Your current Fish tank Setups!

Hathaway · 28 Nov 2015 at 20:44

Just started the fishless cycling process, this is my first tank so hopefully I won't have to wait too long through any additional mistakes!
It's a Juwel Rio 300, have added a few live plants with a few more to come (water wisteria, java moss, amazon swords and anubias nana so far). With any luck they'll root properly before any fish try and dig them up.

ci_newman · 28 Nov 2015 at 21:10

Wow, in at the deep end! Very brave to start with a 300L!

Good luck

b0rn2sk8 · 28 Nov 2015 at 21:24

Hathaway said:
Just started the fishless cycling process, this is my first tank so hopefully I won't have to wait too long through any additional mistakes!
It's a Juwel Rio 300, have added a few live plants with a few more to come (water wisteria, java moss, amazon swords and anubias nana so far). With any luck they'll root properly before any fish try and dig them up.

Damn, that is a nice setup to start out with, what is the full spec? This is a PC forum after all!

Where did you source the background from?

What are you planning on stocking with? Africans by the looks of it?

Hathaway · 28 Nov 2015 at 22:16

ci_newman said:
Wow, in at the deep end! Very brave to start with a 300L!

Good luck

Well I really wanted to get my hands on a red tailed black shark so it needed to be a fair size for him. After much researching it seemed as though newbies like myself do better with bigger tanks too, more dilution should I goof things up lol.

b0rn2sk8 said:
Damn, that is a nice setup to start out with, what is the full spec? This is a PC forum after all!

Where did you source the background from?

What are you planning on stocking with? Africans by the looks of it?

Juwel Rio 300 (350 litre version) with an eheim pro 3 2075 filter and hydor 300w in line heater - that way everything is hidden away and gives me more room. Removing the internal filter wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Though I had to remove the brace bars to fit the background in. You can buy in sections but I didn't like the broken up look. I've since drilled into what was left of the bars on either side and hooked through a load of cable ties in their place. Seems to be holding up, and no discernable shadows.
The background I sourced from Aqua-Maniac, they seem to do a few really awesome 3D backgrounds. The white quartz sand, slate and fake rocks I got from them too.

I did consider going the cichlid route but I really wanted to see shoaling fish so I'm going the community tank route. Looking at cardinal tetras, red line torpedo barbs, tiger/green tiger barbs, a red tailed black shark and some rams (electric blue/german blue). Would really like some clown loaches but I think the tank size is pushing it, I know they can grow quite large.

arc@css · 28 Nov 2015 at 23:28

Very nice. Read up about the nitrification cycle, and then see what the water chemistry will allow you to keep.

b0rn2sk8 · 29 Nov 2015 at 13:06

Hathaway said:
snip.

Sounds like a plan, clown loachs should be fine in that tank they grow to 15-20cm, the internet seems to suggest a minimum tank size of 120cm.

arc@css · 29 Nov 2015 at 13:12

Clown loaches can get very big (like a ft or even more), and will also grow quickly. They'll wreck / eat most plants, iirc.

w3bbo · 29 Nov 2015 at 15:24

Some fishy shots:

FishPolice · 29 Nov 2015 at 15:33

Hathaway said:
hydor 300w in line heater

I'd love to have one of these in my tank but I've heard too many horror stories about them spontaneously cooking the tank inhabitants :eek:

Hopefully they are more reliable now.

Hathaway · 29 Nov 2015 at 15:47

I've heard so many differing views on clown loaches, adamant on both sides of arguments, so I may just have to find my own experiences.

FishPolice said:
I'd love to have one of these in my tank but I've heard too many horror stories about them spontaneously cooking the tank inhabitants
Hopefully they are more reliable now.

Yes I'd heard that too. I guess anything has the potential to go wrong but if I keep an eye on the thermometer I should be fine. 350 litres gives a bit of leeway should it be stuck on, takes a while to heat up significantly I've found for me.

silversurfer · 29 Nov 2015 at 16:10

Great pics w3bbo, whose fish are they

andy_mk3 · 29 Nov 2015 at 16:26

I basically need to start again with my fish tank. Hair algae has taken over everything so much, no way I can clean it all off the ornaments. Absolute pain that stuff is

Spook187 · 29 Nov 2015 at 18:19

andy_mk3 said:
I basically need to start again with my fish tank. Hair algae has taken over everything so much, no way I can clean it all off the ornaments. Absolute pain that stuff is

Keep up with water changes, stop nutrient build up, keep lighting levels in order, old tubes cause lots of problems.

arc@css · 29 Nov 2015 at 18:32

Spook187 said:
Keep up with water changes, stop nutrient build up, keep lighting levels in order, old tubes cause lots of problems.

+1

Good, concise advice.

rah^ · 29 Nov 2015 at 19:43

w3bbo I am jealous your coral goby doesnt munch your SPS

mines been through about 4 frags in the last few weeks...

b0rn2sk8 · 29 Nov 2015 at 19:48

andy_mk3 said:
I basically need to start again with my fish tank. Hair algae has taken over everything so much, no way I can clean it all off the ornaments. Absolute pain that stuff is

If you can, bleach the ornaments, give them a good rinse and stick them in some bucket with a decent amount of de-chlorinate will kill he algae and the fish will consume it.

You can do the same with plants if you need to but that may cause other issues.

w3bbo · 29 Nov 2015 at 22:48

silversurfer said:
Great pics w3bbo, whose fish are they

Mine.

rah^ said:
w3bbo I am jealous your coral goby doesnt munch your SPS mines been through about 4 frags in the last few weeks...

He's never touched any of mine. Had him a year or so. I've seen him nibble on polyps every now and then but he's never done any visible damage. God forbid he ever did as I'd have to strip the tank to get him out! That pics is about a year old too.

sneakysnail · 30 Nov 2015 at 01:03

Out of interest has any one here ever kept a mantis shrimp? or even know about their availability in the UK? used to have a fairly big tropical setup 5 odd years ago and thinking about starting up again and find mantis shrimp pretty fascinating tbh as well as being pretty hardy apparently. Just wondering if any body has any first hand experience with them

NoobCannon · 30 Nov 2015 at 20:09

Anyone here know anything about plecos? Trying to identify this one!

w3bbo · 30 Nov 2015 at 21:24

sneakysnail said:
Out of interest has any one here ever kept a mantis shrimp? or even know about their availability in the UK? used to have a fairly big tropical setup 5 odd years ago and thinking about starting up again and find mantis shrimp pretty fascinating tbh as well as being pretty hardy apparently. Just wondering if any body has any first hand experience with them

Had one once but by accident not purpose. It was the boxing type not the harpoon. I thought it was a pistol shrimp at first but the inscenet 'clicking' at lights out coupled with missing snails and broken shells meant I had to strip the tank down to find the offending rock he was hiding in. No amount of fresh water, carbonated water etc would get him out. I eventually got him out by putting the rock in a bucket of very hot water.

I occasionally see peacock mantis in the LFS although it is rare. I'm sure a decent LFS could get you one if you REALLY wanted one but I wouldn't put them in a community tank.