• You are viewing the forum as a Guest, please login (you can use your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Microsoft account to login) or register using this link: Log in or Sign Up

Nano Walstad tank startup

Ha, ha, yes. The cucumber was in there a 2nd day before he "tried" it and got a bit "fluffy" :). My old ottos that I've had for a few years aren't keen on vegetables too. I guess they find enough to eat in the tank.
I can't wait to mix the little one with his dad and stepmom for company to see how he'd react to other ottos.
 
Well, I moved the two ottos from the small tank to a 5f tank.
I was watching my other 4 ottos playing like kids in my clown loach tank, utilizing all the length and height and these poor two have no space to swim in a 7g tank. It also gets overgrown pretty quickly and they just squeeze themselves in between the plants and behave a bit static in comparison as they barely have areas to "clean".
I just got a plastic cup, scooped them out and in the 5f tank they went. The stats are almost identical in both tanks as far as testing goes and they went to work immediately polishing stuff so I hope they'll be ok. No more breeding attempts at least for a while as no fry can survive the platies. They are crazy about their own fry and are the only fish that I have that eat fry. Even my clown loaches don't touch fry and some are 5-6 or 7 inches(not sure) but they are in another tank anyway.
There's a pleco in there that will compete for the veg but he's such a skittish fish he won't come out during the day unless I stick the food under his nose where he hangs out so I think the ottos will manage.
I also have 30+ corys and some aging platies in the same tank. The platies won't get replaced when they die and I want just corys and lots of otocinclus tank as they live in nature together.
When the little otto fry gets bigger he'll join these two in the 5f tank but the platies will bully him now as he's still tiny. I can use my 7g for raising some fry that need plants or its very handy for quarantine as its established and all fish I quarantined in it I still have as they did well from the start, apart from the otto that got stuck behind the filter frame.
 
Well guys, as much as I wanted to convince myself that my two ottos were fine in a 7g tank, you just can't imagine the level of activity now they are exhibiting in a 5 foot tank. Its like a paradise to them and I have to promise to myself never to put fish in a small tank ever again, not without a reason and not for a long time. It's not about immediate health, the behavioural change is amazing. I call ottos butterflies because in a big planted tank they don't stop, they go from leaf to leaf and I never ever see them hanging on for ages on one spot. They never hide because they are always moving doing something. So I am happy now about their well being and they seem quite happy to me.

As for the little kid, he/she is some active little thing. He does flaps and dances around the glass and is hyper active, definitely feels at home... But he's still quite small and grows very slowly. It's been like two and a half months since his birth. He's got nice round shiny belly and a fat tail, dark line across and dark top colour. He eats something from the glass all the time, but lads, are they slow growing....no wonder its not feasible to breed and raise ottos.
 
My overgrown little tank below. You can tell that it "aquascapes" itself so apologies for the messy look.

Tank1_zps380afc99.jpg


Tank2_zpseec05470.jpg
 
sciencefiction said:
Thanks Liam. What I like is the lack of any effort in such "jungle" tanks. I can go on holidays for a month and it will be just fine, almost the same, just probably overgrown. The problem is going on holidays. That part doesn't come easy :)
Click to expand...
Yeah I know what you mean lol

Mines kind of going the same way I really like it gives the fish plenty of room to explore which is good
 
Hi all,
sciencefiction said:
What I like is the lack of any effort in such "jungle" tanks. I can go on holidays for a month and it will be just fine, almost the same, just probably overgrown. The problem is going on holidays. That part doesn't come easy
Click to expand...
I know what you mean about holidays, but heavily planted low tech tanks are definitely more resilient.

I like them because often I'm away from the tanks for 2 - 3 weeks, and it means that I don't have to worry about anyone feeding the fish etc whilst I'm away.

I think when "BigTom" originally designed the "Bucket O' Mud...." the idea was that it would look after itself for ~6 weeks whilst he was on field work on St. Kilda.

cheers Darrel
 
Tom's bucket was the reason I went into soil tanks and the emersed plants in my other tank. I totally loved that idea and his tank was always amazing, his new one also which I am following with interest.
Yes, my two soil tanks would go longer than 2-3 weeks without any intervention apart from feeding the fish and I guess one can skip a week without feeding them too. The only problem is my big tank is open top and water evaporates but this tank here almost doesn't and sometimes its gone months without me doing anything at all to it apart from feeding the shrimp.
 
sciencefiction said:
Thanks Liam.
You can click on the link under my post where it says "Disaster". That's my other soil tank from start about a year and a half ago till now. It's gone through a few mishaps but still kicking.
Click to expand...
Lol mishaps happen ive had a few with my new one and its only 2 weeks old lol what fish are in the tank now?
 
liam11712 said:
Lol mishaps happen ive had a few with my new one and its only 2 weeks old lol what fish are in the tank now?
Click to expand...

The same fish I had all along, red platies, corys, a pleco and cherry shrimp, they are still kicking, and ottos, but its the two I moved from the little tank.
 
A picture of my moss below that grows on the filter. It's full of tiny shrimplets and also baby Malaysian trumpets. I love my ramshorn snails. They are so nice when they grow bigger.
ShrimplettsMoss_zpsac3467d4.jpg


I tried to take a picture of the baby otto and couldn't get a decent one but a large female cherry was posing instead. She's huge.
Shrimp_zps844bedee.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top