Our new winter pond

[Tara]

So I tried down my piece of wood today as I got sick of waiting for it to sink and I finished planting. The tank has been running but looks much better with now that wood is at the bottom. So in anticipation of my my future fish of course, I had to go browsing online, I reckon that was a big mistake on my part, there is so many fish to choose from, it's almost like if you were handed a dinner menu at a restaurant only it had two hundred main courses on it. So I will have minnows in there and I have a list of other fish that I need to read up on, then I will choose one from the list as tank mates for the minnows. Decisions, decisions.

 

[Tara]

One more thing, the celestial danio is on my list given its small size. I don't think anyone here sells them or healthy minnows for that matter, did you order online and if you did how did that go. Thanks.

 

[Somethin' Fishy]

One more thing, the celestial danio is on my list given its small size. I don't think anyone here sells them or healthy minnows for that matter, did you order online and if you did how did that go. Thanks.

Sorry for the late reply @Tara, I just read this today.

I purchased online from, "Aquatic Arts". I selected them because they offered tank raised CPDs, and they were located closer to me than other suppliers that I found. I ordered danios and a couple shrimp. Unfortunately, they sent me a total of nine shrimp, instead of two, and all but one of the 6 fish (sold in groups of three) arrived DOA. They all looked really thin, with concave stomachs, and the one that survived shipment didn't survive quarantine more than a day. All but two of the shrimp died as well. They had all been shipped in the smallest bags and box I had ever seen.

I had taken photos of the dead fish while they were still in their bag, only moments after unpacking them, and e-mailed Aquatic Arts immediately - per their live guarantee. I asked them to send the replacement fish in a larger bag, or perhaps two separate bags, to improve their travel conditions. They shipped out the replacements immediately, and had divided them into two bags as I requested. They sent one extra fish per bag, so I ended up with eight, very active, and much healthier (younger) looking fish. They're all still doing great!

I can only assume that whoever prepared my first order just grabbed any stock and skimped on the packaging to save shipping weight. But, someone made sure to be more careful the second time around. I would probably try them again if I ever 'needed' more fish, but I would e-mail them first - to sort out stock condition and packing.

Before opting to purchase on-line, I had checked the two big-box pet suppliers, and one independent, nearest to where I live. I checked Craigslist too. Nothing available for me.

 

[Somethin' Fishy]

A little more progress.... Dwarf baby tears coming along, flame moss, crypts and a sword along the back, lace java fern in the corner, and (unwanted) mini water fern. Have some little star on order.... The fish love the moss, and are in full on spawning mode! Hope to get pictures of the fish and shrimp whenever I have the patience to set up my good camera with the macro filters. My male CPDs turned slate blue with orange/gold specks, an olive stripe over their heads, and their fins and bellies have fired up orange.

 

[Jack B. Nimble]

Love it and I have to share my new winter digs again as well as I have added some air plants and things.

 

[Somethin' Fishy]

@Jack B. Nimble - Very kool! An indoor mini rainforest!

 

[Tara]

Thank you for getting back to me @Somethin' Fishy. I have my tank running, but still working out the details. I have a large sponge filter running, with a small pump for some water current. I hope (think)this is sufficient for filtration, no way for me to know as having an aquarium is new to me,also there seems to be no clear yes or no answer in regards to a sponge filter been adequate enough to filter a whole tank. Sorry to hear about the first fish order you received, sounds like a mini postal horror story. What a shame the poor fish were packed so poorly, I hope they did not expect you to pay shipping again. I love how your plants are filling in, after seeing how fish are mostly kept in plain glass aquariums before been shipped to customers, your new fish must have gotten the best shock of their short lives landing in a planted aquarium as it really looks lovely. @Jack B. Nimble the top of your aquarium is brilliant. If either one of you have any tips on filtration, I'm all ears and would greatly appreciate them.

 

[Jack B. Nimble]

Dont recall the size of yours but what I used and is great is a Pennplax 1000 cascade canister filter. I did have a home made 4 stage filter but it could not keep up. I highly recommend the filter I have now. The filter has three stages and you can add a lot of bio media or what ever and comes with some basic carb and foam filters. It is very easy to clean as you can turn off right at tank.
I also built a small aquascape style waterfall in that pile you see in pic. The waterfall comes from what was a milk jug filled with foam and lava rock which size wise is about the same as my pond in comparison. The only thing the winter fish tank misses is a bog. So I also ran a tube under the gravel inside the tank that water is pumped into so basically creating the entire bottom of the tank is a bog. The filter I reccomend is 69 bucks on Amazon
And it would be good for up to about 100 gallons and you can turn down flow to smaller tank easily as it has built in knob. The link below should go to Amazon.com and would be all you need for your tank. I would also have as many paints as you can or grab some from your pond as I did will eleiminate algea.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000...543340357&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=pen+plex+1000

 

[Linus_Cello]

A little more progress.... Dwarf baby tears coming along, flame moss, crypts and a sword along the back, lace java fern in the corner, and (unwanted) mini water fern. Have some little star on order.... The fish love the moss, and are in full on spawning mode! Hope to get pictures of the fish and shrimp whenever I have the patience to set up my good camera with the macro filters. My male CPDs turned slate blue with orange/gold specks, an olive stripe over their heads, and their fins and bellies have fired up orange.
View attachment 117769

Looking good. What light are you using, and I forget, is there CO2?

 

[Somethin' Fishy]

Looking good. What light are you using, and I forget, is there CO2?

Thanks @Linus_Cello . I'm using the light that came with the kit which is a LED 7000k. No CO2, and no added fertilizers or liquid carbons.

 

[Somethin' Fishy]

Thank you for getting back to me @Somethin' Fishy. I have my tank running, but still working out the details. I have a large sponge filter running, with a small pump for some water current. --- If either one of you have any tips on filtration, I'm all ears and would greatly appreciate them.

Thank you @Tara .

I personally have never used a sponge filter, so I can't offer any first had experience with them. Although I imagine they do well for biological filtration, I think they would lack in mechanical filtration, and no option to polish the water with carbon or zeolite... I am considering setting up a little spawning tank for these CPDs and/or a place to raise some baby shrimp - so I'll probably put together a sponge filter for that.

This tank that I currently have is a weird little set-up with built in filtration that has a large, coarse, sponge with a couple cut-outs. One holds a net bag of ceramic bio rings, and the other holds a pack of carbon (that I altered to refill myself with whatever I want). Water is drawn through with a tiny water pump. Its an interesting thing, but the plus is having the massive surface area for bacteria, along with a bit of mechanical and polishing ability.

But, overall, having been through a menagerie of filtration gadgets - from those floss and carbon stuffed deals in the 70's, under gravel filters, canisters, etc... My all time favorite was one made by, "MarineLand" (If I remember right - 20+ years ago!), that incorporated the filter into the aquarium hood. It was the same concept as a hang-on-the back filter, and had an area holding a cartridge - - but the outflow poured over a bio-wheel. It also had enough area that I was able to add some extra (homemade) bio-media. Anyway, that bio-wheel set up allowed me to get away with running salt water in a 3 1/2 gallon tank! I loved it! I think there are some hang-on-the backs available on the market today that have also incorporated a bio-wheel -- I'm just not familiar with any brands/models. But, if I were in the market, it would be something I'd consider, because the surface area of the wheel and it's exposure to air is a winner in my book.

I think your sponge filter will work for you, but you just may have to make up for the limited mechanical filtration with a bit more siphoning. I can't wait to see your finished tank!

 

[Tara]

Thank you @Somethin' Fishy and @Jack B. Nimble for the replies, I think half the fun in a new project is learning and figuring out the details. The tank should be ready for fish this week, if I cannot find the fish I want I will have to order online. I can't wait to see the pictures of you fish @Somethin' Fishy as I really like them, I think I have seen them online under the name Galaxy rasbora ?I am still planning to have minnows along with another species, and they are still on my list.

 

[Somethin' Fishy]

I think I have seen them online under the name Galaxy rasbora ?

Yep, that's one of the names I've seen used for these guys.

 

[Somethin' Fishy]

Grrrr….its so difficult to get good pictures of these guys; they're constantly on the move!

 

[Tara]

Wow they are lovely, thanks for the photo @Somethin' Fishy ,it's hard to tell with some pictures online as they can look slightly different depending on where you look. My tank is just about done and I will post some pictures next week.