# 33G (&15G) Tank Journal



## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Hello, figured I might as well start one of these, seeing as I'm upgrading the current community tank 

Purchased a 33G tank & stand, 200w heater, 36" T5HO Light, and a Koralia circulation pump, all from members of this site (Thank You)
Tweaked the stand a little after I got it (was blue with no shelves), added a shelf with some backing, painted it black.
Modified the legs for the light so it sits 1-1/4" - 1-1/2" above the rim of the tank (angled forward)















A brief history of the current tank (15G); 
Originally set up as a dwarf shrimp, cpo, guppy breeding tank. That quickly changed as I decided to change it to a community tank (something I haven't done before, didn't think I would either), after seeing some Sewellia Lineolata Hillstream Loaches at my lfs. Over the past 6 months it has transformed into a vibrant, active, peaceful community of fish and shrimp (and plants), that I couldn't be happier with. Now the tank is too small as everyone has grown up, so, upgrade time 
Stock List;
3 Gold-Lined Loach (Sewellia Lineolata)
3 Lampeye Killi (Unsure)
3 Flower Shrimp (Atyopsis Moluccensis)
4 Amano Shrimp (Caridina multidentata)
5 Anchor Catfish (Hara Jerdoni)
8 Orange Sunkist Shrimp (Caridina Propinqua)
9 Marble Hatchetfish (Carnegiella strigata)
30+- Dwarf Blue Shrimp (Neocaridina?)
Plants I only know half the names;
1 Anubias Coffeefolia
4 Ludwigia Ovalus
1 Moss Ball
2 Types plants unknown names
And Short Hair Algae

I will update with photos as I move everything over


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## kacairns (Apr 10, 2012)

looks like the light cleaned up nicely


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

kacairns said:


> looks like the light cleaned up nicely


It did, just a little vinegar, and flipped the bulbs around. Brightened up a little bit after 
Also checked the wiring - nothing leached past the seals. Thanks again


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Added 20 Gallons water yesterday (7G Cycled Tank Water, 13G Fresh, Buffered Water), 2 cycled sponge filters, temporary heater, airstones. Ran electrical to stand, ran some airline tubing, fitted the glass top, added light and set timer. Added one piece of floating driftwood (also from a site member).
Coming along nicely 
Will be adding 5 Gallons from the 15G tank over the next couple days (will use wc water), then test parameters. If the 15G & 33G are very similar, if not the same, then I will start moving fish over.


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## JoeMc (Oct 14, 2012)

I think that is my old tank and stand. You must have got it off Jasonator, I traded it to him a couple years ago. I built the stand around 1998, basic 2x4 construction, but it sure has got alot of use! I really like what you did with it. Looks great!


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Yep, Tank & Stand from Jasonator, said it was from you  I figured the stand was old - didn't think 14 years though 
The reason I wanted that stand was because of the 2x4 construction - easily adaptable 
Thanks, I really like how it turned out.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

looking good already, cant wait for more pictures. Love how you are using tank water and cycled sponge to syle the tank. Did nto know the sponge filter can go sideway liek that.
Like the drift wood, too. Awesome!


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Thanks! The sideways sponge filter is actually wrapped around the Koralia circulation pump  (don't want any dwarf shrimps getting shredded) Doesn't filter as well as being air driven though.


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Got new bulbs today - Light comparison pics 
Both photos taken with no ambient room light or flash, same setting on camera.

2x 6500k sunblaster t5ho bulbs








1x 6700k (front) 1x 18000k hagen glo t5ho bulbs








Also added 5 Gallons (2.5G from 15G, 2.5G Fresh, Buffered) water.


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Noticed yesterday the larger internal filter in the 15G quit..... 
Stepped up the timetable on moving everyone over.
Added another 2.5G tank water from the 15G, switched out one airstone, replaced the temp heater with the 200w.
Tested water parameters on the 33G;
pH 7.0
GH 7.8d/140mg/L
KH 2.8d/50mg/L
NH3 0mg/L
No2 0mg/L
No3 5mg/L
Temp at 78Deg F

Moved the 9 Marble Hatchets and 3 Lampeye Killies over (only 2 hatchets were brave enough to jump out of the container as I was moving them - they both landed in the tank though), and another 1.5G tank water.

I will be moving some gravel over next, then deciding on which order to move over the rest of the species.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

I have never thought of or seen a spinge filter wrapped around a wave maker, I really think it is a good idea as it offers a more gentle and spread out current with filtration. Good idea!
I like how you have systematically moved things over to speed up the cycling process. This also helps the fish to feel less stress without having to move everything at the same time and risk a high bio load in a new tank. Great job!


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Thank you! I got the idea right after I got the pump - similar diameter to the sponge filter frame. 
I am trying to make it less stressful on them (and me) by spreading out the move over several days. It also gives me some time to decide on the scape of the new tank. I am also modifying an internal filter and building a slanted slate "cave" for the tank - will need to wait for the silicone to cure.
I just need to be patient


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Vacuumed a section of gravel in the 15G, sifted for trumpet snails, then added 3, half litre cups to the 33G. Then moved some small plants, one rock, and the moss ball over. 
I put the gravel in a small "island" for now, just so the plants have something to sit in. The fish are definitely happier with ground under them 
Transferred the 5 Anchor Catfish from the 15G to the 33G (one was moved over on my fingers). The 3 Gold-Lined Loaches were about as difficult as I though they would be. Caught the male after trying for five minutes. The 2 females took over ten minutes each to catch. (spent ten minutes chasing them, took a fifteen minute break, caught both in under one minute each) 
That's all the fish out of the 15G, just shrimps left to move over.

Turned the light on,
just to get a picture 








Hatchets & Killies on "the island" 














2 Anchor Cats under an airstone


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Larger female Loach "Lily"







Smaller female Loach "Maya"


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Added some more vacuumed, sifted gravel today (10 - 1/2 Litre cups)
Moved the Anubias over, started to scape the left side of the tank, solidified my ideas as to the entire tank scape (for now....)
Added some Flourish to the tank (4mL)
Decided to move over the healthy Orange Shrimps, was only able to catch 2 (largest berried females) Grabbed my favourite female Blue Shrimp (recently berried), and one fry while I was chasing oranges 
Started sticking large rocks together with silicone. Once done my slanted slate "cave" will measure overall; 8" wide, 13" deep, 10" tall, slate "cave" section is 8" deep (will upload photos when done), definitely going to be the centerpiece to the tank 
Assembled my modified internal filter, looks good, , just need to finish the rock sculpture before I put it in.

As of 4:29pm








Female Blue








Female Orange


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## kacairns (Apr 10, 2012)

Looking good =)


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## Smallermouse (Jan 28, 2012)

Keep up the good work. Where can i find dual sponge filters?


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## datfish (Sep 7, 2012)

Hillstream loaches! I haven't seen those in a while, I applaud your taste in fish. Your tank is looking pretty good, too.


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

kacairns said:


> Looking good =)





Smallermouse said:


> Keep up the good work.





datfish said:


> Hillstream loaches! I haven't seen those in a while, I applaud your taste in fish. Your tank is looking pretty good, too.


 ----Thanks!

Tested water parameters;
pH 7.0
NH3 0mg/L
No2 0.1mg/L
No3 10mg/L
Temp 78F

Small water change tomorrow, also lowering water level.
Decided not to add any more gravel today, will wait for a few days.
Caught the 2 Male Orange Shrimp and moved them over. 
Seems I am missing one female, down to 4 Orange Shrimp altogether.
Moved the 3 Flower Shrimp over as well. 
Added another airstone (the Loaches were giving me "the look")
Looks pretty much the same, uploaded another photo anyways 

4:35pm 








Orange Shrimp acclimating








Flower Shrimp acclimating


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Done moving shrimps over I think.
Decided on not moving over the amano shrimp, I think they've been eating the killi eggs in the tank  They are also too aggressive for the tank (noticing now that everyone except the amano's have been moved over). 
Everyone seems more active and sociable now (could just be the larger tank space though ). 

Current stock list;

2 Blue Shrimp (Neocaridina?)
3 Lampeye Killi (Unsure)
3 Gold Lined Loach (Sewellia Lineolata)
3 Flower Shrimp (Atyopsis Moluccensis)
4 Orange Sunkist Shrimp (Caridina Propinqua)
5 Anchor Catfish (Hara Jerdoni)
9 Marble Hatchetfish (Carnegiella strigata)
Plants so far;
1 Anubias Coffeefolia
1 Moss Ball 
2 Types Unknown Plants


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Did a 15%ish water change on the 22nd (7.5G out, 4.5G in)
Added 1G fresh, buffered water yesterday.
Moved some more gravel over today (3 - 1/2 Litre cups)
Decided to put the modified internal filter in the tank, switched to a tri-foam setup instead of a dual-foam  used 2 cycled sponges and 1 new.
The Loaches are much happier with the extra current 
Tested Parameters Today;
pH 7.0
NH3 0mg/L
No2 0mg/L
No3 7.5mg/L
Temp 78F

As of 5:36pm







1 Anchor Cat







Blue Shrimp Fry


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Added a "Mini Cave" on Christmas day I made out of some small stones, 
"Maya" took ownership of it right away 
Still working on the larger "Cave", also started a medium sized "Igloo" style cave 

Cave Dry







Cave Wet








Maya in her new home


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Big Update  Lots of Photos

Did a 30%ish wc on the 27th (8G out, 7G in), added 5mL Flourish.














On the 29th I woke up to find my berried female Blue Shrimp a victim of the circulation pump  Turns out there is a vortex created at the center of the ouput flow of the pump - so even with the foam around the intake - dwarf shrimps are at risk if they get too close. (I did not see it happen - although I suspect it happened when the light switched on)
Cleaned the foam on the koralia, 
Tested Parameters;
pH 7.0 
NH3 0mg/L
No2 0+mg/L
No3 10-mg/L
GH 6.72d/120mg/L
KH 2.8d/50mg/L
Temp 78F
Removed the air driven sponge for seeding another tank, replaced with an airstone. Added some gravel (2 - 1/2 Litre cups)







Added the Slate "Cave" on the 31st with 1 airstone, cleaned the tri-foam, also a 20%ish wc (4.5G in/out).
Tested Parameters;
pH 7.0
NH3 0mg/L
No2 0.1-mg/L
No3 10+mg/L
Temp 78F








As of 11:49am today:


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

My Anubias is shooting out two new roots  First time I've seen this since I got it.
29/December







Today 11:30am








Blue Shrimp Fry








Two Loaches in "Mini-Cave"


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## monkE (Aug 4, 2010)

that anchor cat is pretty slick looking, i'm not familiar with them but is it going to pose any kind of predatory issue for your shrimp? 

nice job so far  keep the updates coming!


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

monkE said:


> that anchor cat is pretty slick looking, i'm not familiar with them but is it going to pose any kind of predatory issue for your shrimp?


I haven't seen any issues so far - they were one of the first additions to the tank before most of the other fish/shrimp. They might be eating small fry - although I would expect the loaches and killies to be more of an issue (larger mouths). Pretty sure they eat the killi eggs laid in the tank though (so do the killies...) 
I'll have to post some pictures of the darker ones 



monkE said:


> nice job so far  keep the updates coming!


Thanks!  Will do :bigsmile:


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Today added another 1/2 Litre cup of gravel, did a 20%ish wc (5G out 5.5G in)
Added some Plants I saved from my old 10G Invert tank (1 Moss Ball, 4 "Echinodorus Vesuvius" [1 main w/ 1 runner, 2 small runners], 1 Unknown Crypt, some Floating Riccia w/ pcs of Dwarf Baby Tears and Dwarf Hairgrass) rinsed first in lukewarm tapwater.
Added 5mL Flourish.

Plants after rinse








Vesuvius








Moss Ball








Tank at 5:16pm


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

A couple photos 
The Vesuvius I put in the tank on the 1st has already shot out a new runner, 3" long at present and starting to put out a leaf 
I unfortunately had to put down my female lampeye killi "Mini", on the 3rd, due to a bout of dropsy  I will miss her. She did leave behind 1 female fry "L.O.", that has already started spawning , and 3 fry that are currently in one of my dad's tanks.
On the 4th I prepped a salt dip for my infected shrimp, got interrupted in the middle  so only got 1 female orange dipped. She is looking much better today though  Will be dipping all remaining shrimp tomorrow.
Tested Parameters;
pH 7.0
NH3 0mg/L
No2 0+mg/L
No3 10+mg/L
Temp 78F
On the 5th did a 40%ish wc (10G out/in), added 5mL Flourish.

Today at 11:15am















1 female Orange shrimp, after a molt, with the large male








Testing tomorrow before salt dip, then adding a piece of driftwood I just got


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

7th Jan Tested Parameters;
pH 7.0
No2 0+mg/L
No3 7.5mg/L
GH 6.72d/120mg/L
KH 3.36d/60Mg/L
Temp 78F
Didn't salt dip as I intended, decided on paraguard treatment for the whole tank instead. 
Watched one flower shrimp molt on the 9th  Turned a nice rusty red during the molt.
On the 10th I added a second koralia with a sponge intake filter, added the new driftwood I got on the 6th.
Today cleaned the front glass, added some fissidens moss I just got yesterday 
Will be testing parameters later tonight.
The Anubias is shooting out a new leaf as well as new roots 

Tank on 10th Jan







Today








Fissidens Moss








Anchor Cat lounging








Anubias 7th Jan


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Anubias 8th Jan







10th 













11th


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Today at 9:33am







Tank at 4:20pm


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Tested Parameters;
pH 7.0
NH3 0mg/L
No2 0+mg/L
No3 7.5mg/L
Temp 78F


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

To my surprise, last night I noticed a dwarf shrimp fry! approx 1mm or slightly under. Seems my blue female did hatch at least one before the koralia got her. Either that or it's a cherry shrimp fry that hitchhiked on the new moss I got ;P. 
Did a 20%ish wc today (5.5G out - 6G in) with filter cleaning (1st koralia and tri-foam), added 4mL Flourish.
Turns out I spoke too soon when I said the bio-foam works better air driven than on the koralia...... It actually is working far better than most other internal foam filters I have tried, and creates great circulation too 
Second guessing my decision to add the riccia, it broke apart and it's in everything! Oh well, ce las vi 
All inhabitants are much happier now than they were in the 15G, lots of new behaviours happening, breeding included  Fingers crossed on the possibility of sewellia eggs....
Here's a couple photos just cuz 

Flower Shrimp in new feeding spot 








Tank Today


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

After I took photos on the 14th, I found the blue shrimp fry gone the same way as the berried female  Turns out I can't have free swimming shrimps in the tank, as I have a bubble stream directly in front of one koralia output (to see water movement). All 4 orange shrimp are still ok, they don't swim a lot like the blues do. Good thing I left all except 2 blue shrimp in the 15G 
Got some plants in trade on the 15th (giant hygro, jungle val), put in the guppy fry tank temporarily.
On the 16th I spotted a worm - I think it's a tubifex? help with an ID would be appreciated 
Today added the new plants to the tank, also put in 2 more rocks, and "scaped" the right side (temporary for now, I think I want to open the right side up again and have most plants to the left of the rocks - for a sewellia spawning area )
Haven't seen the mystery fry since I first spotted it, lots of hidey spots though, so might be awhile 
Got the ParaGuard today, will start treatment on the 15G after I transfer my cpo over from the 2.5G. If all goes well in the 15G, will start treatment on the 33G.

Current stock list;

?1 Mystery Shrimp?
?1? Worm (?)
2 Lampeye Killies (Unsure)
3 Gold Lined Loach (Sewellia Lineolata)
3 Flower Shrimp (Atyopsis Moluccensis)
4 Orange Sunkist Shrimp (Caridina Propinqua)
5 Anchor Catfish (Hara Jerdoni)
9 Marble Hatchetfish (Carnegiella strigata)
Plants;
Pcs of Riccia, Dwarf Baby Tears, Dwarf Hair Grass, Fissidens Moss
1 Anubias Coffeefolia
1 Patch Fissidens Moss
2 Moss Balls
2 Giant Hygro
2 Echinodorus Vesuvius
4 Jungle Val
2 Types Unknown Plants

Worm (tubifex?)








Tank Before New Plants







After


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Today Tested Parameters;
pH 7.0
NH3 0mg/L
No2 0+mg/L
No3 7.5mg/L
GH 6.72d/120mg/L 
KH 3.36d/60mg/L
Temp 78F

Added 3mL Flourish yesterday, will test parameters again in another 5 days 








Lily and Maya on side glass














Transferred my cpo "Munchkin" into the 15G yesterday, made a little sand "island" (the ludwigia ovalus had really nice roots in it), started the ParaGuard treatment. Bottle says 5mL per 10us gallons, tank is 15 canadian gallons (old hagen), minus gravel/wood/etc, so roughly 12gallon water volume. Based on that I've started with 6mL to treat. Will move up to 8mL in another 3 days, and continue for another 3-5 days.

Here's a couple pics of Munchkin shortly after I put him in the 15G


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Here's a couple pics of the 15G, first one taken shortly before the 33G upgrade, second one just a couple hours ago 
(Yes the tank needs a good scrub - letting the shrimps pick away at it for now though )


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

As I was looking into the tank today, noticed the smaller orange shrimp is not doing too well. Decided to start the ParaGuard treatment on the 33G. (33G - gravel/rocks/wood/etc, low water height, so roughly 25G water volume) Based on that I'm treating the tank with 12mL. Upped the dosage on the 15G to 8mL aswell.


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Now what have I done 

I was in the lfs today getting a couple supplies, then saw a very neat loach. Continued on not thinking much more about it, peeking in the other tanks. (Was not going to get any loaches for the community tank due to the dwarf shrimps and no sand) Then asked about it, found out it's an adult banded dwarf loach. It was the only one in the tank, thought about it for a few minutes, then decided to bring it home with me 
Did some research as soon as I got home (as it was floating in the bag), found out it's a "yunnanilus cruciatus" dwarf loach from vietnam, similar area to where my sewellia lineolata are from (based on the info I gathered). Conditions in my 33G are within the recommendations I found (aside from a sand bottom), so I do hope it acclimates easily. I believe I have a fully grown adult, whether it's male or female I'm not 100% sure. 
I do know loaches prefer do be in groups of at least 6, and at this point I am planning on getting at least 2 more (when I see them again...), I'll just have to see how (he/she?) does on it's own for now though.

Here's a couple photos I took as it was being acclimated in the bag, and right after being poured out 





















I've also noticed Munchkin in the 15G getting his awesome colouring back, the past 9 or so weeks have been fairly stressful for him I'm sure. (Going from a 10G densely stocked/planted invert tank, to a 2.5G with 1 plant/rock and 1 shrimp, then no shrimp and 3 lampeye fry, then all by himself, and finally into the 15G )















Also all shrimps in the 15G are looking/acting better, and the one orange female I was concerned with is looking much better. I was not expecting to see any improvement this soon after starting treatment.


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Turns out the worm I saw the other day is not a tubifex, (I'm happy about that! ), it's a type of aquatic worm related to earthworms. (http://www.bcaquaria.com/forum/freshwater-chat-9/worm-id-tubifex-35688/) Helps to round out the ecosystem a bit, I'm getting more and more impressed with this tank as it goes 

So I think I've figured out that my new loach is a female. "Discussion" can be found here;
http://www.bcaquaria.com/forum/freshwater-chat-9/loach-id-help-male-female-35808/
Also upon trying to figure this out, I think I have ID'd my 2 female Sewellia Lineolata as 1 female and 1 male! (saw the 2 "males" fighting on the front glass - definitely was not mating behaviour like I saw between the smaller two several days ago) So I guess I'm changing the name of the largest from "Lily" to "Lenny"  and probably getting one more female (if not 2) I just hope I don't mis-id one like I did when I got these 3 

I spotted the mystery shrimp fry just a few minutes ago - definitely a blue shrimp fry. The new loach was hovering fairly close to where it was - did not even spot it. I think she'll be ok around the dwarf shrimps, that is until she actually tries one , hoping she doesn't see them as food, (fingers crossed), though that's not very likely.

Here's an updated livestock list;

?1? Dwarf Blue Shrimp (Neocaridina?)
?1? Worm (Phylum Annelida: Oligochaeta)
1 Banded Dwarf Loach (Yunnanilus Cruciatus)
2 Lampeye Killies (Unsure)
3 Gold Lined Loach (Sewellia Lineolata)
3 Flower Shrimp (Atyopsis Moluccensis)
4 Orange Sunkist Shrimp (Caridina Propinqua)
5 Anchor Catfish (Hara Jerdoni)
9 Marble Hatchetfish (Carnegiella strigata)
Plants;
Pcs of Riccia, Dwarf Baby Tears, Dwarf Hair Grass, Fissidens Moss, Java Moss
1 Anubias Coffeefolia
1 Patch Fissidens Moss
2 Moss Balls
2 Giant Hygro
2 Echinodorus Vesuvius
4 Jungle Val
2 Types Unknown Plants


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

I managed to get a good close-up of the new loach, she was nice enough to sit still against the current for a couple seconds


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

*Note: will be posting updates of the 15G tank here aswell, so temporarily renamed thread *

Tested Parameters Today;
pH 7.0
NH3 0mg/L
No2 0+mg/L
No3 10mg/L
GH 6.72d/120mg/L
KH 3.36d/60mg/L
Temp 78F

Water change tomorrow, 6 gallons. Also upping ParaGuard dose to 15mL (from 12mL). Fish are all looking good, no signs of added stress from the meds, shrimps are looking better now.
On day 5 of treatment now, will continue for another 5 days dependant.
15G is on day 7 of treatment, day 5 of increased dose. Will lower back to 6mL (from 8mL) tomorrow. Will continue for another 3-5 days dependant.

I am very happy with how my experiment with internal filtration is going, 2 weeks since filter cleaning and only 2.5mg/L Nitrate increase (far better than 20mg/L increase in 4 days! - old tank had inadequate filtration)
So far it is only foam sponge filter media in the tank, although am planning on an external canister for water polishing as a future upgrade 

Here's a pic of the 33G 








Munchkin's still getting more colour


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Went for a trip today, got some new additions for the tanks  

Thank You to Pat and Charles from Canadian Aquatics for the 2 Female CPO's and the 6 Blackwing Hatchets 
(The 2 CPO's are a great pair to breed with my male in regards to their colour/patterns - Great picks Pat! )
Also got a TDS meter, some almond leaves, and 2 pleco caves (for the crayfish) unfortunately 1 cave was broken thanks to pushy people on the skytrain  at least it broke only one piece out the back, I just need to work out the sharp edges before I can use it. 
(also got a free ada mag, inspirations.....)

Thank You to waynet for the 4 beautiful orange eye blue tiger shrimps you sold me, what a great price for such great shrimp 
Acclimated the shrimps slowly over 2 hours, all 4 went into the tank, was only able to count 3 at once afterwords (they blend in with the black substrate really well, just gotta look for those orange eyes ) I'm sure they're all there.
I moved the bubbler further away from the koralia so as to reduce the chance of it hurting an oebt....

Shortly after I poured them out, I saw one oebt eating directly in front of my new loaches mouth! (haven't come up with a name for her yet....), she didn't even try to go for it, just kept picking at the jungle val root 

The Hatchets were very cooperative with the acclimation process, (I took over 1 hour), once released they joined in with my 9 marble hatchets, they seem to be alternating between schooling together and apart (for now anyway) 
Also their "wings" have darkened alot since I took the photos after releasing them.

Both female CPO's went into the 15G one at a time, after acclimating for over 1.5hours. Already Munchkin has mated with both of them. Looking forward to berried females and raising CPO's again  I may have to seperate Munchkin from the females, "Missy" (the smaller one) is now missing her right claw (less than an hour after I named her too)

Added an almond leaf to the 33G, also 20%ish wc (8G out - 6G in), added 5mL flourish.

Added an almond leaf, a 6-tube shrimp breeder, and the unbroken pleco cave to the 15G. Cleaned the filter foam on the tiny powerhead (I should really make a custom filter for this tank too )

Dropped the ParaGuard dose on the 15G back to 6mL, decided not to up the dosage on the 33G, my smallest orange shrimp is not looking too good. I may have to drop the dosage instead, depends on how he looks tomorrow.

Took some pics during acclimation and after adding to the tanks.....
---Posted Below---


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Blackwing Hatchets


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Orange Eye Blue Tiger Shrimp


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)




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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Orange Dwarf Crayfish;
Smaller Female "Missy"


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Larger Female (Yet to be Named...)


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

33G;
All new additions are settling in nicely  
Lots of new growth on the giant hygro, soon to reach the surface....
The 15 hatchets are all schooling together now, quite something to see when they decide to move as one, like a flock of birds.....
I can usually spot all 4 oebt's within a couple inches of each other, not sure if I have a female yet though....
Did a 20%ish wc (8G out 6G in) shortly after pouring out the new additions (Not when I wanted to do it - how the timing worked out though) added 5mL Flourish.
Will be cleaning the filters in a few days, also will be adding 2 more foam sponges to my "custom" filter.
Continued with the ParaGuard treatment, the small orange shrimp is doing just fine. (Am on day 9 of treatment) All the shrimp in this tank seem to be doing better.

15G;
The smaller female cray decided to molt shortly after being added to the 15G, although got stuck halfway  Currently she is in a breeder net, I am "spoon feeding" her right now (she can't walk at the moment) I am hoping she molts again soon, and successfully this time 
Did a 25% wc (4G out 4.5G in) on the 27th, replaced one foam on the air driven filter, vacuumed gravel, added 2.5mL Flourish.
Tested Parameters in the 15G yesterday;
pH 7.5
NH3 0mg/L
No2 0+mg/L
No3 5mg/L
GH 7.84d/140mg/L
KH 4.48d/80mg/L
Temp 77F
ParaGuard treatment on day 11, last day tomorrow.... Not sure if it's really helping that much, shrimp seem to be about the same as before treatment, I'm thinking the "medication" might be irritating them, or my dosage is too low....

Pictures :bigsmile:


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

OEBT's............


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Updated stock list;

?1? Dwarf Blue Shrimp (Neocaridina?)
?1? Worm (Phylum Annelida: Oligochaeta)
1 Banded Dwarf Loach (Yunnanilus Cruciatus)
2 Lampeye Killies (Aplocheilichthys Normani)
3 Gold Lined Loach (Sewellia Lineolata)
3 Flower Shrimp (Atyopsis Moluccensis)
4 Orange Eye Blue Tiger Shrimp (Caridina Cantonensis)
4 Orange Sunkist Shrimp (Caridina Propinqua)
5 Anchor Catfish (Hara Jerdoni)
6 Blackwing Hatchetfish (Carnegiella Marthae)
9 Marble Hatchetfish (Carnegiella Strigata)

Plants;
Pcs of Riccia, Dwarf Baby Tears, Dwarf Hair Grass, Fissidens Moss, Java Moss
1 Anubias Coffeefolia
1 Patch Fissidens Moss
2 Moss Balls
2 Giant Hygro
2 Echinodorus Vesuvius
4 Jungle Val
2 Types Unknown Plants

(I previously had the lampeye killi species as unsure - couldn't decide if they were normani or kingii, I have decided that I have normani after 8 months of being in the tank)


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

15G;
On the 28th Tested Parameters;
pH 7.5
NH3 0mg/L
No2 0+mg/L
No3 5mg/L
GH 7.84d/140mg/L
KH 4.48d/80mg/L
Temp 77F
On the 30th decided to stop ParaGuard treatment on the tank, will continue with a stronger dose for a shorter time period in a couple weeks, sooner if needed.
Did a 40%ish wc on the 2nd (6G out/in), 4mL Flourish.
I'm still feeding the smaller female cpo by hand, not sure how long it'll be until she molts again.

Munchkin telling me it's "his" tank 








33G;
On the 1st stopped ParaGuard treatment, will do the same as with the 15G as stated above.
On the 2nd removed the 1 Blue Shrimp fry from the tank, put it in with the guppies in the 10G. 
Also added 3 more Blackwing Hatchets from Pat, so now even numbers at 9 of each species 
Today Tested Parameters;
pH 7.0
No2 0+mg/L
No3 15mg/L
Temp 78F
Also added 10 Blue Pearls from Frank (Ebi-Ken Studio) and 1 female oebt for me to breed with the 4 that I have.
(Thanks Again Frank )
Did a 10%ish wc (3.5G out - 3G in), added 2 foam sponges to the "custom" filter, cleaned the 3 existing sponges. 
The giant hygro is growing faster than I expected, might actually break the surface within the month...

Before and After Filter Sponge Addition














Another updated stock list;
?1? Worm (Phylum Annelida: Oligochaeta)
1 Banded Dwarf Loach (Yunnanilus Cruciatus)
2 Lampeye Killies (Aplocheilichthys Normani)
3 Gold Lined Loach (Sewellia Lineolata)
3 Flower Shrimp (Atyopsis Moluccensis)
4 Orange Sunkist Shrimp (Caridina Propinqua)
5 Orange Eye Blue Tiger Shrimp (Caridina Cantonensis)
5 Anchor Catfish (Hara Jerdoni)
9 Blackwing Hatchetfish (Carnegiella Marthae)
9 Marble Hatchetfish (Carnegiella Strigata)
10 Blue Pearl Shrimp (Neocaridina Zhangjiajiensis)

Plants;
Pcs of Riccia, Dwarf Baby Tears, Dwarf Hair Grass, Fissidens Moss, Java Moss
1 Anubias Coffeefolia
1 Patch Fissidens Moss
2 Moss Balls
2 Giant Hygro
2 Echinodorus Vesuvius
4 Jungle Val
2 Types Unknown Plants

No More new additions after this (aside from 2 more banded dwarf loaches ), only removals of new generations


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Blue Pearl Shrimps


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Female OEBT


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

33G;
Did a 25%ish wc yesterday (6G out/in), cleaned foam on the 2nd koralia I added (cleaner than I expected), added 5mL Flourish.
Cleaning the koralia "filters" is a bit of a hassle, can't really avoid squeezing the foam a little before getting it out of the tank. Although I am happy with how much flow they deliver, especially for how much (or little) room they take up in the tank 
Tested Parameters Today;
pH 7.0
No2 0+mg/L
No3 7.5mg/L
GH 5.6d/100mg/L
KH 2.8d/50mg/L
Temp 78F
Hardness levels went down a bit (wc water was a bit soft), will do another change in a few days, also clean the 1st koralia.

Pics During and After wc;














One oebt (female I think...) and one female orange shrimp overflowing with eggs


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

*15G;*
10th Feb did a 30%ish wc (6G out - 5.5G in), cleaned filter (put it off too long this time), vacuumed gravel, cleaned front glass, added 4mL Flourish.
"Missy" (the small female cpo) still has her legs stuck in odd positions, however, with my help, she has been able to stand up and walk a couple mm's at a time (baby steps), still looking forward to a successful new molt, and independence from the feeding hand 
"Munchkin" just molted again this morning, that's twice now since the females were added to the tank, I hope he's still in breeding form by the time the females decide to molt...
Going to start ParaGuard treatment on this tank again soon, this time a double dose for 3-5 days. Tested this dosage on the 5G and no ill effects.

While adding to a new thread, I went through tank spec stuff, the algae "issues" (want algae growth for shrimps) in this tank are due to the lighting - 4wpg mounted 1.5" above the water line, 11" above gravel. There is inadequate filtration for the stock level/tank size, also I need better/more filters in this tank. My idea is to get 1 (or 2) more elite mini canister filters, and hook them up to a cycling power bar, creating a freshwater wavemaker/filter  Hopefully then I can clean the filters only once every 1 or 2 weeks. (instead of once or twice a week)

Just for fun  Here's a link to AqAdvisor with my tank specs input (when my species were not found I used similar species). It doesn't account for plants, although gives a good idea of stock levels.

*33G;*
5th Feb Tested Parameters;
pH 7.0
No2 0+mg/L
No3 7.5mg/L
GH 5.6d/100mg/L
KH 2.8d/50mg/L
Temp 78F

11 Feb Tested Parameters;
pH 7.0
No2 0+mg/L
No3 10mg/L
GH 5.6d/100mg/L
KH 2.8d/50mg/L
Temp 78F
Did a 20%ish wc (5G out/in), cleaned 1st koralia, cleaned front glass, added 5mL Flourish.

The giant hygro is still growing, it's now double the size as when I added it to the tank. I was wondering if it was robbing nutrients from the other plants, although, the anubias has a new root and leaf, the vesuvius is continuing to shoot out new runners, and the algae that was on the leaves from the old tank is subsiding. I did some figuring last night while adding to this, this light set-up at this water level is providing 3.12wpg of light (per water volume) with the bulbs sitting 4.5" above the water line, 18" above gravel.

The Blue Pearl Shrimps are growing like crazy, except for two that look to be the same size, the rest have doubled. When I'm looking for them in the tank, it reminds me of "where's waldo", cuz the're always right in front of you  
The oebt's are the definitely the new "spotlight" shrimps in the tank, just hoping tank parameters are suitable enough for berries.
The male flower shrimp has also doubled in size since being added to the "upgrade" tank, the two females are roughly the same size (after equal molts).

As for fish, the Hatchets (all 18) seem to be much calmer in such a large group. Very rarely do they jump now when scared (the marble hatchets used to jump if I moved to quickly near the tank), they just "huddle" together in a group a couple inches below the surface (normally right at the surface). The new loach ("Tiger") is getting along very well with the dwarf shrimps - no casualties thus far. I am really hoping that adding two more loaches will not cause them to "gang" up on the shrimps... 
The five anchor cats are still doing great, I was concerned that 78F might be too high for them, doesn't seem to be 
The Killies are doing great aswell, I think I'm starting to see some eggs in "L.O.'s" belly, I'm ready for fry this time (2.5G tank for egg hatching/first few weeks until big enough to join the 15G)

Just for fun  Here's a link to AqAdvisor with my tank specs input (when my species were not found I used similar species). It doesn't account for plants, although gives a good idea of stock levels.


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Pictures :bigsmile:


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Eating at the dinner table 








The reflection makes the group look even bigger


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Male flower shrimp







Tank shot


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## 77_Bus_Girl (Dec 30, 2012)

Nice job! That's a great selection of shrimp!


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

77_Bus_Girl said:


> Nice job! That's a great selection of shrimp!


Thank you,
I am very happy with them, and how my fish are getting along with them too :bigsmile:


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Berried Blue Shrimp in 15G







Picture of a shrimp fry (couple minutes old)













And the mother


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

*15G;*
Spotted a berried blue shrimp with a white mohawk  first time I've seen this out of all the previous blue shrimps  looking forward to seeing what the fry look like.







The larger female cpo ("T.C.") molted on the 13th, still waiting for the smaller female ("Missy") to molt, I would really like to take the breeder net out of the tank...
Tested Parameters today;
pH 7.75
No2 0+mg/L
No3 10mg/L
GH 8.96d/160mg/L
KH 5.04d/90mg/L
Temp 77F
Did a 25%ish wc (4.5g in/out), cleaned power filter (really need to add at least one more...), added 5mL Flourish, 1 almond leaf.
Started a double dose treatment of ParaGuard today aswell (12mL to 15G, technically more than double)

*33G;*
Lots more growth from the anubias, giant hygro, and pygmy chain sword 
The Blue Pearl shrimp are colouring up more now...







Noticed L.O.'s tummy getting full of eggs, couldn't get a very good pic, though I may see eggs fairly soon...







Got a good pic of Neo though.







Added 1 Almond Leaf today.

Updated Stock List;
?1? Worm (Phylum Annelida: Oligochaeta)
1 Banded Dwarf Loach (Yunnanilus Cruciatus)
2 Lampeye Killies (Aplocheilichthys Normani)
3 Gold Lined Loach (Sewellia Lineolata)
3 Flower Shrimp (Atyopsis Moluccensis)
4 Orange Sunkist Shrimp (Caridina Propinqua)
5 Orange Eye Blue Tiger Shrimp (Caridina Cantonensis)
5 Anchor Catfish (Hara Jerdoni)
9 Blackwing Hatchetfish (Carnegiella Marthae)
9 Marble Hatchetfish (Carnegiella Strigata)
10 Blue Pearl Shrimp (Neocaridina Zhangjiajiensis)
Plants;
Floating Pcs of Riccia, Dwarf Baby Tears, Dwarf Hair Grass, Fissidens Moss, Java Moss
1 Coffee Anubias (Anubias Barteri "Coffeefolia")
1 Patch Fissidens Moss (Fissidens Fontanus)
1 Small Java Fern (Microsorum Pteropus)
2 Moss Balls (Chladophora Aegagropila)
2 Giant Hygro (Hygrophila Corymbosa)
2 Echinodorus Vesuvius (Echinodorus Angustifolia)
4 Jungle Val (Vallisneria Gigantea)
4 bunches Pygmy Chain Sword (Echinodorus Tenellus)
I finally ID'd my mystery plant!:bigsmile: It's called Pearl Weed (Hemianthus micranthemoides)
Have just 2 floating pieces in this tank, a bunch growing like a weed in the 15G


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

*15G;*
Came home yesterday to amber-brown tank water. First time this has happened, also only the second almond leaf I have added. I'm thinking it's just excess tannins, although, with friday's wc, filter clean, flourish and paraguard being added, all within a 5 hour period, not 100% on the cause/combination of causes.
Everyone in the tank looks just fine, will just do a wc at the regular scheduled time, unless I see ill effects sooner.

*33G;* 
Tested Parameters today;
pH 7.0
No3 10mg/L
TDS 300ppm
Temp 78F
Water change later today (5g or 6g), will re-plant some jungle val from the right to left side of the tank (it's not doing too well in the shade).


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

*15G;*
Found the discoloured water was just from the almond leaf I added, same happened to the 33G, only less noticeable due to more water volume.
Stopped ParaGuard treatment on the 18th (forgot to add dosage.. doh), Started again last night, up to 15mL this time. Will go for 3 days at least.

*33G;*
Did a 25%ish wc on the 17th (6G out/in), added 5mL Flourish. 
Trimmed the vesuvious, and re-planted 2 jungle val from the right side to the left side of the tank, they are now less than half the size as when I planted them. Hopefully they will do better out in the open...
Everyone is still co-habitating well, looking good. Just haven't been able to get a good picture lately, time for a new camera....


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

*33G;*
Tested Parameters Today;
pH 7.0
No3 20-mg/L
Temp 78F
Did a 25% wc (6G out/in), vacuumed a portion of gravel, added 5mL Flourish. 
Put yet another "T" junction and 1 foam on the custom filter (now 6 foam and 5 "T's"), existing foam was dirtier than I expected it to be. 
Vacuumed some gravel due to how much came out of the foam, and Nothing came up! (except sand ). Seems the placement of the "filters", and rocks/etc, is keeping everything off the gravel, and in the foam. I am very happy with this, just need to clean the custom filter once every 2 weeks, or clean 2 at every weekly wc (seems like I will be doing wc's once a week).

Inspired by a photo I saw in Reckon's journal, I decided to try making a Riccia "Ball"  Unfortunately the only plastic mesh I have is bright green, though I'm hoping it will grow quickly.... I also put a small pygmy chain sword in with it 








The Blue Pearl shrimps are getting quite large now, females are saddled, and a very nice ice blue 







Male Blue Pearl (and Neo)








OEBT's are still doing good, no berries yet..., can't tell if any are saddled or not, or if I have any males .








Still can't get a non-blurry full-tank shot  Oh well...


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Also added one male guppy, "Viper", to the tank. His grand-son was getting a bit too nippy with him.
He has actually outlived his brother ("Trident"), and one of his sons. Probably a little older than 12 months. Him and his brother were the reason I decided to attempt selective breeding with guppies. "Trident" is the only guppy I have seen that actually changed body colour while flaring to females. His body colour didn't change solid, it was a pulse of colour from head to tail, very, very neat. I am hoping one of his son's gets this ability aswell  ("Viper" did not have this ability, aside from that they were practically twins)

Viper;














His grandson, "Tripper";


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Found some old photos;
Viper as a young lad;








Trident, also young;


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

*15G;*
Tested: pH 7.5+
Did a 30%ish wc today (5G out - 5.5G in) using pH 7.0- water to level pH out at 7.5, cleaned filter foam, added another elite mini canister filter, 5mL Flourish.
On day 5 of treating with 15mL ParaGuard, still see one micro-leech on the glass (better than what was there..), 
if it (or others) are still there tomorrow, I'm going to up to 20mL for 1 day. (maybe 2)

*33G;*
Viper is obviously much happier in the big tank...







His colours are much more solid today.

I was very sad to see one of my OEBT's not moving, thought it might be a difficult molt, turns out it got too close the one of the koralia's 
I was watching it swim around the tank just an hour before....


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

*15G;*
Did a 20mL ParaGuard treatment on the 24th, don't see any micro-leechs today. I did find "Missy" not moving... Not sure if it was the high dose of meds, or just that it's been a month of not being able to walk, or find her own food. I noticed the past 2 days she was not eating... RIP Missy, I got to enjoy your personality for an hour before your difficult molt...








*33G;*
23rd Tested;
pH 7.0
No3 10+mg/L
Temp 78F

Yesterday Tested;
pH 7.0
No3 15mg/L
Temp 78F
Did a 25% wc (5.5g out - 6G in), added 4mL Flourish.








Orange shrimp looking orange


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Just a couple photos 

Blue Pearl looking very blue








Maya came out to get her picture taken, 
L.O. decided to join in for the photo (a bit blurry though)








Been a bit pre-occupied with my 5G customization, haven't been watching the tanks as much as I normally do, I'm sure I am missing out on some interesting antics...


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

*15G;*
Did a 30%ish wc (5.5G out - 6G in) on the 1st, cleaned filters, added 5mL Flourish.
Added my favourite piece of limestone from the old 10G setup to the tank, makes a few more hidey-holes...








*33G;*
Tested Parameters on the 2nd;
pH 7.0
No3 20-mg/L
TDS 290ppm
Temp 78F
Did a 25% wc today (6G out/in), cleaned 3/6 foam on custom filter, added 6mL Flourish.
Added another rock "cave", more spots for the new addition(s)...
Have noticed the plants not doing as well as I thought - am going to double the amount of Flourish I am using (ie; 6mL twice a week rather than every wc)
I have 2 berried Blue Pearl shrimps! Both are more of a snowball white colouring than blue, with brown eggs. One female dropped all but one lonely egg... wonder if she will carry it for a full term The other female is stuffed with eggs, gotta be over 30 in there.
Couldn't help myself  had to get an african filter shrimp that I saw yesterday, ended up walking out with 2...
Shortly after adding the new shrimps, I noticed one of the saddled Blue Pearls not moving - another koralia victim  
I turned down the bubbler that's in front of the pump, hopefully that helps, though it may have happened during the water change...









More photos below....


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

Been following this journal for awhile. Nice looking invertebrates! Their colours are popping.


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Rock "cave"







Berried Blue Pearls













My favourite OEBT "Queenie"


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

My New Additions....



















African Filter Shrimp aka Vampire Shrimp
(Atyopsis Gabonensis)


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Caught one of my Anchor Cats hanging on by it's whiskers 







Saddled Blue Pearl







I think I may have a male OEBT after all..













..though maybe not.



jobber said:


> Been following this journal for awhile. Nice looking invertebrates! Their colours are popping.


Thank You!
I am very happy with the "collection" of shrimps I have in this tank, fingers crossed for OEBT Babies....


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Found another Blue Pearl fallen victim to a koralia 
Did a full water test just to check;
pH 7.0
NH3 0mg/L
No2 0+mg/L
No3 15mg/L
GH 5.6d/100mg/L
KH 2.8d/50mg/L
TDS 286ppm
Temp 78F
Certainly don't think it was caused by a parameter fluctuation...
Not sure what I can do to cover the output, without blocking the flow of the pump. May have to switch these out for something else. Not sure yet.


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Forgot to post a pic of my berried orange shrimp







And here's the blue pearl today







There is noticeable egg development over the past 12 hours

The Vampire shrimps have found a good hiding spot - nowhere that I can see - there is only 2 spots they could be hiding... Hope they get used to the tank soon, though I've read it may take over a month before they are comfortable enough to come out of hiding.
I've also noticed since adding them, that the Flower shrimp are out less, hiding more. I must have upset the shrimp balance in the tank...


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

One of the vampires came out of hiding to check things out, I spooked it a little when I tried to take a photo though














Got the new additions for the 15G a little earlier, just finished acclimating. They are a little smaller than I was expecting, so I setup the breeder net with some moss and plant bits in it for now.... 
Pics to come....later....


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

*15G;*
The new additions survived the night in the breeder net, I also put in a filter tube with a 90 just to block sight-lines, and add another exploration spot. Some mock fights going on, the smallest one is the toughest so far  From what I can tell with my limited prior experience  I have 2 females and 1 male - exactly what I was hoping for. Pretty darn good considering I couldn't really ID them when I was picking them out.
Anxious for photos yet?....  ....soon....

*33G;*
Saw the other Vampire Shrimp when all the lights were out, this one is very shy, the whites of my eyes caused it to stop and back away from me. It'll be some time before they are comfortable enough to socialize with everyone in the tank. Until then I will be wondering if they are getting enough food where they are hiding...

L.O. is laying eggs! Not sure if they are fertile yet, as one has already gone white with fungus, and is in a flow zone... 
Perhaps I will have more Killi fry this year too...


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

*15G;*
One of my "blueberry" shrimps did it's very best crayfish impression 







One of the new additions molted this morning, now it's double the size of the smallest one...
Still working on pics (took too many....)

*33G;*
Berried Blue Pearl today







Hatchets Hanging out under a leaf







Female Flower Shrimp







The Flower Shrimp are back to their normal behaviour now since adding the vampires.


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

*15G;*
For being so small, these new guys are very quick, and hungry. Here's a teaser photo...








*33G;*
Just spotted another berried Blue Pearl... Gonna be lots of little ones in a couple weeks... Maybe I'll end up with a snowball morph outta these ones.... Spotted a very white female (the one that dropped all but one egg), looks very cool, almost no spotting, solid white colouring.
Also spotted one of the vampires last night, it's starting to wander a little further from it's hiding spot, and it's definitely in the tunnel inside the mini stump, maybe both are...


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Unfortunately, after submitting the previous posting, I found the all white Blue Pearl unresponsive on the substrate.  sigh  On the bright side, I have 2 berried females that look like they are going to explode they are so full of eggs, and, because I was in too much of a hurry to pull it out of the tank this morning, I know that predation against dwarf shrimps is not a problem in this tank. All day and nobody has taken a bite out of her.


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Ok, here's some photos of the new additions for the 15G;
During acclimation;


























In Net;


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

.... 


























....


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

....


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

*15G;*
Added 4mL Flourish on the 5th.
Did a 30%ish wc with gravel vac on the 8th (5G out/in), cleaned filters, added 5mL Flourish. Also got a "new" moss ball for the tank.
Spotted a very pregnant blue shrimp female, looks like over 50 eggs...
Since placing in the net, all 3 craybabies have molted. It'll be one more molt, maybe two before I have to let them out into the tank. At that time I will have to decide whether or not to remove munchkin and t.c.
I have also noticed (as seen in 2nd pic), that one has golden/yellowish eyes in the right angle light, the other two don't. I think it's the male, though I'm not sure.
Here's a couple pics;


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

....15G....
Female Blue Shrimp with smaller size clutch







Female Blue Shrimp with huge clutch


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

*33G;*
On the 8th noticed L.O. layed a bunch of eggs, looked for them so I could transfer out of the tank... didn't find any, though Tiger's belly was quite large... Saw five species schooling together at mid-level... some of the hatchets, the killifish, the lone guppy, and the dwarf loach. It was very neat to see, got a pic, though most of the action had stopped by then. I also found one more blue pearl that found the koralia, possibly a male. 
Cleaned front and left side glass, a little easier to see and get photos now.
Found where both Vampire Shrimps are hiding  in a dark flow zone, no longer worried if they are getting enough food, though I can't get a photo of them.
Lost a very berried female today  Not sure of the cause, though I acted quickly and stuck the eggs in a makeshift hatching tube. Strange as all the eggs were still in her, and there wasn't any signs of the powerhead marks or bites. 
Did a water test;
pH 7.0-
No2 0+mg/L
No3 20+mg/L
Temp 78F
Did a 25% wc (6G out/in), cleaned 3 foam on custom filter, added 6mL Flourish. Also added 15mL ParaGuard, decided to treat for 3 days to see if it helps the shrimps. 
Ended up with the rock that inspired me to start a riccia ball, Thanks Reckon  Although somewhere between getting it home, out of the bag, and into the tank, most of the riccia floated away from the rock. I just put some back under the netting, and distributed the excess between the other tanks. Now I just have to wait for it to grow back to it's former glory, hopefully it will without Co2....
Some photos;
Tank on the 8th







Group Schooling













Orange Shrimp female turning blue


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## dabandit1 (Dec 6, 2010)

Cool journal,thanks for sharing


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

More photos;
Eggs in Hatching tube













Anchor Cats Lounging













Riccia Rock


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

dabandit1 said:


> Cool journal,thanks for sharing


Thank you, I'm happy to. It helps me to keep track of things instead of rifling through pages of notes


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Looking over the photos I just posted, there is a killi egg in the second photo of the anchor cats. Look for the clear ball on the far right, near the middle of the plant. I don't see it there now though.


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## nigerian prince (Mar 8, 2013)

those hatchets are sooo cool, what would you say about them?


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

nigerian prince said:


> those hatchets are sooo cool, what would you say about them?


There's two different species in the tank, Marble Hatchets (Carnegiella Strigata) and Blackwing Hatchets (Carnegiella Marthae).
Definitely need a full lid, and in my opinion, space under the lid to jump. They do like air movement above the surface of the water, and tend to go to those areas. I have noticed quite often they jump over double their body height, mostly straight up that I've seen. They are a bit picky with foods, found they like freeze dried brine shrimp and blackworms, also bloodworms both fd and frozen. Favourite so far though has been pinhead crickets, though any small insects would do. Seem to need plants under or around them to feel secure, otherwise they are very skittish. Also react to any loud noises, ground vibrations.
Aside from that they are very interesting to watch, especially since I doubled the group size when I added the Blackwing Hatchets. Sometimes they are all lined up side by side, in a row single file, or in a circle facing each other, the list goes on.

[HR][/HR]
Updated Stock List;
?2? Worm (Phylum Annelida: Oligochaeta)
1 Male Guppy (Poecilia Reticulata)
1 Banded Dwarf Loach (Yunnanilus Cruciatus)
2 Lampeye Killies (Aplocheilichthys Normani)
2 Vampire Shrimp (Atyopsis Gabonensis)
3 Gold Lined Loach (Sewellia Lineolata)
3 Flower Shrimp (Atyopsis Moluccensis)
4 Orange Sunkist Shrimp (Caridina Propinqua)
4 Orange Eye Blue Tiger Shrimp (Caridina Cantonensis)
4 Blue Pearl Shrimp (Neocaridina Zhangjiajiensis)
5 Anchor Catfish (Hara Jerdoni)
9 Blackwing Hatchetfish (Carnegiella Marthae)
9 Marble Hatchetfish (Carnegiella Strigata)
Plants:
Floating Pcs of Riccia, Pearl Weed, Pygmy Chain Sword, Fissidens Moss, Java Moss
1 Coffee Anubias (Anubias Barteri "Coffeefolia")
1 Patch Fissidens Moss (Fissidens Fontanus)
1 Small Java Fern (Microsorum Pteropus)
1 Riccia Rock (Riccia Fluitans)
2 Moss Balls (Chladophora Aegagropila)
2 Giant Hygro (Hygrophila Corymbosa)
3 Echinodorus Vesuvius (Echinodorus Angustifolia)
4 bunches Pygmy Chain Sword (Echinodorus Tenellus)

Forgot to post previously that all the Jungle Val melted away, the one I put into another tank is doing well though.
I am thinking the light may be too far above the tank, though I don't really want to place it any lower...


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## crazy72 (Apr 22, 2010)

Hatchets will also happily take NLS pellets in my experience. Stop the bubbles for a few minutes so that they don't sink too quickly, and the little guys will feast on them.

Tank looks great.


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

crazy72 said:


> Hatchets will also happily take NLS pellets in my experience. Stop the bubbles for a few minutes so that they don't sink too quickly, and the little guys will feast on them.


I may try those out when I run out of food (will be some time though)



crazy72 said:


> Tank looks great.


Thank you  Will only get better with time...


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

15G;
Turns out I'm not the one making the decision. I just found one of the craybabies (the larger female I think) wandering the tank. Looks like she found her way out of the net sometime last night. I will have to monitor closely, and put her back in the net at the first sign of aggression from my larger 2 crays


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

15G;
After a short time watching, I moved the craybaby back to the net. It tried to stand-off to Munchkin, who could make it very quick, and I didn't want to risk it.
Here's a shot of her/his 15 minutes of freedom








33G;
Both Vampires came out last night, got ok pics, my camera really doesn't like low-light.


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Another Berried female Blue Pearl gone  Same as last one, full of eggs, although more noticeable on this one, is a break at the split point on the shell, the spot where the shell splits when they molt, both outer and new inner shells are broken, almost as if a set of jaws has pushed in and spread out. I'm not too sure, though maybe the dwarf loach (which I don't think has the right jaw to do this), or, the Vampire shrimps (I lost most Blue Pearls in the short time I've had the vampires), I really don't know the cause at this point, I'm just confuzzled about it.
Extracted the eggs and added them to the others in the hatching tube. Either some eggs have fallen out, or they are all sticking together in a larger clump. Though most of the fishes are hanging out around the tube, probably waiting for an egg to drop out. 
Both Vampires have molted recently, one is out cruising the tank now.


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## Reckon (Jul 25, 2012)

Turning out to be quite the breeder! Argh the riccia rock, did the moss come off in transport?!


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Reckon said:


> Turning out to be quite the breeder! Argh the riccia rock, did the moss come off in transport?!


I have yet to see any success with the Blue Pearls or the OEBT's. That was my last female Blue Pearl that I just found, I really am hoping a couple of the eggs hatch, and turn out to be females....
And I think I just don't know how to handle riccia, everytime I try to do something with it, it breaks apart on me. I'm probably gonna stuff some more Riccia under it today when I do another wc.


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## Reckon (Jul 25, 2012)

Dang, I should've given you more instructions. Clamp your whole hand over the rock, or moss whenever you move it. You pretty much want to handle it in holding it all together. Yah, I say take all the floating riccia and either stuff them all under the net and let them grow out or just get another net and net them all down. Should grow out nicely in 2 weeks.

I've definately realized that enjoying fish and shrimp in tanks is one thing but it is not really sustainable since they will eventually die, I'd love to see them reproduce. I'm slowly moving away from community tanks and more into tanks where certain fish species might be comfortable in breeding with a few other similar fish around. Also, probably means I need to take out the livebearers out of my shrimp tank too...


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Reckon said:


> Dang, I should've given you more instructions. Clamp your whole hand over the rock, or moss whenever you move it. You pretty much want to handle it in holding it all together. Yah, I say take all the floating riccia and either stuff them all under the net and let them grow out or just get another net and net them all down. Should grow out nicely in 2 weeks.


No worries, this way I have figured out how to make the rock, just need to let it grow out. I have re-packed it with some more, though in the process more broke off, so about the same amount as what was in there, just more evenly distributed now.



Reckon said:


> I've definately realized that enjoying fish and shrimp in tanks is one thing but it is not really sustainable since they will eventually die, I'd love to see them reproduce. I'm slowly moving away from community tanks and more into tanks where certain fish species might be comfortable in breeding with a few other similar fish around. Also, probably means I need to take out the livebearers out of my shrimp tank too...


I was having success with the blueberry shrimps and killifish reproducing and offspring growing in the old tank, though in the new tank, with almost double the number of species, and two very dangerous (to dwarf shrimp) powerheads, things are not going so well. Just part of it, this is my first "real" community tank, and wanted to have a very diverse community.
It also makes it harder to diagnose what is wrong, as what affects the shrimps may not affect the fish, and vice-versa.


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

*33G;*
Did a 25% wc today (6G out/in), added 6mL Flourish and 15mL ParaGuard. Re-Scaped the center-left side of the tank, still want to change up the right side, not happy with it. Re-Packed the Riccia Rock, just need to wait for it to grow out.
I have found the culprit for the recent shrimp losses - my Dwarf Loach "Tiger" has decided to nip at the shrimps. I caught her in the act shortly after the wc, she nipped one of the female orange shrimps right behind the head! Luckily the shrimp had a thick shell, though she left a mark that looks very similar to what I found on all previous Blue Pearl losses.  Not happy, she has such a great personality, and I don't want to get rid of her, so I won't . I also found one of the Vampire shrimps is missing one leg, possibly thanks to Tiger.

Here's some photos


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

....


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

*33G;*
Pulled a homer yesterday, noticed a clutch of eggs was stuck in the hatching tube, not tumbling properly. Tried to free it, in the process the other clutch slipped through the grate.... Neo was there like a shot with the whole clutch in his mouth before I could do anything, a once in a lifetime treat of shrimp eggs for him....
I think I was too quick in blaming Tiger for the recent shrimp losses, found another one gone, this one the same as the first female - no identifiable marks to indicate cause - I am now thinking it is caused by temperature - 78F is probably too high for the Blue Pearls. Looks like I'm going to have to invest in a new heater..... When I do I will drop the temp to 76F.
Tiger probably is nipping at the shrimps, though now I don't think it was enough to kill them.
Tested Parameters today:
pH 7.0
No3 10+mg/L
Temp 78F
The Vampire shrimps seem to be getting more acquainted with their new home, they are out and about much more frequently now, not so skittish when I approach the tank. 
Spotted 3 tadpole snails in the tank  quickly removed them and fed to the craybabies in the 15G 
Some Photos 














"Queenie" with and without flash


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## crazy72 (Apr 22, 2010)

The pics in your last post don't seem to work.


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

crazy72 said:


> The pics in your last post don't seem to work.


Fixed now, Thank you


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

*15G;*
Munchkin seems to be getting angry in his old age, TC just molted, I found Munchkin pulling her legs off  I may have to seperate them, not sure where I'm gonna put them, though...


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

....15G....
Did a bit of a switcheroo this evening, setup the 2.5G tank again for Munchkin (on his own), released the trio of craybabies into the tank, and placed TC in the net with her molt. I also put 2 blue shrimps in the net, to separate from the males.
Did a 30%ish wc (5G out/in), cleaned filters, added 5mL Flourish, removed one thermometer and filter foam (for 2.5g).

Barrage of photos :bigsmile:

Munchkin in his "isolation chamber"




















Craybabies in the tank













......


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

......




























......


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

......


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

*33G;*
Did a 25%ish wc today (6G out/in), replaced foam on 1st koralia, trimmed 1 giant hygro shute, removed 1 small pygmy chain sword (was floating) and some gravel, transferred out 1 Blue Pearl Male, added 6mL Flourish. 
Both vampire shrimps came out right after the wc, colours are getting more solid. They definitely seem to scavenge more than they fan the current, at least more than the flower shrimps do.
A couple of the Blue Pearl eggs in the hatching tube are going lighter in colour, also the clutch has become stuck again, I decided to leave it alone this time rather than have a repeat of the other day. Not sure if they are "going bad" or closer to hatching than the rest. I am leaning towards the former though.
Decided it was time to feed some live food again  (Mainly for the Hatchetfish) After I first got the marble hatchets, I fed them some pinhead (newborn) crickets as a treat every now-and-then. I noticed a significant improvement in activeness and muscle-mass very shortly afterwords, and thought it would be best for them if I do the same with the blackwing hatchets, as they are now approx the same size the marbles were when I first started feeding them pinheads. No photos or video - as I fed them after lights out, though it didn't take long, and there was a little bit of a frenzy from the marbles. I'll have to feed a few more tomorrow than I did today.

Anchor Cat







Blue Pearl Eggs







Orange Shrimp Female







One Vampire Shrimp


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

......
Male Flower Shrimp
In the flow 








Tank Today


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

33G;
Tested Parameters this morning;
pH 7.0
NH3 0mg/L
No2 0mg/L
No3 15-mg/L
TDS 300ppm
Temp 78F
Did it again  While I was looking at Bettas over at Fantasy Aquatics today, something else caught my eye. Clown Killifish. Ended up taking home a pair for the tank  I'm thinking they should get along with everyone else, they are smaller than the lampeyes...
Not just a spur-of-the-moment thing, I first read about clown killifish awhile ago, just didn't know of anywhere to get them, then there they were...
While acclimating the clowns, I noticed that they both have silver marks on their heads, and the female's is in the shape of a heart. 
I also found the last Blue Pearl in the tank the same as the last few. Still have 2 males in 2 other tanks, no more in this one. Obviously there's something in the tank that didn't agree with them. Whether its one of the fish, or a parasite of some kind, I do not know. They all seem to have had a difficulty molting, even after several successful molts. Straying away from temperature at this point, as the 1 male I put in the 10G is still doing good, at 82F, though it has turned completely yellow  So that's 0/2 for Neocaridina species of dwarf shrimps in this tank, not going to try a 3rd anytime soon, just going to focus on the OEBT's  
(and not purchasing any more species for this tank)
Since adding the pair, the hatchetfish have split apart from their regular grouping, seem to be more on edge. Not really what I wanted to happen, though it has only been a couple hours, I'll see how they are tomorrow.
The male is hanging out with Neo, L.O, and Viper above the almond leaf, the female is by herself under the floating plants.

Clown Pics 
During acclimation













Females heart







After release;
Female







....


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

....
Male


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

Great pictures and nice new additions! Boy those clowns look better in the home tank than at the store. Nice upclose pictures of them.
Love the acclimating pictures


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

jobber said:


> Great pictures and nice new additions! Boy those clowns look better in the home tank than at the store. Nice upclose pictures of them.
> Love the acclimating pictures


Thank you  I couldn't pass up on a pair when they were right in front of me  I think it's the lighting combo (6700k&18000k), seems to make the colours of most fish I've put under them pop. Or it's that they like the species assortment in this tank  Working on posting photos of the betta(s) I got aswell....


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

The pair of clowns are hanging out together now, both exploring the tank. The hatchets seem to be weary of them for some reason, they move out of their way... They don't act that way around the lampeyes... Hmmm....
Saw both vampires out just after the lights came on, definitely one white and one blue, possibly a male/female, though too young to tell. 
Now to just let the community settle back down and get accustomed to one another.


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## effox (Apr 21, 2010)

Great journal, keep it coming.


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

The Hatchets are back to their normal grouping behaviour, no longer weary of the clowns. I think it may have been the black/yellow banding that spooked them at first. 
Both Killifish species have coloured up since the clowns entered, the lampeyes drastically. Much more metallic blue on the sides and yellow down the back of Neo, also more orange on the top/bottom of his tail. L.O. is also showing alot more yellow on her, and is full of eggs  The male clown has an orange spot in the middle of his body, can only see it when hes at the back of the tank, same with the female, only less noticeable. 
Not sure, but I may have seen the clowns spotting areas to scatter eggs.... Alot sooner than I thought, if it is what I thought I saw.
All of the remaining shrimps in the tank look to be very healthy, shells are shiny and clear  Still confused as to the Blue Pearls.
Male Orange Shrimp







Got some pics of the Neo and the pair


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Haven't been observing the tanks as much lately, new tank and new fish just a couple tanks away...
Still seen a lot going on though 

*15G;*
I can't call them craybabies anymore, one has now tripled in size since I released them, the smallest has doubled. Still small though.
Aside from still being underfiltered, the tank is starting to become more stable than it was. I need to figure out a large filter in a small space... maybe I just need to go external on this one, though I was going to do that on the 33G first....

Largest







Smallest














*33G;*
The clowns seem to have settled in, found a couple low current spots at the surface with plant cover to hang out. The hatchets went from being shy to pushy, saw one nip at the female (got pics..), quite something as it was a marble hatchet, looked huge in comparison to her. Saw her nip back, hatchet jumped out of the water, haven't seen any more nipping  
Think I may have found a molt for the smaller vampire shrimp, they both may be the same size next time I see them. Though I did notice a rusty looking line on the edge of one of the shell plates on the blue vampire, not sure what it is, or the cause.
Seen some new behaviour out of the anchor cats recently, two in the same spot, one nestling rather deep in the fissidens.... 
The Blue Pearl eggs seem to be growing, a couple have turned white. I do see eyes though... The clutch is now back to tumbling, took a few days to unstick itself.
Removed some gravel for the 5G Betta tank, replaced it with new gravel. Still need to rescape the right side and add some more. I might just take the driftwood on the right side out, and replace it with something else, or plants.














......


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

......
Female clown getting nipped

























Queenie on the run







......


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

......
OEBT's













Blue Vampire



















......


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

......
Blue Pearl eggs





















-Forgot to post this one earlier-


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

*33G;*
Tested Parameters yesterday;
pH 7.0+
No3 20+/50-mg/L
Temp 78F
That's what I get for pushing the wc back by two days... Did a 40% wc today (10G out - 6.5G pH7.0, 3.5G pH6.5- in), added 8mL Flourish.
The plants have been showing me signs of a lack of something, I am upping the frequency of dosing Flourish, 4mL every two days now. The large dose today was due to the large wc. I think it is due to the giant hygro having almost triple the leaves (between the three plants) as when I put them in.

I have shrimp fry! Well one that I've spotted at this point anyway, soon to be more. Looks like some of the Blue Pearl eggs have hatched, clutch looks to be about 75% it's former size, still more to hatch yet... I am using an uplift tube with the curved 90 for an external breeder box, that cycles tank water through it using an airline. The only difficult part about it was holding it in the tank, and adjusting the air flow to tumble the eggs, without pumping water out the top of the tube. Other than that, it has just been sit back and watch 

The clowns were either checking out spots to spawn, or spawning today, not sure which. If they were spawning, there's a very low chance any eggs will survive, as Neo was following them around...
All the hatchets retreated to the back corner while I did the large wc, first time I've taken the water level this low since I set it up. Easy to tell between the marble and blackwing hatchets, whether viewing from the side, or above.

Photos of the tank during wc, didn't take any after, will have to tomorrow 


























Flash ____________ No Flash

Clowns







......


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

......
Hatchets




















Blue Pearl Fry 













......


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

......














Blue Vampire


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Once again, forgot to post the berried female orange pics 














*15G;*
Just saw one of the trio molt, always a great sight to witness a successful molt, took all of 2 seconds too . Might see a berried female soon, the're growing fast....


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

*33G;*
Tiger was out playing around last night, even jumped out of the water at one point. Haven't seen her for a few days, not sure what she's been up to. She froze as soon as she saw me though, playtime over  The only problem with trying to observe nocturnal fish, once they see you they hide...
Most of the eggs have hatched now, might be why Tiger was out and so happy... There are a few spots that shrimp fry can hide without tiger (or the other fishes) getting at them (though the clowns are small enough), they just have to make it there through open water from the tube...


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

*15G;*
Did a big water change this morning (7G out - 5G in), started the No Planaria treatment (when I turned the light on one hour early this morning, the front glass was covered - over 50 of the buggers).
Both female crays molted yesterday, doubled in size again , the male is the one with the gold/yellow border around the iris, also has a bit of a browner shell than the females. At the rate they are growing, I may be able to breed the largest with munchkin, as long as he is still in breeding form, which should make some nice bright orange babies  Though who knows what the genetic mix will put out...








*33G;*
Less than four eggs left to hatch now, looks like five turned white, not going to hatch. Looking forward to taking out the tube and being able to close the top again. Only a matter of 3-6 weeks before I see if any survived...
Added a couple small pieces of salvinia, once it takes off it will provide more spawning areas for the killis, and more places for shrimp fry to hide.







Tested yesterday;
pH 7.0
No2 0+mg/L
No3 20+mg/L
Temp 79.5F
Temp went up with the sunshine in the afternoon/evening. Looks like I will still have temp swing issues again this year... Doing a wc this evening, hopefully it will bring nitrates down to 15mg/L or so. Added 4mL Flourish this morning, before the lights came on.

Got some new equipment today, Eheim 250W heater, and some aquascaping tools from Canadian Aquatics (Thanks again Charles ). Was sooo tempted by the pygmy hatchets, though I was able to stop myself from getting any 
I will be adding the heater once I have it set at 76F, it will be nice to have the tank at the temp I want...




















Still no full tank shot  waiting till the hatching tube is out, and I clean the exterior glass


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

......
Remaining eggs;
Yesterday













Today


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

*33G;*
Tested pH 7.0+, I must've increased hardness levels with the large wc the other day. 
Did a 25% wc (6G out/in pH6.5), added 4mL Flourish. Temp was up just above 80F, after wc only went down to 78F. Seems all my tanks are at 78F or higher, room is too warm....
Only two eggs left to hatch now, looks like there are six that won't. 
Already gotten some good use out of the gravel leveler, way faster than using my fingers 
Testing tomorrow evening, looking for No3 reading of 15mg +/-....


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

*15G;*
Did a switcheroo with Munchkin and TC, both weren't looking very good where they were (Munchkin lost colour, TC was trying to climb out of the breeder net), both are now looking a little better.
Started pulling shrimps out to restart my colony, some have started to lose colour and striping, so I am keeping only a couple females that have solid colour, and a solid back stripe, and keeping only one male (as long as I can catch all the others) that has a solid back stripe (one of only four males I have seen through the generations with a backstripe)
Last day for No Planaria treatment, then I will have to gravel vac a bunch, and possibly treat again if needed (there were tons of them in the tank, and I'm also seeing if it will get rid of some other pests in the tank).
The trio are still getting bigger, eating lots.
Male














*33G;*
Tested this morning;
pH 7.0
No3 20-mg/L
TDS 280ppm
Temp 77F
I am going to hold off on adding the heater, as I forgot to measure it  and it's just a bit longer than my current heater (by 5"). I will probably have to change the scape a little, or, get a slightly smaller heater. Still debating with myself on what to do.

Witnessed both pairs of killies spawning at the same time, just two plants away from each other. I now know why there are so few lampeye eggs, L.O only spawns one egg at a time, and sometimes Neo will just eat it right after  This time he didn't  and I got a pic of the 2 minute old egg. However, five minutes later the egg is gone, and I saw Tiger out, she quickly went back into her hiding spot when she saw me.
I couldn't see any clown eggs, though they may be too small for me to see...
The lampeyes seem to spawn on the stem plants, usually near the base of a leaf, and the clowns seem to spawn in the fissidens moss and riccia rock so far.








Spotted a couple of snails again today, instead of removing them right away, I tried to id them instead, as they were different than any snails I have had before. They look like mini ramshorn snails, so I am leaving them for now. When/if they get to be unsightly, I will take a bunch out for crayfish/betta food 








Removed the hatching tube, all the healthy eggs have hatched. Now to see how many survive to adulthood...


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

*15G;*
Both females crays molted yesterday, the largest doubled in size, and is now almost as big as Munchkin.
The No Planaria seems to be doing the job, I only saw three during the wc, and they did not look healthy. It also seems to have gotten rid of some other pests that were in the tank, bonus 
Did a 30%(ish) wc today (2G out - 5.5G in pH7.5-), vacuumed gravel on right side, cleaned filters, cleaned front glass, added 6mL Flourish.
Put the largest female in the net with Munchkin, they've just been avoiding each other so far.
Almost done scooping out shrimps to restart my colony, I think I am now left with approx five females with solid colour, and one male with a backstripe (removed 18 males and 16 females). There are probably more in there that I haven't found, though I will net the ones I don't want into a floating container as I see them. At this point I am not expecting them to go back to blue, though they do look very neat with the white backstripe and tail accents, and they change colour daily  It has been interesting seeing how they've changed through the generations over the past year, will be even more interesting seeing where they go over the next year, with some selective culling.

Largest Female Cray







Blueberry Shrimps








*33G;*
Got some wingless fruitflies for the fishes yesterday, a much cheaper and more sustainable option than pinhead crickets  
They were very well received by all the surface fishes, first time I have seen the hatchets in a "feeding frenzy", circling their prey, even jumping out of the water in excitement  The male clown killi coloured right up after eating one, looked like someone had splashed him with a bucket of paint  Also the first time I have been interested enough to stand and watch until they were done eating. 
Both killifish species are spawning daily now, although I think Tiger is eating all the eggs  I am still debating whether or not to rehome her, I think she may be stressed being on her own.
Added 4.5mL Flourish this morning, I have noticed a definite improvement in the plants since changing dosing to 4mL every 2 days. 
Spotted some new type of shelled creature in the tank, looks like a half shell clam type thingy (photo below), I believe they are freshwater limpets (acroloxus lacustris) (info source here) Hopefully their shells are soft enough, and the hillstream loaches keep them in control. If not, I will have an infestation on my hands, fingers crossed that won't happen though. 
This tanks ecosystem is rounding itself out quite nicely, worms, limpets, snails, shrimps, fishes, plants, what next...? 

Limpets



















......


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

......
Flower shrimps













Clown Killifish













Tank Shot







......


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

......
Thought I'd post a sequence of tank shots showing it's evolution from just after setup till now...

27/Dec, 31/Dec, 14/Jan, 29/Jan, 25/Feb, see above for 29/Mar


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

15G;
The male cray has molted yesterday morning, he is now the same size as the smaller female, also starting to charge more when I approach the tank. His claws are a slightly different shape and size than Munchkin, and based on the size of the females, I am sure they are a very different genetic strain than the previous pair I had (from a different source). So far Munchkin and the largest don't seem very interested in each other, maybe after each of them molts one more time.... though I don't know how much longer Munchkin will live for, he is approaching 10 months old, and has been through an awful lot in his lifetime.
The half black female guppy passed on saturday (RIP), and her last surviving son (one of only 4 born - she was fry-bound for the past 2 months) has some very neat traits that I haven't seen before on him. First thing I noticed was a blue/green metallic colouring on his body, there is a metallic "x" on the top of his head (all other males have had no colour on their heads), with what looks like quotation marks on either side. His front fins are also black when viewed from the front, and metallic when viewed from behind. His yellow/orange tail also has some blue showing through when he flares, a similar trait to what one of the original males displayed. 
I am very happy with this, as it means Trident's genetics have survived  (He was one of the first males I started with almost 12 months ago) So I have picked out three females to breed with the lucky guy, each of the three has been with a different half-black male for one drop before being introduced to "his tank" (really the cpo tank ), each having different traits that I would like to see in the strain (large dorsal and tail fins, tail "mutations"[top-sword, tri-top sword, dual sword, etc], solid black on body, yellow tail with black spot and border, white dorsal fin with black/metallic front fins, metallic on top from head to tail). At the rate things have been going, I should be close to the result I want from the strain in about 14-18 months 
I have tried to get a picture of him, can't get the angle right for the metallic to show properly in the photo 

Crays




















33G;
Spotted a killi egg a couple days ago, looked like it may have hatched before I saw it...., I've been keeping a sharp eye out for little fishes at the surface, though with 20+ mouths up there, and a couple more down below, slim chances of survival. Though L.O did survive in the 15G with 12 mouths to contend with, so I am still looking, and dropping in some fry food...  I'm not sure if it's from the lampeyes or the clowns, time will tell me though 
Did a 25% wc yesterday (6G out/in pH7.0), added 8mL Flourish. Waiting another week before cleaning the filter foam, just to give the shrimp fry a better chance. I'm sure a few are hiding in there, and I don't want to disturb their hiding spot when they need it the most. That and the new populations of snails/limpets in the tank are most likely the cause for the increased nitrates in my most recent tests. 
Trimmed two new offshoots from the giant hygro on the left side (my new wave scissors made it super easy ), keeping that one a single stem until after it breaks the surface. The leaf tips are now touching the surface both at night and during the day, the dual stem hygro on the right side is catching up quickly in height.
All the plants are reacting positively to the increased frequency if smaller doses of ferts each week, it's only been just over one week, and I'm already seeing improvement in all the plants 
Decided to get a smaller heater, rather than changing the tank scape for an oversized one  got a 150w jager from Fantasy Aquatics to replace the 200w thermal compact preset. 
The piece of japanese maple I picked out over a month ago, to replace the piece of driftwood on the right side, has finally sunken (has been soaking in the 20g guppy tank), I will be adding it when I add the new heater 
I used to have green tuft algae on the angled slate in the old tank, I was hoping it would do the same in this tank, though with the change in height (tank, water & fixture) vs the old tank, it is growing a thin layer of crimson algae. Not what I had hoped for, though I think it looks quite neat. Change is good sometimes 

Killi Egg













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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

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Vampire shrimp








Heater 








Tank Shot


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

*15G;*
Pics only update 














*33G;*
All three Flower shrimps molted the other day, first time I have seen all of them molt within a 2 hour period of each other, I wonder what the cause of it was . While the flowers where hiding after molting, the vampires came out for a walkabout  both were side by side at one point, it looked to me like they were saying something to each other (maybe something like; "It's looking at us again, what should we do? I think we should just stay still, maybe it won't see us and move on... Weird looking thing that is. . . No, it's still there. Ok lets just ignore it then...") I am spending far too much time looking at the tanks  lol 













Tested Friday; 
pH 7.0 
No3 50-mg/L 
TDS 292ppm 
Temp 78F
Did a 25% wc friday morning (6.5G out/in pH6.5-), cleaned 3 foam on custom filter, added 1 almond leaf and 10mL Flourish. Did another 25% wc saturday evening, added 8mL Flourish. Will maybe another on monday aswell depending on nitrate levels tomorrow. 
Everytime I've had snails in a tank, I get nitrate spikes. Arrrgh what a pain.
I removed my Riccia "ball" on friday, it started to melt away, too far away from the light I think. The riccia rock is starting to grow out in places, though the hygro leaves are casting shadows over the rock. Some trimming may be in order very soon.
I think the light may be too far above the tank, because of the low water level. I am not going to lower the light though, it just gets in the way then. I might just stick my spare t8 fixture on top just for a 3rd bulb. The plants might do a little better, and I might get short green algae again, though not sure if I want to go through that process in this tank. It took over 6 months for me to get the short green algae to grow in the 15G, without the long green algae taking off. I'm still picking bits of it out now and then.
It seems to me at this point, all that I need to do with the tank now is to keep up with regular wc's (as I increased the stock level when I told myself not to...), filter cleaning and plant trimming, also snail removal is probably in order. Basically all to do from this point on to the near future, is to remove things from the tank, not add to it...
I haven't mentioned the OEBT's in awhile, two molted recently, all four seem to be doing well  They are much more active than they were a couple weeks ago, I now catch them swimming from leaf to leaf on the hygro, and sometimes hovering against the current (quite something to see, still trying to get a photo/video, though I think it's one of those things that you just have to see in person when it happens )

Friday after wc;







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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

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Today, during and after wc;














Female Orange shrimp








Male Clown Killi 
(Camera didn't focus on him, I still like how it turned out though )








"Tiger" (banded dwarf loach)
She finally let me take her picture


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

*15G;*
Decided to release Munchkin and the largest female into the tank on sunday, the smaller two are big enough now, and Munchkin was looking kinda weak anyway. Today he's looking much better. There has been some displaying and claw snipping between the males, nothing severe.
Monday tested pH: 7.5+/8.0-, did a 45%ish wc (5G out - 6.5G in pH7.0), cleaned filters, added 6mL Flourish. 
Thinned out the floating plants, put the "trimmings" in the breeder net for now. 
Finally got a pic of the male guppy with the metallic "x"















*33G;*
Monday tested; 
pH 7.0
No3 20-mg/L
Temp 78F
Added 2mL Flourish, spotted a killi egg on the filter foam 

Tuesday did a 20%ish wc (5.5G out/in pH6.5), added 8mL Flourish. Replaced the heater (200w ThermalCompact PreSet) with the new 150w Eheim Jager I recently got. Left it overnight in the wc bucket to make sure it was set to 76F. Tank temp was at 78F before the wc, after it went down to 77F on the right side, 76.5F on the left side, now its at 76F(rs) 75.5F(ls). 
The killi egg has turned white 
Trimmed the single stem Hygro, removed 8 leaves, all curly. The Riccia rock is going bald where the leaves were blocking the light  some of it is growing though  I am now going to add Flourish daily, at 2-3mL, rather than 4mL every 2 days. I am still learning this tanks needs, I feel that I'm close, though still a ways away. (need to save up for the external filter, electrical and plumbing...)
I am considering adding a second dual t5ho fixture, and using two different kinds of bulbs, to give me a more complete spectrum, though that may be too much light...

The Vampires are colouring up very nicely, the former blue one now has some very neat marbled patterning going on, with some gold-flake accents  the former white one is less colourful, though very similar patterning.

One of the OEBT's is now mostly red striped with an orange tail, body colour has lightened up quite a bit. Queenie is still a dark blue, I think all four are just saddled and waiting... all I need is a couple male OEBT's...

Haven't seen any Blue Pearl fry since they were hatching, didn't spot any on the filter foam while cleaning either. Another couple weeks will tell me if any survived...

Lots of Pics ;

Killi egg








OEBT













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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

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15G;
Blue Shrimp














33G;
Queenie








Vampire













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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

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Anchor Cats














Lily








School in session 













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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

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New Heater




















Airline/Electrical entry on tank back













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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

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Tank;
Sunday







Tuesday


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

*15G;*
This morning, shortly after I woke up, I found Munchkin in the cave on his side, eyes clouded over  RIP little buddy, had an awesome 10-1/2 months with you... He was the first aquatic creature I have had from birth till death, I was just hoping he would live longer, though he went through alot in his lifetime. 
I also found a molt for the larger female in the cave aswell. 
Did a 32%ish wc today (5G out/in pH8.0-), vacuumed gravel, cleaned filters, thinned out more floating plants, added 5mL Flourish. 
Temp went up to 82F in the afternoon... Back down to 78F after the wc.

*33G;*
The riccia rock now has a much larger bald patch on it, the shrimps seem to be doing a good job of dislodging the riccia from the netting, also the hygro is casting a decent amount of shade over it. I think I will redo it with a smaller rock, and reposition it in a better lit spot.
Got a good photo of one of the OEBT's, looks like she is well ready for a male, I still haven't found any yet...  Photos will be posted later.
I also split the two lights onto their own timers, and upped the photo period to 9 hours. I will leave it for two days, and up it to 10 hours if the plants are doing better. I am also looking into getting a different light fixture for the tank.


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## Momobobo (Sep 28, 2010)

Can I say that you have the most mix bagged stocking I have probably ever seen, must be fun seeing the diverse population!


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Momobobo said:


> Can I say that you have the most mix bagged stocking I have probably ever seen, must be fun seeing the diverse population!


Yes you can  That was the idea when I decided to do a community vs a species tank, if I'm gonna put a bunch of species together, I might as well make it diverse. And rather than doing a biotope of species from a certain area, I just went with species that were similar sizing, and hopefully all get along, which they have been 
It is very fun, and interesting, watching the different species interact. Anytime I added a new species was the time to watch, as they staked out their "spot", and did the round of hello's.
I have no set "feeding time", as some species are nocturnal eaters, others are daytime eaters, so I have a nice weekly cycle of several different types of foods, they eat better than I do 
I am actually thinking of adding one more species, though I haven't seen any around since last year....


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## Foxtail (Mar 14, 2012)

Sorry to hear about munchkin... I love the anchor cats they look so cool. I did the same thing with my 120... I was going to do a biotope but then I just started finding deals and adding fish lol. 

What other species are you looking for?

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

Foxtail said:


> Sorry to hear about munchkin...
> I love the anchor cats they look so cool.
> I did the same thing with my 120... I was going to do a biotope but then I just started finding deals and adding fish lol.
> What other species are you looking for?


Thank you, I was hoping he would live for 12 months, he got close though. He did live longer than his parents...

The anchor cats were one of the first additions to the original tank, very interesting behaviour from them. They are nocturnal, though if I feed frozen bloodworms during the day, they will wake up to eat... I've also seen them playing in the current from the powerheads, and swimming against the front glass, going side-to-side, top-to-bottom. Quite funny to watch, especially when all five of them are doing it, bumping into each other :lol:

My original "idea" for the first tank was going to be one or two species of fish, two species of shrimp, and plants. That changed as soon as I saw the hillstream loaches, I then played around with the idea of a hillstream tank setup. I eventually settled on what the "new" tank is now, a "swampwater" mix of different species/environments. Unfortunately I didn't go for the deals, I just went for dwarf species that interested me. My wallet hates me for it  I just have to remind myself, I am already past the stock limit for the tank....

The one other species I am considering adding, is a species I had in my invert only tank last year. They didn't survive more than two months, after months of trying to figure out what I may have done wrong, I came to the conclusion that the tank was not the correct parameter setup for them. It was a hard-water (pH 8.0, 15-20 GH/KH, 74F) 5G newly setup tank with only two plants. The 33G is much more suited to their needs for parameters (pH 7.0, 5.6/2.8 GH/KH, 76F) mature setup (kind-of) and somewhat "heavily" planted (compared to my own previous tanks), as they do prefer softer water and heavy plant cover. The only possible issue is the current in the tank, they do prefer low to no current setups. 
They are; "Thai Micro Crab (Limnopilos Naiyanetri)", very very interesting inverts, I even managed to get a pair that bred, unfortunately no zoas survived due to the tank crashing at the time  Although I do know how to sex them now, when I find some that is...


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

(Pic heavy/Text light update)

*15G;*
Do not want to "jinx" anything, though I saw the male cray mating with the largest female the other day, she has been in a cave since... I can't see if she has berried yet... The smaller female is in the larger cave, no berries yet, I think she still has one more molt to go before she can.

Added one more female guppy to breed with the metallic male, starting to get overrun with fry in the other tanks... 

Cray photos;
































*33G;*
I have been adding 2-3mL Flourish daily, also changed to 9 hours of light, not much improvement with the plants. I'm sure they will take off once I upgrade the light fixture though...
Did a 25% wc monday (6G out/in pH6.5), added 8mL Flourish. 
Spotted a Blue Pearl fry on the filter foam  a very nice deep blue colour, and orangey eyes, had me thinking it was an OEBT fry for a couple seconds 
The OEBT's are looking mighty fine, so are the rest of the inhabitants actually :bigsmile:

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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

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OEBT's


























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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

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Blue Pearl Fry


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

*15G;*
Yesterday morning, shortly after the last post, the smaller female cray molted  The larger female moved into the cave the smaller one was in, she is definitely berried :bigsmile: Counting 2 weeks +/- 4 days from now until little crays are running around, I will have to remove the guppies before then... don't want them picking on the babies...
I am very excited, it's been about 8 months since I've had a berried female cpo.


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

A much overdue update, been busy switching parameters on the 10G in preparation for some new arrivals...

*15G;*
Did a 32%ish wc just after midnight monday morning (5G out/in pH7.0), vacuumed left side, added 8mL Flourish. 
Added two pieces of Echinodorus Aflame to the tank, very nice looking plant. 
Got an ok pic of the berried cray  Looks like the other one may be berried aswell...
Should probably be writing more...

Picture time 
Berried female













Echinodorus Aflame




















*33G;*
Got a couple things for the tank on saturday, from Charles & Pat @ Canadian Aquatics (Thanks Again )
New light (Odyssea 3x39w T5HO), New Plant (Echinodorus AFlame), and a Daphnia culture (to split between four tanks) 
Left the plant in the sealed container it came in overnight, floating in the tank. It is only the second red-leaf plant I will have tried recently, hopefully it doesn't melt away like the tiger lotus did in the 15G.

Did a 25% wc saturday night (6G out/in pH6.5), added 12.5mL Flourish (New Bottle). The new bottle of Flourish has a different colour to it than the old one, not sure if they changed or diluted their mix 

Mucked around with the stand legs for a bit (I couldn't open the top when it was directly on the glass), had to install them backwards so I could open the top for feeding/testing, without removing the light. It is quite a bit larger than the previous one  I still need to remove it to do water changes though. Set it for 10 hours total (single bulb for 10 hours, all three for 5 hours). It is very bright compared to the old dual t5 fixture, lots of light getting down to the substrate. The plants should have an easier time growing in this tank now.
I had it setup with one LifeGlo 6700k, and two PowerGlo 18000k bulbs, though I thought there was too much purpley colour when all three were on. I was able to find a Coralife 10000k t5ho, I switched out one of the powerglo bulbs for it. The three types together have a nice mix of colour.

Didn't see any daphnia sunday morning...

Opened the plant container on sunday, WOW, there was a lot of plant in that little container. After delicately seperating the roots, there was ten pieces total (five were small offshoots, four were small plants, one was a mid-size plant) much more than I thought I would be getting  I decided to split the pieces between three tanks, acclimated to each tanks water first of course.

Replaced the riccia rock with a smaller one, in order to make space for the new plant. It was also getting picked apart too much by the shrimps. Next step is to chop the top off the giant hygro, since it has now reached the surface, and is blocking too much light from the ground plants.

Lots of pics...


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

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Echinodorus Aflame

































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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

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Riccia Rock







Vampire













OEBT







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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

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Metallic "x" male guppy, not much of an x anymore...







Daphnia close-ups  They kinda look like cycloptic reindeer 


























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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

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Blue Pearl Fry


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

It has been far too long since my last update post. Been battling heat/cold fluctuations and pH swings, seems to be levelling off now.

*15G;*
Crayfish;
Both females dropped their first clutch, which I kinda expected to happen. 
The smaller female is now berried with a large clutch, at least 30...
Also added another filter to the tank, (thanks for great deal trixy ) an old style fluval2. Now there is somewhat adequate filtration in this tank, though it could use more...

Added a fish to the tank, even though I wasn't going to, as I'm trying to breed the crays... Though I couldn't resist the the huge personality this tiny little fish has. It's a Dwarf Panda Cichlid (Apistogramma Nijsseni), I believe a female. I have called her "spot", which is a little obvious... 
Will upload pics later, can't seem to do it from my phone...

*33G;*
Added another species a couple weeks ago, even after telling myself not to...  
Thanks to Frank @ Ebi-Ken, there are now 2 Panda Loaches (Protomyzon Pachychilus) in the tank. They immediately went to grazing on the algae after acclimation. When swimming they make it look like there's no current in the tank at all.

Much more, will post at a decent hour...


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

I never completed my last update posting  boo on me 

*33G;*
The snail battle is now being won by 2 assassin snails...
Due to the temp fluctuations and subsequent parameter swings and cyano popping up, I lost a few blue pearls (have 3 left), 2 oebts, 1 orange shrimp.
All remaining inhabitants are doing well, they will be doing better once I hook up my new toy...

Yesterday I got a new toy for the tank, an Eheim 2217 external canister filter. 
Huge Thank You to serhiobc for the Eheim 2217 :bigsmile: It came with all the media, I also got a set of lily pipes, thanks again!
I will be hooking it up very soon, will post more photos when setup, here's a couple for now.




















*15G;*
One cpo is berried at the moment, the crays and the panda cichlid seem to be getting along (for now).
Added 3 badis badis from Fantasy Aquatics last week, great little fishes, they seem very happy chasing shrimps around the tank...
Here's a pic of one badis and "spot"


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