Long awaited 75gal NPT - Page 2 - El Natural

mommyeireanne · 10-07-2008, 06:13 AM

OK, I tried to resize the pics, but this isn't my thing. Didn't seem to work. Sorry for the trouble. I'll try to figure it out.

mommyeireanne · 10-07-2008, 06:22 AM

Thanks Ravi.
If the lights don't work, our other alternative is wall mount style singles (two 100w) mounted on a frame over the top. For some reason, my husband doesn't want shop lights in our main living space.

I'm worried that the Vals are too close to the light, but we'll see. The only one that doesn't look well light is the water sprite in the back, center. I may move it and put the annubias there in back, and put the sprite in their place up in the corner.

I have another question, too. I'm trying to remember how long it took the 20g to show ammonia when I set it up. I have the rest of my inverts in a bare bottom 10g with mosses. They look kinda sad, but I was afraid to put them all in and loose the whole population. It's been 36 hrs and my tests read 0 ammonia. When would it be safe to the rest of the shrimp in the new NPT?

gravy9 · 10-08-2008, 08:04 AM

About the inverts in the bare bottom tank with mosses, I'd be careful MEA. I had 3 Caridina Japonica (Amano) shrimps in a bare bottom tanks with mosses and Riccia. I moved them there as one of them had lots of eggs. I was shocked and saddenned to find that they died the next morning. Not sure what caused it. Still feeling bad about it after 2 months. Should have left them in their old tank.

I hope others here can provide some insight to avoid any mishaps.

Good Luck with your transition.

regards,
Ravi

mommyeireanne · 10-08-2008, 11:06 AM

They spent the first night in a bucket.

Maybe 2/3's are in the 10g with LOTS of moss, and a Marimo ball. It's running a charcoal HOB filter. The big ones colored up in there, but I know it's not ideal. I'm juggling them because I'm afraid to loose the whole colony with a new tank ammonia spike. My 20g tank log stated that I saw ammonia in two days (when I didn't air out the soil). The 75 was planted and filled Sun afternoon, fish in Sunday night, running 3 days now. I've tested it twice a day and still zero ammonia. I'm gonna put some more of the shrimp in there. I have to turn the lights out and distract the Rainbows; while they don't hunt them, they will eat whatever falls in...
Still wondering how many days would put me in the safe zone as far as an initial ammonia spike. Anyone?

gravy9 · 10-07-2008, 06:10 AM

Very nice setup, MEA.

Looks like that you're getting good light to the bottom even when you're pointing the lights at an angle.

just looking at this setup bring an idea for a DIY light. Having the pedestal setup on both sides with a horizontal bar connecting the two pedestals with the horizontal bar housing about 5 or 6 CFLs pointing to the tank. That would look neat too.

regards,
Ravi

mommyeireanne · 10-16-2008, 10:24 AM

I had a nice surprise last night. I did my usual water test and Nitrite, nitrate and ammonia are still undetectable. However, my pH and KH dropped. That's a first. Never have any of my NPTs varied from my tap readings before. I have to figure it's from the driftwood. pH went from the usual 8.4(or more that's the highest reading option) down to 7.8 and KH went from 300 ppm (at least, ditto) to 150 ppm. Still high but I am happy. Plants alone never did this in any of my tanks. I did put 21 gallons of distilled water in this tank at set up. But for nine days it read the same as tap.
Everything else is good with the tank on day 11, here. I see growth in all the plants, even the annubias. My crypts haven't died off, but I'm still watching them. Well, duckweed isn't doesn't show growth but that's probably because of the charcoal filter. What's there looks ok, but not reproducing that I can tell. Fish are happy, even the Oto. Snails and shrimp still look happy with half dozen cherry girls saddled. Still watching for evil BBA, but looks ok so far. I plan on running charcoal for a month, maybe 6 weeks. Then I wan tot take that HOFront filter off and go back to just UV for water movement. I'll wait a while for another 'update'.
Cheers!

gravy9 · 10-17-2008, 07:31 PM

Are you making sure that you're taking the reading around the same time of the day, MEA?

mommyeireanne · 10-19-2008, 12:40 PM

I was testing morning and night; then mornings; then every other day but in the same time in the morning; now every third morning. Not as often now as it's been ok and I see a lot of plant growth, but still testing and at the same time of day.
My Turquoise Rainbow male spawned this morning with an unidentified Rainbow female. (M. inornata or axelrodi would be my guess but they are not full grown.) I didn't think I'd have to worry about that yet as they still seem small to me, but it clearly happened. I noticed them yesterday over the Java Moss, and no eggs were apparent. This morning they were at it again and she released eggs. It was not my intention to breed or raise fry. And they shouldn't be hybridized. But I saw the other rainbows eating the eggs immediately and I'm betting the shrimp cleaned up the rest. I can't see any eggs left, now. If there are fry, I doubt I'll even see them before the gouramis. I'm glad they are happy but I don't want them to reproduce.
Anybody else keep different Melanotaenia species together? Do the fry survive if you don't remove them or remove the eggs?

dwalstad · 10-21-2008, 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mommyeireanne

I Anybody else keep different Melanotaenia species together? Do the fry survive if you don't remove them or remove the eggs?

I keep many Rainbowfish species together in one tank. Usually the fry get eaten so fast that you won't see them. However, if you look closely at the water surface, you may get lucky and see some fry.

When I was breeding Red Rainbowfish (Glossolepsis incisus), I netted the babies from the breeding tank and put them into a 5 gal that I had set up for raising these babies. I had set up the 5 gal tank with plants from another tank. Those plants apparently brought in eggs from Neon Rainbowfish and one Turquoise Rainbowfish. Now, I have a group of Neon Rainbows, and one Turquoise Rainbow (the few baby Red Rainbowfish I netted didn't survive).

Breeding Rainbowfish is fun. Sometimes all you need is to have a plant from a tank where Rainbowfish are spawning.

mommyeireanne · 10-21-2008, 06:20 PM

If they come right up to the surface, I won't worry about being overwhelmed with off spring. I kinda figured that fry would be eaten, but my shrimp have managed a good colony so I wasn't sure.
I didn't know they'd spawn so easily.
I hope to get more Turquoise and some Boseman's at a club auction this weekend. Having empty tanks will be a huge temptation knowing they breed this easily. My son would get a kick out of growing babies.