Show me your aquarium

[Turn7]

dxbtiger said:

Used to twenty odd years ago when I lived in England, Agasizii double red from memory, beautiful, beautiful fish.

Getting the pair will be the main part, if I were to get them here they'd be probably too small to sex but I'd take them over shellies any day and I wouldn't want a substrate littered with shells on top of that.

Will display predictable Cichlid behaviour, especially if they breed, but will be fine with Corys and I kept mine with Rummy Nose with no issue.

Update on my tanks

I changed the light on my larger tank, to a Lominie Asta 20, with WiFi controller and I'm impressed, full control over the spectrum, timing etc from the app. Not quite figured out how to program a sunrise/sunset effect but the shimmer on the hardscape and substrate is lovely when they are on.

Snails under control, algae not as much, trying to find some Nerite snails to combine with the Otos I recently added.

Thanks DXb ….

What size is this tabk ? I’m thinking either cube or standard 60 litre with HOB….

Havnt decided which flavour Apisto yet, but want a bright one .

[White-Noise]

As a non owner I was wondering if people buy and sell individual fish and possibly their entire tank and contents?

I'm wondering because I like the idea of having a tank one day but I'm not sure how committed I would be. Id probably be unlikely to do it though due to the upkeep but I was curious.

Thanks

[dxbtiger]

Ritchie335is said:

Oberheim said:

Ritchie335is said:

Thanks for the advice, I have been watching MD on YouTube, and he has really inspired me to get cracking. Unfortunately, I don't have the room for an additional tank for filtration.

I think he meant buying a different aquarium tank that is just a tank alone without a built-in internal filter - these take up a significant area of the available water volume. You would then buy a separate, appropriately-sized external filter for the tank For a 60-litre tank, I really recommend the Seachem Tidal 35 - it's a hang-on external filter that is self-priming, has adjustable flow rate, can accept different types of filter media and is a breeze to maintain. I absolutely love the Tidal 35 I have running on my 60-litre tank. It's so much less faff to clean and maintain then any external canister filter I've used (and I've used several over the years).

Edited by Oberheim on Wednesday 22 October 14:59

Ah, ok, Thanks, I'll look into this.

40 litres and has two tidal 35s, both mounted at the back, they are the best HOB I've ever used as the pump is submerged.

As I said I OVER filter, always..

Can see they both just fit across the back in-between the light

Edited by dxbtiger on Wednesday 22 October 22:57

[dxbtiger]

White-Noise said:

As a non owner I was wondering if people buy and sell individual fish and possibly their entire tank and contents?

I'm wondering because I like the idea of having a tank one day but I'm not sure how committed I would be. Id probably be unlikely to do it though due to the upkeep but I was curious.

Thanks

I've bought plenty of tanks, never wanted their current fish though.

Have previously sold and bought and sold and bought a lot of L numbers (plecos).

The upkeep on a well set up freshwater tank is minimal.

[Oberheim]

dxbtiger said:

Ritchie335is said:

Oberheim said:

Ritchie335is said:

Thanks for the advice, I have been watching MD on YouTube, and he has really inspired me to get cracking. Unfortunately, I don't have the room for an additional tank for filtration.

I think he meant buying a different aquarium tank that is just a tank alone without a built-in internal filter - these take up a significant area of the available water volume. You would then buy a separate, appropriately-sized external filter for the tank For a 60-litre tank, I really recommend the Seachem Tidal 35 - it's a hang-on external filter that is self-priming, has adjustable flow rate, can accept different types of filter media and is a breeze to maintain. I absolutely love the Tidal 35 I have running on my 60-litre tank. It's so much less faff to clean and maintain then any external canister filter I've used (and I've used several over the years).

Edited by Oberheim on Wednesday 22 October 14:59

Ah, ok, Thanks, I'll look into this.

40 litres and has two tidal 35s, both mounted at the back, they are the best HOB I've ever used as the pump is submerged.

As I said I OVER filter, always..

Can see they both just fit across the back in-between the light

Edited by dxbtiger on Wednesday 22 October 22:57

Two 35s on a 40 litre - top overfiltering! The Seachem Tidals are the best hang on filters out there I think.

I used to have a Jewel Lido 125 litre with the internal Juwel filter plus an external Eheim canister filter running on it. That was a very stable aquarium indeed - fish and plants thrived for years in it. Overfiltration is always a good thing.

[dxbtiger]

Oberheim said:

Two 35s on a 40 litre - top overfiltering! The Seachem Tidals are the best hang on filters out there I think.

I used to have a Jewel Lido 125 litre with the internal Juwel filter plus an external Eheim canister filter running on it. That was a very stable aquarium indeed - fish and plants thrived for years in it. Overfiltration is always a good thing.

It's definitely overkill but the aethestic works better with both as well as they kind of act as a background.

I am going to change how they are set up when the below arrives next week, I always used to use purigen in my canisters when I had space for larger tanks years ago, be interested to see how close this is to that.

Currently both run medium sponge > fine sponge > matrix.

Will change one to matrix only and then run the other medium sponge > fine sponge > cotton and then stop doing water changes completely and see what happens.

I top off about a litre every couple of days for evaporation, it gets full morning sun.

https://shop.shrimpoly.com/shop/filtration-system/...

[Ritchie335is]

After looking into this a bit further, it looks to me like all “tank only” aquariums don’t appear to have a lid. This is no good for me really as the cats would have the fish for breakfast.
Any ideas for a tank, with a partial lid that could accommodate a Tidal 35 filter of similar?
I’m now thinking I’ll have to stick with an integrated set up.

[dxbtiger]

Ritchie335is said:

After looking into this a bit further, it looks to me like all tank only aquariums don t appear to have a lid. This is no good for me really as the cats would have the fish for breakfast.
Any ideas for a tank, with a partial lid that could accommodate a Tidal 35 filter of similar?
I m now thinking I ll have to stick with an integrated set up.

Swap cat for a dog?

If you need a tank with a lid then I would ditch the idea of a HOB filter and use an external canister, there should be space in the side or back of the lid for the pipework, check Fluval or Juwel. They will probably come with an internal built in but I would remove it, frees up tank space and they are usually relatively small in terms of filtration capacity.

Do you have a Maidenhead Aqautics or similar nearby?

Something like this I mean

https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/fluval-roma-90-black-...

[Ritchie335is]

dxbtiger said:

Swap cat for a dog?

If you need a tank with a lid then I would ditch the idea of a HOB filter and use an external canister, there should be space in the side or back of the lid for the pipework, check Fluval or Juwel. They will probably come with an internal built in but I would remove it, frees up tank space and they are usually relatively small in terms of filtration capacity.

Do you have a Maidenhead Aqautics or similar nearby?

Something like this I mean

https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/fluval-roma-90-black-...

Thanks, yeah, I do have a Maidenhead nearby, I’ll have a look. Cheers.

[dxbtiger]

Ritchie335is said:

Thanks, yeah, I do have a Maidenhead nearby, I ll have a look. Cheers.

Pop in for a chat, I always foind their staff to be helpful, that plus something like a Fluval 207 and you're good to go.

Other external canisters I'd recommend are Eheim.

Oase weren't around back then but seem to be well regarded now, the thermomaster range has the advantage of the heater beig built into the filter, again frees up tank space and means less hardware on display in the tank which I always aim for.

[Oberheim]

For my 60 litre cube, I simply bought a 4mm polycarbonate sheet cut to size (2cm longer than the length and width of the tank) and cut out a notch at the side to accommodate the space needed for the Tidal 35 overhang. I also cut out a notch at the back to accommodate the clip for the light. After affixing a little steel knob to the front of the lid with a small piece of strong double-sided transparent adhesive tape, my crude lid was finished. When the lid is lifted, the notch for the tidal filter stays against the filter body to keep the lid in place. Doesn't look nearly as good as a purpose-made lid but it works for me. I get very little evaporation loss, the polycarbonate sheet stays nice and clear and my blue eye red neon rainbowfish stay in their tank

[blueg33]

Ritchie335is said:

dxbtiger said:

Swap cat for a dog?

If you need a tank with a lid then I would ditch the idea of a HOB filter and use an external canister, there should be space in the side or back of the lid for the pipework, check Fluval or Juwel. They will probably come with an internal built in but I would remove it, frees up tank space and they are usually relatively small in terms of filtration capacity.

Do you have a Maidenhead Aqautics or similar nearby?

Something like this I mean

https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/fluval-roma-90-black-...

Thanks, yeah, I do have a Maidenhead nearby, I ll have a look. Cheers.

Have a used tank like that my son would probably sell for £50

[Ritchie335is]

blueg33 said:

Have a used tank like that my son would probably sell for £50

Thanks for the offer, I may be interested, however I'm in NE Scotland, so I presume carriage costs would be prohibitive.
Cheers anyway.

[dxbtiger]

The consequences of adding one lone blue dream Neocaridina to a lovely colony of red many months ago

Edited by dxbtiger on Thursday 23 October 16:14

[Dr Mike Oxgreen]

Anyone keep Bettas?

I’ve been tearing down and rebuilding my 20 litre nano tank, which had been derelict for a number of years. This time I’m going low-tech, with no CO₂ and no filtration (apart from the plants). There is a pump to provide very gentle water circulation. Heated to 26°C/80°F. I run a small air pump on a timer to provide a bit of aeration while the lights are off.

Despite the lack of filtration, the tank processes moderate doses of Ammonium chloride with zero NH₃/NH₄ or NO₂ detectable the following day.

I’ve gone for a natural, jungle-like look. A couple of days ago I introduced the sole occupant, a male Betta. I don’t think I’ve kept them before. There are Malaysian trumpet snails, and I’ve tried introducing some water lice, Assellus aquaticus, though I haven’t seen any of them since the Betta was introduced…

Whole tank shot. It’s going through the brown diatom phase at the moment, hence the infestation of the frogbit roots…




And I’ve been told he should have a name. So, introducing “Merlin”…

[Caddyshack]

Dr Mike Oxgreen said:

Anyone keep Bettas?

I ve been tearing down and rebuilding my 20 litre nano tank, which had been derelict for a number of years. This time I m going low-tech, with no CO? and no filtration (apart from the plants). There is a pump to provide very gentle water circulation. Heated to 26°C/80°F. I run a small air pump on a timer to provide a bit of aeration while the lights are off.

Despite the lack of filtration, the tank processes moderate doses of Ammonium chloride with zero NH?/NH? or NO? detectable the following day.

I ve gone for a natural, jungle-like look. A couple of days ago I introduced the sole occupant, a male Betta. I don t think I ve kept them before. There are Malaysian trumpet snails, and I ve tried introducing some water lice, Assellus aquaticus, though I haven t seen any of them since the Betta was introduced

Whole tank shot. It s going through the brown diatom phase at the moment, hence the infestation of the frogbit roots




And I ve been told he should have a name. So, introducing Merlin

Looks brilliant.

[Oberheim]

Your Betta tank is absolutely beautiful, very nicely done. I love his name too.

I haven’t kept Bettas for many years but was a keen Betta breeder as a teenager in the eighties and used to exhibit my best specimens at fish shows (even won some prizes). I miss watching male Bettas building bubble nests, now I think about it. A very cool fish species for sure.

[Dr Mike Oxgreen]

He hasn t actually eaten any of the food I ve offered yet (tiny floating pellets specifically intended for Bettas). He ignores them even when they sink. I note they do contain garlic in the ingredients, which I ve read is attractive to fish.

I ve installed a feeding ring to keep a little bit of surface clear - the surface is now 80% covered with frogbit and Salvinia. I will reduce that a bit when I do a water change in a few days time.

I have read that it s fairly normal for Bettas not to eat for a few days; it has now been 4 days. He is swimming around and exploring, and occasionally takes a peck at things. Note also that I still haven t seen any of the water lice I added - beginning to think he may have polished them all off.

He doesn t really respond to any stimuli like dabbling a finger in the water, a gentle tap on the glass, or anything like that. He just continues mooching about. He hasn t built a bubble nest yet.

Any tips on getting him to eat, or do I just need to be patient?

[otolith]

Dr Mike Oxgreen said:

Any tips on getting him to eat, or do I just need to be patient?

Live food?

[Dr Mike Oxgreen]

otolith said:

Live food?

Yeah, could try. Don’t want him to get stuck on live food though.

There’s always some daphnia and other miscellaneous wiggly things in the rainwater I use as part of the water change, so he’ll get a few things to chase in a day or two. Maybe I’ll do a change tomorrow; I think it’s been a week.