Show me your aquarium
Discussion
The ugly state has kicked in - and as warned, using dry rock and sand it really does kick in hard...
At today's count I've got diatoms, dinoflagellates and hair algae all going fairly rampant. Lots of mechanical clearing and removal via floss each day - good job the tank is on my office desk...
Everything is happy though, so it's not getting me down - just a normal part of tank maturation.
Been chatting to a mate who also picked up a rock flower nem - he mentioned the cool shrimp the nems will host. He mentioned he'd love a Pederson, but has never seen one so he was looking at a trio of sexy shrimp.
He came with me to the local Maidenhead to pick up more clean up crew. What was waiting there? Two Pederson Shrimp...
So, in the bag coming home with me today were five cerith snails, five turbos, a small conch and an anemone shrimp.
CUC doing stellar work. Shrimp is bloody gorgeous.
At today's count I've got diatoms, dinoflagellates and hair algae all going fairly rampant. Lots of mechanical clearing and removal via floss each day - good job the tank is on my office desk...
Everything is happy though, so it's not getting me down - just a normal part of tank maturation.
Been chatting to a mate who also picked up a rock flower nem - he mentioned the cool shrimp the nems will host. He mentioned he'd love a Pederson, but has never seen one so he was looking at a trio of sexy shrimp.
He came with me to the local Maidenhead to pick up more clean up crew. What was waiting there? Two Pederson Shrimp...
So, in the bag coming home with me today were five cerith snails, five turbos, a small conch and an anemone shrimp.
CUC doing stellar work. Shrimp is bloody gorgeous.
Well after a week of settling in perfectly well, our little group of Harlequin Rasbora decided to attempt a jailbreak this morning 
My mom caught one this morning when it jumped out, got him back in..
Later in the day I went near the tank and another dived out and fell beind the cabinet... managed to rescue him, got him back in the water on a leaf where he rested for a while then went back to swimming...
Between that and trying to fashion a temporary lid for the tank (the original one doesn't fit with the new filter and light arrangement - 2 more attempted the Great Escape and fell right down the back of the cabinet amongst the wires. I could see them with my phone's torch but there was no way to rescue them.
RIP you daft buggers.
My mom caught one this morning when it jumped out, got him back in..
Later in the day I went near the tank and another dived out and fell beind the cabinet... managed to rescue him, got him back in the water on a leaf where he rested for a while then went back to swimming...
Between that and trying to fashion a temporary lid for the tank (the original one doesn't fit with the new filter and light arrangement - 2 more attempted the Great Escape and fell right down the back of the cabinet amongst the wires. I could see them with my phone's torch but there was no way to rescue them.
RIP you daft buggers.
Our Fluval F35 is going strong, nearly 2 years old now. I upgraded the light to an AI Prime HD and I inject CO2 via an in-line diffuser for the plants. All the fish are very healthy and the plants grow really well with regular feeding. The male guppy in the last photos was bred in the tank recently and is pretty striking now he’s coming in to adulthood.
The little critters really are fascinating in a marine tank...
Conch - oddest thing ever with his weird eyes, jolty lunges forward and trunk sampling every bit of sand/rock around.
The Pederson Anemone Shrimp - legs so fine I genuinely cannot see them. Constantly flexing/cleaning/picking. It actually seems like the surface of his shell 'catches' algae he then cleans off.
Conch - oddest thing ever with his weird eyes, jolty lunges forward and trunk sampling every bit of sand/rock around.
The Pederson Anemone Shrimp - legs so fine I genuinely cannot see them. Constantly flexing/cleaning/picking. It actually seems like the surface of his shell 'catches' algae he then cleans off.
Sway said:
The little critters really are fascinating in a marine tank...
Conch - oddest thing ever with his weird eyes, jolty lunges forward and trunk sampling every bit of sand/rock around.
I have had a couple of conches in my tank since the early days, and only ocasionally see them, and even then it's the sandbed moving as they nuzzle about underneath it.Conch - oddest thing ever with his weird eyes, jolty lunges forward and trunk sampling every bit of sand/rock around.
I have started to spot a few Stomatellas recently - a snail without a shell - they leave a nice clean stripe over any algae patches they go through, so they can stay as long as they like.
Also the hitchhiking pipefish seems to have teamed up with the long spine urchin, both seem to prefer the darker corners under the ledges and I was watching the pipefish having a peck at some finely chopped frozen food yesterday.
Awesome.
The difference to my tank in a single day of adding a "proper" clean up crew is just staggering...
Almost looks too clean!
I went overboard though, as a mate is setting up a frag tank which will need a cuc and they do deals for quantities.
So my little 50 litre currently has five big turbo snails (I'll likely keep just one), five cerith snails (probably keep 2-3),the conch a hermit and two nassarius.
In three days, it's gone from full ugly stage to actually feeding the cuc. Keeping them all for at least another three weeks, then will start reducing numbers as the frag tank comes online.
The difference to my tank in a single day of adding a "proper" clean up crew is just staggering...
Almost looks too clean!
I went overboard though, as a mate is setting up a frag tank which will need a cuc and they do deals for quantities.
So my little 50 litre currently has five big turbo snails (I'll likely keep just one), five cerith snails (probably keep 2-3),the conch a hermit and two nassarius.
In three days, it's gone from full ugly stage to actually feeding the cuc. Keeping them all for at least another three weeks, then will start reducing numbers as the frag tank comes online.
Would appreciate some advice please.
Long story short I made mistake of over feeding and stocking too quickly which resulted in ammonia spike about a week ago.
I've completely cleaned the filter (well actually I've got a new one) and also did big water changes every day.
For 3 days now the ammonia is 0ppm but nitrite is around 0.25-0.5ppm. Nitrate is about 10-20ppm.
My tank is a planted tank with fish.
Should I continue doing daily water changes until ammonia and nitrite is zero? Or should I only do water water changes if nitries gets over 0.25ppm?
Long story short I made mistake of over feeding and stocking too quickly which resulted in ammonia spike about a week ago.
I've completely cleaned the filter (well actually I've got a new one) and also did big water changes every day.
For 3 days now the ammonia is 0ppm but nitrite is around 0.25-0.5ppm. Nitrate is about 10-20ppm.
My tank is a planted tank with fish.
Should I continue doing daily water changes until ammonia and nitrite is zero? Or should I only do water water changes if nitries gets over 0.25ppm?
Keep doing water changes - and cut feeding to virtually zero.
No ammonia is critical. Nitrites need to be kept very, very, very low (but aren't quite a toxic as ammonia).
Nitrates are much more forgiving, depending on fish species - but need to be kept on top of to the sort of level you mentioned.
Did you keep any media from the old filter, or just disconnect that one and replace? As that will have effectively restarted your cycle. I'd also look to get something like fluval cycle in there too.
No ammonia is critical. Nitrites need to be kept very, very, very low (but aren't quite a toxic as ammonia).
Nitrates are much more forgiving, depending on fish species - but need to be kept on top of to the sort of level you mentioned.
Did you keep any media from the old filter, or just disconnect that one and replace? As that will have effectively restarted your cycle. I'd also look to get something like fluval cycle in there too.
Edited by Sway on Friday 7th August 21:01
Sway said:
Keep doing water changes - and cut feeding to virtually zero.
No ammonia is critical. Nitrites need to be kept very, very, very low (but aren't quite a toxic as ammonia).
Nitrates are much more forgiving, depending on fish species - but need to be kept on top of to the sort of level you mentioned.
Did you keep any media from the old filter, or just disconnect that one and replace? As that will have effectively restarted your cycle. I'd also look to get something like fluval cycle in there too.
Thanks Sway,No ammonia is critical. Nitrites need to be kept very, very, very low (but aren't quite a toxic as ammonia).
Nitrates are much more forgiving, depending on fish species - but need to be kept on top of to the sort of level you mentioned.
Did you keep any media from the old filter, or just disconnect that one and replace? As that will have effectively restarted your cycle. I'd also look to get something like fluval cycle in there too.
Edited by Sway on Friday 7th August 21:01
I’ve got a new filter (Fluval 307) but didn’t transfer the media over. The old filter was very filthy, hundreds of Copepods amongst rotting plants inside filter. A bit frivolous I know but I always wanted the Fluval.
So yes I think I basically restarted the cycle a week ago.
I’ve greatly reduced feeding to once a day in tiny amounts. To be honest after the new filter ammonia is almost zero most days it’s the nitrite that keeps creeping up to 0.25ppm.
Sway said:
Gotcha.
Keep doing what you're doing, water changes dilute nutrients better than anything.
In future - if changing anything filter wise, do it in stages.
You'd have been better off running both filters in parallel for a couple of weeks before removing the old one - but lesson learnt.
I was doing 50-60% water changes daily but that can get a bit tedious in a 145L tank.Keep doing what you're doing, water changes dilute nutrients better than anything.
In future - if changing anything filter wise, do it in stages.
You'd have been better off running both filters in parallel for a couple of weeks before removing the old one - but lesson learnt.
I've tested doing 20% and that seems to reduce ammonia and nitrite to zero so will stick to that.
Hopefully my tank will complete the cycle soon
Turn7 said:
In this instance, something like Dr Tims may actually be of a benefit.......
Apologies, not too sure what Dr Tims is?edit: Never mind, found on Google
Looks very promising but it does say fishless cycle, I have fish in my tank,
https://store.drtimsaquatics.com/One-Only-Nitrifyi...
anxious_ant said:
Turn7 said:
In this instance, something like Dr Tims may actually be of a benefit.......
Apologies, not too sure what Dr Tims is?edit: Never mind, found on Google
Looks very promising but it does say fishless cycle, I have fish in my tank,
https://store.drtimsaquatics.com/One-Only-Nitrifyi...
Gassing Station | All Creatures Great & Small | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff