KC's 29g DP Tank Log

[kcartwright856]

I decided to start a second thread for my tank log since my other thread (http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=29458) was mostly about my questions before starting my adventure.

But now, the tank is "finished" and I couldn't be happier!

Current Tank Specs:

- 29 gallon glass tank
- Handcrafted stand and canopy
- Pool filter stand substrate
- Found driftwood
- Two 26w 6500k CFLs
- Aquaclear 70 filter
- Aqueon Pro 100w heater
- DIY CO2 (two 2-liter bottles)
- UP Aqua drop checker

Current Flora:
- Java moss
- Java fern
- Frobit
- Crypts
- Jungle val
- Water wisteria
- Water sprite
- Pygmy chain sword

Current Fauna:

- 4 C. travancoricus
- 5 Otocinclus vittatus (Plus fry.)
- 7 Pangio kuhlii

Maintenance Regime:

- Temperature kept at 80 degrees F.
- API liquid tests before every water change.
- Two 50% water changes weekly with Seachem Prime.
- Liquid plant fertilizers (macros and micros) 3x week. (Root fertilizer caps as needed.)
- Seachem Excel 3x week.
- Alternating changes of DIY CO2 bottles every 3-4 days to maintain a steady 30ppm.

[kcartwright856]

February 6th, 2012: Introduction to the tank!


Here's a full shot of the tank. It's nothing too special yet. I apologize for the glare from the window.



The beautiful stand was made by my talented pap out of scraps from his woodworking shop. It's Frankensteined out a few different types of wood. He's not happy about the piece that goes horizontally under the drawers, but it was the only piece of scrap that fit. I don't mind it at all.

The drawers are very nice and hold food and other small supplies. The cabinets beneath them are designed to hold two buckets and larger tools/supplies.




My first project was a lighting upgrade! My dinky light that came with the aquarium hood just wouldn't cut it, so I dug out an incandescent hood from an old 10 gallon tank in my mom's attic. I hacked it up myself to fit (kinda) over my hood and screwed two 26w 6500k CFLs in there. It just kinda lays there for now, but my dad is working on a DIY light to hold 3 bulbs.






I received my AC 70 filter just last week! I was so excited! I hooked it up by myself and chose to leave the carbon out in favor of a chunk of filter floss (rinsed polyester batting from my craft room). I love it!



I also set up a DIY CO2 bottle. I used one to start with. I will add another next week and refresh them on alternating weeks to keep the CO2 steady. Nothing too fancy here. Just a bottle with standard air tubing (and a check valve) that I put right in to the filter intake.






Also this week, I did my first scape! I purchased a small pack of plants from LGP. I'll be able to get more soon when finances permit! See the first post for the current plant list.



The forest:


The hidden cove (even though it's not hidden yet):


The mountain:


The... I don't have a good name yet:



That's all for now. I'm waiting on an order of ferts to come in the mail. They should be here before the weekend, and I couldn't possibly be more excited to see some crazy plant growth. The fast I can get my jungle, the better!

I'm also on the lookout for inexpensive plants from my wishlist. Hornwort, water sprite and wisteria for now.

Notes:
- The water is crystal clear! It just looks cloudy in the pictures because of the tiny, tiny bubbles that spew out of the power head. Mabel loves them.
- The intakes on the filter and power head will be covered shortly. Just need to get the sponges!
- Sorry about the dirty glass and sand. After I was done with working on the tank this weekend and all of the crap settled, I wanted to give poor Mabel (and my back) a break for a few days.

[hadla]

i love it! wish i could get my fiances 29g to look half that good.

[J-P]

well done... 2 things though...

1) You're going to want to cover that filter intake with something. I use a nylon mesh bag that is used for straining lint out of the washing machine drain line.

2) Having the CO2 go into the filter to be distributed won't work with an HOB filter. Most of it will gas off in the cascade and you'll end up wasting a lot of CO2. I would recommend a lily pipe glass for diffusion. They look good and work well.

[kcartwright856]

Thank you both! Hadla... that is one heck of a compliment. I'm so self-conscious about the tank right now. I can't wait for everything to grow in so I feel better about it!

J-P: Thank you! I have a sponge on order to go over both the filter and power head intakes. And good to know about the CO2. I'll put that on my wish list!

[kcartwright856]

Someone on another forum made me a great deal on some awesome jungle vals, so I had to take them! They got here today and I moved some things around to get them planted. I'll have pictures and make a new entry here early next week!

My husband thinks I'm in nesting mode. I can't say that I disagree.

[kcartwright856]

Here we go! Second official entry in my tank journal!

Full shot of the tank, even though I neglected to turn the ceiling fan light on for better lighting. (Also, I finally hung the new painting that my grandma made for me for Christmas, between the ones she did last year. But that's another story.)





As mentioned earlier, this week's changes included planting my new jungle vals! I planted them as a wall along the back of the tank. I really like it!





You may have noticed something different about the tank. Aside from the lovely new wall of vals, of course. I decided that I wasn't happy with the driftwood in the middle of the tank. I found a rock that makes a nice little cave to replace it and moved the ferns and moss to the rock instead. I like it much better! It's also another place for puffs to hide.





I feel like my plants are really enjoying the CO2. Both of my crypts have sprouted new leaves! I only have a picture of one, though.





And the moss on this pot has really taken off!





My ozelot sword is another story, though. It is SO fragile! There was a bit of a siphon-related accident. A leaf got sucked in and did some real damage! I wonder if it will heal. If not, I'll just have to hope that new leaves come in soon!





Anyway, that's all for now!

[kcartwright856]

No picture updates, but there has been plenty of activity!

I've moved a few plants around, added a couple more, and started a fertilizing regimen. The growth is amazing! I almost have a proper jungle!

I also set up another tank for the surplus plants that I've been producing, as well as a place to put Mabel now that I've obtained some oto cats! How adorable are they?! The girl I buy them from has the zebra variety and is getting orange zebras soon, but I couldn't justify dropping the money on those babies just yet.

I've had some kuhli loaches on order for about 2 weeks now, but they haven't come in yet. I'm hoping that this week is the week! The plan is to let them explore the jungle and all of the hiding places and caves that I've made for them. They'll have a chance to settle in and get nice and comfortable for a few weeks before I finalize puffer plans.

As per the original plan, puffers won't be in the picture until Mabel is with my grandmother. This is because I need to have that extra tank free for a QT period and then the "Plan B" tank! I've heard several counts of success with kuhlis and DPs, but I am fully prepared for the pairing to not work out for me and needing to do some emergency separations!

I'm so excited as this is a tank that has been years in the making, but slow and steady wins the race!

[kcartwright856]

Some updates!

First off, Mabel is in her new (still temporary) tank. The weather is warming up nicely, though I think the plan is to give her to my grandmother for Mother's Day. Mabel isn't at all used to the temperatures that the outside still gets at night, so I don't want to shock her.

Anyway! Like I said, I have 5 otos from an awesome lady nearby. They must be happy, because they're breeding! I also got a few nerite snails from her while I was there. They were so pretty, plus they helped me take care of a diatom outbreak. They'll be going into my other tank before the puffers arrive.

I'm stuck at one kuhli loach for now because the last batch I ordered in after I obtained my singleton was bad. Bad as in all died within days of each other. I'm hoping for more soon, though I'm thankful that my loner here seems to be happy for now. He was alone at the store, so I got him because the only difference between him being alone at the store and him being alone in my tank is that my tank is significantly more awesome!

I made a video of him: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVwIfw0-m1Y


And here's a picture of him in my wisteria!


So, anyway. The tank has come a long way since I last posted a picture. I think the puffers will love it!







Plenty of plants, caves, hidey-holes, nooks, and crannies to play around in!

Puffers are slated for April 14th, as that is the day that my not-so-local fish store has their huge annual sale. I'm getting there early!

As always, comments, criticism, and advice are all welcome and valuable!

[J-P]

very nice!! You're going to be one proud DP mama!

[kcartwright856]

Thanks so much, J-P. I'm thinking about going for 5 females, but I'm not sure. I'd still like input on the matter. I read that males can generally be more "This is my corner of the tank, so I'm just going to sit here and guard it." Whereas females are generally more "Ooh, I'm gonna look over here for some snails!" I know that every puffer has a different personality, but I'm just not sure where I should start in terms of planning my puffer family.

Either way, I really hope they love it. I've been chatting around a forum for planted tanks to gain knowledge, and it's really been helping. I can't help but feel that most people there are more into their plants than their fish, though. I suppose I can understand that, since that's their forum of choice, but I'm just there because having awesome plants is the best way to take care of my choices in fish, not the other way around. But that's another story!

I'm so excited for April!

[suvattii2012]

Everything looks really nice and your old man did a cracking job on the cabinet. Cool vids aswell.

[LooksLater]

Looks like everything is growing in so nicely...I'm excited for you, can't wait to see pics of your puffer babies in that tank!

+1 on the great cabinet job your dad did, BTW!

[kcartwright856]

I did some work on the tank today! I mean, aside from normal water maintenance.

As everything grows in, the area behind my driftwood started to look a bit bare. So, I clipped the runners from my jungle vals that were starting to push toward the front of the tank and relocated them behind the driftwood. Hopefully in a week or so, this will give me a solid wall of jungle vals in the back of the tank!

[Phoenix91]

Your tank looks great. I hope mine can look this nice at some point, the plants are growing out well.