Sophia Posted September 14, 2012 Report Share Posted September 14, 2012 Here is my personal experience with using TLC start smart bacteria in a bottle. Set up a brand new AR980T tank using the filter that came with it only. Wash a sack of new gravel and put it in the tank. Put in a 300w heater. Fill up tank with warm water from the tap and turn on the filter. Pour in a bottle of start smart bacteria and added two sper red map discus, two red melon discus and two red dragon discus. Put in another four golden molly, two clown loach and three dwaft chain loach. Water test everyday and there was no sign of any ammonia or nitrite and the tank had been going for two months now. Thirty percent waterchange twice a week and three feeding per day of colorbit, bloodworm and flakes. Dose TLC freshwater after each waterchange as per instruction on bottle. The ammonia and nitrite level would have gone through the roof if the product don't work or am I just lucky. Discus are even pairing up and breeding in the tank and molly are dropping frys. Ron I've seen this tank... it's cool 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr A Posted September 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 16, 2012 This sounds very encouraging .. a product that works as advertised. Do they say what's in the bottle? And what's the cost? $5 (iirc), bottle was pretty vague, think I've put it out in the trash/recycling now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F15hguy Posted September 16, 2012 Report Share Posted September 16, 2012 $5 probably stresszyme, many shops give away the sample size ones so they can sell fish straight away cycle is blue, stresszyme is red Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr A Posted September 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 16, 2012 Oh and more importantly I picked up a betta yesterday. He's a pretty cool customer. No sign of aggression when I put him in with the minnows in the tank (I removed a rouge super aggressive golden one earlier in the day). However I noticed feeding him last night and again this morning he's proving territorial towards them when feeding. No actual nipping but every time one swims close to where the food is floating he'll turn and give them a full fin/gill display, scaring them off. Hopefully I can effectively feed both, don't want the minnows starving. They're not very good at all at at bottom-scavenging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F15hguy Posted September 16, 2012 Report Share Posted September 16, 2012 try getting some sinking pellets fo him and while he's distracted chuck in some floating flakes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr A Posted September 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 16, 2012 Yeah, I've already got some pallets, they don't sink straight away however. I'm hampered by the 2 floating Indian Ferns I've got, they effectively cover most of the surface area of the tank, and while the betta seems quite good swimming in and around them snuffing out food, the minnows really require direct line of sight to newly dropped foods. Can't blame them I suppose, their brains are probably only 1/4 of the size of the betta. Early days yet though so I'll see how they're progressing. A day or two without much food shouldn't phase the minnows, in my experience with them outdoors they actually do fine without being actively fed so long as their isn't thousands of them (which incidentally isn't hard to achieve), which should mean they can fast a while... While I'm on the subject of food... some sort of bottom feeder would probably be quite advantageous, especially as I can re home the minnows to keep a lid on the waste load. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F15hguy Posted September 16, 2012 Report Share Posted September 16, 2012 theres good pygmy cories around occasionally, but thy need lotsa hidey holes or they can be shy, or if you think the tank is big enough try 4-5 of the panda cories or other smaller ones, or chain loaches (though they may nip the betta), or freshwater shrimp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr A Posted September 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 16, 2012 Need to go on a freshwater shrimp mission. $5 a head off trademe seems way too high. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F15hguy Posted September 16, 2012 Report Share Posted September 16, 2012 shouldn't be for sale even Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr A Posted September 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 16, 2012 Well it's a free market and there isn't any law against it right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F15hguy Posted September 16, 2012 Report Share Posted September 16, 2012 yes there is, they are NZ natives A person may not raise, feed, release, process, or deal in native fish for sale in any establishment (i.e. a fish farm) without a licence under the Freshwater Fish Farming Regulations 1983. This applies to koura and shrimp as well, http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=49106 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr A Posted September 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 16, 2012 Oh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted September 17, 2012 Report Share Posted September 17, 2012 Hey Dr A, you can catch your own in the creek behind the zoo near Jaggers Bush park, if you drag your net in the weeds. Well, that's what I tell everyone anyway because that's where I caught some a couple of times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr A Posted September 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2012 http://imgur.com/a/t1aAy/ They're quite big and the color is quite average (using my mobile). Anyway correct me if I'm wrong but he's a crowntail elephant ear. Pretty chuffed with him to be honest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted September 17, 2012 Report Share Posted September 17, 2012 The colour is salamander, fin type looks like delta or halfmoon, perhaps half sun or rosetail? Does appear to have elephant ears too. Hope that helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr A Posted September 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2012 He's definitely an elephant. *edit* - Oh yeah it's a halfmoon rather than a crowntail. Don't know why I got them mixed up as they're not even remotely similar. Color (inadvertently) matches the pink & white moth orchid I've got beside the tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Discusguru Posted September 17, 2012 Report Share Posted September 17, 2012 Came in as a lavender halfmoon elephant fighter. Salamander will be a more proper colour and definately a halfmoon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trilobite Posted September 17, 2012 Report Share Posted September 17, 2012 :nfs: I dont know if I'd class him as elephant ear though, his pectorals are still the same size as a normal betta, just colored white, which is pretty common in salamander coloured bettas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F15hguy Posted September 17, 2012 Report Share Posted September 17, 2012 very nice addition full tank shot now he's settling in??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr A Posted September 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2012 Yeah I'll do one this evening. Just got my Indian Almond Leaf tea-bags so the water is looking a little brown. The Betta is happy as Larry but I'm still concerned about the minnows. They're completely different (ie. timid) fish now he's in there. Also possibly need some of that excel fertilizer stuff, some of the plants aren't doing too well, although nothings outright died which is a start. Managed to get the betta to eat a flake from my fingers too, which is pretty cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr A Posted September 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 18, 2012 Surrounding pics. Apologies in advance for that vertical cord, it's the cable going to my new UHF antenna. Yet to get some white spray-paint to sort it out. Lounge (TV) also looks kinda messy because my little brother came around to try sort his uni assignments out. Anyways tankwise, the plant in the back left (redish thing) whilst shedding lots of leaves seems to be coming away, the thing in the middle is going nuts (biggest success story). I don't have any set photo periods, no sign of algae, or snails, which I guess is kinda amazing. I couldn't get to all the roots of the sword to bury them, I can see why those $20 tweezers could be useful. Not 100% happy with the tank layout, I'm thinking of replacing the rock on the back right with the sword. possibly leave the foreground bare... "The minnows" still aren't happy - the way I see it have two options - 1) Add more (they're less timid in numbers) or 2) Remove them. Definitely keen to go get some of those shrimp. Also I'm (perhaps vainly) looking for the betta to make a bubble nest... there's lots of individual clusters over the surface, but I can't say what's made them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F15hguy Posted September 18, 2012 Report Share Posted September 18, 2012 nice setup. little hint, instead of $20 tweezers, you can get forceps for a reasonable price from a farming store, or even use some chopsticks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted September 18, 2012 Report Share Posted September 18, 2012 $20 tweezers are totally worth it, I've tried planting stems, hairgrass, glosso etc, with my fingers, other tweezers and aquascaping tools and the aquascaping tweezers are easily the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F15hguy Posted September 18, 2012 Report Share Posted September 18, 2012 warning, do NOT google planting stick with safe mode off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted September 18, 2012 Report Share Posted September 18, 2012 warning, do NOT google planting stick with safe mode off Now that I've gotta google when I get home :slfg: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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