# 15G Xenotoca eiseni tank



## ashappard (Jun 3, 2006)

this is my desktop aquarium at work.
The current layout is a couple months old. The tank has been running since mid 2007.










click the thumbs for a larger image

  

*plants*

Eleocharis 'belem'
Limnophila 'vietnam mini'
Limnophila punctata Blume
Lindernia rotundifolia variegated
Tonina fluviatilis 'santos' aka 'lotus'
Bacopa sp. 'japan'

*livestock*

Xenotoca eiseni (redtail Goodeid)
1 mature pair, male shows color
5 or 6 juveniles - all seem to be female

*equipment*

tank - 15G 12x24x12tall
substrate - ADA aquasoil
light - 1x65W coralife PC fixture
water - the bottled stuff from the water cooler around the corner
CO2 - aquaclear 30 powerhead on top of a sponge, gas line into the impeller for mist
filtration - the sponge under the powerhead
wood - beefwood aka ironwood aka australian pine collected in Florida

*maintenance*

top off with bottled water, no water changes since ~ Nov. / Dec. 2007 
dosing with pre-mixed liquid solutions based on tank appearance
seachem excel 3 days a week, 1/2 dose
sponge is squeezed out every week or two (or three)
toothbrush and scissors for cleanup and trimming
bloodworms for the fish on weekdays.
remove fry as they accumulate - take em home or give them away.


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## trackhazard (Sep 20, 2006)

I really wish goodeids were easier to find. They are coolest fish.

Great tank.

Charlie


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

I really like your tank. It looks like an old tree in a forest somewhere. I've not heard of those fish. The males are beautiful. I'm on my I phone so can't really see the plants that well. No w/c since Nov! WOW. Amazing that it has set up it's own biosystem.


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## dollface (Mar 17, 2009)

That driftwood scales the tank very nicely. I have to say, it looks much smaller than a 15 gallon on your desk, though!


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## looking4roselines (May 10, 2008)

The tank looks very nice indeed.

"top off with bottled water, no water changes since ~ Nov. / Dec. 2007" 
-I wonder what the TDS level is for this tank.


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## JAXON777 (Jan 4, 2007)

Beautiful tank! Love the tree it looks great just the way it is. Everyone tends to put moss all over the wood but this is why we should leave some moss less.


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## Bunbuku (Feb 10, 2008)

I love it. Simple and low maintenance! How often you trim? Do you hide the CO2 cylinder under your desk?


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## ashappard (Jun 3, 2006)

thanks for the comments guys.

@*looking4roselines *- good question, I've never tested it. I'll do that tomorrow.

@*dollface *- yeah it does look small in the pic. For scale, my monitors are 17" and the tank is 12" high

@*JAXON777 *- I do think the wood looks nice uncovered in this case. I'm going to try to trim selectively to keep it prominent in the tank.

@*Bunbuku *- I dont trim very often with this mix of plants. The L.punctata Blume is fairly slow growing for a medium sized Limnophila so it works out well as a background for shallow tanks. The Limnophila 'vietnam mini' I snip out stems as they get out of formation. It creeps and fills an area more quickly than it gains height. The E.'belem' I havent touched, except to pinch out plugs and plant them as a start in another area of the tank. It takes a while, but once it gets going it fills in pretty thick.

@*TexGal *- thanks, the wood does make it more than just another growout, usually I avoid hardscape materials. This piece was cut from a very large piece, it was a root section or something. Anyway, sawed off and turned upside down it looks like a little tree.

@*trackhazard *- yes they are nice fish and not seen often. I was lucky to live fairly close to a guy who collects livebearers and picked up a few of them maybe 4 years ago? Very hardy too. I think they could live in a mud puddle.


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## rjfurbank (Jan 21, 2008)

Great tank! Wish I had one on my desk at work. . . although I would get much less work done.

Very nice fish too--I have been thinking about what to add for my new 25g cube grow out tank and have been considering adding a single species of livebearer and maintaining a colony. I'll have to add this one to the list to consider.

Thanks for posting!


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## ashappard (Jun 3, 2006)

thanks rjfurbank, it is low maintanance - otherwise I wouldn't be able to keep it going. 
Dosing is easier, since I sit next to it and can add a wee bit many times during the day.



looking4roselines said:


> I wonder what the TDS level is for this tank.


I completely spaced this Friday and forgot to bring my TDS pen to work. 
I brought it today though, and took a reading. Gulk!










744ppm is quite high. I wonder if the majority of what makes that up is K?
I haven't added GH booster for over a year. for reference, the bottled water I use for top-off is 2 ppm.


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

WOW! That is high. Kinda makes you think w/c. But if it's not broke why try to fix it. Fish are great. Plants are great. What more could you want?!


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## ashappard (Jun 3, 2006)

yeah exactly, and TDS that high is not typical for my higher light aquariums. 
They usually hover between 80 and 120ppm. So it does bother me a little. 
Not enough to do a w/c though. 

I brought in some of that Ludwigia sp. (the red/green one that AFA has had a couple times)
and placed it in this tank Friday. So far its new growth is not twisted like at home.
So I'm going to watch it and hope for the best. I suspect like R.belem, this one is 
easier under low light.

which points to my dosing at home, some spp are just difficult with the way 
I manage those tanks. I think its a traces issue because when I'm up on traces they do
better. Just speculation though.


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