My fish tank

jonno.co.uk said:
running 2 x T5 tubes. do they make the lightunits for the trigon 190, or do you think i should just replace the tubes with some better ones?

i have been using flourish excel, will get some of this iron stuff too.
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You need to work out what plants you will be keeping. Flourish Iron is good for "red plants" but I still find these difficult to keep. I do have some plants that turn red at the top when they reach the water surface so they do add some colour.

I'm not sure about multiple light fittings on the Trigon, but at least you are running T5's already. The other option is to DIY a couple of tubes under the hood. I'm not sure exactly where onthe trigon, but there was certainly enough room on my Rio. You'll need a starter and a couple of tubes - this route is cheap enough. Arcadia do a nice unit with waterproof endcaps (they are black, don't get the white as they are the old ones). You could maybe even get some much smaller T5 tubes and mount them, as the Trigon may not allow you to use ful length tubes.

You are looking at ideally 2wpg though, but I bet even with 1wpg and ferts + co2 you'd be able to grow some really nice plants. Maybe try some of the slower growing species.
 
rgzcampbell said:
To the original poster isn't your tank massively overstocked?
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Yep - That Sucking Loach can reach lengths of 8", I know from experience. It will also kill (although not intentionally) most of those fish. They suck on the other fish and cause damage to the protective layer that all fish have. Infection gets in and you start losing fish. Then there's the fact that it WILL bully the other fish when it gets bigger.

In addition to that, the Panda Cories should be kept in groups of 6 or more at they are a schooling fish.

and finally - something is eating your Panda's tail - that's not good and finrot/fungus WILL set in eventually.
 
I havn't got a clue about any of the fish in any of tha tanks. I'll enquire about that last fish later tonight and take a couple more pics of the other fish. I think he has well over 100 fish and a couple of shrimps and crabs.
 
IcE-ColD said:
I havn't got a clue about any of the fish in any of tha tanks. I'll enquire about that last fish later tonight and take a couple more pics of the other fish. I think he has well over 100 fish and a couple of shrimps and crabs.
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Looks like a sailfin pleco to me. Average size 1 foot in the aqarium, larger in the wild.

Most fish stop growing (or get stunted) if the tank isn't large enough, but Pleco's seem to keep growing. You really have to ask yourself if it's fair that a fish that can get to a foot is kept in small tank.

Also look up stunting of fish. They may stop growing on the outside, but the internal organs keep growing and eventually they die, usually well before they should.
 
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My stepdad has been talking about selling some of the fish in that tank because they are getting too big for their surroundings. But i doubt he will sell them i think hes been eyeing a bigger tank.
 
I asked all these in the local fish shop, and they said it should be fine just goes to show how much rubbish some of these idiots will tell you. my mate said he would have my loaches and catfish. what would you say is the best loach or catfish for a small tank

[SKR]Phoenix;11102435 said:
Yep - That Sucking Loach can reach lengths of 8", I know from experience. It will also kill (although not intentionally) most of those fish. They suck on the other fish and cause damage to the protective layer that all fish have. Infection gets in and you start losing fish. Then there's the fact that it WILL bully the other fish when it gets bigger.

In addition to that, the Panda Cories should be kept in groups of 6 or more at they are a schooling fish.

and finally - something is eating your Panda's tail - that's not good and finrot/fungus WILL set in eventually.
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webmonkeyuk said:
I asked all these in the local fish shop, and they said it should be fine just goes to show how much rubbish some of these idiots will tell you
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Yes - they will often tell you what you want to hear to get a sale.

My personal advise would be to re-home the sucking loach. Get 2 more Panda's (they don't get too big) as they will be much happier. The Neon's you have should be fine if you keep up water changes etc.

One final thing - gravel damages the Cories barbs around the mouth. If this happens, they don't grow back. They much prefer sand. Aquarium sand is expensive - get some play sand from B&Q as it's safe for kids and also suitable for aquarium use. Sand is also easier to clean as the dirt stays on top of it, rather than sinking between the stones. There is a gas that can build up in the sand, but the coies will turn the sand over often enough to stop that being an issue.
 
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[SKR]Phoenix;11102470 said:
Looks like a sailfin pleco to me. Average size 1 foot in the aqarium, larger in the wild.

Most fish stop growing (or get stunted) if the tank isn't large enough, but Pleco's seem to keep growing. You really have to ask yourself if it's fair that a fish that can get to a foot is kept in small tank.

Also look up stunting of fish. They may stop growing on the outside, but the internal organs keep growing and eventually they die, usually well before they should.
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I have a sailfin plec back home, and it's stunted - in a 30" tank and has stopped growing at about 8" long (they grow to about 18" in the wild). It's about 7 or 8 years old now, so unsure whether it's going to pop it's clogs early as larger catfish live quite long.
 
[SKR]Phoenix;11102404 said:
You are looking at ideally 2wpg though, but I bet even with 1wpg and ferts + co2 you'd be able to grow some really nice plants. Maybe try some of the slower growing species.
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yes looking at growing slower tougher plants that my fish won't nibble on so much - java fern, java moss, anubias, amazon sword and vallis etc - all fairly low light plants.

think i'll eventually get this co2 kit, upgrade standard tubes and dose using the same products as you do and see how i get on before i start doing DIY jobs :o

what co2 kit are you running or is it DIY? do you use a solenoid valve to shut it off at night?
 
webmonkeyuk said:
I asked all these in the local fish shop, and they said it should be fine just goes to show how much rubbish some of these idiots will tell you. my mate said he would have my loaches and catfish. what would you say is the best loach or catfish for a small tank
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I really like royal whiptail catfish - they're really spindly so although they grow fairly long (about 12" in the wild, though probably smaller in a tank IIRC) they don't make much waste.


EDIT: They walk on their fins, which looks really cool imo.
 
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thanx for that im on the look out for some new decoration as this one is too big and distracts you from the fish, is there good online places that sell smaller decorations? ive had a look around but cant find anything. again when i got the tank the guy said dont get sand or fine gravel as it clogs the filters up he said go for the size i got. i might as well talk to a wall than listen to the people in the shops :rolleyes:
 
webmonkeyuk said:
thanx for that im on the look out for some new decoration as this one is too big and distracts you from the fish, is there good online places that sell smaller decorations? ive had a look around but cant find anything. again when i got the tank the guy said dont get sand or fine gravel as it clogs the filters up he said go for the size i got. i might as well talk to a wall than listen to the people in the shops :rolleyes:
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Depends on the shop really; from my experience quite often you can find people who are very knowledgeable and helpful who'll give you very good advice in larger shops stocking rarer fish, or smaller independent fish shops.
 
i got the loaches and catfish from "Pets at Home" myfault really i should have known they would be a bunch of spanners :rolleyes:. just on a side note i was in the shop the other day looking at the black neons and there whole stock was covered in white spot so they cant be very caring about the fish
 
That is the same make and model of tank that I have WebMonkey. It's not big but I find it nice for having in the corner of the living room.

I did away with the under gravel filter and just put in a Fluval +1 filter it keeps the water lovley and clear.

I only have 6 neons in mine just now. I had 3 clown loaches but they got a terrible case of whitespot last week and pegged it. I have a Java fern growing a small peice of bogwood that the nenos love to chase each other through.

I think I will be adding more fish in next week when my 3 stage white spot treatment has finished and all my levels have been checked.

Not sure what to add. I want to add a good algae eater that will keep the walls of the tank clean but I need something that won't grow to big as it is only a 28Ltr tank. Any thoughts?
 
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