# 10 Gallon Photo-Journal: Trials, Tribulations, & Transformations



## bpswim90 (Oct 30, 2005)

Alright, I'm going to use this thread to document my tank conditions and observations and hopefully will keep this up until the spring when I will be moving my current goldfish to the pond outside and getting new fish. Each week I will post the current water conditions, observations, etc, and a pic of the tank (taken with my horrible camera).

So, some background... it's a 10 gallon tank with two goldfish, a few rock ornaments, some dying plants (because I don't yet have a light fixture for the tank) penguin BIO-filter. I got the fish last december and they have been doing great ever since. They will be moved to the outdoor pond in the spring and replaced by fish which would better fit the tank size. If anyone has questions about my tank or anything, feel free to post in this thread and I will answer.

Now to the first entry.

11/13/05










Pre-testing comments: I haven't tested the aquarium's water conditions in months, so I'm expecting it to be out of whack.
Description: Tank is about 2/3 full of water, the water evaporates fast because I don't have a cover for the tank at the moment. The fish are healthy, active, about 2.5 inches each. Tank has a bit of algae.
pH: 7.6
Temp: 68 or 70 F (?) unsure, I think my thermometer is messed up. temperature doesn't really matter though when it comes to goldfish
Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Post-testing comments: Wow, the ammonia and nitrite levels are actually in check. This is very surprising. I guess I've been taking better care of the tank than I thought. :shock:


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## bpswim90 (Oct 30, 2005)

*11-19-05*

11-19-05









[Caption: Picture of tank showing the new cover. Note how the water level is so much higher than in the last pic because the water isn't evaporating.]

A little algae in the tank, not much though. Last week I bought a glass tank cover and the evaporation has been extremely reduced. Which is good. The fish are very active and enjoy chasing eachother around the tank. The filter appears to be working well. I may clean the tank & do a water change later today.
Temp: 74 F
pH: 7.5
Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Comments: Everything looks to still be in good shape!


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## bpswim90 (Oct 30, 2005)

11-27-05









[My tank at an angle showing the surrounding junk ;P]

I cleaned the tank today. I scrubbed the algae from the front of the tank (glass) with a toothbrush and then did about 40% water change. The fish are doing well.
I'm eyeing a new digital camera, the Canon Powershot SD400. I plan on getting it either within the next month of for Christmas, so hopefully I will soon be able to take better pictures of them.

Temp: 74 F [When cleaning the tank I noticed the water was about room temp. I wonder why it is this warm?]
pH: 7.5
Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm


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## bpswim90 (Oct 30, 2005)

Jan. 1st 2006

It's been over a month since I last updated! My tank has been doing fine, but has had little change or activity because that will not begin until the spring. But I will not let you down, for I have been hard at work. I got my new camera in early December, it's a Canon Powershot SD400. So anyway I've been taking lots of pics. Here are some of my favorites, I hope you enjoy them (and hope they won't crash your browser or something).
*Again, feel free to comment on or ask about any of these pictures.*









































































Thanks for reading


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## MYGOBYRULES (Dec 31, 2005)

have you had any problems with that filter? Every time i do a water change it takes about an hour to get it going right again with suction or with out crazy buzzing sound. it really takes alot of restraint to keep from smashing the stupid thing with a hammer. but other than that it works pretty well.


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## bpswim90 (Oct 30, 2005)

MYGOBYRULES said:


> have you had any problems with that filter? Every time i do a water change it takes about an hour to get it going right again with suction or with out crazy buzzing sound. it really takes alot of restraint to keep from smashing the stupid thing with a hammer. but other than that it works pretty well.


With this current filter I haven't had any problems since I bought it. However, in my old filter I had similar problems (buzzing sound, not much water flowing through) which I think were due to the intake tube getting junk stuck up in it. So what you might want to try is cleaning out the intake tube or other parts of the filter which could get clogged.


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## micstarz (Oct 22, 2005)

The buzzing sound is when the lift tube is full of air and air bubbles mix with the water in your filter. To help your filter start up, fill your main filter box with water so it wont take as long.

When my filter flow slow down I clen the filter out completely except for the filter medium. In my case it is usually red beard algae.


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## MYGOBYRULES (Dec 31, 2005)

that is what is so frustrating, i do fill the filter with water and the intake tube is completly clean. i think the problem is where the intake tube conects inside the filter where the small fan and magnet are


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## CVV1 (Oct 7, 2005)

yeah i silled it up with water the first time. the water was half way up the suction tube


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## bpswim90 (Oct 30, 2005)

April 20th, 2006.

Yes, I am still doing this journal. The reason for lack of update is simply because I can not move my fish outside until the water is warm enough. If you have any helpful tips for me moving my fish, please post them either in this topic or here. The tank is about the same as when I last put up pictures of it. There's a little more algae, and the fish are a tad bigger. My apologies for the poor photo quality, they're just quick shots, nothing special.









Yep, that's me.




































Thanks for reading. 

Feel free to post comments or questions.


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## bpswim90 (Oct 30, 2005)

*Quarantine Tank Construction*

Today I constructed my quarantine tank to be used with my new fish purchases later in the year! I roughly followed the guide at this site. For fishless cycling help I refered to this guide. Special thanks to both of those sites for the help.









This is basically what I started with. Most of it was tank equipment which was laying around in my room or the garage. I have one old tank (I believe to be 2-3 gallons. It's small, but will be big enough to quarantining a couple fish at a time), one old filtration system which still works, a couple old filters, a couple air pumps and a couple of air stones (I probably won't use the pumps or air stones).









A day in advance, I put one of my old filters into my 10 gallon's filtration system. Hopefully I will some bacteria on it to help jumpstart the colony.









Here's how it looks fully constructed. Notice that I cut out some black garbage bag plastic and put it underneath to protect the shelf from water.









After filling with water, I used an eyedropper to put 5 drops of NH3 (Ammonium Hydroxide) into my tank. I plugged in my filter system (without filter in it) and let it run for a minute to mix up the water, then took a test sample and tested the water. 









It looks to be at about 2ppm. So, I added 3 more drops and tested again and it was close enough to the 3ppm I was aiming for. So, everyday I will add 8 drops of NH3 for my bacterial colonies until I get my fish.

*TO BE CONTINUED...*


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## bpswim90 (Oct 30, 2005)

*Quarantine Tank Construction*

April 21st Continued

Now that I have my ammonia in the tank, I can put in my filter.









Here's what it looks like. Yeah, not much stuff on it. But any amount will help. 









In addition, I shook some of the stuff off of my 10 gallon's filter. I know there's some bacteria on that nasty thing.









Here's the finished product! Sideways for your convenience! (Notice that I also decided to tape some of the garbage bag plastic on the side because of splash factor.)

- ~ -

Afterwards, I went and bought a heater for the quarantine tank for 30 dollars. So here is the _real_ finished product:









There you have it!


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## bpswim90 (Oct 30, 2005)

*Leak*

April 24th, 2006.

Well, my 2 Gal. Quarantine has sprung a leak. Last night I noticed that it had a puddle of water under it, so I picked it up and wiped up the water with a rag. This morning when I woke up, there was another equally large puddle underneath. It's a really old tank, so I guess it doesn't surprise me. I'm glad I put that trash bag plastic underneath because it really would have damaged the shelf. So, what I think I will do is get a 10 gallon or a 5 gallon and just move all my stuff and dump the water into it. If I get a 10 gal. this will also be convenient because I can move my tank cover to it once I get a lighting hood for my regular 10 gallon.

So far, I plan on stocking my regular 10 gallon with 2 honey gouramis, 3 cory pandas, and 6 glowlight tetras. I have a feeling this may be too many fish, but I'm unsure. 

And finally, here's some quick photos...


























That thing goldfish do when they eat food...









That's all for today. Comments and questions are welcome.


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## bpswim90 (Oct 30, 2005)

*More Leakage...*

April 25th, 2006

Well, the leaking of the Quarantine has gotten out of hand. It's somehow gotten under the garbage bag and onto the shelf, and the shelf is starting to get all bumpy and warped. How frustrating... Well I am deffinately getting a new tank then, as I don't see any other way to fix this. I'm not even sure it's really leaking. I think it's because I'm using a HOB filter on a 2 Gallon tank, the water is somehow going over the top (Hard to explain...). Regardless, an underwater filter would probably be just as, if not more, expensive than a 10 gallon tank. However, I'm not sure where I will be able to put a 10 gallon... oh well. In the meantime I've folded up a towel and put the tank on it. 

Next... still no nitrites in the QT. Yesterday there was an unexplainable drop in the ammonia, then today I checked it twice and it was around 6 ppm, so I did about a 50% water change and it went down to just under 4ppm, good enough. I think I may have been adding to much ammonia, so I will make sure not to add any more ammonia until it goes lower than 3ppm. 

I also decided on the fish which I'll be putting in my aquarium:
2 Honey Gouramis
3 Ottos (Midget Sucker Catfish)
6 Glowlight tetras
It's a little cramped, but with live plants to help take away nitrates and regular water changes it will be fine. Thanks to JustOneMore telling me that panda cories don't belong in a 10 gallon. 

As far as plants and decorations are going... I'm thinking dense planting on the sides, some open space in the middle, and maybe a pile of rocks formed into a cave or a decoration or something for fish to hide in. I'll have some floating plants on the water surface, too. 

Ah yes, now for updates on the pond. Well, today I checked the pond's temperature and it was a steamy 62 degrees Farenheit. Compare that to the 81 degrees (I don't even use a heater, I don't know why it's so warm) 10 gallon my goldfish live in. That's a 19 degree difference, people. I think what I'll do is gradually cool the 10 gallon by putting in cold water changes every day until the temperature is in the low 70s or upper 60s. Then I will move them.

That's all for now. Thanks for reading, and if you have any questions feel free to ask.


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## bpswim90 (Oct 30, 2005)

April 26th, 2006.

Well, lots happened today. First off, I moved my QT to a 5 gallon bucket which was previously used for water changes. I don't know why I didn't think of it before. Now I don't have to buy another 10 gallon and try to find space for it. The ammonia in the QT was still around 4 ppm, so I didn't add any. The nitrites are still at 0 ppm. I also realized that I haven't been adding enough dechlorinator to my water... I've only been adding half as much as needed. I sincerely hope this hasn't been killing my bacteria. 

I also went to Petsmart and bought a fluorescent strip light (only one light, 18w) and 10 lbs of black gravel for later. This means I officially have all the equipment I need for my fish! All I need to do now is wait until I can move my goldfish out, and then I can get things set up. I checked out their fish, too, and I saw all three types I plan on buying. The Honey Gouramis were especially cute. 

The light has been working well. I will post some pics tomorrow.

Thanks for reading, feel free to comment.


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## diane44 (Apr 29, 2006)

Diane here,
I have enjoyed reading and seeing your pics of your fish. I am new to the fish world and looking forward to hearing more about your fish and seeing more pics.


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## bpswim90 (Oct 30, 2005)

Thanks, Diane. Glad you're enjoying the journal. 

More updates soooooon!


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## bpswim90 (Oct 30, 2005)

*The BIG MOVE!*

Today was the day of the big move of my goldfish to the outdoor pond! But before I start on that, I shall speak quickly of my quarantine bucket. It is still hovering around 3 ppm ammonia and 0 nitrites. I can't wait for the thing to cycle! Well, I guess these things take time.

*The Move
*FROM:









TO:









Pre-Move: For the past week or so, I have been doing cold water changes in my tank to help get the temps down low enough so that it is almost the same as the pond. Yesterday I began putting in a 1-gallon ziploc about 1/4 full of ice in it and replacing about ever 8 hours. This morning I shut my blinds, took off my tank cover, AND put in ice, all in attempt to get the temps down. Finally, this afternoon, I got within 3 degrees of the pond temperature (pond 67 degrees, tank <70 degrees) and deemed that close enough. 

Move:
I started out by getting my materials ready. I used a fish net, a 1 gallon ziploc bag, a bottle, and a towel. 

I put the ziploc bag in my tank and filled it with water. I turned it on its side and aimed it at my fish. I then gently, GENTLY is the key word here, guided my fish into the bag with my fish net. 








Every part of the moving process should be as gentle and smooth as possible to help keep the stress level of the fish down. Once my fish were safely in the bag, I zipped it close (only for a short period of time) and then wrapped a towel around the bag. 








This is also to reduce stress; the fish are generally less likely to stress when they cannot see the move happening from inside the bag. While carrying the bag, I took every effort to make the ride as smooth as possible. Finally, once we were at the pond, I took off the towel, opened the bag and folded over the edges of the bag. 








This helps to keep the bag upright while I am acclimating the fish to their new environment. I allowed the temperature to adjust for about 10 minutes, then used my bottle to pour in some of the pond water. A couple minutes later I did this again. Several minutes later I did this a second time. Finally, once I was sure my fish were ready, I slowly released them from the bag. And now they can be free in their new home! 

(Now let us just hope they don't procure some sort of disease. :razz

Edit: By the way, the fish have been doing quite nicely today. At first they were pretty scared, and avoided the current residents (one big and one small) at all costs. But a couple hours later they were chasing each other around like the best of friends.


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## Ownager2004 (Apr 4, 2005)

Wow nice pond. Those fish probably think they died and went to goldfish heaven.


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## bpswim90 (Oct 30, 2005)

Haha, thanks. Our family (well, mostly my parents) have put a lot of time into it.  Yeah, I certainly do hope the fish like it. They seem to be pretty darn happy so far.


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## bpswim90 (Oct 30, 2005)

*Finally... SOME FISH!*

May 11th, 2006

Okay, BIG UPDATE.

Well, the Quarantine bucket had an almost immediate cycle once I moved half of my gravel from the 10 gallon to it, and replaced that 10 gallon gravel with some smaller black stuff. So both tanks were officially cycled. Every day I added 3 drops of ammonia to the bucket and 5 to the tank. Ready for fish!!

So, two days ago I stopped adding ammonia to the quarantine. Yesterday I did a 50% water change on the quarantine and was all ready to get some fish! I went off to petsmart. First, I picked out some plants for my 10 gallon. I got:
5 or so Anacharis (a small bunch)
Small pot of dwarf hairgrass (glad they had it)
1 Java Fern
That was all. They didn't really have much selection. Then I went to look at the fish. I figured I would start with the glowlights because they're the calmest and least sensitive of the fish I'm getting. I inspected the tank briefly and saw that all the fish appeared healthy, no dead ones. So I asked for 6 of those. Then I went to the food section and picked up some tropical fish food crisps. 








I checked out and headed home, trying to make the ride as smooth as I could. Once we arrived, I immediately cut open the bag and rolled down the sides (just like for the pond). I used the same method as before, but waited longer between cups of water added to the bag. 
The Bucket:








Close-up on the fish:








While the fish were adjusting, I began putting in the plants for my 10 gallon. I'm thinking hairgrass in the foreground, and some medium-tall plants in the background. Pretty simple. Here's so far: 


























Pretty sparse, heh. Well, more to come. 
Finally, the fish were ready for release. I held off from feeding them, but I couldn't help but watch them swim around in their little group. I felt like a proud papa. :mrgreen:

This morning, I woke up early so I could feed and watch them. There's one of them that kind of strays away from the group at times. He's usually with them, but sometimes he just sits alone by himself. I think he's alright, but I'll have to keep an eye on him. So, when I opened up my fish crisps to feed them, I realized the crisps were way too big for their mouths. So I took a small pinch (6 or so crisps) and ground them up to a powder in my hand. This morning they didn't really eat anything. Probably still tired. But this afternoon they must have been starving because they went crazy for them. Well, all except my little lonesome one. But even he had a few. 
A couple of the fish today, hard to see because they blend into the gravel:









So... that was a big update. Hope you enjoyed.
Thanks for reading.


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## Guest (May 11, 2006)

Looks good! I love that pond by the way. I hope to have me a little pond someday.


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## bpswim90 (Oct 30, 2005)

Thanks for the comment Kristin. Yeah, our pond is really nice. Small, but nice. It's really relaxing to just sit out there and listen to the water or watch the fish. I actually fell asleep out there once. :lol:

May 13th, 2006

I <3 MY FISH!

My lonesome fish appears to be feeling better because lately he has been swimming around and shoaling just like the other fish instead of sitting by himself. So that's good. 

Today I returned my old heater to Petco because it wasn't working properly (temp way too high for what I set it at) and got a new one (Marineland visi-therm stealth; supposedly the best?) and an amazon sword plant for my 10 gallon. Things are really coming along nicely in my 10 gallon. I rearranged the plants today and I like how it turned out (kinda symmetrical):








It's still a little sparse, but I think as the plants grow (especially the hairgrass) and as I add more new plants it will keep getting better.

I did 10% water changes on both tanks, and did a quick ammonia check on my QT to make sure everything was in check, and it was.  

So I love my tetras. Today I was watching them as one does, and they were doing a kind of follow the leader thing around the bucket. It was so cool! Okay, well I have this rock formation thing in the bucket and it's a kind of cave/archway, and what the fish started doing was going through the cave and then in a circle and back in it. They were in a straight line and kept on swimming in their circle for like 15 seconds until one fish finally broke the chain. It was awesome. :lol: I can't wait to move them to the 10 gallon. More space = more fun. 

Thanks for reading,
BP


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## bpswim90 (Oct 30, 2005)

May 17th, 2006

I moved my tetras to the 10 gallon yesterday because I figured it was settled enough from all the gravel changes and plants being introduced, and all the fish looked to be in good shape. If any suddenly become sick in the next week (seems unlikely) I will move them back to the bucket. I will be getting my otos and gouramis soon. 

Pics soon (maybe later tonight).

Edit: May 18th.

Apologies for no photos. Been a very hectic day. They'll be up soon.


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## bpswim90 (Oct 30, 2005)

May 20th, 2006

Today was an unlucky day for me. I went out to buy some fish (my honey gouramis and otos). First, we went to Petsmart. They didn't have either at the moment. The guy working at the fish told us they had them on order and would be in by thursday. So then we went to Petco. I went to the tank that said to have otos in it. I looked closely at the fish, they were definetely Plecos! Mislabeled fish! So, I looked through the other tanks. I saw the otos spread throughout many of the other tanks, without them even labeled next to the tank. And worst of all, each of the tanks had several dead fish just laying on the bottom or floating around. Gross! If you're gonna have dead fish, at least scoop them out! I was entirely dissapointed with Petco because I liked them over Petsmart when they first came to town. So I left without getting the otos (as far as I know they're all diseased), and went home, dissapointed. I plan on getting my Honeys and Otos from Petsmart when they come in on thursday. I may never get fish from Petco based on today's experience.

As they say, "you win some, you lose some." Today I lost. 

But, my tank is doing very well. Still no fish casualties from my tetras. Although they do all seem to have slightly torn up dorsal fins. I'm wondering if I should be worried about this, but I think not because they all act quite happy. Today I did a 1 gallon water change on the tank (and the quarantine tank) and they seemed to deal with it well. So my tank is doing fine, and that's good.

Thanks for reading.


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## Pac-Man (Mar 18, 2005)

It seems petcos and petsmarts vary greatly on quality depending on where you go. Mine are ok; there aren't usually dead fish, etc. I like the pond. Good luck with your new fish!


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## bpswim90 (Oct 30, 2005)

*A Casualty...*

May 27th, 2006

Thanks Pac-man. And yeah, the petstores do vary greatly. When petco first came they had nice tanks but they really went downhill. And the search for my otos and gouramis continues. This week we went to a different Petstore, not a chain one. It was really nice. The fish all looked really healthy and happy. Unfortunately, they didn't have the fish I was looking for either.  So then, thursday, I went to petsmart after school to get the gouramis and otos. They said they would be getting their shipment on thursday. Well, I guess they lied, because they didn't have either. So I figured "well, maybe the shipment is a day late," and I went AGAIN, yesterday. No luck. It's really frustrating. :neutral:

But today it got worse. I was doing my weekly water changes, (and this week an algae scrub on the front of the tank,) and I could only see 5 out of my 6 tetras. At first I just figured one was hiding, because that is usually the case. So I continued on with my cleaning and once I was finished I could _still _only see 5 tetras. So I picked up the center decoration, and nope, no tetras. I was baffled. Then it came to me. Each night, I've been opening up the tank cover because it helps to cool off the heat the tank accumulates during the day. Could one of the tetras have jumped out? Surely not. Or so I thought. I looked around the tank area, and sure enough in a cardboard box about a foot away was my 6th tetra, dried to a crisp.  I was so sad (and still am). I honestly can't believe a fish so small could leap out of my tank and into a box a foot away. Well, I guess I will learn from my mistakes. No more leaving the cover off for extended periods! Heh, but yeah, it's been a rough (at best) week for me and fishkeeping. I will trudge on, though.

So I cleaned out the tank, water change, algae scrub, cleaned out the filter, the works. It's looking good. Here's some pics (about time!):

My Lighting, I never posted a pic when I promised.









Pic of the full tank. It's looking better, right? The grass doesn't seem to be spreading much, but oh well.









Close-up 1









Close-up 2









Thats all for now. Thanks for reading, hope you like the photos. *goes off to hold a fish funeral*


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## bpswim90 (Oct 30, 2005)

*A Newbie*

May 29th, 2006

Today I went to Petsmart yet ANOTHER time, and they still have neither the Otos or Honey gouramis!!!! Agh!!! So, I was driving down the road and I happened to pass by Petco, and I was like "eh, what the heck. I'll stop in." So I turned into Petco and went to their fish section. Apparently they cleaned up all the dead fish and mess since last week because everything looked good again. O_O In addition, they had Sunset (honey) Gouramis!! I was so happy! They didn't have the otos in, but at least they had something I was looking for! I couldn't tell whether they were male or female, but they all appeared to be about the same (I think they were all male), so I only bought one. Here he (I'll refer to it as a he, because that's what I think it is) is in the bag acclimating to my quarantine:








So far he is doing very well. No clamping of the fins, no staying at the bottom of the tank. I may try to feed him a little later tonight, but I doubt he'll eat.

Thanks for reading.


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## bpswim90 (Oct 30, 2005)

*Sorry, x]*

Okay, I'm sorry it's been such a long time since I've updated. A LOT has happened since the above entry. Firstly, that fish died mysteriously while in quarantine. One day it simply stopped trying to swim and died. The following sunset I got lived through its quarantine period, but then I went on a two week vacation and left my tank in the hands of my sister (BIG MISTAKE). Needless to say, when I came back the tank was an absolute wreck, and my precious gourami was rotting away on the bottom of the tank. Miraculously, all of my tetras survived her abuse. I promptly got the tank back into shape. The quarantine seemed to still be cycled, regardless of not having ammonia for such a long time. Last monday I got a new honey gourami.

August 8th, 2006
8 days after I purchased my third sunset gourami. He was very active the first week, but at the moment seems lethargic. He is staying near the bottom of the quarantine tank. I fed him some food to see his reaction. Instead of chasing after it, he swam under the rock/cave. I will keep an eye on him.
Update: He has just swam up for a moment, then returned to the bottom. He may be afraid of me.
My tetras continue to do fantastic. I'm curious as to why they *never* go under/inside the rock/cave.
There is also a green algae developing on the surface of the rocks and plants. Damn algae. I need some kind of fish/creature that will eat my algae/help clean up uneaten food. That was kind of what I wanted the otos for, but I have yet to find them in any of my local fish stores. 

Until next time,
BP


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## bpswim90 (Oct 30, 2005)

Amazing. My third honey gourami has just died. The day that I notice he's acting up, he dies. Ah well. Back to the pet store...


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## bpswim90 (Oct 30, 2005)

August 9th
Today I took some major action to prevent furthur disease of my new fish. I drained out my QT then filled it with a one part bleach to 20 parts water solution. I then ran the filter for an hour (turning the rocks occasionally to kill off all bacteria). (Note to self: In the future, do not do this in your room. It smells horrible.) Once the hour had passed I poured the solution into my bathtub and rinsed off the filter and rock thing. I took the rest (rocks and bucket) outside to rinse off with the hose. Finally, I placed everything on a towel in my room to dry off overnight.


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## bpswim90 (Oct 30, 2005)

August 10th, 2006
Forgot to mention I rearranged my 10 gallon yesterday (again!). I tried following a basic techniques on an aquascaping website so make it more interesting. 
Today I reconstructed the QT without the rocks because I realized I don't really need them. I plan to run it for a day without adding ammonia and starting my cycling. I placed a new filter in both tanks (this means there are two filters in my 10 gallon, and one in my QT) so that cycling time can be shortened the next time I have to clean out the QT. 
I also drove to a LFS called Tropical World Pets. It's very nice; they have some beautiful displays and there are no sick or dead fish in any tanks. Unfortunately, I haven't seen any Otos or Honey Gouramis there. I guess for now I'll have to stick with Petsmart's gouramis.

Photos: 
My 10 Gallon:


















QT:


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## bpswim90 (Oct 30, 2005)

*Chicago [DIAL-UP USERS, BEWARE...]*

Alright, so I haven't updated in a while. One reason is because one weekend I went with my family to Chicago! And you know what's in Chicago?...








The beautiful Shedd Aquarium. So sit back and enjoy some photos I gathered.


















They fed the fish in the reef heads of lettuce.




















































































































Haha, eel.








And of course, the dolphin show.


















Hope you enjoyed, and your internet survived the mass amount of pics.


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## bpswim90 (Oct 30, 2005)

10/29/06

Tank Temp: 79F

Not much has happened with the tank since my last real update. The fish continue to do spectacular, the tank has been regularly cleaned, and the plants are fine (not thriving, but they're alive). As my money reserves continue to increase, I'm more and more considering getting a bigger tank or making some improvements to my current small one. 

For my birthday, my mom bought me "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist" and with every page of reading I become more and more obsessed with the idea of a marine aquarium. Unfortunately, I'm currently limited in the amount of space in my room. My bed as well as my dresser are huge, so for me to fit a 55gallon aquarium into my room I'm going to have to get rid of something. I'm also unsure if I have enough money to start and maintain one. What I want is a fish only with liverock and inverts. I'm not too interested in coral. To save money (provided I can free up space), I may instead start a 55 gallon freshwater cichlid or community tank, which I'm sure would be just as cool. Then I could use my 10 gallon as a quarantine and ditch the bucket. Decisions, decisions...

At the moment however, I plan on making my 10 gallon as cool as can be by getting more glowlight tetras (I've given up on Otos and Honey Gouramis. The stores near me NEVER have them) and some shrimp/snails to clean up, getting a CO2 system for my plants, getting more plants, maximizing lighting, getting a new background, getting some driftwood, and completely replacing the gravel to be all black (to bring out the colors of the fish and plants). Once this is complete and I am content with it, I will start up my 55g marine aquarium. This will be a major undertaking, with much planning required. I'll be doing lots of reading up for it (as I always do). Naturally, this plan is subject to change.

So here's my current to-do list.
-Purchase CO2 system. -30$
-Purchase 1x36 retrofitting kit for 10 gallon. -$41.99 + 15.99 for bulb
-Purchase black tank background -5$?
-Purchase driftwood and/or rocks -20-30$
-Purchase more plants to fill up the tank. -15-25$
-Purchase more glowlight tetras, shrimp, and snails. -10-15$

Here's a picture of my tank right now:









Hope you enjoyed. Later


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## bpswim90 (Oct 30, 2005)

*My DIY CO2*

So I went to Petsmart AND Petco and neither had a decent CO2 system. Petco had one which would work, but the salesman told me it really wasn't worth the money. (It was one powered by fizzing tabs.) I came home a bit disappointed (not for the first time). I considered ordering one online... but I wasn't willing to wait. Then I considered making a DIY system. Surely it wouldn't be that hard? So I did a bit of research on materials and methods and soon enough I was building it. 

It was really quite simple. I took a gatorade bottle (about 1/2 liter) and basically just poked a hole in the cap, small enough so that airline tubing would fit snugly. I then glued the airline tubing in place with some gorilla glue, and after that had dried I added some non-toxic cement (for plastic model cars). That was basically all the construction consisted of. Next, I sanitized my bottle and sugar with boiling water. Once this had cooled, I added in my yeast (which I had already activated with warm water). I closed the lid tight, put the tubing in my tank, and that was that. For diffusion I started with a "bell" method, but decided instead to insert the tubing into the intake of my filter. The impeller should diffuse the CO2 quite well. 

I did most of my research at these sites:
http://www.qsl.net/w2wdx/aquaria/diyco2.html
-Very long but the information is amazing. 
http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/CO2/
-Tons of great information and personal experiences (be sure to click the links)
I'd recommend both sites to anyone interested in a DIY CO2 system. 
*
Today's Tank Parameters
*Temp: 76F
pH: 7.4
CO2: 4 bubbles per minute
Amm: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm

*Photos
*








Full tank view. CO2 bottle ("reactor") is on the right.









Close-up on the CO2.

















Thanks for reading.


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## Phantom_Cichlid (Jul 3, 2006)

What are you using for light? Also very nice pics hope to see more updates, also sorry to hear about the death of your fish.


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## bpswim90 (Oct 30, 2005)

The light is a 15w fluorescent which came with the fixture. I'm hoping to update soon to 1x36w CF. And yeah, I can't seem to keep gouramis alive.


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## Phantom_Cichlid (Jul 3, 2006)

Are your swords still green? Do you add and ferts to your tank?


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## bpswim90 (Oct 30, 2005)

Yes they're green. No, I don't add any ferts (yet).


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## bpswim90 (Oct 30, 2005)

Temp: 75F
pH: 7.5
Amm: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
CO2: 1 bubble/minute

The CO2 has slowed significantly, but it's still producing. I think I will wait until it has completely stopped before I refill it. Today I ordered my new lighting - 1x36 compact fluorescent retrofitting kit and a 36w 5500k CF bulb - from AHsupply. So, that should be here around wednesday. I can't wait to see my plants grow.
I've also done a mini-cycle on my quarantine this past week and then a 50% water change today. Tomorrow I intend on finishing off my 10 gallon's stock by getting 4 more glowlight tetras (9 total) and, if they have some, a couple shrimp because I desperately need something to eat up the algae in my tank. I'm tired of constantly scrubbing it off the glass and substrate.

That's about all for today. Here's a quick glimpse of the tank:


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## bpswim90 (Oct 30, 2005)

Mini-update!

My new lighting arrived today! It took a couple hours to assemble, but the new brightness is noticable. My bulb also has a color rendering factor of 92 (which is excellent), and I noticed this in the brilliance of the red of my tetras. With this and my CO2, the plants should soon be thriving and I can begin to add new ones!

By the way, on sunday I did get my 4 tetras (no shrimp though). They're currently all doing fine in the quarantine tank. I also purchased some malaysian wood and arranged that in my aquarium to replace the coral-like decorations (which I've placed in the QT). I'll have some photos on Friday or Saturday. It looks much different now than it did on my previous post, and I think you all will like it. 

Later,
BP


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## robyn (May 29, 2006)

when you first bought plants, you had some long strands of some kind of plant. it looks very similar if not the same as the plants sold here in south africa (that i currently have in my tank too) as floating plants but i c u had them rooted? could u please shed some light on this?

ps. the tank just keeps getting better and better


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## bpswim90 (Oct 30, 2005)

The anacharis? I'm pretty sure it can be grown either floating or rooted. 

http://www.plantgeek.net/plantguide_viewer.php?id=110

Thanks for the comment.


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## robyn (May 29, 2006)

ok, thanks. what plants do u use as floating plants?


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## bpswim90 (Oct 30, 2005)

I don't have any floating plants right now.


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## bpswim90 (Oct 30, 2005)

Mini-Update 2...

Forgot to post some pictures on Saturday.  Here's what the tank looked like before I did a 3 day blackout and added in my 4 new fish.










I'll post again soon with some other assorted updates, and photo of what it looks like at the moment. 

Thanks for reading.


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## bpswim90 (Oct 30, 2005)

*grumble*... cyanobacteria... *grumble*


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## bpswim90 (Oct 30, 2005)

*Hah...*

Parameters:
Temp: 78 F
pH: 7.6
Amm: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 5 ppm

So, I haven't updated in ages. Sorry. It's been stressful. Constant cleaning out of an invasive cyanobacteria. I should have gotten some photos of it. The stuff covered literally everything. Filter intake, heater, substrate, driftwood. Everything but the fish. And that's only after a week. Every week I would have to reclean the tank completely. The cyano killed off most of my plants. So finally I got fed up and did something about it. 

First step: near-complete extraction of the green-stuff.









Yes, this was all in my tank. After just one week.









After the cleanout, I put the driftwood back in the tank and covered it with a garbage bag for 5 days. When I uncovered it, I did another water change to rid of all the dead cyano. 

I then had to go out and find some potassium nitrate, because the lack of it in my tank is the reason I've been having the problems. Apparently this task is easier said than done. Potassium nitrate is in gunpowder and it's a controlled substance. So when we called around asking stores for potassium nitrate, none of them confirmed that they had it. Luckily, I had read online that chemical stump removers are nearly 100% potassium nitrate. So we settled for some stump remover which, if it isn't 100%, it's near that. 

I purchased this yesterday. I also finally purchased a working nitrate test kit, and a commercial yeast CO2 system by Hagen. I didn't think my DIY system had effective-enough diffusion. My fish are actually quite amused by the diffusor, and often follow the bubbles as they float upwards. :lol: 

Here are some photos taken last night:








Notice how the java fern and amazon sword are way smaller than they once were.









Some eggs(?) I found under a driftwood after removing the garbage bag. I'm not sure whether they are fish eggs or snail eggs. 









Snail. There's a couple big ones and a couple small ones. I'm guessing they arrived on one of my plants.









Closeup.









Closeup 2. The fish in the foreground has an oddly curved spine.









And this is Mr. Bubbles. He's my sister's friend's betta who got sick back in December. He's doing much better now. 

That's all for today. Hope you enjoyed it.


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## mudskipper26 (Nov 30, 2006)

i think that one fish with the oddly shapped spine has fish TB which is not good...can someone else confirm this?


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## bpswim90 (Oct 30, 2005)

*I return!*

So yeah, I haven't been here in a while. To sum up what's happened in the tank in the past months: One of my fish disappeared (probably died and got eaten by the other fish, perhaps the one with fish TB?), Mr. Bubbles died, at one point my light burnt out and my fish were living in darkness for weeks, I got a MacBook, and cyano is still at large in my tank, as well as another stringy algae-type thing. 

Today's parameters:
pH: 7.5
Ammonia: who cares
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: 0ppm (<--that's why cyano's still here...)

Oh yeah, forgot to mention I haven't been adding the KNO3 in a long time. Or CO2 for that matter. So really, the reason this stuff is still in my tank is due to my own laziness. Forutnately, I've finally got a little free time now, so I'm hoping to do a little cleaning up. Planning on adding KNO3 daily (in the mornings?) and getting my CO2 back up and running. Also need to clean out the current cyano. Hah, I've got a lot of work ahead of me. 

Today's pics:


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## Zoe (Feb 26, 2006)

Oh no, algae problems >< You can use an eyedropped to put some hydrogen peroxide directly over the driftwood etc... it will make removing the algae a lot easier.
Also adding some plants like java moss, and stemmy plans like hygrophilia sunset should help combat the algae problems you're having. 

I've noticed in most of your pics, that the water level is quite low. Is there a reason that you keep your water level low? Note that you're losing a lot of gallons, a good 10-15% of your tank volume, by keeping the water level low. This also concentrates any waste in the water (the water evaporates, but the other stuff doesn't, if you know what I mean).

Good luck with the cleanup  Lots of work ahead, eh? Don't worry, it will get better!


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## bpswim90 (Oct 30, 2005)

No, there's no particular reason why it's low... other than my own laziness.  I cleaned it out last sunday and when I filled it with new water it didn't go all the way to the top. However, my probably isn't waste, it's a LACK of waste. My plants are sucking up all the nitrates faster than they can be created, and this leaves an environment where cyanobacteria seems to thrive...

So I just finished creating my KNO3 solution. I followed the instructions here: http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_nitrate.htm except that I'm using a gatorade bottle (approximately 500 mL). So this week I will add 2mL of this solution each day and hopefully my Nitrates will rise to a desirable level. I also just set my CO2 system back up (cleaned it out, filled it with water, sugar, yeast). 

Things are getting back on track...  And now that you've mentioned it, I may go and top off my tank.


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## Zoe (Feb 26, 2006)

Cyano is weird stuff... I had a plantless tank just coated with the stuff. Hydrogen Peroxide helped, but it's obviously not a solution - just an aesthetic bandaid


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## bpswim90 (Oct 30, 2005)

*November 12th, 2007*

Quick updates. My mom accidentally killed all (we think) of the goldfish in our pond by running the hose in it for too long and not using a chlorine remover. Yes, that includes the two fish I raised for some time. It's sad, but it happens. 

My own tank is still doing alright. A couple weeks ago, I added more plants to further absorb nutrients and (hopefully) compete with the cyano. So far it's been working pretty well! 

Today I did a thorough cleaning and fertilized. I'm trying to stick to a fertilizing schedule, to ensure the health of my plants. 

The color of these photos isn't 100% accurate (a bit too green), but they're close enough:


















BP


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## Guest (Nov 13, 2007)

Fertilizing is the way to go if you want to beat and prevent cyano. Absorbing all the nutrients (nitrates in particular) is actually the cause of a cyano outbreak in a planted tank, usually. You'll want to watch the nitrate readings if they regularly bottom out and add in nitrogen or some form of nitrates.


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