# NPT Madness



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

So this is the first one, I'm re-doing, my 10gal 

Inside stuffs:
Soil, sand (lol)
Shasta (male hmpk)
1 glass green frog (he's in there just cause he's cute xD)

Mopani wood
Amazon Sword
Amazona Compacta (says it stays at 6" we'll see about that)
DHG
Water Wisteria
Java Fern
Moneywort
Banana Lilly

2x 13 Watt CFL 6500K bulbs
No filter

Goals:
See if the DHG will grow in this xD
Add more livestock later?

I have 1x 5.5, 1x 5, and 1x 2.5 gal tanks left to plant but those will take some time yet gonna try to do one per month (maybe 2 depending on plant growth in this tank that I can carry over into the 2.5)

Now that that's done
*stretches*
It's good to be back on the forum :-D


----------



## RowdyBetta (Feb 1, 2013)

Marking. ^^ Bee-uuuuu-tee-FUL!


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

After doing some browsing I think I want to add celestial pearl danios to this 
(once the plants have grown in)

And if they work out okay I might do a couple of shrimp either bees or amanos (bees because they'll be better able to hide and because I don't like ghosties, amanos because they're awesome algae removers)


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

The tank water is clearer today  Shasta is having a good time living it up like a king lol, the show off flashing his shiny fins at whoever looks at him xD

So update photo on the tank, not much has changed, but the banana lilly has really taken off, and is now working on a 6th leaf and the wisteria is sporting new growth ^^ it's hard to tell in the picture but you can definitely see the change in the lilly 

Also, I saw a BEAUTIFUL butterfly boy at the store today, and since I had a spare tank, decided to get him. He's still pretty shy, but I'm pretty sure he'll have a full 180 degree halfmoon spread :lol:

First two are the new boy last is the tank


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

*Photo Spam Time!*

The 2.5 gal has the new guy and a small anubias nana

It was SO hard to get pictures of these boys :shock: the blue and black one is still unnamed (ideas?) and Shostakovitch is the pk (he's extremely fast so I did the best I could with him) 

Update on the 10 gal:

More growth! Yay! the wisteria is really taking off. The sprigs started at about 3" and now they're around 5"  the smallest leaf on the banana lily is now about 2" across and will probably get to about 3.5" before it reaches the surface of the tank

I'll post pics of the other 2 boys later (and I need to update the sig lol)

PHOTO SPAM TIME!!!:twisted:


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

So it's been a little over a week since I planted and my sad little 3 leaf baby sword now has five leaves and is a good 2 inches taller at least than it was. The compacta has sprouted 2 leaves that are 3 inches taller than the rest, it looks a little silly lol IN THE PAST 2 DAYS! Seriously... one leaf appeared yesterday, and now there's a second tall one today lol. There's also a 5th leaf on the banana lilly tha finally unfolded yesterday or the day before. I'lll post pictures tomorrow I think, for a update. 

Also, I bought some plants off a member here, and as soon as they get here I'm going to plant at least one of the 5 gals so I'll have more npts to dote on and to share. xD though I'm not really sure anyone reads this xD


----------



## RowdyBetta (Feb 1, 2013)

I read it! :cheers: 
That growth is amazing!  My amazon sword is growing crazy too. I can't wait to see the pics! How's your DHG doing?


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

Lol thanks Rowdy, I'll try to get some pictures tomorrow. I THINK the DHG MIGHT be starting to carpet, the little tufts I planted look much bigger today than they did in that first pic. When I post the update photo you can give me a second opinion XD

oh also, the moneywort in the back sprouted a baby plant today that's already about a 1/2" tall xD


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

Okay here's the update photo I promised  you can't really see it there, but the sword in the back is much bigger and the wisteria has grown a lot as well as the moneywort.

Also, my husband and I just adopted a kitty! She's a tabby and will be coming home on Thursday after she's been spayed and gotten her shots :lol:


----------



## PetMania (Mar 28, 2013)

subscribed ;-)


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

Lol thanks PM


----------



## PetMania (Mar 28, 2013)

I like NPT tanks, so I'll be interested  
Those danios are beautiful. Thinking of breeding? Haha, jk. Lol.


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

Oh no, it was just an idea I was toying with, I'm still wanting fishy tank mates but in a 10 gal that just might not be possible, at least not until the plants grow in more. 

In the mean time I'm going to be getting 3 purple mystery snails from a member along with some plants for my other tanks. Next step for the 10 gal is to add shrimp after I see that there's enough coverage for them (still to young of a tank to support shrimp life right now)


----------



## PetMania (Mar 28, 2013)

Sounds like a good plan ;-) 

I'm planning out my 10gal as well. I need a place for my platy breedin'


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

I used to own platys (when I was a kid) I had a really bizarre community tank and well.... I'd rather not get into details, but I was fascinated by fish then. Now that I have the ability to have tanks again, it's been really nice rediscovering my love for aquatic life.


----------



## PetMania (Mar 28, 2013)

:-D I am now discovering how much I love fish-keeping. Not only do I love bettas, I love all fish. Platys, bettas, goldfish, cichlids, and mollies just happen to be my favorite . I want to attempt to breed platys and bettas. 

Anyways, I believe that in a couple of weeks, those plants are going to G-R-O-W


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

Yeah, already I've seen a ton of growth, the sword (you can kind of see it in the far back on the right side of the second tank picture I just posted) started out TINY last week, as in you couldn't even see it over the wood I have in there and it's already grown a lot. 

I think the reason for the sudden growth spurt that I started to see this weekend was that the roots have figured out that they're in soil now and have been able to get the nutrients they need. Which is great. I'm really hoping that the dhg takes off as well as I really like the look of it. I just don't want to do the CO2 thing, so I might start dosing with ferts later if I don't see much improvement.


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

Update:

The tank is doing quite well, the sword is really starting to take off and I think the dhg is getting bushier 

I also got some new plants in the mail some of which I added to the 10 gal, the rest I planted in the other tanks. I'll try to post pictures of the other tanks this weekend.

Also, my husband and I adopted a kitty who still does not have a name (suggestions?)


----------



## RowdyBetta (Feb 1, 2013)

Wow its really filled in!  It's looking really, really great!
And your kitty is adorable! ^^ The little tike looks like a tabby we had as kids named (oh so original) Tabby. Is new feline a guy or gal? c:


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

Thanks Rowdy 

And he's a he xD he also likes to nom on fingers... xD he's gentle for the most part though... and he only sleeps _under_ the covers on our bed. Never had a cat do that before lol


----------



## PetMania (Mar 28, 2013)

Your tank looks amazing! Suggestions for that beautiful tom would be Rusty, Shadow, or Tiger. I'm not too good with names ;-) lol


----------



## RowdyBetta (Feb 1, 2013)

I'm not great with names either, but here are few ideas. c:
Bandit
Kid(or Kiddo X3, lol)
Winchester
Colt
Sammy
Marshal
Outlaw
Ranger

Idk, lol, I'm not very good at names XD. And when I do think of some it usually has western themes. XD


----------



## PetMania (Mar 28, 2013)

Oooooo I like the name Bandit


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

Thank you both, we decided to go with Rajah (Jasmine's tiger from Aladdin)

Also... snail pictures!!!!
This guy (or girl?) was posing for me so I got some really cute pictures! Never thought a snail could be cute xD 
+
Bonus Rajah pic!


----------



## RowdyBetta (Feb 1, 2013)

Your snail is adorable! X3 And so is Rajah! 8D (I love his name by the way! ^^ All kitties have a bit of some big cat in them c


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

Lol, yea the snail was just being super cute xD
And Rajah is super timid most of the time, but once he starts playing and gets all excited he can be quite the hunter. He was a stray before the shelter got him, so when he plays he is really accurate when it comes to attacking the toy xD it's so cute


----------



## PetMania (Mar 28, 2013)

I think water snails are cute. Especially pink ramshorns  
I like that name. Jasmine is one of my fav Disney princesses


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

Jasmine is one of my favorites too. Now that it's evening Raja keeps attacking my toes, having to hide them under a blanket. Tiny kitty claws are sharp! xD


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

So my banana lily decided to drop all of its leaves except for the budding one... part of that may be due to a snail chewing on it lol. I think they've tasted everything in the tank now xD I'll probably go get some algae wafers at some point though I know they like veggies better... veggies just get more expensive and I won't eat the left overs *sigh*

There's enough algae in the tank for them to much on, I think they were just exploring, so I won't hold it against them ^^ 

Rajah finally learned how to use his scratching board/post thing, and mews at me whenever he's hungry or wants to play. Which is nice. I mean, how often do cats TELL you what they want? He's been taking well to the wet food I got him, so I might pick up a few more cans on my way home from work tomorrow. 

I got one of the 5's successfully planted so I'll post pictures of that tomorrow (I hope) It's Dimitri's tank, my lovely little tail biter xD hopefully this will keep him distracted enough to leave his fins alone XD

Also... as Rajah is laying on top of my chest with the back of his head under my nose... kitties smell so lovely... I don't know why but I just love a cat's natural scent... call me crazy XD


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

I'm starting to get depressed about my poor lily the leaf bud is gone today... I think one of the snails ate it >.< hopefully it'll sprout a new one soon... I really love that plant....

The other plants are doing great now though, the dhg is actually spreading! I found a tiny runner today with a little green poking up about half an inch from the parent plant  and it's all a lot bushier than it was 

The swords of course are growing like crazy plants and my wisteria's leaves!!! OMG I didn't think water wisteria could grow leaves this massive, but some of the newer leaves are as big as some of the small compacta leaves O.O

Sorry I haven't been posting as many pictures of late... I've been really busy with Rajah, he's such a rambunctious little kitty! and I've been sick... I don't really know for sure what this is, but it's probably an upper respiratory infection... I got sick earlier this semester with a bad cold for about a week, and then on Saturday I started coughing, and was dizzy, and had a fever and a swollen throat and lymph nodes and yea... it was bad  I've been coughing really bad since then. Cough drops only do so much so I buckled under today and bought some meds... just cough syrup, but it's been helping, along with a cup of chai tea in the mornings and camomile in the evenings (I'm a firm believer in the healing powers of tea) though I should probably add in some green tea... eh I'll do that tomorrow *sips on camomile*

I'll try to post some pictures soon... at least of Dimitri's tank. I was going to say something else but I can't remember.... OH!! Okay (stream of consciousness here lol) so I saw some REALLY cute otos in petsmart today while I was buying more wet food for my fuzzy pain in the butt and had to turn them down because in the tank right next to theirs were some really sad looking barbs... COVERED in ich *sigh* it's so hard to get good fish stock around here... I'm going to have to drive an hour to a decent fish place to get some shrimps in a few weeks because no one around here does decent freshwater stuff... 

IF, and that's a BIG if, I COULD put otos in this 10 gal of mine, would you recommend it? Shosta's really aggressive... he only recently stopped picking on the snails (who now have much shorter antennae... I feel really bad about that...) 

I'm also wondering about the shrimps... if I add them in with Shosta out of the tank and give them 30 minutes to an hour to find good places to hide I think it might be okay... and give him time to get over the small invasion to his territory... honestly I think this guy needs like a 30 gal all to himself... he's just crazy territorial... maybe I'll do that at some point... but it'll be a few years and by then he'll be older... I don't know *sigh* I want this guy to live a while, he's my favorite... 

... I'm rambling now... the meds have gotten to me... lol sorry for being so boring I'll post pictures soon ^^;


----------



## Illhearted (Sep 23, 2013)

I wouldn't put the otos in the ten. They produce a lot of waste, on top of your mystery snail(s), and you'd need at least 5 of them since they are a shoaling fish. Pygmy cories would be a better choice.


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

Thanks, I'll probably just get shrimpies in a month or so, tank isn't quite ready for anything else yet xD


----------



## PetMania (Mar 28, 2013)

How's the tank doing? Sorry I haven't checked your thread the past couple of days. I haven't had much time to log in.


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

It's going well, I think my lily is dying though  I read online somewhere that they tend to die off after about a year... which seems really strange to me but I'm not too upset about it. 

Everything else in the tank is just peachy, the hygro that I recently added already needs to be trimmed and both swords are blossoming. I'll try to post update pics tomorrow (or late tonight) if I can convince my hubby to let me borrow his phone (camera) lol


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

*Pictures Finally!*

Okay so here's a quick picture update, and a bonus of Shosta hanging out in the dhg


----------



## Angelafish (Dec 28, 2012)

So pretty... I love your planted tank!  That must be one of the happiest bettas in the world.


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

Haha! I hope he's happy xD he acts like it 

And thank you  I've worked really hard to get it going. It's really satisfying to see him patrolling around and watching the snails nomming on random things and just scooting around xD


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

So my mom bought Rajah a gift yesterday! She got him a cardboard castle from petco it looks something like this









So far he hasn't really used it, but I like it ^^

not much to update on the tanks other than it's still growing like crazy I'll hopefully be able to post more pictures later this week around Wednesday or so most likely. I'm going to be really busy Monday and Tuesday with my student teaching. The orchestra I'm working with has a concert on Tuesday so they're having lots of after school rehearsals on those days ^^;

And just a little blurb about Rajah...

I don't know if I told you guys, but we got Rajah from a local shelter that was having a special on cat adoptions because they were getting really full of kitties (kittens mostly). My husband actually picked Rajah out because he was really sweet and laid back, and would just sit in his lap and purr like crazy. The shelter (who told us he was a girl lol) said that he had been there for a month already and if no one adopted him, he would probably be put to sleep because they were running out of space. So my husband decided that he was ours right then. All his shots and neutering cost $30 because of the special and we got to bring Rajah home two days later.

Since then this little cat has been the absolute JOY of my life. My husband works night shifts so I don't get to see him very much, and Rajah has helped to fill that void. In less than a week he and I had bonded to a level that all I have to do is call his name and he comes running down the hallway to rub his little face all over whatever part of me he can get to. 

Last night I woke up to him curled up next to my chest with his head and front paws laying across my neck  it was so cute. When I'm walking around the apartment the little guy follows me around and attacks my ankles. We've even developed a game I call "kitty soccer" where we take turns kicking and batting his 
ball(s) around. xD

Anyway, I've probably bored anyone reading this long enough, but I just wanted to share my love for the little guy =^.^=


----------



## Chachi (Sep 22, 2013)

Sounds like both you and Rajah are lucky to have found each other!


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

Yeah, he's quite the special little dude  I love him to bits xD


----------



## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Not boring at all! Rajah sounds cute.


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

He is lol, instead of meowing, he kind of meep-squeaks xD


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

*Yay! Actual update this time!*

So today was our big water change day (mainly because of apartment issues)

Basically this is what went down:
1am My husband discovers that all the power along one wall of our apartment went out (this was the wall that we had most of our tanks on and the fridge)
so power was out to the fridge as well
10am We report it to the complex to get it fixed and we find out that there was a frayed wire :shock: along with the breaker for that circut going out
4pm I get home from work and start on the tanks, we decided to move all the tanks to one centralized location because of this incident and to take the load off the breaker that was having issues

And this is the result after about 3 hours of work, I was able to clean the algae off of the 10g front wall and did some trimming and re-planting. We put our fin biter in a temp hospital tank because he was having a hard time fighting off some rot, our female got an upgrade which included plants. The 5(ish?)g hex/bowfront got some much needed plant maintenance and is now sporting it's new inhabitant, a bright blue male with BEAUTIFUL black fins.

All in all I say it was time well spent  

Also, as a bonus, Raja found a new hiding spot xD 
Oh and the wall hanging in the back of the koi was made by my mother and was a wedding present, we figured that was a good spot for it ^^

EDIT: it might be hard to tell, but I actually added some moss to the mopani ^^ I took a moss ball and broke it apart and stuck the bits on the wood in a place where it can hang on. It has since pearled for me, I guess I have happy moss? xD


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

*Happy Halloween + Gross pictures*

I'm really getting an itch to stalk my 10g with something new... I mean I love that Shosta is happy in there, and he's learned to leave the snails alone (who are thankfully growing their antennae back now) but it still seems kinda empty. I know it's not quite ready yet plant wise, but by the time it will be (maybe around December or so) I would like to add some more stock to it... I was thinking some shrimps but I have to be really careful with how I would add them because Shosta is really aggressive and territorial. And that makes me worry about other stock too... because I know he loves his space and doesn't like sharing...

I think I've decided I want bee shrimp 










as I think that they will blend in better with the plants and substrate but as it's starting to cool off I'm worried about shipping them here (can't get them locally) with the tank as it is of yesterday I still don't think there's enough cover which is why I want to wait. 

Does anyone have any experience with liveaquaria's shipping? I know I should wait but I don't want to have to wait until spring :-?

Anyway... fish stuff is over for now on to other stuffs

So Tuesday, the orchestra I'm student teaching with had a concert, one of the bass students carelessly left his bass in the middle of the floor in front of the door to the orchestra hall WITH his end pin still out :evil: and graceful me walked right into the sharp, unprotected metal end.

This is what the dern thing looks like (when it's not attached to a 50+lb object)










And this is what it the spot on my knee looks like two days later (it's still kinda swollen and raised)


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

Oh and I started doodling again put a post up in the art section *le link*

*this is mostly for my benefit, because if I don't post it here I might forget to update the silly thing*


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

Not much to report today, the hygro(?) I think that's what it is anyway, is totally starting to take over, I just trimmed it and now it needs to be cut again o.o soon enough my tank is gonna be filled with the stuff xD

My wisteria is really starting to get bushy too, although the dhg... sections of it aren't doing so well, but it's making for good snail snacks lol. maybe I'll try something else later I kind of want something on the bottom of the tank for future shrimps to hide in... I was debating about ordering a couple of moss mats or something... oh well..

In other news, Rajah likes me more than my husband xD so now he's jealous. Rajah will come running over to me when I call him and hop right into my lap, but when my husband tries, he's like NOPE and goes back to me lol

Also, this cat is CRAZY smart. We had a paper bag out and cut a hole in the bottom so we could dangle toys and fingers through, well after a couple of tries he figured out that the toy (or hand) was outside the bag in the back and attacked directly. Never had a cat figure that out before lol. And he basically refuses to chase the laser pointer because he knows he can't catch it and prefers toys that he can actually sink his claws into, so we have to work harder to find him new things to play with XD


----------



## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Rajah sounds like he has a cute personality.


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

He does lol. Although he's a pain at night because he starts scratching the carpet (out bedroom is the only room in the apartment that has carpet) and we have to wake up and discipline him for it. Usually just saying his name gets him to stop, but sometimes we sleepily throw socks at him lol. At least he's leaving the furniture alone...


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

Tank update 

Did a wee bit of trimming on the 10 today, the hygro is really starting to get bushy so I moved more in front of the heater (I want that thing hid lol) also, I must have freaked out the snails or something because the smaller one dug a hole :shock: I filled it in after he figured out I wasn't going to hurt him and left the hole lol didn't know mystery snails did that. You can kind of see it in the bottom left, there's a pile of sand next to him where he dug :roll:

Edit (figured I might as well do a kitty blurb lol)
Rajah is starting to get bigger  he was SOOOO skinny when we first got him... like, you could see his hips really clearly and he didn't have a rounded rump, he was just all skin and bones. Now when I pet him it doesn't feel like a fuzzy xylophone anymore lol, I'm keeping track of his diet so he doesn't get over weight, but basically what I feed him is 1 can of wet kitten food in the morning (around 7 am) and 3/4 cup of dry kitten food in the evening. He's very active and playful and my husband and I spend roughly 1-2 hours playing with him throughout the day (usually in 30 minute intervals)


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

Photo spam 

Had a bit of fun trying to get decent pictures of shosta, and going to try to add pictures a different way... 
Edit* I don't think you can see these if you're not a member, the photos are linked from my albums... 


The tank today, already grown since yesterday! :shock:









Flirting with the girl next door









This guy was trying so hard to climb onto this hornwort and fell off on attempt #1 and seemed really happy to finally get on (this particular piece of plant had a lot of algae growing on it)









And a bonus of the blue guy (still no name) in an attempt to get him to flare... he refuses to cooperate, so still not positive if he's full HM or a SDT yet, though I pretty sure he'll have a full 180 spread, also, he's really little


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

Okay so... uh... here are the pictures so other people can see them (in order of the blurbs in the above post)


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

Not too much going on today, did a partial on the 10 to get rid of some of the soil tannins (not bad I know, I was just tired of looking at yellow water) I'm really enjoying how fast the plants are growing now. I'm hopeful about adding shrimps soon-ish maybe if I win that cholla wood raffle... xD lol if not I can probably find some at an lfs. Still thinking about adding those celestials.... although I'd probably have to buy an aerator for that right? (thinking about using a bubble wall for that in the back under/behind the heater)

Once I get *some* sort of cholla wood (really dead set on it now win or lose) I'm going to tie some of my moss to it to try to fill in the front a little more. I was thinking about putting it in front of the dirftwood I have in there... but would that make it look badly balanced? I don't want to scape this thing, I want it to look like a chaotic jungle for the most part, but I don't want it to look... messy? I dunno, thoughts would be appreciated ^^ 

Also, should I get some different more twiggy driftwood to add? give it a little more height and organic look?


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

So I was at the petstore (petsmart) today to pick up some kitty litter on the way home, and encountered the best fish manager/person that I've ever seen in a chain store (to be fair I've met this lady on a number of occasions and we have a good rapport with each other)

Anyway, I'm browsing the bettas/plants and she just casually walks up to me and asks me what plants I have in my tank, I rattle off a list of some and we get talking about good places to get co2 and whatnot (she knows I keep bettas and am into npts) and she tells me that she has both a 55 and a 90 aquascaped tanks! She does all this aquascaping and long story short, takes the BEST care of the fish at this store. Every time they get a new shipment of bettas she changes their water and feeds them (individually I might add) she also changes the water in their cups as often as she can. Of course you still have the really sad looking ones, but the majority are really well taken care of because of her. 

The end result of my visit was kitty litter (of course) some cat toys (that Rajah is completely ignoring) and a new plant!! 

Say hello to telanthera cardinalis (so pretty) 
It's a medium light plant (whoohoo) that is redish pink and doesn't need co2 injections to stay that color (though lighting does make a difference) So I planted it in various parts of the tank to see where it will do best. I'm hoping it will fill in the right hand corner over by the mopani, or back behind it ^^ there are a few stems in front of the lava rock and a couple over by the compacta on the side ^^


----------



## BettaLover1313 (Apr 15, 2013)

Just finished reading your journal! It's amazing to see how much your plants have grown in your tank/how much it's changed since you first started this! 

Rajah is adorable! He reminds me a bit of my own Renji!


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

*personal freak out moment* OMG OMG someone commented!!! *pant pant*

Okay I'm done xD

Thank you  When I look back to that day 1 picture I'm pretty taken aback myself, it's come a long way in just a month  I think once this new plant of mine grows in I'll get up the guts to get some shrimp 

Yeah, Rajah is really cute ^^ I have some new pictures of him but haven't been able to post them, recently he's been sleeping upside down with his tongue poking out LOL Last night the hubby and I were lounging on the couch with Rajah on the foot stool thing, and he was sleeping like that and I said "You know Rajah, I can't take you seriously when you sleep like that." He opened one eye, looked at me, stretched and rolled completely onto his back and went back to sleep. Then my husband said "Yeah, that doesn't help" and we both laughed, to which Rajah gave us an impatient tail flick. Silly kitties :roll::lol:

Edit: Renji... as in from Bleach? ;D
Also, every time I see your profile pic I have this moment of "Is that my fish? That looks like my fish" because he looks EXACTLY like shosta o.o


----------



## BettaLover1313 (Apr 15, 2013)

twolovers101 said:


> *personal freak out moment* OMG OMG someone commented!!! *pant pant*
> 
> Okay I'm done xD
> 
> ...


Yep, Renji from Bleach ;-). He was originally named Sweetie, since we thought he was female, but it turned out he wasn't, and Renji just stuck. 

They do look very similar! It's uncanny how similar they look!


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

> Yep, Renji from Bleach . He was originally named Sweetie, since we thought he was female, but it turned out he wasn't, and Renji just stuck.


Haha we though Rajah was a female at first too xD Then the vet called, and said "Ummm, the cat you adopted is a male..." LOL

Anyway in order of the attached photos...

1. Tank photo of the day  I'm really liking the new plant :-D

2. Shosta's new bubblenest!! they have a small surface area but he likes to stack them, usually they get to around half an inch in height or more, which I think is impressive for a fish xD

Personal time!! 
3. My collection of blind box unicorno collectable figurines (need more cuteness!) and a blind bag Rarity crystal pony I lucked out with today (Rarity is best pony) My two favorites are the ones on the right, Sakura and Pogo ^^

4. My 8" lentil Mameshiba plush (if you noticed in the pictures of all my tanks together I have 4 mameshiba mini plush key rings hanging under the hex tank) And my 10" Rarity plush doll. I really want the Octavia one too....

5. Rajah! Being his cute little self  (except his eyes are usually orange... not green...)


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

> 3. My collection of blind box unicorno collectable figurines (need more cuteness!) and a blind bag Rarity crystal pony I lucked out with today (Rarity is best pony) My two favorites are the ones on the right, Sakura and Pogo ^^


Sorry... I meant the ones on the left... I would just edit it but it's been too long now... I'm really badly directionally challenged... D:


----------



## Rosencrantz32 (May 12, 2013)

Lucky for you I am also directionally challenged, so I had looked at the ones you really meant instead of the ones you indicated... lol


----------



## Quinn (Apr 4, 2010)

Your tank looks great! As do the inhabitants 
I think I'm getting a 6 gal to make NPT. I wish I had been brave enough to use soil in my others, the Floramax doesn't seem to be cutting it for me. Seemed like everything was doing so well and suddenly started declining, and now just is really slow growing :/ Now I have to work on that *sigh*


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

> Lucky for you I am also directionally challenged, so I had looked at the ones you really meant instead of the ones you indicated... lol


HAHA had a good laugh at that one  but yes, I love my little unicornos  they have such personality for plastic inanimate objects lol



> Your tank looks great! As do the inhabitants
> I think I'm getting a 6 gal to make NPT. I wish I had been brave enough to use soil in my others, the Floramax doesn't seem to be cutting it for me. Seemed like everything was doing so well and suddenly started declining, and now just is really slow growing :/ Now I have to work on that *sigh*


Thank you 

I've never used Floramax, though I've seen it in stores, good to know it doesn't deliver.. How long have your tanks been set up? If it's been 6 months to a year you might simply need new bulbs, they tend to fade after a while. You could also try using root tabs or dosing with seachem's flourish or excel. Excel is basically liquid CO2 and if you go that route, put it in at the start of your daylight cycle, so the plants absorb it better  (got that little gem off a knowledgeable plant enthusiast at petsmart o.o)


----------



## Quinn (Apr 4, 2010)

I've actually heard people have had success with it, that's why I got it! I'm not quite sure where it went wrong, it's only been a few moths, so I'm still tinkering with lighting times, after experiecing some hair algae in the beginning (then got Amanos who took care of that quick) and now the plant issues. I'm buying Flourish (hesitant about Excel because I have inverts and have heard many death stories). Already have root tabs in there as well, but most of the plants that were doing well and now aren't are not heavy root feeders so hopefully the flourish will help. Well except the floaters. They never stop! Haha. But the whole point of the Floramax was to not have to worry as much about add-ons, and it wasn't even the color I wanted they had in stock, so it's extra frustrating!


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

What's your current daylight exposure time? I had issues with hair algae in the beginning, but as my plants grew it went away on its own (with some help from my snails) lol I actually like algae as long as it's not on the front of my tank, and then I just scrape it off during water changes. 

What kind of plants are the ones that are having issues?


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

Update photo of the tank, some more growth, the vals are really taking off now, just trimmed a few leaves off. I've been doing more research (I do crazy amounts of research when I'm interested in something lol) And well... my tank is no where mature enough for shrimps yet  oh well. I'm still learning this whole process. I've also discovered that I don't have enough plants... it needs to be so much more denser. And I REALLY need long neck tweezers... something like this in order to get some of my trimmings planted where I want them *sigh* maybe I can get my husband to get me a pair... planting with my fingers is really getting difficult....

Maybe by the end of December the tank will be stable enough to have shrimp... meh not too happy about that... and the fact that I'm having to do 2 50% water changes a week... but I just need to get over it. It's not the fish's fault... I need to be better at doing my job...

Here are a few photos of the tank, and Shosta's nest (which I just destroyed T.T) his nest was a good .5" high and about the size of a silver dollar around. 

In other news, my husband and I are going on a date tomorrow that we've been planning for the past 2 weeks, to the Dallas World Aquarium I'll take lots of pictures for you guys  I'm really excited about it... like crazy excited... like... 5 year old on the night before Christmas kind of excited... maybe it'll spur me on to be a better fishkeeper...  

Also, Rajah is being a little snot. One moment he's doing the cutest cuddly things a kitten ever did, and the next he's ripping my hand to shreds :roll: Right now he's sleeping with his tongue poking out of his mouth while I type this and listen to season 1 of My Little Pony... yes, I'm 23, collect unicornos, and love MLP... I'm such a werido.


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

So the Dallas World Aquarium was AMAZING so many cool things!! Free flight birds, a PANTHER, sharks, alligators, giant fish, a FREAKING MANATEE O.O, tree kangaroos, just all sorts of cool animals ^^ 

I finally broke down and made a photobucket album, so when I have pictures I have comments to make, I can just link those  

Here's the DWA slide show *le click!* 
Also, the photos are in kind of a random order, but they're just there to share and enjoy  also, there's a picture of me next to this MASSIVE fish, and the manatee was a good 3 times bigger than the fish, just to give you some perspective ^^

And I've decided to rename the snails Thing One and Thing Two (since I don't know their gender). Also I added a filter to Shosta's tank... I noticed some wonky things about my water tests so I decided to give cycling a shot, also, it'll take a good 2 months for the tank to mature anyway, so I figured I might as well give it a shot ^^;


----------



## BettaLover1313 (Apr 15, 2013)

Very nice pictures!


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

Thanks  they were taken on my husband's iPhone... so some of them are kind of blurry/out of focus. The manatee was the best exhibit though, the island in the middle was a legit island, with trees on top and monkeys living in the trees. The tank didn't look as big from the top as it actually was. When we got down to the lower levels both my hubby and I were awed by how huge and deep it was.


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

Update photo of the tank  I need to scrape the algae off the glass again... this is why I need shrimp...










Thing 1 and Thing 2 try to clean it all, but I think it just grows faster than they can manage on their own.
Presenting Thing Two's efforts








Thing One doing it's best.









And I tried to get some halfway decent photos of shosta today... meh 

























And Rajah pictures!!









Playing with his new toy (he's obsessive about this thing) it's so cute!









And who doesn't love bean toes?!?!









Little cutie woke me up this morning by sucking on my earlobe and purring, such a sweetie!


----------



## BettaLover1313 (Apr 15, 2013)

Wonderful pictures!


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

Thank you  I really like the first snail one ^^


----------



## PetMania (Mar 28, 2013)

Wow, it's looking awesome! 

About one of your previous posts....don't worry, I'm a MLP fan, too. Lol

<-------------------


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

Haha thank you 

annnnd, I just thought of a name for the blue guy....

indroducing Fancy Pants (or Fancy Fins) lol, was just watching the episode where Rarity meets Fancy Pants  (I'm a RarityxFancy Pants shipper)


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

So did a WC on the tank today, and *before* doing the change I checked the params... MUCH better than last week before I added the filter

Ammonia-slightly less than .25 ppm
Nitrate-20 ppm (maybe a little less than that like 10 ppm I threw out the test already and forgot to write it down when I did it T.T)
Nitrite-0-.5 ppm
PH-(is getting softer??) 7.4 though it's a close call... could be 7.6 (it's 7.6-7.8ish from the tap)

Anyway... looks like I might actually be able to house the species of shrimp I want after all... I was afraid I might have to go with rili, or rcs. Don't get me wrong rcs are great, but the red color attracts too much attention from shosta (tried them with him in the past) he'll leave ghosties alone, but will hunt RCS on sight. Which is why I want to get a *slightly* less colorful type. Something prettier than ghosts, but not as bold as cherries...

Thoughts?

annddd pictures!
Update of the tank ^^ 
It's coming along, shosta and the snails are enjoying playing in the current, and I got to do a little trim and rub off some algae off the glass. 









And my favorite snail, Thing One, doin' its thing


----------



## PetMania (Mar 28, 2013)

Looking good! Your snail is so cute  that's why I love 'em


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

Thanks  Thing One is my favorite only because of its color, but Thing Two's stripes are clearer lol


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

:redmad:OMG RAWR GRRRRR AND STUFF I FREAKING HATE MY COMPUTER SOMETIMES:evil:

I was writing a post, and the tab randomly closed out, and I had to have an argument with my computer about wether or not I was holding down the freaking control key RAWR *ANGRY FACE*:frustrated:

I was almost done with that post too *scream*

.............................moving on................................

Thing One is acting weird... last night it tucked itself in and just kind of... floated in a corner... When I got up this morning I thought it was just sleeping, so I checked again when I got home from work, and nope, still floating. Every now and then it pokes out a couple antennae "looks around" and goes back in... I think Shosta may have taken a bite out of it's foot... but he hasn't been aggressive towards either snail in weeks :/

Thing Two is fine, cruising around the tank, nomming on random plant bits, eating algae, and doing what snails normally do. :-?

Anyway, I got some new stuff for the 10, just a couple of little glass animals, 2 crabs, and 2 lady bugs  

These things *points at picture*









Yes they're all glass, like marbles, and I put them in boiling water for a couple of hours to clean them.

I'll take pictures tomorrow, I'm a bit frustrated with my computer and my husband has the camera phone anyway because he had to go to work early...

*sigh*

My personal life is a wreck some times... being a student teacher I'm doing all the work (and with THIS particular teacher) some times more work than the classroom teacher actually does. Working 10+ hour work days and not getting paid for a second of it. I keep telling myself that I only have to deal with this for 4 more weeks (3 more not counting Thanksgiving Break) but it's really starting to wear on me. Especially since this particular teacher is probably one of the worst teachers in the district, and they are actively trying to find a way to fire her because she currently has tenure. 

*sigh*

I only see my husband about 1-2 hours every day if I'm lucky because of his work schedule. He works 9pm-5am and has a 1 hour drive both ways. 
It doesn't help that we're still new to this whole "being married" thing. 

And it's 9pm and I STILL haven't eaten dinner... I've been feeling kind of ill all week and today I had to sit out about 30 minutes of rehearsal because I felt really queasy... I'm tempted to just call in sick tomorrow... 

To end this on a positive note, Rajah is a cute little bugger. He wanted attention from me when I got home and while I was feeding the fish, attempted to climb up my legs to get closer to me, and then jumped up on the stool next to the tanks and watched me feed all the boys while sticking his nose into the bottle of food and sniffing it whenever he got the chance. <--- wow that was long. 

I'm gonna go cuddle him now... if he'll stop scratching the carpet and furnature :roll:


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

Never mind I just checked on Thing One again (I'm starting to think both are females) and I think she was just nervous after the water change and waiting for the current to push her back to the plants (which it didn't do). So I moved her over on top of some tall plants, and she popped right out and is moving around again. 

Thank goodness, I don't know what I would do if she was sick or something...


----------



## Quinn (Apr 4, 2010)

They can be really finicky! My first snail clamped up every time I did a water change while she was in a KK before going into my 10. She would go into hiding and float for days. I was convinced she was dying. 
Everyone and the tank looks great!


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

Thank you 

It just freaked me out because she's never done that before... oh well, maybe she's just weird like that *shrug*

Maybe just just going through a phase... lol, here she is, my problem snail, hanging out in the upper regions of the tank. 









*Mandatory photo tank update*









Annnd the new stuff! (including a pic of the frog I've had in there for a while now)




























I LOVE the ladybugs  

















While I was at the store buying these little gems I was suddenly inspired, they have these things called fairy gardens, which are just a bunch of cute little fairy sized nick nacks, and a little house, and I thought to myself... why not do an aquatic fairy garden theme? lol for all the aquatic fairies out there without homes xD

This is what a fairly basic fairy garden looks like









I dunno, I like my npt the way it is, with minimal ornaments, but the idea could be kinda fun. Maybe I'll try it out ^^


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

Rajah does not approve of my obsession with this website...
(mind you he's only 7 months old... he's gonna be big o.o)


----------



## BettaLover1313 (Apr 15, 2013)

O.O He's a BIG kitty! He's bigger than my Renji! 

Love the little ornaments you have in your tank! They're adorable!


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

Haha thanks ^^ (my laptop is 14" long) 

Yeah, he's gonna be a monster lol. I've never owned a large cat before... Shadow was just a little bit bigger than Rajah is now when she was a full grown adult... so with him being this large at 7 months...  

His paws are pretty big too xD he likes to do the "kitty claw trap" when he wants to play but once he hooks his claws around a finger or some other part of your hand, he pulls it to his mouth and nibbles and licks lol. I'm curious as to what that will be like when he's all grown up. He's a good boy though, and super sweet ^^


----------



## EvaJupiterSkies (Oct 25, 2013)

I love this! Subscribing! Someday, when I'm out of a dorm and don't have mountains of homework each night, I want to try an NPT of some size! This is good inspiration!


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

Awwwww *blushes* 
That's so sweet of you 

Definitely do an NPT, they're really so much fun ^^ You could even try a smaller NPT, it doesn't have to be large. I've seen really nice 1 gallon planted tanks


----------



## EvaJupiterSkies (Oct 25, 2013)

-stares at the empty one gallon on the counter, then at her wallet, cries briefly, and begins an exploratory budget-

Might have to wait until after Christmas break (I'm reluctant to set up another tank to either have to leave for two weeks, or try to drive home on Michigan roads in a Michigan winter), but it is a very good thought indeed...


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

Hey it's always nice to have something to look forward to  I'm desperately looking forward to January when I can possibly add shrimps ^^ the only problem is where to find them in the winter so they don't die during transit... *sigh*


----------



## PetMania (Mar 28, 2013)

EvaJupiterSkies said:


> -stares at the empty one gallon on the counter, then at her wallet, cries briefly, and begins an exploratory budget-
> 
> Might have to wait until after Christmas break (I'm reluctant to set up another tank to either have to leave for two weeks, or try to drive home on Michigan roads in a Michigan winter), but it is a very good thought indeed...


1)lol. This is what I do every time I see a bunny..look at wallet.....cry a bit.......
2)That sounds like a good idea. If you know when you are going, you shouldn't set something up ;-)


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

Okay, so I don't have any fish pics today, not much is different. I'll post a few tomorrow after I do their water changes though...

What I DO have is adorable Rajah pics ^^ God I love this cat...

He was snoozing and we just had to get pictures of him


















This is probably my favorite picture... he just has the most precious face (okay so I'm obsessive...)



























And then... I wanted to get on the computer and he proceeded to say "no" in no uncertain terms. Now he's sulking on the other side of the room on the recliner after I moved him off.... The look on his face though... LOL


----------



## Rosencrantz32 (May 12, 2013)

LOL my cat (or rather my mom's cat) used to demand my attention. One day (pre-fish), as I was doing my best to research everything I'd need for a finned friend and what it would cost etc., Smokey (the cat) came and snuggled next to me. Originally his head was on my knee. After about 5 minutes he was here....










Yeah, no easy way to use the lappy that way! lol
(You can tell by his ears that he knows I don't want him there. But he wants to be there so unless I make him move, he's not going to.)

Also, I post this because your adorable tabby boy is making me really miss "my" tabby boy. He would always come and sit in my lap once it started getting cold... ahhh... I miss my feline lap warmer T.T


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

Aww, that's cute ^^ Rajah does that if I have my computer in my lap 
And Smokey looks like a big cuddly boy  he must be a joy to have around 

Tank update 

So, params before water change:

Ammonia-slightly less than .25 ppm
Nitrate-0 ppm
Nitrite-0 ppm
PH-7.6 but maybe a tad higher... then again if I use the hard water test it reads 7.4 *shrug*

Photos! Because this is more of a photo journal anyway lol

Today's tank picture, did some mild trimming, a little rearranging, and Thing One decided she existed after all and came out of her shell after the water change. This snail I swear... :roll:

I actually really like this one, it has Shosta over in the corner doing a happy *swish* pose XD









"...Hello?"









"Out... and back in... OUT... and back in... then one more time... OUT... and back in..."









"Is that a nom I see?" <(o.o)>


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

*sigh* I'm pretty sure Thing One died....  Have no idea why though...

When I looked in the tank today she was in the same place she was yesterday, so I picked her up and she was out of her shell... like... her trapdoor was open, but she wouldn't pull in or anything... so yeah, pretty sure she was dead. So I put her in a plastic bag and will be throwing it away soon because I don't want it to stink up the apartment. 

Thing Two is doing just fine, trucking along, eating algae and other random plant stuff... Thinking about renaming her... Ulitka yлитка (snail in Russian, to go along with my theme lol) pronounced oo-leet-ka (from google translate anyway)

Thinking about maybe ordering a nerite for the tank... Ulitka tries, but she's not the best for eating algae... but I do want shrimpies... maybe I'll go for amanos instead...

Non-tank related...

I'm really excited about Christmas this year, and since I don't have kids yet, I'm going to dote on my kitty! He's getting a 6ft cat tower, new toys, and probably a litter genie for the house... his poos stink lol

Also thinking about getting some cat/wheat grass to grow, or live catnip... but I'm not sure I do like plants, but I don't want him throwing up all over the house either... my last cat would eat grass just to throw up... so... yea


----------



## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I'm sorry about thing one.


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

Thanks, it made me sad, I'm still clueless as to what happened to her... :/


----------



## PetMania (Mar 28, 2013)

Sorry to hear about Thing 1.


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

Passed my last evaluation, so I'm all set to graduate and be a teacher  

I'm getting kinda sleepy.. so I'll just post pics instead of doing an actual entry today

Apparently Shosta doesn't like cats 









Oddly enough these are the best beard pictures I've ever gotten of him. 









So Rajah likes being held, I was holding him up to the fish tank while my husband got pictures of Shosta... and well... we had a bit of a cuteness overload.

*Streeetch* 









Huh?









*glomp* The skinny guy laughing at the kitten hug is my husband


----------



## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Congrats on passing your evaluation! You'll make a great teacher.


----------



## PetMania (Mar 28, 2013)

Yes you will! Good luck! Wish you the best.


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

Aww thanks guys, I'm really excited about getting my own classroom. I might be able to start full time teaching in January, but that's really iffy, so for now I'm going to stick to subbing until next fall.


----------



## PetMania (Mar 28, 2013)

Well, I know you'll do awesome!


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

Runners, runners everywhere!!!

Lol sorry I haven't posted in a while, been busy xD 

Anyway I did a WC for the 10 today (2 days late T.T) 

Readings 
Ammonia .25 PPM
Nitrate 5 PPM
Nitrite 0 PPM
PH 7.4-7.6 ish

Oh yes, my runners! LOL my DHG is FINALLY sending out runners! I just noticed them today. There are about 16 new little DHG blades popping up out of the sand at the front of the tank. I'm hoping they'll spread more soon as I'm quickly running out of floor space for plants lol. 

The hygro is the biggest PITA it grows so darned fast I have to trim it at least once a week. I'm hoping that my cardinalia will catch up, it's growing really slowly but has the prettiest pinkish red leaves <3 ... well the undersides of the leaves are that color, the uppers are a goldish color, I'll post pics tomorrow if I can ^^

The fishes are fine, Shosta's been playing up his colors recently and is more copper-y than blue today (he rotates between copper-gold and blue irid.) the joy of owning coppers, they change colors  

Rajah's been super cute as always. I burned my finger really bad yesterday (2nd degree) and he curled up on my lap and purred while I iced it. I swear he knows when I'm not feeling good or when I'm sad and he knows just when to turn the purr machine on xD


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

Here are the promised pictures  

Also, this is the 101st post in this journal! :O

So the runners, at least some of them, hopefully you can see them ^^









The green-gold upper leaves of the cardinalia or however it's spelled









The redish pinkish undersides (I can't wait until this grows in more!) This picture does not do the color justice at all... and the center is blurry for some reason o.o









*blurry* update photo of the tank... I'll try to get a higher quality one later, maybe after I get back from Thanksgiving with the in-laws...









Based on growth... I think this tank will be more than ready for shrimps by the end of December, and I really want to add those celestial pearl danios... there's bound to be enough cover soon lol... and I might add another snail... thinking about a nerite

oh well... I'm way to eager... I never thought fishkeeping was such a waiting game, what with the cycling process and plants growing in and waiting for the tank to stabilize and the soil to start it's life underwater and all... I'm not a patient person but this is forcing me to learn patience... lol


----------



## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Nice tank and plants.


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

*Happy Thanksgiving *

Thanks DQ 

Tales of the Travels of Rajah the Cat

So the original plan was to leave Rajah at home when we went to visit my husband's family...

Well my mother-in-law texted my husband at 2 am this morning (he works nights remember? lol) asking if "You are bringing Rajah aren't you?" lol so that sealed the deal and he came with us.

The drive to my husband's hometown is about a 5-6 hour drive, it made us nervous but we figured this would be a good opportunity to get Rajah accustomed to car rides... 5-6 hours is a lot at one stretch I know, if I had known we would be bringing him with us I probably would have taken him on a few 20-30 minute drives to get him used to the car first. 

After we got the car packed up, we put Rajah in the little cardboard crate we have (it's all we can afford at the moment :/) and put him in the car. Once we had been on the road for about an hour, maybe an hour and a half, I opened the crate and he poked his head out, cautiously looking around the car. The whole ride he didn't meow or pee himself, or poo, or get sick, so I'm really proud of the little guy.

Anyway, he got out and we had the area behind the drivers seat blocked so he went into the backseat and curled up under the front passenger seat and slept pretty much the whole way. We stopped a couple of times to let him stretch his legs, but he didn't really want to. When we held him he would start shaking for a couple of minutes until we covered his face and he calmed down. Oddly enough, I think he likes small spaces while traveling. I think I may just leave him in the crate with some padding on the way back.

Once we got to the house we got to our room (we have the upstairs and a bathroom to ourselves) and set up his litter box and stayed with him for about an hour so he knew it was okay. Had Thanksgiving lunch and came back around 5. David and I were really tired at this point so we went to bed for a nap (we had been driving since 6 am, him after coming home from work, and me on about 4 hours of sleep) and Rajah curled up with us under the covers and went to sleep. 

So I just woke up about 30 minutes ago. Rajah's roaming around the room being a cute little toot. I think the reason he sleeps under the covers is for security... he did that when we first brought him home for a couple of days until he was comfortable. 

I put out some food and water, he didn't want any of it. So I tried treats, nope... and then I pulled out the canned food and he nommed away. I figured it was the easiest way to get some water in him. I'm so glad he ate some. He didn't want anything to do with the water bowl I set out... hopefully this trip doesn't traumatize him, I would like to make him sort of a travel cat... it'll take some work though.

Sorry about the lack of fish stuff today, I'm no where near my tanks lol, so you got a Rajah story instead ^^;


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

*So proud of Rajah!*

It's late so I'm going to try to make this one quick 

We drove home today/yesterday lol

On our way out of town we had to make a few rather lengthy stops, it wasn't too hot or too cold outside so we left Rajah in the car with his letterbox available. He traveled really well, curled up under my seat in the car. I think he likes being able to feel the vibrations through the floorboards or something.

When we got home, and got Rajah out of the car, we brought him straight into the apartment where he immediately brightened up and jogged around to stretch his legs. Next thing we did was bring in the litterbox. All I had to do was point to it to show him it was there and Rajah hopped right in and did his business. Next thing I knew he was rubbing my ankles meowing begging to be fed, so he got a whole can of wet food for being so good  

Overall, we had no accidents on the trip, no car sickness, and only one minor incident with the in-laws' dog who entered the room we were staying in for all of five seconds (during which Rajah freaked out and ran) and left as soon as I told her to (very well trained dog btw) Rajah came out and was happy again as soon as he knew the dog was no longer there. 

I'm pretty sure something happened while he was a stray and he's really scared of dogs. I'm going to try to socialize him a bit because he travels so well, it might be nice to take him on vacations with us and train him to be a leash cat with a harness. ^^ 

All in all I'm very proud of him and he was very well behaved. :-D


----------



## Quinn (Apr 4, 2010)

Aw good job Rajah! 
Our cat is the worst traveler. He yells the whole time. The. WHOLE. Time. On our move we drove 6-7 hrs, he only stopped when he had yelled himself into a panting fit and then passed out for a bit before waking up to yell again. :roll: Thankfully he doesn't get physically ill! 
He is a loud mouth Bengal anyway :lol:

Tank looks great!


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

You own a Bengal?! Oh my goodness, I wish I had the backyard for one! They're so beautiful  ... and big  My best friend has a Siamese and they're pretty loud so I can only imagine a Bengal...

I did some research and we're pretty sure that Rajah is an American Shorthair (lol what stray cat isn't xD) He has a pretty quiet voice, the only time he's ever loud is when he wants food, and even then it's on the quiet side as cats go xD 

Thanks about the tank  It took basically all of my self control to not go fish shopping while I was in another city... My town is lacking on the aquatic pet spectrum...

Quick Edit for Fish Stuff:

So I looked at the tank just now and boy is the DHG really going for it. I'm not running any CO2 in this so it was kind of an experiment to see if it would carpet anyway, but I'm seeing TONS of new runners after only 3 days o.o maybe it'll actually work ^^

Anyway, here's a slightly better photo of the tank.... really feeling the need for shrimpies now... gahh algae is a pain


----------



## Quinn (Apr 4, 2010)

He may be a Bengal mix, he's a rescue, boyfriend got him before we met. But he was with his (sister?mate?mom?housemate?) who also looked full Bengal, she was reportedly a snow, possibly marble (which I looooove). But anyway besides being super duper chatty, Tom isn't a very Bengal-y Bengal, we live in a super small apartment and he's indoor only. His energy level isn't high at all. 

I hope my new tank grows as well as yours once it's set up. It's really looking great!


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

Rajah's a rescue (sort of... he had been at the shelter for over a month and was first on the put down list) also but is super active, he loves playing chase with these little foam/sponge balls I have (kind of like a dog lol) He's still young though, roughly 7 months now. We also live in a small apartment, it's been kind of a challenge finding enough space for him to run (mostly up and down the hall xD) So we're looking into buying him a cat tree for Christmas as he really enjoys climbing. 

Anyway, what are you wanting to do with your tank? NPT or partial? there are definitely some things I wish I did differently with this thing... like plan it out more xD I originally wanted it aquascaped but it's turned more into a jungle lol. I also added more dirt that necessary :/ not too much extra but it bothers me a little... I might eventually get the nerve to try to remove some of it, but it hasn't caused problems yet, and based on the research I've done, it should be okay as long as I keep poking it/keep it aerated with plant roots, which is part of the reason I have 2 swords in there xD


----------



## Quinn (Apr 4, 2010)

New one is going to be a 6.6 NPT, but I think I'm just going to cap it with the FloraMax/Moon Sand mix that I have in my other tanks. And I was considering trying to add dirt to my tanks without having to totally tear them down, and without having to remove all the snails and shrimp. But I'll have to see if that's even possible haha.
I haven't been thrilled with my growth using flora max and root tabs. I recently got flourish and excel, but I wanted to do NPT with my new one regardless of if that fixes it. I'm just waiting on plants to arrive now. Got everything else.


----------



## twolovers101 (Sep 17, 2012)

Yeah, soil is definitely the way to go in my opinion.  The plants really thrive with it. I'm thinking about dosing with excell but I don't have any yet, it's hard to find in my area. Adding dirt to an already established tank might be difficult lol. You'd have to take all the sand and plants out, add the dirt, then put everything back in. It's doable, but would be a bit messy and will take some time to accomplish


----------



## Quinn (Apr 4, 2010)

Well I was THINKING maybe, just maybe, if I ore soak the dirt, so it's already thicker and more packed, and I could just push sections of gravel out of the way at a time, so I didn't have to move all the inhabitants just plants. It may be impossible and would mess up the water too much. I'd have to test it first. I wouldn't even have to do the whole tank since some floor space is covered by driftwood and such. It's a wack idea. Prob won't work. Hahaha.


----------

