Stan's freshwater 240 gallon extravaganza. Trials and tribulations of a sunlit aquarium

[Back in the fold]

@Stan510 Wow ! Didn’t know those got so big . He was a monster . Cool about that youngster growing up in there .

 

[FranciscoB]

Very nice tank and fish!
In my experience, 4-5 years is about the maximum life span of boesemani rainbows. I still have descendants of my first pair, full adult themselves and breeding for at least 2-3 years now. The old male began deteriorating after 41/2 years, becoming less colorful and slowing down until it died months later in a very healthy tank, with all other fish and plants thriving.

 

[Stan510]

I feed them beef heart in gelatin,shrimp slightly cooked everyday and Tetramin color flake food morning and before the lights go out. If I remember I toss in extra cooked veggies we have. The flake food is just a pinch, the others all they can eat once a day.
Its the first Bozy to die on me from some disease. Otherwise it's been freak accidents like one jumped out and another I had just bought the day before- got stuck between rocks overnight. Otherwise,they've been bulletproof.

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

So, heavy on the protein? I hear that rainbows need a predominantly plant based diet all the time and that they get ill if they don't get enough...but from my own research I find the opposite to be true. Gary Lange himself concurs with that. I've been giving mine more protein albeit rather cautiously but seeing how awesome your fish are on their surf 'n' turf diet I'll feel more confident in my decision!

I'm trying more live foods, mozzie larvae and brine shrimp at the moment, hopefully I'll be brave enough to start my own grindal worm culture as well

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

Do you think it was an illness that got him? What was his symptoms?

 

[Stan510]

In 48 hours he went from hiding at a surface corner...his colors were pale to losing his balance and then dead.
I have 8 other Bozys in there left,a trio of getting larger and larger Clown loaches,and a few other smaller fish. If it wasn't for a trio of Giant Danio's I might be overrun with baby Bozys. That might be a good problem to have huh?

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

Wouldn't it just! They're a stunning fish and such a pleasure to keep. I have praecox as well which are a huge regret and heart ache at the moment

 

[Stan510]

Ok some changes ,more evolving with the big tank. I have no more stem plants. They needed too much pruning and what replaced them are slow growing masses of moss and Java fern and rosettes of various sword plants. If it sounds more like a Japanese Garden its because it does look like that. I call it the low effort green tank.
I'm not the first to marvel at the colorful stem plants and get caught up in them. But after a few years the slow and steady plants that need little fuss take over. I might try again the Alternanthera red that I am growing in a terrarium...all I have to do is take a few cuttings. to start again.
You look at the YouTube vids of the long aquarium in the Amazon headquarters....it's basically just moss and ferns with a dash of crypts( I kept all mine and Anubias I should add)....Anyways the Amazon tank set up looks like what I've have evolved into. Not what I planned...it just evolved based on the lighting and equipment and time. Years.

 

[anewbie]

Ok some changes ,more evolving with the big tank. I have no more stem plants. They needed too much pruning and what replaced them are slow growing masses of moss and Java fern and rosettes of various sword plants. If it sounds more like a Japanese Garden its because it does look like that. I call it the low effort green tank.
I'm not the first to marvel at the colorful stem plants and get caught up in them. But after a few years the slow and steady plants that need little fuss take over. I might try again the Alternanthera red that I am growing in a terrarium...all I have to do is take a few cuttings. to start again.
You look at the YouTube vids of the long aquarium in the Amazon headquarters....it's basically just moss and ferns with a dash of crypts( I kept all mine and Anubias I should add)....Anyways the Amazon tank set up looks like what I've have evolved into. Not what I planned...it just evolved based on the lighting and equipment and time. Years.

Yea steam plants can be a pain. PSO does not require the same level of maint and if you let it break the water level it will produce a nice flower.

 

[Back in the fold]

@Stan510 Anything new going on with your big sunlit aquarium ?

 

[MuddyWaters]

Wow, I love your tank! ..and you have it right in front of a window! I've never seen that- I bet it is gorgeous with the sun coming in. Do you have to fight algae a lot or is there just a method for keeping a tank in a window like that?

 

[Back in the fold]

Wow, I love your tank! ..and you have it right in front of a window! I've never seen that- I bet it is gorgeous with the sun coming in. Do you have to fight algae a lot or is there just a method for keeping a tank in a window like that?

It’s cool huh ?