30g Lake Inle Aquaponic Biotope

[WhistlingBadger]

Got some seachem equilibrium to raise the hardness; the rest of my seeds and bamboo stakes should be in today.

Hopefully I'll get the light fixture hung up in the next day or three. It's a challenge, because I'm making it of wood, painted to look like bamboo. Of course, wood + water = rotten wood, so I'm going to have to give it multiple coats of spar varnish once it's all built. (Spar varnish is a clear, heavy-duty polyurethane paint that basically coats the wood in a layer of waterproof plastic) That, in turn, will need several days to cure before it can go anywhere near the tank.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

I hate to be a buzz kill but my 10 rosy loaches, by any name, were very shy. I kept them with CPDs & they were also shy. I ended up giving my rosies to a club friend with many more in a huge tank. I also had some Inle loaches (I think, so called "Vietnamese hovering loaches". They were not as shy even though I had fewer...but not as pretty as rosies.

By the way, I was reading about those hovering loaches, Micronemacheilus cruciatus. They're a different genus from the Inle loach, though they look rather similar. I've read the Inles aren't shy, so hopefully I can find some.

 

[Back in the fold]

Got some seachem equilibrium to raise the hardness; the rest of my seeds and bamboo stakes should be in today.

Hopefully I'll get the light fixture hung up in the next day or three. It's a challenge, because I'm making it of wood, painted to look like bamboo. Of course, wood + water = rotten wood, so I'm going to have to give it multiple coats of spar varnish once it's all built. (Spar varnish is a clear, heavy-duty polyurethane paint that basically coats the wood in a layer of waterproof plastic) That, in turn, will need several days to cure before it can go anywhere near the tank.

Is spar varnish something like Varathane ?

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Is spar varnish something like Varathane ?

Yep, same thing.

 

[fishorama]

Huh, I don't guess I remember what my little loaches were. They were from a club guy that was moving. Maybe your fish will be less shy in a larger tank, mine was a 20g long in an area we didn't hang around much. Whichever loach species you can get, buy a bunch!! & post pics please

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Huh, I don't guess I remember what my little loaches were. They were from a club guy that was moving. Maybe your fish will be less shy in a larger tank, mine was a 20g long in an area we didn't hang around much. Whichever loach species you can get, buy a bunch!! & post pics please

Will do, as soon as I have anything worth photographing!

The two loach species look almost identical. I wouldn’t put it past a pet store to call one the other if it made them easier to sell.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

So, after applying a second coat of spar urethane to my light fixture, I decided I should look up if it's fish safe. Turns out it is, once fully cured, which can take up to a month. Ever wish you'd thought to ask the right question before diving in?

Sigh...not sure what to do now. I have to seal this thing completely or the wood will get slimy pretty fast. But I've already planted the top and it needs a light on it. Might have to redneck-engineer something while waiting for the wooden fixture to cure.

CRUUUUUUUUUUUD

 

[Magnum Man]

temporary, doesn't have to look nice, or last long... I'm confident you can come up with something

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Ok crisis averted for now. I drained the tank halfway—no big deal since there are no fish in it—then put a piece of glass across the top with the old light on it. Added a bunch of random mosses collected from the mountains a couple days ago. Should keep the plants happy until the finish on the new fixture cures.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Also I have tomato seeds germinating!

 

[WhistlingBadger]

This new grow light is seriously bright! The stand is out in the blazing Wyoming sun and should be cured and ready to use in a week or two.

Tomato sprouts!

Watercress sprouts!

 

[Magnum Man]

I was learning more about Celestichthys erythromicron ( Dwarf Emerald Rasbora's )

and I stumbled on quite a bit of information, on this fish, and about Lake Inle, as it's from there, and their culture and habitat, on Seriously Fish...

Celestichthys erythromicron (Microrasbora erythromicron, Danio erythromicron) — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

 

[WhistlingBadger]

I was learning more about Celestichthys erythromicron ( Dwarf Emerald Rasbora's )

View attachment 369254

and I stumbled on quite a bit of information, on this fish, and about Lake Inle, as it's from there, and their culture and habitat, on Seriously Fish...

Celestichthys erythromicron (Microrasbora erythromicron, Danio erythromicron) — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

Yep, SeriouslyFish is where it's at. I'm probably not going to keep C erythromicron since I want to try to establish a breeding colony of S. resplendens. But we'll see.