Son of Kahuna (56K warining!!!)

[scolley]

Woah I have a 76 g tank and I'm only 12! So,How long did it take to set up a tank like that? When I bought my 75 g I took at least 5 hours by myself to set it up ha If I had a Dad like you it would be cool haha. And what do you do with their fry?

Well! I'd guess you will have a 250 by the time you are 25!

Not including building and varnishing the stand, something like 80-100 hours to set this up. And I'm sure I spent double that in planning.

The grass is always greener on the other side IAMTHOMAS. I am a dad myself, and my kids wish I didn't spend so much time on the tank. So maybe it's not all that great. Personally, I'd get a kick out of having a kid that was into aquariums. So I guess we are even.

The fry? What fry? If they are lucky enough to make it to the point of being wigglers, they don't stand a chance of making it even 24 hours wiggling with the shrimp and neons. It's a pretty tough tank on anything tiny.

[IAMTHOMAS]

Well! I'd guess you will have a 250 by the time you are 25!

Not including building and varnishing the stand, something like 80-100 hours to set this up. And I'm sure I spent double that in planning.

The grass is always greener on the other side IAMTHOMAS. I am a dad myself, and my kids wish I didn't spend so much time on the tank. So maybe it's not all that great. Personally, I'd get a kick out of having a kid that was into aquariums. So I guess we are even.

The fry? What fry? If they are lucky enough to make it to the point of being wigglers, they don't stand a chance of making it even 24 hours wiggling with the shrimp and neons. It's a pretty tough tank on anything tiny.

!
Hmm well seems like the shrimp in my tank didn't last they were eaten! I don't understand how you could keep your shrimp alive in your tank any dead yet by a Discus murder? haha and thanks for the reply

Thomas

[IAMTHOMAS]

Oh btw just a curious question how many kids do you have and how old are they I still love your tank


Thomas

[Fons_van_der_Hart]

Steve,

Please empty your PM box.

[scolley]

Done Fons. Sorry about that!

[GrillMaster]

Well I guess apologies and rain checks are in order there my friend!!

I have been so busy...You have no idea!! I will tell ya all about it when I see ya Saturday!

Your tank is still lookin awsome BTW!

Is that a speck of algae I see on the glass in the very bottom left hand corner?

[scolley]

No prob Mark. They served me some bad oysters right after that post! You didn't miss a thing.

And yes, that is a spec of algae d*mmit! I hate that stuff.

[brewmaster15]

Steve,

And yes, that is a spec of algae d*mmit! I hate that stuff.

Try not to be so hard on the poor algae...were it not for a little algae..none of us would be here to admire your tank.

I guarantee you'll see quite a few "specs" here on sat.. More if I don't happen to find the time among all the NE Discus Meeting preps to take out the trusty razor blade and scrape the glass!

Looking forward to seeing you on Sat Steve!...and you too Mark!!.... I've bottled some homebrews for the occassion and hope they are ready by Sat.

-al

[scolley]

Looking forward to seeing you on Sat Steve!...and you too Mark!!.... I've bottled some homebrews for the occassion and hope they are ready by Sat.

-al

Same here Al! I'll be sure to bring my bottle opener.

I'd hate for someone to taste some immature beer without first being able to tell them what to be prepared for. That would be unneighborly!

[scolley]

Been TOO long since I posted pics. So here's a few...














You can see on one of the tails of one of the High-bodied Leopards that it's getting ragged. It, along with my runt Cobalt (hard to find in those pics) get beat up a bit by the other fish. And a few weeks ago I noticed they (the one Leopard and the Cobalt runt) were getting - what for all the world looked like - tail rot! Now I know the numero uno suspect there is water quality, which REALLY got my attention.

I noticed it happen after I started boosting my GH and KH up to around 3-4 from my normally super soft levels of 1-1.5. So I cut out the KH boosting - which I was doing with baking soda - and did a massive water change in case there was something I was missing - and their tails got better within a couple of days. I don't know if that was coincidence, or not. Something was wrong. KH 3-4 doesn't seem so high. But they improved immediately thereafter.

So I can't say for sure... but if I try that again I'll definitely be keeping my eye on those two.

[digthemlows]

I've been finding that my discus like consistency, not so much worrying about parameters as worrying about doing things the same..........I can't vouch for anything but every time I've had even a little problem with my fish is when I try something "different". Wonder if that's more the case as my KH is around where you were bringing yours up to.............I bet if I started to lower mine I'd have some strange problem...............So far my experience with Discus is not that they are so fragile to certain conditions but that they need clean constancy. What works for one person may not work for another, but once you find what works I'd be leary to mess with it...........of course, your fish and tank are what I strive for, so why I'm even talking is a mystery........think I sit back and stare at your tank for a while..........thanks!!

[digthemlows]

btw, your Cobalts have caught up to the leopards and then some..........good growth for a planted tank! Beautiful fish!!!!!!!!!!

[scolley]

I've been finding that my discus like consistency, not so much worrying about parameters as worrying about doing things the same...

I'm hoping that was the problem - the change - as you suggest. Since it was a small change (2+ degrees) of a fairly benign water parameter, I made the change all at once - not gradual. So that could have been it. Yet, at the same time the tail rot showed up, two of my Cobalts spawned - a pair that has not spawned for a while. So they didn't mind the water too much.

Hard to say. But it happened to the two fish that get beat up, and it's better now. Everyone says it's stress and poor water. So the stress part is right. I hope it was that small - corrected - change in the water.

btw, your Cobalts have caught up to the leopards and then some...

You noticed that? Me too, but only lately. I'm happy they aren't runts anymore. They do seem to be as big, if not one or two possibly a shade larger than the Leopards. So thanks! I'm happy they are growing.

That said, you really can't see the Cobalt runt in these pics. He is indeed a runt - looks like he came from a different set of fish it's so profound. No only does he get beat up, but he is the only fish in the tank that does not eat TCB. I feed FBW twice a day, morning and evening. Then TCB sprinklings throughout the day. And that stupid fish just watches the TCB feeding frenzys, but has his own feeding frenzy on FBW every morning and evening - 'cuz he's starving.

No wonder he's a runt. Stupid fish.

[ashaysathe]

Thats fantastic .. i can see the hard work you have put in.

[GrillMaster]

Steve...You have one of the most amazing tanks on here!! you have put endless amount of time and effort into it....

So......When we gonna get together again an have a few beers?