shape......you have to be brave to see the longer term benefits! Its painful cutting good plants, but now you have a handle on your c02 etc they will grow back pretty quickly for you.

Shame about the chocolates mate, but i agree with your decision that the high tech tank is not the place to get the best from them.
Get another current photo up and well suggest some suitors while getting to marvel the beauty too
What you thinking regards water now, tap or still ro mix? This will be a factor too.
Cheerio,
Ady.

 

[Iain Sutherland]

Re: 90x75x45 optiwhite. sculpting stems??? anyone??

I have dwarf neons and never had them jump (tanks covered though, lol so all they would get is a headache, although I do lift the lid when its hot). What about Celebes rainbowish ?
How about a species tank !?

thanks for the input Chris, its a shame as dwarf neons were one of my original lines of thought for this tank before chocos then did some research...
Celebes are really nice, i didnt know much about them but it seems they like higher PH of around 8 and dont fair well below 7.5 so that is a no go also 🙁
I am tempted to go back to pentazona barbs as they are awesome but would like to have something different from the last tank. I still have 16 espei raspora ..... maybe 10 cherry barbs and an interesting tetra...?

youll get a nice thick bush

ooh er missus

No one ever tried sculpting stems? 🙁

Hi Iain,
im no expert, but i recently trimmed my ludwigia arcuata and a tip from me, as i think you have mentioned before, is to cut low, lower than your intended level to get thicker lush growth where they are to be seen. I trimmed too high and am getting nice new growth, but too high in the water column. If your looking to create a 'halo' above your island around the ferns etc id say trim hard to about 2-3" below these midground/filling plants and that way youll get a nice thick bush above these midwater plants. Instead of trimming in a straight line, just contour the cut in an ark (if this is what you are looking for) which follows the line you want the final look to be. As you know each stem will create 2 new shoots so you should get twice as much plant mass (thicker) and in the desired shape......you have to be brave to see the longer term benefits! Its painful cutting good plants, but now you have a handle on your c02 etc they will grow back pretty quickly for you.

Shame about the chocolates mate, but i agree with your decision that the high tech tank is not the place to get the best from them.
Get another current photo up and well suggest some suitors while getting to marvel the beauty too
What you thinking regards water now, tap or still ro mix? This will be a factor too.
Cheerio,
Ady.

Hey Ady, think this is sound advise so thanks, whats annoying is this is what i was trying to do but didnt cut the stems low enough on the first trim so wasted the last 2 trimmings Oh well im in no rush with this tank, plan to keep it into next year so loads of time to balls it up again It takes about 3 weeks for the stems to hit the surface after a trim so shouldnt be too bad. The plants seem to recover a lot quicker now, the tennelus used to take a couple of weeks before it really got going again now with the co2 and flow being better its a couple of days which is nice.

i will try and grab some snaps this arvo mate, im pretty rubbish at regular updates

Adios

 

[Iain Sutherland]

Re: 90x75x45 optiwhite.

few very quick pics, sorry if all the colours are a bit odd i had to edit them in a rush to try and neutralise the glare and reflections...
Tennelus was cut back to substrate last week, very suprised how quick it comes back each time now.



left side


right side


so went and told the guys at MA i wasnt taking the chocos, thankfully they were fine and had someone that wanted them already 🙂
had a bit of browse while there to consider replacements and have hatch a little plan... would like to knoiw what you folks think.
Cardinals will be going and the last 2 chocos and to replace them could be...
10 x checkered barbs
5-10 x cherry barbs
and very unsure but maybe 3-5 denisonii barbs :?

all opinions welcome... unless they are rubbish ones really, i need ideas here so go for it!!

 

[Ady34]

Re: 90x75x45 optiwhite. new plan..??

The barbs will look great and suit very well, i love checkers, and cherrys are underrated but the densonii may throw the scale a little and eat shrimp but would be a nice feature fish. The espei will keep interest higher up too so should work together.
Tank looks great mate...it really is deep!
Cheerio,
Ady.

 

[tim]

Re: 90x75x45 optiwhite. new plan..??

have you considered puntius pentazona quite nice peaceful barb tank looks good think barbs will blend in nicely

 

[Iain Sutherland]

Re: 90x75x45 optiwhite. new plan..??

The barbs will look great and suit very well, i love checkers, and cherrys are underrated but the densonii may throw the scale a little and eat shrimp but would be a nice feature fish. The espei will keep interest higher up too so should work together.
Tank looks great mate...it really is deep!
Cheerio,
Ady.

cheers ady, im not sold on the denisonii either, as much as i like them... i think they look best in 4' + tanks. Just really like feature fish and cant think of anything else 🙄
Yeah, tank is very deep 😀 was half the reason it took a while to figure out the flow. I just wish the light bracket was attached to the back and reached forward so the sides are unobstructed. Might change it one day funds allowing.

have you considered puntius pentazona quite nice peaceful barb tank looks good think barbs will blend in nicely

I have tim, i used to have them in my old tank and loved them, really tight schoolers, you know how it is though.. its always nice to have something new 😀

I have also considered snakeskin barbs (Puntius rhomboocellatus) but they seem to be hard to find and no doubt expensive if i do.
Luckily MA also has some really good looking checkers at the moment, nice and dark cross banding with vibrant red fins so might have to pick them up at the weekend. Thinking 7 males and 3 females... any opinions on this?

Not looking forward to trying to catch the cardinals though

 

[Antipofish]

Re: 90x75x45 optiwhite. new plan..??

Iain, it might be worth talking to Darren at Living Waters. I was up there the other day and talking about getting some. He knew my water parameters and seemed to think they would be alright in my tank (pH around 6.4). I guess its horses for courses a lot of the time.

 

[greenink]

Re: 90x75x45 optiwhite. new plan..??

I thought were aggressive little blighters that ate shrimp. That's why I don't have them.