Amazon Project

[opabinia]

Here is the Amazon Project on Saturday, right near the end of the beginning. Demolition is nearly complete. Draining siphon is visible at left. Sand substrate will be removed using the plastic pitcher you see laying on its side on the right.



This is a short time after I made my Big Stupid Mistake. The tank is full of unwashed fracted clay substrate, and I'm trying to clear it in situ. Oof. Notice the beautifully lifelike fake boulders (ESU Reptile Rock Dens) I've placed in there. They're heavy enough to stay put, but they're mostly hollow, which saves weight and volume while providing excellent shelter.


Tank partially filled with water mud. I quickly gave up the rinsing, hoping that the clay would settle out after a few water changes.


Top view of the left side, showing one of the fake boulders and some of the plants I was about to smother.


End-on view of the left as the plants scream in terror.


Here's what I woke up to on Sunday. The shiny bits are cory cats, having a blast with all that dirt. Imagine ferrets loose in a grain silo. The tubing in front leads to a filter full of floss, which failed completely at removing micron-level particles. Fancy that, Mister Biologist.

I drained the tank that evening and refilled it. Looked about the same again on Monday, so I repeated the procedure. This morning, it still looked like chocolate milk in there.


So this evening I drained the damn thing again, and I'm refilling it right now. The good (and surprising) news is that it looks much better. I can actually see some of the things I put in there. I have a pressurized diatom filter coming in the mail*, which will take care of the rest. More photos later.

* Online forum folks say the micron-sleeved canister filter won't do the trick, so I'll eBay it without even opening the box.