Pretty Aquarium

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Sunstar, Sep 7, 2008.

  1. Sunstar

    Sunstar All Hail Lord Starscream

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    I don't have kids, so this is my pride and joy.... my creation that I have spent 4 months working on, and it is not yet complete. It still needs to grow in and establish. But so far, things are looking great in spite of various problems and pests.

    [​IMG]

    Most of these pics my mother took...so are sort of grainy.

    25 Gallon Aquarium
    55 Watts of light: Sun-glo - 20 watts
    Flora-glo - 20 watts
    15 watt Compact flouresent

    Two Do it yourself co2 yeast bottles.
    1 Ungergravel filter and powerhead
    1 hang on back filter.


    Fish species are:
    Rainbow Platy and their offspring
    Sunburst Wags and their offspring
    Zebra Danio and their offspring
    Thai flying fox algae eater
    Cherry Shrimp
    Ghost Shrimp
    Orange Shrimp
    Malasian Trumpet Snails
    Zebra Nerite snail (Highly recommended)

    Plant species: (19 species and counting)

    Plant species:
    "Coffee Leaf" Anubias (Anubias barteri 'coffeefolia' )
    American Val (Vallisneria Americana)
    Amazon Sword (Echinodorus amazonicus)
    Tiger Lotus (Nymphaea Lotus (Zenkeri) 'RED' )
    Sunset Hygro (Hygrophila polysperma 'Rosanervig' )
    Glossostigma (Glossostigma elatinoides)
    Dwarf Sagittaria (Sagittaria subulata)
    Chinese Ivy (Cardamine Lyrata)
    Java Moss (Vesicularia dubyana)
    Weeping Moss (Vesicularia ferriei)
    Pellia (Monosolenium Tenerum)
    Riccia (Riccia fluitans)
    Java Fern (Microsorum pteropus)
    Windelove fern (Microsorum pteropus 'Windelov' )
    Cryptocoryne (Possibly: wendtii 'Green Gecko' )
    Cryptocoryne (Cryptocoryne cordata var. blassii)
    Aponogeton ???
    Water Lettuce (Pistia stratiotes)
    Amazon frogbit (Limnobium laevigatum)

    And the pics my mother took...

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  2. QuantumShock

    QuantumShock Stay for brunch ?

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    All I can say is DAYUM. I always like to have a small rainforest in my house, someday, just someday...
     
  3. TTT

    TTT OutOfCommissionToys.com

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    Beautiful !
     
  4. Sunstar

    Sunstar All Hail Lord Starscream

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    I failed to mention it is a 25 gallon aquarium.
     
  5. Predakwon

    Predakwon ...Green Lantern's light!

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    That's awesome. How do you clean it though? Do you really empty everything out?
     
  6. Sunstar

    Sunstar All Hail Lord Starscream

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    you don't empty out an aquarium.

    Its important to get the tank to go through a nitrogen cycle. by that I mean the fish pee int eh water and produce ammonia, there are bacteria that use that and produce nitrites. Another specie of bacteria eat the nitrite and produce Nitrates. The plants use the nitrates to grow. (This can take about a month)

    Shrimp, thai flying fox and snails eat the algae. The platy also eat the algae and some dead plant materials. The danio eat small pesky things too. The malasian trumpet snails airate the rock and poke out dangerous gas bubbles.

    All I do is weekly water changes of about 20% each week, along with a gravel vac. What I get up mess wise is not bad at all. The plants also use the material that gets into the rock for growth.

    Basically, it's keeping itself clean and all I do is make sure the nitrate levels remain low with the water changes, add a dose of fertilisers on occaison and feed the fish.

    You'll do more harm than good by taking it all out and cleaning it down. Although, on occasion it is necessary to "nuke" a tank. those occasions must be a last resort.

    I also got a little glass magnet scraper I run along the front of the tank just to keep the front clear. Otherwise, I really don't need to.
     
  7. yamiwhoo

    yamiwhoo Active Member

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    That's so awesome~ It must be cool watching your own mini environment grow and grow :)  I'm especially loving all of the plants - they look pretty sweet
     
  8. Predakwon

    Predakwon ...Green Lantern's light!

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    That's awesome that's all self-contained. I envy you.

    I love turtles/tortoises. But with the turtles I would have to empty out the tank bc I can't all that circle of life stuff you have so I can't have turtles.
     
  9. Chaos Muffin

    Chaos Muffin Misadventure Veteran

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    Nice jawb
     
  10. soundwave86

    soundwave86 Well-Known Member

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    What do you mean empty out the tank? If you have turtles you could use a filter for thier water too :) .
     
  11. Optimus-JD

    Optimus-JD Team Laser Explosion!

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    I have a RES in a tank with a very nice filter. It stays clean and odor free. Same as a fishtank, once it's cycled, it keeps up nicely.

    Nice looking tank, I have 4 myself. My favorite is my planted 30 gallon with sand and driftwood. Looks incredible and it's inhabitants are very happy. I also have a couple of fresh 50s and a nano reef.

    [​IMG]
     
  12. Sunstar

    Sunstar All Hail Lord Starscream

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    I'd like a nano reef myself. I currently have two 5 gallon tanks as well. A bottle with shrimp and a bowl with shrimp. I am maturing the two shrimp containers for now. At least until the other 5 gallon is cycled and can house my shrimp for breeding.
     
  13. ILoveDinobot

    ILoveDinobot You can, you up. No can, no BB.

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    ooo pretty! Really though that is cool. It's as if under the water is a whole different world then the world above the surface, very mysterious. So yeah fish are cool :D .
     
  14. soundwave86

    soundwave86 Well-Known Member

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    I have a 30 gallon saltwater tank. I used to have a lobster, decorator crab, clown fish, a sea anemonie , upside down jellyfish , cleaner shrimp, blood red shrimp and clams. I had to shut it down a few years ago because of money problems. But now im gonna set it up again with diffferent fish.
     
  15. Sunstar

    Sunstar All Hail Lord Starscream

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    That's cool. Shame you had to shut it down. I understand reef tanks can be money pits. My freshwater tank is a bit like that and I am trying to get stuff as low cost as possible, which means I have been getting hold of second hand stuff or plants grown by hobbists.
    I told my mum and sister if they want to get me anything for xmas, I'll take a giftcard to the local big al's. I am sure there are something I can get there... co2...lights...substraight...

    Someone on one of the fish forums recently set up a salty tank and she discovered a mantis shrimp came in with her live rock. Those things are scary. they can shatter tank glass and to be hit by one apparetly is like getting shot by a .22 I had seen a video of one on youtube where it was attacking a crab. they sort of look like chinese dragons.
     
  16. Optimus-JD

    Optimus-JD Team Laser Explosion!

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    Mantus shrimp can be crazy. I had one hitchhike on a rock too. You could hear the thing snapping from across the room. Finally caught him and got rid of it. But yeah, reefs can eat up money quick, even little ones.
     
  17. Sunstar

    Sunstar All Hail Lord Starscream

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    this woman was cycling her reef and didn't have any thing in it other than a couple corals and she could hear this snapping. she caught sight of it at the start then it disappeared. The LFS has one, he showed me. He pulled the rock it was hiding under out and moved his hand REALY fast to get out of the way of the creature. It's nightmareish.


    OOH finally the picture of the turtle shows!!! How SWEET! I love turtles.. Actually, I love reptiles and Amphibians of almost any sort.
     
  18. QuantumShock

    QuantumShock Stay for brunch ?

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    *google and wiki about mantis shrimp*

    It's scary allright, I am sure it bites, hard.
     
  19. Sunstar

    Sunstar All Hail Lord Starscream

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    they can cut your finger off. so yeah, they nip really hard.
     
  20. Predakwon

    Predakwon ...Green Lantern's light!

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    Wait, really? Obviously I'm a n00b at this, but I thought even with a filter you still have to clean it out once in awhile. I'll reconsider getting a couple if I don't have to do anything.