# Blue Yellow Melody Planted Tank



## Als49 (Jul 11, 2014)

This 198 liter (52G) shallow tank was gold occie planted tank and converted into a demasoni, leleupi, julies and petricola in September 2015. I like their color combination of blue, yellow and white 

Dimension: 105 x 63 x 30 cm (42" x 25" x 12")
Filtration: Eheim 2215 + Atman HF-0600
Plants: Anubias (nana, nana golden, barteri, minima, heterophylla), Echinodorus parviflorus, Cryptocoryne wendtii 'Green', Vallisneria (natans, mini twister)
Lighting: 5x Jebo JL-2

I started with 22 demasoni, 6 leleupi, 5 julies and 2 petricola using this scape. I also put several cherry barbs to get some red color.



I lost many fish due to jumping out the tank. Or they just simply disappeared. It's rimless open top by the way.

From 22 demasoni down to 7. From 6 leleupi became 4. Too little rocks for hiding places or sight breaks it seems.

So I rescaped the tank. Put a lot of rocks. Almost whole tank.



All rocks similar to Texas holey rocks. Added some plants and woods. Bucephalandra at that time.





Noticed cherry barbs got some torn fins. So rehomed them.

Bucephalandra also melted. Too little lights? Replaced them with anubias. Yes, I haven't taken pics the ones with anubias.

It's been 7 months and it is peaceful with this scape. The demasoni has been breeding and I have four 1/2" fry hiding between plants or rocks.


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## LeeAberdeen (Sep 4, 2014)

Looks great. Have an open-top tank myself and that view from above with the water rippling is always stunning.

Lost fish too, but you seem to have lost loads. Mine's got a three-inch rim almost all the way around and, since I covered the corners with some perspex, I haven't lost a single fish, so open-tops do work if done right. Not sure how you would cover that though, because as soon as perspex gets big it starts to warp, no matter how thick you buy it. Maybe the answer is, like you, to create plenty of hiding spaces.


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## Als49 (Jul 11, 2014)

Thanks Lee.

Yes, so far no more lost fish with this plenty of rocks.

It became a whole different scape compared to the original  Plenty of caves, sight breaks and hiding places now!


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## Als49 (Jul 11, 2014)

I thought bigger ghost shrimps were safe in this tank... but I was wrong!


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## Als49 (Jul 11, 2014)

Finally the one with anubias 

Front view


Right view


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## Aaron S (Apr 4, 2015)

Haha yeah ghost shrimp are never safe  Even fish too small to eat a ghost shrimp like to play with them because of how they move about - cichlids are very curious fish.


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## Als49 (Jul 11, 2014)

Hahaha you're right. They love to pick on the shrimps.

I put a bag of shrimps at noon. About 20 of them. In the afternoon they were gone.


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## tanker3 (May 18, 2015)

Als49 said:


> I thought bigger ghost shrimps were safe in this tank... but I was wrong!


If the word ends in shrimp (Ex: "any" shrimp), it ends in stomach.


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## Als49 (Jul 11, 2014)

tanker3 said:


> Als49 said:
> 
> 
> > I thought bigger ghost shrimps were safe in this tank... but I was wrong!
> ...


Yes you're right. Herbivores also eat shrimps


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## Als49 (Jul 11, 2014)

Removed java fern and bucephalandra. Added anubias.


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## Als49 (Jul 11, 2014)

The fish prefer to stay at the rocks or in the crevices. They rarely swim out in the open, unless during feeding time.

Should I increase the number of demasoni or petricola to get more activities in the open space?


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## Als49 (Jul 11, 2014)

Or is it better to add dithers such as dwarf rainbowfish?



Als49 said:


> The fish prefer to stay at the rocks or in the crevices. They rarely swim out in the open, unless during feeding time.
> 
> Should I increase the number of demasoni or petricola to get more activities in the open space?


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## Als49 (Jul 11, 2014)

I switched to flakes to retrain them to eat by hands. And I was surprised when several 1/4" demasoni fry also came out to chase the flakes!


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## Als49 (Jul 11, 2014)

I added 3 yellow labs juvies. So far those trio swim out in the open and rarely go into the rocks


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## Als49 (Jul 11, 2014)

Yesterday I got 25 more demasoni juvies. Now most of the fish are out in the open 

I also put egg crate on top of the tank to prevent jumpers.


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## The Dude315 (May 19, 2015)

Tank looks fantastic. Any ideas why the Buces didn't make it? I recently added a large piece of driftwood with several buces affixed to it to my 150. I also added 3 Yellow Labidochromis, 3 Rusty's, and 3 Peacocks, and 2 Albino BN pleco's. The other inhabitants are 3 Frontosa, 4 Gold Head Compressiseps, 1 Brichardi, and 2 Caudopunctatus. So far everyone is getting along perfectly and everyone is out cruising around. 
I'm really hoping the Buces do well. I spent a good amount on them.


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## The Dude315 (May 19, 2015)

Any new pics?


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## Als49 (Jul 11, 2014)

The Dude315 said:


> Tank looks fantastic. Any ideas why the Buces didn't make it? I recently added a large piece of driftwood with several buces affixed to it to my 150. I also added 3 Yellow Labidochromis, 3 Rusty's, and 3 Peacocks, and 2 Albino BN pleco's. The other inhabitants are 3 Frontosa, 4 Gold Head Compressiseps, 1 Brichardi, and 2 Caudopunctatus. So far everyone is getting along perfectly and everyone is out cruising around.
> I'm really hoping the Buces do well. I spent a good amount on them.


Thank you.

I suspect they either didn't have enough light or failed to transform from terrestrial to aquatic forms...


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