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There’s wood in there somewhere... (Dennerle scaper 35)

Got a bit overexcited with the last Aquarium Gardens order and now have way too many types of plant in this tank… But look how pink the lotus is!
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Moved a dozen cherries in last week. Decided to also get a little group of embers, probably next week. Given these will be my only fish and they’re tiny, any advice on best options for live food/feeding advice?
 
..as in, I don’t mind setting a culture up (not that I know what I’m doing), but with so few mouths I wonder about having to bin most of it?
 
aec34 said:
..as in, I don’t mind setting a culture up (not that I know what I’m doing), but with so few mouths I wonder about having to bin most of it?
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Have you tried microworms? Very easy to maintain a culture, they just smell when you open the lid!
 
FISH!!
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6 ember tetra moved in yesterday, and they are brilliant 🙂 (And v hard to photograph.) They’ve been merrily cruising round the tank, sometimes as a little band, and I’m really pleased they haven’t spent the whole time hiding. The shrimp even seem a bit bolder too.
Meal times so far have been a swirl of microworms from a cotton wool bud morning and evening. I’m a bit worried about feeding them the right amount - less is better than more?

I’ve also got some dried bloodworm which I thought I might give them occasionally (crushed up and soaked). Is there anything else I should give them?
 
Karmicnull said:
You must hold the record for the time it took from getting your first tank to getting your first fish!
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Ha ha haaa fish have ALWAYS been on the radar, but I’ve just been too scared after what happened last time (c 15 years ago) - and have only had dinky tanks 😳

Will investigate frozen!
 
10 weeks old. Going that nice mature colour of tannins and too many plants. Definitely jungle style, and due a bit more of a chop back soon. The plan was always to grow stuff on in this tank ready for the ‘big’ tank (60p).
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Embers are happily going about their business - I see them loads and do a headcount at worm time. One is definitely more aloof than the others - I think he’s just not a joiner. I wonder about getting a few more to up their numbers, but they do seem content at 6. I really like them 🙂

The hydrocotyle and cardamine lyrata are growing like crazy, and I might try wedging one of my wabi balls in back left to train them out the tank.
 
Karmicnull said:
That Lotus is starting a takeover bid! Looks fabulous though. I envy you your Hydrocotyle - I managed to kill mine off...
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Thanks - the lotus is such a great colour! But yes, getting big… I’m really excited to see if it will flower when it makes the surface.
There are way too many types of plant in this tank to call it aquascaping, but I’m just pleased with anything which grows happily in my non-CO2 environment. Shout if you want any hydrocotyle - it’s the leucocephala that’s prolific
 
aec34 said:
One is definitely more aloof than the others - I think he’s just not a joiner.
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A couple of my embers are always detached from the ember shoal...they seem more in tune with swimming along the bigger cardinals and black neons.

Nice Tank! :)

Cheers,
Michael
 
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Fish are doing fine, as are the plants - but the shrimp are not thriving. These are nothing fancy, just cherries from my cube. I’ve lost at least one when berried, and there are 2 with bent spines (not that they have spines, but you know what I mean).
I wondered if there wasn’t enough Calcium - but testing tells me the tank is KH 4, GH 7 which is what I’ve written as ballpark numbers for crystals so this should be enough for molting? Is it more likely this is a congenital problem? My main colony started with 10 and is now about a year old.
 
Added 4 more embers earlier this week, and all good so far. Also seen a berried shrimp, and some of his wonky friends. BUT the true glory is the big haul of buce from the very generous @SRP3006 which have made the tank look AMAZING (in my humble opinion), and given it more depth on the right (I took out most of the rotala). The buce have been in for about 10 days and seem to be settling in fine.
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I’m so pleased with how this is now going. And I now understand why people keep stools by their tanks to watch the fish.
 
Culled a load of salvinia - and turns out the ceratopteris has got massive.
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Given I only had a tiny scrap of this left from a small poorly tank, I’m pretty pleased with this. Growing so much happier floating than it did planted.
Lotus is nearly at the surface: what will happen next…? 👀
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Wolf6 said:
Love the tank!
If only nerites didnt deface everything with their hard to remove eggs all over the place. They are pretty but never more for me :)
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Thanks! I do wonder about the eggs, but trying them here for the first time before The Big Tank.
 
Have crammed a few more plants in this tank now since I had some refugees from my 20 litre breakdown. It’s DEFINITELY way too full now.... 😬 but it’s going to provide a ton of plants for my new tank in a couple of months, which is how I’m seeing it.

I also had the trauma of moving the tank upstairs to be out of the way of builders - pretty sure I lost a fish in the process through a damaged fin: the rest of them are all accounted for and are their usually perky selves, and I’m certain it isn’t disease.

Sadly the nerites didn’t last long. I have no idea what happened there: they were absolutely fine for a week or so, cruising about, then I found them upside down and despite turning them over, that was it.

The tank is actually fuller than in this pic - low-tech tastic!

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