Boita Compatibility

[BigFish01]

Oh how I wish I could go topless! My tank is in our basement. When I had the 55gal I ran half tops and that worked out good. But now I have the canopy packed with 4 shop light fixtures to get the necessary light down to the plants. Which they generate some heat in that time also.  
 
But the moisture from the big tank would be too much to release into the basement and the canopy gets a lot of moisture buildup in it due to the coldness of the room its in. I dont think it ever gets above 60f down there.... 

 

[snazy]

Yes, moisture is dangerous overtime. Then the safest would be a glass cover, unless you can install the lights into a normal one.

 

[greenmumma141]

Whatabout shatter-proof glass? I'm sure it's more expensive but much more durable. 
 
Love the new rams!!!  It's hard to tell bc they take time to color up, and they're still young, but I say two males for sure
 
The new wood looks sooo great! It really goes with the rocks, looks awesome!! Is that pennywort on driftwood?!?!? I LOVE the way it looks wrapped around it, I might have to snag that idea
 
My awesome new reddish plant is melted away and now just twigs, not too sure what to do, whether I should trim it down or what lol. 
 
Love, love, love the tank. One of my polka dots swims around like yours too, that's funny

 

[BigFish01]

No thats not pennywort on driftwood. but its about to be! thanks for the awesome idea! Yeah I think i'm gonna skip the lids for a little while longer and keep going with what i have going. I would have to have it specially cut to fit the tank and have the cut out for the filter.. dang.. 
 
In better news. I just won a 500$ grill that looks like an engine on an engine stand off the tool truck that will be here monday. I think I already have it sold! might have a couple hundred bucks in my pocket soon. so that means more fish stuff. 
 
I had bought another piece of wood for the tank but before I boil it i'm trying to figure out where I can put it. Its larger than the rest of them and flatter like the first darker piece to the left of the tank in front of the rocks. 
 
I was hoping I picked out a boy and a girl. Dang I guess that means i need to go pick out a couple females... lol  any suggestions on sexing them at the store so young? 

 

[BigFish01]

Five floating plants today......

 

[BigFish01]

Any suggestions greenmumma? Going tonighr to pick up a couple girls for my boys should i just get 2 or 3?

 

[greenmumma141]

I am so excited. Today I went to Petsmart to pick up some flake food, (which is usually how a huge purchase begins lol) and found a full glass lid for my tank on the clearance rack.  Everywhere I looked online is around $65 and I bought this one for $32.99. But the best part is that now I don't have the black plastic lids in the front, so I can add the two original light hoods to the front and keep the fixture I have on there, bringing my wattage from 64 to 94 1.5 wpg oh yea, oh yea.... I'm not sure if it will have a huge impact on the plants, but I can't seem to grow any stem plants at all, when I add them, they melt down to nothing and don't seem to come back at all lol. 
 
I only put one of the originals back on for now, i didn't want to have that much light directly over the baby cories . I can't believe how much better my tank looks with just the extra 15w. It's crazy. I'll take some pics tomorrow hopefully

 

[snazy]

The plants melting could be lack of CO2 as well, so adding more light can be counterproductive and just cause an algae outbreak.
But some plants do need that extra light to actually even try to grow. Just careful with it, maybe decrease the time duration at first once you add more intensive light.

 

[greenmumma141]

Hopefully I don't need co2. I've been sticking with pretty "easy" plants. and at 1wpg would I really need co2? even with 1.5wpg, i thought i wouldn't need co2. I've been having some GSA recently too, nothing too crazy but I had to buy a scrubber yesterday I've also noticed some SBA on some of my plants too.  I leave my lights on for 10 hours though, so maybe a little less will help, and it's probably a good thing that I'm introducing the new lights by 15w and not 30w all at a time.

 

[Essjay]

BigFish - re the sex of the bolivians, I can't quite tell from the photos, but you have the fish in front of you. Look at the breeding tubes. In males it comes to a point, and with females the tube is the same width all the way down. The second ram pic, the first one of just one ram, could be a girl from the photo if the tube really is wide all the way down (and not my eyesight making it look like that)

 

[BigFish01]

I think your right. It dont come to a point. I think they both are the same also. maybe I have two girls? oh heck when do they grow boobs..

 

[BigFish01]

Boy?

Boy? (same fish)

Boy Left, Girl right?

Boy Right, Girl Left?
 
oh why did I want fish you have to sex? lol If they are boy and girl do you think they would be ok in a 20gal long together with a BN pleco?

 

[greenmumma141]

:Blush:  Apparently I have no idea how to sex bolivians lol. I just always look at the coloring...     I think a 20g long would be fine for two of them  Mine have their own spots and don't really explore outside of that. 
 
Oh yea, I picked up another albino bn it's a wee baby hehe.

 

[greenmumma141]

Well jeeze, my mind is officially blown lol.  I searched the internet for weeks before getting my rams, and even after to make sure that I knew what mine were, and I couldn't find anything that was as helpful as this page i found for you haha.   From what this says, I think you have two girls it would explain their disposition towards each other....
 
http/www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=142702

 

[BigFish01]

Man this is confusing. guess I now have two girls? The vents look that way at least? I dunno..