# [Wet Thumb Forum]-My Newest Low-tech Aquarium



## Miss Fishy (May 13, 2006)

I finally got our only non-automatic camera working, and after 16 years of aquarium keeping I was able to take a photo where you can actually get some idea of what is in the tank! Woohoo! I still have a lot of experimenting to do to get the amount of light and camera settings right, so for the moment this photo will have to do.










*Tank dimensions*: 60cm x 30cm x 30cm (24" x 12" x 12"). 
*Volume*: 54 litres (14 gallons). 
*Lighting*: two 40 watt Cool White flourescents on for 10 hours per day, and the light from an East window (this may seem like an awful lot of light, but the tank shares the flourescents with another tank, and so is only under half the length of the tubes). 
*Filtration/water movement*: none. 
*Substrate*: 2.5cm (one inch) of topsoil with 2.5cm (one inch) of 3mm gravel over the top. 
*Temperature*: 15°C - 25°C (59°F - 77°F). 
*pH*: 7.2. 
*KH*: 2°dH 
*GH*: 8°dH 
*Animals*: Common Pond Snails (two different varieties), very small, see-through Ramshorn Snails, blackworms, flatworms, Daphnia, Cyclops, and tiny water beetles. 
*Plants*: _Azolla pinnata_, _Chara_ sp., _Crassula helmsii_, _Didiplis diandra_, _Egeria_ sp., _Eleocharis acicularis_, _Glossostigma elatinoides_, _Hemianthus micranthemoides_, _Hydrotriche hottoniiflora_, _Hygrophila difformis_, _Landoltia punctata_, _Lilaeopsis brasilensis_, _Lilaeopsis polyantha_, _Limnophila sessiliflora_, _Marsilea drummondii_, _Microsorium pteropus_, _Microsorium pteropus_ "Windelov", _Myriophyllum variifolium_ or _simulans_, _Nitella_ sp., _Rotala rotundifolia_, _Utricularia gibba_ subspecies _exoleta_, _Vallisneria spiralis_, Java Moss.

This is my newest tank that I set up on 23rd May this year. I have not topped it up yet in order to encourage emergent growth, so it looks rater crowded due to the low water level. The three _Limnophila sessiliflora_ that have broken the surface are flowering. All the plants except the _Hygrophila_ and _Rotala_ are doing well. These two just don't like the tank it seems; they have not grown at all since planting. All the little creatures seem happy and are multiplying. I feed them two very large pinches of fishfood once a day. There is a smidgen of soft hair algae that came stuck to the moss which hasn't died, but it is not a problem. This is the first tank where I have planned the aquascape before planting, and although it is hard to see in the photo, I think it is coming along nicely. Of course there are way too many species at the moment, but it will look less confused as I weed out the least vigorous ones.

From Alex.


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## DataGuru (Mar 11, 2005)

80 watts of light is a bit much isn't it?

(Oh and thanks for translating the measurements. LOL)


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

I know that our aquascaping friends may not be used to this kind of natural tank. But it looks like the tank of a true biologist, which you seem to be.

I don't think I've heard from anyone else who is having this much fun with their tanks and is so cognizant of all the plants and little creatures that make up a natural ecosystem. 

Bravo!


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## Miss Fishy (May 13, 2006)

Thanks for the compliments. 

Betty, the tank shares two 40 watt tubes (standard four foot Cool Whites) with the tank next door. I originally used one 40 watt, but the tank looked very dark at the edges. I thought it looked nicer with more light, and I haven't had any algae problems so far. I get confused when it comes to lighting. If the tank is only under half the length of the tubes, doesn't this mean it only gets 40 watts of light, or does it still get 80 watts? 

From Alex.


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## Christian Hansen (Apr 27, 2006)

Hello
As I understand it : If only half the tube is over the tank, you will get approximately half the power. But the difference between using half an 80W tube or a whole 40W tube, is that the light intensity on the 80W tube is higher. This is usually a good thing when dealing with planted tanks, but i am not into the EL-Natural theory yet (ordered the book, cant wait!!!), so cant really say what this means for your tank.


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## Miss Fishy (May 13, 2006)

Dear Christian, 

Thanks for your reply. I'm using two 40 watt tubes, so I suppose that the light intensity is not as high as with an 80 watt tube. It doesn't really matter for this tank 'though, as it gets sunlight. 

From Alex.


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## Miss Fishy (May 13, 2006)

When I set this tank up four months ago, I purposely left the soil layer exposed to sunlight, just to see if the tank would experience more algae problems than the next-door tank which had black tape around the bottom edges from the beginning. About a month ago, as spring arrived, the sun began to shine directly on the back of the tank for about an hour each day. A slight haze appeared in the water, and gradually began to turn greenish, until it was obvious that I was dealing with a mild case of green water algae. When it hadn't gone away after a few weeks and was slowly getting worse, I decided to take action.

I put black tape around the bottom of the tank to cover the soil, put a piece of black cardboard temporarily over the back of the tank, and added 6 extra _Egeria_ sp. cuttings and a small Water Lily rhizome from one of the ponds. I then suspended two netting bags of activated carbon in the tank (it doesn't have a filter to put the carbon in). Two days later the water was slightly clearer, and now, five days later it is almost crystal clear. Yay! I didn't expect it to work _that_ fast.

But something very odd and extremely interesting has now appeared. There appears to be a "column" of white cloudiness about 6cm in diameter around the newly planted Water Lily (which, by the way, is growing about a centimetre per day!). It looks as if someone has put a glass cylinder around the Water Lily and then poured milk into it. A shoal of about 20 Cyclops is feeding on the "column", so it seems to me it must be some kind of bacteria or algae. Has anyone else ever seen anything like this?

From Alex.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

> Originally posted by Miss Fishy:
> When I set this tank up four months ago, I purposely left the soil layer exposed to sunlight, just to see if the tank would experience more algae problems than the next-door tank which had black tape around the bottom edges from the beginning. About a month ago, as spring arrived, the sun began to shine directly on the back of the tank for about an hour each day. A slight haze appeared in the water, and gradually began to turn greenish, until it was obvious that I was dealing with a mild case of green water algae. When it hadn't gone away after a few weeks and was slowly getting worse, I decided to take action.
> 
> I put black tape around the bottom of the tank to cover the soil, put a piece of black cardboard temporarily over the back of the tank, and added 6 extra _Egeria_ sp. cuttings and a small Water Lily rhizome from one of the ponds. I then suspended two netting bags of activated carbon in the tank (it doesn't have a filter to put the carbon in). Two days later the water was slightly clearer, and now, five days later it is almost crystal clear. Yay! I didn't expect it to work _that_ fast.
> From Alex.


All the actions you took (described in my book) are designed to reduce water levels of iron. For example, activated carbon removes organic molecules including iron chelators that provide algae with water iron. By removing iron from the water, algae is deprived of a much-needed nutrient. Plants, on the other hand, can get their iron from the soil substrate. This gives plants a competitive edge.

I am delighted to hear that the iron-reducing measures worked for you.


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## Miss Fishy (May 13, 2006)

Dear Diana, 

The water is now crystal clear again, only a week after beginning "treatment"! I'm amazed at how quickly it worked. Why is this method not widely used to fight algae takeovers? 

I read that you have trouble growing floating plants due to lack of iron in the water. Have you ever tried reversing the iron-reducing measures - for example allowing the soil layer to be exposed to direct light - to see what effect it has on the floating plants? 

The "column" of white cloudiness around the Water Lily is gradually being eaten by the shoal of Cyclops, which hover inside the "column", gorging themselves. A Bladderwort plant has now grown into the "column" and is slowly eating the Cyclops! The only explanation for the "column" that I can think of, is that the Water Lily had something on it which bacteria find particularly tasty, so they multiplied quickly and caused the white cloudiness.

From Alex.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

> Originally posted by Miss Fishy:
> Dear Diana,
> 
> I read that you have trouble growing floating plants due to lack of iron in the water. Have you ever tried reversing the iron-reducing measures - for example allowing the soil layer to be exposed to direct light - to see what effect it has on the floating plants?
> ...


No. It's a good idea that I haven't yet tried. Perhaps one day....


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## Jane of Upton (Jul 28, 2005)

Alex, 

It looks like a fun bio-scape!

So I noticed you have glosso in there - how is it doing with that amount of light? I assume because it is in the front, it gets little of the natural window light, and is dependent on the "40" watts from the flourescents?

Has there been any new growth (of the Glosso)? I really want to try it in my natural setups, but have been hesitating because EVERYTHING I read says it NEEDs strong light and CO2....

So which plants are doing well?

Also, perhaps your "column" of cloudiness is because the lily rhizome brought in a different type of bacteria or chelators, that affected the column (I'm thinking made iron more available just in that location). Or perhaps its established roots had a similar effect by releasing nutrients from the soil? The other plants were new, right?

That's really cool about the cyclops! I've occasionally seen them "appear" in water I've siphoned off from a tank, so I know they're there, but I never see them in the tanks themselves. (but hey, if I can see it, a fish could see it, so it'd be goner, right?).

Keep us informed on the experiments!
-Jane


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## Miss Fishy (May 13, 2006)

Dear Jane,

The Glosso is doing very well. It has even begun to grow over itself in places. It doesn't get as much sunlight as the taller plants at the back but it doesn't mind; the fluorescent lights already provide 3wpg. I have had no problems growing Glosso in my low-tech tanks and ponds. I started out with only three individual pairs of leaves and planted them in an outdoor aquarium, where they multiplied and continue to provide enough cuttings for me to start new tanks with. It it's natural habitat, Glosso grows both in shallow water and completely submerged, so in aquaria it is also able to grow successfully underwater without the aid of emergent leaves or CO2 injection. Just don't expect it to grow super fast under these conditions.

You ask which plants are doing well - a better question would be which are _not_ thriving! The tank has turned into a tangled, crazy jungle! Only the _Hygrophila difformis_ and _Rotala rotundifolia_ are still not showing any new leaf growth but they are very firmly rooted.

Well, the "column" has now mutated into a dark brown cloud which actually *moves* around the tank! In the morning it might be lurking at one end of the tank, and by the evening it has travelled to the other end! It is very, very strange. The Daphnia, Cyclops, and various ostracods are having a feast. There are now thousands of tiny white baby Cyclops that follow the cloud around the tank! I have never seen anything like it!

From Alex.


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## Jane of Upton (Jul 28, 2005)

Whoa, Alex!

sounds like its getting close to an "Outer Limits" scene in your tank, LOL! Self-consuming and regenerating clouds that travel around! Wild!

You've got a veritable jungle from your report! Do you think the H. difformis was grown emergent? I've determined that I'm going to set up a transition tank next time I prepare to set up a larger tank using bought plants ..... the transition from emergent to submerged growth is really problematic, and I'd rather have the plants get their transition problems worked out before introducing them into a newly setup situation. I set up a kitty-litter-clay substrate tank (before discovering this forum or reading the Walstad book regarding soils) and between the "first flush" of nutrients and the plants having to transition, it was a rocky start. 

So I will try the Glosso. I forget - you're in Australia, where it grows naturally. I've been thinking I should give it a try. Its encouraging to hear you have it in a natural setup without CO2. I have a nicely-filling-in mat of hairgrass in my soil-substrate tank, so I figure if its doing so well, perhaps I could do a shorter foreground plant. I've been reserving a bright spot for *something*, so glosso it is!

Thanks for the update Alex! Have fun tracking the cloud!
-Jane


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## Miss Fishy (May 13, 2006)

Dear Jane,

Today I thought I might take a photo of the tank to update this thread, but it is already overgrown just five days after I last pruned it! Argh! I've created a monster!









The _Hygrophila difformis_ cutting was from another tank where it was already growing submersed. In fact, the only plants I bought when I set up this tank was a small pot of _Lilaeopsis brasilensis_ and a bunch of _Limnophila sessiliflora_; I picked the rest of the plants from my other tanks and ponds. I think the _H. difformis_ just doesn't like this tank, or perhaps its neighbours are the problem; they are doing their best to smother it! 
Even 'though you can ignore the stuff about Glosso needing CO2, you should heed the advice to cut the runners up into individual plants and push them deep into the substrate. It's a bit of a pain to plant such tiny plants one by one, but they really do adjust and spread much faster if you take the time to do it.

From Alex.


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## Jane of Upton (Jul 28, 2005)

Yes, I'm well versed in the tedious task of planting with fine (Jeweler's #7) tweezers, LOL!

And I had done that before - I had planted a patch of glosso and one of marsiella minuta, both of which were failed attempts. (I'm pretty sure I've determined the reasons now, as I mentioned to Ricardo on his marsiella thread). Yep, put on a CD, pull up a stool and a bright clamp-on light, and settle in for a long night of planting by tweezer. Actually, I think that's why my hairgrass is doing so well in both tanks - I planted individual plantlets of it, too, just a half centimeter apart! Talk about tedious, LOL! But, so often I see clumps planted, and I wonder just how effective its going to be. 

All that Sun & Soil....... good to hear you've got luxurient growth! You didn't add any fertilizer to the soil, did you?

-Jane


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## Miss Fishy (May 13, 2006)

Individual planting is definitely the way to go for tiny plants. When I set this tank up I planted 88 individual Hairgrass plants, 85 Lilaeopsis and 52 Glosso! The worst part was untangling and cutting up the runners beforehand. 

The brown moving cloud sadly disappeared without a trace two days ago. I don't know what the now large colony of Cyclops will eat instead. 

From Alex.


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## Jane of Upton (Jul 28, 2005)

If you're really attached to the cyclops, how about the stuff that folks feed to baby brine shrimp? In a pinch, I believe a tiny bit of brewer's yeast would do, but I haven't tried that personally. I don't know what the impact on the bacterial residents would be.

-Jane


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## Miss Fishy (May 13, 2006)

Sometimes I drip a little yeast in if there's any left over from brine shrimp feeding, but usually I only remember to feed the tank fishfood. So far there don't seem to be any less Cyclops, but they no longer swim around together now that the bacteria cloud is gone. 

I'm starting to suspect that someone has secretly been injecting CO2 and fertiliser into this tank! I can't keep up with the plants. It seems like I prune one day, take the cuttings to the LFS the next, and the day after that it's all overgrown again! By overgrown I mean you literally can't see into the tank. The upside is that the cuttings are paying for fishfood, with credit left over. 

From Alex.


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## flagg (Nov 29, 2004)

If you ever have trouble getting rid of your plants I'd happily buy some off you!

-ricardo


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## Sockfish (Dec 6, 2004)

What is a cyclops and what does it look like?

Fig


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## krazy (Aug 24, 2005)

Oh, I love it! It's beautiful and tons of fun too. I'd like to do a ten gallon like that. Instead I have jars all over the house. Experments that took on a life of their own, literally. 

One time a dragonfly type of bug got in the house and laid eggs in one of them. And these strange creatures that looked a little bit like praying mantis were running around in the water. It was fasinating to watch them.

People are often confused by my jars. I'm often asked "why are you growing mold in your kitchen?" about a jar of java moss and snails.
...Well,what did you think we were having for dinner?

have fun,
Krazy


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## Miss Fishy (May 13, 2006)

Ricardo, I would be happy to send you excess plants but it would cost you a lot in shipping fees (I live in Australia)!

Figgy, a Cyclops is a small freshwater crustacean that commonly turns up in aquaria and can be used as live food. Here is a site with some pictures, and another one.

Krazy, thanks for the compliments! I too have jars, pots and small containers with water and plants, all over the house and backyard. When I first came across a Dragonfly nymph in one of my ponds I didn't know what it was and was scared of it (I was only 10 at the time)!

From Alex.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

Miss Fishy,

Thanks so much for posting the interesting links.


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## Miss Fishy (May 13, 2006)

I have taken some more photos which will be getting developed soon. If they turn out okay I will post them. The tank looks completely different now; the plants are going berserk now that the warmer weather is here. 

The plants are not the only ones enjoying the higher temperatures. The bacteria cloud has not returned, but the Cyclops are doing well anyway. The two end walls of the tank are covered in a colony of green Hydra which wave to and fro, trying to catch hold of passing ostracods. Herds of blackworms creep around the base of the plants and twine around the moss. Snails are everywhere, even crawling over each other in their haste to get to food. Interestingly, a couple of aphids that came on the Water Lily have multiplied to the extent that there are at least three aphids per Thin Duckweed! Considering that the Thin Duckweed covers most of the surface (it grows back faster than I can thin it), that's an awful lot of aphids! 

This is definitely my very favourite tank at the moment. I could sit for hours watching the tiny creatures swim through the sparkling water amongst the lush green plants. I only wish my poor photographs could do it justice!

From Alex.


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## Miss Fishy (May 13, 2006)

The photos arrived, so finally I can update this thread. They are still not very good quality, but at least you can see how the tank has changed. It is now six months old. The green tangle on the left side of the tank is a mixture of _Hemianthus micranthemoides_, _Limnophila sessiliflora_ and _Egeria_ sp., and the right side is overgrown with _Eleocharis acicularis_ and _Myriophyllum simulans_.

The tank from the front: 









The surface of the water, showing emergent _Myriophyllum simulans_, _Landoltia punctata_, _Azolla_ sp., and _Ricciocarpus natans_: 









There have been a few changes to the plants and animals in the tank, and the pH is a little lower now (6.9). Here is an updated list of the plants and animals:

*Animals*: Common Pond Snails (two different varieties), very small, see-through Ramshorn Snails, one large brown Ramshorn Snail, blackworms, flatworms, Moina, Cyclops, small round ostracods, large kidney-shaped ostracods. 
*Plants*: _Azolla_ sp., _Chara_ sp., _Crassula helmsii_, _Didiplis diandra_, _Egeria_ sp., _Eleocharis acicularis_, _Eleocharis_ sp. (possibly _E. pusilla_), _Glossostigma elatinoides_, _Hemianthus micranthemoides_, _Hydrotriche hottoniiflora_, _Hygrophila difformis_, _Landoltia punctata_, _Lilaeopsis brasilensis_, _Lilaeopsis polyantha_, _Limnophila sessiliflora_, _Marsilea drummondii_, _Myriophyllum simulans_, _Nitella_ sp., _Nymphaea_ sp., _Ricciocarpus natans_, _Rotala rotundifolia_, _Utricularia gibba_ subspecies _exoleta_, _Vallisneria spiralis_, Java Moss, and an unknown plant which could be a _Blyxa_ or possibly an _Ottelia_.

There is still a tiny amount of soft hair algae but it doesn't cause any trouble. The green water algae has not returned.

From Alex.


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## javalee (May 8, 2006)

Wow, Miss Fishy! This is the "poster tank" for the Natural/Walstad aquarium! What amazing growth since your last photo!! Do you think it's the light? I'm thinking of the fish that would love to get in there and stuff themselves---carnivores and herbivores! It's also great that you've made a self-sustaining hobby by selling the cuttings! I want a video now so I can watch it too







.


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## flagg (Nov 29, 2004)

Alex, that tank is absolutely stunning! It looks like a veritable jungle! Just out of curiosity, why don't you have any fish in that tank? A school of rummynose tetras would look awesome!

-ricardo


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## Dave P (Dec 13, 2005)

Alex,

I must admit that I'm currently taking a coffee break and thought I'd stroll on over to the El Natural forum. 'No posts!', I kept telling myself, 'I'm just going to see what's happening and get back to work.'

That was until I saw your photos...

This aquarium is simply sensational! I'm now going to have a very difficult time concentrating on work, but it was well worth it!









I do have just one quick question: Are the aphids on the duckweed fairly well-behaved, or are they attacking any of the other emergent plants?

I'm asking because I've got a large population of aphids that I believe have ravaged some of my Frogbit (Limnobium sp.). I also find them on other emergent plant species as well.

Do you take measures to control the aphids, or do you just accept them as a part of the ecosystem?

Thanks again for posting these photos; I find them inspirational!

Dave


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## Miss Fishy (May 13, 2006)

Thanks for the compliments everyone! 

javalee, I think the growth spurt is due to more sun and the warmer spring weather, as my tanks (they are all unheated) and ponds really take off around this time of year. This tank is growing even faster than the others 'though. The photo was taken only a few days after pruning, and it was already overgrown again! 

Ricardo, the tank was set up as a home for five Golden Medakas I acquired last February. They were unwell when they arrived (possibly with Fish TB) and now sadly there are only two left. They are in a planted hospital tank. They are doing quite well for the moment so I don't want to disturb them to move them. If they don't improve enough to move in, this tank will stay fishless ('though I might add some shrimp). I am unwell and just don't have the time or energy to care for any more fish at this point in time. 

Dave, the aphids are on all the emergent plants. There is quite a hoard of them now, and some of the Water Lily leaves are looking the worse for wear. I don't do anything to control them (too fiddly and I like them anyway). They seem to come and go depending on the temperature. 

From Alex.


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## flagg (Nov 29, 2004)

You got aphids? I have lady bugs! I mean, almost an infestation! We should trade! I mean, it isn't too bad, but there isn't a single room in which I don't find a couple of lady bugs every day... A dead one







usually shows up in my 30 gal about once a week!

-ricardo


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

Miss Fishy,

Just saw your tank photo today. Wow! Absolutely stunning.


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## Inquisitive (Nov 7, 2003)

inspiring....


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## Miss Fishy (May 13, 2006)

My two remaining Golden Medakas, "Fire Tail" and "Omomi", were finally well enough (I suspect they have Fish TB) to move into this tank on 19th December. I caught them carefully with a plastic cup (much less stressful for them than a net and easy because they are quite tame) and after acclimatising them to the new water, let them swim out into their new home. At first they stuck together and looked around suspiciously. Then an unfortunate kidney-shaped ostracod swam past. Omomi saw it and grabbed it while Fire Tail watched with interest. Omomi then spat out and snapped up the poor ostracod several times, before finally deciding it was inedible and letting it go. Well, that was it - they were afraid no more! They both swam over to left wall where a colony of baby Cyclops was feeding and started gorging themselves, and didn't stop until the lights went off that evening! Soon the tank had very few small creatures and two very fat fish. For one week they explored the jungle, played together in the sunlight and continued massacring the invertebrates. They also spawned every day (despite both being female!) and then feasted on the eggs. The only problem was a lack of oxygen before lights on in the morning, so I put an airstone on a timer into the tank. No problems in the afternoon and evening, as the plants pearl and stream oxygen nonstop after a couple of hours of light. 

Sadly, three days ago, Fire Tail died. One morning she was no longer active and happy, and soon settled in the plants, barely breathing. A couple of hours later she was dead, and a group of snails and an ostracod were already beginning to eat one of her eyes. Over the past few months her back had become deformed and her stomach had become oddly distended 'though she seemed otherwise healthy and very happy. The other three Medakas that died before her had shown the same signs in their final months, so I was not surprised by her death. 

Now only Omomi remains, and so far she seems OK, despite being lonely. Fingers crossed that she will live for a while longer at least! If she does indeed have Fish TB, I expect she will die of it eventually but at least she is enjoying herself for the moment. 

I took a couple of photos of the Medakas in this tank which I will post when they have been developed. 

From Alex.


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## Jane of Upton (Jul 28, 2005)

Aww Alex, I'm sorry to hear that your Medaka - Fire Tail - died. But it sounds like her last few days were very enjoyable, feasting and sunning herself!

Is that a symptom of fish TB - the bent back? 

It sounds like the two of them had a nice time in your big tank. I enjoyed your written account of their exploration of it!

Thanks for sharing this. I looked up the Golden Medaka, and its similar to the Lampeye Medaka (Java Rice Fish, rather than Japanese Rice Fish) that I got in November. They are endearing little fish, with real "personality". I can understand how you got quite attached to them. I hope you may get some more, as you seem to really enjoy their antics. 

-Jane


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## javalee (May 8, 2006)

Wow, those two Medakas were enjoying a fish paradise! You gave them both the best home possible. I had a nasty TB infection in an oto (bent spine, emaciated) and didn't know he had died. I was really concerned later about his carcass staying in the tank with other healthy fish, but I haven't lost another fish in there to TB yet and that was 7 months ago. They may have gotten a mild infection, but their immune systems are keeping it in check if they did. Perhaps your other Medaka will live a long life too! I love hearing about all the activity in this tank, and especially impressive is the fact that you know the true names of all the critters!


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## Miss Fishy (May 13, 2006)

Omomi (the one remaining Medaka) is still hanging on. She is enjoying eating as many creatures as possible. I haven't seen a Cyclops for a long time, but at least the blackworms are safe in the Hairgrass where she can't get them.

This open-top tank sits under a window which is open for most of the day and now that it is summer the water evaporates very quickly. I have been topping it up weekly, and didn't think to add less calcium and magnesium to the new water. As a result the GH has gone up to 280 ppm CaCO3! The huge clump of _Chara_ now has calcium deposits on its leaves producing a very pretty striped effect, almost like a clump of green and white candy canes. It has also become very crunchy and brittle. I can now see how it got the common name "Stonewort".

Jane, those Lampeye Medakas sound lovely. Do you have any photos of them in your tank? I do like Golden Medakas but I have decided after this horrible experience - 10 months of nursing just to get them over the Gill Flukes and Tapeworms and keep them comfortable and then watching them die one by one - not to get any more fish for a long time. The trouble and worry when they get sick is too much for me at the moment, and I still have my other five fish to look after. Anyway, it it growing plants that I really love! You never have to worry about overstocking and when I'm not well enough to look after them properly for a while and some die I don't have to feel guilty that they suffered!

javalee, I was very worried about my Western Pygmy Perch "Wigglefin" after he was briefly in the same tank as the Medakas, but he seems to be fine. Either the Medakas don't actually have Fish TB, or else Wigglefin is strong and healthy enough to keep the disease in check.

From Alex.


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## Christian Hansen (Apr 27, 2006)

Really nice looking tank! Im very impressed.


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## Miss Fishy (May 13, 2006)

Time for another update! Here is the tank a few days after being pruned (my photos are _slowly_ improving!):










I am quite pleased with the way the aquascape in this tank is turning out. I still think there are way too many different plant species in it but I don't want to pull any out!

The Cyclops seem to have been wiped out completely, but the ostracods, snails, Hydra, blackworms and flatworms are thriving. I have been observing some very large flatworms, which seem to enjoy creeping, slug-like, up to the top of the Hairgrass and then waving their heads around in circles. I'm not sure whether they are eating something in the water or just looking around.

Omomi is not looking so well; her back has become deformed, she is rather stiff and her abdomen is distended while the rest of her is thin. She is also having some difficulty breathing and spends a lot of time resting. Despite this, she is eating very well and enjoys swimming around the jungle and playing in the sunlight. Here is a picture of Omomi and Fire Tail taken on the 22nd December 2005, and one of Omomi before she started to look very sick:



















The plants are doing very well. The _Rotala rotundifolia_ which I thought was doomed has come back from the dead and is putting out lots of new shoots. The _Chara_ has lost its stripes and gone back to being plain green. Here is a picture of the underneath of the water surface showing some _Chara_ and the roots of some Thin Duckweed (_Landoltia punctata_), taken when the tank was very overgrown:










From Alex.


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## spiral (Jan 8, 2006)

Are you sure those nematode aren't parasitic for your fish? Many species of nematodes are nasty parasites in the wild.


:|


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## Miss Fishy (May 13, 2006)

The "flatworms" I was reffering to are not nematodes ("roundworms") but Planaria. They are predators but do not attack large fish unless they are very sick (flatworms can't swim so they would have a hard time catching fish!).

Here is a site about flatworms, and another one which also has a link to a page about nematodes.

I'm pretty sure they are not harming the fish in any way because they were living happily in this tank for seven months before any fish moved in.

From Alex.


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## Miss Fishy (May 13, 2006)

I meant to mention this earlier but forgot. The Water Lily that was doing so well has disappeared completely! I don't know what happened to it - one day it was there, and then it just wasn't. 

Also, if Dave is still interested, the aphids have also gone. Some moved to the tank next door, and the others, I fear, perished. 

From Alex.


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## Dave P (Dec 13, 2005)

> Also, if Dave is still interested, the aphids have also gone. Some moved to the tank next door, and the others, I fear, perished.


I still have aphids all over the place. In fact, two weeks ago, my adult female orange chrome molly discovered a new culinary delicacy...aphid wrapped in duckweed.

I haven't been able to look at Chinese lettuce wraps the same ever since...

Dave


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## Miss Fishy (May 13, 2006)

Poor Omomi died yesterday. Over the past week she had become much sicker, and four days before her death she stopped eating and just hung in the plants. She did not look at all distressed, so I decided not to disturb her. Her spine was very deformed by this stage and the day before yesterday she developed patches of blood under the skin on her stomach. When I looked in the tank yesterday morning, she was gone. I think she must have died during the night, and all the small creatures in the tank must have had a feast because I couldn't find any trace of her.

So this tank is back to being fishless. I predict I will soon see the Cyclops colony begin to grow again, now that Omomi is not slurping them all. The foreground of the tank looks a bit ragged at the moment because I finally did some major pruning of the _Glossostigma elatinoides_, Hairgrass and Java Moss. In future I will trim much more often; the lower leaves on the Glosso were getting smothered by the moss.

From Alex.


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## Erin (Feb 18, 2005)

Sorry to hear about Omomi's passing. Are you going to leave the tank fishless or do you plan to add some new babies?

Regards,
Erin


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

Tank looks great...as always.

Sorry that your fish died. It looks like fish TB, especially from the history you wrote about these fish (the Medaka). My Boesmanni females swelled up like that before they died. Something about the TB bacteria invading the liver....

The Fish TB problems I was having seems to have abated. No fish has died from it since last summer and that fish was one I know was infected since Jan 2005. The 12 new Rainbowfish I added to the tanks in October seem healthy and are doing well. I removed the UV filters and am keeping my fingers crossed?


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## Miss Fishy (May 13, 2006)

Erin, I won't be getting any more fish for a long time now. With my health not good, keeping any more than my current five fish is too much work and worry. In a few years time, if I'm a bit better, I might get a shoal of Murray River Rainbowfish (_Melanotaenia fluviatilis_) for my 132 gallon tank (which will be set up as a biotope of the part of Victoria where these fish come from) but then again I might not. For me it's all about the plants and invertebrates!

Diana, I'm glad your fish have stopped dying. Fish TB is such a nasty disease. Hopefully they will continue to do well without the UV filters.

From Alex.


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