Journal Kwyet’s 125G Nature Tank

[Kwyet]

This was one of the first tanks I set back up when we moved into our new house. As such, it was done very quickly so I could get it re-cycled and the fish in ASAP. Surprisingly, even though the filter sponges were just kept damp in plastic bags for 4 days, cycling took less than a week. I was NOT going to try to catch the pictus catfishes again, so I just lowered the water level in their holding tubs and poured them in. These guys are vocal when annoyed, so I assure you that I could hear them cussing at me, lol!

Here’s one of the last pictures of the tank before moving:



And here is what it looked like after the move in August 2024:



It left a lot to be desired, and while the painted blue background looked fine with my blue walls in Florida, it doesn’t look as good here with beige walls. I wasn’t going to move it out and scrape away the paint though, so it is what it is.

At this point I believe it had 1 angelfish (kept because it swims off-kilter), 1 Denison barb (kept because of a small white growth on chin since it was a baby), 2 old bronze Cory cats (because of age), and 3 Spotted Pictus catfish (because they were hard to acquire), 2 Super Red Bristlenose Plecos and 1 Glo-fish Rainbow shark (just because, lol!).

More to come.

 

[Kwyet]

By November I had arranged things a little better, switched to stainless steel lily pipes, and added 6 Gold Laser Cory cats and 6 Denison barbs (unfortunately 2 died). A few more plants were added as well.

As far as tech: 2 Fluval Sky lights, 1 Fluval 407 filter and 1 Oase Biomaster, Inkbird controller for the heater in the Biomaster, 1 Oase Powerhead.

 

[Kwyet]

I’ve been adding plants from time to time since then, mainly extras from the 68 gallon Dutch. Some have worked, some haven’t.

Today I put in 2 halves of some nice Spiderwood that I got from Aquarocks Colorado. It’s so nice being near to an aquascaping store! I weighed it down with some extra river rocks that I already had. Then I planted a Tiger Lily, a Dwarf Aquarium Lily, and a couple of Banana plants in and around it. I suppose I should make a full plant list, maybe on the next post, lol!
When the Spiderwood darkens it’ll look better with the driftwood, but at some point in the future I may go back and get some more pieces and rework the left side too.

After the Photone app showed 5 par at substrate, I added a Nicrew light in the middle. Better lighting is also on my wish list.

One of the old bronze Cories died awhile ago, and one of the Plecos died from unknown causes about a month ago. Everyone else seems to be going strong. I think I would like some Pearl Gouramis in here, if the angelfish will get along with them, but I have no immediate plans to get them. I won’t be getting any more fish or plants until I know I won’t need to be traveling for awhile.

Here’s the tank today:



Thanks for reading!

 

[Kwyet]

 

[ElleDee]

Do run co2 on this?

 

[Kwyet]

Do run co2 on this?

No, just 2 filters and a heater w/Inkbird.

 

[ElleDee]

No, just 2 filters and a heater w/Inkbird.

I didn't think so, but I didn't want to assume. It looks great!

 

[Kwyet]

I didn't think so, but I didn't want to assume. It looks great!

Thanks! It’s slowly improving.

 

[JuJuFish]

One of my favorite tanks here!

 

[Kwyet]

One of my favorite tanks here!

Really?! Thanks very much!

 

[JuJuFish]

Really?! Thanks very much!

Yes! There’s so much ROOM in it. Mine feels claustrophobic in comparison.

 

[Kwyet]

Yes! There’s so much ROOM in it. Mine feels claustrophobic in comparison.

I really love yours! I need some open space so my pictus catfish can get some good exercise at night.

 

[Kwyet]

I liked the Week Aqua T90 Pro that I put on my BiOrb so much, that I took advantage of a sale at Aquarocks Colorado a few weeks back, and put 3 of them on this tank. I think they would look better if they were all black. I wonder if they could be painted? The difference inside the tank is amazing though! I haven’t checked the par yet, but I have them on the Algae setting at 60% power. One of these days when I feel like fiddling with Photone again, I’ll check it and report back. I still have some BBA algae, mostly on the wood, but all the string algae in the moss has just vanished.







Thanks for reading!

 

[Kwyet]

Well, 6 months since the last update, and too many trips away from home, etc. All the fish are fine, with the exception of the oldest Cory that passed away. He was one of the first batch of fish that I bought when I retired and set up the BiOrb, so 8 years ago. I know they can live longer, but that seems pretty good to me.

I’ve replaced all of the front sand with CaribSea Sunset Gold. It’s prettier. I hope the color doesn’t fade too soon. I would rather not make it a yearly thing! The wood all has BBA , and I had to get rid of most of the moss as it became infested with string algae again. The BBA doesn’t get on the plants. I know I can spot-treat it, but I think it’ll just keep coming back. I have some SAE’s that are just about big enough to go in here. It’ll be interesting to see if they make a dent in it. Otherwise, I might just pull the wood out, scrub it, and dry it out, to get a fresh start.

I’ve put a lot of Blyxa in here. I wasn’t sure how it would do, since I had read that it needed CO2. It seems very happy though. The Stargrass is doing well too, and grows much more slowly and compact than it did in the Dutch tank. The Val has gone crazy and I should probably thin it out. Any other suggestions, fire away! It’s going to stay low-tech and nature-style though, so keep that in mind. I’m hoping that with going from 10 tanks to 6, I’ll be able to give the remaining ones more and better attention!






Thanks for reading!

 

[BenB]

In the past, I always had good luck with Excel killing BBA . Might be worth a try.

 

[Kwyet]

In the past, I always had good luck with Excel killing BBA. Might be worth a try.

Thanks! I’ll keep it mind.

 

[techman81]

In the past, I always had good luck with Excel killing BBA. Might be worth a try.

Or a low dose of hydrogen peroxide as long as it's not near moss. Once it's dying, shrimp will flock to it or at least in my tank they do.

 

[Kwyet]

Or a low dose of hydrogen peroxide as long as it's not near moss. Once it's dying, shrimp will flock to it or at least in my tank they do.

Yes, thanks! I’ve used those methods (in other tanks) before, but this is quite extensive. I think it’ll probably be necessary to remove all the wood, clean it up, and then spray it with the Excel and/or hydrogen peroxide. I’m not sure it won’t come back though. I had a rock in the Dutch tank that I eventually just removed permanently because the BBA would always come back. I know it’s supposed to be caused by dirty filters, and it is time to clean these, but it seems like the more often I clean them the faster this stuff spreads, so that’s weird. The wood on the left is quite old, but the Spiderwood on the right is relatively new. At any right, after I get the room/aquariums arranged the way that I want I’ll turn my attention to really attacking this!

 

[Kwyet]

I pulled out all of the wood on the left side and pulled some patches of Val out. I’ll scrub the wood and leave it outside for a few months. I would think that would thoroughly kill any algae. I may not put it back in though. I’m liking the way it looks now better, I think. I also put in a bunch of plants from the other tanks that were taken down. The catfish rearranged a bit during the night, lol! I only saw 1 pictus when I was doing all this, but I went back down in the evening with the lights dimmed and all 3 pictus and 8 Cory cats came out for pellets.

I’ll start spot-treating the remaining BBA with water changes and I think that’ll finish it off. I probably won’t update again for awhile.




Thanks for reading!

 

[Naturescapes_Rocco]

Looks amazing. The kind of tank you can stare at for hours.