Journal 40B MTS Nature Aquarium

Bbs are easy at least.

Keeping fish simple has great success using cooked crumbled up egg yolks.

I bought some neon tetras and red neon blue eye rainbowfish from aquatic arts and i was very pleased with the quality of the fish.
 
So I wanted to give an update on my tank and share the good and bad news. I’m a fan of the transparency on what a tank can look at its worst and then watching the phoenix rise from the ashes. I’m not so pompous to think my tank resembles a majestic mythical creature, but it’s my creation 😂

Anyway, this is currently where I’m at and quite frankly, I’m just TIRED. I’m at a busy point in life with the kiddos and obligations and putting aside hours at a time for the tank is far and few between. This results in WEEKS of neglect which then brews disdain and derails motivation. We all know the longer we take to address the issues, the more prevalent they become. Today I finally mustered the strength to deal with it! Another strategy I use is to shut the lights off for a few days when I know that the light will just be aiding in algae growth. This has been my process when I’m in this situation of weeks of no maintenance. This can and does take a toll on my stems, which is a downside. However, I try to combat minimal loss by actually keeping the co2 going and allowing some light from a nearby window to light up the tank. Can’t say for sure if this helps, but my stems are not all mush and I can work with them. A week of strong light again perks them back up. I’ve also been avoiding thinning out my moss as it has gotten so prolific on my stones that it separated from the glue. However, since it’s so dense it doesn’t float to the top and actually stays down with the stone. I’m working on thinning it out and regluing to the stones so as to give it a fresh start. At this time I’m also working on cleaning my cosmetic substrate and stones. While I love the idea of having the scape looking all fresh and clean, it’s a lot of work and time out of my day and when I’m unable to get it done to my liking, my motivation suffers.

Just figured I’d share the frustration as I’m sure I’m not the only one. I’ll post some cleaned up pictures when I’m done 👍IMG_1044.jpegIMG_1043.jpegIMG_1045.jpegIMG_1046.jpegIMG_1047.jpegIMG_1048.jpeg
 
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Thanks for posting this update. We absolutely can all relate!

To be honest, it may not look pristine but it also doesn't look bad. Have you seen my latest update on mine??

For me, today is the day! I've mustered up the energy and will be doing the full reset. I hope it comes out like yours. We will see.

Keep us posted on how your tank is looking a few days after the maintenance. Please.
 
When I get a chance today I will post a new picture, thanks @Art . You’re right it doesn’t look that bad all things considered.

And glad to hear it! Please post pictures when your done as well 👍
 
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So here we are a few days later, some moss thinned out due to some serious dense growth, stems trimmed up and topped, anubias and Java fern leaves plucked, and substrate cleaned. Stems require some recovery, but they should bounce back quickly and fill out within a few weeks. I recently reached out to @Jhardee85 for some of his plants he has in excess to maybe rearrange a bit.

I have some young rooted Crypt flamingo I got prob 1.5 months ago from GLA and it’s VERY slow to grow. To be fair, it was acquired when the tank wasn’t getting my undivided attention and care. Anyone with experience with it know how long it takes to get going? It’s rooted to my soil bags underneath because they won’t budge so I know it’s on the uptick.IMG_1050.jpegIMG_1051.jpegIMG_1052.jpegIMG_1053.jpegIMG_1054.jpegIMG_1055.jpegIMG_1056.jpeg
 
So I know a lot of people now have access to lights with multiple lights channels, but if your like me with a Twinstar or similar, you might wana check out this controller. I’ve been using one from Amazon for years that has worked great, but it leaves a lot to be desired with some limited functions. Not to mention, if I lose power for any reason it resets and the time isn’t accurate anymore either.

I recently decided to look around for a WiFi controller and found this one on Amazon. There’s one review from someone with a Twinstar 600 and I found another one on YouTube as well. I should be getting it tomorrow and I’ll update on its effectiveness and ease of use 👍IMG_1057.jpeg
 
Mr.Shenanagins said:
So I know a lot of people now have access to lights with multiple lights channels, but if your like me with a Twinstar or similar, you might wana check out this controller. I’ve been using one from Amazon for years that has worked great, but it leaves a lot to be desired with some limited functions. Not to mention, if I lose power for any reason it resets and the time isn’t accurate anymore either.

I recently decided to look around for a WiFi controller and found this one on Amazon. There’s one review from someone with a Twinstar 600 and I found another one on YouTube as well. I should be getting it tomorrow and I’ll update on its effectiveness and ease of use 👍View attachment 5597
Click to expand...
I'm looking forward to reading your review. I'm in the same boat as you, using a Twinstar light and cheap Amazon dimmer. It works well enough, but like you said, any power loss and it's back to setting time again.
 
IMG_1062.jpegIMG_1063.jpegIMG_1064.jpegIMG_1065.jpegIMG_1066.jpegSome pics I was able to get, they are too quick and this is the best I could do with my phone. My new neons are doing well, as I mentioned I only receive one male which really annoyed me. But the females are all nice and fat and they have a nice silver/blue color so I’m happy. Who knows, maybe they’ll breed 😁
 
Thanks. I'm always a bit surprised at how few people seem to feed live food now-a-days.

I guess it's testament to how good dry food has gotten.

Your fish look great!
 
Mr.Shenanagins said:
So I know a lot of people now have access to lights with multiple lights channels, but if your like me with a Twinstar or similar, you might wana check out this controller. I’ve been using one from Amazon for years that has worked great, but it leaves a lot to be desired with some limited functions. Not to mention, if I lose power for any reason it resets and the time isn’t accurate anymore either.

I recently decided to look around for a WiFi controller and found this one on Amazon. There’s one review from someone with a Twinstar 600 and I found another one on YouTube as well. I should be getting it tomorrow and I’ll update on its effectiveness and ease of use 👍View attachment 5597
Click to expand...
Alright so this WiFi dimmer is working quite well. The ramping is a lot smoother with this than the other controller, and the options to change intensity throughout the day is endless. Since my tank is pretty mature, I have it ramping starting at 1200 from 0% and 100% by 1300. I then have it ramp down starting at 2000 all the way to 0 at 2100.

However, I have had issues connecting to the WiFi and I’m not sure why exactly. In reviews I did see people mention that, and I’m not sure if it’s because of my routers security or what, but it only allows operation on 2.4 ghz WiFi. I currently have it set to work on local Bluetooth, which after setup, will work just fine and you won’t have to adjust it again unless you want to make a change. I’m sure I can figure out the WiFi issue but the moment for me it’s not a necessity. This dimmer also has a 96watt capacity so the Twinstar 900 is its max. Hope this helps anyone else looking for an easier controller for a single channel light 👍🏻 for the money it’s a cheap fantastic option
 
Mr.Shenanagins said:
I have had issues connecting to the WiFi and I’m not sure why exactly. In reviews I did see people mention that, and I’m not sure if it’s because of my routers security or what, but it only allows operation on 2.4 ghz WiFi
Click to expand...
Your router might be able to split the network into 2.4 and 5.0. My ASUS network has the ability, you have to go into the setup and select it to split. Just a warning it will cork up everything connected because you’ll have two different networks with different names from the original so you’ll have to connect everything again. I added a router to make a mesh and extend the range and found out the hard way about renaming.
 
@FrankZ Yeah I had a feeling it was something like that. Idk if I wana jack anything up on my network so I might just accept the local Bluetooth setup I have. I can turn the light on and off via WiFi with my Kasa strip anyway.
 
Thank you for getting me onto those Kasa strips. I love them. Just got two more, one for the bull frogs and one for the leopard gecko. Still need two more the rest of the tanks 🤪
 
Any worthwhile wifi producing device should put out 2.4 and 5.0 by default under the same name and pw.

All devices will connect automatically to the ghz they require.

Examples, ubiquiti and tp link omada
 
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