sharing my sulawesi tank

[mincedmeat]

Taking some time to share some pictures of my tank. Hope to receive positive comments, for improvements of course!

white LED lights
IMG_0579.JPG

white and blue LED lights
IMG_0590.JPG

orange poso tylomenia snail
IMG_0580.JPG

can you spot him?
IMG_0581.JPG

yellow spotted tylomenia snail
IMG_0587.JPG

[mincedmeat]

got....to....stre...tch....
IMG_0583.JPG

IMG_0586.JPG

yellow tylomenia snail
IMG_0589.JPG





more to come soon

[Jovel]

Size of tank, filter, filter media, substrate? Please share your parameters! XD

Looking good to go! How long has it been running?

[mincedmeat]

Parameters based on my last check (performed on Sera strip test):
NO3: 10
NO2: 1
pH: 7.6 - 8
gH: 6-10
kH: 6

1.5 feet tank
Filter: Eheim Ecco Pro 2032
Media used: Eheim substrate pro (500g) + Seachem Purigen (~ 50g? just poured an estimated amount and left it in a filter sock together with the Eheim substrate)
Coral sand
Coral chips (placed in an underground filter compartment which also supports and distribute the weight of the rocks)

Flora:
Nana on driftwood
Christmas moss on lava rocks
Mini riccia on lava rocks (i think so?)
Vallisneria americana var natans
America frogbits

Fauna:
Mosquito rasbora (x3)
Yellow Tylomenia snail
Orange Poso Tylomenia snail
White spotted Tylomenia snail
Orange/Yellow spotted Tylomenia snail
Yellow zebra snail (in here because it couldn't take my acidic planted tank)


Not so much worried about my NO3 and NO2 and I believe the spike is only temporarily (was worst off yesterday night) since the Eheim filter came in at the right time to save the day! * Might wait for awhile till I decide to up the pH by adding in Seachem Malawi buffer to bring the pH till about 8 - 8.2, or just add in more coral chips (though not sure where), otherwise will have to wait till I get my hands on some Sulawesi rocks.


*won't say that my tank is still in the cycling stage as this has been up for weeks now, probably about 3rd week already. contemplated on which model, before making an order; which took awhile to arrive. nonetheless, happy with the product!

[stormhawk]

The presence of nitrite means the tank is entering the final stages of cycling. At 10 for the nitrate it's not too bad. You might want to add some fast growing plants like hornwort temporarily because sometimes, the floaters don't make it so well.

Nice tank, I like the rock in the middle with the white striations. I would not keep the Boraras in the tank for a long period, because they are more accustomed to acidic tanks.

[mincedmeat]

I was thinking of I should replace the grass with the hornworts instead, since I suppose the hornworts would survive better in an alkaline solution? Can't do much about the Boraras though. I left some in my acidic planted tank but they all disappeared over a couple of days. I have a hunch that they were eaten by the larger barbs when the lights are turned off (didn't see any of them attacked during the day, or when the lights are on).

Thanks for the compliments!

[Ecalyte]

Your briggittae (or is it maculatus?) will probably die eventually as they're not suited for higher pH conditions..

[Yany]

Actually, my briggitae and merah survive better in my alkaline tank. Thriving much better in my temp sula tank than my planted..... strange but true.
I like your tank... its looking good. Perhaps more rocks when the shrimps are in especially cardinal white spots. They tend to be more shy than the Blue leg Poso and white orchid.

[mincedmeat]

Thanks Yany! Definitely going to get more rocks, but it has to at least look decent enough to be placed inside, and being mindful that the snails would like a decent amount of space for them to dig into the sand. Might just replace the tall grass at the back with rocks, and rocks with pelia/fissiden/riccia. Would give the shrimps plenty to nibble on. Plenty to work on still

And I have got to agree with Yany there. The Boraras are thriving better in the Sulawesi tank than my acidic tank, probably due to the lack of natural predators (can't find a better term here).

[stormhawk]

That, or you got a source of tiny animals in this tank for them to feed on.

[mincedmeat]

That, or you got a source of tiny animals in this tank for them to feed on.

just hope that contagious stuffs are not present in this tank, otherwise it's a KO

[boxedfish]

the snails dont really dig into the sand.. in fact from where they come from, they can be found on rocky areas.. just be mindful that they may get trapped in the cracks.. nice setup!

[stormhawk]

As with all shrimp tanks, I think the only problem pests you have to look out for are nymphs, Planaria and Hydra. Rest are easy to deal with.

[mincedmeat]

the snails dont really dig into the sand.. in fact from where they come from, they can be found on rocky areas.. just be mindful that they may get trapped in the cracks.. nice setup!

Well, I have got to say you are wrong here. They do dig into the sand and I have seen them bury their bodies into the sand leaving the shell on the sand surface. I woke up this morning to see a few of my grass floating on the water (didn't had time to root them down as I was rushing out for work already), and there really isn't any thing else in the tank beside the snails that would dig into the sand. The grass has already been planted as deep as I could so leaves you to figure how deep they can reach. If I ever get to catch them digging in, I will be sure to video the process and post it up here . It's actually quite fun to see them digging (probably singing "Bob the builder" while they are doing their thing).

As with all shrimp tanks, I think the only problem pests you have to look out for are nymphs, Planaria and Hydra. Rest are easy to deal with.

Oh, I have read the countless horror stories of those who had battled and failed to remove these pests so I will be sure to keep a look out for them. The Boraras will do a good job at helping me to keep things in check, I guess. Don't suppose I should add in more than the 3 I already have in the tank.

On a side note, I was wondering if ottos should be present in a sulawesi tank? Is there a need even?

[stormhawk]

If you have nymphs, you will have a problem because Boraras are no match for these nasty critters. Hydra can be dealt with and Planaria, the use of traps is fairly effective.

I don't think you need an Oto in the tank if you have Nerite snails and the shrimps.

[mincedmeat]

I spotted this on my frogbit earlier; it's a whitish substance. I had this on hand while I was doing my water change the other day and wiped it off. I finally saw it again and wanted to ask if anyone knows what this is? My guess is that this is forming because of the alkalinity of the tank. Any idea?

IMG_0600.jpg

[stormhawk]

No idea, could be an egg case or just a salt crystal. Either way, if there was precipitation of minerals from the tank, it would be along the perimeter of the water surface as it evaporates.

[mincedmeat]

Well, it's actually gooey and sticky in nature. Well anyway, more pictures!

Orange poso and yellow spotted tylomenia snails


Yellow and white spotted tylomenia snail



Got the Cardina's from Matt's MO





I had couple of these but only spotted one these past few days. Always hiding and out only when there's no one around.



Another view of my tank (edited with iphone apps)

[stormhawk]

Looking good. Is that a blue poso aka Caridina caerulea?

[Jovel]

Yes its a blue poso. Anyway, looking good bro! are those mini pellia in your tank? how are they fairing in high PH?