Joe Posted May 5, 2011 Report Share Posted May 5, 2011 Wow looking awesome Sophia! Those little rasboras are gorgeous :love: How are those Crypts doing that I gave you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted May 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 5, 2011 Crypts are doing good, I put 1 big one and a small one in the killie tank and the other bigger one in here, it's in the middle back left corner next to the taller becketti/mystery ones at the back. They do have nice leaves. I think they will melt as most of my posted ones have at some point, but fingers crossed they don't disappear completely. Am trying to think of other plants that might go well in here as another layer around the semi circle but can't think of anything other than crypts and dwarf chain sword which I don't really want to use. More crypts would probably be nice - most plants look nice en masse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wsun013 Posted May 10, 2011 Report Share Posted May 10, 2011 whata the brand and model of that bio-filter that you have in the tank ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted May 11, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2011 I don't remember the name of the sponge filter at the beginning of the thread, but you can find it at HFF for about $8. Now there is an Eheim Pickup 2006 in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted May 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 15, 2011 Pygmies are now in their own lovenest back in the garage and this tank now has 4 dwarf chain loaches, the rasbora and the shrimp. When I put the 2 new loaches in there were some sexy goings-on :gigl: . All sorts of wrigglings I had never seen, either I had 2 girls or 2 boys before now I have an opposite. Be interesting to see how this group pans out as I understand loaches rarely breed in an aquarium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted May 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2011 An interesting turn of events this eve (probably :roll: for you old hats) - was thinking that there was very little current in this tank and was blaming the sponges I used to block up just about every inlet.... mulled over it for a while and thought that I should let my river fish have some river and worry about possible fry getting sucked in later. So I took off the front sponge and then wondered why the filter seemed clean, I expected it to be gunky. Pulled out the inside sponges and found that they were black with silt, squeezed them and they were muddy! Did a water test and no ammonia, nitrite and nitrate 10ppm as usual... obviously full of good bacteria, but not letting much water flow. Had a look at the same set up in my other tank - not silty at all. The only significant difference between the 2 is the silty one has sand, the other has gravel. There was no sand in the silt, just nice silky soft mud. Does anyone know why this happened? :dunno: photo updates Side angle, no tank is not about to tip over. My TheObstacle crypts have decided to melt after being perky for a month, so looking a bit empty around the edges at the moment. Front on Ever hardy shrimp 1 3 of the 4 loaches Left to right – skinny nervous loach, still getting used to new life, doesn’t eat much yet but he is trying. Next is the fattest – hopefully a female, still a little nervous but eats. 3rd along is one of the original 2, is teaching the other how to relax and eat as much as possible. 4th loach off powdering his or her barbels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted June 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 Got another loach on the weekend, now have 5. Since then some of them have started feeding from the top of the tank, especially for bloodworms. :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted June 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2011 This is what I call a fuzzy group shot. Here we have all 3 fauna represented with King Shrimp viewing his domain from above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted June 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2011 twisty leaves one loach's trash is another shrimp's treasure - a bit of unwanted snail King shrimp again Mr Skinny looking at the camera - I think his job in the group is Scout the little guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ismart120 Posted June 28, 2011 Report Share Posted June 28, 2011 Looking good Where abouts do the loaches hang out most often? I've got mine set up with driftwood and rocks that they hide in a lot - hoping that there'll be enough hiding spots for any potential young to survive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshlikesfish Posted June 28, 2011 Report Share Posted June 28, 2011 Awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the-obstacle Posted June 28, 2011 Report Share Posted June 28, 2011 Awesome! x5! Really really cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted June 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2011 Where abouts do the loaches hang out most often? Do you have dwarf chain loaches too ? Mine like to hang out under the plants and in the corner under the filter if there is nothing happening that is food related, but when I come over and appear to be feeding them they come out and sniff about in the sand and come to the top. After dinner they will mill about all over the bottom, in and out of the plants and around the back of the wood looking for food and mischief. Yesterday afternoon before dinner they were swimming at the front of the tank in the current too. There is also a hole in one of the woods, sometimes they sit in there and look out the hole like cats in a box but I haven't caught them doing that lately, I suspect because the usual one to do that was the fat one and now he/she is a bit fatter. I tried to keep the areas around the edges planted and then leave a free space in the middle as I understood that shy fish like to be able to see everyone in the group all the time. It didn't really work for my pygmy corydora except at mealtimes but these guys are less shy. With these guys, the more of them I've had, the more active they are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted July 4, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2011 Mr Skinny the loach played a trick on me yesterday. I did a water change early morning and didn't count how many were there. Later in the morning I realised there were 4 instead of 5. I hunted in all the nooks I knew of and couldn't see Mr Skinny, I figured he was inside the log where I can't see. At about 5pm I checked again and he was still not there so I thought he must have died in a wedge somewhere. I got my prodder and a towel and took the lids off to prepare for the mortuary. Though I had looked and looked in the 5 mm behind the filter I hadn't taken it off so I took the top 2 suckers off first and there he was, alive and looking up as if to say 'who asked you?'. I do think he must have been stuck because all day is a long time for a loach to do something on purpose. He could have been stuck there since the night before, as that was the last time I saw him :facepalm: . Loaches are worse than toddlers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ismart120 Posted July 4, 2011 Report Share Posted July 4, 2011 Yeah, about 10 of them? I've never been able to count them all since they've been in the tank, way too fast, I do know I've lost a few though unfortunately. I've found they're much more active in a large group too, and you have a fat one too?? My impression is thats the martriarch - she'll even tell the angelicus loaches that I've got in there whos boss, kinda cool to watch 8) Just though I'd ask as I've got a similar set up to you, but mine are quite taken to going under the drift wood and hiding there... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted July 4, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2011 Yes I have a really fat one and a really skinny one. 2 other fatties in between but are not as long as the biggest fattie. I can tell who is who most of the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ismart120 Posted July 5, 2011 Report Share Posted July 5, 2011 Sweet, how skinny is the skinny one just out of interest? I always lost mu skinny ones, I think its a worm thing in the first place. Know anything about whether the fat one is a breeding female or anything? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted July 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 5, 2011 I don't know if the female is laying eggs but I haven't seen any fry. There are plenty of places for fry to hide if they did make it past egg stage. There are 3 that are fat slug shape loaches and 2 that are long eel shaped so I think 3 females and 2 males. Not sure why Mr Skinny is skinny - as I said before his personality is more alert than the others a lot of the time and I suspect he is a male and more nervous than the others. There is another one that is thinner than the fat ones too, but not as skinny as Mr S. I read on the loach forum that it can be caused by worms but I haven't seen any signs of that other than weight, and I haven't dosed the tank. I have seen him graze over the food without eating it, and at other times hungry and chasing it so I think it is a social issue rather than a health one, but who knows. I am just guessing really. I would be sad to lose Mr Skinny as he has a lot of personality, I should probably get some wormer and give it a go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted July 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2011 Went tank shopping tonight, got me a slightly bigger tank for the muppets. Same depth so should be able to use my same light but a bit more measurements the other ways. Will spend the next few days fiddling with it and musing what to put where and then they will get their present :happy1: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted July 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2011 So today's update is Mr Skinny is now 'in hospital' with some aviverm/levamisole for company. I had noticed that the other skinny loach has improved in fatness over the last week or so but Mr Skinny seems to have gotten thinner over the last few days, also today has been very listless on the bottom, moving about in what looks like uncomfortable to him. So fingers crossed I have used the right medication and he gets better. if anyone wants to know I am using a quarter of a mL in 25 litres of water as per instructions I found on here earlier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ice222 Posted July 16, 2011 Report Share Posted July 16, 2011 Aww poor mr skinny loach . Hope he gets all better soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted July 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2011 me too, he's a cool little dude. :tears: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ismart120 Posted July 16, 2011 Report Share Posted July 16, 2011 Yeah, let us know if he pulls through or not. Feeding him anything special while in hospital? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted July 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2011 I have found out that I have given rather a heavy dose, (got infor from another thread) so will change some of the water out now and see if any change. So far he just sits on the bottom and shifts about awkwardly from time to time. I have tried to tempt him with a freshly crushed snail (favourite food), he's aware of it but doesn't eat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Posted July 16, 2011 Report Share Posted July 16, 2011 Oh no I hope he gets better :tears: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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