Your current Fish tank Setups!

That's not a bad shout :)

Stupid question possibly... but if I try to move it whilst it's on will I burn myself? Or are they not really that hot?
 
Right on to filling the tank (when it's ready)

I've got a shortlist of fish I like...

First things I would like to get is a decent "clean up crew" of snails and fish that will help clean the tank a little... suggestions sppreciated...


The list of other fish I've seen that I like are:

Clownloach
Electric blue ram
Glass catfish
Guppy
Catfish - preferably a small one
Neon tetra
Harlequin rasbora
Golden pencilfish
Half moon betta
Lampeye
Panda garra
Cockatoo dwarf chichid
Dalmatian Molly
Panda cory
Forktail rainbow fish
Redline torpedo barb

Are any of these a stupid idea?
Will any eat my plants? If so are there any plants they WON'T eat?

I have so many questions... is this the best place for them or should I start a new thread?

Thanks,

G
 
We have cuckoo catfish, three of them and they are lovely looking fish. Have almost a Bengal cat skin pattern.

You need to check the fish are compatible with each other / suitable for community tank but we have a few on that list!
 
Guru I'm not convinced that coral sand is a great idea. It's going to bump up your pH and water hardness a lot. Now most fish and plants are fairly adaptable but I really have no idea how extreme a bump you're likely to get.

If you want a nice cheap light coloured sand then playsand from Argos works well and is very fine which is great for bottom dwelling fish - coral sand is typically quite sharp.
 
King4aDay said:
Guru I'm not convinced that coral sand is a great idea. It's going to bump up your pH and water hardness a lot. Now most fish and plants are fairly adaptable but I really have no idea how extreme a bump you're likely to get.

If you want a nice cheap light coloured sand then playsand from Argos works well and is very fine which is great for bottom dwelling fish - coral sand is typically quite sharp.
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DOH!!

That's REALLY annoying, mainly because I had chosen fine sand, but the guy in the shop said I should go for the coral sand instead. He said it would be easier to maintain/clean. He knew full well I was doing a tropical setup and not a marine one.
 
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I think that'll be relatively little effort to do now, rather than spending ages worrying about water parameters if you run into issues down the road. I'm not saying it'll definitely cause problems and I have no experience using coral sand, but I'd personally not want the potential complication.
 
I want to have snails and fish that feed from the bottom of the sand, so if its too sharp for them I think it will be a non-starter.

Disappointed to have wasted money on a ill advised choice though.
 
Snails will be fine on anything but the general consensus is that fish such as corydoras or loaches will probably appreciate something softer, even if it isn't critical.
 
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Why not use one of your filter hoses as a syphon (disconnect it completely from the filter )and use it to hoover out the sand as you're emptying the tank? Easier than scratching the glass digging it out?
 
Yeah I think I will need to. The substrate I have is called unipac aqua gravel coral sand large size.
 
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Guru said:
Right on to filling the tank (when it's ready)

Clownloach Sorry but your tank is way too small, avoid
Neon tetra These days cardinals tend to be more hardy, and to the casual observer are identical.
Panda coryCory's are catfish in case you're not aware :)
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Couple of comments from me above on your selection.

Firstly, get yourself over to ukaps.org, there's everything you will ever need to know about plants on there, and most things you'll ever need to know about fish too.

Secondly, for a cleanup crew I'd recommend Amano shrimp and Otocinclus. For a tank your size, I'd go for 10 shrimp and 4 or 6 Oto's to start with.
 
Guru said:
What do people use to empty their water into?

I have 200 liter tank and I was considering buying two of these:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/50-Litre-ai...lh_di_t_dup?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1ASWNAU0TXDRU

One for preping new water in over night and one for puting the old water in.

Would 50 litre be enough for a water change?

If not I will look for a larger one.

Cheers,

G
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Do you really want to lug a 50kg keg of water around, and then push it up above your tank in order to get it in there? I'd just stick with a bucket. With a 200ltr tank you'll be looking at doing 10% changes every week, maybe 15% if you're using ferts. That's no where near 50ltr.

In response to your other question about stocking, get rid of the cichlids. If you want cichlids, you can only have cichlids, they'll massacre everything.
 
DcD said:
Do you really want to lug a 50kg keg of water around, and then push it up above your tank in order to get it in there? I'd just stick with a bucket. With a 200ltr tank you'll be looking at doing 10% changes every week, maybe 15% if you're using ferts. That's no where near 50ltr.

In response to your other question about stocking, get rid of the cichlids. If you want cichlids, you can only have cichlids, they'll massacre everything.
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Thanks :) I was going to use a pump to get the water back into the tank so I don't have to lift anything up high. (I thought about even using the filter to pump the water back into the tank from a barrel/bucket, but not sure that is sensible)

So it sounds like a couple of 30 litre ones may be sufficient.

I will not get the chichid, thanks for the advice :)

/edit... Almost removed all the coral sand now....

Drawn what I would like to make on my ipad lol....

ip6k.jpg
 
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