Welcome to ScapeCrunch, @Pneumonicsonic!
We would love to get to know you. Please tell us about yourself. What tank do you have?
We would love to get to know you. Please tell us about yourself. What tank do you have?
Welcome to ScapeCrunch
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Hello Welcome, Pneumonicsonic
- Thread starter Art
- Start date
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- #2
Hi thanks for the welcome! I got into the hobby around 12 years ago, and have had a 75 gallon sts capped dirt planted tank for ~5 years, all while doing interventional radiology residency and us having our fourth child. Needless to say my tank went full walstad and became its own untouched ecosystem beyond throwing some food in and topping off the water for a couple years.
I have several generations of white cloud mountain minnows, neocardinia, a sole remaining grandfather nerite, and several true and I believe ‘fake’ (probably cardinia?) amanos as the remaining fauna. I had a large number of crypts, buce, and swords with some foreground plants and moss but the entire tank was overtaken by a single bit of what I think is riccia or something of that nature that then overtook the tank over the last few years. Once two years ago I cut back a 5 gallon bucket worth of the stuff, and I just did that again this week when I decided to get back on the hobby actively since my kids all said they missed seeing more than the floating green monster and some shrimp and tiny fish :/.
I don’t know if I took a picture of the tank at its worst but I have some from its heyday four years ago.
Imine removed most of the pest plant and have some remaining crypts and the buce actually generally did well. There’s one sword handing on but beyond that I’m in dire need of wanted biomass so I have an order in for some root feeders and fast growing plants before I buy a new light (one thing that ‘helped’ was my hyggro light died and it’s only had my trusty old 24 inch finnex lighting it for the last -12 months) and compete against algae.
My goal is to get towards that middle type tank with maybe an open flow reactor or something once I move in a couple months, but the idea of moving that tank how it looked before was not something that filled me with joy, and for a hobby I’ve loved and let fall by the wayside I decided to try to reclaim and revive this tank still full of a thriving ecosystem and a eheim classic that is pumping along with not a single cleaning in 5 years :S.
Hopefully I won’t be judged too harshly for my choices. Working 80-100 hour work weeks through residency and with a young family left little time for this hobby we all enjoy, but as I move into the next season of life I hope that things will improve in many ways, including for this trusty tank.
Thanks for listening to my long novel. I’ve already spent a day reading through many posts and I feel inspired by all of you.
I have several generations of white cloud mountain minnows, neocardinia, a sole remaining grandfather nerite, and several true and I believe ‘fake’ (probably cardinia?) amanos as the remaining fauna. I had a large number of crypts, buce, and swords with some foreground plants and moss but the entire tank was overtaken by a single bit of what I think is riccia or something of that nature that then overtook the tank over the last few years. Once two years ago I cut back a 5 gallon bucket worth of the stuff, and I just did that again this week when I decided to get back on the hobby actively since my kids all said they missed seeing more than the floating green monster and some shrimp and tiny fish :/.
I don’t know if I took a picture of the tank at its worst but I have some from its heyday four years ago.
Imine removed most of the pest plant and have some remaining crypts and the buce actually generally did well. There’s one sword handing on but beyond that I’m in dire need of wanted biomass so I have an order in for some root feeders and fast growing plants before I buy a new light (one thing that ‘helped’ was my hyggro light died and it’s only had my trusty old 24 inch finnex lighting it for the last -12 months) and compete against algae.
My goal is to get towards that middle type tank with maybe an open flow reactor or something once I move in a couple months, but the idea of moving that tank how it looked before was not something that filled me with joy, and for a hobby I’ve loved and let fall by the wayside I decided to try to reclaim and revive this tank still full of a thriving ecosystem and a eheim classic that is pumping along with not a single cleaning in 5 years :S.
Hopefully I won’t be judged too harshly for my choices. Working 80-100 hour work weeks through residency and with a young family left little time for this hobby we all enjoy, but as I move into the next season of life I hope that things will improve in many ways, including for this trusty tank.
Thanks for listening to my long novel. I’ve already spent a day reading through many posts and I feel inspired by all of you.
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Thanks for sharing your story! I'm sure it resonates with so many of us.
I'm a lawyer and usually go through periods of "crazy busy, I don't have time for the tank" and then it passes and I go back with a more hands on approach. My solution has been to automate almost everything. While it has worked OK, it wasn't until I took my foot off the accelerator and converted the tank into a middle energy system, that things are mostly on autopilot with good results. Maybe automation can help you too?
Consider setting up a Journal to document your journey. This allows us to follow along and live vicariously, while providing a good record for you to remember.
Please review our FAQ to get familiar with some of the features we have here at ScapeCrunch. And, please lean in to the community, as it benefits you and all of us. Unlike social media, ScapeCrunch is meant to be enjoyed over long periods of leisurely time. This may predate you but I like to think of it like the "Cheers" bar where "everybody knows your name and they're always glad you came." [Hat tip to Norm who passed away yesterday]
I'm a lawyer and usually go through periods of "crazy busy, I don't have time for the tank" and then it passes and I go back with a more hands on approach. My solution has been to automate almost everything. While it has worked OK, it wasn't until I took my foot off the accelerator and converted the tank into a middle energy system, that things are mostly on autopilot with good results. Maybe automation can help you too?
Consider setting up a Journal to document your journey. This allows us to follow along and live vicariously, while providing a good record for you to remember.
Please review our FAQ to get familiar with some of the features we have here at ScapeCrunch. And, please lean in to the community, as it benefits you and all of us. Unlike social media, ScapeCrunch is meant to be enjoyed over long periods of leisurely time. This may predate you but I like to think of it like the "Cheers" bar where "everybody knows your name and they're always glad you came." [Hat tip to Norm who passed away yesterday]
Cool someone else who likes to play in the mud! There’s a couple of us with dirted substrates, and we for sure understand the burden of life taking priority over the hobby, you are in good company. I myself am going through a similar situation of tank neglect due to time constraints. Look forward to seeing you get back to it, and for sure start a journal.
