10 Gallon Photo-Journal: Trials, Tribulations, & Transformations

[bpswim90]

May 11th, 2006

Okay, BIG UPDATE.

Well, the Quarantine bucket had an almost immediate cycle once I moved half of my gravel from the 10 gallon to it, and replaced that 10 gallon gravel with some smaller black stuff. So both tanks were officially cycled. Every day I added 3 drops of ammonia to the bucket and 5 to the tank. Ready for fish!!

So, two days ago I stopped adding ammonia to the quarantine. Yesterday I did a 50% water change on the quarantine and was all ready to get some fish! I went off to petsmart. First, I picked out some plants for my 10 gallon. I got:

• 5 or so Anacharis (a small bunch)
• Small pot of dwarf hairgrass (glad they had it)
• 1 Java Fern

That was all. They didn't really have much selection. Then I went to look at the fish. I figured I would start with the glowlights because they're the calmest and least sensitive of the fish I'm getting. I inspected the tank briefly and saw that all the fish appeared healthy, no dead ones. So I asked for 6 of those. Then I went to the food section and picked up some tropical fish food crisps.

I checked out and headed home, trying to make the ride as smooth as I could. Once we arrived, I immediately cut open the bag and rolled down the sides (just like for the pond). I used the same method as before, but waited longer between cups of water added to the bag.
The Bucket:

Close-up on the fish:

While the fish were adjusting, I began putting in the plants for my 10 gallon. I'm thinking hairgrass in the foreground, and some medium-tall plants in the background. Pretty simple. Here's so far:





Pretty sparse, heh. Well, more to come.
Finally, the fish were ready for release. I held off from feeding them, but I couldn't help but watch them swim around in their little group. I felt like a proud papa.

This morning, I woke up early so I could feed and watch them. There's one of them that kind of strays away from the group at times. He's usually with them, but sometimes he just sits alone by himself. I think he's alright, but I'll have to keep an eye on him. So, when I opened up my fish crisps to feed them, I realized the crisps were way too big for their mouths. So I took a small pinch (6 or so crisps) and ground them up to a powder in my hand. This morning they didn't really eat anything. Probably still tired. But this afternoon they must have been starving because they went crazy for them. Well, all except my little lonesome one. But even he had a few.
A couple of the fish today, hard to see because they blend into the gravel:


So... that was a big update. Hope you enjoyed.
Thanks for reading.

[JustOneMore20]

Looks good! I love that pond by the way. I hope to have me a little pond someday.

[bpswim90]

Thanks for the comment Kristin. Yeah, our pond is really nice. Small, but nice. It's really relaxing to just sit out there and listen to the water or watch the fish. I actually fell asleep out there once.

May 13th, 2006

I <3 MY FISH!

My lonesome fish appears to be feeling better because lately he has been swimming around and shoaling just like the other fish instead of sitting by himself. So that's good.

Today I returned my old heater to Petco because it wasn't working properly (temp way too high for what I set it at) and got a new one (Marineland visi-therm stealth; supposedly the best?) and an amazon sword plant for my 10 gallon. Things are really coming along nicely in my 10 gallon. I rearranged the plants today and I like how it turned out (kinda symmetrical):

It's still a little sparse, but I think as the plants grow (especially the hairgrass) and as I add more new plants it will keep getting better.

I did 10% water changes on both tanks, and did a quick ammonia check on my QT to make sure everything was in check, and it was.

So I love my tetras. Today I was watching them as one does, and they were doing a kind of follow the leader thing around the bucket. It was so cool! Okay, well I have this rock formation thing in the bucket and it's a kind of cave/archway, and what the fish started doing was going through the cave and then in a circle and back in it. They were in a straight line and kept on swimming in their circle for like 15 seconds until one fish finally broke the chain. It was awesome. I can't wait to move them to the 10 gallon. More space = more fun.

Thanks for reading,
BP

[bpswim90]

May 17th, 2006

I moved my tetras to the 10 gallon yesterday because I figured it was settled enough from all the gravel changes and plants being introduced, and all the fish looked to be in good shape. If any suddenly become sick in the next week (seems unlikely) I will move them back to the bucket. I will be getting my otos and gouramis soon.

Pics soon (maybe later tonight).

Edit: May 18th.

Apologies for no photos. Been a very hectic day. They'll be up soon.

[bpswim90]

May 20th, 2006

Today was an unlucky day for me. I went out to buy some fish (my honey gouramis and otos). First, we went to Petsmart. They didn't have either at the moment. The guy working at the fish told us they had them on order and would be in by thursday. So then we went to Petco. I went to the tank that said to have otos in it. I looked closely at the fish, they were definetely Plecos! Mislabeled fish! So, I looked through the other tanks. I saw the otos spread throughout many of the other tanks, without them even labeled next to the tank. And worst of all, each of the tanks had several dead fish just laying on the bottom or floating around. Gross! If you're gonna have dead fish, at least scoop them out! I was entirely dissapointed with Petco because I liked them over Petsmart when they first came to town. So I left without getting the otos (as far as I know they're all diseased), and went home, dissapointed. I plan on getting my Honeys and Otos from Petsmart when they come in on thursday. I may never get fish from Petco based on today's experience.

As they say, "you win some, you lose some." Today I lost.

But, my tank is doing very well. Still no fish casualties from my tetras. Although they do all seem to have slightly torn up dorsal fins. I'm wondering if I should be worried about this, but I think not because they all act quite happy. Today I did a 1 gallon water change on the tank (and the quarantine tank) and they seemed to deal with it well. So my tank is doing fine, and that's good.

Thanks for reading.

[Pac-Man]

It seems petcos and petsmarts vary greatly on quality depending on where you go. Mine are ok; there aren't usually dead fish, etc. I like the pond. Good luck with your new fish!

[bpswim90]

May 27th, 2006

Thanks Pac-man. And yeah, the petstores do vary greatly. When petco first came they had nice tanks but they really went downhill. And the search for my otos and gouramis continues. This week we went to a different Petstore, not a chain one. It was really nice. The fish all looked really healthy and happy. Unfortunately, they didn't have the fish I was looking for either. So then, thursday, I went to petsmart after school to get the gouramis and otos. They said they would be getting their shipment on thursday. Well, I guess they lied, because they didn't have either. So I figured "well, maybe the shipment is a day late," and I went AGAIN, yesterday. No luck. It's really frustrating.

But today it got worse. I was doing my weekly water changes, (and this week an algae scrub on the front of the tank,) and I could only see 5 out of my 6 tetras. At first I just figured one was hiding, because that is usually the case. So I continued on with my cleaning and once I was finished I could still only see 5 tetras. So I picked up the center decoration, and nope, no tetras. I was baffled. Then it came to me. Each night, I've been opening up the tank cover because it helps to cool off the heat the tank accumulates during the day. Could one of the tetras have jumped out? Surely not. Or so I thought. I looked around the tank area, and sure enough in a cardboard box about a foot away was my 6th tetra, dried to a crisp. I was so sad (and still am). I honestly can't believe a fish so small could leap out of my tank and into a box a foot away. Well, I guess I will learn from my mistakes. No more leaving the cover off for extended periods! Heh, but yeah, it's been a rough (at best) week for me and fishkeeping. I will trudge on, though.

So I cleaned out the tank, water change, algae scrub, cleaned out the filter, the works. It's looking good. Here's some pics (about time!):

My Lighting, I never posted a pic when I promised.


Pic of the full tank. It's looking better, right? The grass doesn't seem to be spreading much, but oh well.


Close-up 1


Close-up 2


Thats all for now. Thanks for reading, hope you like the photos. *goes off to hold a fish funeral*

[bpswim90]

May 29th, 2006

Today I went to Petsmart yet ANOTHER time, and they still have neither the Otos or Honey gouramis!!!! Agh!!! So, I was driving down the road and I happened to pass by Petco, and I was like "eh, what the heck. I'll stop in." So I turned into Petco and went to their fish section. Apparently they cleaned up all the dead fish and mess since last week because everything looked good again. O_O In addition, they had Sunset (honey) Gouramis!! I was so happy! They didn't have the otos in, but at least they had something I was looking for! I couldn't tell whether they were male or female, but they all appeared to be about the same (I think they were all male), so I only bought one. Here he (I'll refer to it as a he, because that's what I think it is) is in the bag acclimating to my quarantine:

So far he is doing very well. No clamping of the fins, no staying at the bottom of the tank. I may try to feed him a little later tonight, but I doubt he'll eat.

Thanks for reading.

[bpswim90]

Okay, I'm sorry it's been such a long time since I've updated. A LOT has happened since the above entry. Firstly, that fish died mysteriously while in quarantine. One day it simply stopped trying to swim and died. The following sunset I got lived through its quarantine period, but then I went on a two week vacation and left my tank in the hands of my sister (BIG MISTAKE). Needless to say, when I came back the tank was an absolute wreck, and my precious gourami was rotting away on the bottom of the tank. Miraculously, all of my tetras survived her abuse. I promptly got the tank back into shape. The quarantine seemed to still be cycled, regardless of not having ammonia for such a long time. Last monday I got a new honey gourami.

August 8th, 2006
8 days after I purchased my third sunset gourami. He was very active the first week, but at the moment seems lethargic. He is staying near the bottom of the quarantine tank. I fed him some food to see his reaction. Instead of chasing after it, he swam under the rock/cave. I will keep an eye on him.
Update: He has just swam up for a moment, then returned to the bottom. He may be afraid of me.
My tetras continue to do fantastic. I'm curious as to why they never go under/inside the rock/cave.
There is also a green algae developing on the surface of the rocks and plants. Damn algae. I need some kind of fish/creature that will eat my algae/help clean up uneaten food. That was kind of what I wanted the otos for, but I have yet to find them in any of my local fish stores.

Until next time,
BP

[bpswim90]

Amazing. My third honey gourami has just died. The day that I notice he's acting up, he dies. Ah well. Back to the pet store...

[bpswim90]

August 9th
Today I took some major action to prevent furthur disease of my new fish. I drained out my QT then filled it with a one part bleach to 20 parts water solution. I then ran the filter for an hour (turning the rocks occasionally to kill off all bacteria). (Note to self: In the future, do not do this in your room. It smells horrible.) Once the hour had passed I poured the solution into my bathtub and rinsed off the filter and rock thing. I took the rest (rocks and bucket) outside to rinse off with the hose. Finally, I placed everything on a towel in my room to dry off overnight.

[bpswim90]

August 10th, 2006
Forgot to mention I rearranged my 10 gallon yesterday (again!). I tried following a basic techniques on an aquascaping website so make it more interesting.
Today I reconstructed the QT without the rocks because I realized I don't really need them. I plan to run it for a day without adding ammonia and starting my cycling. I placed a new filter in both tanks (this means there are two filters in my 10 gallon, and one in my QT) so that cycling time can be shortened the next time I have to clean out the QT.
I also drove to a LFS called Tropical World Pets. It's very nice; they have some beautiful displays and there are no sick or dead fish in any tanks. Unfortunately, I haven't seen any Otos or Honey Gouramis there. I guess for now I'll have to stick with Petsmart's gouramis.

Photos:
My 10 Gallon:




QT:

[bpswim90]

Alright, so I haven't updated in a while. One reason is because one weekend I went with my family to Chicago! And you know what's in Chicago?...

The beautiful Shedd Aquarium. So sit back and enjoy some photos I gathered.




They fed the fish in the reef heads of lettuce.

























Haha, eel.

And of course, the dolphin show.




Hope you enjoyed, and your internet survived the mass amount of pics.

[bpswim90]

10/29/06

Tank Temp: 79F

Not much has happened with the tank since my last real update. The fish continue to do spectacular, the tank has been regularly cleaned, and the plants are fine (not thriving, but they're alive). As my money reserves continue to increase, I'm more and more considering getting a bigger tank or making some improvements to my current small one.

For my birthday, my mom bought me "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist" and with every page of reading I become more and more obsessed with the idea of a marine aquarium. Unfortunately, I'm currently limited in the amount of space in my room. My bed as well as my dresser are huge, so for me to fit a 55gallon aquarium into my room I'm going to have to get rid of something. I'm also unsure if I have enough money to start and maintain one. What I want is a fish only with liverock and inverts. I'm not too interested in coral. To save money (provided I can free up space), I may instead start a 55 gallon freshwater cichlid or community tank, which I'm sure would be just as cool. Then I could use my 10 gallon as a quarantine and ditch the bucket. Decisions, decisions...

At the moment however, I plan on making my 10 gallon as cool as can be by getting more glowlight tetras (I've given up on Otos and Honey Gouramis. The stores near me NEVER have them) and some shrimp/snails to clean up, getting a CO2 system for my plants, getting more plants, maximizing lighting, getting a new background, getting some driftwood, and completely replacing the gravel to be all black (to bring out the colors of the fish and plants). Once this is complete and I am content with it, I will start up my 55g marine aquarium. This will be a major undertaking, with much planning required. I'll be doing lots of reading up for it (as I always do). Naturally, this plan is subject to change.

So here's my current to-do list.
-Purchase CO2 system. -30$
-Purchase 1x36 retrofitting kit for 10 gallon. -$41.99 + 15.99 for bulb
-Purchase black tank background -5$?
-Purchase driftwood and/or rocks -20-30$
-Purchase more plants to fill up the tank. -15-25$
-Purchase more glowlight tetras, shrimp, and snails. -10-15$

Here's a picture of my tank right now:


Hope you enjoyed. Later

[bpswim90]

So I went to Petsmart AND Petco and neither had a decent CO2 system. Petco had one which would work, but the salesman told me it really wasn't worth the money. (It was one powered by fizzing tabs.) I came home a bit disappointed (not for the first time). I considered ordering one online... but I wasn't willing to wait. Then I considered making a DIY system. Surely it wouldn't be that hard? So I did a bit of research on materials and methods and soon enough I was building it.

It was really quite simple. I took a gatorade bottle (about 1/2 liter) and basically just poked a hole in the cap, small enough so that airline tubing would fit snugly. I then glued the airline tubing in place with some gorilla glue, and after that had dried I added some non-toxic cement (for plastic model cars). That was basically all the construction consisted of. Next, I sanitized my bottle and sugar with boiling water. Once this had cooled, I added in my yeast (which I had already activated with warm water). I closed the lid tight, put the tubing in my tank, and that was that. For diffusion I started with a "bell" method, but decided instead to insert the tubing into the intake of my filter. The impeller should diffuse the CO2 quite well.

I did most of my research at these sites:
http://www.qsl.net/w2wdx/aquaria/diyco2.html
-Very long but the information is amazing.
http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/CO2/
-Tons of great information and personal experiences (be sure to click the links)
I'd recommend both sites to anyone interested in a DIY CO2 system.

Today's Tank Parameters
Temp: 76F
pH: 7.4
CO2: 4 bubbles per minute
Amm: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm

Photos

Full tank view. CO2 bottle ("reactor") is on the right.


Close-up on the CO2.



Thanks for reading.

[Phantom_Cichlid]

What are you using for light? Also very nice pics hope to see more updates, also sorry to hear about the death of your fish.

[bpswim90]

The light is a 15w fluorescent which came with the fixture. I'm hoping to update soon to 1x36w CF. And yeah, I can't seem to keep gouramis alive.

[Phantom_Cichlid]

Are your swords still green? Do you add and ferts to your tank?