Roach's Fishroom Nest

cockroach · May 20, 2025

These are the duplicareus cories I got. Look much better after a week of clean water, good eats and rest.

Good camouflage on this guy.

And a sneak peak at the 55gal inhabitants when it is ready. May have posted this already.

My quarantine tank. Has one of the leporinus in it. Must have bumped its head pretty tough one day and grew some fluffs on it. So does with baktopur. I love the color it makes the water (for a short time then I am over it.)

And just down the drag from my place is this uncle's tank. He has had it up and running for over 12 years and changes it about every 2 years. Heavy traffic drives past it no more than 10 feet away. It is in his front entrance area, like a little courtyard facing a main road.

cockroach · May 26, 2025

I did something this weekend that I usually NEVER do. However, I have been reading a little, lightly delving into philosophy. And as one would imagine, you start thinking slightly more philosophically about things you wouldn't normally.

I started looking at the actually distrubution of the fish in the 75 gal:
Angola Barbs - South western Africa - Angola, Namibia and DRC.
Clown killies, Norman's Lampeyes and African Butterfly Cichlids - can be summed up as Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

None of these places on my bucketlist to travel given the instability but I like to take trips there in my mind while picturing the habitat.
this got me to thinking:
Do the 3 West Af. species coexist in any part. I do not have a lot of time to research, so i cheated and used ChatGPT.
There were some theoretically possible areas; though none had any evidence. This then lead to the philosophical thoughts, what would it look like if they were found int o the same area? What the environment may look like. What would one feel in the waters looking for them. Sitting on the side of a forested pool contemplating where to put the net next.
As I went into this, I started thinking a more poetic name for the tank. A name other than, "75gal African Pool Tank".

After searching areas, streams, rivers and habitats they may be found, I came up with the following flouncy names. Let me know which you guys think is more suited.
BACKGROUND
A pool on a forested river in a reserve. Untouched by human hands. A break in the monotonous canopy where a patch of light shines through for a few hours a day. Still waters. Serene. Peaceful community doing their thing.
An area somewhere in/near the borders of Sierra Leone, Guinea and/or Liberia on the Moa or Waanje River Systems.

Possible names:

1. Sewa's Silence
2. Waanje Reimagined
3. The Moa Meander

I feel tank definitely needs a dark, probably plain black, background. I am also going to change the blue heavy 13000K, 20W LED strips and exchange for 6500k 30W floodlights.

After about a list of 15 names, I whittled it down to these three. Any of them stand out to any of you?

cockroach · May 30, 2025

Finally started work in the 55gal tank.
This new expanding foam i found, HouYi "brown" matches my lava rock wall so well. Unfortunately I only bought 1 can. Need to get more.

cockroach · May 31, 2025

Topped up with black as this will be shaded by plants and not seen. Hopefully....

cockroach · May 31, 2025

Clean the rack out a bit. Multiple was everywhere.
Danio tanks

I'm back in the Rhinogobius game. Got a small group of 6. Lathe enough to breed soonish but small enough to ensure they want die of old age soon.

The three tanks in the rack are now more or less set.
Panda Garra, Sewellia, Dwarf Neon Rainbow fish and a loan clown loach.

6 leporinus ortomaculatus, 4 anostomus ternetzi, 2 or 3 Sewellia and a red tailed black shark.

5 strawberry leporinus, Sewellia, 6 Giant danios and 3 horse face loaches ( hence the half rank of sand)

The sorted and cleaned rack. Still got work to do but it's getting there. Need everything right before I leave for holiday for a month.

Midwater · May 31, 2025

Get more horsefaces.

cockroach · Monday at 1:43 AM

Went for a run the other day and got momentarily lost in some rice paddies after running next to this stream.
Sad that their were no indigenous fish and I only saw 3 species: koi, invasive plecos and invasive Mozambique tilapia.

This koi must have been about 40-45cm (16-18")

Some of these plecos were huge. Also knocking on 45cm or very close to it.

In the areas that were more like a pool, they were hanging around in big groups of mixed sizes. Funnily enough, I dod not see any under 15-20cm (6-8").

The steam ran behind some factories.

Midwater · Monday at 1:55 AM

By far, most of your pictures are of inside your fishroom. Despite the invasive fish, pleased to see your location.

cockroach · Monday at 2:07 AM

Midwater I forget people enjoying seeing where we all knock about.
Next time I am out in nature I will get some more pics.|

The riparian tank is now taking shape. This weekend I got the pump going. And tested a few small plants. I need to get the LED floodlight up for them to really start growing.
This is an Asian Bank themed tank.
Plants will be different crypts, buce and spiral val underwater
A few different botanicals as leaf litter
Danios and loaches

Seeding with 3 ceramic tubes from an established tank.
Water flows top right to left, and in tank left to right.
Pump intake is behind the log on the right.

I was looking for a darker, shaded feel under the riparian growth so went with black sand.

Testing out these sticks to see if I like them.

The sponge in front of the pump area.

First plants are an arrowhead and mondo grass. Both have grown well in my fishroom despite less than optimal lights. You can see the pump outlet between the plants.