Who Gives A Fish Forums

I was browsing through some bonsai weeping willows earlier, and I think that could be a pretty cool idea - having one of those in a tank.

I've been toying with the idea of a bonsai tree in my biotope tank for ages, but never mustered the courage to give it a shot. My tea plants are sort of a test run, hoping they'll grow in a similar way. Would love to see how your experiment turns out, keep us posted.

Daydreaming while I get my water in order... I've got fish I want to get, but they require specific water conditions, which isn't my current situation. It's funny, some fish are super sensitive, while others seem to adapt, and then there are those that thrive despite the conditions. My Cory's, for instance, shouldn't be doing well in my water, but all three groups are doing great - they've grown from 1/2" to 2.5" in just 3-6 months. I've been telling myself no more soft water fish until I get my alkaline levels down and my pH from 8.5, but adding RO is helping. For now, I'm stuck with just thinking about adding house plants, since many of my aquatic plants have suffered from the high alkaline levels. It's the only way I can 'play' with my tanks at the moment.

I've got a setup going with hang on/in pots, filled with ceramic filter media - think Co Co puffs, hung on the inside of the tank ends... these Co Co puffs hold the plants in place, and the pots have slots on the sides and bottoms for the roots to grow out... I've also got an air stone under the pots, circulating water and air to the roots and the media.

I'm setting up a couple aquariums for breeding tilapia... thinking of putting 2 olive trees in the top one, where there's space to let them grow - that room's got a vaulted ceiling, so I've got some height to work with. Back corners, I've got a 65 gallon on the bottom, 45 gallon on top, both with just sponge filters to start... other house plants will be part of the filtering, like I've been doing with my other tanks. Might need to hang a hang on tank filter on the breeder tank during non-breeding times, but we'll see how it goes.

I've noticed some fish seem pretty particular about their water, while others are more laid-back.

I'm always concerned about the long-term effects on my fish, especially when it comes to water quality. They say it can cause kidney problems and that's a major worry for me, especially with my Cory's - it's like, they're doing great one day and then suddenly they're gone. I've got some tanks that are pretty heavily stocked, or at least they were, while others are nearly empty now. For now, I'm holding off on buying any new fish until I get my water sorted out.