Sonora Desert Fish Nook (mini fishroom)

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Looks amazing sir, you and your wife should be very proud.

Thank you Fritz. Still some work to be done.
Upsize some water lines to increase turn-over flow
Install thermostatic mixing valve in the R.O. Bodega
Install level switches for Water Storage Barrel and Chamber2 of the Sump.

Evaporation is more significant than imagined, so Glass Lids must be built.

Lots of work to be done, but getting motivated is easier with the display tanks full of plants and fish and shrimp

[coralbandit]

Nice to see fish .
Enjoy getting to play more .

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Nice to see fish .
Enjoy getting to play more .

Tom,

I did get some Gold rams while in Seattle that were bred locally. The Blues were not, but seem okay. I've not kept them in some time and I'm anxious to see how I do with raising them. cories and tetras are common varities that I've enjoyed raising in community tanks in the past, but it's been 20+ years since they've graced any tank of mine.

So yeah... about fish... lacking a few dwarf corydoras species (really like the Adolfois) ... and of course, I haven't purchased a single dwarf pleco yet (man they are all so expensive).
And then there is the subject of PowderBlue, DarkKnights, BlueKnights, ElectricBlue rams.... I'd like to try some of those... I still have two of the 20L display tanks devoid of dwarf cichlids.... so ready to add two more varieties.... Know of any? hint hint wink wink ? Do you maintain a store on Aquabid or a Homefront here on SimplyDiscus? I'd like to see what you are breeding...

[coralbandit]

Tom,

I did get some Gold rams while in Seattle that were bred locally. The Blues were not, but seem okay. I've not kept them in some time and I'm anxious to see how I do with raising them. cories and tetras are common varities that I've enjoyed raising in community tanks in the past, but it's been 20+ years since they've graced any tank of mine.

So yeah... about fish... lacking a few dwarf corydoras species (really like the Adolfois) ... and of course, I haven't purchased a single dwarf pleco yet (man they are all so expensive).
And then there is the subject of PowderBlue, DarkKnights, BlueKnights, ElectricBlue rams.... I'd like to try some of those... I still have two of the 20L display tanks devoid of dwarf cichlids.... so ready to add two more varieties.... Know of any? hint hint wink wink ? Do you maintain a store on Aquabid or a Homefront here on SimplyDiscus? I'd like to see what you are breeding...

I have rams listed on the apisto page of aquabid .
I also have small super red plecos if they interest you .
Seems the latest favorite of my creations is the BEX which is a black EBR cross.They look real nice according to many people ..Each one is different and unique which is what I like best ..
Usually I like fish like the GBR or EBR that produce fish that fit into the standards but the color of the crosses are so nice I am enjoying the differences ..

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Thanks Tom. I'll keep a look out!

Had my first death of a fish in the Fish Nook (in fact it's the first death of a fish I've had since last year). It was an Ottocinclus (never have had one of those die in my life). Cause? Perhaps hunger? The tanks are too clean, totally devoid of algae, and the tank he was in has some Gold Rams and Emperor Tetras that compete for the Algae tabs I leave for him. Bummer.

Anyway, decided to perform a battery of tests:

Temp 79degF (all of my sensors are reading correctly).
pH 6.9 (my pH probe says 7.0... so I need to calibrate the probe).
ammonia < .1 (that's good.. though I do expect it to creep up a little with the increased fish population and the newness of the sump)
nitrite undetectable (that's good)
nitrate undetectable (probably reflects the newness of the system... just 3+ weeks old)
KH 1dKH (about 15ppm) yeah, reflects the use of 95% R.O. Water
GH < 20 mg/L (very soft, yeah reflects the use of R.O. Water)

Even though it's a common system... I pulled all of the water samples from the tank that he died in, rather than the sump.

I'll keep monitoring closely. I had 1 pair of Guppies (my wife likes them) in this tank and the male seemed to venture off and isolate himself. I moved that pair to another tank that had two other guppie pairs this morning.. and his behavior has changed, all 3 pairs chill together. There are also 4 Gold Rams in this tank.. and one of those goes off on it's own as well...

So I have two ideas:

1. I might have bullying present... This tank just has 2 Ottos, 2 Amanos, 3 Peppermint Shrimp, 4 Gold Rams, 6 Emperor Tetras (No corydoras... the only tank without them). Lightly loaded... I don't see bullying.
2. It has a different piece of driftwood than the others.... It's branchy wood and it's very dark. Maybe it is leaching something that affected the Otto, the Guppy, and the Gold Ram.

I'll just observe things... The Guppy is moved... The Gold Ram that hangs alone is eating... Anyway. everything looks good.

Okay maybe not (yeah.. I've been writing this post and observing for 20 minutes)... there is some Bullying from the dominate Male Ram towards this other Male Ram... but it's really minor....
However, I did notice a long stringy poop from this more submissive Male... Going to see if it's anything abnormal... Everyone knows Rams are famous for Gut parasites... Or he could be shedding his intestinal lining because of stress. Time for me to do some reading, picture viewing and learning.

GoldRamStringPoop.jpg

Might seem weird to focus on the Ram when the Otto died... but the Otto is dead... and I just want to make sure the Ram isn't going to be next.

Parameters are good and I have 25W of uv filtration in use... so that is a measure of comfort.

[coralbandit]

Most if not all otto are wild collected and not fed one thing till taken home from time of capture .
I have read they have a special bacteria in their gut that needs to be fed and often that is one of the main causes of loss upon initially acquiring them .
Male rams will bully each other and sometimes the stress or actual beating can just be too much for the sub dominant ..
The gold does look good ..What are you feeding them ?

[FischAutoTechGarten]

The otto was an Ottocinclus Vitatus (very good color for an Otto) that was new, acquired in Seattle. Most of my Ottos are Ottocinclus Affinis.
I am putting down an Algae Thin for the Shrimp and Ottos in each tank (1/2 in the wee hours of the morning just before the lights come on, 1/2 in the evening at lights out).
I enjoy community tanks, but they are more challenging at feeding time... Making sure everyone is getting fed.

This is what everyone else eats (when not stealing the Algae wafers):
Betta Bug Bites and Omega One Veggie Mini Pellets. Morning and Night, all everyone can eat in 2 minutes.

FishFoods.jpg

I have a cheap tetra multi-flake food that I give as an afternoon treat.. all they can eat in 1 minute.

The Ram's coloration is actually much better than my picture suggest. Both males (dominate and submissive) have really good red crowns and finnage, deep golden color, and really great blue speckling on the flanks. Both are developing a nice frontal hump and have good shape. I definitely have pairing-up activity between the dominate male and the dominate female, so that's indicative of overall good system health.

If the bullying intensifies, I'll move the less dominate male and less dominate female over to one of the 20L aquariums that has no dwarf cichlids.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

I can say for a certainty everyone feels good. The Gold Rams are pairing off to two pairs. The dominate male is spawning with one of the females at this moment... In the other corner the other male is display to the other female.. and she is busy cleaing a rock... Everyone has been engaging in the jaw locking... Funny Stuff.. I took a video, but don't know how to load it to this site. The Panda Guppy is super happy with the tank mates in the other tank and is schooling with everyone.

I noticed the 2nd Chamber of the Sump was getting some surface scum.... Chamber 1 with the media didn't have this.. and of course none of the display tanks have it because of the dual 3/4" water exits at the surface. Thought about adding air to agitate the surface a little, but that would counteract the CO2 addition.

Went to Arizona Nature Aquatics when I was done working today to see what Ben and Marche had left as they are shutting down the Retail Store. Totally picked over, but Ben invited me to the equipment room and let me look at a few goodies. I picked up an Ehiem Surface Skimmer for $5... awesome piece of kit as it has the ability to adapt to a changing surface level upto/within an inch. That's fine, because my Automatic Top-Off function in the 2nd Chamber of the Sump reacts to maintain a consistent water level within 1/2" . It's awesome. Completely quiet and cleared the surface within 60 seconds. Will probably considering putting it on a Timer, as it doesn't seem necessary to run it all of the time.

SumpChamber2EhiemSurfaceSkimmer.jpg

Also picked up 2 Current 24V 24" 12000k LED Strips (similar to my Stunner Strips) with a transformer and dimmer for $20. There a bit blue for the planted tanks, but they are perfect for illuminating the sump area when I want to work. Might go back and get a few more.

He's also selling 20gallon long aquariums complete with a drilled bulkhead, lexan cover and gravel for $15usd... Yes you heard that correctly. I'd be all over them, but honestly... I have all of the tanks I want... and I don't need to buy more... store them... resell them.... yadda, yadda, yadda... The are better quality than mine... but hey... mine are already in play. Trying to learn to be content and satisfied!! I thought about getting them just for the lexan covers, but I already have several panes of glass at 12" x 36".... I'll trim 5 5/8" off of them... and glue guides so they fit on top of the aquariums correctly. That's tomorrow's project.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Today,
I decided to make two of the lids for the 2 chambers of the Sump.

Lexan turned out to be 188 dollars a sheet before tax... so yeah, like I said above, decided to use the glass panes I had above. I don't like them as they are thin, but we will see how they work.

Used oil and a glass cutter. Pretty good. Also hit every edge and corner with 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper so that they would be less likely to cut. Worked well, you can handle them.

CuttingGlassPanesForLids.jpg

The Chamber 1 of the Sump lid is 24" long because of the riser for the 4" Filter bags. There is nothing electrical in this section, so no cable protrusions. NOtice the little rubber guides on the underside that were superglued to help in alignment... and the little plastic hooks that were superglued on top to handle it. Exploratory trip to the Dollar Store to buy those... I knew I could find cheap alternatives to real handles. (Handles for all the lids for every tank in the system for under $3.)

SumpChamber1GlassLid.jpg

Chamber 2 of the Sump needes a 30" lid. However, it also needs protrusions for the sensors (level switches and Atlas-Sci Probes) and the equipment (heater, surface skimmer, pump, auto-top off). so I had to cut angled corners to pass those through...

SumpChamber2GlassLid.jpg

We will see how they work and how much time passes before I break one and deal with all of that... Only need to get into the Sumps about once a week.

I will make up the remaining ones throughout the week. (each will need a protrusion for it's heating cable and the wave pump).

[Shan_Evolved]

Looking shweet pete. Would love to see the video of the rams

[FischAutoTechGarten]

This was the Temp/Humidity in the FishNook right at the Display Tanks before the Lids (okay.. I did put the lid on like 1 minute before hand... so that I could put this device on the rack).

TempHumidityBeforeLids.jpg

Here is the Thin Lid. I don't like them. Ok... I hate them... and I even admitted it to my wife who said they were far too delicate.. Even with the guides... really hard to get them to set on top perfectly... the 12" width cuts it too close. I was just trying to use what I had... I sanded all of the edges so they aren't sharp and you can handle them. I'll keep these until I break and chip them. They are still 'steamed' over... which probably cuts out light??

ThinGlassLidsDisplayTank.jpg

Here is the Temp/Humidity after adding Lids. (I should point out... I cut down the lids for the sumps quite a bit... Just too much vibration with tubing and cables hitting everything. So there is room for heat and moisture to escape the sumps. Oh well. Bear that in mind though when you see the results after just 1 hour:

TempHumidityAfterLids.jpg

Interesting.. less humidity... and higher air temp...

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Was messing around this morning with cable management (still need to tuck away some cables...should have planned that out before even setting the tanks on the stands.).

I noticed that all of the fish in one of the tanks were a bit lethargic. I noted the same yesterday. Not swimming as much.. not eating. Ran a battery of tests... no ammonia, nitrite or nitrates. This was the tank where the Gold rams paired off, spawned, and ate their eggs... Remember all of the tanks are on a central system... so It's the same chemistry. Here is how the tank is positioned. (it's the one circled in orange).

4Tanks1Highlighted.jpg

I decided that perhaps because of it's location (furthest from the sump)... It's hard to get the same turnover (even with valve tweaking) as the others... Of course with the lids, there is less air exchange occuring at the surface. No worries... I've ordered a pump that is more than twice as powerful as the Mag5 currently in use.. will be here within a week. I thought, maybe there just isn't the same level of oxygen in that tank as the other three? So, I quickly rigged up an airline and pump and turned it on (you can see the cord, airline and bubbles in the foto). I don't even have an airstone or diffuser in my possession.. so they are big noisy bubbles. Within 10 minutes everyone came to life... The emperor tetras schooling... The rams displaying, the red-rilli shrimp are foraging. etc... Interesting.

The New pump (Hydrofarm Active Aqua AAPW1000 submersible pump) ... is rated at 1000gph and has a venturi attachment when submerssed which I will utilize to introduce a bit more air into the return water stream. When I recieve it, I will pump the lines from 1/2" to 3/4". Hopefully that improves water circulation and oxygen levels.

Meanwhile, I'll get an air valve and stone today to dial down that airpump for the time being... as uncontrolled bubbling air definitely drives out the CO2..

Anyway, illustrates the importance of constant observation!

[Shan_Evolved]

Video!!!

[Iminit]

Great job Pete! For ottos they will have a hard time in your tanks cause they’re new. Ottos like an established tank with bio-film and algae growing. As stated most are wild caught. For rams corals are the best!!

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Great job Pete! For ottos they will have a hard time in your tanks cause they’re new. Ottos like an established tank with bio-film and algae growing. As stated most are wild caught.

I pulled about 8 tall bacopa caroliniana from my small 5 gallon plant/shrimp/otto nursery tank from the beginning. Even left a little bit of the green hair algae that they had on them (not afraid of an epidemic in my tank). Also, added a bit of aquavitro seed bacteria to the tank to help establish the biofilter. So, doing my best to provide more than just algae wafers for the ottos/shrimp. It's only 2 ottos per 20 gal long tank, so it's not allot of competition.


Quick and Dirty posting. I guess FischAutoTechGarten needed to open a YouTube account to link the videos... No video upload feature here on SimplyD (understandable... storeage/bandwidth issues).

Gold Rams with their frist spawn. Yeah... I'm not really good taking photos or videos (lack the patience) .. I think I failed to actually egg laying and fertilizing, but at least you see their behavior... they ate the eggs shrotly after being so young and new.