Freshwater for the Kids! Build

[AHP]

So here is my first of the year update to the tank. Everything seems to be doing ok... I still have some ick going on 2-3 weeks.


I am trying to focus on growing a carpet of Dwarf Sag (left), Vals (middle) & Crypt parva (right). So far the Crypt parva is doing very well and starting to fill out a bit more. Might take another year to get thick and spread out but I am not putting any hope into that.
Vals not doing so well right now as they are starting to melt away. I have DIY root tabs under them at the moment and hopping they pull through.
Dwarf Sag melted away and is slowly coming back, yes they have root tabs under them as well. I am thinking that the root tabs helped produce the new ones showing up and maybe with some luck they will spread.


My favorite news is my GBR's are breeding again and have laid some eggs as of light night or early this morning. But there is a catch I have ick in the tank and I am treating it with Quick Cure. I am not sure if I should stop the drops for a couple of days to see if the fry hatch. I would gladly take some help on this as I am sure the eggs are sensitive to anything right now.

Kids are doing great and loving the tank. My son has named the angle fish "Pancake"! On some Sat mornings I will wake up and he will be standing at the tank talking to Pancake.

[Apyrase]

I've used aquarium salt for treating ick on my cardinals in my 20L twice. As long as you don't use the salt regularly and only reserve it for treatments, I think they'll be fine. Salt has much less impact on a fish's health than methyl blue or malachite green anyway and I can't use those as I have cherry shrimp.
After I treated it and cranked the temperature all the way to 85 (over a period of two days), the ick was gone in about a week and I only saw it again when I introduced new fish. My cardinals are now my fattest and healthiest fish now haha.

[AHP]

I have tried using salt once and it didn't go so well it almost killed every plant I had.

[Apyrase]

Sorry for your experience :/

I did use a very low dosage of salt. Around one teaspoon per 5 gallons of water. My tank is fully planted as well.

Anyway your tank looks amazing! Makes me wish I had gone for GBR's myself.

[AHP]

So the eggs are no longer on the DW as of this morning and I could not find both of the GBR's. I am hopping that I have wigglers and not other fish eatting the eggs.
I will check it out tonight as see what has happened. fingers crossed!

[troy tucker]

Takes 40 to 48 hours for Mikrogeophagus ramirezi to hatch.
I don't remember your fish list but not many fish can raise fry in a community tank.

[AHP]

Takes 40 to 48 hours for Mikrogeophagus ramirezi to hatch.
I don't remember your fish list but not many fish can raise fry in a community tank.

Ok. I might have to move the GBR's to a different tank. I was thinking of starting up a small grow out tank with the GBR's, Otos and whatever else.

[troy tucker]

If you want your rams to breed and raise the fry. They need a tank of their very own. If there are other fish you will never get fry.

[AHP]

Gee Troy 4:30AM! Thanks for the help, I really love the rams but I am not sure I am ready to start breeding them.

[troy tucker]

Sorry, Got home from work at 3:am and couldn't sleep.

[AHP]

Great here is another one!
So today I was looking at my frogbit, which is growing great! The only problem is I noticed something on the leaf at first i thought it was Aphids but when I moved my hand near the insect it jumped like a flea would. It just jumped from one plant to another...

What gives! So now I am stuck, I have tried to do some research on and I am not finding much.

[topout24]

I have the same guys on my frogbit. I don't know what they are.

[Roshan8768]

As in bugs that sit on the leaf above the water?? Non aquatic? No idea... wonder what they eat. I'm sure they make a good snack for your fish when they fall in!

[AHP]

As in bugs that sit on the leaf above the water?? Non aquatic? No idea... wonder what they eat. I'm sure they make a good snack for your fish when they fall in!

Yes, the bugs look like water fleas that are very small and just jump from pod to pod. I haven't seen my fish go after them very much or they are and I am not noticing it.

[Roshan8768]

Yes, the bugs look like water fleas that are very small and just jump from pod to pod. I haven't seen my fish go after them very much or they are and I am not noticing it.

Cool, I recently found a bunch of bugs that had somehow gotten into my flake food. Free extra protein for the fish haha! How are your plants doing?