# Aquarium people...what would you do?



## RachelsaurusRexU (Sep 4, 2010)

So, I have two aquariums. One is a 10g planted with a male betta, five Corydoras and a handful of olive nerite snails. The other is a planted 29g with a red and white Oranda, a Shubunkin and a bunch of olive nerite snails. 

I REALLY want to start a community tank in my 29g and I already have the species picked out; 6 Rummynose tetras, 6 white cloud minnows, 6 Sterbai (or possibly Elegans) Corydoras, and a Dwarf Gourami. 

I'm working on a natural aquascape in there and some of the plants I'd like to use may be a tempting snack for the goldfish  I have a couple of options with those guys. I can either A) Get a second 29g and move the goldies in with some goldfish friendly plants like anubias, but then I run the risk of my boyfriend having my head. B) wait until spring and move the goldies outside to the pond, which is shallow enough that I'd have to heat it in the winter. Or C) Wait until my goldies die, which could be 10-15+ years from now! That's no fun. 

I'm sort of leaning toward waiting until spring and moving them outside, but I haven't had much luck keeping fish alive in my pond (these were the only two out of maybe eight that survived a the spring and summer of '09 out there) and I really like these two! Such a dilemma.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

I would personally tell ya to get a bigger tank if you want a planted community tank. I personally think anything under 50 gal is just too small LOL

I'd also say to put the gold fish out in the pond in the spring, they will thrive out there. Plus golds are just not good for community tanks with tropical, warmer water fish. Golds are just "dirty" fish that can make other species sick if you don't clean up after them a lot. I personally love shubunkins.


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## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

Get another tank!!! :biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:
The more the merrier! LOL

In all seriousness I would think about getting another tank. I am also weary about keeping goldies outside in a pond, unless it is deep enough that they can get away from predators. I also think that Orandas (fancy goldies) are not well equipped to survive a winter in a pond outside and do much better in warmer waters. In my experiences the single tailed goldies are much hardier and do better in cooler waters while the fancy goldies (double tailed) do much better in warmer waters. The warmer waters also help improve the function of their immune systems.

A larger tank would be cool....but then your limited to what type of plants you can use.

In the past I had a 75 gallon tank with 2 Oranda, a telescope, and a Ryukin. I loved them all so much. I lost my oldest goldie at almost 8 years old. I totally know what you mean about certain plants being a great snack! You should post some pics. of your goldies....I'd love to see them.

So......yeah.....my vote is for another tank!! :biggrin:


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## RachelsaurusRexU (Sep 4, 2010)

Okay, here's the tentative plan IF I can get the bf to agree. So far, he's not having it. Once I place my foster rats I'll be moving my computer upstairs to where their cage currently is and getting a 55 gallon for my 2 goldies. Then, the 29 gallon will be transformed to a beautious, planted community tank!!! 

All of the species I picked are TINY, the largest is the dwarf gourami at a whopping 2", so it won't look too small. Plus, it won't be fully stocked. 

I'll take some pics later!


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## RachelsaurusRexU (Sep 4, 2010)

Cell phone pics, but you get the gist. The bf has agreed to the 55 gallon for these guys. I *think* I found a home for my foster rats, so I'll be moving my computer desk to make room for the new tank. I'm getting one from a fish keeper friend for $40. I have a large filter already and I found a nice T5 HO light fixture including bulbs for $65, brand new. I just need to figure out what I'm doing for a stand. 

I emailed my local fish store and they have all the fish I want for my 29 gallon and they should have some anubias or swords for the new goldie abode. This couldn't have come at a better time either because I have an order of plants and a new light fixture for the 29 currently in route. 

Pretty excited!!! I can't WAIT to get my new fish! I'm not sure if I'll stock one species at a time or just three of each species, one species at a time (so half of each group). It's a 29 gallon, already well established and cycled. What do you think?


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## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

Woot! Great pics.! Your goldies are just adorable! I love the Oranda? How big is he/she? What are their names?

In my goldie tank anubias did awesome, so did some java fern.  Almost everything else I tried they thought was a nice snack. Not sure if you have access to any duck weed, but my guys loved it as a snack. Do you have some extra filter media to put in the new filter for the goldie tank to help the cycle get started? 

Well since it's already cycled you could probably add what you wanted in the 29 g. I would test the water for the first several days to see how the bio bugs are handling the new bio load. Two goldies produce a fair amount of poop, so the filter media should be able to handle half of each group's waste. Test the water to make sure that ammonia and nitrites are staying at zero. If their not, then after you add the first group of new fish, wait a bit for the bio bugs on your filter media to catch up.

Also keep an eye on the water in the goldie tank, since you'll be setting up a new filter for them.

I'm probably telling you stuff you already know! Sorry! I just love talking about goldies and aquariums! :tongue:

I'm so excited for you! New tanks and fishies is so exciting! You should post up some pics. of your progress and the new tank! :biggrin::biggrin:


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## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

Sorry....just had to share.... :redface:
I miss my goldies. Your making me want to set up another tank!

This was my almost 9 year old Oranda. My husband named her Noggin. She would eat out of my hand and when I would clean the tank she would follow me around until I let her sit in my hand and held her. She was such a love. When I first got her she was a tiny little thing. She grew to almost 10 inches long....she was a beast. I miss her..... :frown::smile:


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## RachelsaurusRexU (Sep 4, 2010)

Thank you! Their names are Bebop (Oranda) and Rocksteady (Shubunkin)! Bebop is probably 3 inches. 

The best part about this whole switcheroo is that it's going to be so easy. Get this... When I set up my 29 last year I was using an Aquaclear 110 filter. Strong current. Too strong for a lot of my plants. A few weeks ago I placed a new plant order and decided to put a big sponge filter in there instead. But I kept the Aquaclear and all of the relatively new filter media! So I'll be putting that in their new 55 gallon :-D 

The new sponge filter will be staying in the 29 for the new guys, so essentially I'll have established filters in both tanks! AND I ordered a new T5 HO fixture for my 29 and more new plants (before I even knew I was doing this) that should be here any day now. Super awesome radtastic! I'll def be posting pics!


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## RachelsaurusRexU (Sep 4, 2010)

saraj2878 said:


> Sorry....just had to share.... :redface:
> I miss my goldies. Your making me want to set up another tank!
> 
> This was my almost 9 year old Oranda. My husband named her Noggin. She would eat out of my hand and when I would clean the tank she would follow me around until I let her sit in my hand and held her. She was such a love. When I first got her she was a tiny little thing. She grew to almost 10 inches long....she was a beast. I miss her..... :frown::smile:


OMG she's gorgeous!!! Wayyyy prettier than Bebop! I hope mine grows to 10"! They'll be happy in their new 55, I bet! 

Set up another!!! DOOO ITT!


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## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

See....?? Everything is falling into place perfectly. It's like you were meant to have another tank all along. :biggrin::biggrin:

That's awesome about the filters. Sounds like it will be perfect. When I had my 75 gallon I ran an AC110 on the back and then I had 2 fluval canister filters. If you are ever in the market for a new filter I would totally look into a canister for the goldies (or any tank). Talk about tons of filter media! I could stuff those things so full....

Don't say that about Bebop! :biggrin: Bebop has A LOT of growing to do and I think he's a doll! He's probably about the size of Noggin when I first got her, maybe a little bit bigger. I know that both your goldies will grow once they get into their new tank. Noggin was in a 55g for quite a while, then she got so big that it was hard for her to turn around....so I had to upgrade to a 75g.....and add another goldie! Hehehe!

Keep me posted with everything!


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Man...I wanna set one up again too....


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## RachelsaurusRexU (Sep 4, 2010)

Update:

I got a wooden stand for free from a fishkeeping friend. It was made for a 75g, so we had to modify it a little bit. I also painted it satin black. Looks great! Picked up the 55g tank and 48" light strip for $60 from another fishkeeping friend and plan to clean those after work today. 

I really wanted to use black sand but I couldn't find 55-60lbs of it at a reasonable price. My solution was to take the natural colored gravel out of the 29g and transfer it over to the 55. There should be enough in there that I won't have to buy more. Then I bought 40lbs of black Eco-complete (a planted aquarium substrate that's about the consistency of a very very coarse sand) for the 29g. I think the new tropicals will look stunning on a black substrate. 

The plants in the 55g will only include two types of anubias and bunch of java fern because my goldies are destructive PIGS. (Aren't they all?!) The hardscape will be comprised of the red lava rock chunks that are in their current setup, and three large ghostwood branches. 

The flora list in the 29 is pretty long! There are tons of plants in there, and I just ordered more. The best part is that with my amazing new T5HO fixture, I no longer have to stick with low light plants! The fauna will include Corydoras, tetras, minnows, and a pair of Dwarf Gouramis and probably dwarf shrimp. I'll probably move my snails to the 55. For the hardscape I have a beautiful, extensive manzanita branch that will look amazing in there, and I'm waiting on 20lbs of petrified wood. 

I had to order a new heater for my 10g because the current one crapped out and my poor betta is freezing his fins off. I also wanted to get a new one for the 29, since tge current heater is pretty old and I want something reliable for the new tropical crew. I found a great sale on submersible heaters, so I ordered one for each tank, including the 55g. My house is usually about 60-65 degrees, so I like to keep my goldfish tank at around 75 degrees for the Oranda. 

And now I MUST stop ordering things!!! I've spent WAYYYYY too much money on these tanks over the past few weeks! I just can't wait to get started and see it all come together! I have lots of work ahead of me. Can't wait!


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## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

That all sounds so awesome! I am excited for you. You should take pictures of your progress. :smile: Keep me posted!

Not sure if you have any problems with brown algae in your tanks, but if you do I have a great recommendation. Have you ever heard of Bristlenose Plecos? They look like a algae eater (they stay smaller), but the males have these bristles that grow on the nose. They are so ugly they are cute.....and they are totally awesome at keeping the tank free of brown algae. They need to have drift wood in the tank to rasp on and they love to eat algae wafers and veggies. They come in an albino color and a brown color. I LOVED mine. I had a male and female that would spawn all the time and I'd end up with baby BN plecos all over the tank. So fun!


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## RachelsaurusRexU (Sep 4, 2010)

I LOVE BN Plecos! I had a longfin albino, just a baby, that very suddenly died on me  One night it was seemingly healthy and acting totally normal, woke up the next morning and it was dead. I don't know what happened  

I think once I get the 55 set up and established I'll try another. I can't find any locally, though. I had to order mine and ended up going through Dave's Cichlids. 

I ended up going back to the pet store today and buying 10lbs of black sand for my 10g, lol. Switched it out tonight and it looks GREAT! I'll post some pics a bit later!

Currently washing and switching gravel into the 55 and filling it! So exciting.


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## RachelsaurusRexU (Sep 4, 2010)

Well, it's 2:40am and I just finished doing everything I can at this point in time. Now I'm at a total standstill  

The pertrified wood for the 29 is scheduled for delivery between Saturday (today, technically!) and Monday. Plants won't be here until Tuesday at the very earliest. Ghostwood for the 55 won't be here until the end of next week. Heaters middle of next week. Bulbs for the 55 apparently haven't even been shipped yet even though I received the other half of that same order days ago... I don't know if they're backordered or what. That would suck. 

What I DID get done was painting the backs of both tanks, switching out the substrate in the 29, partially planting and filling the 29, putting the old gravel into the 55, partially filling the 55, and running it. 

I'm exhausted. So much water lugging.


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## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

Sounds like you've already done a lot! :smile:

I hope everything arrives as planned or ahead of schedule would even be better! I have never thought of just painting the back of the aquarium....that's a great idea! What color did you use?

I totally know what you mean about lugging water! It is exhausting. How do you do normally do your water changes when you aren't playing musical tanks? Have you ever heard of a Python? You attach one end to your sink faucet and the other end has a siphon for cleaning the tank substrate. The water pressure from your faucet sucks out the dirty poo water as you clean the substrate. Then when your done cleaning you just change the setting of the attachment and water from your faucet fills back up the aquarium. No lugging buckets....Woot! :biggrin: I loved mine so much, I ended up getting two.

No Spill Clean & Fill Python Productss

And, I just had to share this too....moss balls. LOL! I loved these! I will say they are not good for the goldie tank, as my goldies destroyed them. But, they would be great for your tropical tank. They are great at sucking up nitrites and keeping the water healthy, plus they are kinda cool looking and not your typical aquarium plant.

This is the website where I ordered my plants from. I was always very happy with their quality. Here is a moss ball....

Marimo balls XL


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## RachelsaurusRexU (Sep 4, 2010)

I just used black, had some laying around. 

I do have big 25' siphon with valves like a Python. I used it quite a bit last night but it's unfortunately about 5' short of reaching my 55 gallon tank! I'm going to see if I can find an extension for it. 

Marimo balls are so cute! I've never had any and I also haven't ordered from that store yet. I usually use Sweet Aquatics, AZ Aquatic Gardens and That Pet Place, sometimes Aquabid and eBay. Oh! That reminds me...the ferns and anubias I ordered from Aquabid came this morning! They'll have to be floaters until my driftwood arrives :-/ 

I'm thinking about a bunch of Red Cherry shrimp for the 29...


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## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

Just wanted to share this video. I was in the process of cleaning out the 10 gallon they were in and moving them into a 20L gallon. I have no idea how many there were in this spawn....but throughout the life span of my BNs they probably spawned 20+ times.....



Here's another video of the BNs. Using fishing line I would tie slices of zucchini and squash to their rock. The coconut hut was their favorite place to "get it on".....LOL!


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## RachelsaurusRexU (Sep 4, 2010)

Awesome videos! They're all so darn cute and I LOVE your beautiful goldies. That calico is stunning!

So, question about plecos spawning... Will they only breed if they have a cave?


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## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

Yes. They need to have a place where the female can spray (lay) her eggs. My female BN would spray her eggs all up the inside walls of the coconut hut. Then the male would fertilize them. Then over about a 10 day period the daddy stays in the hut with the babies fanning them to circulate the water inside the hut. He also is a great protector and would protect the eggs/babies from the goldies (until the babies got too big and left the hut on their own).

You can also use pvc pipe cut into sections and then layed flat on the tank bottom. There are also places that sell special made pleco spawning caves.

I just used the coconut hut because that's what I had in there for a hiding place...and then they decided it was a great place to spawn and that's what they always used. :smile:

So how's the setting up going? Did anymore plants arrive....or was it the light you were waiting on? How are things going? :smile:

I think a few cherry shrimp would be awesome in the 29!


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## RachelsaurusRexU (Sep 4, 2010)

Cool! Thanks for the info. 

I'm still waiting for the rest of my driftwood that I ordered for the 55. Right now I just have a mass of plants floating around. It's scheduled for delivery on Thursday, but we're supposedly getting a big snowstorm tomorrow, so I hope it arrives on time  The last thing I have to do is actually scape the tank and top it off and it'll be done!

As far as the 29, I ordered one more plant package that should be here tomorrow or Thursday. Same for the petrified wood, I think. I can't wait to get that thing scaled and cycled so I can start stocking it!

And I'm pretty happy with the recent 10 gallon overhaul! It just needs a focal point. My eyes are open for the perfect branchy piece of wood!

ETA: GRRRRR! I *just* got a shipping notice for the petrified wood I paid for on the 3rd  
Looks like it'll be a while until I can actually work on my 29. Wahhhh!


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## RachelsaurusRexU (Sep 4, 2010)

Oh, a shrimp question...

My 29 will be pretty well stocked with the following:

6 Rummynose tetras
6 White Cloud minnows
6 Sterbai Corydoras
2 Dwarf Gouramis

Since tiny shrimp add barely anything to the bio load and make a great cleanup crew, how many do you think I should stock? I was thinking I could keep at least 20-30 pretty darn happy in a heavily planted 29. Am I way off base?

And my plan for shrimp reproduction is to sell and/or use extra babies as feeders. I bet some of the fish in there will eat any babies who are bold enough to stay out in the open, anyway. But if I end up with wayyy too many, I'm sure my goldies and the betta will appreciate them.

ETA: I just realized that the WC minnows won't work due to different temperature requirements  such a shame, they would have looked gorgeous with the other species. I've instead chosen to either get 6 cardinal or neon tetras (whichever the lfs has) OR just get a total of 12 Rummy-nose instead. We'll see.


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## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

Ahhh! I hope the snowstorm isn't bad and all your packages arrive! I know what it's like to know your supposed to get something and at the same time the weather is horrible. It is so nerve wracking! 

I hate waiting too. Once I start something and get my mind set on doing it, I like to get it done quickly. LOL....especially when it means new fishies! 

Remind me what's in your 10 gallon? Is that Mr. Betta? Maybe I need to see a pic.??? :biggrin:

I too would think you could do quite a few of the cherry shrimp. They are so tiny....You'll have good filtration plus tons of live plants. You should be good to go.

Right away when you said the Rummynose wouldn't work I thought Neon! I love those little guys....and in a group they can be quite stunning. Great color and very eye catching.

ETA: Oh....and I love corydoras too! I mean could they get ANY cuter??!!


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## RachelsaurusRexU (Sep 4, 2010)

saraj2878 said:


> I hate waiting too. Once I start something and get my mind set on doing it, I like to get it done quickly. LOL....especially when it means new fishies!


Exactly!!!

Yep, the 10g is my betta and five bronze Corydoras. I bought a piece of driftwood today! Once it's boiled I'll toss it in and take a picture!

It's the minnows that won't work. The rummy nose tetras will be fine! I thought of another possible option. Cherry barbs! I'm going to post pics of each combo, please tell me which you think looks better!

And, yes, Corys are the freaking cutest!!! I hope I can find the type I'm looking for...though the lfs did say they could special order almost anything.


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## RachelsaurusRexU (Sep 4, 2010)




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## RachelsaurusRexU (Sep 4, 2010)

-OR-



































I'm kinda liking those Cherry Barbs in the first option!


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## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

Awww, man...how do you choose?? :biggrin:

While I really like the neons, I too love the cherry barbs. They are really pretty. I think the first selection would look great...plus the cherry shrimp....it will look awesome! :biggrin:


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## RachelsaurusRexU (Sep 4, 2010)

Yes, I think it's option #1 for sure! I'm excitedddd! I tested the 29's parameters just now and everything is perfect. Is it even possible that this tank has already cycled? 

Here are a few pics of the 10. I just did a partial water change, so there's some stuff floating around and most of the corys are hiding. My crypts are melting because I just put them in last night. Nothing some good ferts and time won't fix! I'm looking forward to the Anacharis blocking the view of my filter and heater! And that driftwood I got is not big enough  I'm going to add another piece. So, all in all, it's not much to look at now but I think once my plants re-establish themselves and fill out it'll look pretty decent.


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## RachelsaurusRexU (Sep 4, 2010)

*Droooool*

aquascape - komentarze


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## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

OMG. Double drool! Wow.  :biggrin: All those are gorgeous!

I love your 10 gallon! I think it looks awesome. And, of course, your betta is gorgeous! I like the driftwood a lot, another piece would look really nice. The black substrate really makes the plants and betta stand out. And, the corydoras.....soooo cute. :biggrin:

Any news on your shipment? How's the weather there?

ETA: About the 29 being already cycled....it's a possibility! I would check the parameters a few more times to make sure the readings are staying the same and everything is staying stable. And, then of course, once you add some fishies keep a close eye on water parameters as well. Having extra filters and media can make things so much easier! Woot! :0)


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## RachelsaurusRexU (Sep 4, 2010)

Well, as you saw in the video, the snow is crazy deep! As of an hour or so ago, it was still snowing. Most of the state is closed! BUT all of my shipments seem to be right on track! My heaters are out for delivery today and my driftwood for the 55 is scheduled for delivery tomorrow evening. I have no tracking number on the petrified wood, but I really hope it arrives soon! The plants that I ordered shipped from FL yesterday morning, so they should be unaffected by the weather and hopefully arrive tomorrow! 

I made another change to my 29 stocking. After speaking with a member of the planted tank forum, I have decided to go with a smaller Corydoras species; either Elegans, False Julii, or Nanus. They all have the same look as Sterbai, but I didn't realize that Sterbai can reach 3 inches! Pretty big for a cory!


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## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

Yeah, I saw the videos! Crazy! 
I hope everything makes it on time. Keep me posted.....:smile:


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## g00dgirl (Nov 18, 2009)

Your 10 looks great! :thumb:
I just redid my 75 gallon with black Tahitian moon sand and put the extra in a new 10 gallon and a 5 gallon for my bettas. I love the look of black substrate.
I look forward to seeing pics of the 29 and 55 when they're ready!


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## RachelsaurusRexU (Sep 4, 2010)

g00dgirl said:


> Your 10 looks great! :thumb:
> I just redid my 75 gallon with black Tahitian moon sand and put the extra in a new 10 gallon and a 5 gallon for my bettas. I love the look of black substrate.
> I look forward to seeing pics of the 29 and 55 when they're ready!


Pics, please!


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## SerenityFL (Sep 28, 2010)

Rachel, your aquarium tank pics look so nice...inviting...calming. Makes me want to get another aquarium. Or be one of your fish.

I can't wait until I have the place to get a huge aquarium...I miss them.


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## RachelsaurusRexU (Sep 4, 2010)

Ok, my tanks aren't finished, but here are some updates and sneak peeks!









Here's the 55, home to Bebop the oranda, Rocksteady the shubunkin, Master Splinter the bushynose pleco, and this upcoming week I'll be picking up an albino bushynose pleco and a few bamboo (aka flower/wood/Singapore) shrimp. Check them out! Super cool large filter feeding shrimp. 

Don't mind the white blob on the right hand side of the tank, it's a slice of zucchini that I skewered to the driftwood. There are three brown bulbs on the substrate, those are red water lilies and they just started growing. They're going to be beautiful! I also have two more bunches of golden lloydiella (the tall lime green plant on the left in front of the intake and heater) on the way. I'm excited about this tank filling out!









Here is my updated 10 gallon. I have two plants coming for this one; Rotala najenshan which is a stem plant with long, narrow red leaves (that'll be going behind the driftwood) and Ludwigia arcuata, which has bright green almost needle-like foliage (that'll be planted on the right hand side). 









And here's a little sneak peek of the 29 gallon. It has a looong way to go, but I just started dosing with liquid carbon a few days ago and there's a ton of new growth already. Those tiny bits on the substrate will form a beautiful, lush carpet! I have a bunch of plants coming for this one, including various stem plants and mosses. I'm sooo excited to see how this one progresses. It has a ton of growing to do, but with the carbon and fertilizers it should fill in fairly quickly.


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## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

Gorgeous, gorgeous and gorgeous! 
Can you imagine how good they are all going to look when they fill in some!? They look so good now.....imagine a year from now! Can't wait until you get your albino BN.

I think I'll come over, get some popcorn op2: and sit and watch your tanks. :becky:


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## RachelsaurusRexU (Sep 4, 2010)

Thank you so much! Come on over! I'll make some hot cocoa and those brownies are waiting for you!


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## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

RachelsaurusRexU said:


> Thank you so much! Come on over! I'll make some hot cocoa and those brownies are waiting for you!


I'm on my way. I was also thinking we could mix up some cookie dough (intending to bake cookies, of course) and then just eat all the dough..... What do ya think?? :eyebrows:


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## RachelsaurusRexU (Sep 4, 2010)

Hahaha (love that eyebrow smiley) You know it, girlfran!


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

I have to ask you an aquarium question. How do you keep your 55 so clean? I have a 55 gal with three fancy goldfish (two Ryukins and a Black Moor). Two of them are about 6 inches long and my little guy is about 3 inches long (he has 'issues' and has stopped growing). They have gotten so big that I've had to remove almost all the decorations from the tank just to give them room to swim. 

They are filthy fish!!! I change the water once a week and have two large filters going but they still get disgusting after a week. My Black Moor also sucks the gravel and has gotten them stuck in his mouth three times in the last month. I'm thinking of removing all the gravel but don't know what to replace it with. I can't imagine all the debris just floating in the water without any gravel on the bottom to hide it! 

These are my first fish and they are a chore (but have personalities galore!) Obviously you have much nicer (cleaner) tanks then I do, so what is your secret?


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## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

chowder said:


> I have to ask you an aquarium question. How do you keep your 55 so clean? I have a 55 gal with three fancy goldfish (two Ryukins and a Black Moor). Two of them are about 6 inches long and my little guy is about 3 inches long (he has 'issues' and has stopped growing). They have gotten so big that I've had to remove almost all the decorations from the tank just to give them room to swim.
> 
> They are filthy fish!!! I change the water once a week and have two large filters going but they still get disgusting after a week. My Black Moor also sucks the gravel and has gotten them stuck in his mouth three times in the last month. I'm thinking of removing all the gravel but don't know what to replace it with. I can't imagine all the debris just floating in the water without any gravel on the bottom to hide it!
> 
> These are my first fish and they are a chore (but have personalities galore!) Obviously you have much nicer (cleaner) tanks then I do, so what is your secret?


I know Rachel will chime in too....but I thought I would share my experience as well. :becky:

What kind of filters do you have? Are they the hang on back (HOB) kind or are they canisters? How much water do you change every week?

When I had my 75 gallon goldie tank I did not have gravel at all (due to the fact of it getting stuck in mouths). I started out with large river rock. I liked that for a while. I then decided to go bare bottom. I can say that bare bottom was my favorite. So easy to clean. I didn't really ever have a problem with debris floating around because I ran 2 Fluval canister filters and a AquaClear 110 HOB filter that did an excellent job of keeping things "picked up". The big thing with a goldie tank is having adequate filtration because they are some dirty guys! hwell::tongue1:


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## RachelsaurusRexU (Sep 4, 2010)

Yes, the more filtration, the better! Don't be afraid to run filters that are rated for much higher than the size of your aquarium. Lots of fast growing stem plants and floaters help maintain good water quality, though it can be a lot of trial and error finding stem plants that goldies won't eat! Mine leave wisteria alone. Water lettuce is a good floater but it multiples like wildfire, so if you don't keep up with taking some out almost weekly it'll block all of your light. As Sara said, going bare bottom (that sounds naughty!) is very popular with goldfish keepers because it's easy to vacuum up all of their waste. From what I hear, the debris kind of sinks to the bottom for the most part. Give it a try! Of course, if you take out the gravel you can't use stem plants (unless you potted them or something) but you could still use floaters.


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## RachelsaurusRexU (Sep 4, 2010)

29 gallon's first official inhabitants! I think there are around 25 of them.


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## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

I love them!! So tiny and cute! :clap2:
I don't know much about them. How big do they get? How long do they live?


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## RachelsaurusRexU (Sep 4, 2010)

Aren't they? They're jetting around the tank and having a feeding frenzy with the algae! Weeeee!

These guys max out at about 1.5" and have a lifespan of 1-2 years. As they mature, they'll become more and more red, especially the females. The males stay more transparent. The older juvies I have will start breeding in a matter of weeks!

I'm really excited to get the bamboo shrimp for my 55 too! I'm supposed to go Wednesday, but we're getting a huge snow storm. Boooooo. Maybe I'll go tomorrow instead!


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## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

They sound really cool! I've always seen them, but never had any. So with them breeding you should have a pretty constant number of them, right? That's awesome. And they eat the algae? What else do they eat?

What are you going to add next? This is fun..... :biggrin:

And I hope the storm passes you by!!


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## RachelsaurusRexU (Sep 4, 2010)

LOL, very fun!

They'll also eat bits of fish food and blanched veggies. I should be able to maintain a pretty decent population, though I'm sure a lot of the babies will be picked off by my fish. Hopefully enough will be able to hide! 

Next on the list are my corydoras! I'll either be going with Julii or Nanus, depends on what the lfs has enough of in stock! Doesn't look like I'll be getting them today or tomorrow though  Snow all morning and just started with the freezing rain. Tomorrow is supposed to me a mess.


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

RachelsaurusRexU said:


> Yes, the more filtration, the better! Don't be afraid to run filters that are rated for much higher than the size of your aquarium. Lots of fast growing stem plants and floaters help maintain good water quality, though it can be a lot of trial and error finding stem plants that goldies won't eat! Mine leave wisteria alone. Water lettuce is a good floater but it multiples like wildfire, so if you don't keep up with taking some out almost weekly it'll block all of your light. As Sara said, going bare bottom (that sounds naughty!) is very popular with goldfish keepers because it's easy to vacuum up all of their waste. From what I hear, the debris kind of sinks to the bottom for the most part. Give it a try! Of course, if you take out the gravel you can't use stem plants (unless you potted them or something) but you could still use floaters.


I just finished cleaning the tank again. I usually do a 50% water change because by the time I suck out all the fish poo in the gravel, that much water is gone! I am running two HOB filters right now, an Aquatech 55 and a Tetra 70. I have a Magnum canister with a UV light but it's not hooked up yet. My husband is in charge of that and he needs some kind of special tube and pipes. 

I think people are feeding the goldies too much and that may be why they are filthy all the time. Trying to convince my husband not to feed them when they are always begging is a real problem! 

I may try some real plants with them but I'm afraid they will destroy them. They actually try to eat the plastic plants! We've had to remove three stones from "Larry" with tweezers already so bare bottom may be the next thing on my list with the little piggies. Sometimes I swear I spend more time with the fish then the dogs, and the dogs actually get jealous of them!!


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