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My tanks are not really worth sharing, they are functional, but not pretty. But, even so, this American side of the forum could use some more activity and I thought that maybe if I share my ‘not particularly nice’ setups it would help others feel comfortable about sharing their setups.
Both tanks are standard size 10 gallon aquariums, which I believe are about 38 liters. My tanks fit on my shelving with narrow side facing out, so that is the perspective.
Compared with some tanks of European Parosphromenus-specialists, your tanks Jennifer look nearly “natural”. Functionality is a good criterion for a useful Paro-tank. And that 10-gallon-size is very adeaquate, too.
Even the small flower-pots make conveniant caves, I think. But you could improve two things with them: first, place the caves so that you can easily look into them (perhaps with help of a small electric light). You need to have frequent looks when the animals display and eggs are laid. Second, place them so that the ceiling of the caves is horizontal. If it is like that position which it has now, a small nest of bubbles and eggs will slide out of the front. Nests are always situated at the back part of the ceiling. But they will not stay fixed there if the front part is higher than the back part. (Perhaps you can find rectangular “quadratical” small pots; then you will avoid that problem.)
Please, go on photographing your set-ups! We can praise them and learn.
Thank you for looking at them, I wish they were nicer, but, they are nicer than tanks I set up before, so at least it’s progress.
The pots were originally buried in such a way so that the bottom of the pot was angled up, BUT, I have not mastered slow enough water changes and displace a lot when I change water.
I’ve had aquariums now for 15 years or so, but, embarrassingly enough have only had planted aquariums for a few months now. You’ll note a couple displaced Java Fern as well. How do those of you with planted aquariums add water back into the tank without disrupting everything? Isn’t it funny, there are plenty of guides for how much light and what kind of substrate but nothing on how to do a water change without turning your tank into a bowl of ‘plant and substrate’ stew. Even pouring water very slowly it all gets stirred up. There’s probably something obvious I’m missing.Try using an 8″ plastic picnic plate. Place it as far down in the tank as you can without disturbing the plants. Pour the water into the tank so that it hits the plate. It’s not perfect but will limit replacing all your live plants after a water change. As an alternative, I also use a small water pump that you can use in an outside pond. The smallest pump moves about 1.5 gallons per minute (low volume). I place the pump in a 5 gallon bucket filled with the clean treated water. The pump has about 6′ of clear plastic hose attached. Drain the old water and pump in the new from the bucket. In some cases I even use the picnic plate where there delicate plants are concerned.
Heres my true companion with regards to waterchanges. Because its so small amounts I change it is enough for me to use this elephant which normally is used to water flowerpots with.
I then pour with one hand and hold the other in the surface of the water in the tank with an open palm (= picnic plate) and pour water from the elephant into my open palm. This way there is only limited stirring up of things in the tank.One thing I was thinking about with your tanks, Jennifer, are the Java ferns, – these do not like to have their roots in the gravel – they are plants that grow attached to something else like a piece of wood or stone or even free floating.
In some of my tanks which I actually often rearrange I admit I have chunks of javafern that I do not fasten to anything, they just float. The roots then provide shelter for small fry 🙂Hmm, funny you mention those little pumps. They are very cheap this time of year because of not being in season anymore and I looked at them and wondered what I could use one for. Hopefully there are still some left when I check tomorrow.
Helene, I love your little elephant. I probably should just do smaller water changes on these tanks. I’m so conditioned to hearing that I should change 50% and up every week that it is what I have been doing with the Paro and betta tanks. And you’ve explained what I’m doing wrong with the Java Fern. Everyone talks about how easy to grow it is but it doesn’t seem to be doing all that great for me. Well, now I know why. I will have to get some larger pebbles and tie them on then. Water Sprite, Ceratopteris, is also supposed to to well in these tanks but the rooted cutting I had melted in less than 4 hours after putting it in. Wonder what I did wrong there? It roots readily in my other tank but died like I left it in the sun when I put it in the paro tank. Perhaps it needed slower acclimation?
Of course the elephant is not really convienient for bigger tanks :dry: – I use it mainly for the 12 liters. But the principle of holding the hand can also with some effort be used even if using a bucket and a hose.
But I also do not change 50 % each time, – I change maybe 2 elefants 🙂 … (that would be around 3 liters)
Some plants needs time to adjust if they come from hard water to the soft acidic water in our parotanks – the ceratophyllum demersum sometimes drop all the ‘leaves’ – but it will ‘toughen up’ after some time.
The one you mention – ceratopteris – is one I also have problems with, some survive, – most of them dissappear. What makes the difference I am not sure.I must say I rely mostly on javamoss and javafern and floating plants such as salvinia and duck weed :).
I have not yet picked up Java Moss, I do need to try that one. I do have access to a bunch of duckweed and a tiny water lettuce plant that resembles some species of salvinia, so I will go ahead and try those again. The tanks are better lit now than they were, previously the duckweed died, but now it should do fine. (I know, how does anyone kill duckweed, but it’s apparently possible) The sword plant has been in there a week and hasn’t melted yet, so maybe that one will work. I think though I will continue practicing with rooted cuttings instead of larger plants after how quickly the ceratopteris died.
It may have been my eyes playing tricks on me, but this evening the larger paro which looks like a male seemed to have red markings and blue in his tail. Can’t wait for him to actually display so that there is some hope of knowing what species I have! It is amazing how much they eat really. They can clear a cloud of artemia pretty quickly.
It’s not a good image at all, but it was nice to finally see some color on one of them that was definitely color and not my eyes playing tricks on me.
🙂
Hey, you did get some color!! I don’t have any color like this in any of my 4 tanks. 🙁 It makes me want to go to the fish room and yell “hey guys I need some color from you all – you are making me look bad” Seriously, with him coloring up there should be a female showing serious interest in him shortly.
If it makes you feel better, it was only this week that he finally colored up a bit. Previous to this, I’ve just seen a hint of maybe a different shading in the fins, but nothing that was certain. Just enough to tell it was probably male.
Though, now he looks more like Bintan “blue line”. Except that lighter ring in his tail which may turn out to be a different color yet. I don’t think he’s mature yet, he was continually approaching another fish in the tank and turning sideways and so on (if that’s even courting behavior and not aggression) but this was the brightest he got and didn’t stay like this for long. I didn’t risk the flash on the camera because I figured that would be the end of seeing any color from him for a little while. There is one larger plain striped one in the tank which I assume is female. But, oddly, her stripes are much wider than the others stripes. Either perhaps that one is more mature, or a different Paro mixed in. I don’t know.I was going to ask if the ones you got in were showing color. I’m tempted to just order all the Paro’s they have and hope for the best. But, I keep catching myself from starting too many projects at once.
Jeniffer, your photo shows a young male. Its dorsal fin is quite short still, that must develop a longer filament, definitely. This means: Most of the fish of this shipment were very young indeed and it takes time to develop colours and maturity. So, Bill: patience! Paros need more time than most other fish.
I guess the one other you describe may be an older female. They often have broader stripes than the males.
So excited! The larger one I assumed was female and this male I posted a photo of previously were showing courtship behavior. Her body was really darkened, couldn’t see the stripes anymore and the male was following her all over the tank, also really darkened. I couldn’t get a photo of her as I spooked her when I went back to get my camera.
I only got a couple poor photos of him, but, then they were courting again behind one of the pots so I decided to just leave them alone. Sorry the photos are so terrible, I really wanted a clear photo of him, but, also didn’t want to interrupt.
As it seems, you may have got a variant of P. nagyi. I already thought so (but remained silent about it) seeing picture 2450. Now, the male does not show really the typical courtship colours, but somewhat getting in that direction.
There are some variants of nagyi living at the ast coast of western Malaysia arould Kuantan, Cherating and Pekan Nenas. It’s really a widespread location and the variants differ in many respects. To determine your fish more exactly, we need better photos. But one thing is typical: The white band in the caudal fin. It’s typical for some variants of nagyi around Kuantan. However, it’s not the typical Kuantan, since they have definitely a shorter caudal fin. Maybe it’s a Pekan Nenas or Chukai-variant.
[quote=”Peter Finke” post=2474]As it seems, you may have got a variant of P. nagyi. I already thought so (but remained silent about it) seeing picture 2450. Now, the male does not show really the typical courtship colours, but somewhat getting in that direction.
There are some variants of nagyi living at the ast coast of western Malaysia arould Kuantan, Cherating and Pekan Nenas. It’s really a widespread location and the variants differ in many respects. To determine your fish more exactly, we need better photos. But one thing is typical: The white band in the caudal fin. It’s typical for some variants of nagyi around Kuantan. However, it’s not the typical Kuantan, since they have definitely a shorter caudal fin. Maybe it’s a Pekan Nenas or Chukai-variant.[/quote]
His body was even darker before I scared them when I went to get my camera. I’ll have to just make a practice of bringing the camera with me when I go out to check on them so that I don’t startle them. It would be really nice if they were P. nagyi. It was just nice to see them not plain striped! I still have the group of 6 together, but, at least now I can see those two are a pair and move the others. I will try for better photos next time he is displaying.
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