Gailgirl
New member
I am so excited that my tank is almost finished! Just a few more pieces and finishing its cycle and then it's ready for the axie juvvies on their way! Thank you so much for everything that y'all post, it has made this so much easier!
Completed:
Challenges/To Do List:
Completed:
- Tank: 30 gal breeder tank, complete with fancy tinted glass cabinet stand (TY, craigslist!) with LED lights (off except to grow plants)
- Filtration: 206 Fluval cannister filter (Ebay, half price, shipped straight to me from Petsmart, likely a open box return, running like a dream)
- Temp Control: 1/15 HP Current Chiller (Ebay, well used and shipping was crazy high, check location, 15 mins away, local pick up thankyouverymuch, about 50% retail if it wasn't discontinued), also running like a dream, has just started dropping my tank temp hopefully the 12 degrees I need it to (Orlando temps aren't very axie friendly)
- Substrate: Slate tile/river pebbles both med and small, glued down with GE Silicon I and sealed with Parks Super Glaze Bartop Epoxy to 3/4 height of pebbles/slate, to allow for a watertight, dirt-proof, textured, and natural-looking flooring. Probably most proud of this, a combo of several flooring tutorials, most influentially weofui's "Almost done with the flooring" thread
- Hides: Influenced by DIY/Homemade Hide thread, DIY Hide made out of 70ish ounce rectangular ziploc container, with river pebbles glued all over, and 2 doorways at opposite ends, one on short side, one on long side, with pebbles lining doorways as well. Currently looks dorky with straggly java moss tied to it, hopefully will grow to cover it, and they'll have an Underhill to live in.
DIY Hide made of pieces of slate, carefully ground down by a Dremel, stacked to make 3 columns with a few wide flat pieces on top to make 2 shallow backless caves.
Flat-sided ceramic wall pocket planter flower pot thing from Joann's, dark green, sort of acorn shaped, large opening, like a little green round cave. - Vegetation: Currently just aforementioned sad straggly Java Moss, plans to add some floating plants, maybe some potted plants, but worried about axie's getting into potted plant substrate.
Challenges/To Do List:
- Finish fish-less cycle using just Ammonia from Ace Hardware, it's trudging along, helped by like 4 cups of "well-seasoned" goldfish tank gravel in net near filter intake to seed cycle.
- Fix plumbing on chiller--> tank, Fluval's nifty little rim clamps for hoses don't like the same sized vinyl tubing from the chiller, so I've gotten very well versed in barbed hose adapters to marry the vinyl tubing to the ribbed tubing, of course, the size we need is available in exactly 1 online store with crazy pricey shipping, but some minor alterations later, the next size available is coming via free shipping to will-call at Grainger and we pick it up in 2 days.
- Wait for glass lid to arrive from Amazon, tank came without one, and the rim is not DIY Mesh lid conducive. With the chiller, the mesh isn't as important I believe.
- Set up vermaculture/worm farm, it's been on my balcony empty since forever, and now we have a reason to start it, and home for our food waste and free-ish food for the axies. I've decided to stick to Red Wigglers, if I can start them out only eating those, they'll grow to love them, and they are ideal for vermaculture. Speaking of which...
- Not get grossed out by the live blackworms (what the juvies are eating now) in the fridge, and regularly remind the husband to leave them alone. Can't wait to switch to earthworms, I love earthworms.
- Buy more plants! Marimo Moss ball, aforementioned maybe potted plants, something lovely to mat on top for the axies to hang in.
- Resist buying adorable little shrimps, since my luck, they'll munch on the axies. But the cherry ones are SO CUTE! Convince husband we need a cherry shrimp tank (highly unlikely to be successful)
- And Most Important! Wait impatiently for axie juvies to come in the mail! Twistedfisher shipped them today! They have 2 lovely opaque 5 gal rubbermaid tubs to live in with daily water changes until the tank finishes cycling. Then I will introduce Edwina the leucistic and Clementine the golden albino to the world! (I'm willing them to be female so I don't have to deal with eggs or rename them, but am resigned to the prospect of both, again, with my luck)