Show me your aquarium
Discussion
Sway said:
Oh, and has anyone (particularly marine keepers) used "spotless water"?
There's one ten minutes from me. 3.5p per litre of guaranteed 0tds water seems very, very cheap!
Only once to see how it worked, but I felt a bit guilty at not spending with my local fish shop. I do have a large 5 stage RODI filter in a box ready to install at some point in the future, but I like my weekly visit to see the local fish guys.There's one ten minutes from me. 3.5p per litre of guaranteed 0tds water seems very, very cheap!
I've recently added a pair of boxfish to the tank, and a 20 strong shoal of juvenile chromis. The box fish are like a pair of water puppies, really interactive and full of character.
The chromis look really good darting about individually, then randomly shoaling into a tight group when the bigger fish cruise past them.
We also added a large engineering goby a few months ago that is busy carrying out a network of tunnels under the rock. Every morning a new pile of sand appears somewhere in the tank which gets filled in again by the crabs and urchins.
Turn7 said:
Sway said:
Oh, and has anyone (particularly marine keepers) used "spotless water"?
There's one ten minutes from me. 3.5p per litre of guaranteed 0tds water seems very, very cheap!
WQ can VERY sketchy from what Ive heard, some sites are better than others.There's one ten minutes from me. 3.5p per litre of guaranteed 0tds water seems very, very cheap!
Its not worth the aggro, a decent RO kit will cost less than a £100......
Not disagreeing, just trying to understand. Setting up a RODI system at the moment isn't an option (but could be on the cards when I get the kitchen redone in a year or so).
Sway said:
Turn7 said:
Sway said:
Oh, and has anyone (particularly marine keepers) used "spotless water"?
There's one ten minutes from me. 3.5p per litre of guaranteed 0tds water seems very, very cheap!
WQ can VERY sketchy from what Ive heard, some sites are better than others.There's one ten minutes from me. 3.5p per litre of guaranteed 0tds water seems very, very cheap!
Its not worth the aggro, a decent RO kit will cost less than a £100......
Not disagreeing, just trying to understand. Setting up a RODI system at the moment isn't an option (but could be on the cards when I get the kitchen redone in a year or so).
If you are running a reef, its just not worth the risk in my eyes.....
S11Steve said:
Only once to see how it worked, but I felt a bit guilty at not spending with my local fish shop. I do have a large 5 stage RODI filter in a box ready to install at some point in the future, but I like my weekly visit to see the local fish guys.
I've recently added a pair of boxfish to the tank, and a 20 strong shoal of juvenile chromis. The box fish are like a pair of water puppies, really interactive and full of character.
The chromis look really good darting about individually, then randomly shoaling into a tight group when the bigger fish cruise past them.
We also added a large engineering goby a few months ago that is busy carrying out a network of tunnels under the rock. Every morning a new pile of sand appears somewhere in the tank which gets filled in again by the crabs and urchins.
Dont want to spoil your day, but I bet those Chromis end up as less than five if your lucky......I've recently added a pair of boxfish to the tank, and a 20 strong shoal of juvenile chromis. The box fish are like a pair of water puppies, really interactive and full of character.
The chromis look really good darting about individually, then randomly shoaling into a tight group when the bigger fish cruise past them.
We also added a large engineering goby a few months ago that is busy carrying out a network of tunnels under the rock. Every morning a new pile of sand appears somewhere in the tank which gets filled in again by the crabs and urchins.
HustleRussell said:
Just out of curiosity, are marine fish and invertebrates all captive bred these days?
Not by a long shot, unfortunately. However, the countries they come from have started taking it very, very seriously. Indonesia had a blanket ban on exports for a number of years whilst they ensured a sustainable and appropriate approach to it.
Lots of the coral farms are doing some really good stuff in regenerating reefs, through micro-fragging and growing on in special frames (with some being sold, and some used to rejuvenate the wild reefs).
There is a large and increasing focus on captive bred. Methods are improving all the time, as they understand how (for example) the lunar cycle effects fish breeding. Everything that goes in my tank will be captive bred/aquacultured.
This is my tropical tank. It's an Aqua oak 200ltr bought new in 2015. I had to sand it down and stain darker though because "it didnt go with the lounge furniture" 
I use an Aqua manta efx300 filter with additional biohome ultimate media. It's a peaceful mixture of fish although a couple are getting a little too big now.
This beast has been with me from the start. As has this...
I think my favourites though are the sterba"s corydoras. Real characters.
I use an Aqua manta efx300 filter with additional biohome ultimate media. It's a peaceful mixture of fish although a couple are getting a little too big now.
This beast has been with me from the start. As has this...
I think my favourites though are the sterba"s corydoras. Real characters.
And this is my little saltwater set up, bought 2nd hand 6 months ago. It's a Fluval evo 13.5 which came with some live rock, 2 shrimp & 2 clowns. Since having it I've done a few upgrades.
I've added a few soft corals but no more fish. The clowns are quite aggressive. I've changed the filtration media, upgraded the pump, fitted 2 x wavemakers (probably over the top) and recently bought a new AI hydra 32HD light (definitely over the top) although in my defence, the light was bought with a bigger tank in mind but this is probably a couple of years away. I want to build up my coral stock, particularly the zoas and hopefully then use this tank as a frag tank when I eventually upgrade.
So far so good
I've added a few soft corals but no more fish. The clowns are quite aggressive. I've changed the filtration media, upgraded the pump, fitted 2 x wavemakers (probably over the top) and recently bought a new AI hydra 32HD light (definitely over the top) although in my defence, the light was bought with a bigger tank in mind but this is probably a couple of years away. I want to build up my coral stock, particularly the zoas and hopefully then use this tank as a frag tank when I eventually upgrade.
So far so good
Sway said:
HustleRussell said:
Just out of curiosity, are marine fish and invertebrates all captive bred these days?
Not by a long shot, unfortunately. However, the countries they come from have started taking it very, very seriously. Indonesia had a blanket ban on exports for a number of years whilst they ensured a sustainable and appropriate approach to it.
Lots of the coral farms are doing some really good stuff in regenerating reefs, through micro-fragging and growing on in special frames (with some being sold, and some used to rejuvenate the wild reefs).
There is a large and increasing focus on captive bred. Methods are improving all the time, as they understand how (for example) the lunar cycle effects fish breeding. Everything that goes in my tank will be captive bred/aquacultured.
Sway said:
Worth noting as well - there are a lot of common freshwater fish which are wild caught too. Often completely unlabelled/notified.
I’d be taking the same approach. It’s a pity that they aren’t clearly marked. 
Rock work bought, smashed up, and epoxied together...
I've another dome shaped piece that's likely going at the end, but not sure yet.
The epoxy is a pain, so terribly soft until it's spent a fair while curing. At one point I had four props and two weights holding everything in place - and a Mrs, son, dog and three cats suffering a threat of death for bumping it!
Hi all! I'm a beginner in "keeping water" and have been shown this thread by Sway.
My daughter has a small 30L tank with some live plants and shrimps. We've decided to embark on a father daugher project to upgrade to a 145L tank.
Plan is for a planted tropical community aquarium with tropical fish, shrimps and maybe snails.
Sway has kindly offered some advice to get us started but would appreciate any feedback along the way.
This is the tank we've got which comes with 850l/h filter and 200W heater : https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07L4Y2N9Q/ref...
For the substrate plan is to get 4KG of Fluval substrate : https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00JGQIY48/?coliid=I36...
We believe this should be enough for our needs. There would be some moss balls and live plants. Not too sure which yet. We are also looking at some driftwood and plastic pipes for some hiding places.
In terms of fish stock the initial plan would be as below:
x10 Neon Tetras
x10 Ember Tetras
x10 X Ray Tetras
x10 Sterbai Corys
Daughter might transfer a few of her shrimps over from current tank.
We might add few Danios (x10?) and Guppies (x5) in the future but wondering if this would be over crowding the tank?
My daughter has a small 30L tank with some live plants and shrimps. We've decided to embark on a father daugher project to upgrade to a 145L tank.
Plan is for a planted tropical community aquarium with tropical fish, shrimps and maybe snails.
Sway has kindly offered some advice to get us started but would appreciate any feedback along the way.
This is the tank we've got which comes with 850l/h filter and 200W heater : https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07L4Y2N9Q/ref...
For the substrate plan is to get 4KG of Fluval substrate : https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00JGQIY48/?coliid=I36...
We believe this should be enough for our needs. There would be some moss balls and live plants. Not too sure which yet. We are also looking at some driftwood and plastic pipes for some hiding places.
In terms of fish stock the initial plan would be as below:
x10 Neon Tetras
x10 Ember Tetras
x10 X Ray Tetras
x10 Sterbai Corys
Daughter might transfer a few of her shrimps over from current tank.
We might add few Danios (x10?) and Guppies (x5) in the future but wondering if this would be over crowding the tank?
FrankHovis said:
This is my tropical tank. It's an Aqua oak 200ltr bought new in 2015. I had to sand it down and stain darker though because "it didnt go with the lounge furniture"
I use an Aqua manta efx300 filter with additional biohome ultimate media. It's a peaceful mixture of fish although a couple are getting a little too big now.
This beast has been with me from the start. As has this...
I think my favourites though are the sterba"s corydoras. Real characters.
Your mention of those Corys reminded me, I worked in a tropical fish place about 28yrs ago. I remember us getting some Sterbai in when they were barely heard of. They were ultra rare and £25 quid each back then. Btw.I use an Aqua manta efx300 filter with additional biohome ultimate media. It's a peaceful mixture of fish although a couple are getting a little too big now.
This beast has been with me from the start. As has this...
I think my favourites though are the sterba"s corydoras. Real characters.
Atb
Chris
[quote=FrankHovis]
......... a couple are getting a little too big now.
Lovely looking fish
My Scat (previous post) had to go :-( over night he became disruptive, we'll leave it at that!
Reluctantly Scatman was taken back by the fish shop and 4 Clowns replaced him.
What characters they are hopefully many years before they grow too large for the tank.
......... a couple are getting a little too big now.
Lovely looking fish
My Scat (previous post) had to go :-( over night he became disruptive, we'll leave it at that!
Reluctantly Scatman was taken back by the fish shop and 4 Clowns replaced him.
What characters they are
hopefully many years before they grow too large for the tank.Turn7 said:
I know they are small, but thats quite heavy stocking in my eyes....
The Danios really appreciate good flow as well.
What ever you do, add stock gradually, not all at once.
I found a website with a calculator and does look like I'm pushing the limit of the tank.The Danios really appreciate good flow as well.
What ever you do, add stock gradually, not all at once.
Perhaps I will just get the tetras first to start with.
this whole post with all the photos made me wanna buy an aquarium! I'm going to the store tomorrow, wait for updates 
update: I've bought an aquarium with various fish species and now I have to think thoroughly about the decorations that would not only look good but also bring good to fish and the water. My friend suggested me to order live rocks and other stuff that I'd like from arcreef.com cause this is where he bought his rock for aquarium from. I think I'm gonna do so.
update: I've bought an aquarium with various fish species and now I have to think thoroughly about the decorations that would not only look good but also bring good to fish and the water. My friend suggested me to order live rocks and other stuff that I'd like from arcreef.com cause this is where he bought his rock for aquarium from. I think I'm gonna do so.
Edited by travoltt on Tuesday 28th July 14:52
travoltt said:
this whole post with all the photos made me wanna buy an aquarium! I'm going to the store tomorrow, wait for updates
That’s great !BUT - please please read up on cycling an aquarium correctly
Do not allow the LFS to flog you some snake oil and 30 fish to take home and setup your new aquarium....
king fairground fish - we have settled on a BiOrb. 
travoltt said:
this whole post with all the photos made me wanna buy an aquarium! I'm going to the store tomorrow, wait for updates
One more of us, one less of them....Read this - https://www.thesprucepets.com/nitrogen-cycle-under...
Buy a water test kit.
Start slow, add fish over a couple of months to allow the bacteria in the filters to mature.
If you buy the tank this week, give it at least a week before adding a fish - there are some "instant bacteria colonies" available, but I'm still not convinced that they are better than proper cycling a tank. Ask the fish shop if you can have some of their filter media to help kick start the tank - it may be a coupe of ceramic type of discs or beads, or a chunk of filter floss. It will be loaded with bacteria and give your own filter media a good start.
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