South American Paludarium Build

[NoodleCats]

Worms are clear in this tank, only one fish loss over all so I say that's a pretty good outcome compared to how it could have been.

I did end up having to fork out the cost on the levamisole food for my other affected tank because that tank the fenbendozole wasn't working for whatever reason, but so far 2 weeks of feeding that is improving things there at least.

 

[fishorama]

Well, between worms & covid you've had a rough time lately. Hopefully holidays were better! I'm glad things are looking up now. Your tank looks good but I expect nothing less from you,. You've spoiled us for your tank, fish & plants pics...So where are the (now hopefully wormless) fish pics? I've been missing them & you How's Flippy doing? Corys?

 

[NoodleCats]

Well, between worms & covid you've had a rough time lately. Hopefully holidays were better! I'm glad things are looking up now. Your tank looks good but I expect nothing less from you,. You've spoiled us for your tank, fish & plants pics...So where are the (now hopefully wormless) fish pics? I've been missing them & you How's Flippy doing? Corys?

I'll do you one better, here's a video from tonight, enjoying some microworm

Flippy is doing fine, bossy lady lol. She is peaceful until food is involved and then she's chasing everyone off lol. But she's cute, a really lovely brown bristlenose. Have introduced a young fry as well, from my red pair. His name is Hallow.



I think he's a young male, some bristles have started to sprout out this week. I still have his mom in my other tank, but his father passed from the bad heat waves we had this past summer. So Hallow is particularly special.

I wish I could say the holidays were kind to us, but no. We lost one of our elderly cats the other day to congestive heart failure. It's been a rough go.

Covid I've recovered from but I still get winded fast and my lungs are itchy often. That seems to be a lingering effect for me.

Besides that, I've been adjusting to life back at work since being off work the entire pandemic. Finally got a call to return to my job. Stuff has hit the fan there, being not everyone is back and things have changed, so lots of work with not enough people. Been fun. But I'm happy to be back, I missed a lot of my coworkers and supervisors.

 

[fishorama]

Oh dear, I'm sorry about your elder cat & lingering covid issues...but possitive thoughts! Back to work sounds good...I know it might not be great but, yes! seeing people has to be good compared to the covid isolation years now. We're "retired" but miss friends. We're brave enough to go to our sports bar for our football if it's not on tv & so are "some" of our friends, but not all...we don't blame them in any way...we still mask up in the grocery store & other places...We're old & "at risk" but vaxxed all to heck. There's only so much we can do...but we're doing it!!

Wow! You know "variations" are not my favorites but, dang! Hallow is spectacular! More Wow!!

 

[NoodleCats]

Oh dear, I'm sorry about your elder cat & lingering covid issues...but possitive thoughts! Back to work sounds good...I know it might not be great but, yes! seeing people has to be good compared to the covid isolation years now. We're "retired" but miss friends. We're brave enough to go to our sports bar for our football if it's not on tv & so are "some" of our friends, but not all...we don't blame them in any way...we still mask up in the grocery store & other places...We're old & "at risk" but vaxxed all to heck. There's only so much we can do...but we're doing it!!

Wow! You know "variations" are not my favorites but, dang! Hallow is spectacular! More Wow!!

Here's a couple other photos.

Flippy having a snack and then Hallow today keeping his distance



Hallow is interesting. He's a red calico like his parents, longfin like his dad was, but he is strange in that his body is dark with red accents and tipped fins! None of his siblings looked the same either.

First pic is his father, who passed this last summer after Hallow was born.


And his mother, whom I still have in my other tank with a new male and they're breeding me out of house and home I have too many babies I can't catch in the tank. Doomed to have 50000 BN plecos now.

 

[fishorama]

I do remember Hallow's parents, very pretty. I prefer Mamma's fins & maybe her coloring too. But I've never seen a bn with Hallow's coloring either. Is his mom's new mate long finned? I assume he's a red calico right? It could be worse than 50,000 red calicos, lol. They could be basic brown 1s...but then you might have 100,000...

Flippy looks completely all better after her scary wounding (just this summer?). I know she's camera aware & often poses with her good side showing but she was well on her way back to perfection last time you posted her pics

I was given 2 tiny brown bns expecting to put 1 in each of 2 tanks. But 1 wasn't cycled so they both went in the same tank. I see 1? that looks adult female-ish...I'm really hoping both are girls & I'm seeing 2 fish. I haven't seen fry but I don't look too hard. I hope the corys are taking care eggs &/or tiny fry. BNs are like the convict cichlid breeders of the pleco world; too many way too often.

 

[NoodleCats]

I do remember Hallow's parents, very pretty. I prefer Mamma's fins & maybe her coloring too. But I've never seen a bn with Hallow's coloring either. Is his mom's new mate long finned? I assume he's a red calico right? It could be worse than 50,000 red calicos, lol. They could be basic brown 1s...but then you might have 100,000...

Flippy looks completely all better after her scary wounding (just this summer?). I know she's camera aware & often poses with her good side showing but she was well on her way back to perfection last time you posted her pics

I was given 2 tiny brown bns expecting to put 1 in each of 2 tanks. But 1 wasn't cycled so they both went in the same tank. I see 1? that looks adult female-ish...I'm really hoping both are girls & I'm seeing 2 fish. I haven't seen fry but I don't look too hard. I hope the corys are taking care eggs &/or tiny fry. BNs are like the convict cichlid breeders of the pleco world; too many way too often.

Nah, her new mate is the boy that came with Flippy, a short fin standard brown. Handsome boy still (but I do like brown colored ancistrus anyways). His name, given by my kid, is Spikenose.

First pic shows a baby in front of his nose too


Yeah the wound on Flippy healed super well, looks barely like there's anything there anymore. Fish healing abilities are amazing.

 

[fishorama]

I love the pic of Spikenose & fry. His color looks, well, more colorful in a splotchy way...like some "calicos" get. Aren't there other patchy colors than red calico? That variation had to start somewhere to select for new colours...There are so many now. My old male was just basic brown & paler dots all over, more like Flippy, attractive in their way...Maybe it's your lighting & camera skills?

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Your fish are always so nice looking.

I have not had any bn now for many years. The reason was how prolific they were. I got my first in 2002 and at either the 2012 CatCon I sold all my bn. It was a few adults and maybe about 60 offspring. I could not take it any more. I was not able to sell them fast enough. I was being overrun and I had already moved into Hypancistrus zebras in 06.

So I am curious to see whatever number on the way to 50,000 it takes to get your eyes to start spinning. My final bristlenose spawn was over 100 eggs. Yikes!

 

[jake72]

I have a question relative to a tank i will setup in may - you call this a Paludarium; but i only see a branch above the water line. The reason I am asking this question is that the tank I am building will be 4ftx4ftx18 inches high and I'm trying to decide how high to fill the water and how to elevate a portion about the water level for plants (mostly crypts, hydro, anubia grown emersed). Originally i was thinking water level between 12 and 14 inches high with driftwood 14 to 16 inches high but i'm not sure that will be sufficient nutrients for the crypt - then i was thinking maybe i should pack organic dirt up to 14 inches in the back but i'm not sure if that will leach or cause problems of the fishes (my intention is to run the tank around tds 15-20 and ph between 4.5/5.5; gh will be 1 or 2 and kh 0 (peat will be used to stabalize the ph). Any suggestions or comments.