The Extreme Makeover - 180L

Atya gabonensis shrimp

2008-11-21T03:05:00.000-08:00

I keep 3 A. gabonensis shrimp for some time now and they seem to thrive well. I see them filtrating particles from the water at all times. They don't move much. Once they have found a good spot they stay there to feed. I have found that they prefer strong water flow. It is important to say that my tank temp is approx 29-31' Celsius and they seem happy with it.

Some crustaceans I keep in this tank

2008-09-29T11:50:00.000-07:00

Atya gabonensis shrimp (3 of them)
2x Tylomelania patriarchalis (Sulawesi snail)
I got one baby T. patriarchalis :-)
2x Tylomelania sp. Golden (Sulawesi snail)
4x Clithon diadema Bicolor (very good algae eater)
I added a few more Neritina sp Zebra

I adore crustaceans :-)

Low light garden

2008-09-29T11:46:00.000-07:00

This aquarium of mine is approx one and a half year old (set-up Feb '07).
At first it was meant to be a Low-light Hi-Tech but after a few month I felt like less water changes less plant pruning less nutrient dosing...so I cut off the CO2, took out some of fast growing stem plants and replaced them with rosette plants which I find easier to maintain (you simply cut off a few older leaves without changing the actual aqua-scape much).

This summer was very hot and the temperature in my tank was at one stage 32'Celsius. Fish and plants didn't show any stress. I did improve the surface agitation and have upgraded my filter power head from 600 l/h to 1000 l/h (huge difference).

I also got a new fish Puntius pentazona, 19 of them. A very active fish with nice patterns. I am very happy with them. I had some bad experience with dwarf Gouramies and find them very sensitive. From now on I am only going for species which are hard like most Rasboras, Tetras, Barbs and similar.

Caridina multidentata catching living fish

2008-04-09T12:01:00.000-07:00

I was shocked when I spotted one of my female Amano Shrimps catching a living fish. This fish (Tatia priguae) was indeed very weak, but still living.
I was very surprised to see how aggresivly this Amano caught this fish.

Amano Shrimps and Easy Carbo (same as Excel)

2008-04-04T01:49:00.000-07:00

Photo 1; I have never seen Caridina multidentata being so red before
I was dosing Easy Carbo (same as Excel) for a long time (stopped a few month ago), and my plants did indeed grow very nice thanks to it. But my Amano shrimps (10 of them) didn't do so well at all. They simply disappeared, and were gone for approx 4-5 month. I thought they were dead.
Suddenly one day, I have discovered 2 shrimps hanging on one spot not eating. I was surprised to see them alive. Since I already observed how shrimps react to Easy Carbo in my other aquarium, I stopped dosing it and started doing often large water changes. It took a few month before I started seeing shrimps, eating around the tank, and behaving normal. And just a few weeks ago I saw 8 shrimps (4 males and 4 females) foraging around the aquarium in search for food. I was very happy to see them alive. I am still dosing Tropica Aqua Care with NPK and traces, no harm reported, but did stopped dosing Easy Carbo in aquariums containing shrimps. Instead I am dosing pressurized CO2 via ceramic diffuser.

Plants are flowering + new fish

2008-03-06T09:30:00.001-08:00

This flower belongs to my Aponogethon crispus. Aponogethon boivinianus is also flowering but didn't have a chance to make a photo of it.
The next photo shows one of my Cory. trilineatus with serious barbel erosion. When I have introduced them, I wasn't aware that this gravel of mine is very sharp even though very small max 2mm, making it unsuitable for Corys that dig all the time. Corys should ideally have small sand substrate, rounded, with a very smooth structure, max 0.5mm in size.
One of mine 2 and a half year old Otocinclus died a few weeks ago. I got 4 new medium sized Otos that seem to be adapting well to this 180 liters planted tank.
Also (coincidence maybe) my female Ram Cichlid died last week, no other fish is showing strange behaviour though. The male Ram is doing fine.

2008-02-04T10:09:00.000-08:00

Extreme make-over upgrade to Hi-tech tank, soon

2008-01-03T12:11:00.000-08:00

I made a decision to upgrade the lights on this Juwel 180 liters and make it HI-tech.
I will get the Glomat 2 Electronic Ballast for two 39 watt T-5s. Meaning 2x30watt T-8s (each 10000K) and 2x39watt T-5s will create 0.76 Watt per liter, making this a Hi-light set up.

I will also remove the Juwel inner filter box and instead get an external Eheim 2217 filter.
CO2 will be injected through the external filter, connected to the filter inlet.

I will use fertiliser Tropica Plant Nutrition+ with NPK (and traces) every day 8ml, followed by a weekly 50% water change.

I am still deciding on which plants I will use for this new set-up. I will stop updating this blog and will start a new one soon.

Colisa sota - Red honey Gourami

2007-12-31T12:10:00.002-08:00

I have introduced new fish. 4 Red Honey Gouramis. They are adapting very well; showing great appetite, and always in search around the aquarium :-) The male Ram cichlid did show aggression towards them in the beginning but now everything seem to be in order.

Celestichthys margaritatus and more

2007-11-25T11:30:00.000-08:00

I have introduced 16 Celestial Pearl Danio aka Celestichthys margaritatus, Galaxy Rasbora. These lil guys and gals sure are enjoying this (for them) huge aquarium. Lovely looking, and very active fish that grows to about 4cm.
I also added 4 Threadfin rainbowfish (Iriatherina werneri);
The Microgeophagus ramirezi par are claiming this tank for them selves. Not really aggressive but will chase other fish away. Luckily the tank has enough space for all. In this photo the male is seducing the "queen";
I didn't dose CO2 for approx 2 month now and one can already see start of BBA on the Anubias leaves. There is some GSAlgae as well, so dosing some PO4 would do good.
New plants planted: Cryptocoryne balansae, Aponogeton crispus and Aponogeton boivinianus.
Photos by Dusko Bojic.

All good ;-)

2007-07-28T10:45:00.001-07:00

As you can see in this photo above, the Rasbora hengeli is really doing fine. I like the way they are shoaling together all the time.
The Crypto wendtii is growing very well. Leaves are changing the color from green into red/brownish, very nice.
There are still some Thread algae to be found around the tank, but will soon introduce some Caridina multidentata shrimps to take care of it.
Observation;
The Borneo Suckers are eating all sorts of offered food like: Bloodworms, Blackworms, Flake, Granules.

Ram Cichlids showing off great coloration

2007-07-14T14:08:00.000-07:00

I am feeding the fish with wide range of food, like; frozen Artemia/Bloodworms/Black worms/White worms, freeze dried Tubifex, flakes, Catfish tablets and granulated Aquatic Nature (small).

And thanks to that my fish is showing great coloration. One can compare the previous photo of the M. ramirezi cichlid with these shown above.

I have observed the Borneo Suckers taking Black worms, flakes, and granulate.

Photos by Dusko Bojic.

I added 3 Tatia perugiae females

2007-07-08T13:51:00.000-07:00

I added 3 T. perugiae females today. I didn't have the opportunity to make a photo, but soon will do.
The next photo shows one of the male (has a pointed anal fin, gonopodium) T. perugiae swimming in search for food. As soon Blood-worms or Black Mosquito larvae are offered, they go crazy. Notice how the barbels are pointed upwards. This fish sure is a surface feeder, but will get even to the food that falls down. The second photo was taken just before this dwarf catfish ate the offered Bloodworm. Very quiet during the day time, but they will go out as soon frozen food enters the water. In the night time they swim close to the surface, they remind me of Bats.

Photos by Dusko Bojic.

Microgeophagus ramirezi spawned

2007-07-08T13:44:00.000-07:00

The Ram Cichlids spawned today. They have chosen a flat stone. I can't really make a good photo, because it is hidden behind the plants, but I do see the eggs.
The male is guarding the spawn, while the female is swimming around chasing away any fish that comes near. It is funny to see how the female chases away one of the male Peacock Gudgeons, that has a small cave under that stone. Both of them are claiming it. The way the Gudgeon spreads its fins, one clearly tell he is not happy about this situation ;-)

I will try posting some photos.

Update...

2007-07-06T08:00:00.001-07:00

For the record;
From now on I am using Zeolite (ammonia remover) and Active Carbon. The Zeolite will be changed three times a year. The carbon will be used 3 times a year for three weeks.

Microgeophagus ramirezi - Blue Ram Cichlid

2007-07-01T11:06:00.000-07:00

I introduced a pair of Blue Ram Cichlids today. I will get one more pair this week. They became the true center piece fish in this tank.

Tatia perugiae catfish

2007-07-01T11:01:00.000-07:00

Today I added 4 Tatia perugiae to this community. This magnificent fish grows to just about 6cm and is very shy and nocturnal. It does come out when fed with Blood-worms and Black worms. I am truly amazed with this marvelous little fish, and even though I can't see them all the time, I like the feeling of keeping them and knowing that they are somewhere "in there" ;-)

New fish introduced - Rasbora hengeli

2007-06-29T03:33:00.000-07:00

I decided to change some of the fish I kept. I returned the Jordanela floridae (fin nipping fish), and the shoal of Pseudomugil furcatus. Instead I got a shoal of Rasbora hengeli (17). Next week I will add a pair of Microgeophagus ramirezi and 4-5 Red-honey Gouramis.

Photo by Dusko Bojic.

Easy Carbo - Liquid Carbon for plants

2007-06-15T01:23:00.001-07:00

I started dosing Liquid Carbon to this tank. Extra C is welcomed by plants and it does act as an algaecide against the BBA. So far no fish/snails are harmed by it. The most important thing with this kind of product is DO NOT OVERDOSE.

Neritina eggs all over the wood...

2007-06-15T01:16:00.000-07:00

Neritina sp Zebra started laying eggs all over this tank. It is typical for snails to breed like crazy once they sense there is lots of food/algae around. The tank is almost algae free. They are very effective in algae eating.

Definitely the best algae eater

2007-06-05T14:06:00.001-07:00

The first photo shows how the wood looked like, the day I introduced the Neritina sp. Zebra snails, and the second photo is presenting you the result after just one week :-) These snails really are tremendous algae "cleaners"!
Of course, algae eaters aren't the solution in combating algae. Balanced fertilising regime is something one should focus on. Estimative Index fertilising method is one of the best solutions in growing lush and healthy plants = algae free aquarium.
Keeping a few algae eaters of course helps a bit, because all aquariums have algae. Some less other more ;-)

Neritina snails - best algae eaters?

2007-05-26T11:18:00.000-07:00

This photo shows how effective this snail is in eating Green Spot algae as well as the Green Beard algae. One can see the part of the driftwood behind the snail, completely cleaned. The whole wood was covered with this carpet looking algae. I must say that they eat algae very fast. Two snails, that where for last 5 days on a huge rock, cleaned it off of this type of algae. I believe they have some sort of sharp and strong teeth, since they are able to scrape off even the hardest algae that infested the back glass.
I introduced 3 more Neritinas today.

87 days old aqua-scape

2007-05-21T12:57:00.000-07:00

I planted some extra Cryptocoryne wendtii and Cryptocoryne parva and I am very satisfied with the scape developing. As I stated earlier, I started using the Estimative Index method for fertilising the plants. Dosing 3 times a week half tea spoon of KNO3 + Tropica Master Grow 5ml.
Every week 50% water change. CO2 through the Venturi injector, 2 bubbles per second. There are still some hairy algae present but in small amounts. I hope the last algae will disappear with the next plant trimming. Feeding the plants good + tank hygiene is the key to an algae free aquarium.

I also added 6 Neritina sp. Zebra snails to this set-up today. They sure are beautiful :-)

Photos by Dusko Bojic.

Corydoras julii spp & Pseudogastromyzon punctulatus

2007-04-30T14:41:00.000-07:00

For the record;

Today I introduced 5 Corydoras julii spp. and 3 Borneo Suckers to this community. I am not sure the sucker is actually the P. punctulatus?

Photos by Dusko Bojic.

CO2 Venturi injector

2007-04-24T14:39:00.000-07:00

I changed my CO2 system a bit. Instead of the CO2 mixer, I connected the EHEIMs Venturi diffuser onto my Juwel pump out-take. The bubbles injected into the water column are very fine/tiny. I believe this is the best diffuser/injector one can use in a planted tank and it doesn't take much place.

More about the Venturi effect

40th day - the maturing tank

2007-04-04T12:51:00.000-07:00

I did have some algae combating in the past week + having a nasty green slimy water surface film. I started rinsing the frozen artemia before feeding the fish and the results are better. I also had some BGAlgae developing on Java Moss but that has stopped. At the moment the Green Dust Algae seem to be my only concern.
I planted some Cryptocorine x willisii as a front plant. All the fish are doing great, and in about a week I am thinking of adding a few Corydoras julii since the bottom of the tank seem so empty.

Photos by Dusko Bojic

Pressurized CO2 system

2007-03-16T02:33:00.000-07:00

I introduced the pressurised CO2 system instead of the DIY Yeast that isn't very efficient in keeping constant CO2 levels. I decided on getting the Ferplast CO2 mixer and the Aqua Medic 350 g CO2 rechargeable bottle. I am running 1 bubble every 3 sec at the moment.

The live stock is doing great. I feed them exclusively with frozen Artemia. I have some Staghorn algae growing on Java Moss, some Green Beard Algae growing on bog wood and rocks, mall amount of brown algae on shadowed Microsorum leaves. Small amount of Green Dust algae on glass, as well as some Green Spot Algae on the back glass (it is where the water flow is the strongest and where the CO2 comes out). The only real problem is the green water surface film. I remove it with the water change, but it comes back after just two days. I belive it is due the over-fertilisation, since I don't have many fast growing plants in the this tank. All those algae aren't really a problem since this new pressurized CO2 system is going to keep constant CO2 levels. I will run the CO2 system 24/7.

I am starting the EI (Estimative Index) fertilisation method by Tom Barr. I will dose fertilisers KNO3, KH2PO4 and Tropica Master Grow 3 times a week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday after the weekly 30% water change). I am going to dose 5ml of each since I am on Low lights.

Fully stocked ?

2007-02-27T11:44:00.000-08:00

I introduced the final fish today. Final?
17 Pseudomugil furcatus and 4 Trichopsis pumilus. The introduced fish is approx. 3cm long (juvenile) except the Pygme Gourami that is approx 2cm.
For that reason and for the reason I added the recommended dose of the beneficial bacteria Bio Bacter 2in1 from Aquatic Nature, half an hour before introducing the live stock, I stocked this fish amount. I also planted some extra Egeria densa that is an effective nitrogen consumer, so ammonia/nitrite/nitrate levels will be controlled. In about two days I will perform 30% water change just in case.

This is the total fauna list;
17 Pseudomugil furcatus
4 Trichopsis pumilus
8 Tateurndina ocellicauda
3 Crossocheilus siamensis
2 Otocinclus vittatus
Malaysian Trumpet snails

Photos by Dusko Bojic

Tateurndina ocellicauda introduced

2007-02-24T08:47:00.000-08:00

Two days ago I introduced 8 Peacock Gudgeons - Tateurndina ocellicauda. 3 males and 5 females.
I feed them frozen Artemia once a day just about what they can eat in 40 sec.
I added some Bio Bacter 2in1 form Aquatic Nature, a very effective bacteria culture. I used it before and the results are great. You are able to introduce the fish (6), the same day.

I am injecting DIY CO2 through the power head. I am dosing PMDD and TMG to maintain NO3 at 10-15 ppm. 10ml of each every week, later when the plant mass doubles I will dose a bit more. Water change every week 25%.

I have a very small amount of Blue-Green algae on Crinum calamistratum leaves which I wipe off of it. But it does make me thinking "should I dose more KNO3"?

Java Moss attached to wood has really bad problem taking off because there is lots of this fungus, hairy looking brownish something that my SAEs are hopefully going to clean away.

UPDATE soon.

New look - New story ;-)

2007-02-23T01:56:00.000-08:00

I started reaquascaping my oldy 180L at the Feb. 9th
I first placed high quality aqua-soil from Aquatic Nature. I scattered overall a few iron rich balls from Amtra.
I decided using 1,2-2 mm sand, natural reddish color.
I was very pleased when I found those curio-roots in my Zoo Shop. I could stay with just two pieces, and create a more elegant, Amano look, but that wouldn't be me, so I placed the third root and created a real labyrinth.
I decided on using reddish rocks. 17kg.
And after about two hours of replacing the stones I was satisfied with the layout. I added the rest of the sand over the stones so they appear more natural (like they are coming out of the ground).
Since the left side of the tank is facing the room entrance, I tried to make that part "work" good visually as well.

Flora;
Crinum calamistratum, Rotala rotundifolia, Hygrophila polysperma, Alternathera reineckii, Anubias nana, Lileaopsis novaezelandiae, Microsorum pteropus 'Windelow', Anubias petit, Vesicularia dubyana.

After a week, I introduced 2 of my old Otocinclus vittatus and 3 Crossocheilus siamensis (SAE). Even though just about 4cm long, the SAEs are cleaning the newly established algae, fungus and who knows what else (I need a microscope for that) really great :-) SAE is always going to be my No.1 fish

The old Juwel media was in fact old so I added this type of Bio Rings from Aquatic Nature. They are not the ceramic ones (I don't like those) , but more like siporax with lots of small holes, for bacteria to get attached to. Just for the record; my old Juwel pump died so it is replaced with a new one of the same kind, 600 l per hour.