davemonkey

Great project, Newt and Newt, Jr.!! This will be a fun one to watch. Subscribed.

-Dave

Newt

Thanks Dave.
I'm hoping my 36 watts is enough. I'm not doing CO2 so I didnt want to overdue it.
The HC has really perked up in just one day.
The fish seem real happy in their new (temporary) home.
Its beginning to get cold here so may have to wait until spring for the RCS. But by then it should be a carpet of greenery.

Newt

It's been about a week and the mosses are just beginning to put out new growth. The HC is doing great. The Blyxa aubertii was looking terrible and I found out it has a sensitivity to flourish excel so I dumped it. It kept floating up out of the sand anyway. What was sold to me as Blyxa japonica is not doing too good. I think it is Blyxa novoguineensis. I traded in some plants at the LFS for real japonica. They are behind the mopani wood. Dont know if you can spot them.

I've been having trouble with the pH rising (but not GH). I tested the large rock with Seachem acid buffer by dumping a tablespoon of buffer on it and wetting it. I had no fizzing. Plus the LFS said it was safe for FW. I pulled the few fish today thinking maybe I was having a mini cycle even thou I was using a filter from an established tank. The past few days the pH hasnt gone up fast or as high as it was. Besides the cory kept uprooting the HC. He was having a blast but I was not - stuff is difficult to plant in sand.

Was thinking of getting some shrimp from epicfish. Perhaps he can tell me if shipments to the northeast is OK at this time.

Newt

The Blyxa japonica and aubertii from Aquabotanic fell apart so i pulled them out and relocated them to the round file. I re-arranged a few plants and found I had some hitch-hikers (SNAILS) from AB too. Not sure what they are. Small, round and flat.

BUT the shrimp arrived today!!!!!!!!!





These little guys are fast and fun to watch.

davemonkey

Congrats on teh shrimp, they look cute! Say, are those snails kinda like Ramshorns, only very tiny and seemingly flat? If so, I don't think they get any bigger than what you see. I have these (among other snails) and I've never seen one get larger than 1/8 inch in diameter. (I'm estimating here, never actually measured one.)

-Dave

Newt

That's the snail and very prolific.

I have seen the shrimp wrestling with both these snail and the MTS. Funny to watch.

Lock n Load

Newt

Finally got the Flame Moss and Fissiden splachnobryoides all the way from Malaysia.
The were both pretty dry. About 1/2 the Falme moss was brown and the Fissiden was 95% brown and dry. They plant it on some kind of brown dirt. Not sure how I'd plant/attach it on the substrate.

I have the Fissiden in a glass under a light hoping to revive it. My wife had to help me attach the flame moss on as my young son was having trouble with the task but was very excited about all of it.

Flame moss added at the top of the mopani wood branch:


The shrimp have molted and some are very red.


My camera is not too good with close-ups.

AQUADWELLER

Excellent work! I like your light set up. How many RCS do you have in the tank?

Newt

Good to see you posting my Canadian friend.
I only got 10 but wished I had gotten 30 now that I see how much fun they are to watch. Too cold here now to ship. I'll post a few updated pics when I return from Aruba. The mosses are growing out nicley, however, slowly.

Newt

We have babies!!!!! Not sure you can spot them on the back glass but I have about 10 or so. We have noticed that the females were carrying eggs for awhile now. Tiny little guys.

I also yanked the Riccia covered rock as it was getting huge and a magnet for debris. Tomorrow I am doing my weekly maintenance and will do up a much smaller rock with Riccia. When spring comes I'll be adding Star moss and Fissidens zippelianus in the foreground.

My Flame moss is finally taking off. I'll also be doing CO2 to help combat the thread algae issue I've been dealing with. I bought a milwaukee regulator on eBay and it should be in soon.