davemonkey

If you don't post pics before Thanksgiving, bring your camera so I can see them!!

mudboots

In the meantime (on the wait for the Apisto. photos) here are some not-so-good pics of the new critters:

An oto near the top of the pic on an Amazon sword leaf:


Here's a terrible pic of an Apisto swimming away from the Stauro. porto vehlo kwc1974 hooked my up with:


Here are a few of the cories (agasizii); they move CONSTANTLY:


and a lucky shot of three of the T.espei's. They are really cool and school perfectly:

mudboots

Apisto pics - woohoo! These guys have really put on some growth. These pics are a little over a week old and I already hardly recognize them. They change colors a lot now as they have become comfortable and are really picking out territories. They mostly change when it's eating time, and the horizontal stripe turns into vertical bands, and sometimes they just go completely dark, almost solid. Also, the blues and yellows have started to show more, and hints of red are appearing in places other than just the anal fins.

But since I take terrible photos and don't have the time to sit and wait for them to slow down, these will have to do. I am REALLY impressed with these fellas, and am very happy with them. Who would have ever thought that the perfect tank mates for .5 to .75 inch espei's would be cichlids?!?

mudboots

...and now for some updated pics. You'll notice that the right side of the tank is practically empty. The Hygrophila polysperma and Hygrophila sp. 'bold' were so rampant that even after selling two packages of each I STILL had too much. Not that it's a bad thing, but it was making the rest of the tank look empty, so I trimmed it to about 3" from the surface and will let it grow back up. It'll catch back up in no time. I also added a 12-stem grouping of Rotala rotundifolia just to the left of that tall driftwood on the right side since I like the way it looks on the left (I did this AFTER the pics, so you won't be able to see it). I always laugh because the tank looks pretty mildly stocked, but there are so many fish in there it's not funny; they just get swallowed up in that thing.

To date: 13 corys (4 species), 1 CAE, 1 bristlenose pleco, 8 otos, 4 Gambusias, 9 black mollies, 9 zebra danios, 21 Trig.espei, 2 blue platties, 12 Apisto.macmasteri, 2 angels for a total of 82 fish (not counting ramshorn snails and MTS - I have eradicated the pond snails).

Full Tank Shot


Left


Center


Right


Anubias nana petite

davemonkey

I see good growth, especially the swords. And I can't believe the last time I saw those angels in person they weren't much bigger than my thumbnail!

Most of your plants are getting to that point where there is greater amount of light available to them, so be on the watch for "explosions" in growth.

Also, I've been studying more on El Natural and I'm learning that water changes will take away available carbon form the system. You should notice better growth (fuller) by fewer water changes (if you are still having green-water issues). If you continue for awhile with heavy water changes, I'd recommend getting some Seachem Excel to give a bit of carbon on a temporary basis.

What size Koralia is that?

mudboots

Hey Dave, the Koralia is a 2, which is rated at 600 gph. It is one of my reasons lately for water changes, as it kicks up everything that's been sitting on the bottom for all of these months. The good news is that I am noticing smaller particles (evidence of decomp) and the water is not nearly as clouded (not "cloudy", just "clouded", with the detritus blown around by the Koralia) three days after a water change as it was the last time I did one. It's just going to take time for the system to re-adjust to having that much water movement when I had zero before.

The better news is that I am no longer fighting green water. It's been a little while since I've had that problem, and other than planting a trimming here and there I'm staying out of the substrate, though I disturbed a little accidientally when trying to remove a monster-runner of Echinodurus angustifolius 'vesuvias'. With my luck that will prove to have disasterous results.

I am not afraid to try a little Excel, as I have noticed a hint of Potassium deficiency anyway, so it's not like I refuse to dose something once in a blue moon. I'll look it up online and see if I can get some soon. That'll be interesting.

Thanks for the comments,

Darren

mudboots

I have come to some realizations and made some changes. First, 312 watts of T5-HO is way too much for a 125 gallon NPT. It'd be perfect if I did CO2, but that's not happening, so something got to give. I've already learned the hard way that 156 is almost perfect, except that the light didn't quite make it to the bottom, which caused a crash in my foreground so very long ago. So now I'm going to try something in the middle and use 234 watts by simply removing 2 bulbs from the back. Since the plants in the back are already pretty tall this should not be a problem, and I should (hopefully) have enough on the front fixtures to keep pushing the light to the groundcovers.

I've also gone to a Siesta Regimen instead of a constant light cycle, and even though I've not removed the two lights yet I have already noticed a tremendous difference in plant growth. The only reason I want to remove a couple of lights is because the green water is returning with the evidently improved conditions and the high lighting. Another issue is the Koralia. It's awesome, but 600 gph is too much for a tank that was allowed to sit without movement for six months; there's simply too much "stuff" blowing around and I can't stand it anymore. I had good plant growth without it, so it will have to go.

For now, just to set a date for my test, I have green water algae and GSA on glass and wood surfaces with 312 watts T5-HO on a 4.5 hours on, 4 off, 4.5 on cycle. Starting today (December 21, 2009) I will go with 234 watts T5-HO (same schedule) and back down to zero water movement. I am also going to dose potassium phosphate and di-potassium sulfate at almost insignificant rates just to feed the marsilea a litte bit.

mudboots

Wicked awesome news!!!! The Apistos, after barely a full month in the tank, have spawned. Of the dozen that are in there, two pairs have bred. One pair spawned under an Amazon leaf sandwiched between it and a lotus leaf where I can watch them develop. The other pair is in the back where it is really dense, so I can only see the pretty colors of the female and her hubby circling around the area. They are really beautiful fish in their "makin' purdy" colors.

I posted this on the Fish for the Planted Aquarium thread as well. It kind of explains why there is not a pic here, as does my replies in the El Natual forum threads dealing with Siesta and CO2 and Unfiltered Water Movement. Bottom line, I have too much light...problem solved with the removal of 78 watts...maybe...but at least the fish and plants are happy.

davemonkey

Congratulations on the babies!! At least you know they are happy in your tank, whether it has green water or not.

Phil Edwards

That's awesome! Congratulations.