Isn't It Ironic

cham · 07/10/2006, 06:46 PM

I have my reef tank (details in sig) and a 10g fresh water. The freshwater is in my sons (2yr old )room and I set it up to hold a red ear slider turtle. The boy has a facination with turtles.

I set that FW tank up about a year ago and have since broken every rule I know. No water changes for months on end, put 5 feeder minnos (not goldfish) from those infested feeder tanks at the LFS. Put two red claw crabs in with the fish. Found a VERY large crawfish down at the nasty swap near the house and threw that in the tank too. The tank gets daily sunlight thru window and I have never once changed the carbon or any bags in the HOB filter.

Its the nicest tank I have. Absolutely NO alge, the feeder fish that should have been food long ago are almost large enough to take to the taxidermy (suckers are HUGE), the slider is happy (though I expected this). The crabs have molted several times and I just took a peek at the tank for the first time in months and what do I see!!!!

There are a ton of little baby crayfish running around in the tank!!!!!

Its funny. I have spent thousands on my reef to battle it with cyano and every form of alge. But this little tank defies every rule in the book.

Ahhhhh.........the aquarium hobby.........good times........good times.

sir_dudeguy · 07/10/2006, 07:15 PM

ya i hate how weird stuff like that happens..cuz it always happens to the stuff that you dont take care of, but the stuff you do it gets like you said lol..

one thing tho, that slider should either be put into a pond, or at least a 75 gal. tank...they get big..if he's just a baby, its all good, because they grow really slow.

cham · 07/10/2006, 07:25 PM

Yeah, the slider is about the size of a quarter or silver dollar at most. I just threw stuff in there like the fish just cause I didnt care. I knew the turtle doesnt depend on water quality so I was screwing around.

I threw in some minnos, then some crabs thinking it would be fun to see the crabs chew up the minnos. Then the crayfish (this thing is like 4" long) thinking it would eat EVERYTHING.

Nope, not only are they happy. But molting and breeding.

Funny stuff.

MAthU · 07/10/2006, 07:40 PM

the same thing happend to me my mom had a 29g reef, and she rarely did a water change. when she did she used the water straight from the tap,never added any calcium, nothing at all. her tank was perfect, full of coral line algae..Ex my tank was crap i had cyano, the corals were dieing, ex.. i did a weekly water change, and added all the special chemicels..i just dont get it.

i would like a turtle tank like you described sounds cool..

McCrary · 07/10/2006, 08:51 PM

My 27 defies logic as well. I never do water changes and it gets sunlight from the window directly behind it. It gets no supplements and I consistently overfeed. The fish in that tank do great, as do the mushrooms/leathers/polyps. It amazes me because I am about to tear down my 110 and redo the sucker.

07/10/2006, 06:46 PM	#1
cham Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Winter Garden, FL Posts: 3,632	Isn't It Ironic I have my reef tank (details in sig) and a 10g fresh water. The freshwater is in my sons (2yr old )room and I set it up to hold a red ear slider turtle. The boy has a facination with turtles. I set that FW tank up about a year ago and have since broken every rule I know. No water changes for months on end, put 5 feeder minnos (not goldfish) from those infested feeder tanks at the LFS. Put two red claw crabs in with the fish. Found a VERY large crawfish down at the nasty swap near the house and threw that in the tank too. The tank gets daily sunlight thru window and I have never once changed the carbon or any bags in the HOB filter. Its the nicest tank I have. Absolutely NO alge, the feeder fish that should have been food long ago are almost large enough to take to the taxidermy (suckers are HUGE), the slider is happy (though I expected this). The crabs have molted several times and I just took a peek at the tank for the first time in months and what do I see!!!! There are a ton of little baby crayfish running around in the tank!!!!! Its funny. I have spent thousands on my reef to battle it with cyano and every form of alge. But this little tank defies every rule in the book. Ahhhhh.........the aquarium hobby.........good times........good times.

07/10/2006, 07:15 PM	#2
sir_dudeguy Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 10,841	ya i hate how weird stuff like that happens..cuz it always happens to the stuff that you dont take care of, but the stuff you do it gets like you said lol.. one thing tho, that slider should either be put into a pond, or at least a 75 gal. tank...they get big..if he's just a baby, its all good, because they grow really slow. __________________ TAKE...LUCK!!!

07/10/2006, 07:40 PM	#4
MAthU me Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: brantford ontario Posts: 469	the same thing happend to me my mom had a 29g reef, and she rarely did a water change. when she did she used the water straight from the tap,never added any calcium, nothing at all. her tank was perfect, full of coral line algae..Ex my tank was crap i had cyano, the corals were dieing, ex.. i did a weekly water change, and added all the special chemicels..i just dont get it. i would like a turtle tank like you described sounds cool.. __________________ tankless atm Current Tank Info: 27g custom~! sps

07/10/2006, 08:51 PM	#5
McCrary Can't Stop Time Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Tucson, AZ Posts: 3,079	My 27 defies logic as well. I never do water changes and it gets sunlight from the window directly behind it. It gets no supplements and I consistently overfeed. The fish in that tank do great, as do the mushrooms/leathers/polyps. It amazes me because I am about to tear down my 110 and redo the sucker. __________________ Matt Patience is the best remedy for every trouble. Titus Maccius Plautus (254 BC - 184 BC), Rudens

07/10/2006, 07:25 PM	#3
cham Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Winter Garden, FL Posts: 3,632	Yeah, the slider is about the size of a quarter or silver dollar at most. I just threw stuff in there like the fish just cause I didnt care. I knew the turtle doesnt depend on water quality so I was screwing around. I threw in some minnos, then some crabs thinking it would be fun to see the crabs chew up the minnos. Then the crayfish (this thing is like 4" long) thinking it would eat EVERYTHING. Nope, not only are they happy. But molting and breeding. Funny stuff.