After first week, algae on glass and on log, so I added 6 Otocinclus affinis.
1/24/99
PH: 7.1 KH: 9 Iron: .1? Visual CO2: aqua green
Added 3 Crossocheilus siamensis (Siamese Algae Eaters)
1/31/99
Added fish:
2 Kuhlii Loaches
1 Clown Loach
4 Forktail Rainbows (3 male, 1 female)
6 Harlequin Rasboras
Added plant:
1 Mayaca bunch
Moved some plants.
Observation: The hornwort and didiplis diandra are rotting/not doing
well near the substrate.
2/1/99
Trimmed plants and replanted didiplis diandra and Mayaca. Moved
cardamine to back left. Removed hornwort completely. Gave clipping
and hornwort to Ara. E. parv. Tropica flower stem near surface.
2/2/99
Flower stalk now at surface. Changed water and fertilized with
3 caps Mira-vit and 7 caps Ferro-Vit. Added ShieldX for chlorine.
Replace power head with Regent because of reduced water flow from the Tetra.
2/4/99
PH: 7.3 -- NO2: undetectable -- Tetra KH: 9 -- Tetra GH: 4 -- Dupla
KH: 10 -- NO3: undetectable -- Ammonia: undetectable -- Visual CO2: blue
Tap water: GH: 4 -- KH: 7
2/5/99
Introduced sick Betta with fungus. (what was I thinking?) Then
isolated and tried to medicate, but Betta died anyway.
2/9/99
Removed scum off surface. The scum was from Lysol being sprayed
in the same room as the open top tank. Although it was really gross
and scary, no fish losses.
2/12/99
Refilled to the top, then did a 25% water change. Fish do not
seem sick from Lysol. Moved orange/red tailed guppies from 29 Gallon
into tank and also added orange male swordtail from 29 Gallon.
2/15/99
Guppy had babies over the weekend. Maybe the fresh food (brine
shrimp) two weeks ago brought on fertility?
Introduced more fish from the Aquarium Center:
1 Gold Nugget Pleco
1 Red Honey Gourami
1 Coral Blue Gourami
2 Endler's Live bearers (male and female)
3 Siamese Algae Eaters (small)
1 Blue Ram (male)
1 Beta (red male)
1 Clown Loach
3 Rainbow shrimp
Added a new plant:
1 Rotala macrandra bunch
Plants are doing well. Fish seem to be doing well. It is
late, so new fish are getting acclimated quickly.
2/16/99
I spotted a baby SAE in the tank. I was really careful when adding
the fish earlier (fishing them out of acclimation chamber with fish net
and examining), so I believe the SAEs must have spawned. Fish all
doing well, plants getting out of hand. Some brush algae on log (may
be java moss), gravel, and on dying leaves of E. parv. Tropica. Tried
to remove it, but it was really attached. Just removed leaves and
pulled stuff off the log.
2/17/99 Ruffled sword seems to have a flower stalk. It is already at the surface.
2/19/99
15% water change. Added ShieldX, cleared out some algae/java
moss.
2/23/99
Notices some unusual behavior in Harlequin Rasboras. Two were
swimming/floating right next to each other and bumping/rubbing against
each other. After a little while behavior stopped. Everything
seems fine. It may be time to do something with the E. tropica flower/plantlet
stalks. The one got broken at the tip, so the plantlets along its
length should be planted soon. The one large one has a runner style
root and now a thick white root (tap root). I can't see how to plant
the one without hurting the others though. The second stalk is out
of the water, but not doing anything (no flowers). Maybe I should
weight it down next to the substrate and let it take root. The ruffled
sword flower stalk hasn't changed. I need to drape it out of the
water. The plants definitely need some pruning. The Hygrophila
polysperma is annoying. When it is long enough to serve as a background
plant, it has a lot of water roots. Time to look into a replacement.
The aponogeton ulvaceus is getting huge! I am not sure I want it
shadowing the whole left side of my tank, though it sure looks nice.
Browning of center vein/arch support of leaves where they are top most.
Probably too much light, because they are right under the light bulb.
Lilaeopsis runners are now competing with the 4-leaf clover, even intruding
into "its" domain. Gardening this mess is sure leaving me puzzled.
I think I need to move some plants around.
2/26/99
20-30% water change and added ShieldX. Aponogeton flowered over
the weekend. Twin yellow spikes from one of the flower spikes.
I believe only 2 shrimp left. Shrimp have darkened to a deep colorful
brown-red with a bright yellow stripe down the back. The tail also
has a yellow stripe edging it.
2/29/99
Added fertilizer, 8 caps Ferro-vit and 3 caps mira-vit
3/6/99
Guppies had more babies, counted at least 15 new.
3/9/99
Moved plants around.
3/11/99
Water change (approx. 25%). Added some species of Rotala, more
sunset Hygrophila, and frill or something like that. Betta seemed
bothered after water change. May have gotten caught in the pull of
the syphon. CO2 cylinder has run out.
3/12/99
Replaced CO2 cylinder. Fertilized 3/9 caps mira/ferro-vit.
GH 6 -- KH 9.5 -- Dupla KH 10 -- PH 7.3 (CO2 just started) -- N02/NO3
undetectable
3/17/99
Clipped Hygrophila a bit and replanted tops elsewhere. Also bacopa
needed trimming. Took pictures.
3/18/99
10% water change and added ShieldX
3/19/99
3/9 caps mira/ferro-vit added.
3/25/99
255 water change and added ShieldX. Guppies gave birth sometime
this week. Honey Gourami seemed strange. Really dark on the
belly, almost black, and strange on fins. Looks like mating, but
there isn't a female. Aponogeton still putting out flower buds, six
or so now. Monday I had to change the CO2 cylinder. Must have
a leak. Today is Thursday.
3/27/99
I have found 2 SAEs behind the tank, long dead and dried out.
The 2 Endler's live Bearer's are also missing. Head Count:
1 Betta
1 Blue Ram
2 adult red-tailed Guppies plus their 3 generations of babies
1 Blue Coral Gourami
1 Red Honey Gourami
6 Harlequin Rasboras
4 Forked-tailed Rainbows
2 Clown loaches
1 Gold-nugget pleco
2 Kuhli Loaches.
3/30/99
Added 15 Malaysian Trumpet Snails.
4/3/99
Moved plants around and pruned. Took some leaves off the
Aponogeton for light to get to the bottom. Moved the "dwarf" sag
to the back and consolidated some runners of lilaeopsis and four leaf clover
to cover front where sag was. Betta (aka Red) is now attacked me.
My stupid boyfriend has now taught my fish to attack any human body part
stupid enough to enter "his" domain. He really startled me and I
ended up scraping up my arm. He has now tasted human blood, so I
don't think anything will stop him now. I am now removing him to
a separate container whenever I work in the tank. I filled the tank
to the top and added shieldx. Tossed some hygrophila and water sprite
into the 29 Gallon tank.
4/8/99
3/9 caps of miravit/ferrovit added. Noticed flower on E. major.
Took pictures.
4/10/99
5-10% water change. E. major flower has now reached the surface
of the water. The aponogeton is still flowering like mad.
4/17/99
30% water change with ShieldX added. I added 4 teaspoons ShieldX
(normally 3) because one of the Kuhlii loaches has a slimy white patch
near his head.
4/20/99
Put a blue fading to dark blue background behind the tank. Increased
the CO2 output a little to get PH at 7. Indicator was a bit too blue.
Added 3/9 caps mira/ferro-vit.
4/25/99
20% water change with 3 teaspoons ShieldX added.
5/9/99
20% water change with ShieldX added. Added:
1 Borneo Sucker Loach
4 Otocinclus
1 Dwarf African Frog.
5/12/99
3/9 caps mira/fero-vit
5/21/99
40% water change with shieldx added.
5/22/99
3/9 caps mira/ferro-vit added.
5/31/99
Changed left halogen bulb
6/7/99
Changed 30% water and added ShieldX (3 tsp.). Pruned back
plants. Aponogeton dying off. Now one of the E. major sword
plants has two flower stalks and the other has one. The one towards
the center that is under the light has two and the one further left has
just one.
6/12/99
3 caps Miravit added.
6/17/99
30% water change with ShieldX added.
6/24/99
Added 3 caps Miravit. 2 sword flower stalks off of the right
sword and one off the left. The aponogeton is now going into dormancy,
so there is a lot more light on the left. Sword leaves are really
showing what I think may be a potassium deficiency. Many holes in the leaves,
starting at the tips and the whole leaf becomes a skeleton. C. willisii
have settled in finally. They have now produced many daughter plants.
The 4-leaf clover is starting to look blah, so it may be time to play with
that. The Lilaeopsis is doing great. Dwarf sag is in front
of the big section of the log and has flowered repeatedly. The leaves
have grown to the top of the tank and folded over like Vallisneria.
It must like being right under the right light. The didiplis diandra
is really doing bad in the back right corner. There just isn't enough
light for it back there. The fish are all happy and active.
I only see the gold-nugget pleco every great one in a while, because he
only comes out after its dark. The plants are finally recovering
from my harsh pruning when I gathered plants for Jeff's tank.
6/29/99
25% water change with ShieldX added. Spotted the elusive African
dwarf frog and the pleco. The pleco was actually out of his cave!
The water was really cloudy coming out of the hose, when I did the water
change. Added 3 caps Mira vit.