bronzefighter
Member
27g - "I'm actually trying to make this look nice" UPDATE 8-5-14
Howdy! I wanted to start this journal to show the continued progress of my 20g FW community tank.
Some background: After seeing some stunning aquascapes, namely Amano-styled and iwagumi tanks, I was inspired to start my own. This tank would have a large amount of planning beforehand. The focus of the tank was to be a dramatic hardscape with a large amount rockwork. I decided on a medium-sized tank- not quite as restrictive as a 'nano' size, yet easier on maintenance than a larger one.
After searching for awhile I found a great deal on a custom 20g rimless. Some of you might know me as that kid with the motorcycle from various plant swaps and meet-ups:
Equipment was simple at this point, just an AC30 HOB and a 16" Finnex RayII. Plants were all clippings from another tank. The intial setup:
Added some more plants (namely Dwarf Hairgrass and that bigass Amazon Sword). Also added DIY CO<sub>2</sub> and Red Cherry Shrimp.
Funny story about that wild-type on the right. He was the sole survivor of my first attempt to keep RCS in a Walstad tank (which failed hard), and survived the setup and cycling of this tank. His name is Hercules.
Added a male and a female GBR.
Stocking at this point was:
A bit overstocked I know, but working well.
Unfortunately, the GBRs - who had been coexisting peacefully at this point - decimated the shrimp population after they spawned their first clutch of eggs. No more RCS!
But then...disaster! A few weeks ago, I came home after a long day of work and noticed a very faint, yet distinct 'dead fish' odor in my room. I examined my tank and noticed that the filter was dead. Probably for 2 or 3 days. Lost almost everything.
Due to my crazy work schedule that week and the fact that I had a timer and autofeeder, I didn't check on the tank like I normally would. Those of you with an Aquaclear know how quiet these things can be. Grabbed a new filter - ZooMed 511 canister, I can't recommend this thing enough.
Fast forward to today. Ditched the DIY CO2 and started dosing with Excel and Flourish.
Gave away the Rasboras, as they blended in with the rock too much.
Grabbed some Neon Tetras, and since I was breaking down another tank I moved the Long-finned Serpae Tetras in here as well.
Long-finned Serpae Tetra are seriously one of the most underrated fish I know of. They are extremely active, and some of my older ones have long flowing fins that could rival a Betta.
Current stocking:
Thinking about grabbing some Neocaridina again, maybe Blue or white this time.
Thanks for taking a look, and I'll try to keep this updated from time to time!
Howdy! I wanted to start this journal to show the continued progress of my 20g FW community tank.
Some background: After seeing some stunning aquascapes, namely Amano-styled and iwagumi tanks, I was inspired to start my own. This tank would have a large amount of planning beforehand. The focus of the tank was to be a dramatic hardscape with a large amount rockwork. I decided on a medium-sized tank- not quite as restrictive as a 'nano' size, yet easier on maintenance than a larger one.
After searching for awhile I found a great deal on a custom 20g rimless. Some of you might know me as that kid with the motorcycle from various plant swaps and meet-ups:
Equipment was simple at this point, just an AC30 HOB and a 16" Finnex RayII. Plants were all clippings from another tank. The intial setup:
Added some more plants (namely Dwarf Hairgrass and that bigass Amazon Sword). Also added DIY CO<sub>2</sub> and Red Cherry Shrimp.
Funny story about that wild-type on the right. He was the sole survivor of my first attempt to keep RCS in a Walstad tank (which failed hard), and survived the setup and cycling of this tank. His name is Hercules.
Added a male and a female GBR.
Stocking at this point was:
- 9x Harlequin Rasboras
- 1x Bamboo Shrimp
- 3x Oto
- 2x German Blue Rams (who had been breeding)
- RCS colony
A bit overstocked I know, but working well.
Unfortunately, the GBRs - who had been coexisting peacefully at this point - decimated the shrimp population after they spawned their first clutch of eggs. No more RCS!
But then...disaster! A few weeks ago, I came home after a long day of work and noticed a very faint, yet distinct 'dead fish' odor in my room. I examined my tank and noticed that the filter was dead. Probably for 2 or 3 days. Lost almost everything.
Due to my crazy work schedule that week and the fact that I had a timer and autofeeder, I didn't check on the tank like I normally would. Those of you with an Aquaclear know how quiet these things can be. Grabbed a new filter - ZooMed 511 canister, I can't recommend this thing enough.
Fast forward to today. Ditched the DIY CO2 and started dosing with Excel and Flourish.
Gave away the Rasboras, as they blended in with the rock too much.
Grabbed some Neon Tetras, and since I was breaking down another tank I moved the Long-finned Serpae Tetras in here as well.
Long-finned Serpae Tetra are seriously one of the most underrated fish I know of. They are extremely active, and some of my older ones have long flowing fins that could rival a Betta.
Current stocking:
- 8x Neon Tetra
- 7x Long-Finned Serpae
- 2x Oto
- 1x Bamboo Shrimp
Thinking about grabbing some Neocaridina again, maybe Blue or white this time.
Thanks for taking a look, and I'll try to keep this updated from time to time!
