Freshwater for the Kids! Build

[troy tucker]

I have some fish you may like. A couple of Geophagus Brasiliensis. I have A few other tipe of Geo.s and Albino Bristalenose Plecos.
Come take a look.

[gambs]

Yoyo loaches from Houston aquarium warehouse. They are cheap and are fun to watch in groups. I prefer them over the clowns.

[AHP]

So I am debating on getting rid of the red-tailed shark and going with another fish that will sift through the sand. After reading I was thinking of Loaches or Cory Cats.
Does anyone have any good suggestions on types of each?

Side note.
I am thinking of a sand sifter because the Eheim 2217 doesn't produce the flow I thought it would, yes I know FX5 filter. Right now I have a powerhead 850gph that is supporting the flow i like. In turn it keeps the substrate looking good and I enjoy the movement in my plants.

I am open to suggestion.

[troy tucker]

Doesn't damage the roots having that line tied around it?

You can use a black rubber band too.

[troy tucker]

As for the red tail, I am not sure I want one now. He does not play nice at all, he usually goes after the 2 Siamese algae eaters daily.

Thats why I gave him away.

[Roshan8768]

Doesn't damage the roots having that line tied around it?

No, usually you're fine if you don't cut into the rhizome. These plants grow better on the wood than in the substrate

[gambs]

Doesn't damage the roots having that line tied around it?

[AHP]

They are called Anubias, I used fishing line and on another one I use a rubber band wrapped around a rock.

[gambs]

I like all the plants attached to the DW. How did you go about doing that?

[AHP]

Here are a couple pictures of my current stock.

2 -Siamese algae eater




2 -rainbow guppy (I think)


2- Red Platy & 2 - Yellow Molly (Will the molly tail turn all yellow when they become adults?)


2 - Red Cherry Shrimp




1 - Angle fish (my son calls him/her "Pancake")




5 - Neon Tetras


1 - Red tailed Shark



Got a 2 new plant today. one is a crypt parva and the other I am not sure what it is.
Crypt Parva w/ RCS


Not sure what this is

[AHP]

Ahh thanks for the idea of attaching a rock to the plants, I was wondering why one of my plants had one attached when I purchased them.
As for the red tail, I am not sure I want one now. He does not play nice at all, he usually goes after the 2 Siamese algae eaters daily.
The angle fish is a great touch, right now it is 1' long and their are some good hiding spots for the shrimp in case any fish go after them. But it would be nice to still get some plants to increase the hiding opportunities.

Everything is going well so far, knock on wood

[troy tucker]

Wished I knew your son wanted a red tail. I just gave one away.
Root tabs are good for your plants. I my self use lava rock and root the plants to a baseball size piece. Keep the Geo from up rooting them.
Hope them shrimp hide real good or the angel is real small?
The tank is really starting to look great.

[Roshan8768]

You could probably do that if you dried out the coconut real good. Nice plan for the diying, but I know nothing about how you would make your own tabs. I just buy a big tub of the ones designed for use in ponds (From Nelsons). 1 tub has lasted my tank and pond 5 years and counting

[AHP]

I do not have root tabs. I was thinking about DIY'ing some this weekend or next. I just need to research a little bit about what products to use and how to go about doing it.

Also for the first time last night I witnessed the red-tailed shark in action during feeding time. That little dude is a.... I tried pellets for the first time over flakes and he was chasing after everything.

So looks like what I thought was a good cave for him, I will have to make a better one.
I was thinking what about hollowing out a coconut that has been cut in half, making a door and then covering it all with plants. I just need to see if doing that would mess up the system in the tank.

I also ended up buy 5 Neons and 1 angle fish last night. Really looking forward to seeing them this afternoon.

[Roshan8768]

Nice, looking good. Do you have any root tabs in the sand near the amazon swords? Might be a good investment for the future to keep them happy.