Show me your aquarium

[Sway]

S11Steve said:

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.

Agree with pretty much everything you've written - except I truly am convinced now on the instant bacteria colonies...

Most will not suggest putting fish in immediately - instead the mix has a source of food for the bacteria to allow them to multiply over a week or so. The one I've just bought for setting up my marine tank has an ammonium source to feed the tank with prior to adding fish if you're not doing it immediately.

I've used instant colony on four tanks now, and stocked 'medium/heavy' pretty much straight away (within a week to ten days of first getting wet). I've always been rigorous with regular weekly water changes of 30%, and have never seen any hint of ammonia or nitrite (nitrate sits at about 20ppm, my source tap water is that!). Nor have I experienced losses of livestock or any sign of 'new tank syndrome'.

Media has also come on leaps and bounds in recent years, being much more porous and better at supporting a large bacterial load.

[otolith]

My preference is fishless cycling using ammonium chloride solution with a starter culture to speed it up.

[Nimby]

Turn7 said:

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....

Can you buy fish at the moment? My local store is open for food, equipment etc but they aren't yet selling fish.

[Turn7]

Nimby said:

Can you buy fish at the moment? My local store is open for food, equipment etc but they aren't yet selling fish.

My favourite marine shop is selling all livestock but limiting customers in the shop etc etx

[Sway]

otolith said:

My preference is fishless cycling using ammonium chloride solution with a starter culture to speed it up.

As if by magic, look what's just shown up today in prep for cycling my new marine tank:

[S11Steve]

Turn7 said:

Nimby said:

Can you buy fish at the moment? My local store is open for food, equipment etc but they aren't yet selling fish.

My favourite marine shop is selling all livestock but limiting customers in the shop etc etx

Likewise at Fit Filtration in Sheffield and Abyss in Stockport - they are the only two I've been to since March.

TMC, the livestock wholesalers, have been operating for most of the Covid period, so livestock supply is available, but it is up to each shop on how they retail.

[otolith]

Sway said:

otolith said:

My preference is fishless cycling using ammonium chloride solution with a starter culture to speed it up.

As if by magic, look what's just shown up today in prep for cycling my new marine tank:

Perfect!

(Although the Dr Tim's ammonia is 60ml of 50mg/ml ammonia-nitrogen for about 8 quid, which works out at about £70 per 100g of dry ammonium chloride - I bought 100g of lab grade NH4Cl for £3.95. You are of course paying for someone to weigh and measure and bottle instead of fannying about doing it yourself, not for the raw materials, but...)

[addz86]

Great thread some from my community tank, there’s Kribensis, glass catfish, angels, Ruby shark, Peacock eels, pearl gourami, a Royal plec and a golden nugget plec














And my upstairs tank, Five L46 Zebra plecs which I’m hoping to breed, loads of Cherry shrimp which won’t stop breeding, a handful of Cardinal tetras and 3 large Bamboo shrimp which are great to watch filter feeding

[S11Steve]

Zebra plecs are beautiful - I had one in my old tropical tank that I bought for about £40 without realising how expensive they usually are.
If you're successful at breeding them, that's the hobby paid for!

[addz86]

Wow I wish I could find someone selling them for £40! Yeah fingers crossed that’s the idea, wouldn’t be so bad but you hardly see the little gits unless you sneak up on them or sit still for ages

[Turn7]

Eels are interesting, not seen those before at all......

[addz86]

The eels are great to watch they’re really lively and colourful, I’ll try and get some better pics but they never stop moving

[anxious_ant]

Total newbie here to big tropical tank so has been a learning experience.
Modest tank compared to some here but plenty of father daugher fun had to get this far.
200W heater that came with the kit exploded within 5 minutes so ordered ourselves a 200W Fluval.

Tempted to get fish this week but probably would wait a week to let the water and plants settle.

[Turn7]

Have you got a water test kit ?

If not, buy one.....

What filtration does that use ?

[anxious_ant]

Turn7 said:

Have you got a water test kit ?

If not, buy one.....

What filtration does that use ?

Yes, we have a test kit.
Filter is a Ocellaris 850. Decent enough to start with but plan to upgrade to Fluval in the near future.

https://www.aquarium-parts.co.uk/ocellaris-850uv-s...

edit: Water still a bit cloudy but it's only been 3 hours-ish so hopefully it will start to clear up tomorrow.

Edited by anxious_ant on Saturday 27th June 19:58

[Turn7]

anxious_ant said:

Turn7 said:

Have you got a water test kit ?

If not, buy one.....

What filtration does that use ?

Yes, we have a test kit.
It's 800L/h filter OCellaris 850. Decent enough to start with but plan to upgrade to Fluval in the near future.

https://www.aquarium-parts.co.uk/ocellaris-850uv-s...

Ok, thats a half decent start...personally, Id be looking to swap that out for an Eheim, but thats a matter of choice. Fluval is ok,

Keep an eye on Nitrite and Ammonia levels to start with - do not stock until both are zero.....Weekly tests......

What test kit have you got ?

[anxious_ant]

Turn7 said:

Ok, thats a half decent start...personally, Id be looking to swap that out for an Eheim, but thats a matter of choice. Fluval is ok,

Keep an eye on Nitrite and Ammonia levels to start with - do not stock until both are zero.....Weekly tests......

What test kit have you got ?

The filter came with the tank kit so would keep it until it breaks Always a fan of Fluval so that would be the next upgrade path.

I've got 5 in 1 test kit smiliar to this : https://www.amazon.co.uk/API-Freshwater-Saltwater-...

[Turn7]

anxious_ant said:

Turn7 said:

Ok, thats a half decent start...personally, Id be looking to swap that out for an Eheim, but thats a matter of choice. Fluval is ok,

Keep an eye on Nitrite and Ammonia levels to start with - do not stock until both are zero.....Weekly tests......

What test kit have you got ?

The filter came with the tank kit so would keep it until it breaks Always a fan of Fluval so that would be the next upgrade path.

I've got 5 in 1 test kit smiliar to this : https://www.amazon.co.uk/API-Freshwater-Saltwater-...

Strips are ok, but not hugely accurate - when you have run out, consider the liquid test kits, ie

https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/4038114600?iid=2336190993...

[anxious_ant]

Turn7 said:

Strips are ok, but not hugely accurate - when you have run out, consider the liquid test kits, ie

https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/4038114600?iid=2336190993...

Thanks for the tip We will get that when we run out.

[Turn7]

Also -any reason the water level looks low ? Can you fill it to hide the water line ?

Does your filter utilise a spraybar to return to the tank?