# Emmett and his Tree



## Innerbeauty (Jul 31, 2014)

I've found planting tanks is quite the journey so I decided to dump photos and blab everything here in the journal section. If you think I ought to know something- by all means jump in. 

Meet Emmett. When I seen him I thought he looked like a clown. It made me think of a late famous clown named Emmett Kelly that lived in a town nearby. A parade is held every year in his honor. (name also reminds me of the old fix-it man on Andy Griffith, lol)
Emmett is kind of OCD. He's very interactive but protective of his tank. He's constantly patrolling and "fixing" stuff, it's hilarious. For kicks I will drop a rock his tank or move one and he flares and it drives him nuts. He goes back and forth like, "what to do? what to do? why did she move it?! How do I get it back?!" He will try to push or nip it back into place. He does the same thing with the moss on his tree, haha. A peice falls out and he carries it back to the top and tries to put it back. (fathering instinct I suppose.)
When he is content, he hangs out under the tree or wiggles himself into the grass or flame moss. He loves to follow the air tubing around I use to siphon, and if it hits something, he nips it. (haha!) He's a faithul bubble nest blower. (awesome!) 
He also loves to hide under a cattappa leaf laying on the substrate. It's freakin adorable when he pokes his head out like a sleepy kid.
He loves for someone to visit him and will get into a staring contest with you. 
The first pictures are of Emmett in his QT tank sitting on the counter next to Firework's tank. Every now and then she'd come over to flirt and Emmett would flare. 
Emmett looks different when you take a pic with flash. Without flash he looks normal, but that makes it harder to take his pic as it gets blurry.
I have some videos of Emmett I will share when I get to an internet connection that is free. (lol) I won't use up the gigs on my in-laws wireless on it.


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## Innerbeauty (Jul 31, 2014)

Two pics showing him with flash (the dark one) and without flash (the brighter fuzzier one) Without flash shows his true color


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## Innerbeauty (Jul 31, 2014)

Emmett's tank is the 3gal glofish bowfront. It didn't turn out quite like I had planned. Pictures turn out horrible in this tank due to the bowed plastic walls. ( and the fact that it is sitting in a windowsil connecting my kids' room with the living room)
I'm thinking I will buy a 5 gallon sometime soon, this 3 just seems awfully small for a betta. It seems smaller now that it has stuff in it. I have a lamp with 500 somethin Lumin bulb shining on it (without the blue leds on). The first couple days I had it set up I noticed some awful algae stuff.... arrrrggghhh. I figured out why- I had a regular bulb in the lamp (probaby 800 or more lumin) so of course I'd get algae! Changed it and sucked the algae out and it looks like it is gone for good. Substrate is CaribSea Flourish. (broke the bank on that deal but at least I got it cheaper than shipping it - $16 per bag at PetSmart)

The tree- originally I had purchased one on Ebay. AquaAurora talked me into it and I'm grateful. A couple of days after purchasing the tree the seller informed me that the tree I selected was no longer available and a mistake had been made. They asked if I prefered to be refunded or pick a different tree. I prefered the tree I purchased, (not another one.) so I opted for a refund. I wanted to cry. A few days after that, I had an epiphany. I had found a big snarl of driftwood awhile back and had been curing it. I took a good look at it, and Bingo! I could see a tree. I got my handy dandy hubby to saw where I showed him and I don't see how it could be much better.  (or much free-er, LOL) SO- thank you AquaAurora- through greif comes imagination. If I hadn't had a sad period I don't think I would have had the brainstorm. 
The driftwood was cured, so all I had to was soak and boil it until obvious tannin release was gone and it was sinking better. 
I did have to tie on smaller limbs to make the branches. No biggie. They tied on easy with fishing line.

There is a hide "under" the tree roots. This was rather difficult. The next time I take this apart, I am going to paint and seal this moon rock hide to look like dirt. (If I wasn't so darn impatient, I would've done that to begin with.) I wanted the 
illusion of a rabbit or gopher hole or something in a hill. There is also a little tunnel exactly under the tree, where the roots go down and the trunk isn't sitting flat. I pulled most of the substrate out so it created a bit of room, and eventually in a 5 gallon I might put a couple of shrimps in there and that can be one of their hiding places.

The dwarf grass is a big pain in the patoot. Don't get me wrong- it's pretty and will eventually root. (I'm seeing some already.) But I have to really anchor it strong or it's like Dorothy in Kansas.... up and away. Or like Mary Poppins. Without the slippers or umbrella to get them back home.

The tree has christmas moss on it. It took... like....forever. It takes patience. Don't drink coffee while tying on moss. Okay, go ahead- try it. Don't blame me when a carefully sanded limb comes of in your hands cause you were about to pee your pants but just couldn't stop tying on moss! 


The rocks- handpicked by me, my sweet mother-in-law, and my kids from a fish filled creek. I of course scrubbed them with a brand new brush & water, soaked them in vinegar, (to test for bubbles indicating ph altering rocks) and boiled them, and repeated the process. I had them in a tank with another fish for a month and never had a ph or health problem. That disclaimer being said, I love the pretty rocks!

Emmett does have a roommate- a little snail. It arrived with some plants. I don't know what kind it is, but it's already laying eggs!


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## andakin (Aug 10, 2009)

Fancy looking fish. I used to own one just like him. 

Great looking tank too. I like the dark look.


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## Innerbeauty (Jul 31, 2014)

Thank you!!! Here's a some more pics now. I bought a lamp I can actually point at the tank. 

I think when I upgrade him I might get another tree and have a heavily shaded area ("woods") and openly bright area with dwarf grass.

As you can see, the flame moss was practically DOA, and most of the pennywort melted, lo.


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## Innerbeauty (Jul 31, 2014)

Rearranged Emmett's tank yesterday. I noticed he just wasn't happy. Dirt went into the "hide" under the tree roots so I took the dirt off of the top and added some plants and big rocks for him to hide in, plus a filter. Spending time with him I have realized he likes a slight current, and he likes to be able to barely move for all the vegetation. Hopefully the tank will grow enough to suit him. When I get penneywort big enough I will add that to his tank, too. I moved him to a one gallon thick with plants and he quit freakin out and started eating a blowing bubblenests again. :lol: (which I know bubblenests are not necessarily a sign of happiness) He went from sleeping on plants, blowing bubblenests, interacting with me, and patrolling his tank calmly to just going back and forth constantly, not eating, and freaking out periodically. After two days in the 1 gallon he is back to being friendly, bubble blowing, happy, hungry Emmett. 

Also added three malaysian trumpet snails.


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## ShadeSlayer (Jul 20, 2015)

What size is your tank? I like it a lot!


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## Tealight03 (Nov 15, 2014)

I love that tree!


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## Innerbeauty (Jul 31, 2014)

Thank you both!!  The tank is the Tetra 3 gal crescent. I really like it, too! I do wish it were glass, tho, the acrylic scratches easily.


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## ShadeSlayer (Jul 20, 2015)

mines acrylic and the cat has practically destroyed it trying to scratch it to pieces.


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## Innerbeauty (Jul 31, 2014)

That is the bad thing about acrylic. 

Emmett: *smooch!*


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## TerriGtoo (Jul 2, 2013)

Innerbeauty said:


> Thank you both!!  The tank is the Tetra 3 gal crescent. I really like it, too! I do wish it were glass, tho, the acrylic scratches easily.


I use Jungle Softie Algae Remover Acrylic cleaning pads. I only know of one place to get them, (though I'm sure if you searched you could find other sources). I get mine from a seller on Ebay called "joemea" he is great. I buy alot of my supplies from him and very reasonably priced! 

I use these pads on all my acrylic and plastic tanks and they don't scratch. Some of my tanks are 6 plus yrs old and I don't have a scratch on them.


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## Innerbeauty (Jul 31, 2014)

Thank you! I am going to try those!


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