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Aurora Aquatica

Wisey said:
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I'm down to three Odessa Barbs now as we had a third jumper yesterday morning. I'm going to look at getting a Perspex cover cut, but need to find somewhere that will cut an unusual shape rather than just straight cuts so it fits around the equipment. Would be easy if it was just the inlet and outlet as I would have it cut short, but it needs to go around the dosing tubes too.
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Click to expand...

After you have the perspex cut to size. It can be filed to shape, smoothed out with a piece of sandpaper, then polished with a cloth and toothpaste. You can do it slowly. So it's hard to go the wrong way.

By the way, I think these clips look neat.
http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/having-a-lid-cut-whats-the-best-option.34366/#post-367583
 
FTS...

591c298e14b2db712bd37da59cf16368.jpg
 
I've got 4 of the ADA clips which I bought ages ago as I planned to get a cover at the start, then decided to see how I got on open top.

I'll order up some Perspex this week. Is 6mm thick enough? Have heard of thinner stuff warping with the heat from lights etc.
 
I have some pieces of 4 mm. thick on hand and I figure 6 mm. or even 10 mm.
would still warp with your tank size. I think it's unavoidable.

Polycarbonate may be a better choice but I've no experience with it.
 
If you go to a decent glass cutter - not sure on cost though.
The ADA glass tops are rather thin (reduced mass) to fit the clip system & allow an open strip for equipment, this won't prevent all escapees but should limit most losses
 
Been away for a few days this week, but just Wednesday to Sunday, so left everything running as usual and had a friend drop in some premeasured food on Friday evening. Returned home today, all fish present and correct and good growth everywhere except the Alternanthera (as usual).

It would appear that the Kribs are either preparing to spawn, or maybe already have, but I suspect just preparation. Neither were around when I got home, but some sand around the wood has been shifted, reducing the side of some of the entrances in to the ways in and out. After a while the male appeared, but still no female. When I turned off the filter to do the water change she came out with him to investigate, so I assume with them both leaving the cave there is nothing to defend in there yet. She's back spending most of her time in there now though and hes just pottering around the tank.

As growth is good apart from the Alternanthera I have upped the intensity from 50% to 60%. The new leaves are starting to look redder, but still very slow and pale. Hopefully a boost of light will get it moving and hopefully get some better colour in to the Limnophila H.

The lightweight plastic mesh I added to the Eheim skimmer does the job, no more fish loss there, but it needs cleared regularly as it clogs then the whole weir gets sucked below the surface. Fine on a daily basis, but a PITA when you are away on holiday.
 
The Kribs are certainly on the prep stage. The end of the wood that naturally forms a cave has 3 ways in and out, so I guess they have decided against that spot. Just found two piles of sand heaped up around the Hygrophila stems and the female Krib is in and out from a hole she is creating under the left end of the bogwood.
 
With going away last week I hadn't been to MA to see what came in on the delivery. Popped in today, still no Amanos, but they did have more Otos, so I bought another 3 to bring us up to 8. I also expanded the group of Embers, another 6 bringing us up to 19.

Came home and noticed the male Krib looking more defensive, had a look and it seemed that they have brought eggs out of the cave and deposited them at the root of one of the Hygrophila stems. Next time I checked they moved them to a gap in the bog wood, but a vulnerable spot. She's now moving them all back in the cave while he stands guard.
 
I told You! Kribs make a mess in a regular planted tank. When the eggs hatch You will have around 50 baby kribs and try to catch them after that... I ripped out half of my plants trying to get them out of the tank.
But they are fun to watch. For the price You will have to pay, they have great show for You all the time. :)

Good luck.
 
I'll see how they get on, I don't have a second tank so will need to rehome babies or see if MA or the other LFS will take them in time.
 
Things are going well, more light, more growth, zero algae, I guess the extra Otos help if any comes through.

Here is a quick phone FTS...

57e59c1fc43741499181271e6b33c783.jpg
 
Glad to see things going well!

How are your hippourides doing? I though about using them again in my 45C but bottles it!
 
5678 said:
Glad to see things going well!

How are your hippourides doing? I though about using them again in my 45C but bottles it!
Click to expand...

The limnophila h. Is growing well, but not even, so I trimmed back the Hygrophila to try and give the shorter area more light. At some point I think I need to go tidy and trim, but a few more weeks growth first.

The Kribensis are now both shepherding around a large group of babies! We had another Odessa jump today, so only two left so not many predators to cut down the number of babies. With two Odessa vs make and female Kribensis they are doing an effective defence job. God knows how many we will end up with!

There has been some aggression, even occasionally towards the Ember Tetra who are minding their own business. The worst aggression though is one Odessa on the other. I guess now there are just two one is trying to dominate the other.

See how things go in the next few days. I moved my dosing tubes to the right side near the inlet and outlet pipes so I can get a top cut which just leaves a gap at that end, solves the issue of a more complicated cut.
 
Today was water change and maintenance day. Had quite a bit of plant damage recently, think it's maybe the Kribs not getting enough plant matter in their diet with the Otos hoovering up any algae that appears, I never see any, they are pretty industrious. I usually feed peppers or courgette for the Ottos, but put some algae wafers in today for the Kribs.

We had another Odessa Barb jump today, the cover arrives some time this week, were down to one now. I'll wait until the top is on then get more Odesas or something new, not sure yet.

I uprooted all the Limnophila H. today, trimmed, then replanted. I swapped things around, put the taller stems where the shorter were and vice versa, hopefully it will get a bit more even now.

Trimming that will give the Echinodorus Reni some more light, also gave it another root tab, hopefully it gets more chance to grow now.

The Hydrocotyle is doing well, pressed it down, pushed some under the substrate, I'm gradually extending it round the front of the tank.

I removed a lot of the small new plantlets from the Microsorum trident, it's already bouncing back from the heavy trim, but pushed these plantlets down in to the roots in the gaps to hopefully get more growth back in those areas in time,

The number of Kribensis babies seems to have dropped from around 50 to more like 10-15 now. The parents are much more chilled now, but still a little feisty. Undecided whether we keep the Kribs, may return them and get some Corys to populate the lower levels. Love the Corys and much more chilled.
 
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