Tank update

Current tank condition after 4 months. Thick bushes (top)- Java Moss. The thick bushes has become a heaven for baby shrimps, they got nurtured there and find protection from the Tetras maybe. But most importantly, it has provided the food source and shelter to the babies.

How did I managed to keep up the plants? Pour Flourish Excel daily BUT make sure it is at a right dose. Not too much not too little. Just nice. For me, no measurement, it is my gut feeling cuss i ALMSOT killed my entire tank's living creature with overdose. So watch out!

Baby shrimps have grown up. Feasting on Algae tablet. My tank is more like breeding grown for red cherry shrimps now. From 22 to currently, maybe 100?! It is possible. Just many of them.

See them behind the tank.

More of the red cherry shrimps. Feasting on another algae tablet.

Baby shrimps in my tank!

Finally, like a sheperd or herdsmen, finally seeing your flocks of animals under your care finally give birth, the feeling is high and exciting!

If you do follow on my blog, about 1 month ago, i over-dosed the Flourish Excel in my tank, killed fishes and beneficial snails in my tank and caused slight algae bloom, and now it is full of new life, this has been encouraging for me as a newbie on aqua planting and fish keeping.

For the past few days, I finally see some baby shrimps appearing on java moss in my tank, i had let the moss to grow as much as it can and not trimming it. Now it is a heaven for the baby shrimps.

I do have 10 Neon Tetras, 2 Otocinclus and many adults red cherry shrimps in the tank, which might be attacking the baby shrimps, however as the moss provided a natural protection for the baby shrimps, they survive!

Am so happy to see them grow, so tiny, have to look at them carefully to find where they are. Once you found them, they are happily picking the algae from the moss.

Hope they will grow and mature in the couple weeks.

Overdose of Flourish Excel

Did something stupid, overdose flourish excel into my fish tank. Why did I do such act? There left a bit of liquid in the bottle, so just pour every single drop in it, i believe the volume is more than 15 ml.

The observation:
Fishes started to swim on the water surface, grasping for air.

The effect:
Fishes suffocated and died.

All the neon tetras in my tank died except the 2 hard and strong Oto survive the ordeal. So sad as these tetras have grown alot, some up to 1.5 inch long.
How the Oto survive? They have suckle that helps them to hold on to the tank's wall. I saw one of the Oto, stick their mouth above the water surface and breathe heavily.

However, this do not mean that flourish excel is no good, it is good for all the living creatures in the tank when you use it at the right quantity.

Benefits of DIY CO2

Yup. Finally my DIY CO2 is producing CO2 constantly throughout the day.

I start to see O2 bubbles produced on the plants. This is the scene I loved the most because it is just marvelous, how the plants can breath and photosynthesis. It is a beautiful scene of God's creation.

So what's the benefits?
1. Plants is able to photosynthesis better. (Without the CO2, I never see any O2 bubbles)
2. Plants is growing faster. Hopefully not inviting algae. =)
3. It is cheap to DIY CO2 because you don't need a specialized tank.
4. Lower the pH of the water, everything in the tanks seems livelier than before.
5. My fishes too. There were some mucus on the tetra's stomach and spread to few tetras. After the constant release of CO2 into the water, the condition has improved.
Slowly seeing mucus on the Tetra's stomach to diminish.
6. Using it with Flourish Excel is no harm, of coz you must follow the suitable dosage daily.

So, are you thinking to DIY your own CO2? Try today! Get your ingredients and tools ready!

Driftwood in tank!

Went to C328 again today, trying to get Java Moss. Unfortunately, upon enquiry with the lady boss, she said, "Forgot to order Java Moss today..."

Upon hearing that, my dear lao por, suggested we go to the other aquarium shop nearby to try our luck. And woila! They have 2 packets of Java Moss, small packet $3 each. And so we bought and then visited the shop. They are selling lotsa fishes, many kinds.
We were so attracted by the different kind of fishes they sold, when the fishes is in school (group), really really alot, like 1 fish per inch that close.

Came home and finish off things needed to settle and started to plant. Took me abt 1 hour to complete the tying.


As you can see, drift wood is abit oversize. So the top is over the water surface.

Learnt that tying the plants using the nylon string is not easy, tend to slip off by itself. Gotta try other knots, maybe I'll look for pathfinder or Linus. haha...

I am still finding the touch of aqua planting, this is my first time doing it. Not sure whether the plant will survive anot. Dosed 1 cap of seachem flourish excel after planting and changing 40% of the water. Also abit of Beneficial Bacteria.