Show me your aquarium
Discussion
Sway said:
It's looking great!
Big clean up/equipment breakdown this weekend, then onto the 'reset' to freshwater...
Caddyshack said:
Had a great chat with Mick at MBM and he came up with some great ideas. We are going to add a hydroponic growing tank above the main tank.
Sounds good, especially on a tank that size!No real updates Tiger.
All fish sold very quickly (to 'good people') via my LFS, so I've plenty of store credit. He's getting a big order of wood in over the next week or two which I've got first dibs on - and I'll be getting AI Prime HD freshwater lights 'gratis' too.
Spent a LOT of time cleaning down tank and equipment. Lights got sold this week for more than I paid for them (Mrs Sway promised that I'll be allowed to buy the even sexier Straton Pros when I next do marine again). Gyres, kH Manager and skimmer are up for sale.
But.
Realised that we want to redo the flooring throughout the ground floor in prep for sale in a year or two. I did my office (where the tank is) first as a pilot before tank was filled - looking at it properly, frankly the click lvt is rubbish.
So, before I can refill I've got to empty the office including tank - going for gluedown lvt this time. Hoping the concrete subfloor is flat enough to get away without levelling compound... Fingers crossed (I think it is, was certainly up to spec for the click lvt)...
All fish sold very quickly (to 'good people') via my LFS, so I've plenty of store credit. He's getting a big order of wood in over the next week or two which I've got first dibs on - and I'll be getting AI Prime HD freshwater lights 'gratis' too.
Spent a LOT of time cleaning down tank and equipment. Lights got sold this week for more than I paid for them (Mrs Sway promised that I'll be allowed to buy the even sexier Straton Pros when I next do marine again). Gyres, kH Manager and skimmer are up for sale.
But.
Realised that we want to redo the flooring throughout the ground floor in prep for sale in a year or two. I did my office (where the tank is) first as a pilot before tank was filled - looking at it properly, frankly the click lvt is rubbish.
So, before I can refill I've got to empty the office including tank - going for gluedown lvt this time. Hoping the concrete subfloor is flat enough to get away without levelling compound... Fingers crossed (I think it is, was certainly up to spec for the click lvt)...
Sway said:
No real updates Tiger.
All fish sold very quickly (to 'good people') via my LFS, so I've plenty of store credit. He's getting a big order of wood in over the next week or two which I've got first dibs on - and I'll be getting AI Prime HD freshwater lights 'gratis' too.
Spent a LOT of time cleaning down tank and equipment. Lights got sold this week for more than I paid for them (Mrs Sway promised that I'll be allowed to buy the even sexier Straton Pros when I next do marine again). Gyres, kH Manager and skimmer are up for sale.
But.
Realised that we want to redo the flooring throughout the ground floor in prep for sale in a year or two. I did my office (where the tank is) first as a pilot before tank was filled - looking at it properly, frankly the click lvt is rubbish.
So, before I can refill I've got to empty the office including tank - going for gluedown lvt this time. Hoping the concrete subfloor is flat enough to get away without levelling compound... Fingers crossed (I think it is, was certainly up to spec for the click lvt)...
Eeesssh, that's annoying, nothing worse than an empty tank ready to be scaped.All fish sold very quickly (to 'good people') via my LFS, so I've plenty of store credit. He's getting a big order of wood in over the next week or two which I've got first dibs on - and I'll be getting AI Prime HD freshwater lights 'gratis' too.
Spent a LOT of time cleaning down tank and equipment. Lights got sold this week for more than I paid for them (Mrs Sway promised that I'll be allowed to buy the even sexier Straton Pros when I next do marine again). Gyres, kH Manager and skimmer are up for sale.
But.
Realised that we want to redo the flooring throughout the ground floor in prep for sale in a year or two. I did my office (where the tank is) first as a pilot before tank was filled - looking at it properly, frankly the click lvt is rubbish.
So, before I can refill I've got to empty the office including tank - going for gluedown lvt this time. Hoping the concrete subfloor is flat enough to get away without levelling compound... Fingers crossed (I think it is, was certainly up to spec for the click lvt)...
Nothing much to report from my two.
Pico, there were 6 shrimp alongside the Betta, I think that's down to one, I suspect this male is less tolerant of them of them than the last one who was female.
The Buce flowered, Anubias is doing it's thing
The 'larger' one I did manage to sneak onto the dining sideboard whilst the wife wasn't looking, was wasted in the office and got way too much sun.
She's not grumbled too much about it, fish way less skittish given they are used to traffic.
Added the Monstera above the water line, no fish losses that I'm aware of and see plenty of the shrimp.
When the bank account recovers from buying this place we're going to extend, that should give me space for a proper size tank, at least a 4 footer but wide and deep, I'm itching to scape something with some potential but it'll be end of this year/beginning of next.
If only I could populate the pool in the garden
They're looking lovely. Certainly helped influence my scaling design (genuinely).
Whilst the marine was becoming as much burden as passion hence closing it down - it is killing me more than I expected not having a tank to tinker with...
Office has gotten colder too, without a half tonne heat sink running at 25C!
Whilst the marine was becoming as much burden as passion hence closing it down - it is killing me more than I expected not having a tank to tinker with...
Office has gotten colder too, without a half tonne heat sink running at 25C!
After quite a few years out of keeping fish we bought this 3 weeks ago (Jewel rio 125l). Things seem to have moved on a lot in the last 20 years or so. I'm making lots of newbie mistakes, spending hours on youtube researching and spending far too much money on all the extras. It's currently still cycling but it has a few cardinal, a bristle nose pleco and some shrimp in it currently ( all seem happy enough) and we're slowly stocking over the next few weeks as bacteria levels build.
We had some plant melt in week 1 but everything seems to be stabilising: I had the lights on for too long in an attempt to get the plants to kick start and have a bit of an algae bloom so now adjusting down the lights, and performing small water changes to get that under control. Water tests seem OK..
We had plenty of substrate left over and it seemed a shame to let it go to waste so this happened...
We had some plant melt in week 1 but everything seems to be stabilising: I had the lights on for too long in an attempt to get the plants to kick start and have a bit of an algae bloom so now adjusting down the lights, and performing small water changes to get that under control. Water tests seem OK..
We had plenty of substrate left over and it seemed a shame to let it go to waste so this happened...
Edited by MDUBZ on Saturday 8th March 19:53
MDUBZ said:
After quite a few years out of keeping fish we bought this 3 weeks ago (Jewel rio 125l). Things seem to have moved on a lot in the last 20 years or so. I'm making lots of newbie mistakes, spending hours on youtube researching and spending far too much money on all the extras. It's currently still cycling but it has a few cardinal, a bristle nose pleco and some shrimp in it currently ( all seem happy enough) and we're slowly stocking over the next few weeks as bacteria levels build.
We had some plant melt in week 1 but everything seems to be stabilising: I had the lights on for too long in an attempt to get the plants to kick start and have a bit of an algae bloom so now adjusting down the lights, and performing small water changes to get that under control. Water tests seem OK..
We had plenty of substrate left over and it seemed a shame to let it go to waste so this happened...
Like the scape on the small one especially, they are a fWe had some plant melt in week 1 but everything seems to be stabilising: I had the lights on for too long in an attempt to get the plants to kick start and have a bit of an algae bloom so now adjusting down the lights, and performing small water changes to get that under control. Water tests seem OK..
We had plenty of substrate left over and it seemed a shame to let it go to waste so this happened...
Edited by MDUBZ on Saturday 8th March 19:53
ker to get right given the space constraints!What's the volume on it?
All plecos are absolute waste machines if you didn't know already, I've kept in the region of 15 species, the amount of s
t they produce is startling, the BN will provide all the ammonia you need for cycling.Thanks.. the little one is an interpet aquacube: 28L so I'm fairly limited for stocking options..
Thanks for the heads up on the pleco, I did a water test on Sunday on both tanks and everything was OK, I'm travelling for work this week, so the kids have been looking after them.. i'm interested to see how things have progressed on my return.
Thanks for the heads up on the pleco, I did a water test on Sunday on both tanks and everything was OK, I'm travelling for work this week, so the kids have been looking after them.. i'm interested to see how things have progressed on my return.
dxbtiger said:
MDUBZ said:
After quite a few years out of keeping fish we bought this 3 weeks ago (Jewel rio 125l). Things seem to have moved on a lot in the last 20 years or so. I'm making lots of newbie mistakes, spending hours on youtube researching and spending far too much money on all the extras. It's currently still cycling but it has a few cardinal, a bristle nose pleco and some shrimp in it currently ( all seem happy enough) and we're slowly stocking over the next few weeks as bacteria levels build.
We had some plant melt in week 1 but everything seems to be stabilising: I had the lights on for too long in an attempt to get the plants to kick start and have a bit of an algae bloom so now adjusting down the lights, and performing small water changes to get that under control. Water tests seem OK..
We had plenty of substrate left over and it seemed a shame to let it go to waste so this happened...
Like the scape on the small one especially, they are a fWe had some plant melt in week 1 but everything seems to be stabilising: I had the lights on for too long in an attempt to get the plants to kick start and have a bit of an algae bloom so now adjusting down the lights, and performing small water changes to get that under control. Water tests seem OK..
We had plenty of substrate left over and it seemed a shame to let it go to waste so this happened...
Edited by MDUBZ on Saturday 8th March 19:53
ker to get right given the space constraints!What's the volume on it?
All plecos are absolute waste machines if you didn't know already, I've kept in the region of 15 species, the amount of s
t they produce is startling, the BN will provide all the ammonia you need for cycling.I always thought it would be nice to have a desk nano tank but to have a decent sump beneath to give a stable volume, the only problem is getting a pump to return the water to the nano that has enough umpf to lift the head of water but not upset the small tank.
Caddyshack said:
Nice tanks
I always thought it would be nice to have a desk nano tank but to have a decent sump beneath to give a stable volume, the only problem is getting a pump to return the water to the nano that has enough umpf to lift the head of water but not upset the small tank.
Pretty straightforward now with controllable DC pumps. I'd suggest a jecod/jebao dcp1200. I always thought it would be nice to have a desk nano tank but to have a decent sump beneath to give a stable volume, the only problem is getting a pump to return the water to the nano that has enough umpf to lift the head of water but not upset the small tank.
Mick at MBM will do anything for a bacon butty...! And remind him his steps are still in my garage.
I am no longer "a reefkeeper" after a catastrophic glass failure last year. Not the seams, but the glass itself.
A loud cracking and popping sound at 2am, whilts the eldest was in the kitchen after getting in from work, followed by the sound of 1000 litres of seawater flodding the entire bottom floor of the house...
As the glass cracked, most of the fish were on the sand at the bottom of the tank, and were quickly netted into the sump - all the electrics had gone in the house, but as we have suspended joists, the water didn't pool for very long,... thankfully.
Mick and Wayne came out first thing the next morning with an IBC and a tonne of seawater to move the fish from the sump into something more appropriate. We also managed to save most of the softies, a couple fo HUGE bubbletip nems and most of the clean up crew.
Over the course of the next week, everything was rehomed to local fishkeepers, and I'm still getting updates from the people on some of the fish.
The insurance would not pay for the tank, but thankfully did pay for the repairs to the kitchen, dining room, lounge, hallway, which was not insignificant and took about 6 months in total to reinstate everything.
But at least we got the entire ground floor redecorated, and it was something we had planned for this year.
For now all of the tank hardware - lights pumps etc, have all been thoroughly cleaned, dried and put in storage boxes, the frame is fine, but the cabinetry was completely blown. I will be back, I just don't quite know when yet. The live rock has been sat on the back patio but has turned a bit green so needs nuked again before it can be reused.
In other life news, we will be taking early retirement in the next 18-24 months, and neither of us are keen on setting up a huge system again with a house move imminent.
Some photos to follow.
S11Steve said:
A loud cracking and popping sound at 2am, whilts the eldest was in the kitchen after getting in from work, followed by the sound of 1000 litres of seawater flodding the entire bottom floor of the house...
Damn that's a nightmare. 
Do you happen to know how thick the glass was? And was the tank braced? (I would have thought so with the pelmet like that but just wondered).
Sway said:
Caddyshack said:
Nice tanks
I always thought it would be nice to have a desk nano tank but to have a decent sump beneath to give a stable volume, the only problem is getting a pump to return the water to the nano that has enough umpf to lift the head of water but not upset the small tank.
Pretty straightforward now with controllable DC pumps. I'd suggest a jecod/jebao dcp1200. I always thought it would be nice to have a desk nano tank but to have a decent sump beneath to give a stable volume, the only problem is getting a pump to return the water to the nano that has enough umpf to lift the head of water but not upset the small tank.
budgie smuggler said:
Damn that's a nightmare.
Do you happen to know how thick the glass was? And was the tank braced? (I would have thought so with the pelmet like that but just wondered).
10mm thick, braced all round, and two cross braces. Do you happen to know how thick the glass was? And was the tank braced? (I would have thought so with the pelmet like that but just wondered).
Mick at MBM did the calculations afterwards and it was at the very top of its structural limit but still within "acceptable" tolerances, although Mick has suggested 12mm at a minimum for a rebuild.
It does look like they're was a tiny burr on the back edge of the glass that may have been a weak spot, but that may also have been caused by the failure, rather than the cause. We're never going to be entirely sure.
The main thing is that all but two small fish survived and were rehomed.
sigh , seems we are all having issues - sorry to hear of the above - but after a water change yesterday and everything looking happy, woke this morning to find 9 fish dead, 3 remaining.
not sure what has happened, was a usual water change, took out a few ornaments to clean them up , added some additives as always to the water before putting in and heating it slightly to the same temperature - absolutely nothing out of the ordinary.....tested the water before and after, and nitrates are normal, everything is all in the OK range.
it looks even like the snails have died - its quite bizarre.
the only thing thats changed is the food, about 2 weeks ago started with TETRA PRO, rather than the normal tetra flakes, and the fish were loving it, tank wes clear, everything going great.
actually, the only thing i had an issue with was the filter, for some reason it wouldnt come on after the change, i had to fiddle around with it, and it made some funny noises, before it suddenly came into life.
i'm not sure this fish lark is for me, i've got through quite a few tetras, a leaking tank, and now this......
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