June 28, 2007
Still Fishy
I've made some big changes in the aquarium this week.
On Monday I bought a magnetic algae scraper and a Siamese Algae Eater. The S.A.E. is cute, calm, and lonely, but I can't put another one in the tank to keep him company. He's already going to be marginally too big for the tank when he grows up.
On Tuesday I took the Serpae Tetras back. I know I said I wasn't going to, but I was afraid that if I put it off anymore I'd get too attached to be able to return them. In their place I brought home a school of six much smaller Red Phantom Tetras. Red Phantoms are relatively active, but they are much more peaceful than Serpae. So far they seem to be doing pretty well. The S.A.E. likes them too. He tends to hang out near them and try to school with them sometimes. I didn't really think he'd do that. It's kind of cute.
On Wednesday I cleaned my tank and replaced about three gallons of water (about one gallon had escaped to evaporation and with the Serpae on their trip back to the shop). I also gave up on waiting to figure out how to deal with the large piece of driftwood I wanted to use. Instead I put in a bunch of the smaller curvy pieces that I've already prepared. They've been boiled and I've had them in a bucket of water for several weeks (changing the water every few days or so). Anyway, I piled up several pieces so that there is some cover in the tank and there are a few different paths the fish can take around them. I'm not entirely sold on the composition, but it'll do for now.
I also ordered some Hornwort while I was at the fish store on Wednesday. Once that comes in I'll plant the right side of the tank more heavily so the fish have more places to hide. I'm still debating about whether or not to put Java Moss on the driftwood, but I think I'll probably hold off until I'm positive that this is the wood I want to use in the long run.
Comments:Your tank is simple and beautiful. How do you keep your driftwood from floating? Is it anchored somehow? I have tried to "glue" mine down to slate with aquarium silicone, but as soon as the wood is soaked, it comes loose from the silicone and it just won't stay down. Is it bogwood or that really dense African hardwood? Any advice would be helpful to me.
I actually boiled my wood for about 8 hours, constantly topping off the water to make sure that the wood stayed down underneath it. It smelled pretty bad, but the wood sunk really well after that!Post a Comment
You can also try soaking it in a bucket for a few weeks until it stops floating or drill a hole in the slate and screw it in there with a non-reactive screw. If all else fails, just let it float around in the tank for a while. It will eventually sink once it's taken on enough water (weeks or months later). ;)
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