Aquarium Journal

Domine name changed

2009-03-18T10:14:00.001-06:00

Well the economic crysis hits everyone in one way or another, although in the economic way mostly. We had to give up all our domine names and hosting provider, so sadly all the images on this site are lost. They will be replaced over time, as this blog works as a reference site and knoledge sharing all the content is continualy visited and reviewed.

My apologies for the trouble this may cause.

Actually we are keeping just one tanke, the 55 galon. It has become very stable, the fish on it has been alive since more than a year including the Scalare couple and the 4 blue Gouramies.

The bottom of the aquarium keeps clean with a school of diferent species of corydoras, and the inside glass is on charge of a single Plecostomus.

Well the task now is to replaces the missing images. So until the next time, good luck.

Update

2008-06-07T03:02:00.001-06:00

Just a little update. The crayfish died about a moth ago. I guess it was it time becasue the water was always cleana nd there was plenty of food.

The angelfish are doign fine and we just introduce a small plecostomus.

In the big acuarium the plecostomus died so it was replaced.

We went to Chile for two months and when we came back I was amazed to see that the tanks where looking clean yet. Either way I clean them and changed water. Having bigger filters that what the tank really needs is very good idean.

It is summer here and is getting very hot. we have AC btu even though the water is about 78 in the day. I guess I can put some ice cubes sometimes uh?

Crayfish catching some fish

2008-01-09T00:08:00.001-06:00

Aquariums are a piece of nature, a chunk of the habitat its dwellers lived. As it is, some creatures eat meat and others are vegan, and we have the responsibility to feed these creatures with the food they are used to, because that will ensure they are healthy and happy.

We are keeping a crayfish in a 20 gallon tank, and the only things that was doing was trying to escape, as you saw in the last video.

Just before we are leaving to Chile, we decided that would be much healthy to left the crayfish with some other fish, because just seen movement around and other fish will help to dis-stress the crayfish for a while.

So now is very busy trying to catch those fish. The following video was taken right after we drop the fish there so she was very hectic, but after a while, Calipso, as we named it, catch a fish (not shown in the video) and consumed it in few seconds.

I’m glad that was quick, and didn’t left half fish dying slowly.

So this is the nature way.

Crayfish escaping by the filter

2008-01-07T21:55:00.001-06:00

This is the last video for the Crayfish, we are leaving in 2 days to Chile for two monts.

Bye Crayfish

Leaving for 2 months

2008-01-06T22:09:00.001-06:00

All the fish we introduce last time died, except for the 4 gouramies and on plecostomus. The rest are gone as the water was poisonous. The problem is that I had to put the fish right away in the tanks as the quarantine tank is been used by the crayfish.

Next Wednesday Im leaving in a two months trip and there are an infestation affecting the platies in the big tank. Most of them had died and the survivors are whit fungus. I made a 90% water change and clean the bottom, so I hope they recovered and resist for the 2 months.

I put the 4 neons I had with the crayfish in the 20 gallon tank, along with the scalars. There are many plants in that tank so they may be ok. There is no fish to clean the plants, so when I am back I may find the sword with black leafs.

Crayfish grows

2007-12-15T17:07:00.001-06:00

Today when I saw the crayfish looks some weird to me. It’s bigger now as it moult last night. The exoskeleton was lying looking like a dead crayfish. It is amazing how this animals grows.

If I turn the light on it blinks the eyes. For today it will be better with the light off.

Crayfish attack angelfish

2007-12-09T03:29:00.001-06:00

The blue crayfish seems to contaminate the water a lot. The water in the 20 gallon tank was unclear and smells. One factor that may be important is that we removed from that tank a plecostomus and 3 corydoras, which help to clean.

We thought days ago to separate it due it violent behavior. We got gravel (white) and some stones to suit the crayfish in the small 10 gallon tank. I was thinking to do that tomorrow but this night I heard a splash and when I look at the 20 gallon tank the crayfish had a angel fish grabbed from the dorsal fin (upside down), as the fish tried to escape the lobster tear all it fin, the fish swim away dizzy, staying in a odd position for a while. It probably was half sleep as the crayfish try to get it. I turn on the light and feed them to make them go to the surface.

I set up the small aquarium right away and now I’m finishing of clean the 20 gallon tank. Tomorrow pictures.

Blue Crayfish in 20 gallon tank

2007-12-02T17:25:00.001-06:00

After putting the crayfish in the 20 gallon (80 Lt) tank the crayfish was behaving for few days. They angelfish laid eggs on a leaf. Sadly I wasn’t prepared to breed those so I let them go. 80% of the eggs spawn and a little tale could be seen moving on each eggs.

The crayfish then start removing some plants, the ones I just put last week, that have weak roots. And making holes everywhere. The water also is getting dirtier that with the other fish. The absence of the Plecostomus has all the plants growing algae on it.

The Blue Crayfish don’t attack the angelfish at all. But I will have to remove it because is damaging the tank.

In a 10 gallon (40 Lt) with just stones it will be better. I may consider to add some cichlids. I have read that they do well. (Anglefish are cichlids too)

Crayfish eating algae wafer

2007-11-21T04:08:00.001-06:00

The Blue Crayfish eating a algae disk in the quarantine tank.

Thanksgiving acquisitions

2007-11-18T06:24:00.001-06:00

The tanks need some new plants so last Friday we went to Decatur, Al to visit some stores. Sadly we didn’t find any real aquarium plant. In PetCo and PetSmat they only sells mondo grass and other NON aquarium plants. We will have to get them online. I would like some long vallisnerias and some more swords that grow so well in our tanks.

Michelle liked a Blue crayfish (Procambarus alleni) so we got it for $21.60. We pick 4 Blue Blue Gourami (Trichogaster trichopterus) and 2 Three-Lined Cory (Corydoras trilineatus), this last listed as “spoted corys” in PetCo.

We put the new fish and crayfish in a small 10 gallon tank for quarantine for some days. The crayfish seems to attack when other fish come closer, so we separated the 2 corydoras and we add them already to the 55 gallon tank. They seems to be in very good shape.

We moved the plecostomus and the 3 corydoras in the 2o gallon tank and we add them to the 55 gallon tank as well, so the crayfish can be alone with the two anglefish in the 22 gallon aquarium. But if we see that the crayfish damage any gourami we will conceder to keep it alone in the 10 gallon tank.

Blue Gourami (Trichogaster trichopterus)

2007-11-18T00:07:00.001-06:00

Also: Three Spot Gourami, Opaline Gourami.

Family: Osphronemidae

Characteristic: 5 inches (12 cm),females smaller with rounded fins.

Tank and water: 42 Gallons (160 Liters), Ph 5.5 - 9.5, 72 - 81°F (22 - 27°C)

Care: In aquariums filled with many structures. They like floating plants, loose plantings along the sides and roots. Feed flaked foods, especially green flakes. They like various live and frozen foods. Place only one pair in 3.5 ft (1-m) tanks.

Habits: Often found in standing, many times cloudy waters in Indonesia and Malaysia. They can be found in rice fields as well.

Compatibility: With Asian bottom fish (loaches, catfish) and calm barbs, danios, and rasboras.

Personal note: The males can chase each other. They are peaceful and like to touch each other with their fins which look like downward pointing "antennas".

Three-Lined Cory (Corydoras trilineatus)

2007-11-17T23:34:00.001-06:00

Also: Corydoras julii

Family: Callichthyid armored catfish. Callichthyidae.

Characteristic: 2.4 inches (6 cm),females are plumper.

Tank and water: 15 Gallons (56.8 Liters), Ph 5.5 - 8.5, 77 - 83°F (25 - 28°C)

Care: Keep in groups in your aquarium. They like sandy substrates in parts and loose plantings. They appreciate structures for resting areas. Feed with live, frozen and dry food or you can use Corydoras food.

Habits: Sociable fish with their kind and from the soft-bottomed expanses of water in the Peruvian Amazon region.

Compatibility: Ideal companion fish for South American fish of the middle and upper regions. In small tanks but do not keep with cichlids.

Personal note: These fish are active cleaners and enjoy spending time together in groups with others of the corydora family. They are quite entertaining to watch.

Blue crayfish (Procambarus alleni)

2007-11-16T22:18:00.001-06:00

Also: Florida crayfish

Family: Cambaridae.

Characteristic: Male has two extra short appendages at the rear of the back legs. Female has none. In the aquarium can grow up 5 inch (13 cm).

Tank and water: 20 Gallons (75.7 Liters), Ph 7 -7.5, 65 - 75°F (18.3 - 23.9°C)

Care: They like to burrow and hide in caves. They can live in the aquarium, as long as there are not other bottom dwellers or expensive fish. These creatures are scavengers as well as hunters. They clean up the bottom the tank, but will also grab at a passing fish too. They too can be eaten by fish. A large oscar, for example, would consider it for lunch. When they molt their protective shell they are vulnerable to smaller fish also.
Crayfish are great escape artists and will try to climb out of the tank, so any holes in the hood should be covered.
Feed food which is high in Iodine as this helps it moult. Kelp tablets are one source.

Illness: It can be affected by a leach worm kind called Branchiobdellida. This is not dangerous for the crayfish and can be removed rinsing and scrubbing with a soft toothbrush under tank temperature water.

Compatibility: With any medium size fish.

Personal note:

Tennessee Aquarium

2007-10-30T10:57:00.001-06:00

This is the aquarium in Chattanooga Tn. we visited few weeks ago. It is a beautiful place surrounding by a lot of nice restaurant and stores. The aquarium is separated in three buildings, one for salt water, fresh water and the Imax 3D Theater. This last it's amazing, whit a screen the size of a football field and real 3D it's amazing. I'm looking to come back next month to watch Beowulf. There is a special store call Candyland that Michelle loved, and she remembered from a visit some years ago. They have a lot of different kind of candies and they charge by pound. We spend $30 in candy here, but it last all the way back home and more.

Georgia Aquarium

2007-08-24T14:22:00.001-06:00

This Wednesday we had to travel to Atlanta for other business and we toke the chance to visit the aquarium during a weekday where is not too crowed.

This aquarium claim to be one of the biggest in the world. It have 4 different sections including a gigantic tank of 6,300,000 gallon (23.848.090 liters).

It well worth a trip to exclusively visit it.

New video of the Betta Splendens

2007-07-08T22:09:00.001-06:00

This fish is very shy, so was difficult to record it today. What we got for now is just this 10 seconds video. We will try to get something better in the future.

New fish and plant

2007-07-08T03:55:00.001-06:00

Today we put in the big tank the new Betta and the three Otocinclus we got last week.
The 55 gallon tank is plenty of Platy fry and the plants are growing very well. I am removing all Mondo Grass from the aquariums as it is not a real underwater plant. It doesn’t grow well there.

The 10 Gallon tank is empty now, so we will left it for fry or hospital.

Today we made the profile for the Betta Splendens and a new plant we got; Baby Tears. Tomorrow we will post some original pictures of the aquarium with its new inhabitants.

Baby Tears (Hemianthus micranthemoides)

2007-07-08T03:46:00.001-06:00

Source Fishprofiles.com

Water: 66-82 °F (18-28 °C), pH 5-8, 1-18 dCH

Size: 4-12 inch (10-30 cm) Height, 2-12 inch (5-10 cm) Width.

Light: Moderate to Strong Light

Characteristics:

This is a nice stem plant from Central America. It is fast growing and requires therefore relatively high light and a nutrient rich substrate. It is also a valuable plant in terrariums where it forms a beautiful carpet at the land water border. The plant is easily reproduced by cutting off the apex which is replanted in the substrate

Siamese Fighting Fish (Betta Splendens)

2007-07-08T03:26:00.001-06:00

Family: Fighting fish, Osphoronemidae

Characteristic: 2.4 in (6 cm), male more colorful and longer-finned.

Tank and water: 12 Gal (45 Lt), pH 5.5-9.5, 76-83 F (24-28 C)

Care: Keep in pairs in densely planted tank furnished with floating plants. Males, especially cultivated forms, very aggresive toward each other. Keeping males singly in glasses, as was once custom, is animal cruelty!

Habits: Surface fish found in weed-filled waters in Thailand, where probably eats chiefty insects larvae.

Compatibility: With small barbs and bottom fish.

Personal note: This fish should be peaceful along other community fish, like guppies and platies.

Where fish eats

2007-07-02T14:49:00.001-06:00

The position of the mouth in the fish, tells us where it eats and lives.

Fish like guppies have the mouth aiming up, so they will eat from the surface. Platies have the mouth aiming forward, so we can tell they will live in the middle of the aquarium. And other fish like otocinclus and corydoras eats from the bottom, as their mouth are aiming down.

It is important to feed this last ones with algae wafers so they have the chance to eat well also.

This video explains this very well.

Corydora with cotton fungus (Saprolegnia)

2007-06-23T22:55:00.001-06:00

Today, in the 20 gallon tank, we found this Emerald Catfish (Brochis splendens) infected with some kind of fungus. Looks like cotton but is coming from inside the fins. Tomorrow we will get a small tank and separate it to treat with salt.

Angelfish laying eggs (Pterophillum scalare)

2007-06-18T09:17:00.001-06:00

This is the scene we found today. We got just one pair of angelfish months ago and we got the luck to see that they are a couple.

Sadly this time we can't grow those eggs as we don't have the space and the time. But for the future it's good to know we have a couple of pretty angelfish.

In the other tanks we found some Platy fry, even in the small tank that it is very crowed. In the big tank they will have more chance as there are a lot of places to hide.

Mommy don't eat me please!!!

55 Gal update after two weeks

2007-06-11T00:05:00.001-06:00

It has been two weeks since we put fish in the new 55 gallon tank. The second day a otocinclus died. May be the potassium permanganate we used to clean the plants from snails before putting them in the tank. Otocinclus goes sucking everything, and a plant not well rinsed could have been poisonous.

The Seachem pH tester definitely is not working. I surrounded with the pH issue. The tap water here has a very high pH and using buffers to low it will stress the fish more as result of changes when we change water than let it high. Two big pieces of driftwood should low the pH naturally.

About one week ago I though to put Tetra FloraPride. Was not a good idea as I spent a lot of the product and still I am changing water often. At the second day the water was all green. Fearing of a algae bloom I decided to change 50% water three days after.

Now can be seen little light green dots in the tips of the mosses. That means that it gives a boost to the plants.

Here are some pictures of the aquarium today.

Soon we want to buy some tetra neons to quarantine and then add to the aquarium.

Aquarium Imports store in Birmingham, Al

2007-06-08T20:09:00.001-06:00

Today we had to go to Birmingham for monkey business, so we got the opportunity to visit a independent store there.

Aquarium Imports is a big store that offers a lot of salt water fish and live coral. They had many freshwater plant and fish too, and call our attention that most of the fish where big (adults). The prices are normal and is possible to find some rare specimens.

Here is a video showing some of the salt water fish.

Aquarium Imports location:

1941 Hoover Ct # H
Birmingham, AL 35226
(205) 979-0840

Aquarium Imports store

Collecting Otocinclus affinis in their natural habitat

2007-06-04T01:32:00.001-06:00

Amazing video that show how Otocinclus Affinis are collected in their natural habitat. This was recorded in Venezuela and they claim to had collect about 2,000 specimens.

Injured Platy

2007-06-02T01:10:00.001-06:00

This platy was attacked by an angelfish. It was moved to the 10 gallon tank and now it is bother by a guppy.

We put two salt spoons in the water to help recovering.

Seachem and API pH testers

2007-05-31T14:29:00.001-06:00

I am confused now. The Saechem constant reader indicates that the pH is very low, and an API tester indicates that it is very high.

One Otocinclus was dead yesterday in the morning, maybe by tannic acid from the wood, so I changed 50% of the water and tomorrow on friday I will do it again.

Everything looks normal now, except for the pH reading. We may have to get a new tester.

Driftwood lowers pH in the aquarium

2007-05-30T02:45:00.001-06:00

We put two pieces of driftwood that lowered the water pH a lot. The tap water here has a very high pH, over our pH tester range. Days ago I put a piece of wood in a bucket for 24 hours and I tested the pH, it was again over the scale, but this time in the low range. So I thought that it would stabilize the pH in the aquarium tank. We use a Seachem constant pH tester and last night it was at 6.5 and this morning it was marking the lowest. I believe the pH is even lowest out of the tester scale.

Tannic acid contained in the wood lowers the pH and softens the water and, even with the proper preparation, it could take months before the driftwood releases most of its tannins.

We put four platies there and 6 otocinclus. This evening at 3:00pm I saw a platy scratching against the java fern leaves.

Sadly we had to leave for work, so I made an ultra fast googling and I found that it would be normal for platies to scratch, but no more than one time in a minute. This was doing it a lot and the only thing I can think is the water pH. They are coming from a tank with a very high pH and I wouldn’t be surprised if they get stressed now.

Tomorrow I will change half of the water, and I will do that very often, and keep looking at the pH.

@ Chas: Thank you for your comments. Those echinodorus tenellus look very nice, I never have seen those here in the stores. The anubias are pretty. I think I have seen something like that here but I didn’t know they were really for underwater. It is easy sometimes to get plants that are not really for aquariums. Looking for anubia in google I see that white flower. My mom had a plant with a flower just like that, that has a very strong smell. Maybe it is the same. I didn’t know it can grow underwater. I will have to visit my mom now, lol.

About the loaches, oh! I would bet my pinky finger that the loaches are making salad in your tank. The java fern is bitter, that’s why they may not like it. The onion looking plant I have seen it but I don’t remember the name either, but it looks hardy.

Do you know that the loaches develop some knives on the sides of their head as they grow up? Look at this post please: Clown Loach eating the plants

We had a loach one time but we swapped it for other fish, it is difficult to keep it along with plants.

That floating plant is pretty. Michelle liked it a lot. The one we have floating looks very messy, maybe we should plant it and wait until it grows a little more.

I hope you can do something about the plants, if it is not the loach, Let us know please.

New aquarium ready and aquarium plant profiles added.

2007-05-28T21:17:00.001-06:00

Last night we stayed up until late adding plants to the new 55 gallon aquarium.

Today we moved the platies out of the danger zone and away from the angelfish in the 20 gallon aquarium.Two platies found a new home in our 10 gallon aquarium. They had been nipped at and suffered some damage from the angelfish and need to heal without the stress of entering into the not completely cycled 55 gallon aquarium.

We added four platies and six otocinclus to the 55 gallon aquarium.

We put a new section on our blog showing plant profiles with pictures of all our aquarium plants.

Aquarium Plants Profiles

2007-05-28T21:01:00.001-06:00

This is the list of all the species we have or we have owned in the past. To see the actual list of plants in each of our aquariums visit Our Aquarium Tanks menu.

Amazon Sword (Echinodorus bleheri)

Water Sprite (Ceratopteris thalictroides)

Micro Sword Narrow Leaf (Lilaeoposis mauritius)

Micro Sword (Lilaeopsis brasiliensis)

Green Mondo Grass (Ophiopogon japonicus var) *

Crinkled Aponogeton (Aponogeton crispus)

Java Fern (Microsorum pteropus)

Carolina fanwort (Cabomba caroliniana A. Gray)

Vallisneria Americana (Vallisneria Americana var. biwaensis)

Taiwan Moss (Taxiphyllum alternans)

Java Moss (Vesicularia dubyana)

Baby Tears (Hemianthus micranthemoides)

* Not underwater plant.

Amazon Sword (Echinodorus bleheri)

2007-05-28T20:57:00.003-06:00

Other names: E. paniculatus, E. pangeri

Family: Alismataceae

Water: 68-86 °F (20-30 °C), pH 5.5-9, dCH: soft-hard

Mature plant size: 8-20 inch (20-50 cm) tall.

Planting density: 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart for hedge border.

Characteristics:

This plant is very alike to Echinodorus Amazonicus and shares the same common name. The only difference is that the leaves are broader and can be straight.

This plant can grow very big, so it is recommended to keep it separated from others. This plant is easy to grow and produces a lot of oxygen. It is possible to see the little bubbles underneath its leaves.

Water Sprite (Ceratopteris thalictroides)

2007-05-28T20:57:00.001-06:00

Family: Pteridaceae

Water: 68-82 °F (20-28 °C), pH 5-9, dCH: all ranges

Mature plant size: 6-12 inch (15-30 cm) tall.

Planting density: 6 inch (15 cm) apart.

Characteristics:

Very easy to grow floating or planted. In open aquariums it can grow out of the water.

Micro Sword Narrow Leaf (Lilaeoposis mauritius)

2007-05-28T20:56:00.001-06:00

Family: Apiaceae

Water: 59-83 °F (15-28 °C), pH 5.5-8, dCH: 2-15°

Mature plant size: 4 inch (10 cm) tall.

Planting density: 0.5-1 inch (1-2.5 cm) apart.

Characteristics:

Similar to the Lilaeopsis brasiliensis but this plant comes from Africa, from a location called Mauritius. This foreground plant doesn’t require a strong light, but a higher light will keep it growing shorter. It could be trimmed.

Micro Sword (Lilaeopsis brasiliensis)

2007-05-28T20:55:00.001-06:00

Other names: Brazillian Micro Sword

Family: Apiaceae

Water: 59-79 °F (15-26 °C), pH 6.5 - 7.5, dCH: 2-15°

Mature plant size: 4 inch (10 cm) tall.

Planting density: 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart for hedge border.

Characteristics:

Originally from South America. Real aquatic plant for foreground. It needs strong light to keep it short, but it will grow slow under poor light.
Separate the bunch in 8 or more parts to avoid algae growing on it for lack of water movement in between the leaves.

Green Mondo Grass (Ophiopogon japonicus var)

2007-05-28T20:54:00.001-06:00

Other names: Fountain Plant, for the shape of the leaves.

Water: 64-79° F (18-26° C), pH 6.5 - 7.5, dCH: 2-15°

Mature plant size: 10 inch (25 cm) H x 12 inch (30 cm) W

Planting density: 4 inch (10 cm) apart for hedge border.

Characteristics:

Clump forming, spreading perennial with strap shaped curving dark green leaves.

Origin is from Asia and it is very common in Hawaii and other warm weather areas. This is not an aquatic plant but can grow well in an aquarium where it can reach 4 inches (10 cm) tall. The roots are very big, so it needs a thick substrate to establish.

It is a hardy plant and a pH between 6.5 and 7.5 and not too much light will keep it healthy. It can be propagated by planting cuttings from the side sprouts of the main plant.

Crinkled Aponogeton (Aponogeton crispus)

2007-05-28T20:53:00.003-06:00

Source Badman's tropical fish

Family: Aponogetonaceae

Water: 59-89 °F (15-32 °C), pH 5.5 - 8, dCH: very soft to hard.

Mature plant size: 6-12 inch (15-30 cm) tall.

Planting density: 6 inch (15 cm) apart.

Characteristics:

This plant is originally from Sri Lanka. It is often sold as a bulb that grows very fast. In less than a week the plant will grow special leaves that will go to the surface and will float. It’s better to not cut these leaves as the stem will keep growing. Sometimes it will bloom with small flowers outside the surface. It is a good plant for middle ground, easy to grow and doesn’t need too much light.

If the plant loses it's leaves, it means that it went into hibernation. Put the bulb in cold water for one or two months, then replant it into the aquarium and new leaves will grow. This can happen every 6 to 9 months.

Java Fern (Microsorum pteropus)

2007-05-28T20:53:00.001-06:00

Family: Polypodiaceae

Water: 64-86 °F (18-30 °C), pH 5-8, dCH: very soft to hard.

Mature plant size: 6-12 inch (15-30 cm) tall.

Planting density: 5 inch (12 cm) apart.

Characteristics:

This is a very popular plant, originally from Asia, which grows well under dim light. It grows attached to rocks or wood and should never be planted in the substrate or the roots will rot. Can be propagated separating the horizontal rhizome.

If the leaves turn black it means that a new plant is growing from sporangia. It can be separated and attached to wood or stones with dark thread.

This plant is a good alternative for aquariums where fish would eat plants as it has a bitter flavor.

Carolina fanwort (Cabomba caroliniana A. Gray)

2007-05-28T20:52:00.001-06:00

Family: Cabombaceae

Water: Temperature at 61 – 79 F F (18 – 26 C), pH range 4.8 – 7.8 , dCH soft - hard

Mature Plant Size: 12 - 31 inches or more ( 30 -80 cm or more)

Planting Density: 2- 3 inches or more (5 -8 cm or more) apart

Characteristics: A fine feathery leaf plant. It needs medium to very high light. It looks best when planted in groupsoundr as a backg. Note: Can break off and attach itself easily to your power filter.

Vallisneria Americana (Vallisneria Americana var. biwaensis)

2007-05-28T20:51:00.001-06:00

Other Names: Vallisneria Corkscrew, Vallisneria Asiatica

Family: Hydrocharitaceae

Water: Temperature at 68 – 82.4 F (20 – 28 C), pH range 6 – 8.5, dCH Soft – Very Hard

Mature Plant Size: 8 – 31 inches (20- 80 cm)

Planting Density: 2- 6 inches (5- 15 cm) apart

Characteristics: This plant has long narrow beautifully twisted leaves. It needs more light than other species of Vallisneria. It works great as a middleground or foreground plant in a large aquarium.

Taiwan Moss (Taxiphyllum alternans)

2007-05-28T20:50:00.001-06:00

Other Names: Taxiphyllum moss

Family: Hypnaceae

Water: Temperature at 75-84 F (24 – 29 C), pH range 5.8 – 7.5 , dCH 2-15

Mature Plant Size: 1.5 inches ( 2.5 cm)

Planting Density: Surface spreading plant

Characteristics: This moss is great to attach to driftwood (with thread) or stones. You can also make a moss wall out of it by attaching it to a net. It has a fine feathery leafy texture which spreads. It grows faster in cold water. The plant likes water movement and high light.

Java Moss (Vesicularia dubyana)

2007-05-28T20:49:00.001-06:00

Other Names: Taxiphyllum moss

Family: Hypnaceae

Water: Temperature at 59 -82 F (15 – 28 C), pH range 5 - 9 , dCH very soft – very hard

Mature Plant Size: 2 inches or more ( 5 cm or more)

Planting Density: 2 inches or more (5 cm or more) apart

Characteristics: A hardy plant which can be attached to wood (with thread) or stones. It likes low light. It is a great hideaway for young fish. If it grows too much, you can prune the plant with scissors. (Be prepared to prune as it grows thickly once it takes hold.)

New aquarium sneak peek

2007-05-28T01:01:00.001-06:00

Here is just a sneak peek; tomorrow we will post more pictures and details.

It was a long day today setting up the new tank.
Clearing the water, boiling two pieces of driftwood, cleaning lots of plants with potassium permanganate, with gloves and everything. Big mess in the house, especially the floor.

At the same time assisting to a family lunch, and taking care of 4 abandoned kittens, that we bottle feed. And we have 4 more ready to give away tomorrow morning in the flea market. We own 12 cats; I wonder if we should make a blog about cats, lol.

Back to the fish.

The angelfish today hit very bad a platy, taking away some scales. We will have to separate them. We have 6 otocinclus ready for the new tanks, which are very young (small), so we can’t put the angelfish there. Besides we want a big school of 25 tetra neons. Tomorrow we may put 4 danios to start cycling the aquarium. It should take very few as the Eco-Complete substrate is supposed to come with the bacteria for ammonia and nitrite.

We are not adding anything else to the water, just Tetra Aqua Safe. In the other tanks we use Tetra Flora Pride, with excellent results. We also use Tetra Easy Balance, although we make constant water changes and vacuum gravel every few days. The ammonia and nitrite are kept in 0.

We also used Seachem Stability for the others aquariums, cycling them in 30 days. Let's see how good is this substrate Eco-Complete.

Thank you for all the help. Have a nice holiday!

New tank evolution

2007-05-27T04:18:00.001-06:00

This Friday finally we got the Eco-Complete substrate. It is a naturally dark substrate special for plant growing. It is very expensive and clouds the water big time! Nice eh?
Just kidding, the water will be cloudy until the substrate settles down. A very light surface vacuum, without disturbing the substrate, would clear the bottom too.

First we got three bags and as we filled the tank the substrate got very disturbed. We didn’t used the plate technique or the “slow pouring” technique, but we put a plastic can to slow down the impact. After a while the can was missing in the misty water. We just waited for it to be clear without starting the filter.

As three bags seemed not be enough we got yesterday another bag, this time we poured it very carefully and we started the filter with floss fiber instead of the bio-filter and regular filter cartridge (with carbon). We may throw the floss away after a little while.

The water is getting better now, after 24+6 hours but still not good for planting it.

At the same time we are keeping some driftwood in a water bucket. The tap water pH is very high here, it escapes from the scale in our tester, but after 24 hours the water with the wood lowered the pH down, escaping from the scale again in the opposite direction. Probably in the 55 gallon tank it may help to stabilize the pH near the 7 range.

In the other tanks and in another bucket we are keeping some new plants. Among those we have some java fern, java moss, growing echinodorus bulbs, two packs of micro swords, some water spite and some Taiwan moss that we got from Singapore by eBay.

We don’t want snails in the new tank as they could eat the moss, so we are going to give a bath to the plants with Potassium Permanganate.

We created the page for the new 55 Gallon Aquarium, although it is not ready yet.

Eco Complete Planted Aquarium Substrate

2007-05-27T04:12:00.001-06:00

Manufacture: CaribSea Inc (Product webpage)

Product information

This mineralogically and biologically complete substrate is for planted aquariums and comes in live water that contains purifying bacteria.

Mineralogically complete means it contains iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sulfur plus over 25 other elements to nourish your aquatic plants. It contains all the mineral nutrients needed for luxuriant aquatic plant growth without nuisance algae. This iron-rich substrate eliminates the need for laterite.

Biologically complete means it contains live heterotrophic bacteria to rapidly convert fish waste into natural food for your aquatic plants; creates a natural biological balance which makes cycling a new aquarium faster and safer; packed in Liquid Amazon buffered "Black Water" solution for immediate organic water conditioning; unsurpassed MacroPorosity for healthy roots and bacterial efficiency. You would need to buy 4 bags of ordinary gravel to equal the surface area of this one bag of substrate.

Other features include: nitrate and carbonate free-will not increase pH or carbonate hardness; there are no artificial dyes, paints or chemical coatings; the natural black substrate encourages the most vibrant coloration in fishes and reduces fish stress; spherial grains for optimum diffusion performance; supplies calcium without raising the pH; lead free.

The Bi-Modal grading naturally separates into 2 distinct layers: 1) Fine layer on the bottom for best root development and 2) Coarse layer on top which conveys oxygen and nutrients to the roots.

Instructions

USe 1-2 pounds per gallon of aquarium water. Two pounds or more per gallon will deliver best performance. An ideal depth is at least 3".

It is designed to be a complete substate but may also serve as a bottom layer with your choice of non-carbonate substrate on top (do not use marble, dolomite, limestone, crushed coral, shells aragonite etc.).

For new aquarium set-ups simply pour in the entire contents of this bag and fill aquarium with de-chlorintated tap water or, for best results, de-ionized or distilled water. It will automatically segregate into 2 distinct layers with the finer material on the bottom.

For established systems, drain and discard most of the liquid contents of the product before placing into the system.

Warning!!! Placing new gravel over the top ("capping") of an estabished gravel bed can be damaging to aquatic life. Gently mix new material into the existing bed with fingers. For added safety this process can be done, in sections, over the course of a few days.

Place aquatic plants with roots deep into the substrate. Plants may be held in place with the aid of small rocks, pieces of wood, etc.

55 Gallon Aquarium

2007-05-27T03:22:00.001-06:00

Volume: 55 Gallon, 208 Liters
Size: 48 inch (122 cm) x 20.5 inch (52 cm) x 12.6 inch (32 cm)
Lightning: 2 x 30 Watt (T8 7.500 Kelvin)
Lightning time: 12 Hours
Heater: 200 Watts
Temperature: 79 F (26 C)
Filter: Tetra Whisper 60
Water pH: 6.5
Substrate: Eco-Complete Plant Substrate
Plant suplement: None
Set up date: May 25, 2007

Decoration: 2 Pieces of Mopany Driftwood

Fish:

2 Platy (Xiphophorus maculatus)
1 Siamese Fighting Fish (Betta Splendens)
2 Angelfish (Pterophillum scalare)
4 Blue Gourami (Trichogaster trichopterus)
1 Plecostomus (Hypostomus plecostomus)
2 Three-Lined Cory (Corydoras trilineatus)
2 Bronze Cory (Corydoras aeneus)

Plants:

Update log:
July 07, 2007
March 18, 2009

Substrate and new platies in 20 gal today

2007-05-22T22:18:00.001-06:00

@ Chas: I completely agree with that. I think plants can grow well in any fine substrate. Although in a thick gravel fine roots would have trouble to establish.

We made a decision and we are getting Eco-Complete (As seen on Aquatic Eden. Thanks!). It is very expensive to buy online as it's heavy for shipping. But we found that store in Huntsville, The Aquarium Shop, that will have three bags for us this Friday for $28 each.

It's not very cheap, but will be worth it, as it is a dark substratethat is very good for plants. So for now the aquarium waits.

We put 4 platies in the 20 gal aquarium today. We put them in and turned off the lights, so they can get used to the new place. Here is a little video.

Colored aquarium gravel

2007-05-20T23:51:00.001-06:00

That color gravel that can be found at pet shops is colored quartz. I spent a lot of time cleaning it today and all the time the water came out exactly the same, all black, the same color of the gravel.

Michelle found this thread called
“My big mistake” and it convinced us that it was not a good idea using the colored gravel, so we discarded it right away.

There are some minerals that are naturally black, like onyx, black granite or obsidian, but I guess they could affect the water chemical in some way. The best option would be someting like this called Volcanit:

Volcanit is a pH-neutral aquarium gravel of volcanic origin. The fine pore structure of the gravel encourages bacterial activity that enhances the biological release of nutrients from within the gravel. The results are superb plant growth. volcanit is mixed with 10% ferrolit, a natural long term iron fertilizer derived from Laterite. The resultant black and red colour enhances the beauty of the aquarium plants and the hues of the fish
art. no.: 21139, plastic bag 7 kg (c. 15 lbs.)

Sounds great, but the bag cost like $30.

Also look at this post at Aquatic Eden: Substrates for the Planted Aquarium

Tomorrow we may get the common aquarium gravel to set up the new tank.

New aquarium

2007-05-20T06:23:00.001-06:00

We sold the 55 gallon aquarium tank we got used with table for $100, because it was pitiful (scratches, lime, lid cracks, etc), but we kept the table. We bought a new tank and a new power filter Tetra Whisper 60 for $163.
So we have a new aquarium, with a nice stand for $223 now.

We bought by eBay some Tokyo Moss. It arrived from Singapore a few days ago. We also got some very beautiful pieces of Mopany Wood from PetCo. We have been gathering some pretty plants in the other aquariums and also we have been quarantining 6 otocinclus affini for the big tank. We have the gravel and the background. So today we may set it up finally.

Check out this video of our friend Scott’s aquarium here.

Crowded tank and other rambling

2007-05-16T01:16:00.001-06:00

4 Days ago we added 4 platies and 6 otocinclus to the 10 Gallon tank, plus 2 more danios a few days ago. We have been testing for ammonia and nitrite risings but nothing yet, the levels keep in zero.

Two of the platies show signs of fin nipping with some fungus. That has happened to the guppies before and we haven’t used blue methyl, just kept the water clean with regular changes and they have improved. Previous experience shows me that separating a fish and adding blue methyl results in casualty 90% of the time.

About the new 55 gallon tank, we are still cleaning it. It was very dirty and the plastic cover parts are all stained with calcium deposits. I tried with vinegar but it didn’t clean very well. We will have to try something else.

@ Scott: Thank you. We already have 4 danios zebra in the form of glofish. Look at the link in the right Our Aquarium tanks to see the list of fish we have. They are the cycling squad ;)

Source

Zebra Danio (Danio rerio)

2007-05-14T14:38:00.001-06:00

Source from Fish tank and ponds

Also: Zebrafish, Brachydanio rerio

Family: Carp and minnows, Cyprinidae

Characteristic: 2.4 in (6 cm), male slimmer.

Tank and water: 10 gallons min, pH 5.5-9.5, 74-81 F (23-27 C)

Care: Keep in a school in elongated, light aquarium with strong water movement and gravelly substrate, with a few pebles. Takes all standard foods.

Habits: Very lively stream fish from clear streams in northen India; loves to swim.

Compatibility: Ideal with bottom-dwelling stream fish from Asia, such as Stream loaches (Shistura, Nemacheilus) or high stream loaches (Gastromyzon)

Personal note: This are the oficial cycling squadron. They are very hard. This fish is mixed whit corals DNA to produce the Glofish.

Shopping in Huntsville, Al

2007-05-13T00:56:00.001-06:00

As Michelle commented before we got a used 55 gallon tank. The tank was pretty dirty and we are cleaning the parts now, while we are thinking how to make it and what to put in there. We have some ideas but we are not wanting to spoil the surprise, so until it is ready we can just say that we got some new fish and plants that are waiting in the “quarantine” tank for now.

Today we went to Huntsville, Al, to visit some independent stores. The idea was to make a review on many stores we visited, but the thing is that we only found one open. Others where closed early or out of business.

Aquarium Shop was the only we found open. It was a huge store with a very large stock. The prices in supplies were some expensive, but it is possible to find more things than in the big pet shops. We got two bio-filters cartridges for $5.40 each, for the 30-60 Tetra Whisper and a bottle of Tetra Flora Pride, a plant supplement.

The best thing about this store is the variety of fish they provide. Three large walls with some fish we never saw before. The tanks weren’t very clean but they offer a warranty, so a quarantine tank would be a must if getting fish from this store.

Aquarium Shop
2013 Cox Ave NW, Huntsville, AL 35816
(256) 536-4367

We finished our tour at PetSmart, one of the big pet shops that has the biggest variety and the cleanest aquariums. We got 6 Otocinclus, 4 Orange Platy and 3 more Ghost shrimp . We also got a beautiful Micro Sword plant.

We are having problems with the two angelfish in the 20 gal aquarium. They won’t stop chasing the blue platies. Although we got several opinions we believe that maybe adding more platies in the aquarium would calm the Angelfish of being such bullies.

Dwarf Suckermouth (Otocinclus Affinis)

2007-05-12T23:38:00.001-06:00

Source Vitawater.ru

Also: Oto, Pygmy Suckermouth Catfish, Dwarf Sucker
Similar species: O. vittatus (lacks spot)

Family: Suckermouth armored catfish, Loricariidae

Characteristic: 1.5 in (4 cm), Females are larger, rounder, stouter, and fatter than males. Breeding information

Tank and water: 10 gallons, pH 6.0 -7.0, 70-80 F (21 -26 C)

Care: Keep at least five or six specimens in well planted and brightly lit aquariums. Good algae eater. Feed plant based food, including food tablets.

Habits: Gregarious species usually found in groups near river banks where vegetation hangs into the water, in Amazonia.

Compatibility: With all small fish whose needs are identical to those of the otos.

Personal note: Can be advised for light planted aquarium, but don’t get confused, the only reason is that as they are small, they may get lost in the plants and difficult to be seen. We would recommend getting a bunch, they are cheap and small.

Videos:

One of our Otocinclus eating a spirulina wafer.

The New Aquarium

2007-05-10T02:06:00.001-06:00

The other day we bought a fifty five gallon aquarium and stand. We are both excited to set it up but have agreed to not rush into any fish purchases. It is very tempting to go buy some fish but we will take our time so we make a nice aquarium.

We have thought about having a school of cardinal tetras. They are so beautiful in a planted aquarium.

Picture Source Link

(In tricot veritas) In French

In the future we will be adding pictures and videos of the aquarium so you can see our plant and fish choices.

We have updated the blog and re-arranged the fish profiles and our aquarium information. We also added a few more book reviews.

Thank you for your comments, votes and visits!

10 Gallon Aquarium

2007-05-10T01:54:00.001-06:00

This aquarium is currently empty.

Volume: 10 Gallon, 38 Liters
Size: cm (l) x cm (w) x cm (h)
Lightning: 1 x 30 Watt (T8 7.500 Kelvin)
Lightning time: 12 hours
Heater:
Temperature: 79 F, 26 C
Filter: Tetra Whisper 20
Water pH:
Substrate: Yellow gravel
Plant suplement: 10 ml. Tetra Flora Pride
Set up date: April 8, 2007

Decoration: Artificial rock

Fish:

Plants:

Last update: July 07, 2007

20 Gallon Aquarium

2007-05-10T01:41:00.001-06:00

Volume: 20 Gallon, 76 Liters
Size: 24 inch (61cm) x 16 inch (40cm) x 12 inch (31 cm)
Lightning: 1 x 30 Watt (T8 7.500 Kelvin)
Lightning time: 12 hours
Heater:
Temperature: 78 F, 26 C
Filter: Tetra Whisper 30
Water pH: 7.6
Substrate: Yellow gravel
Plant suplement: 20 ml. Tetra Flora Pride
Set up date: April 8, 2007

Decoration: Driftwood and Artificial rock

Fish: (This tank is no longer in use)

Plants: (This tank is no longer in use)

Videos:

Showing diferent fishes and takes in the tank.

Adding 4 orange platies to the tank.

Last update: July 07, 2007

Update log:
July 07, 2007
March 18, 2009

Fish Profiles

2007-05-10T01:37:00.001-06:00

This is the list of all the species we have or we have owned in the past. To see the actual list of fish that inhabit our aquariums visit Our Tanks.

Angelfish (Pterophillum scalare)

Bronze Cory (Corydoras aeneus)

Clown Loach (Botia macracanthus)

Emerald Catfish (Brochis splendens)

Ghost Shrimp (Palaeomonetes species) *

Zebra Danio (Danio rerio) (Glofish)

Guppy (Poecilia reticulata)

Plecostomus (Hypostomus plecostomus)

Platy (Xiphophorus maculatus)

Dwarf Suckermouth (Otocinclus Affinis)

Siamese Fighting Fish (Betta Splendens)

Blue crayfish (Procambarus alleni) *

Three-Lined Cory (Corydoras trilineatus)

Blue Gourami (Trichogaster trichopterus)

* Invertebrate, not a fish.

Aquarium Care of Fancy Guppies by Stan Shubel

2007-05-10T01:26:00.001-06:00

Author: Stan Shubel

ISBN: 978-0793837649

Price: $9.95

Book Review:

This book was disappointing and redundant. We had hopes of learning about guppies. The last two chapters of the book contained guppy specific information. We felt like we were reading a general fish care book. The author mentioned "witholding food a few days" as a solution for sickness as well as when a fish quivers and acts oddly. The author did not explain his reasoning behindthat or why this should be done. This seemed rather cruel to us.

Aquamaster Today's Essential Guide to Growing Aquarium Plants

2007-05-10T01:03:00.001-06:00

Author: Peter Hiscock

ISBN: 978-1931993548

Price: $9.95

Book Review:

This book was somewhat advanced and technical for beginners. It did explain things very well with a lot of graphics. It mentioned many items that we have never seen here in the US, probably because it was written for the European Market. The book covers the following topics: setting up your aquarium, plant propogation, light, plant fertilization and CO2 needs and ends with examples of different kind of aquarium setups.

20 gal cycled in 29 days

2007-05-07T13:10:00.001-06:00

Today, after 29 days, the 20 gallon aquarium showed 0 Ammonia and 0 Nitrite. We have used the product Stability by Seachem since the 19^th day until the 26^th.

In the small 10 gal aquarium the Nitrite still is high, but on it 19^th day we changed the power filter, so it may take longer to cycle now.

And Natural Aquariums

2007-05-05T14:56:00.001-06:00

Looking at an aquarium is relaxing and it has been proved that it is therapeutic against stress. Usually an aquarium resembles a piece of nature, a place to take us away from our crowded and unnatural reality. Aquariums inspired by nature are beautiful pieces of art, and they are my favorite.

But there are different kinds of aquariums and some are not very relaxing to look at. Usually children are happy with plastic plants and those colorful adornments that move with the air flow, like the typical shell, skeleton or chest that opens once in a while to let escape a big air bubble. I don’t think so that it is relaxing to look at or even relaxing for the fish that inhabit the aquarium. But it is fun for children and we can’t blame them as they are innocent. But for adults that innocence is called ignorance.

Sometimes people forget that fish are living creatures that are captive for our own enjoyment. However that is not cruel if we can resemble their natural habitat (isotope). Doing this we will get happy and healthy fish and a beautiful aquarium as well.

Fish sometimes are used as adornments. Betta Splendens usually are kept in containers not bigger than a glass of water. Also in the pet stores one can find all kind of “funny” things to keep these fish, from bowls that resemble a big lamp bulb to “micro” aquariums where the fish have to lay their truncated life without moving.

Their common name has given a bad reputation to the Betta Splendens. Like illegal roosters fighting in the United States, in China this fish has been forced to fight with other males until death.

In our aquarium this “Great Siamese Fighter” will share a community aquarium peacefully if there is not another male of his species. And with some females the “aquarofilius” will be amused with his unique way to reproduce.

Other practices that don’t belong to a natural aquarium are transgenic fish. The Danio Zebra was the first victim when scientist, using a virus derived from HIV; transfer DNA from a coral to make the fish glow in presence of contaminated water. The product is a trademark new species called GloFish.

That doesn’t mean that they will glow in our aquarium if we don’t change the water in a month, because they always glow (under black light). According to scientist this was the first step, made 8 years ago; the next would be making the fish glow only in the presence of certain toxins. But meanwhile in pet shops this fish appears in different colors.

I wonder if they lost their objective or they found it more lucrative to sell this fish as pets.

But manipulation of this fish is not an act of cruelty like some other species suffer. In England GloFish are banned by law, and the just act of owning one of these will grant vacations in jail. At the same time, in the same country, one can find tattooed Carassious in pet stores. Injecting ink directly under the fish’s scales makes them look “more exotic”.

It is not proven that fish can feel pain, but for sure that is uncomfortable for the fish and not healthy.

After ignorant or careless clients buy them and bring them home they will find that after a while the coloration has disappeared. So it’s not even worth it.

Other ways of coloring practice can include submerging the fish directly into acid. The survivors will show a different color, but just for a while because they will die for the consequences or the color will vanish again. Although I don’t think so that the second option would happen often.

Goldfish in all their “funny” varieties are mutations from the Koi Carp made many years ago in medieval China (Read their history here).

Some have such long fins that it makes it difficult for them to swim. Others have the eyes deformed, forcing them to look just up. Take a look by yourself in a pet shop.

But the worst of all is the hybrid cichlid called Parrot Fish or Blood parrot cichlid. The mouth resembles a beak or a “smiling” mouth for the enjoyment of the children, but the truth is that this fish is not able to close it and they have to crunch the food with their throat muscles. This is along with many other deformities. And if this where not enough they use dye to make more colors, besides the orange. They also dye thier mouth to resemble painted lips.
More information here.

There are more than 2,000 different species of freshwater fish. They come in all shapes and colors, and there is no reason why we would have to manipulate nature to produce results that are not always beneficial to the fish.

From The Ago of Aquarium webpage

20 Gallons aquarium video

2007-05-02T08:18:00.001-06:00

I made this little video to show our aquarium in the Practical Fishkeeping webpage.

I was filling the information and I realized that one can embed an aquarium video. When I finished doing that and uploading the video I put it and submit, but the session was over :( so later I have to do that all over again.

Some changes today

2007-05-01T19:57:00.001-06:00

We had to choose today, the plants or the Clown Loach. We planned to have this fish in the 20 gal aquarium which has a lot of plants, but in the 10 gal where it was, it started biting the amazon swords. We moved the amazon sword to the other aquarium and replaced it with some Valisnerias Biwaensis and some Valisnerias Natans that are not very strong, so in one bite the loach broke the whole leaf.

We brought the Clown Loach to Pet Depot and swapped it for two Danios Glofish. Here's hoping the Clown Loach finds a new loving home to live out many years, perhaps with somebody who doesn't have as many live plants.

Personally I like the aquariums to be inspired by nature, so I don’t like artificial things, and these fish are transgenic. But we had two more already and after all they are not mutations like those pitiful Parrot Cichlids.

The water in the 10 gal aquarium is cloudy all the time. We changed the filter for a power filter for 20 gallon aquariums and it still is cloudy. No matter if we change the water, ten minutes later it is cloudy. If it was oxygen bubbles they would go up, but these are everywhere. I thought that maybe it was the loach that moved the gravel too violently and rose things from the substrate. That aquarium also has a very thin layer of gravel because we thought to use it first as a hospital aquarium but now we have fish there too.

We're thinking that we will have to get another 20 gallon aquarium and move the fish there and leave the 10 gallon for a hospital tank as originally planned.

Clown Loach eating the plants

2007-04-28T12:14:00.001-06:00

But these are like death kisses. I always heard that little noise inside the aquarium, and then saw a big amazon sword with holes. Well here is the cause.

Clown Loaches can only be with hardy plants. I’m trying it with some hardy valisnerias, but also with more soft ones in the back.

With the new decoration the loach looks pretty bored, I think we may get it a partner.

We got it for controlling the snails in a well planted aquarium, but now I don’t dare to put it there. We also have a plecostomus there, and I read that the loach could bite it in the tail. When they grow, and they do grow very big , they begin losing their coloration, and some kind of knives grows under its eyes, they are called eyeball knives, and can be dangerous to other fish.

Aqualand info on Botia macracanthus

So better think next time you get one of these pretty fish.

New stuff

2007-04-28T00:41:00.001-06:00

Today we went to a pet store to buy a new power filter for the 10 gallon aquarium. It was one of those kits that came with everything, but the power filter that came wiht it really sucks. The water was cloudy all the time, even if it was changed the day before. So we got a Tetra Whisper 20. In the 20 gallon we have a Tetra Whisper 30 and it works perfect.

We also got a new decoration, designed for aquariums. The one we had before was for reptiles. It was very cool but it was hollow with very poor ventilations for the water to circulate inside.

So the 10 gallon aquarium is redecorated. We put the amazon sword plant in the big aquarium as the loach was eating it.

The java fern in the picture was moved to the other aquarium as well as it was too near the light, and it is a shadowy plant.

Ghost Shimp video

2007-04-27T03:35:00.001-06:00

The ghost shrimp looked from close have a very alien look. It is very interesting to glance; as it is transparent you actually can see some organs and food inside. It is always busy, eating or cleaning itself.

Thanks Scott for the comment. It is true that Ick can be cured, but certain fish like tetra neons and the clown loach are very sensitive to the malachite green that is the active ingredient in any Ick medicine. Fortunately after some water changes and taking care of the quality of this, the loach is healthy now. About two weeks later you can tell that is less shy and even more dearly, it is eating the plants now.

Take care

Moving Angelfish and Clown Loach with a little ick

2007-04-20T23:57:00.001-06:00

Today we moved the two Scalars to the big aquarium. They look very comfortable there and they look pretty. I noticed some light blue and yellow lines in their dorsal fin.

In the small aquarium, that's supposed to be for hospital, are the 5 guppies, the 2 emerald corydoras and the clown loach that later may clean the big aquarium of its snails. We haven’t moved it yet because it needs a place to hide and in the big aquarium there already is a plecostomus. I don’t know if they will be all right together.

I was looking at the small aquarium and I discovered 3 white spots on the loach. I think it is ick, again. The bad thing is that the loach cannot be treated with chemicals, so I will have to be changing all the water every 2 days with the temperature increased.

I hope it is well. I think they are very delicate.

Tetra Easy Balance

2007-04-20T15:37:00.001-06:00

I was looking for more information on this product. It is dificult to find a review. I found it through Google, it is from a pop up window from the English Tetra Club webpage. I entered to the webpage but I couldn't find the source.

I told you about my own experiences with EasyBalance (EB). When I started using it, I thought it a rather mysterious product, with a touch of black magic about it, so to speak. How did it work? What did it actually do? And above all, what was actually in it? The EB packaging is very stingy with its information, so I thought I would do a bit of ferreting.
Whats in it?... I had a number of concerns on this front; would it effect fish if, say, accidentally overdosed? Was its operation affected by water quality? Or vice versa? And then there was the absence of any advice on the packaging about how to apply it. Should it be diluted first, and if so by how much?
The most that Tetra will say is that EB contains “essential elements” and vitamins which are often absent from tapwater. “Essential elements” I take to mean minerals and trace elements, and I have myself confirmed that their claim that it contains all of the nutrients needed for plant growth. I have never fertilised my aquaria in two years.
Harmless and Non-Toxic...They are quite adamant that this is a harmless and non-toxic product and add that since it has to be activated by the aquarium’s natural filter and gravel bacteria, there is even no need to dilute before dosing.
The only consequence of overdosing would be an increase in oxygen consumption, which would be a problem only in heavily stocked or poorly aerated tanks. They recommend aeration for 24hrs when EB is used, and although I started doing this, I gave it up after a few weeks, and have had no adverse effects. But then my aquaria are very thinly stocked, and it would be wise to heed Tetra’s advice on this.
Whilst overdosing does no harm, it appears to have no benefit either, and under-dosing is not helpful, which I discovered for myself. After the first six months I reduced my doses to 80 percent of the recommended level, and by the time the next water change was becoming due, the tank was looking distinctly tired; in fact I advanced the water change by a month. Since then I’ve reverted to the correct dose, which has clearly improved matters.
As to water quality, if you use this product in aquaria with a KH of 2 degrees of below, it will reduce pH by 0.2 to 0.5. If you are maintaining a softwater set-up of this type for any reason, it will behove you to be very cautious in using this product if you are also employing CO2 injection. Otherwise, at higher KH, it actually stabilises the pH at its existing level, which is yet another bonus.
Keeping Properties... This information really ought to be on every product and I hope Tetra will remedy this soon. In the meantime, however, I can tell you that shelf life is three years; opened and properly stoppered, one year.
Fish Load...Tetra’s lab boys tested the product based on fish stocking levels measured in terms of cm of fish length per litre. They say there is a safety margin built in, but that if a level of 1.5cm per litre is exceeded, the functionality of the product will be impaired. This is actually a very generous stocking level indeed, and higher than I would ever contemplate myself.
Finally, there has apparently been a further programme of independent trials which have shown that EB additionally improves water clarity, filter function, and fish condition.
The last I can say with certainty is the case; I demonstrated this on the first tank I used it in. I have never had any water clarity problems, but then I wouldn’t expect any anyway.

Expensive?... A clear benefit of EB is that it reduces phosphate levels. How it does so is a closely-guarded secret, but believe me this is one of the most important advantages for a planted tank freak. My phosphate levels, albeit with a light fish load, are running at 0.1mg/l towards the end of the six months. Tetra say that in a heavily stocked tank, EB would keep it down to 0.5-1mg/l. This is still too high comfort, but at the stocking levels Tetra have been working on, without EB you would have to spend a small fortune in phosphate resin to keep the algae at bay.
Equally, if you carried out the old fashioned regular fortnightly water change regime, and you had to process your water because, say, it contained high phosphate and nitrate levels (like mine) or was too hard and alkaline (like London water), you would spend a fortune on RO membranes, replacement minerals, nutrients, vitamins etc, not to mention the capital cost of RO units, and the huge water wastage they incur.
In my case, I’ve also spent far less on replacement plants for this 600 litre tank than I did on its 250 litre predecessor.
The Future?... I’ve concluded that in the longer term this product is going to prove far more important than people have give it credit for, and I would bet that Tetra’s competitors are already working on competing products. I hope so, because healthy competition is in our best interests. In the meantime, EB has the monopoly, and Tetra has my money.

Book Reviews

2007-04-17T15:22:00.001-06:00

This is the list of the books we own and wanted to review. Please note that due to our experience; this could not accurately represent the quality of the book for the better or worst.

Freshwater Aquariums

Aquamaster Today's Essential Guide to Growing Aquarium Plants

Aquarium Care of Fancy Guppies by Stan Shubel

Freshwater Aquariums

2007-04-17T14:08:00.001-06:00

Author: David E. Boruchowitz

ISBN: 978-0793837601

Price: $9.95

Book Review:

This is an excellent book with a wide subject area fit into its 105 pages. It covers everything from supplies, filters, and heaters to nutrition and fish species. We found the section on "Cycling" extremely helpful and explained in an easy to understand format. The Author is an accomplished aquarist having raised fish for over fifty years.

Camcoder video test

2007-04-17T13:36:00.001-06:00

Very short video testing the camcoder to record the aquarium. You can see the Ghost fish and a corydora eating, also a glofish in the back.

Dealing with heaters

2007-04-17T11:42:00.001-06:00

Two days ago I was changing some water in the 20 gal tank. When I was putting water back I smelled something burning, it was the heater that I placed horizontally and when I removed water I passed underneath it. Never operate outside the water it says. So I had to remove it, smoking, and throw it away. It melted the plastic sucker. I checked the water and the temperature was fine and all the fish were good luckily. The last few nights have been very cold, so I had to go immediately to Wal-Mart to get another. The only brand they had was the Tetra Whisper heater.

It looks very nice; small, totally submersible and with no need to regulate it. The manual promises to keep the temperature of 78 F. So I paid the $20.

After a while of being installed the water was at 74, and the next morning the same. The room temperature was temperate, so this heater didn’t work for us. We had to go to a pet store and get a bigger one with a regulator.

Also we got a fancy digital thermometer for $9.72.

Ok maybe the temperature is a little high right now, but it is just matter of regulating it.

Glofish documentary

2007-04-17T03:25:00.001-06:00

This Zebra Danios are transgenic, that means that their DNA has been modified, in this case, to glow with black light. Scientists say that they were made in first term to detect contamination in the water, but in their webpage they don't say no more about what water and how. So they decided to sell them as pets. In many countries they are forbidden but in the USA they are easy to find in pet stores costing about $5.00 each. We keep two of them.

The following four minute clip was aired on Channel 4's Animal Farm on April 2, 2007.

Video from Fishhouse Blog

Ghost shrimp (Palaeomonetes species)

2007-04-16T01:26:00.001-06:00

Picture from Chicago Wilderness Mag

Also: Glass shrimp

Family: Palaeomonestes.

Characteristic: Males 1 in (3 cm), Females 1.5 in (4 cm)

Tank and water: 10 gallons, pH 5.5-7.5, 75-82 F (C)

Care: Can be in group but should all be the same sizes. They may have some plants to hide.

Habits: Eat soft algae that they pick off the bottom and off of plants, they will also eat any fish food that falls to the bottoms. Molts its exoskeleton every few months. Can live up to 10 years.

Compatibility: Whit any small fish that can't eat them. Is not agresive agains other bottom scavengers.

Personal note: We got 4 and one survived to an ick infection and even molt.

Clown Loach (Botia macracanthus)

2007-04-16T00:01:00.001-06:00

Picture from Practical Fishkeeping

Family: Loaches, Cobitidae.

Characteristic: About 10 in (25 cm), hard to sex. Be careful when catching them: small spine under each eye!

Tank and water: 50 gallons, pH 1.5-8.5, 77-86 F (25-30 C)

Care: Group fish ( keep at least five specimens); each one needs its own shelter. Some specimens are often quarrelsome. Spacious tanks with sandy substrates in parts and with roots.

Habits: Found in rivers on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo.Despite its popularity, little is known about its habits.

Compatibility: With warm-loving Asian barbs, gouramis, and catfish.

Personal note: Our clown loach hides mostly in or around the rock. It often comes out at night for an algae wafer snack. It's beautifully colored now but the color fades when they get older. They are good fish to take care of snail problems.

Platy (Xiphophorus maculatus var.)

2007-04-15T23:44:00.001-06:00

Picture from AquaNet

Family: Livebearing toothcarps,Poeciliidae.

Characteristic: About 2.4 in (6 cm), male has copulatory organ.

Tank and water: 15 gallons, pH 6.8 -9.5, 70-77 F (21 -25 C)

Care: Lively group fish for loosely planted tanks. All smaller foods. Plant foods.

Habits: The wild form lives in groups in flowing lowland waters of Central America, where it eats vhiefly algae and animals found in the algae.

Compatibility: Can share a tank with all fish species that are not overly large and have similar water requirements.

Personal note: Our blue platies are very active fish. We have observed that our male guppies constantly pursue the female platy for mating.

Emerald Catfish (Brochis splendens)

2007-04-15T23:17:00.001-06:00

Also: Emerald Cory

Family: Callichthyd armored catfish, Callichthyidae.

Characteristic: About 3 in (8 cm), males are slimmer.

Tank and water: 40 gallons, pH 2.5-8.5, 74-81 F (23-27 C)

Care: As a group in tanks with a large surface area and some large-leaved plants and roots as shelter. Sand substrate in parts. Feed food tablets and frozen small crustaceans.

Habits: Group fish found in slow-flowing, shallow, often muddy waters in the Amazon area, South America.

Compatibility: Peaceful companion for all South American fish of the same tank region, such as discus, angelfish, characins, and "root-dwelling" suckermouth armored catfish (Ancistrus species).

Personal note: They are busy little worker fish that stay at the bottom of the aquarium usually. Note: The emerald cory or catfish has a longer dorsal fin and that is how you can tell it apart from the very similar looking Bronze cory.

Guppy (Poecilia reticulata)

2007-04-15T22:23:00.001-06:00

Also: Millions fish, lebistes reticulares

Family: Live-bearing toothcarp of the family Poeciliidae.

Characteristic: About 2.4 in (6 cm), male has copulatory organ.

Tank and water: 10 gallons, pH 5.5-7.5, 76-86 F (24-30 C)

Care: As a group in tanks that are densely planted in parts. Varied diet including all smaller foods, also plant matter.

Habits: Standing and gently flowing waters of northern South America. Released into the wild worldwide.

Compatibility: With small catfish, characins, and dwarf cichlids. Best kept as a single species or with bottom fish.

Personal note: They are usually in the upper part of the aquarium. We have a male that doesn’t stop trying to mate with a Blue Platy, so we got some females but they are still in another aquarium for quarantine. They can be very easy to breed.

Angelfish (Pterophillum scalare)

2007-04-15T20:12:00.001-06:00

Also: Scalar

Family: Cichlids

Characteristic: Length up to 6 in (15 cm), height up to 10 in (25 cm). Hard to sex.

Tank and water: 40 gallons, pH 5.5-7.5, 77-85 F (25-29 C)

Care: Keep as group in loosely planted tanks, furniched with large-leaved plants and roots that protrude into the tank from above. Feed various frozan foods, mosquito larvae, and dry foods of high nutritive value.

Habits: Peaceful group fish found in larger, usually clear bodies of water in Amazonia. "Stands" quietly among roots and plants. Pair-forming open spawner.

Compatibility: Larger characins (no neon tetras), catfish.

Personal note: Are difficult to keep whit small fish, like platy, because are very territorial. Not difficult to breed if you get a couple. They are often target of fin nippers like Tiger barbs.

Plecostomus (Hypostomus plecostomus)

2007-04-15T18:58:00.001-06:00

Picture from Aquapage.cz

Also: Suckermouth catfish

Family: Loricariidae armored catfish.

Characteristic: 18 in (45 cm).

Tank and water: 15 gallons min, pH Neutral, 72-79 F (22-26 C)

Care: The aquarium should be well-stocked with plants and driftwood, loose plantings and structures where the fish can go to rest and hide. Can be very territorial. Feed at night with algae wafers.

Habits: Gregarious inhabitants of soft-bottomed stretches of water throughout South America.

Compatibility: Can be kept with most community fish. Keep only one plecostomus per tank, unless two are introduced at the same time.

Personal note: This fish grows very slowly, and is usually sold in aquariums when it is little, but later may need a big aquarium.

Bronze Cory (Corydoras aeneus)

2007-04-15T17:48:00.001-06:00

Also: Black aeneus

Family: Callichthyd armored catfish, Callichthyidae.

Characteristic: 2.4 in (6 cm), famale plumper.

Tank and water: 15 gallons min, pH 5.5-9.5, 77-83 F (25-28 C)

Care: Keep as a group in tanks whit sandy substrate in parts, loose plantings and structures where the fish can go to rest. Feed fine live, frozen and dry foods.

Habits: Gregarious inhabitants of soft-bottomed streches of water throughout South America.

Compatibility: Ideal companion for South American fish of the middle and upper regions. In small tanks, do not keep whit cichlids.

Personal note: We have 2 in a 20 gallon tank and they keep together most of the time. They love the algae wafers we use for the Plecostomus. They are very alike to the Emerald Catfish (or emerald cory), but are easy to recognize for their shorter dorsal fin.

Our tanks

2007-04-15T01:37:00.001-06:00

These are the aquarium tanks we proudly hold at this moment.
Click in the image or title to see the complete information including; size, equipment, decoration and fish, pictures and videos.

20 Gallon Aquarium

10 Gallon Aquarium

* These images could not be updated, please refer to the pictures on the tanks descriptions.

Technorati tags: aquarium, tank, freshwater

Aquarium, starting right

2007-04-14T23:32:00.001-06:00

We wanted to have an aquarium for a while. It is an old hobby that I'm retaking with my wife. Things have changed since I started. The Internet and new and updated books make everything easier and clearer. There are a lot of things that I never knew and others that I thought were good which are not that good.

For example those little bubbles that one sees in the tanks are not really necessary, the bubbles don't give oxygen to the water, except on the surface where they make it move. It is sufficient enough with the power filter, that gets water from the aquarium, filters it and returns it like a little cascade.

One of the most interesting things that we found is the concept of Cycling. That is cultivating bacterias in the filter and in the tank to recycle the fish waste, that produces toxic ammonia, and making it into nitrogen gas that is not toxic. The cycling can take a month or more and takes many steps and periodic water analysis, but even though the process is long and complex it is worth it because at the end you get a very stable and healthy aquarium.

Fish in emergency tank.

In the first attempt we got a 10 gallon tank and we stuffed it with different fish from different stores. Many fish can come sick and should be kept apart for some days, but in the excitement of having a new aquarium we did not realize that until we learned from our mistake later. That was not good and the fish got Ick, a parasite that infected most of them, so we decided to seperate them all, treat them with medication and remake the aquarium the way it should be made.

New 20 gallon tank with table.

In the process we got a bigger tank (20 gallons), so we left the little (10 gallons) for recovering the fish (hospital tank). In the new tank we are adding the fish very slowly, few by few, at the same time we are controlling the evolution of the tank.

New aquarium setup.

Please visit the full album of pictures here. we are constantly adding more pictures.