Show me your aquarium

[otolith]

budgie smuggler said:

Very nice, love boesemani rainbows.

I really wanted to try something new, but they are so spectacular when mature that I couldn't resist. One thing I never noticed before is that the males can do the same coloured stripe trick that praecox do when displaying.

I don't think the praecox shoal is large enough, so I think I'll add some more of those, and I'm starting to consider adding something more active in the lower levels of the tank.

[Sway]

otolith said:

budgie smuggler said:

Very nice, love boesemani rainbows.

I really wanted to try something new, but they are so spectacular when mature that I couldn't resist. One thing I never noticed before is that the males can do the same coloured stripe trick that praecox do when displaying.

I don't think the praecox shoal is large enough, so I think I'll add some more of those, and I'm starting to consider adding something more active in the lower levels of the tank.

Am I right in remembering rainbows have fairly short lives?

[otolith]

Sway said:

Am I right in remembering rainbows have fairly short lives?

I don't think they're especially short by small tropical fish standards, 3-5 years for the praecox, 5-8 years for the Boesman's.

[Sway]

otolith said:

Sway said:

Am I right in remembering rainbows have fairly short lives?

I don't think they're especially short by small tropical fish standards, 3-5 years for the praecox, 5-8 years for the Boesman's.

Oh, that's very different from what I thought (I thought they were a couple of years).

Yeah, that's nothing to be fussed about!

[otolith]

Thinking of killifish maybe?

[Sway]

otolith said:

Thinking of killifish maybe?

Yep, you've got it. Ta.

[Bungleaio]

105.4 said:

That looks really nice Neat and organised.

Mine looks like it’s had stuff chucked in it from the opposite side of the room….. In the dark….. With my glasses off

Cheers, I have a couple of nice bits of wood and decent rocks that help shape it.

Scaping is a tricky thing to do, I've watched a few youtube videos and they just seem to put things in and it looks amazing but doing at home I have no idea how to get it to look so good.

[Turn7]

Otolith, how about a small shoal of Checker barbs?

Very pretty, shoal nicely, peaceful and stay low in the water column…

[otolith]

Turn7 said:

Otolith, how about a small shoal of Checker barbs?

Very pretty, shoal nicely, peaceful and stay low in the water column…

Yes, good call, definitely considering barbs. Also thinking about the smaller botia species.

[Turn7]

otolith said:

Turn7 said:

Otolith, how about a small shoal of Checker barbs?

Very pretty, shoal nicely, peaceful and stay low in the water column…

Yes, good call, definitely considering barbs. Also thinking about the smaller botia species.

Yes , always liked the Striata, and they’d work well in a
Group.

[Jordie Barretts sock]

Slightly off topic, my wife bought a Fluval 180 from FB Marketplace. It came without a light and lid. Light was sourced no problem from eBay. But any suggestions on a lid or partial lid?

[Sway]

Jordie Barretts sock said:

Slightly off topic, my wife bought a Fluval 180 from FB Marketplace. It came without a light and lid. Light was sourced no problem from eBay. But any suggestions on a lid or partial lid?

Hagan are the Fluval owners/distributors, probably worth trying them direct.

[Jordie Barretts sock]

Thanks. Will give that a shot.

[dxbtiger]

Update, I forgot what a ballache nanos are maintenance wise.

All but one Anubias has melted, on the plus side, the wood is now waterlogged so I don't need stones to weigh it down, may pull some more of it out but has freed up some space not needing it to hold the wood down.

The neocaridina are doing great, I counted 4 new young ones whilst doing a water change earlier.

All 6 green neons present and correct, 3 lamp eyes alongside them as well, skittish buggers.

Only one previous guess on volume so Otolith wins that prize although at a guess of 64 litres wasn't really close, this tank is a whopping 12 litres

[otolith]

I make that a 23cm cube - that’s tiny!

[dxbtiger]

otolith said:

I make that a 23cm cube - that’s tiny!

Indeed.

It's actually 22*22*25, 23 would have hung over the shelf.

If you look closely in first picture there is a HOB on the left of the light as well as the internal thats visible.

It's a challenge but the only way it would fit the space.

[bazza white]

Im on version 5.5 on mine. I had to pull out one of the big rocks and put a couple of smooth ones in for the loaches. I then turned the one as I couldn't see to the back but it looks a bit odd

Not totally happy with it but the shrimp and loaches are happy. The java moss is getting a haircut this week, its grown really well. I have a bucket of the stuff actually from bits that have separated. The superglue works really well.

Snails, I started with one then it laid a few eggs so removed it along with the eggs that I could see. I removed 30 odd snails a few days back and still have a fair few. I bought 2 assassin snails which i didn't think did much apart from being a taxi for the other snails but ive found a few empty shells so looks like their doing what theyre supposed to.

I've had 3 shrimp deaths, Runty one of my first died. He was a slightly different colour and never to happy when I added the other shrimp, always was an odd ball. One was an old girl I think and the other a failed moult which may have been my water change. Others happy as though. Had to treat them in salt water as they had a parasite to, glad I only had 6 at the time but all sorted now as far as I can tell.

As its all settled now and all happy I ordered another 12 and 16 just turned up so going through the motions now of acclimatising.

This tank I just bought bits and threw them in and replaced as and when needed. I think Im going to split the tank, I have a wooden feature which I first bought but the tannins pissed out of it. Its been in a bucket out the back since and would love to use it so may get another tank and take my time.

[bazza white]

also to add to the above.

What nano fish can I add. Need to be fresh water and cold water fish and ideally don't want to many.

Rasbora look great but got to find them and not sure on the temps.

[HustleRussell]

Eventually (after hearing lots of complaining from LFSs that they are super flaky) I found some Celestial Pearl Dannios. Unfortunately I found them to be super flaky. I started with 10 a couple of years ago and one by one they just flaked out on me. Temperate 30l bowl. The water always measured great and they succumbed to a range of different maladies- nothing obvious. My leading theory is that the 30l volume of the tank was just insufficient to buffer them from daily / weekly temperature fluctuations and it stressed them. I do also suspect the stock is bad for this species.

I might in future have a go with half a dosen White Cloud Mountain Minnows or Zebra Danios, or possibly chuck a heater in and get some Rasboras or Tetras.

Your tank if we're honest is too small for those fish. You could probably do a Betta or a handful of Chili Rasboras or Mosquito fish but all would require a heater.

ETA: Sorry I got you mixed up with the guy with the 12l cube. Looks like you could keep any of the temperate species I mentioned above plus rice fish, or any number of tropical fish if you add a heater.

Edited by HustleRussell on Thursday 26th October 11:58

[Sway]

Reef tank update...

Torch coral is doing very, very well. Feeling a lot more confident in adding some more corals in over the next month or two. Did pick up an impulse 'fistful of dollars' chalice that seems to be settling nicely.



One day, I'll pick up a lens kit to actually take some decent pics...

Have been away a st load with work. Other half has kept on top of things, but probably overfed a tad!

Hanna Marine Master is still incredible, expensive but worth every penny.

Current parameters:

Alk 7.7dKH
pH 8.1
Phos 0.12ppm (swapped out nyos phosi-ex after testing!)
Nitrates 29ppm

Couldn't be arsed doing calc and mag this time round...

Added two lovely wrasse - a peacock leopard wrasse and a lubbocks fairy wrasse. Both took to the tank incredibly well (not even hiding on entry) and are great additions with loads of colour and movement. That's pretty much it for fish, until I can find a nice goby/pistol shrimp combo, and the centrepiece regal angel.





Lots of overdue maintenance happening - a shed load of substrate syphoning, need to do a deep clean of the sump over the Christmas break, etc.

Have also updated my plans for the 'coral scape'. I'm changing jobs, so likely will be home much more. So - lower sections I'd like a real variety of chalices. Any vertical/shadowed bits will get some leptoseris. Mid layers will be 'lower light' SPS such as hystrix and stylophora - and I wanna be a big brave boy and go for some actual acropora on the upper levels...

DD kH manager and P4pro combo will be coming in the new year to manage alk/dosing. Am moving to bi-monthly ICP tests and will run trace mixes based on those. Nutrient management seems to have come around to my routine, so I'm feeling almost confident. Let's see...