# Our New 90 gal and first fish...



## lochness

his name is freddie





p.s.
we're gettin the background and sand this weekend :fun:


----------



## talon4show

Hahahahahahahah! SOOOOOO GOOD TO SEE A SENSE OF HUMOR! Ooooo he must be rare...college ruled fish are crazy!


----------



## micstarz

..........................

..........................................

okok hope that tank is a great success


----------



## goodie

Be careful! I've heard that they grow to tank buster proportions.


----------



## fishboy

did you remember to cycle! oh god, what will happen to freddie!?! Quickly, draw some bio spira and cycle the tank! You may also want to draw a canister filter for that setup :wink:


----------



## lochness

LOL thnx for the tips


----------



## fishfreaks

LMAO thats great! :lol: What are you planning to stock the tank with for real though?


----------



## lochness

fishfreaks said:


> LMAO thats great! :lol: What are you planning to stock the tank with for real though?


good question - my soulmate at first wanted all the wrong fish combo (he's a total newb and has no concept about the world of fishkeeping) so i've decided he's not coming with me anymore to look at fish lol

i do get the impression, however, that he likes oddball and bigger fish but doesnt realize he cant keep shovelednose catfish with fancy guppies  

i'm on the fence - it's been nearly a decade since i kept fish and it would be so easy for me to just do a swordtail community tank (swords, glassfish, platies, guppies, plecos like bushynose - spotted or clown), and although he would still enjoy it, methinks he would still be longing for more exotic stuff so i setup 2 lil booklets for him of a *package* deal of fish he can choose from with pictures pasted and it has come down to these 2:

this tank would cater to the cardinals: sand substrate, slightly acidic water neutral Ph - temp around 80

cherry barbs - 8
cardinal tetras - 12 
clown loaches - 6 (small)
royal/sunshine/mango/gibbicep pleco (choose 1)
chocolate/albino pleco - 1
dwarf gouramis (sunset thicklip) - 2
harlequin rasboras - 6
glass catfish - 10
madagascar rainbow or similar (sharks only 2) - 6

*or*

tiger barbs - 12
pictus catfish - 4
albino rainbow shark - 2
blue-eyed pleco -1
rosy barbs - 12
zebra danios - 12
striped loach - 1
red-tailed shark - 2
clown loaches - 6 (large)
shovel-nosed catfish - 1


any choice will have natural brown sand, bogwood and driftwood, plastic plants and some resin ornaments. any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated 

p.s. im holding off on the real plants due to my inexperience with them but i may consider them for much later on.


----------



## ron v

What... no cichlids..... No cichlids. I protest... You gotta have some cichlids. I demand a recount. Put a few kribs in there or rams... Or something..


----------



## fishboy

I'd go for a large oddball species tank, but that's just me. Maybe a pea**** bass or something alittle bigger with a pleco of some kind


----------



## Cichlid Man

lochness said:


> his name is freddie
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> p.s.
> we're gettin the background and sand this weekend :fun:


Looks good, though when he gets a bit bigger he'll need a much larger tank.


----------



## lochness

Cichlid Man said:


> Looks good, though when he gets a bit bigger he'll need a much larger tank.



haha :grin:


----------



## lochness

ron v said:


> What... no cichlids..... No cichlids. I protest... You gotta have some cichlids. I demand a recount. Put a few kribs in there or rams... Or something..


he wants no cichlids because he really likes the cardinal tetras (seems that list is the leader atm with him) -- i also know nothing about them so if you are tellin me i can keep a ram or some other cichild in there with that group that would be cool --i was also wondering about mixing and matching - but he really wants the cards so im trying to setup a tank with them as the focal point -- i need to read up on the shovelnose cat cuz he loved that one too.

and lol on the pea**** bass suggestion took me like 5 secs to realize what fish you typed in


----------



## ron v

Lochness, how big is the tank? You probably said that somewhere, but I don't see it. There are lots of cichlids you could keep in that tank. Check out the Genus apistogramma. Rams wolud also work.... BTW... another thought. If your tank is big enough... black gravel, black background and a large school ( maybe even 40-50 ) cardinals. Nothing else except maybe a sclool of corys. I had a friend once that had a tank set up like that. Probably the most eye catching aquarium I have ever seen.


----------



## bichirboy

fishboy said:


> did you remember to cycle! oh god, what will happen to freddie!?! Quickly, draw some bio spira and cycle the tank! You may also want to draw a canister filter for that setup :wink:



I think you meant re-cycle.


----------



## fishboy

bichirboy said:


> I think you meant re-cycle.


oh that was cheesey man, yet clever


----------



## lochness

ron v said:


> Lochness, how big is the tank? You probably said that somewhere, but I don't see it. There are lots of cichlids you could keep in that tank. Check out the Genus apistogramma. Rams wolud also work.... BTW... another thought. If your tank is big enough... black gravel, black background and a large school ( maybe even 40-50 ) cardinals. Nothing else except maybe a sclool of corys. I had a friend once that had a tank set up like that. Probably the most eye catching aquarium I have ever seen.



the thread is entitled 90gal  ...

all ribbing aside, if it were up to me i'd love something like that but this is kinda a joint venture and my honey would like a mixture of suitable tankmates but ty for sharing - i have a cool visual of all those cards swimming in black space 

the apistogramma and rams would be ideal - i considered a ram -- would it be a bad idea to get more than 1 tho? (considering the inhabitants in the lists mentioned below) of course it's not set in stone and i might mix n match from both groups the only constant is the dozen cardinals:

cherry barbs - 8
cardinal tetras - 12
clown loaches - 6 (small)
royal/sunshine/mango/gibbicep pleco (choose 1)
chocolate/albino pleco - 1
dwarf gouramis (sunset thicklip) - 2
harlequin rasboras - 6
glass catfish - 10
madagascar rainbow or similar (sharks only 2) - 6

or

tiger barbs - 12
pictus catfish - 4
albino rainbow shark - 2
blue-eyed pleco -1
rosy barbs - 12
zebra danios - 12
striped loach - 1
red-tailed shark - 2
clown loaches - 6 (large)
shovel-nosed catfish - 1


----------



## leveldrummer

i hope you still have freddie, or franky or whatever. you should tape him to the back of the tank and see how many of your friends get fooled, rams are great and they stay small. but sadly, i dont know if you can mix and match them.


----------



## leveldrummer

RONV as smart as you are, and you couldnt find the size of the tank?? cmon man, what the heck did you click on?


----------



## ron v

LOL... Ok ya'll give me a break. I'm getting old, after all!!!! Lochness, if you want to consider a small cichlid species, you may have to drop a group of bottom dwellers from your list... say the loaches. Get a group of 6-8 of whatever cichlid you choose. Get the tank set up properly, give it a month to settle and I promise you will spend more time watching the cichlids than anything else in the tank. Oh yeah.... how big is the tank????


----------



## lochness

ron v said:


> LOL... Ok ya'll give me a break. I'm getting old, after all!!!! Lochness, if you want to consider a small cichlid species, you may have to drop a group of bottom dwellers from your list... say the loaches. Get a group of 6-8 of whatever cichlid you choose. Get the tank set up properly, give it a month to settle and I promise you will spend more time watching the cichlids than anything else in the tank. Oh yeah.... how big is the tank????


LOL you're too cute ron 

well, i discussed the cichlid idea with my honey and I made the mistake of agreeing to go to several lfs to check some out and basically he likes the fish that we cant house with cichlids more than the cichlids so there we have it :help: 

so based on the 2 lists, i'd like some ideas as to any other possible fish not on the list that can be substituted that I hadn't considered yet. (aside from any cichlids) :fun:


p.s.

:mrgreen: Freddie thnx you all for your concerns, compliments and comments - he says my cell phone camera didn't do him justice...


----------



## ron v

OK, I give up. Good luck with your new tank...


----------



## lochness

**Update* Background added*

is it me or does Freddie seem a lil bit happier with his new background? :fun:


















Note:these were taken with a cell phone cam and the background was adhered with liquid dishwashing soap

How To: this goes on the outside of your tank -- make sure to just use the liquid dishwashing soap - no water or it will get foamy - with your index and middle fingers together slowy apply a small amount on your fingers and slide them as evenly as you can across the entire side you want as the background - be sure it's a wet film (too dry and you will have alot of air pockets) too wet and the background will slide all over, but this is preferable to too dry so it's ok if you apply a little too much - when you are all done apply the background and slide it as high as possible until it blends as well as it can with the frame of the tank (some tanks allow it to even slip under a little) and on the back, with a damp sponge, using nice wide, firm swipes start from the top and angle down and smoothe it all out as much as you can - when you are nearly done check the top part and be sure it is very smoothe - if you feel too many air pockets, or turn on the aquarium lights and see them, simply pull back the background and add a drop or two in that area and re-smoothe it. this should stay up all by itself and you will not believe how bright and sharp the colors come out from behind the tank - even thru water! :fish:


----------



## CVV1

:lol: :help: Okay....i have no idea what that is in the tank umm dont be offended i just dont know what that is.....


----------



## lochness

what the paper fish taped to the outside of the tank? or the resin ornament i placed in the tank on sponge mats for lack of a better place atm? lol :fun:


----------



## Lydia

LMAO. Yeah I think he looks a LOT happier. :lol:


----------



## fishfreaks

Lydia said:


> LMAO. Yeah I think he looks a LOT happier. :lol:


LMAO I agree!! By the way..nice backround, I've never seen one like that before :-D


----------



## lochness

thnx - we debated a black one or one with plants ... we couldnt decide and are still on the fence - i might get a black background anyhow and swap it out to see how we like it - once the water is in the tank, there's no way of getting behind it (we purchased a 3-stepladder to facilitate access to the top area and hoses and we both fit thru the cabinets at the bottom if we needed to reach for something) our apt is small so it's the only place it can reasonably stay. we got the bg here: http://www.thatpetplace.com/Products/KW/[email protected]/PgNo/1/Class/Fish+Supplies+Backgrounds/Shopay00.aspx


----------



## ORCA.

Get an Oscar and watch your soulmates face as the other fish start dissappearing, more seriously, I personally would go with the first list.


----------



## lochness

haha  -- well we saw a beautiful new shipment in a lfs of cardinal tetras and he _really _wants the cards so it looks like the first list is the one we're going with - and instead of the gouramis we may get a pair of rams -- a lfs said it was difficult to sex them but i've read otherwise... will post a thread asking about them since we have loads of knowledgeable cichlid people on ff 

updated pics in about a week. (we stayed with the color background)


----------



## lochness

updated: freddie went to paperfish heaven :rip:

but before he did, he was able to enjoy the new tank conditions for about a day 

the driftwood on the right is being weighted down (literally) with an 8lb freeweight and some gravel (initially had to be held down with 16lbs) so it is slowly becoming waterlogged - was too big to keep in a bucket - we'll be getting some more plants but this is the stage it is at now - the rena filstar canisters will be up and running by the end of this week... not great pics but what can you expect of a cell phone cam :mrgreen:


----------



## Georgia Peach

tank looks great..


----------



## Shaggy

Well, have you figured out what fish you will be putting in it?


----------



## lochness

well, I was going to add the cards first but i think i want the tank a lil more mature (running at least 4-6 mos) before we add them in. it is still up in the air as to which is going to be our first addition but it points to the gouramies - i'm very patient and deliberate so i'd like the tank to have all the plants and wood in before any fish go in - less stress makes for happier and healthy fish - and already i'm wishing i had gone with the deep dark blue or even black background but my boyfriend loves the current background :console: so i will have to console myself with the fact that at least i got a fish tank in my life once again :wink:

once the additional plants i ordered come in, then will begin to cycle the tank and get it going. :fun: thnx for inquiring tho!


----------



## MaryPa

A 90 gal will be too small for Clown Loaches.:? I have 5 in a 125 and know i`ll have to upgrade in the future. They can get to over 2' and need plenty of room for their Loachie dances. I`m sure if you go to loachesonline you`ll find some that`ll do great ina tank that size.
I`d also take out the weights, they may contain lead. Sorry for being negative but this old gal worries about the fish.


----------



## lochness

ahh good to know marypa ty - it's a 90 gal but even so, that's a pretty big size for a school of clown loaches - it's not a big disappoinment since i was considering not getting them at all (the only reason they were on the list is cuz my boyfriend liked them) 

the weight in the tank is completely covered in vinyl - no nicks in it either - but just in case, i wonder if carbon will remove any possible lead leaks? there are no fish in the tank yet.


----------



## Cichlid Man

lochness said:


> well, I was going to add the cards first but i think i want the tank a lil more mature (running at least 4-6 mos) before we add them in. it is still up in the air as to which is going to be our first addition but it points to the gouramies - i'm very patient and deliberate so i'd like the tank to have all the plants and wood in before any fish go in - less stress makes for happier and healthy fish - and already i'm wishing i had gone with the deep dark blue or even black background but my boyfriend loves the current background :console: so i will have to console myself with the fact that at least i got a fish tank in my life once again :wink:
> 
> once the additional plants i ordered come in, then will begin to cycle the tank and get it going. :fun: thnx for inquiring tho!


4-6 months? Waiting that long for your tank to mature is very uneccessary.
If cycled correctly the water will be safe for cards at about 8 weeks or even sooner depending on the filtration.


----------



## lochness

meh - we arent in any rush and since it doesnt harm anything, we are taking things very slow


----------



## MaryPa

I cycled my last 3 tanks with Bio-Spira and added fish the same day. Never had ammonia readings or nitrItes.


----------



## micstarz

if u get any cichlids i think you will need more hiding places.


----------



## xlabidokidx

ron v said:


> What... no cichlids..... No cichlids. I protest... You gotta have some cichlids. I demand a recount. Put a few kribs in there or rams... Or something..


 I agree this tank would be superb for some cichlids, or maybe you could set it up for saltwater and get some small baracudas..ok it was a nice dream and all about the baracudas, but i would seriously consider cichlids!


----------



## manda

man your fish is pretty!
i never seen a fish so white before


----------



## xlabidokidx

freddie looks lonely.. get him a mate! maybe once they breed you can start selling them LOL


----------



## lochness

lol - sadly Freddie is not with us any longer...

well... as typical to my nature, i simply didnt like the overall look of the tank. the background my bf picked out was graining on me and i felt the substrate was too light...

soo, i got deep river substrate and mixed it in and i love the effect! i also took off the background and tho nothing is replacing it atm, already i'm happier with the look (the wall behind the tank is natural wood paneling and so it's actually a pretty nice background LOL) but i will most likely put up a black background to better hide the cables and bring out the color of the fish more.

will post updated changes and pics in a few days... 

as i posted on another thread, the driftwood is STILL floating tho it IS heavier and definitely more waterlogged - so I will remain patient and keep it submerged using the 8lb dumbbell. 

I have read on other sites that a few people didnt get their woods to log til 6 mos later...

i considered attaching it to a nice heavy slate bottom via silicone and tho the silicone would adhere itself to the slate, im not sure if the wood will *take* since it is wet and would be way too time-consuming for me to dry it out again to prep it-- any ideas on this?


----------



## Tcian

Use your slate idea, just drill a couple of holes in the slate and screw the wood to it.


----------



## catfish

Ive heard thoes bad boys can reach up to A4 in size!


----------



## lochness

Tcian said:


> Use your slate idea, just drill a couple of holes in the slate and screw the wood to it.


hrm didnt think of this ty - will check around for advice on thickness of slate and exactly how to do this


please feel free to direct me to anyplace or a step-bystep guide 

slate of a decent thickness can b found... where exactly?


----------



## dwool36

"Gorillia Glue" is water proof and dosen't leech. It also needs to be wet to cure so it would be ideal. I used it to glue my driftwood to slate and my water chemistry remained the same. It also has not harmed my rams or cardinals. If you choose to use screws be careful of the type. MANY screws will rust. I would think stainless steel may be ok.


----------



## lochness

excellent ty... will check it out 

and yea my bf suggested the stainless steel screws - but i'd rather try the glue first


----------



## lochness

what the tank looks like now with the changes -- has 2x 150 watt heaters & the black background

we are considering the gorilla glue or stainless steel screws to weigh down the big piece of DW (8lb dumbbell on it atm) so that we can also position it correctly (can only be laid down flat atm)

more plants (tall and mid level) will be added as well this coming weekend

gettin closer to adding fish


----------



## lochness

*updates on 90 gal*

well, we finally drilled the driftwood into 2 separate 8lbs red brick slate with stainless steel screws - then i siliconed the brick slates and stuck some of the same gravel onto the tops and sides of it - and yay - it finally sunk! ty for all the suggestions 

atm all we have is a male (doug) and female (carrie) gourami in this 90 gal -- was setting up the filters and lo and behold - we noticed a huge bubblenest and the female looking gravid - so we are holding off any other fish and the rena canister filters to see if we can actually just breed this pair.

*Red Dwarf Gourami (female)*








(looks more like this pic) *photo borrowed from www.jjphoto.dk*








* Blue Dwarf Gourami (male)*








* Tank Setup*


----------



## lochness

Sadly, the male was ready but the female wasn't -- whether it was the fact that she was past her prime or the conditions weren't quite right, he harrassed her enough to the point of extreme stress and she died last night :-(

I checked all the parameters and they were all as they should be with the exception of the temp at 82F -- so i lowered that to 78F. The good news is i finally got a pic of my elusive lemon spotted green pleco (L200):


































will be adding a dozen Cherry Barbs over the next few days...possibly some Boesemani Rainbows in the next few weeks.


----------



## lochness

well, placed an order for 6 bosemani rainbows via liveaquaria.com - should be getting them this week 

meanwhile, our L200 gained a new tankmate in the form of an (L083) albino _Glyptoperichthys_ _gibbiceps_(pet name pending):


----------



## Jay333

nice pleco


----------



## lochness

thnx jay 

got the 6 Bosemani Rainbows in today from liveaquaria.com - tho the packaging overall was pretty good with the bag doubled and within a thermal housing, I feel each fish should have been in an individual bag and not all 6 together in one big one... however, tho they were extremely pale and nearly white from stress, I followed the instructions (dim lighting and all) and left them in near dark for 6-7 hours. Finally, I turned on the lights and after a few minutes of adjustment, decided to treat them to a lil bit of frozen brine shrimp and bloodworms (small amounts of course) - whoa! they gobbled it all up with lightning fast swimming and their colors were so pronounced after about an hour. Here are pics taken after having been fed and in my aquarium for over 10 hours after arriving. We love them. So far every one of them looks to be in good health.

tho some pics are blurry (they refused to stay still lol), I still posted em to show the colors:


























































the next step is investing in a decent camera :fun:


----------



## blcknwitecuban

from those pictures they both looked like male gouramis.. that could b the reason for the harrassment


----------



## lochness

yea the pictures didnt show how gravid she was even tho she was a deep red - her dorsal fin was rounded as well whereas his ends in a point -- would he make a bubblenest with another male in the tank? the camera phone didnt pic up alot and i dont have any others of her 
the female i have there now is the usual pale, drab khaki color... tho i may be mistaken overall about the 2nd gourami's gender.

Quote from http://www.tropicalfishfinder.co.uk/article_detail.asp?id=25

"Dwarf gouramis are peaceful fish with other aquarium inhabitants, but can be extremely aggressive with their own kind. In a crowded aquarium, such as in a shop, the males have not got enough room to establish territories of their own, and bad behaviour is minimised. If there are only a few, however, they will divide up the aquarium and weaker males may be bullied. _*They are also wife-beaters, and the females need room to escape the males when they are not ready for spawning and as soon as spawning has taken place.*_"

I think since the female I had was also kinda deep red, it was too much for him - the female I have now has zero traces of red or blue which may lead him to leaving her alone for the most part. The addition of the Rainbows has subdued him a little bit so he's not a bully to anyone anymore


----------



## fish_doc

Looks like they survived the trip. Or at least rebounded well.


----------



## lochness

yea  they are doing awesomely

more recent pics:

*L200*








*LDA33
























Bosemani Rainbow








Dwarf Gourami (male)








Albino Gibbiceps









*


----------



## lochness

well - the LDA33 brought with it Ich :shock: - and nearly wiped out my tank before I knew what was happening and was able to get it under control :-(
long, sad story short:

I lost the plecos, the gouramis and the bosemanis 


What's left are 7 cherry barbs and 7 denison barbs (and after the recovery period, I bought a generic common plec that looked healthy to tackle the algae that had grown.)

we're still mourning the loss...

been trying to rebound and tend to what we have - won't be getting a anything new til i set up a 10 gal quarantine tank in the bedroom. 

Lesson learned.

Here are some recent phone camera pics...the good news is the Denison Barbs are truly beautiful and thriving and the cherry barbs make great tankmates.


----------



## robyn

im sorry to hear about the loss  i just started reading this post today but i think you made the right choice with regards to changing the backgrounds. its much more effective this way


----------



## lochness

Thank You Robyn - just goes to show that regardless of the years of experience and some level of expertise, even the slightest carelessness can be disastrous  - I only hope others learn from the mistake of not using a quarantine tank and making sure the fish you have on *reserve* are the exact same ones at the time of pickup (and pick em up yourself - tho my hubby is a sweetheart, he has no fish knowledge - bless him) 

The fish I listed above are thriving and the Denisons are getting bigger, are very active and extremely friendly (they are ALWAYS hungry lol) and are not *above* cleaning up the spirulina wafers I drop for the pleco (pun intended) 

will be posting more recent pics soon


----------



## Guest

Sorry about your losses!



> will be posting more recent pics soon


I'm looking forward to them! That is a really nice tank. Those Denisons are beautiful! I'm jealous.


----------



## lochness

Thnx Just 

I am hoping to pickup a new camera (one not connected to a phone lol) - both barb species are true to their torpedo shapes and make any photo session a trials & tribulation quest and ultimate test of patience! (you fellow pleco lovers know all about this)


----------



## lochness

well finally got a *new* camera 

Sony Cybershot DSC-S600 (6megapixels)

it's a year old model (since 12MPs can now be bought) but was the best I could do on my limited budget - got it from CompUSAuctions (reconditioned) at a great price and it's near mint condition. I am still learning about the camera and all about picture taking (complete n00b) so just 2 pics for now of Denison Barbs:


















will take more as I learn to use the thing - has more features than my car lol


----------



## Ltrepeter2000

If you are looking at dwarf cichlids I would recommend Apistogramma Viejita Rio Meta. You could probably accomodate 6 to 8 of these in a 90 gallon with the other fish listed. The only stipulation is that you would want to have small caves for the females to stake out. These fish enjoy a leaf litter bottom so if you have Oak trees around you gather some of these up and boil them and add them to the bottom in certain areas since you decided to not use live plants at this time. I would also increase the number of Harlequin Rasboras to 12-15 as they are rather impressive in a larger shoal. You want them to be able to stretch almost across the width of the tank in a line. Probably want the Cardinals to be able to do almost the same thing. If you do get the loaches you wont have to worry about Apistos breeding as the loaches will probably force their way in to get the eggs. Could lead to some aggression but probably not enough to be serious. You are going to want at least some plastic plants probably stem like plants in the corners triangle shaped or reverse it and make the plants a bunched center triangle. It will likely depend on what driftwood you are using and how its going to be situated in the tank.

Anyway my two cents.
Rob


----------



## Ltrepeter2000

Those are some impressive Denisons by the way. One of the display tanks at a LFS near me uses these as the statement fish.


----------



## lochness

Thnx Ltrpeter 

I call it a successful recovery after the Ich tragedy. The Denisons have grown and blossomed into fish I never expected - initially, Cardinal tetras were to be the main focal point of the tank and yet my husband and I are blown away by these Barbs. We got them at 1-2 inches and they are now 4-5 inches and are so graceful and beautiful we are even 2nd guessing the original setup configurations we had listed. Atm it houses the 7 Denisons, 7 Cherry Barbs, a common plec (so he was advertised but he has unusual markings that my goal is to get a good shot of him for ID purposes by our catfish experts), an Albino Gibbicep and an LDA33. The only problem with this tank is it is a 90 Tall - so it is still only 4 feet long (we have limited space so was the only viable option for the size we wanted). We haven't decided what we will put in next, but we are both leaning towards a compatible species with some blue in it to balance the color spectrum. 

All suggestions are welcome and will be considered :fun:

just a few more shots of the Denisons (the first one is a female Cherry barb):


----------



## Ltrepeter2000

Well as far as Apisto's go with Blue there are the Diplotaenia, Velifera, Trisfasciata, nijsseni, Macmasteri, Borelli and sp Steel Blue, although Steel Blue is debated as a hybrid and females are extremely difficult to find. Thats a start anyway but there are many variations of Apisto's that have a heavy blue pattern. I usually use the Apistogramma website to see photos and other notes on the needs of the fish.


----------



## lochness

Thnx  will check it out!


----------



## fraser27

some nice pictures there!


----------



## lochness

ty fraser 

here's 2 shots of the tank - sry for the water spots lol - I am still not done - more background plants will be added next month including more wood


----------



## locojay

That's a nice looking tank. I can't wait until I get to do a larger tank.


----------



## jdwoodschild

lochness said:


> well, I was going to add the cards first but i think
> 
> 
> 
> i want the tank a lil more mature (running at least 4-6 mos)
> 
> 
> 
> before we add them in. it is still up in the air as to which is going to be our first addition but it points to the gouramies - i'm very patient and deliberate so i'd like the tank to have all the plants and wood in before any fish go in - less stress makes for happier and healthy fish - and already i'm wishing i had gone with the deep dark blue or even black background but my boyfriend loves the current background :console: so i will have to console myself with the fact that at least i got a fish tank in my life once again :wink:
> 
> once the additional plants i ordered come in, then will begin to cycle the tank and get it going. :fun: thnx for inquiring tho!
Click to expand...

??? *past fish not knower and don't ask about fish killing track record completely new to this*

What do you mean by letting the tank mature? And why so long?


----------



## lochness

When I re-entered the hobby after a 10 year absence, I noticed many new & wonderful changes - one of the big ones was a product called Bio-Spira that I never heard of when I bought my tank. In the past, it was prudent to wait for a tank to mature (age a few months) before adding more or expensive fish so that the beneficial bacteria had a chance to establish themselves and provide the final section of the cycle nec. to assure zero reading of ammonia and low - zero readings of nitrates and nitrites. Even knowing this, I still jumped the gun and added fish due to excitement that is common among new fish keepers but I should have known better since my instincts and many years of experience told me not to and with a host of _other_ forces like the wood rotting and a pleco addition that I did not place in QT and brought with it Ich, produced disastrous results. That is what I meant. I may have been overly cautious when I initially said 4-6mos since I was a bit nervous. It would have been at least 2 mos. of cycling with 1-2 *hardy species* to consider a tank ready for more fish. That was before Bio-Spira and fishless cycling came into play.


----------



## jdwoodschild

Thanks ^.^ I know much more about photography than I do fish. My boyfriend has basically "thrown" me into the IBC, fish, and bettas. I'm just rummaging around here to look at pretty pictures ^.^

Though seeing a few people's pics on here, I'm going to try setting up a pictoral example on how to photo fish in fish tanks. It's quite easy actually, if you remember science class and the termanology of light "refracting" and "reflecting", and if my set up is good enough, I will ask a mod to sticky it up for every one.


----------



## lochness

sounds good jd  good luck!


----------



## lochness

*Finally got pics of pleco!*

for lack of any real I.D. - here is my common pleco that has been photo-shy ever since we got him a few mos back 









and the albino - when my hubby bought him at the fish store, he said this was labeled *albino gibbicep* but I'm not too sure yet... (front and underside)


----------



## Kyoberr

Hahahaha, that is funny. You can feel it with as many paper fish as you want and you won't have too many  But he won't be happy without the sand and plants to snack on. Maybe there should be a forum on how do grow paper fish.


----------



## lochness

Kyoberr said:


> Hahahaha, that is funny. You can feel it with as many paper fish as you want and you won't have too many  But he won't be happy without the sand and plants to snack on. Maybe there should be a forum on how do grow paper fish.


 
hehe thnx but you're about 1 yr kinda late 

on another note, Issue #64 of Aqualog News has a short brief of a company called aqua-natura from Leun, Germany as submitted via phone by Rolf Landvogt claiming they have accidentally bred the Puntius denisonii (tho referred to as Barbus denisonii in the article). 

As quoted: 

_"...when bogwood was put in their tank to soak, apparently the resulting gradual lowering of the pH over a period of days provided the trigger spawning. The water parameters on the day of spawning were: pH5.7, conductivity 162 microsiemens, GH 2-3 °dGH. During the period prior to spawning 4 of the 15 individuals turned steel-blue (similar to solid turquoise discus) above the red longitudinal band. Java moss was chosen as the spawning substrate. Fry were hatched, but as yet no details are available on the development of the spawn. No external sexual differences could be detected in the 12-15 cm long (4.7 - 6 inches) fishes that participated in the spawning."_

My gripe is the lack of photos or posting online of any of this. IMO, it didn't happen unless they can produce them.


----------



## lochness

Hubby went out and bought me another LDA33 3 mos ago to replace the one we lost in the near tank wipe due to rotting wood and Ich - he finally came out of hiding and looks real good


----------



## lochness

*5 minutes ago*










was able to sneak this pic in 5 minutes ago


----------



## lochness

*UPDATE pics*

well the last few months have been pretty much the same ol stuff - until I bought a pair of Sewellia lineolata (loaches) and while doing a routine water change today, I found a single little baby S. lineolata swimming around and another cherry barb baby swimming in my canister filter! :fish:

judging by the size of them both, it has been a while - the baby cherry barb has been hiding since I tossed him into the aquarium, but the loach has been busy busy busy cleaning off all the algae :fun:


one of 2 of the adults S. lineolata










the baby S. lineolata


























and my LDA33 has gotten much bigger and comes out a lil bit more often


----------



## Sowilu

Cute baby fishy!!!!! Nice tank too by the way.


----------



## mesapod

Wow that tank is beautiful!! Must be pretty eciting to find baby fish from fish that you didnt even do anything to breed them.


----------



## TigerBarb12

Great tank, one of my tiger barbs recently layed eggs, so im hoping to find babies soon, but it was accidental, didnt try to breed either.


----------



## Kyoberr

The fish in the pictures above look so cute.


----------



## lochness

thnx guys  - the baby barb is now swimming with the adults and fitting in fine - and last saw the baby s. lineolata 3 days ago - we had a cold snap and my heaters kicked in, but one was on too high (84 - no idea how it got turned that high) and tho my other fish faired ok, the fact that I haven't seen the baby nor the female worries me - will be doing a routine water change later today and will lift the logs and search for them...but that temp is really too warm for most hillstream fish


----------



## lochness

*UPDATE dec 2007*

Hi Everyone! 

Well, sadly the higher temps proved fatal to the baby and mom S. Lineolatas - the male is alive and fine tho - I suppose the added stress of laying the eggs was a factor as well for the momma. There were no other casualties. R.I.P. guys.


on a happier note, my albino pleco, Ruby2, has hit 1yr old mark (he was a little over an inch long when we first got him a yr ago) and here he is at 8inches long - the facial markings I once thought to be a parasite or fungus is actually a birthmark and is his actual look. 









LDA33 and Albino









playing with the sony cybershot flash and iso settings and trying to figure it out for the most clear and faithful color reproductions is proving a challenge for me lol

will post more pics of the now 4-5inches long Puntius Denisonii and male S. Lineolata soon.

I wish everyone a Happy Holiday! :fun:


----------



## Guest

Cool...I'm assuming that he's just a common pleco?


----------



## lochness

fishbguy said:


> Cool...I'm assuming that he's just a common pleco?



i think so unless an expert in cats can determine otherwise by his topfin 

EDIT NOTE: *I've been told he is an Albino Gibbicep - so the original label he had in the lfs was correct.*


----------



## lochness

Baby_Baby said:


> NESSY!!!!!
> 
> Hey havent seen ya in a while!!! :]
> 
> Love the photos and Merry Christmas to you!!!



Thnx Baby! Yea, Life has me kinda busy :console:

and Merry Christmas to you too!


----------



## Aquaman_95

You have a nice tank. What are you going to stock it with?


----------



## lochness

Aquaman_95 said:


> You have a nice tank. What are you going to stock it with?


ty! currently stocked - my sig has the list


----------



## lochness

mesapod said:


> Wow that tank is beautiful!! Must be pretty eciting to find baby fish from fish that you didnt even do anything to breed them.



ty  and yes it was very surprising and exciting! I was pretty upset when the temp spiked up too high tho - i think i might have hit the dial accidentally during a maintenance cleaning - reminded me to always recheck all equipment before you consider yourself done with cleaning.


----------



## lochness

*new tank pics*

here are some new pics of my tank - I gave the one male sewellia to a friend with 5 tanks - he has a 30g better suited to the species and already has 4 females in it that he's had for over a yr and he was excited by the prospect of breeding them. let's keep our fingers crossed 

*and if you notice, the denison barbs are always together and school alot which is contrary to many fish profiles that state they are solitary and do not school - so yes denison barbs school and shoal!*


































and of my LDA33









Merry Christmas Everyone! :fun:


----------



## lochness

TigerBarb12 said:


> Great tank, one of my tiger barbs recently layed eggs, so im hoping to find babies soon, but it was accidental, didnt try to breed either.


Thnx 

How're the Tiger eggs doing :?:


----------



## lochness

quick shot of my LDA33

will be picking up a gibbicep today as a rescue cuz he has outgrown a 45g and the owner was considering returning it to a fish store - wish me luck!
the trip is 40 min each way :sad:


----------



## lochness

well I'm back and the gibbi is in my tank - google maps was off by about 10-15 min the trip was only 25-30 min away and that's cuz i hit some traffic coming back home - will hit the lights in about 30 min and see how everyone is doing


----------



## lochness

new addition to the tank - meet freddie the sailfin gibbi


----------



## oliesminis

great looking fish!!!


----------



## lochness

Thnx Olie! 

My Cherry Barbs seem to be very happy as they are breeding like guppies! I will take some pics today of the new babies (we count 5 so far) With the new additions, I've shortened my water changes from once every 10 days to once every 7 - and was considering reducing it to once every 4 and instead of a 75% will do 45%. I've never bred egg layers before so it's really a new fish keeping milestone for me


----------



## lochness

here are the new cherry barb babies as promised (and we found more hiding in the xp3 canister filters LOL) so far we count 8 now - and both my adult females look gravid yet again! :shock: tried to get some of the adults in the pics for size reference:


----------



## shade2dope

Very cool nice looking tank.Gald to hear you have gotten fry.


----------



## lochness

TY!  omg they grow so fast! will post new pics next week - already they are coming out and looking bigger and going after the flakes!


----------



## lochness

taken tues and wed 

i count at least 9 in the top pic - and more keep coming out of hiding 
the top one also shows the alpha male and the bottom one has the 2nd male in command


----------



## oliesminis

congrats on fry with the cherry barbs, did you do anything special


----------



## lochness

thank you 

well, I do 5day water change of 60% using a python while vaccuming the substrate. I use Prime for water conditioning - and lots of silk plants with some plastic plants - and 3 large malasyian wood pieces - so they prob keep the water a lil on the acid/softer side - temp is a constant 78F and they are fed high quality flake food, frozen brine shrimp and spirulina and bloodworms and 2 times a month i drop a zucchini or cucumber - other than that, no 

I also keep 5 females to every 3 males so that might have helped.


----------

