Hello from Federal Way

jrygel wrote:I was going to try to make it to the swap meet to see what there is to see.  I've been very happy with Tropical Fish World also.  All of my fish except for the Corys are from there.  The Corys are from Midway, which I know can be hit or miss, but some of their stock is pretty nice and they have a big selection.

jrygel wrote:I have a 36" Current USA Freshwater LED+ as the main light and a Marineland 22" Hidden LED zip tied to the front of the hood  to fill in the shadow at the top-front from the Current being so close to the water.

Anthraxx wrote:Welcome, loving that tank setup. the stand also is very nice looking, very minimalistic while still allowing good views for the tank. id be a little cautious of a substrate spawner in with the cories however. my Rams (bolivian or GBR) never seemed to get along with the cories. just my suggestion to you. have you put any thought into maybe kribs or some other dwarf cichlid? theres tons of variety's of dwarf cichlids to choose from that i think would look fabulous in there. GL to ya in your choices, your doing a great job so far

jrygel wrote:Hi all,

I am returning to this hobby after an almost 20 year hiatus - it helps to have kids that enjoy the fish as well.  So far I just have one 30 gallon community tank.  I currently have quite a few plants, six Schwartz's corys, thirteen black neon tetras, six otos, and one angelfish.  I plan to add a couple Rams to the tank in a few weeks, and that should be it for a while.  Does anyone know of any local stores that have Bolivian Rams (mikrogeophagus altispinosus)?  Everyone seems to have German Blue Rams (mikrogeophagus ramirezi) and their various hybrids, but my pH is at 7.8, which is probably pushing it for GBRs unless they were raised in higher pH - I'd be open to GBRs as well if there are any around that are locally raised in a higher pH.

Here's some intro pictures of the tank:

jrygel wrote:Here are a couple update photos.  I figured out my fertilization  schedule and most of the plants are growing in pretty well.  

Anyone need some wisteria (Hygro Difformis)?



I made it up to Aquarium Co-Op on Monday and left with a couple Bolivian Rams. This is the slightly larger of the two:



Here's the slightly smaller ram.  The two rams and the angel are currently establishing who is in charge, but none of them seem to be injured or any more skittish than the others after three days:



Welcome back to the hobby. Your tank looks nicely done.


-Justin