A generic South American setup

[illumnae]

Hi Luc, they touchdown in Singapore at 1:10pm, so I will be there waiting from about 3pm. drop me a call when you come by

[Luc Tango]

sure, will drop by if i can. i will be heading out after lunch and see if my bro wants to accompany me to JZX. will text or call you if i go.

[stormhawk]

Wow, didn't know that SQ is that inefficient. At least they refunded you the cost. I don't get refunded when my egg packages get lost in the mail.

By the way Luc, you might want to consider another layout. I found this nice pic on Flickr:

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4028/4...4f6694e2_z.jpg

And this article:

http://theaquaticgazette.com/2011/05...cus-biotope-3/

In this one the guy maximises full use of the ground area, so the Corydoras can root about.

[Luc Tango]

eh stormhawk, come on, i am in ICT now! no time to do the tank...

but yeah, nice layouts! i like both a lot and was actually planning to do my tank up like the discus one, but i didn't know how to keep the wood standing up. any idea how?

[stormhawk]

Make a weighted base then drill the wood to it with plastic screws? Or screw the wood to rubber suckers to hold it down.

[Luc Tango]

sounds easy. lol. just that i am not really a DIY person and i am pretty sure i'd 'spoil' the wood when i drill it.

I actually had an idea previously.. that is tying the branches to a support that will lay on the braces of the tank. but I am not sure how much weight the braces can take, what do you think? safe?

[stormhawk]

Not a good idea I think. The best way to build a solid base. The DIY part isn't too difficult with a simple drill. A hobby drill can be enough. If you use a normal nail or screw, it will rust in the water so plastic screws are best.

If you use your idea, it would be as easy as cutting holes in the egg crate and laying it over the top of the tank. The drawback is that you will have less space to work with from the surface side. Alternative is to use the egg crate over the rear half of the tank horizontally, then using the pre-cut holes to arrange your branches in the tank. They would have to be longer than the depth of the tank for this to work.

[Luc Tango]

Hi Stormhawk,

took up your idea of the eggcrate. i had the same thinking earlier on and you just confirmed the plan for me. thanks!




an update of the tank... sorry, have not added in the sand yet... kind of lazy and i am adding it in by portions.


I am looking to add more discus in, hopefully some lower end heckels. (illumnae, please don't ask me to go for the H&K ones, over my budget currently, but might get some in near future.) would it be good to add in blue or brown discus? any potential conflict?

apologies for all poorly taken photos... taken from a phone camera.

[stormhawk]

Glad to know the egg crate support thing works. You might want to alter the angle of the middle 2 branches, because they look like a goal post to me when kept in that upright manner.

[Luc Tango]

yups, done that right after the photo was taken. i knew it looked wrong somehow.

[illumnae]

There are a bunch of lower end heckels coming in. It's ok not to go for the H&K ones...we keep what our budgets can afford I would recommend selecting the bigger ones, and not the small ones that have been coming in bulk recently. Heckels grow very slowly in captivity and there's always the risk of stunting them as they grow. If you can, try and get at least 4-5 inchers.

In terms of your scape, I'm loving the way your branches are turning out...the scape looks awesome!

I would recommend not keeping different species of wilds together. It's been done before, but I feel it's sub-optimal as the 3 species all require different water conditions. If you really must mix, then try and mix greens and heckels, since both come from blackwater habitats. Blues/browns come from clearwater habitats.

[Luc Tango]

noted on the size issue. I have two smaller pieces that do not eat pellets and it has been a week odd. they do eat frozen blood worms though. should I try starving them to make them eat pellets? (I know there's a risk of losing them.) where would the Heckels be landing? NKS?

thanks, i love the scape too. my mom was saying it looks much nicer than the previous one. (thanks Stormhawk!)

Well, since its not recommended to keep them together.. i might just need to start another tank. :X

[sen_jie]

Hi bro care to share the fiter system which you have and the PH of the tank?

[Luc Tango]

Hey sen jie,

PH unknown (never bought those test kits before) I have a bag of SERA peat in it though which is supposed to be replaced already. :X
tank is running on IOS. compartment is 2x0.5x1.5 (ft)
filter media all from DYMAX. I don't remember what i have but it should have these at least...
2 x bags of CR or glass rings? (not sure)
12 pieces of biolite
1 x bag of lava chips/rocks
there are another 2 or 3 bags which i am not sure of.
DYMAX 1800 pump.

10% water change at least once every 2 days. sometimes changed everyday. so far no casualties other than the rummy nose and corydoras pygmaeus getting sucked into the IOS.

[stormhawk]

Luc, only thing missing is some furry algae growing on the wood. Perhaps you can tie some mosses on them? Might have the whole concept look nicer. Since this is a flooded forest style tank, some KTP leaves on the bottom might be nice. No need to plant anything either and your Corydoras will love hiding among the leaf litter.

I found this Italian guy's blog? I think, and he documented the use of varnish or clear coat on the leaves, to prevent them from rotting. In doing so, he made the whole layout look natural for a long time.

To prevent the smaller fish from getting sucked into the IOS, use SS mesh folded to fit the IOS's grid and that should prevent any future accidents.

[Luc Tango]

that is an idea for the leaves, the only previous thing i could think of was epoxy. is there a particular type of varnish to be used? you just gave me an idea, perhaps artificial leaves might just be an easier way? :P

I am actually intending to create some form of a Riparium and just waiting to get off my *** to do something about it. being lazy is sometimes a bad thing.

the fish either gets through the overflow or the underflow. I used to block the underflow with sponge, and the top with mesh. but i find that it hinders the water flow. (bad thing about IOS system) anyways, the 'suck ups' have reduced, perhaps the fish have learnt to sleep away from that area.

By the way, i noticed something interesting about the rummy noses. when I turn my room lights on (tank light would be off) in the middle of the night, they will start chasing after the fattest rummy nose. (I presume to be female) Read that this is their mating ritual, is there a way where I could possibly breed them?

[stormhawk]

Simulating the rainfall might be a good trigger. Problem is, the Rummies are in a community tank setting, so any eggs would get eaten with all the fish present. They need a shaded tank and fine leaved plants for spawning, so mosses might be a good alternative. Easiest way is to use spawning mops as for killies.

http://iaminspiredbynature.weebly.co...h-version.html

This is the page I'm referring to, by Dabolox aka Stefano Florissi.

[Luc Tango]

that is a very creative DIY setup. hmmm, saw that he used 'Plastivel' for the leaf. also did a read up on varnish, seems like any type will do. will see what i can do about that leaf litter.

spawning mops? I am actually looking to create a layer of riccia on top of the tank, perhaps those would act as spawning mops and shade for them. (like what you mentioned) only thing now is.. where to find riccia in the east.

[stormhawk]

Riccia might be troublesome in the long run. If you want something for breeding purposes, the roots of the water hyacinth, water lettuce or even Frogbits will do. Spawning mops are made from synthetic yarn and are used to collect eggs from killies and other fishes. They replace the need for live plants with fine leaves or roots like the hyacinth for spawning.

[Luc Tango]

I should be fine with riccia. excess can be given to others or perhaps, my dad's goldfish.