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Tank Update (And Advise Wanted!)

pollyandpear

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Joined
16 Jan 2023
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So I've had my tank set up since the beginning of February. In that time I initially had a 60l but upgraded to a 160l.

First fish I introduced were 6 leopard cories, 4 died which was upsetting but the remaining 2 kept going and as of yesterday I now have added 2 baby cories (I think they are Julii and not leopard but look the same) and 4 Molly.

How can I get my Hydrocotyle tripartiti to grow like a carpet?

I suppose my set up is low tech, with an allpondsolutions HOB filter (which I don't love as it makes a weird noise if the water level isn't high enough and it is so big!), a light and a thermometer.

I dose with TNC every 1 to 2 weeks and the plants are mostly growing well.

I recently removed as much dukweed as I could from the surface as it was getting out of hand. Still have tons of tiny snails but they seem to remain tiny and only a few have reached a larger size.

Annoyingly I already want to rescape it as although I want it plant heavy, I want to see more of the fish but i don't think that is something I should do again so soon.
 

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You don't have to completely tear it apart to replant. Take a plant out each day over a couple of days and put them in a bucket. Get some new plants ordered and do a big replant with both old and new to create a new look. I have done and still do this to minimise stress in the tank. I've also ripped the whole lot out and it's too much stress (for me.. the fish etc are fine!) Good luck 👍
 
How can I get my Hydrocotyle tripartiti to grow like a carpet?
It's much easier with CO2 and relatively high light. However, it's best to optimise CO2 first before going down that route. In a high-energy system there is far less wriggle room for mistakes and things can go horribly wrong very quickly.

Annoyingly I already want to rescape it as although I want it plant heavy, I want to see more of the fish but i don't think that is something I should do again so soon.
Like @si mentions above you don't have to tear the tank down to do a rescape. Just decide what plants you want to keep, what new plants you'd like to try, and draw yourself a basic plan where you'd like to position them. It'd also be a good time to incorporate any additional hardscape if you'd like to. You could also have a go at designing a scape on the site below before diving in.

 
You have a decent sized tank with plenty of potential. Now you've lived with it a few months some rescaping is inevitable but don't forget your tank is still quite an immature system so ripping plants out wholesale might upset the stability you have achieved so far.
Like @si walker, I find a full rescape really stressful & I only keep small tanks!
Perhaps shorten some of the long stems & plant them back near the parent plants to create more of a clump, it will visually have more impact. Similarly when you add new stem plants, separate the stems & plant in a small group with a little space between each stem to allow them to grow.
Is your Amazon sword on the left still potted? They grow a large root system so being restricted may cause it to struggle. That could be your "centrepiece" plant with the scape planned round it!
I would be inclined to fertilize the plants weekly as they increase in size, make it part of the maintenance routine.
Perhaps split the hydrocotyle tripartita up into smaller clumps & plant around in an arc leaving the centre clear sand. If you feed the catfish in that central area they will become accustomed to congregating there & spend time sand sieving so you should see them more!
 
Thank you!

I like the idea of creating a little arc of the hydricityle tripartite.

I just want to move the plants together more and have a more focused point I guess.

I see other peoples tanks and much prefer their set up!

If I do this would it be best to pop the fish into a bucket with an airstone?

I may also look at getting a different piece of driftwood as although the one I have is a gorgeous shape it isn't inspiring me aha!
 
This thread might help

 
In my opinion there is a high risk of having more issues with your fish (like before) if you do too many changes to the tank right now.
A rescape of a major portion of the tank might really upset the balance you have worked so hard to achieve.
I hope this doesnt come across as overbearing or dictating what you can do, but that I care about your success and happiness with the tank 😊

If you could make out a plan of what you would like to have your tank look like, and gradually move plants over time to arrange them how you want to have them, I think that gives you better chances not to have issues with water quality.
You could gradually introduce any new hardscape pieces you might want, stones etc as well.
If you do it carefully like this, the fish can also stay in the tank the whole time and wont be subjected to the stress of being caught.
 
I agree with @Hufsa, there are risks with making changes and dare I say constantly messing in a tank, especially when it’s not yet established and a stable system. Patience is your greatest virtue as an aquarist. Live with the tank, learn from the experiences you gather and perhaps look at making changes in a few months time.
 
Although I will leave it for a while before I rescape, some of the things I want to do are:

The drift wood I have, as pretty as the shape it, sort of annoys me. I wonder if having it on it's side and crearing almost a cave with it would be better.

I want to move a lot of the plants together to create a more visually pleasing feature. At the moment the plants all tangle together, there is a lot of almost string like algae that gets caught in them and I find there are bits of the tank I struggle to clean due to this.

Not sure what I want to do with the rocks or where to put them.

Also the mesh bags with aqua soil beneath the sand keep showing up through the sand which is visually really annoying!

Obviously I hope eventually I can persuade a carpeting plant to cover the sand but not having much lucky so far!
 
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Are you sure you don’t want to go high-tec?

It cost more and more time and work you have to spend on it but in my opinion it would be better option rather than just rescaping one tank all over and over again.
 
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Although I will leave it for a while before I rescape, some of the things I want to do are:

The drift wood I have, as pretty as the shape it, sort of annoys me. I wonder if having it on it's side and crearing almost a cave with it would be better.

I want to move a lot of the plants together to create a more visually pleasing feature. At the moment the plants all tangle together, there is a lot of almost string like algae that gets caught in them and I find there are bits of the tank I struggle to clean due to this.

Not sure what I want to do with the rocks or where to put them.

Also the mesh bags with aqua soil beneath the sand keep showing up through the sand which is visually really annoying!

Obviously I hope eventually I can persuade a carpeting plant to cover the sand but not having much lucky so far!
If you're not happy with your current setup, tear it all down and start again. It's not unknown to have a quick turn over of scapes, especially when starting out. Like anything it's a learning curve, It's also supposed to be fun and exciting. I regularly moved plants and hardscape around until I was happy with it. As you become more experienced that happens less and less. It's just gardening but underwater, and it can take trial and error to find out what goes where and to develop your own aesthetic or style.

If you do decide to start again, take your time and plan it properly. Buy what you need first and if you fancy a change of hardscape, both wood and rock, find something that inspires you. The more hardscape you have the easier it is to produce something you'll be happy with next time. Good luck whatever you decide to do.
 
Yes I am going to start deciding and looking at other tank set ups on here.

I am cautious as one of my molly's might be pregnant, and obviously I don't think attempting any changes with fry is a good idea.

So either I wait until she's given birth and the babies have grown up (this is a whole other discussion!) or I do it before.

I've bought a breeding box for the female, I don't know what to do really.

Are you sure you don’t want to go high-tec?

It cost more and more time and work you have to spend on it but in my opinion it would be better option rather than just rescaping one tank all over and over again.

I'm not against it, but a) I am so new to this I think getting to grips with low tech may be better first. b) what is high tech? Is the addition of co2 all it takes? c) cost wise how much more does it cost?

EDIT: I know some of you have said to wait, which I will do if needed, but if I was to escape with the decor and plants I have in the tank now, pop the fish into a bucket with their water and an air stone, and just move the wood and rocks more centrally, and rearrange the plants as well - would that be incredibly stressful? I am new to this so I don't fully appreciate how stressful to the fish this may be?

These are nice:

s-l400.jpg
26339428581_2c7531d75f_z.jpg


I think I have one mail and three females looking at their fins.















The one in the middle is the one I think is prgnant and she often sends time alone in the plants.
 

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The answer about livebearer status is often very simple.

Is it a livebearer? -> Yes/No
If yes, is it female? -> Yes/No
If yes, its pregnant. Always :lol:

The only difference is how far along the various females are.
Even if you had separated the sexes into different tanks, STILL they may be pregnant 😁
In other words its very hard to have livebearers that are not reproducing 😊

Congrats on the upcoming babies by the way 😃
Usually the females are not a fan of the breeding boxes. It stresses them out a lot to be confined.
Its a better idea to just have a heavily planted tank with many hiding places for the fry, especially bushy plants near the surface of the water, where they often hang out after birth.
The adults are prolific breeders as well, so the fry that survive will soon be joined by more litters 😉
The fry are really adorable, I hope youre excited 😄
I still remember my first livebearer fry many years ago 😊
 
Aww thank you! I am excited! Bit nervous though aha as this was not what I expected, but excited to learn and have baby fish!

I guess I could rearrange the tank with the fish in it, I don't know! It is also because a lot of the plants are clumping together with that horrible hair like green algae which I am worried will trap babies in and there are many bits of the tank I just can not clean.
 
In my opinion there is a high risk of having more issues with your fish (like before) if you do too many changes to the tank right now.
A rescape of a major portion of the tank might really upset the balance you have worked so hard to achieve.
I hope this doesnt come across as overbearing or dictating what you can do, but that I care about your success and happiness with the tank 😊

If you could make out a plan of what you would like to have your tank look like, and gradually move plants over time to arrange them how you want to have them, I think that gives you better chances not to have issues with water quality.
You could gradually introduce any new hardscape pieces you might want, stones etc as well.
If you do it carefully like this, the fish can also stay in the tank the whole time and wont be subjected to the stress of being caught.

If I was to move the plants and wood I have in there now, with the fish in the tank, would that cause a lot of upset?
 
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