My Awful Invert Aquarium

[Liam]

The ghosts are lovely, I think one reason they are hard to get here as they look just like the brackish ones sold for food , my local lfs thinks no one would buy them, I tried to convince them otherwise. I did get some probably a different species, they were two aggressive for the dwarf shrimp babies so I returned them. The one with the injured tail should get it back after a molt or two. The wood is very nice, it will look excellent with moss or fissidens, f. fontanus is a great little plant it grows nice and slow so not much pruning required. I have read the star moss slowly rots away under water.
Very nice pics and vids.

 

[iSnail]

Love the new pics of your ghosties

The wood pieces look fab!! Should look really nice with moss/fissidens on them

 

[TylerFerretLord]

Thanks for the compliments again.

I can't wait for the wood to arrive, it should be here in about two weeks. In the meantime, that empty space was killing me so I put a few more shells in.


Just a few more pics. I think I'm getting a little better.

Spoiler

I accidentally dropped the sponge on the filter tube into the tank and the detritus went everywhere. Then the glorious creatures known as trumpet snails went right to eating it.

 

[TylerFerretLord]

Just an update:

Ordered some cherries, should be arriving on either Monday or Tuesday.
Wood should arrive in a few days.
Apple snail has laid a clutch of eggs three days ago.
Tank is still awful.

 

[Truck]

i think once all of the algae is gone, the tank will look great with a few plants. my cherry shrimps love scaling moss and plants.

why dont you buy an algae magnet for the front panel of the tank so you get a clear view from the front, you could also get a gravel vac and get rid of some of that detrius.

i love the tank i think the inhabitants are awesome! just keep your eyes on the pond snails as they will breed like guppies.

 

[TylerFerretLord]

I do have an algae magnet. I've just let it run wild as the apple snail likes to eat it. She actually manages to keep it all trimmed down;. It's amazing how much she can eat. Before I get the mosses and other slow growers I'll probably get some hygro or elodea to try and out-compete it so it doesn't just kill them.

I have a gravel vac as well but the shrimp seem to think it's a magical portal to shrimpland and they swim directly into it if I put it near the bottom. The trumpets have put a large dent in the amount of it anyway, so I think I'll just let them handle it. With all of the babies they keep having it shouldn't be that long coming.

I'm well aware that the pond snails can breed quite fast as the one I have left has laid about 8 clutches of eggs in a week. I think they look nice(the snails, not the eggs), so it doesn't bother me much.

 

[pippoodle]

I do have an algae magnet. I've just let it run wild as the apple snail likes to eat it. She actually manages to keep it all trimmed down;. It's amazing how much she can eat. Before I get the mosses and other slow growers I'll probably get some hygro or elodea to try and out-compete it so it doesn't just kill them.

I have a gravel vac as well but the shrimp seem to think it's a magical portal to shrimpland and they swim directly into it if I put it near the bottom. The trumpets have put a large dent in the amount of it anyway, so I think I'll just let them handle it. With all of the babies they keep having it shouldn't be that long coming.

I'm well aware that the pond snails can breed quite fast as the one I have left has laid about 8 clutches of eggs in a week. I think they look nice(the snails, not the eggs), so it doesn't bother me much.

Shrimps are buggers for going up inside gravel vacs lmao i very rarely hoover the tank about once a month or so now
your snails will love the algae i've got lots of apple snails but still let the ramshorns stay cos i love all the critters in tanks , i even have tiny gammarus in my tanks

I can always pic out the ramshorns and give then to my mother in law or grandad for their ponds if they get too many

Great little critter tank hope to see some more pics

Sarah xx

 

[TylerFerretLord]

Have you noticed if the gammarus damage plants? I was contemplating ordering a starter culture to add them to the tank but I couldn't find any info on that.

I'll get some pictures of everything when I get the cherries and wood settled in.

EDIT:
I've just found another clutch of apple eggs. I'm going to be overrun!

 

[pippoodle]

Have you noticed if the gammarus damage plants? I was contemplating ordering a starter culture to add them to the tank but I couldn't find any info on that.

I'll get some pictures of everything when I get the cherries and wood settled in.

EDIT:
I've just found another clutch of apple eggs. I'm going to be overrun!

My gammarus dont touch the plants they mostly live in the java moss on bogwood and eat the java moss keeping it clean
only pic i have ever got of my gammarus

i've just found another clutch aswell lmao this one is in the rio180 so i've got 4 clutches in there now but this one is by far my biggest it's 2" not had one like that before

take care and glad you are helping with the apple snail revolution soon they will take over the world lmao

Sarah xx

 

[TylerFerretLord]

Rather than typing out a long-winded account of what I've done to the tank and what has happened, I'll just post a few pics.

Spoiler

 

[TylerFerretLord]

Spoiler

 

[SaMoNaMe2010]

Wow nice invert tank. Howdya get leaves in there, and the sticks, woudlnt they float?

 

[TylerFerretLord]

I boiled the leaves for a bit, and then soaked them in a bucket for about two days until they all sank. The twigs I soaked(too big for my pot) but they kept floating so I just had them stuck into the sand. They all sink after being submerged for so long now.


I'm dealing with some tank cloudiness right now after a small ammonia spike occurred(they dragged a piece of cucumber I had given them under the wood and it started to rot ). I haven't noticed any deaths so that hopefully means that no one died.

On a more positive note, three cherries and two of the ghosts are berried. Can't wait for the new cherries!

 

[eldomingo]

wow! your tank's looking gorgeous! can't wait til i get my shrimps

 

[hihi100202]

lolz in the 2nd pic the wood looks like a foot! but it looks vry kool. and the moss, is it the moss that would grow in ur bak yard? or is it specil moss 4 aquariums. and wht is that bubley looking thing?!?! its awsome!
the idea of an invert-only tank is kool. but, r u evr gunna put fish in?

but, fish or no fish, its an awsome tank. ur a good photographer.