Tuesday, March 31, 2015

...And now they eat Hygrophila corymbosa as well

Water change yesterday - the pH may be doing a little swinging.  I measured yesterday and it seemed like it might have gone as low as 6.5.
The fish are huge, verging on triple their original size.  No fish is smaller than 5", nose to peduncle.


Sunday, March 22, 2015

So, yeah. Vegetarians.

They discovered they are vegetarians.
But they don't like their broccoli equivalent - Hygrophila corymbosa.
Before:
So pretty!

Now:
So mowed.




Wednesday, March 18, 2015

The set-up - Which I should have started this blog with.

Pictures detailing this will follow, at which point I will delete this little bit of text.

The Pacu are currently living in an 75 US gallon tank - 48"x18"x20" high.  It is filtered by a sump tank (about  14 US gallons) with lava rock and plants (with a 24" T5HO light on it), as well as an AC 70 HOB filter, with just sponges.  The sponges on the HOB are just to pull particulates out of the water column, as that was a pretty big problem right from the start.

There is an automatic feeder set on the AC 70, that pours food into the outflow 3 times a day, 6 hours apart.

the lighting on this tank is a 48" T5 HO (May not be HO) corallife fixture.  I would recommend against them if you have contact between the bottom of the fixture and the top of the tank, fyi.The plastic "shield" for the bulbs melts a bit.  There is a 24" 2 bulb t5 HO on the sump, to help the plants that are in there to grow. 
In the sump is lava rock, and a few bioballs, as well as Anubias, Hygrophila, and some java fern, perhaps.


There's a bunch of slate in the tank, to make spaces for the pacu to feel comfortable.

Pool filter sand substrate, and there may or may not be any Malaysian trumpet snails left in the tank.


 

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Terrible news, everyone!

The science prof I had lined up to give me free credit just bailed, because he is too busy.  He also said that, for this to go forward, I would need an animal care certification, which takes about 4 months.

So, that's a setback.

I'll continue on. It'd be hard not to, with 17 voracious fish living in my basement.

Water change yesterday. There are at least 16 of them, but my count.
Algae growth is a bit of a concern, but I'm Not keen on introducing a pleco to that group.


Friday, March 6, 2015

Crap, now I've got about 60 problems. 60 parts per million that is! It's nitrates. That's the whole joke. Sorry.


Picked up some water test strips at the LFS and, yep, runaway nitrate problems.  This is the thing that having hydroponics attached is supposed to solve.  about 60ppm nitrates, but pH is good, as is the water buffering capacity and the nitrites and ammonia are at 0.  Still no corpses!


So, the plan for the weekend is to discuss what my partner is comfortable with in terms of hydroponics in our basement, and then try to get it started.
Also, start some seeds ASAP.
Also also do 2 water changes a few days apart, and bring that 60 down to 20 or less.  The math irritates me.  That means two 50% water changes to bring it down to 15, while the fish are still pooping.
DAMN THEM.  I hate 50% water changes.

Ooh!  Brainstorm.  The current plant shelf is right up against the aquarium, between it and the stairs.  I could put that on rollers, and use the space under the stairs as a hydro room.  It could work!!!

Monday, March 2, 2015

I've got 99 problems and a fish is one.

Not much new to report. Water parameters are apparently steady.  Temperature is rock solid.  I performed a 15+gallon water change on the weekend.  I did a test for Ammonia - 0ish (colour match test).
I'd like to get a constant monitor in there for nitrates, so I can keep an eye on that too.
I'm still trying to get a hold of the prof that agreed to supervise me.  I've asked the department secretary to let him know I'm trying to contact him.
Bah.

Still 17 alive, and they're (to my optimistic sight) noticeably larger.

Amazing!

Only 30 more weeks with the same number of problems and I'll be eating Pacu!

Interestingly, and disgustingly, my decorative tank has a problem, for the first time in probably a year.  One of the plecos has sloughed off a patch of skin about 1"x0.75" from his belly.
Only thoughts I have on it : Slept on the water heater, and was burned, or the introduction of some fish last week infected him with something awful.
I'll wait to make a decision on euthenasia.  He could pull out of this just fine.