My other Love!

[Jexnell]

Over my 50 years off and on I have had fish tanks. As a teenager I had a 20gal, while in the Army when I made Sgt and got my own place I hade a pair of 45gal. Around 30ish I had a 55gal. Lastly at my last apt I had three 125gal tanks. Currently I have a 40b with a pair of Honduran Red Points, some Molly's and Plattys. The HRP's have a batch of fry growing out atm as well.
Here is a vid of my current tank.

One of the babies mostly

Here are a few fish I raised, all started as small 1 to 2 inch fish.

And lastly Phoenix and Casper would try and attack each other..... lol

 

[Cottonoid]

Oh @Jexnell your fish are absolutely beautiful!!

That last photo of Phoenix and Casper is hilarious

 

[onamom]

Wow absolutely beautiful!

 

[HeatherG]

Is Casper a parrot fish?

 

[Jexnell]

Is Casper a parrot fish?

No he is a Amphilophus Saggitae, no common name. Cousins to Red Devils "Amphilophus Labiatus"and Midas "Amphilophus Citrinellus" cichlids. He is just a rare color, Leucistic absence of melanin giving him his ghostly white coloration. Saggitae are open water fish, so more elongated and less bulky than his cousins.
This is what I started with

And here is one of 5 spawns he and Goldie Hawn had

 

[Jexnell]

 

[HeatherG]

It would be an incredible photo if you could get another shot of phoenix and Casper, one that showed more of Phoenix (like his head and back more clearly, so it’s obvious a bird and a fish are looking at each other).

 

[Jexnell]

I found a baby Plattys today during the water change.

It's about the size of a grain of rice at the moment.

 

[HeatherG]

No he is a Amphilophus Saggitae, no common name. Cousins to Red Devils "Amphilophus Labiatus"and Midas "Amphilophus Citrinellus" cichlids. He is just a rare color, Leucistic absence of melanin giving him his ghostly white coloration. Saggitae are open water fish, so more elongated and less bulky than his cousins.
This is what I started with
View attachment 45388View attachment 45389
And here is one of 5 spawns he and Goldie Hawn had
View attachment 45390

Oh, he’s a cichlid! They are fun fish to keep and breed.

 

[Jexnell]

 

[Jexnell]

 

[Jexnell]

Been 10 months now and I am overgrown in plants. And my two HRPS have turned into 40 some...

The day of reckoning has arrived. I have to pull all the plants to be able to catch all the HRP'S.
Here are some of the final pictures

 

[Jexnell]

These are all of the plants

For a sense of scale, that is a shower curtain folded in half under the plants.

The longest of them reaching past 5ft in length.

I took all the HRP'S to The Wet Spot tropical fish

 

[Jexnell]

I removed the Amazon Swords and the Stem plants and 1/3 of the Vals.

Post replanting

 

[Jexnell]

I did replace the HRP's with a pair of pink Convicts

 

[zERo]

Wow, so many Vals! I’m trying to get mine to start bouncing across the tank.
Lovely cichlids too

 

[Jexnell]

Wow, so many Vals! I’m trying to get mine to start bouncing across the tank.
Lovely cichlids too

Every time in the past when I tried plants they would just slowly die off. This time I went all in and got Caribsea planted substrate and a Finnex Planted Plus 24/7 led light. And boy did it ever pay off in spades. I can't believe the growth I got from that light. It's been like a week or so since replanting and already I am getting new runners.

If you want some crazy growth get yourself a Finnex light. All I did was put in 24/7 mode and set the time.
Remember this is what I started with

Then ten months later...

 

[zERo]

Every time in the past when I tried plants they would just slowly die off. This time I went all in and got Caribsea planted substrate and a Finnex Planted Plus 24/7 led light. And boy did it ever pay off in spades. I can't believe the growth I got from that light. It's been like a week or so since replanting and already I am getting new runners.

I’ve never used any Caribsea products but have heard good things!
I usually put a base of top soil/miracle grow caped with pool filter sand.

I’ll check out the lights! Thanks for the tip. They look nice and bright too.

Then ten months later...

Wow! This tank is fantastic!

 

[Jexnell]

If you do get some Caribsea planted substrate get it local. That way you can make sure the bags are still sealed with the liquid ferts it comes with. No need to rinse just dump right into the tank.

 

[zERo]

If you do get some Caribsea planted substrate get it local. That way you can make sure the bags are still sealed with the liquid ferts it comes with. No need to rinse just dump right into the tank.

I’ll try to look for it, I only have one local LFS, so he may have some.
A new tank is always on the horizon!