I don't disinfect after every batch, just after I see the hatch rate go down.
My Apistogramma Walstad Tank
I gave up on the idea of using an acrylic tank after the one I had ordered arrived with great big gash in the lower left hand corner. Have no idea how it got there. I assume it left the seller in usable condition. These things happen:
![Wood Rectangle Flooring Floor Wood stain]()
But, it left me with a bucket full of plants and four Borelli cichlids on their way from a dealer in Alabama. So, I relied the only thing I thought I had any control over - my junk closet. And, from there I pulled out an old war horse from the 1980s, a 30 gallon long glass tank complete with flourescent light hood. Imagine my surprise when the light and ballast still worked!
Not knowing exactly when the fish would arrive, I immediately went to work mineralizing the soil. I did it the quick and dirty way - in the tank itself. Basically, anything that floated after I added about three inches of water got skimmed off (and put into the "dry" storage pot.)
The water was a nice dark chocolate soup at that point so I was rather anxious to put a cap on it. The STS I chose had some welcome and unwelcome surprises. Among the pluses was the fact that it soon became apparent that a 50 pound bag no longer seems the white elephant that it once did six months ago. I must have gone through about 10 pounds just covering the bottom of the tank by an inch. Another pleasant thing about STS is that it feels very soft to the touch when inserting the plants; I could barely tell where it ended and the soil began. The apistos should have no problem sucking it into their mouths.
The bad part was how much dust comes out in the rinsing. It was absolutely soupy and showed little sign of really coming clean. I remembered @dwalstad 's advice about not overdoing the rinsing (some of that dust may have denitrifying potential) and stopped when the soup became a mere broth.
Luckily, I had plenty of floaters on hand. Didn't need to cull them this week. Just transferred half the ones in my porcelain bowl:
![Motor vehicle Hood Plant Rectangle Wood]()
Next went the newly sprouted red lotus. It seems happy to be in water:
![Plant Water Terrestrial plant Underwater Aquatic plant]()
Next was the lovely but diffident lily that started me on the road to dirt eight months ago but which I hadn't fully seen since the bowl got taken over by lotuses. This was a good move for it since (apparently) it no longer had any pads:
![Twig Wood Tints and shades Rectangle Flowering plant]()
Then, as I continued ferrying water (5 gallons at a time via a bucket) from my bathroom to the tank, i stopped and looked at it and thought to myself "Gosh, if I were a Borelli cichlid, that would look perfect right about there." The water was nearly halfway up the tank. They're bottom swimmers. They're territorial. For them, its' about length and width. Height, not so much. So, I stopped about here:
Front:
![Water Plant Vertebrate Pet supply Organism]()
Back:
![Plant Light Nature Organism Pet supply]()
I'm agnostic at this point. According to the seller, the fish won't be shipped out before next week. I have time to decide. It looks murky now, but I'm assuming things will settle down in short order, if algae doesn't become a problem.
Ammonia tests out at:
![Liquid Fluid Wood Flooring Gas]()
What would you call that? About a 1 ppm?
But, it left me with a bucket full of plants and four Borelli cichlids on their way from a dealer in Alabama. So, I relied the only thing I thought I had any control over - my junk closet. And, from there I pulled out an old war horse from the 1980s, a 30 gallon long glass tank complete with flourescent light hood. Imagine my surprise when the light and ballast still worked!
Not knowing exactly when the fish would arrive, I immediately went to work mineralizing the soil. I did it the quick and dirty way - in the tank itself. Basically, anything that floated after I added about three inches of water got skimmed off (and put into the "dry" storage pot.)
The water was a nice dark chocolate soup at that point so I was rather anxious to put a cap on it. The STS I chose had some welcome and unwelcome surprises. Among the pluses was the fact that it soon became apparent that a 50 pound bag no longer seems the white elephant that it once did six months ago. I must have gone through about 10 pounds just covering the bottom of the tank by an inch. Another pleasant thing about STS is that it feels very soft to the touch when inserting the plants; I could barely tell where it ended and the soil began. The apistos should have no problem sucking it into their mouths.
The bad part was how much dust comes out in the rinsing. It was absolutely soupy and showed little sign of really coming clean. I remembered @dwalstad 's advice about not overdoing the rinsing (some of that dust may have denitrifying potential) and stopped when the soup became a mere broth.
Luckily, I had plenty of floaters on hand. Didn't need to cull them this week. Just transferred half the ones in my porcelain bowl:
Next went the newly sprouted red lotus. It seems happy to be in water:
Next was the lovely but diffident lily that started me on the road to dirt eight months ago but which I hadn't fully seen since the bowl got taken over by lotuses. This was a good move for it since (apparently) it no longer had any pads:
Then, as I continued ferrying water (5 gallons at a time via a bucket) from my bathroom to the tank, i stopped and looked at it and thought to myself "Gosh, if I were a Borelli cichlid, that would look perfect right about there." The water was nearly halfway up the tank. They're bottom swimmers. They're territorial. For them, its' about length and width. Height, not so much. So, I stopped about here:
Front:
Back:
I'm agnostic at this point. According to the seller, the fish won't be shipped out before next week. I have time to decide. It looks murky now, but I'm assuming things will settle down in short order, if algae doesn't become a problem.
Ammonia tests out at:
What would you call that? About a 1 ppm?
221 - 240 of 240 Posts
Until recently, there hasn't been much to report. The livestock count has slowly risen to include two Amano shrimp and eight nerite snails since last Christmas, all in an effort to turn the corner on the algae situation. I've been pleased with the results so far: the gnarly old anubias is being maintained pretty well by the shrimp. And the glass sides are slowly being wiped clean of that stubborn green stain that resisted even my most vigorous attempts at manual scrubbing. That's the good news.
Over the space of the last day or so, however, the fish - four adults and one juvie - all tank-raised, have begun to exhibit cramped fins. I first noticed it on one adult female yesterday and immediately reacted by putting her in a breeding box to keep her from getting picked on. This morning I noticed the male with same symptoms and along with a noticeable loss of color:
![Water Window Plant Aquatic plant Grass]()
![Water Plant Underwater Aquatic plant Marine biology]()
This is the first time in over two years of Walstad tank experimentation that I've had to seriously consider the possibility of fish disease in any of my calculations. Up until today, all I've ever had to be concerned with were water parameters. The ammonia and nitrate levels are both -0-. The tank is 14 months old and working on its third generation of apistos:
![Plant Water Light Green Vegetation]()
![Plant Property Window Botany Water]()
Over the space of the last day or so, however, the fish - four adults and one juvie - all tank-raised, have begun to exhibit cramped fins. I first noticed it on one adult female yesterday and immediately reacted by putting her in a breeding box to keep her from getting picked on. This morning I noticed the male with same symptoms and along with a noticeable loss of color:
This is the first time in over two years of Walstad tank experimentation that I've had to seriously consider the possibility of fish disease in any of my calculations. Up until today, all I've ever had to be concerned with were water parameters. The ammonia and nitrate levels are both -0-. The tank is 14 months old and working on its third generation of apistos:
Looks like the problem is a serious nitrite build-up:
![Fluid Font Rectangle Gas Machine]()
Incomplete nitrification process?
Incomplete nitrification process?
The nitrogen parameters look better after a 50% water change. I'm headed out of town so, I really am not prepared to take on a PH battle 🙃. Hoping the fish can hold on until I get back:
![Glasses Liquid Vision care Fluid Paint]()
It's with great sadness that I have to report the impending end of my apistogramma walstad tank. All four adult fish are confirmed dead. Today marks exactly one week since I first noticed the symptoms of constricted fins and sluggishness. A 50% water change seemed to solve a mysterious spike in nitrites; but it didn't reverse the symptoms which seemed to be limited to the adult fish. None of the invertebrates were affected; the two amano shrimp are still hopping around from plant to plant, doing their thing. The snails seem unperturbed.
And here's the head-scratcher: The grand-kid is doing just fine. Which leads me to wonder whether this die-off has more to do with developmental problems associated with being tank-raised fish rather than a particular disease? One day, they were all swimming around, chasing each other and the next they were acting like shriveled up, elderly fish (not that I have that much experience with geriatric fish.) But to me, it's almost as if someone flicked a switch that said, "All right, your year of existence is up!"
Nevertheless, I have very few regrets. As followers of this journal will attest, it was a wild ride from Day 1. I never thought my 25 year-old 30 gallon tank would ever see another day's use and yet, it has been the set-piece of my apartment "conservatory" for over 14 months.
Other highlights:
This was my first completely dirted tank. And as it turned out, that was the easiest part of the whole experience. Once the nitrogen parameters stabilized, the plants pretty much performed as described in ETA and the 5 lbs. of garden soil sitting at the bottom of the tank became a non-issue.
My first experience with mail-order fish.
The only time I have ever been able to raise egg-laid fry to adulthood.
So, in summary, the grandkid now has the tank to his or herself with a huge housekeeping staff of snails, shrimp and, of course - myself. I would have second thoughts about raising apistos in a 30 gallon tank; you need to plan for the possibility that there will be more than one male in the tank at the same time.
There is a strong possibility that I will add the grandkid to the porcelain bowl where his grandfather (or, great-uncle) now rules the roost. But I want to make sure of their gender before I make that decision:
![Plant Organism Terrestrial plant Grass Aquatic plant]()
And here's the head-scratcher: The grand-kid is doing just fine. Which leads me to wonder whether this die-off has more to do with developmental problems associated with being tank-raised fish rather than a particular disease? One day, they were all swimming around, chasing each other and the next they were acting like shriveled up, elderly fish (not that I have that much experience with geriatric fish.) But to me, it's almost as if someone flicked a switch that said, "All right, your year of existence is up!"
Nevertheless, I have very few regrets. As followers of this journal will attest, it was a wild ride from Day 1. I never thought my 25 year-old 30 gallon tank would ever see another day's use and yet, it has been the set-piece of my apartment "conservatory" for over 14 months.
Other highlights:
This was my first completely dirted tank. And as it turned out, that was the easiest part of the whole experience. Once the nitrogen parameters stabilized, the plants pretty much performed as described in ETA and the 5 lbs. of garden soil sitting at the bottom of the tank became a non-issue.
My first experience with mail-order fish.
The only time I have ever been able to raise egg-laid fry to adulthood.
So, in summary, the grandkid now has the tank to his or herself with a huge housekeeping staff of snails, shrimp and, of course - myself. I would have second thoughts about raising apistos in a 30 gallon tank; you need to plan for the possibility that there will be more than one male in the tank at the same time.
There is a strong possibility that I will add the grandkid to the porcelain bowl where his grandfather (or, great-uncle) now rules the roost. But I want to make sure of their gender before I make that decision:
Oh man, I totally missed your update from april. For one reason or another it didn't appear in my alerts. And I was wondering how it was going. So sad hear the sudden end of the apisto adventure. And so frustrating to have it end in a totally incomprehensible way 
. One year is quite young for apisto's isn't it? Maybe the nitrite spike was just too much for their older body's to overcome? But indeed, where did those nitrites come from and why wasn't it consumed by the lucky bamboo and the floaters? So many questions...
I really enjoyed following the adventures of this tank and it's inhabitants! So please keep posting 😊
. One year is quite young for apisto's isn't it? Maybe the nitrite spike was just too much for their older body's to overcome? But indeed, where did those nitrites come from and why wasn't it consumed by the lucky bamboo and the floaters? So many questions...I really enjoyed following the adventures of this tank and it's inhabitants! So please keep posting 😊
And, just out of curiosity, I just tested the PH. It's pretty high:
![Gas Audio equipment Technology Machine Cable]()
I should probably use the High Range test and maybe I will do that another day.
I should probably use the High Range test and maybe I will do that another day.
221 - 240 of 240 Posts
