Epic Overhaul/Builds: 3D Backgrounds 300g-125g-120g

[JK47]

Looking good. the bird perches are a great idea. Whatever you put in there. Rinse the hell out of it. To avoid any future issues. Hope we can pinpoint the other issue though.

I'll nail this issue bro, I've been through much worse. I am only sharing with MFK so anyone reading can learn from my mistakes too.

Vine looks pretty awesome after a soak, I can see that your vision for this tank is looking pretty awesome. I have always loved the shots in nature shows that go through flooded aqautic environments like amazonia during he wet season. That to me is the most beautiful fish environments in the world.

Here is what I imagine the surface would look like in the wild:

The inspirational pic for my 120g actually looks almost the same as the above. Flooded lower Orninoco drainage.

The 125 gallon inspirational pics are hybrid of two styles. Tannin stained blackwater, thick dark wood with white sand meets brackish mangrove swamp. Honestly it may come out terrible but these are two things that I WILL see in a natural setting before I die and don't feel like starting two more tanks just to do each style.. If I prefer one over the other as things progress, I"ll change the plans. For now it's a cross between both.

 

[joecoulson]

Can't wait....

 

[johndirst]

Awesome!

 

[xthao3]

nice setup, wish i was motivated to build my own stand like that

 

[David K. Bradley]

i never would have thought to use leaves like that

Justin:

Dmarty's statement about the leaves in your tank, brought a question to mind that I thought about and would like some clarification on, if you don't mind.

Regarding the issues about contaminates in your tank, is it possible the leaves may have some chemical residue from an insecticide used on the trees where the leaves come from, causing your fish to react the way they have?

Or am I thinking about the wrong tank? I realize this may be a far fetched idea, but it may be a highly unlikely possibility.

Just food for thought. BTW, how are your O's doing now? Better I hope.

 

[JK47]

Wrong tank. The leaves are in with my dwarfs who are spawning like crazy right now, they love it. ph won't even read on an API test kits (<5.0)


The OH colony is doing far better, I am now only doing 50% WC every other day and they are back to courting. Believe it or not my big guy is out and about. Looks terrible but is still alive and fighting. I have made the choice NOT to put him down twice already, once on the floor of the garage I really want to save this guy. I can't load pics right now but will update soon. I've been working on the plants in my 10 gallon and treadmill training my dogs over the holiday break.

 

[David K. Bradley]

Thank you, Justin for that clarification. It seems things are turning around for you OH group and I'm happy to hear you still have the big guy. I know how hard it is to put a beloved pet down, regardless wet or dry pet.

Happy to hear your tredmill training you dogs. I wish I had one to train mine on. But it will come eventually. Just don't attach a fire hydrant to the end of the tredmill. (Ha,ha,ha!) Dog's know what they are for.

 

[JK47]

Looking good. the bird perches are a great idea. Whatever you put in there. Rinse the hell out of it. To avoid any future issues. Hope we can pinpoint the other issue though.

I got lots of work done on the vines in the 125 gallon. I'll post those pics later tonight. As far as the other issue I am 100% it was/is something leaching. 50% WC every other day has saved my big guy and the orange heads are colored up and back at courting. No other tank in the house had this issue.

He had jumped out of the tank onto the garage floor during a WC and I put him right back in the tank. He rammed the bottom corner so hard he folded in the screen to the overflow tower and jammed himself inside.



I left him in there for 4 days. IME fish that can hide have a better chance of survival. He got himself in there I figured when he was ready he would work himself out and he did.





He is now out with the rest of the fish and last night was the first night he ate.. He's pretty beat up still but keep in mind a week or so ago he was upside down.

 

[JK47]

So back to the 125 gallon for a few minutes. I added the organic vines to test and play with. Obviously I need to learn how to do it in an artistic way but at least I figured out how to mount them and got to see them wet.













I am using the stainless wing nut/washer to hold it down. It's been well over a week and the vines are growing the same white mold that brand new DW grows. Same with the Java wood. The wood has had 0 impact on the fish and in fact has leached very little tannings into the water column. Much less than manzanita, mopani and malaysian.

 

[joecoulson]

Poor fella, all the best for a speedy recovery