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[CLP]

thought i was getting on top of things...

lost another 3 fish today

So from a peak of something like 13 electric yellows, i now have 1.

utterly devastated :'(

[DexterPunk]

that really sucks. And even more so when you don’t know why it’s happening.

Last weekend I bought about 22 algae shrimp, and 8 ottos. There are about 2 shrimp left. And maybe 7 ottos. I was so sad to see one had died. Since then, I’ve only seen a max of six of them at a time. But they can be hard to spot and could be hiding. Apparently they often die after transportation as they go without food for too long, and the bacteria in their gut that helps break down algae dies off. The fish eventually starve to death even though they are eating.

The shrimp... I have no idea where they went. I’ve checked the filter and can’t see any. I’ve plucked about 5 dead ones from my tank but that still leaves about 15 that are MIA. It’s not just the money that makes it sad. You spend all this time and energy trying to make a happy home for the little critters.


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[CLP]

....and game over tonight

zero fishies

[norbs]

Jesus christ. it has been a cruel week for peoples pets

[CLP]

Hopefully your fishies and shrimp are just hiding. I know they tend to do that in a new environment. hell, sometimes in an old environment. I used to have 13 bright yellow fish and not a single one could be seen! :P and those were relatively large fish compared to what you have. fingers crossed for you!

I guess at this stage i'm considering my options, and thinking about a reset as it were. I've had that tank going in one form or another for about 10 years, maybe 7 of those with electric yellows. So i reckon i've learnt a bit and maybe had a few thoughts on how i'd like a tank to look. So maybe this is my opportunity to do those things.

Currently looking at 3D backgrounds which is something i wish i'd put in to begin with.
Also thinking that if i go with Electric yellows again that i'll avoid a sand substrate, partly because it's a pain to clean, and it's not part of their natural environment anyway.

poking around a bit.. who knew that aquarium sandfalls were a thing? :o

[CLP]

also considering moving from the built in filter system sitting on top of my tank to a canister filter.

very much liking the look of the Fluval G3 system
http://www.theaquariumshop.com.au/shopexd.asp?id=3860

[wobblysauce]

That is an amount of bling, all depends on what you are after... looking at that video there is room for more Biological media in the trays and a small amount of mechanical filtration, as most do not need the chemical side.

The Sand/Waterfall, on the other hand, is about the sand, think pool filter sand is what most use and you are already talking about the 3d background.

[DexterPunk]

Yeah those sandfall scapes are pretty insane. The amount of work to get them happening is pretty crazy.

I'm running a fluval canister filter, but just the 306. Nothing that fancy. It runs quiet, and so far has been excellent.
I've actually changed my inlet/outlet to get a bit more surface agitation, so have some glass pipes if you're keen on buying them off me.

[CLP]

so have some glass pipes if you're keen on buying them off me.

Cheers

still in the planning stages, so likely won't even get around to anything until late September at the earliest.

I liked the look of that G3 from the point of view of being able to remove the filters without (apparently) needing to shut down the system; anything that simplifies the cleaning process has to be a good thing in my book. If it's not a chore, then it'll be done more frequently

[DexterPunk]

Here’s some inspiration for the planning!




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[CLP]

And the hits just keep on coming... lost another fish in a different tank last night. One of our beautiful clown loaches :'(

Once again, not long after a water change. Local fish shop guy reckons he's seen a bit of this happening recently :/

[norbs]

I have zero knowledge about al this stuff, but I was talking to a mate the other day about this very thread and that sand waterfall thing.

He lives in Sydney and only uses rainwater now to fill his tank. Said he kept losing random fish after water changes using tap water.

Like I said, I have no idea, but he has about 12 tanks around his fucking mansion, so must know something about it.

[CLP]

I have zero knowledge about al this stuff, but I was talking to a mate the other day about this very thread and that sand waterfall thing.

He lives in Sydney and only uses rainwater now to fill his tank. Said he kept losing random fish after water changes using tap water.

Like I said, I have no idea, but he has about 12 tanks around his fucking mansion, so must know something about it.

I believe that using rain water has it's own set of interesting challenges, mostly around causing massive swings in pH levels. Solvable of course, if you're aware of them

[norbs]

I have zero knowledge about al this stuff, but I was talking to a mate the other day about this very thread and that sand waterfall thing.

He lives in Sydney and only uses rainwater now to fill his tank. Said he kept losing random fish after water changes using tap water.

Like I said, I have no idea, but he has about 12 tanks around his fucking mansion, so must know something about it.

I believe that using rain water has it's own set of interesting challenges, mostly around causing massive swings in pH levels. Solvable of course, if you're aware of them

I sent him a text before telling him I told you guys about rain water. His reply was curt.

"It's not that fucking easy dickhead".

Thereafter ensured a rather lengthy exchange of ideas, with the last message saying "Rainwater still needs to be watched, and mine goes into a fishpond with various plants for conditioning before the inside tanks"

So i sort of stand corrected.

I have watched him mucking around with his tanks, and it looks like a fucking lot of work.

Interesting side story. He used to have a Flickr account with all his fish photos. Until he was robbed and some stole $2k worth of fish. The look on his face when I asked him how they managed to carry 2000 fucking goldfish out of the place was priceless.

[hutchy]

I have zero knowledge about al this stuff, but I was talking to a mate the other day about this very thread and that sand waterfall thing.

He lives in Sydney and only uses rainwater now to fill his tank. Said he kept losing random fish after water changes using tap water.

Like I said, I have no idea, but he has about 12 tanks around his fucking mansion, so must know something about it.

I believe that using rain water has it's own set of interesting challenges, mostly around causing massive swings in pH levels. Solvable of course, if you're aware of them

I sent him a text before telling him I told you guys about rain water. His reply was curt.

"It's not that fucking easy dickhead".

Thereafter ensured a rather lengthy exchange of ideas, with the last message saying "Rainwater still needs to be watched, and mine goes into a fishpond with various plants for conditioning before the inside tanks"

So i sort of stand corrected.

I have watched him mucking around with his tanks, and it looks like a fucking lot of work.

Interesting side story. He used to have a Flickr account with all his fish photos. Until he was robbed and some stole $2k worth of fish. The look on his face when I asked him how they managed to carry 2000 fucking goldfish out of the place was priceless.

My wife works here https://oceanreefsmarine.com.au/ my credit card gets very excited every time I visit.......they are massive amounts of work to look after though. I think I might just stick to my 43 ltr nano tropical tank for now. I use the reverse osmosis water from her work makes life very easy in two years I have never had to check water levels etc.

[DexterPunk]

Yeah I’ve actually been losing some Otos lately after water changes. I’ve been scratching my head as to what’s happening. All my parameters look good, KH and GH are low but that shouldn’t matter too much.

RO water is an option. But has to be re-mineralised apparently.

I blame the liberals.


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[DexterPunk]

Another one bites the dust. I did a water change last night too. I reckon there’s only 1-2 Otos left now. Frustrating as fuck. Don’t know what else to do apart from putting conditioner in before the hose.


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[CLP]

Another one bites the dust. I did a water change last night too. I reckon there’s only 1-2 Otos left now. Frustrating as fuck. Don’t know what else to do apart from putting conditioner in before the hose.


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we fill using buckets. conditioner in the bucket, fill bucket, then into the tank. Though i read on the bottle that you're meant to let the conditioned water sit for ~30 minutes. not sure how i'm supposed to do that, *and* have the water at somewhere near the correct temperature when it goes into the tank

[hutchy]

Sounds like tap water and bigger tanks = more stress. My little 46ltr using reverse osmosis water has never given trouble.

20180828_191141 by Andrew Hutchison, on Flickr
20180828_191128 by Andrew Hutchison, on Flickr
20180828_182047 by Andrew Hutchison, on Flickr

[norbs]

Yeah, but you have fucking staff!

[hutchy]

Yeah, but you have fucking staff!

[pixelboy]

Someone's gotta keep track of all the ironing boards!

[hutchy]

Someone's gotta keep track of all the ironing boards!

[DexterPunk]

RO water for me would be potentially more stressful for any fish than tap water. RO for a heavily planted tank needs to be re mineralised which adds more complexity and another variable to potentially shock the fish. Our tap water here is excellent, however it’s extremely soft GH and KH of near 0. Not an issue for most fish / shrimp, but better for the plants to get that up a bit. I need to find some marble chips for the filter.


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[hutchy]

RO water for me would be potentially more stressful for any fish than tap water. RO for a heavily planted tank needs to be re mineralised which adds more complexity and another variable to potentially shock the fish. Our tap water here is excellent, however it’s extremely soft GH and KH of near 0. Not an issue for most fish / shrimp, but better for the plants to get that up a bit. I need to find some marble chips for the filter.


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I looked into doing a planted tank originally but due to the extra complexity and the amount of time I could commit, I took the easier option .