The Black Lagoon- Se Asian 'biotope'

[OohFeeshy]

Further to the old topic, I have decided to in effect push the refresh button on the old scape and make something shiny and new. I wasn't going to start the topic until I'd done something more concrete, but since I've already started gathering supplies, I thought I should start now so I can get my queries in early.

Previous setup-
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/270106-15g-asian-biotope-esque/

Basics for the new setup-

30x12x12 Clearseal tank (or similar, potentially 15 high because I think that's the standard)
Hagen Glo T5 luminaire, 2x24W

Initially I'll keep the Fluval 2+ that's already on there, but I will upgrade to either a U3 or an external at some point.

I'll use the redmoor that was in the old scape, and may supplement it with some smaller pieces.

Substrate- query number 1. I'm not intending lots of vegetation so don't need anything very nutritious, but I do want a soily look (the scape is based on a blackwater pool). And without spending too much money. Suggestions?

Plants- with the new improved lighting, hopefully the hygro 'stricta' will do better. I'll get some more crypts, probably sticking to one species (becketti, lucens, wendtii or the like), probably just see what happens. When I order the crypts I'll get some more moss to put on the wood, maybe some extra hygro species to try.

Fish- As before. I still would very much like to get some more Pseudosphromenus cupanus, but they don't seem to be available anywhere and I don't think I'd have much luck ordering them in. The LFS can be quite good for small anabantoids, so I'll see what's available at the time.

 

[OohFeeshy]

After doing some looking around, I think I'll use pond soil as the substrate, probably with some extra sand mixed in to get the texture I want. Does this require soaking or anything before using- I've seen a few mentions of it potentially containing ammmonia and since fish will be going straight in, obviously that's not good.

Does anyone have any ideas on last/first postage dates around Christmas? I'm not home until about a week before, and leave a couple of weeks afterwards, and if I'm ordering plants they need to arrive at a time when I'm around to plant them.

Edit- actually, in hindsight/forethought?, a potential future occupant would be some kuhlis. I haven't as yet seen any info regarding the suitability of pond soil for them, I don't see why it would be a problem but you never know. Other suggestions?

 

[OohFeeshy]

Well, writing is all very nice, but since it's still another week and a bit until I'm home, and then possibly a couple of weeks after that until anything exciting happens, I thought I'd draw a pretty picture. Well, two, but the second isn't very pretty, just for illustration.

My grasp of perspective is minimal, so the bushy plants at the back look as bushy as a steamrollered squirrel, but hopefully the second picture gives a better idea of coverage.

Despite being a 'shove it in and see' type of planty person, I reckon the stricta is a bit too... harsh? for the look I want, and Hygro. lacustris seems a lot softer and more... marshy. Er. I'll buy a few bunches, I did quite like it last time I had some but then it didn't match the stricta so it went. I'm also hoping that since the leaves aren't so broad, there is less of a tendency to become leggy.
I quite like the idea of a N. stellata, there's a handy space in the middle of the wood that should be perfect.
Crypts... Well, in essence that's just 'some crypt species, scattered randomly so they look nice'.

Edit- Just ordered a U3, so the only major thing to buy is the tank. I might be able to get it before Christmas, but it's probably easier to wait until after.

 

[OohFeeshy]

Right.

~ Lighting is here.
~ U3 is here.
~ Christmas cash is here.

Which means all I need now is the tank, substrate and plants. Since the first two can be got pretty much anywhere, I need to finalise plant choices before ordering, which is where you come in.

Lighting is 48W over a 30x12x15. I wasn't planning CO2 or anything fancy, but we shall see in the future.

Crypts are crypts, don't care what species I get.
I quite fancy a Nymphaea stellata as per diagram, I presume that will be fine?

The queries mainly regard background. I want something 'soft' and er... weedy? I'd previously thought of Hygrophillia lacustris, but when I was having a look earlier Plants Alive do Blyxa japonica and aubertii. These seem to look the part more, but I haven't kept them before and don't know how well they would do, or even which species is better. So, as per usual, input on anything welcome- if you have anyother plant suggestions, feel free 'cos I have no idea.

 

[OohFeeshy]

Alas, the stupid snow meant I haven't got the tank yet. P@H do it for £33 including I think some food and dechlor, not that I'd probably use either. Want to see what the price is at another shop I've got a Clearseal tank from before, they seem to be a bit cheaper plus have a few different sizes, and I'm hoping they'll sell cover glass too. If not, I'll temp it with a plastic one.

I would imagine I'll be ordering the plants sometime around the 27th, that way they'll definiately arrive before I go back to Uni again properly. I think I'll go for two or three crypt species, some java moss and a Nymphaea, but as for the bushy plants I reckons I might get a bunch or two each of Blyxa aubertii and the other one someone reccomended in the thread in the main forum, the name of which I can't remember. Then I can see how they do and order more later on- I won't be back until Easter but then I'm back for three weeks, so plenty of time.

 

[OohFeeshy]

Hurrah!

"I halp!"

As you can see, this is very rough. I couldn't be bothered to do anything more than shoving the stuff from one tank to the other. I sort of forgot to order plants, but I got a pot of crypts and the hygro lacustris from P@H just for some greenery until I get around to doing things properly. It's amazing how much difference 6 inches makes (as the nun said to the vicar), the barbs look happier and so does the pugnax. I'll put the proper filter in tomorrow (replacing the 2+ with a U3).

 

[anshuman]

nice setup, but as you said , cleaning it up will look more proper. I am sure you will add new pics with sharper images.

 

[OohFeeshy]

Well, technically no I won't, considering I'm not going to be in the same city as it is until the end of March. All I did yesterday was put the light on a timer, and all that's going to be done for the next n weeks is the fish being fed. So I bet it will be hilariously nice when I get back.

 

[OohFeeshy]

Another technically pointless update, but at least writing something down means I'm more likely to actually remember/do it.

I'm back home in two weeks, for two weeks, so I'll probably do some more stuff. I'd imagine any major stuff won't be until May/June when I'm home for lots of weeks.

Still sort of waiting for the barbs to grow a bit, they're all very nice and active but a) they're probably going to get a bit big for the tank and b) they're a bit manic, especially for food, so I wish they'd just hurry up and get to a size that I'd be comfortable putting in the 4ft. I'll be keeping a lookout for other fish for the tank- very nearly got a garra last time I was home, but they were a mix of 'that blatently isn't even a proper species name' and being too small for me to want to risk. Definitely wanting some more shiny small labyrinths- another very near purchase was the one P. dayi that the shop had left, but it looked a bit stressed and I believe it was male. I'd be OK with multiple males if there were some females too, but not just a pair of males, especially as the current one is very shy. I really wish I could get more P. cupanus, but literally nowhere has them. Not even on the internet...

Equipment wise, I will most definitely swap for the U3. Which will go a bit more discretely at the back, not just shoved in the front like the 2+. Bigger filter = hooray more stocking room!

Plants. Must must must order some. I have no idea how the current inhabitants are doing. Mainly that applies to the hygro- it was a bit of a 'the only vaguely relevent plant the shop had at the time' filler, so if it's looking quite good I'll get more. If not, I'll probably shove it elsewhere in the tank and use it for another tank at a later date. And replace it with one of the earlier choices. Plus more crypts, and some moss, and probably that Nymphaea I wanted.

 

[lljdma06]

This is beginning to shape up Oohfeeshy. I like the barbs, but I agree they will probably get too large for the aesthetics of the tank. I like the idea of anabantoids, and the crypts will do well with it.

The arrangement of the hardscape is great, I do agree, you need more plants.

A picture perhaps?

llj

 

[OohFeeshy]

Home tomorrow, so I get to see what sort of *fun* state it's in. Algae? Probably. The plants are few, the lighting high, it's had nothing done to it bar two feedings a week since the last photo was taken (i.e, the beginning of Feb). Saying that there was hardly any when I left the last incarnation of it for about the same time. I'll probably take a photo so you can all have a chuckle.

There is actually a question this time rather than 'I'm posting because I have little else to do with my time, whee'. I'm going to be upping the crypt numbers but there's still going to be a lot of 'fresh air' between them, if you know what I mean. Which I'm not really a fan of. Ideas of what to do about it? I was thinking of going back to the original inspiration and doing some oak leaf litter, which should be fine aesthetically because it's a lot darker and more natural than the sand. The only issue would be that I quite fancy some loaches, probably kuhli or chain, and I can't really find owt about having both loaches and litter. I don't see why it would be a particular problem, but I'd rather not do it until I'm sure. So, general input?

 

[lljdma06]

Home tomorrow, so I get to see what sort of *fun* state it's in. Algae? Probably. The plants are few, the lighting high, it's had nothing done to it bar two feedings a week since the last photo was taken (i.e, the beginning of Feb). Saying that there was hardly any when I left the last incarnation of it for about the same time. I'll probably take a photo so you can all have a chuckle.

There is actually a question this time rather than 'I'm posting because I have little else to do with my time, whee'. I'm going to be upping the crypt numbers but there's still going to be a lot of 'fresh air' between them, if you know what I mean. Which I'm not really a fan of. Ideas of what to do about it? I was thinking of going back to the original inspiration and doing some oak leaf litter, which should be fine aesthetically because it's a lot darker and more natural than the sand. The only issue would be that I quite fancy some loaches, probably kuhli or chain, and I can't really find owt about having both loaches and litter. I don't see why it would be a particular problem, but I'd rather not do it until I'm sure. So, general input?

The only think I could think of is that any bacteria in the leaf litter may be harmful to loach barbels if they are somehow made susceptable to bacterial infections. I don't know though, I'd have to take a look at Baensch. Perhaps there are some that don't mind the leaf litter. I know many Asian species love it. Including wild betta and other anabantoids.

Don't underestimate crypts, though. Give them a couple of months. When I had my 20g, the crypts were so thick you couldn't really see the substrate. It is getting that way in the 36g. Remember, they send daughter plants quite often. It they are not disturbed, you can really get almost a lawn-cover effect.

llj

 

[OohFeeshy]

I think the word is, er... 'beautiful'. As expected, lots of diatoms, lots of general 'bleh' on the substrate. I have no idea what happened to the hygro, but it ain't there anymore. Just some rotted off stems, by the looks of it. The crypts are better than I thought they would be, I expected at least some melt given the completely new setup but they've grown and there's even some daughters starting. I'll do a proper picture/query post after I've had me some food, there's some funky stuff growing out of he substrate and I don't know if it's algae or renegade moss strands. All shall be revealed when I clean it, I suppose.

 

[OohFeeshy]

Here's a lovely picture of the loveliness-

I admit, I did clean the glass before taking the photo... But if I hadn't, you wouldn't have been able to see in. So nyer.

Firstly, the mystery of the vanishing hygro is, at least in part, solved. Apparently the timer I put on didn't work (not that suprising, really), but nobody bothered to a) tell me or b) get another one. So there's been no light for the entire period. On closer inspection there are new leaves starting, but it was never meant to be a permanent feature anyway, so it doesn't really matter.

Weirdy stuff growing out of the substrate-

Any clues? It does look like what moss looks like when it grows out of a substrate, it's in a couple of different places.

I'm pretty certain the P. dayi died, which I'm not that suprised about TBH. Oh well. I've decided to keep the barbs in until I'm next back in June, they're bigger but there's not much point moving them yet.

I'll try and remember to do a Plants Alive order some time in the next couple of days, if I've got enoguh cash I might get some P@H Tropica crypts since they're doing so well here.

 

[lljdma06]

Honestly, I was expecting worse. It doesn't look too bad.

Looks kind of like a fungus that I think Aaronnorth got once. I'm not sure, but I told him to dose with an anti-fungal at 1/2 strength if memory serves.

Look and see if it is algae first, however.

Those barbs look great.