Jump to content


Native Tank Video


  • Please log in to reply
23 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_Nightwing_*

Guest_Nightwing_*
  • Guests

Posted 05 November 2007 - 11:10 PM

Ok, using photobucket's video host service this time. Hope it is a bit smother.
The bad thing is that the quality suffers a bit..but at least I can put up a movie longer then 10 seconds or so.
OK, first one feathres a mud minnow, and assorted rainbow darters:
Posted Image

#2 Guest_Nightwing_*

Guest_Nightwing_*
  • Guests

Posted 05 November 2007 - 11:47 PM

second, this is a bit longer.
Posted Image

#3 Guest_Nightwing_*

Guest_Nightwing_*
  • Guests

Posted 05 November 2007 - 11:49 PM

Jonny darter...I REALLY like this fish. Not even sure why, it's sort of plain..but it really reminds me of some saltwater gobies.
http://smg.photobuck...rrent=jonny.flv
Posted Image

#4 Guest_teleost_*

Guest_teleost_*
  • Guests

Posted 06 November 2007 - 12:10 AM

I like the tank set up and vids! I like the amount of flow and all of that nice healthy algae. What kind of filtration/circulation do you have? I think your E. nigrum Johnny is actually E. blennioides Greenside though.

#5 Guest_p3purr_*

Guest_p3purr_*
  • Guests

Posted 06 November 2007 - 12:27 AM

They are nice videos. Thanks for sharing them I really like your tank, pleas do post details!

#6 Guest_Nightwing_*

Guest_Nightwing_*
  • Guests

Posted 06 November 2007 - 12:28 AM

I like the tank set up and vids! I like the amount of flow and all of that nice healthy algae. What kind of filtration/circulation do you have? I think your E. nigrum Johnny is actually E. blennioides Greenside though.

Tel, the darter was caught in a small tributary of the Grand River, I've never seen any greenside darters anywhere around here....I guess anything is possible, however!
As for filtration, I have a double penguin biowheel, with media so old that I'm sure it's taken on a life of it's own! I keep the water JUST at the level of the outflow ramp. This has a ramp type thing that directs the water across the surface of the tank, and it sets of a nice current over the rocks on that side of the tank. it also creates a very well defined split in the current structure, the far end of the tank has no current at all, and has grown in to a near jungle of foxtail, moss and other plants. For the most part, I depend on the tank and it's very heavy growth of algae and plants to do the work of managing the bioload, and it does it very well.
As to algae, yep, it does not bother me at all. The tank has a great coating of green algae on nearly every surface, as well as a lot of hair algae. Some folks like a well manicured tank..I like mine to have as much green, in every form, as I can get. You might have noticed how many coppepods are swiming around...even with a TON of darters, they don't keep up, and there is a very healthy population of critters..I think the algae helps in that regard. I also have a good forest of assorted plants, so they do well also.

#7 Guest_Nightwing_*

Guest_Nightwing_*
  • Guests

Posted 06 November 2007 - 12:31 AM

Two more, the last of the reasonable sized one!

More of the rainbows and what I thought was a jonny darter!
Posted Image

One of my central mud minnow(or as I prefer, dwarf shortfaced pike), gets a bit peeved at a darter and shows a bit of aggression
Posted Image

#8 Guest_Nightwing_*

Guest_Nightwing_*
  • Guests

Posted 06 November 2007 - 12:37 AM

btw, the videos look better if you click "full size" on the bottom right of the vid, and then use full screen.

#9 Guest_sumthinsfishy_*

Guest_sumthinsfishy_*
  • Guests

Posted 06 November 2007 - 09:04 PM

Just wondering, what are the fish on the front of the aquarium eating the algae?

#10 Guest_Nightwing_*

Guest_Nightwing_*
  • Guests

Posted 06 November 2007 - 10:37 PM

Just wondering, what are the fish on the front of the aquarium eating the algae?

Oh, for shame, I am outed!
I have 4 Otocinclus Catfish, along with 3 algae eating shrimp(commonly called "Amanno" shrimp"). I put them in to attempt to controll the wild hair algae. They can't even come close to keeping up. Oddly...while every reference guide I can find, says they need to stay at 72 degrees minimum to be happy..they are fat and happy and ich-free at 65 degrees. I figured I would not just destroy them, but I also didn't make any major changes to my temp regimen for the winter..and they seem to have adapted.
I really need to get some flag fish, I think, to keep the algae in check.

#11 Guest_drewish_*

Guest_drewish_*
  • Guests

Posted 06 November 2007 - 11:49 PM

What type of lighting and what kind of light schedule do you keep?

#12 Guest_Nightwing_*

Guest_Nightwing_*
  • Guests

Posted 07 November 2007 - 12:57 AM

2 48" T-5 56(I think!) watt h.o daylight florescent, on for about 10 hours. I just today, shortened the photo period to 8 hours, I'll see if that helps.

#13 Guest_nativeplanter_*

Guest_nativeplanter_*
  • Guests

Posted 07 November 2007 - 12:48 PM

Shortening the light to 8 hours may indeed help, but watch the health of the plants.

Your plant density seems low to me for your lighting intensity. Since the current isn't too strong (at least, it didn't look like it in the videos), you mgiht want to put in some floating plants like frogbit (Limnobia spongia). They will cut down on the amount of light hitting the rocks and can be easily harvested to remove nutrients. Plus, the dangling roots look pretty cool IMO.

#14 Guest_sumthinsfishy_*

Guest_sumthinsfishy_*
  • Guests

Posted 07 November 2007 - 06:15 PM

Oh, for shame, I am outed!
I have 4 Otocinclus Catfish, along with 3 algae eating shrimp(commonly called "Amanno" shrimp").



That was my first guess, but I wasn't sure if it was a completely native fish tank or not.

By the way, I like the name dwarf shortfaced pike better too. I think it represents their appearance as well as their nature better.
My mudminnow (It's shorter to type) got really mad at my longear today. I put a guppy in, and the mudminnow had it in it's mouth sideways, when the sunfish comes up and steals it. The mudminnow then chased the sunfish around the tank for like a minute until he caught up and gave the sunfishes tail a good bite. It was very entertaining to watch.

#15 Guest_rockbassbud5_*

Guest_rockbassbud5_*
  • Guests

Posted 07 November 2007 - 06:51 PM

I'm suprised that the darters leave the amano shrimp alone. I put two in my darter tank once and right away out came my orangethroat to start the attack! Oh and by the way Otos are the best algae eaters you can get! Plecos just make a mess! How high are your nitrate levels? I bet thats the reason for all the algae!

#16 Guest_Nightwing_*

Guest_Nightwing_*
  • Guests

Posted 07 November 2007 - 08:00 PM

I'm suprised that the darters leave the amano shrimp alone. I put two in my darter tank once and right away out came my orangethroat to start the attack! Oh and by the way Otos are the best algae eaters you can get! Plecos just make a mess! How high are your nitrate levels? I bet thats the reason for all the algae!

I have to admit, I've not checked the nitrates. I suspect you are likely right, as as you can see there is a rather healthy bioload. As to the amano's, I started with 6, and 3 vanished shortly after I put in the darters...but the other 3 have learned to avoid them apparently. I may try more, and larger ones down the road as I DO like them.(that...or dwarf crayfish are an option). I shortened the light cycle to 7 hours today, I may let it go a few days to a week at that level and monitor the plants. I also plan on bumping the water change schedule up a bit. Right now I do a 20-30 percent weekly, but that may need to go to twice a week, if I can't get the algae under control.

#17 Guest_Nightwing_*

Guest_Nightwing_*
  • Guests

Posted 07 November 2007 - 08:02 PM

Shortening the light to 8 hours may indeed help, but watch the health of the plants.

Your plant density seems low to me for your lighting intensity. Since the current isn't too strong (at least, it didn't look like it in the videos), you mgiht want to put in some floating plants like frogbit (Limnobia spongia). They will cut down on the amount of light hitting the rocks and can be easily harvested to remove nutrients. Plus, the dangling roots look pretty cool IMO.

I thought about that(I have lots of duckweed already!), but worried that it would cut off the light to the plants I DO have. How is your experience in that situation?

#18 Guest_Nightwing_*

Guest_Nightwing_*
  • Guests

Posted 07 November 2007 - 08:05 PM

That was my first guess, but I wasn't sure if it was a completely native fish tank or not.

By the way, I like the name dwarf shortfaced pike better too. I think it represents their appearance as well as their nature better.
My mudminnow (It's shorter to type) got really mad at my longear today. I put a guppy in, and the mudminnow had it in it's mouth sideways, when the sunfish comes up and steals it. The mudminnow then chased the sunfish around the tank for like a minute until he caught up and gave the sunfishes tail a good bite. It was very entertaining to watch.

Yep, the mudminows are very laid back, until someone "dis's" em! Then watch out, they seem to have a rather democratic attitude toward replying in kind to transgressions...in that they treat anyone and everyone, regardless of size or supposed ferocity, the same!

#19 Guest_sumthinsfishy_*

Guest_sumthinsfishy_*
  • Guests

Posted 07 November 2007 - 08:08 PM

I agree with rockbassbud. Oto's are the best algae eaters. To me, pleco's are too big and don't look that great (some of the more expensive kind I love, like green phantom or zebra). Chinese algae eaters don't leave your fish alone, and if given another food source, they will ignore your algae, and snail are too slow and will get eaten by the fish.
My darters never touch the shrimp. Well, that was when I didn't have a logperch. I had to move my ghost shrimp into my 5.5 with a dwarf puffer to allow them to live.

#20 Guest_rockbassbud5_*

Guest_rockbassbud5_*
  • Guests

Posted 07 November 2007 - 08:27 PM

Definatly check your nitrates! Once a tank is cycled that is the olny thing i test for. I found that one of the main reasons for the high nitrates is that my tap water has like 40 to 50ppm of nitrates in it! So when I did water changes it didn't really make much of a difference! Now I have a RO system for my saltwater tank and all my nitrate problems are gone and my tank is algae free! I also suggest that you test your tap water for nitrates. That is if you use tap water for youre water changes. My Amanos have a hard time surviving in any tank but I have them in my 30g planted tropical tank now. If they leave the plants they are likely to be gourami food though!




0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users