392 replies to this topic

[Chasmodes]

It's been a couple months since my last update.  After I went and returned from a vacation, my tank was overrun with cyanobacteria and other algae.  My stonerollers were fat and happy though, but, the tank was ugly, so I broke it down for the most part and gave it a major cleaning.  The canister filter was clogged and barely putting out any current, so I had to do something.  Man, that blackbeard algae is tough to scrub off.  It has little holdfasts that are tough.  I tried several brushes until I found one that worked to remove it from the rocks, even after I gave the rocks a hydrogen peroxide bath for a couple days.  I also soaked my plants in a hydrogen peroxide solution and that seemed to kill off all of the cyano and algae, and was able to rinse almost all of it off.  Anyway, I explain more in detail in the video.  Also, check out my fancy fish room updates.

 

[L Link]

Nice tank and species assemblage! I have a growing fondness for satinfins, I finally discovered a spot with clear water to watch them come spring (since I don’t have a tank set up haha).

Neat to see a silverjaw minnow in a tank, swallowtail shiners too, they’re such interesting little minnows.

I’ve loved keeping MRBD and blacknoses, I remember the MRBD changing color very rapidly after water changes.


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[Chasmodes]

Thank you Lock!  At first, I was disappointed with the look of the silverjaw, but, when I upgraded my lighting, they provide plenty of flash and I've become quite fond of them.  It's amazing how fast the MRBD can change colors.  I'm hoping that when my downstairs warms up and the water temps get back to the upper 60's, they'll get those yellow fins and bright red bellies back.  The red bellies are already showing up.

 

Satinfins provide non-stop action especially when the males get frisky.  So fun and beautiful to watch.

[L Link]

Always nice to have some constant activity, I for a while only kept a single madtom, which I grew very attached to but it wasn’t exactly a spectacle during the day.

I do miss having a tank to stave off the stir-craziness until spring though!


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[Chasmodes]

I have another video update showing more of my fish room and the beginnings of the reality of my new and improved much larger oyster reef tank project.  I made a couple minor scaping changes in the tank, for the better, one that I mention in the video.  Can you see the other changes?  Maybe the "Eye Spy" approach will generate some conversation.  I'll reveal the answer in my next video update.  I always loved when I was a kid, going to the Doctor's Office and reading the kids magazine, "Highlights", especially the picture find page.  I guess this can be a fish tank version of that.  I hope you like the video.

 

[Chasmodes]

OK, the big reveal of the secret aquascaping change (it's really a minor thing, nothing to get excited about, but, it does give the tank a tiny bit more character, is revealed in this video:

[Fleendar the Magnificent]

Hi Kevin.

 

As always, great tank! I had a cyanobacteria and long green hair algae issue with my tank some months ago and worked like a caged animal to get rid of it. It was all over the rocks and substrate and would not go away no matter what. My guess is that I introduced it from the creek in the front where I got a bucket of water from. That creek has farm field runoff in it as well as septic tank runoff. So, after numerous fruitless water changes and gravel vacuumings, I surrendered. However, I did remember something from my original tips on keeping bluegills webpage I published back in the early 2000s, that crayfish eat everything. I put 3 rusty crays into my tank and within 2 weeks all of the cyanobacteria and green hair algae were GONE. Within 2 days the long green hair algae was  gone. So crayfish DO work, but you must remember that sleeping fish can be eaten as well. My crays haven't eaten any of my fish, but that pesky small warmouth HAS.

[Chasmodes]

Thanks Chris.  Sorry for the late response.  I read this after you posted and typed up a response, but must have closed my browser before hitting send.  I don't remember what I typed LOL.  Anyway, I'd consider adding a crayfish, but in Maryland, it's against the law to possess live crayfish.  It's to protect from spread of invasive species, like the rusty crayfish is in my state.  Fisherman are required to kill crayfish that they catch and use as bait.  Also, I think that they'd tear up my plants.  I don't know, maybe not.  It's a moot point since I'm not permitted to catch, possess or transport them in Maryland.  That said, there is a med called green slime that will get rid of cyano.  It works really well and will kill most of it.  Also, increasing flow and manual removal as much as possible will help knock it back.  Water changes and clean filters help too.  I have been using Phosorb in my canister filter and I think that helps control algae as well, since my well water probably has plenty of phosphate in it.  I haven't tested it, but I bet it's high.  I will have an RO/DI and water changing station set up this summer, so using clean water as my water change source should help control algae as well.

 

Here's the latest video tank update shot yesterday.  I hope you all enjoy it:

[El Todd]

My 2 year old is a huge fan of your videos, he points to the fish and says bye bye when they go out of view. 

 

Those stonerollers sure seem to be doing a lot of fertilizin!

[Chasmodes]

Todd, that is too funny.  It won't be long before he's by your side collecting!

 

Yeah, I'm really happy with the stonerollers. They're wonderful citizens and constantly grazing.  I almost don't want to clean the algae in my tank because they love to eat it so much.  And, they're not that picky!  If you need to find them quickly, the poop trail gives them away and makes them simple to find!

[Chasmodes]

I can't believe that it's been a year since my last update on this tank. Well, here's a video where I describe the current species in the tank followed by feeding time. Hope you all like it!

 

[Chasmodes]

Here's another Potomac River tank update. In this one, I document interesting spawning behavior from satinfins, but also interesting behavior of satinfins, longnose dace, and greenside darter interactions. I've never seen the latter two behave this way, very cool. Hope you like the video.

 

[Chasmodes]

Test pic:

 

Rainbow Darter Male