Your current Fish tank Setups!

[NoobCannon]

I did that when i changed mine into a reef tank.

Its very easy to do, just cut the silicone and remove the pump section all together and then fit a hob fiter.

Anothrr way to do it is to cut a slit half way up the rubber hose that comes from the pump so half the pressure goes back into the pump section

Your current Fish tank Setups!

 

[sneakysnail]

do you not think its s bit small though? could be a bit limiting for schooling numbers. my current tank is a 35L and i often wish it was a bit larger. Its a nice starter tank but when the bug bites it might be frustrating not being able to do much more with it and ending up with two tanks.

 

[Spook187]

Got a good bunch of SPS frags coming in next few days, hope they make the courier in this cold weather.

 

[NoobCannon]

Yeah its a small tank it depends what your after

 

[NoobCannon]

Got a good bunch of SPS frags coming in next few days, hope they make the courier in this cold weather.

Hope they turn out fine for you mate.

 

[b0rn2sk8]

Wouldn't buy a carrot from pets at home just because they are a little cheaper.

aye I'm with you. bought / rescued a lizard from them over 20 years ago and have never been back

That's a pretty snobby view which doesn't really appear to be based on evidence of their operation today.

I never said they are the best stores in the world and they have very much cleaned up their act over the years. At the end of the day they cater for a very mainstream market and have very limited lines. But the stuff they do have tends to be of fine quality, correctly labelled, clean tanks and a reasonable price. They even stock Tropica plants/ferts and soil which are probably the best on the market currently.

It also doesn't stop £5 for an amano shrimp in Maidenhead Aquatics being being a complete rip off. Amano shrimp are bread by the millions and imported from the far east, were not talking a high quality discus here.

Going around in circles trying to choose what tank to order this week!

Fluval Spec 19L | Fluval Flex 34L | Dennerle 35L | Hugo Kamishi 42L

They all seem to have their positives and negatives. Looking to get some Chili Rasbora or some Green Neon Tetras. Basically some Nano fish along with a simple live plant aquascape.

Any last minute pointers or nudge on what tank to get? Thank you...

I own both the Spec and the Dennerle and have both running right now.

Out of those I would discount the Spec right away, its far too small for what you want. It's okay for a Betta but those fish like to swim round and you really need 6+ and 19L isn't enough. The spec is also really narrow which makes it hard to decorate. 35L is still pushing it size wise.

I wouldn't worry about the flow on the Flex, especially for Chili Rasbora or Green Neon's, up to 10X is more than fine.

The Hugo Kamishi doesn't come with anything so you will need to buy everything, those sorts of tanks only work with that brands light that fits in their own hood.
The Denerle filter is a bit weak but its OK for what you want but you could fit almost anything on it and almost any light if you do want to upgrade in the future.
The flex comes with everything and is a complete system, easy to setup and well supported.

I would get the Dennerle but that's what I prefer the look of (rimless) and its more flexible, buy the one you like.

 

[Spook187]

How is that a snobby view, why should I give my money to a chain when it's better to support a local business,
LFS everytime if they can get what I need otherwise it's mail order.

 

[b0rn2sk8]

Eh? Maidenhead Aquatics is a massive chain there is nothing ‘local’ about them.

I was comparing the price of highly mass produced shrimp in the 2 biggest chain fish stores in the country. I mention P@H because they are literally everywhere but I also said my LFS is also far cheaper for the same thing.

 

[Spook187]

Eh? Maidenhead Aquatics is a massive chain there is nothing ‘local’ about them.

I was comparing the price of highly mass produced shrimp in the 2 biggest chain fish stores in the country. I mention P@H because they are literally everywhere but I also said my LFS is also far cheaper for the same thing.

I never said anything about maidenhead, a LFS as in independent guy everyone knows that.

 

[ddoubleep]

That's a pretty snobby view which doesn't really appear to be based on evidence of their operation today.

I never said they are the best stores in the world and they have very much cleaned up their act over the years. At the end of the day they cater for a very mainstream market and have very limited lines. But the stuff they do have tends to be of fine quality, correctly labelled, clean tanks and a reasonable price. They even stock Tropica plants/ferts and soil which are probably the best on the market currently.

It also doesn't stop £5 for an amano shrimp in Maidenhead Aquatics being being a complete rip off. Amano shrimp are bread by the millions and imported from the far east, were not talking a high quality discus here.



I own both the Spec and the Dennerle and have both running right now.

Out of those I would discount the Spec right away, its far too small for what you want. It's okay for a Betta but those fish like to swim round and you really need 6+ and 19L isn't enough. The spec is also really narrow which makes it hard to decorate. 35L is still pushing it size wise.

I wouldn't worry about the flow on the Flex, especially for Chili Rasbora or Green Neon's, up to 10X is more than fine.

The Hugo Kamishi doesn't come with anything so you will need to buy everything, those sorts of tanks only work with that brands light that fits in their own hood.
The Denerle filter is a bit weak but its OK for what you want but you could fit almost anything on it and almost any light if you do want to upgrade in the future.
The flex comes with everything and is a complete system, easy to setup and well supported.

I would get the Dennerle but that's what I prefer the look of (rimless) and its more flexible, buy the one you like.

Cheers for that. I am liking the look of the Dennerle. I know you said 35L is pushing it size wise but having seen the picture of the 55L and 35L in this thread the 35L just seemed a better fit for where I will place it. I will just grab the kit as it seems fine for what it is. Should look neat and tidy. Did yours come with a UK plug or do I need to factor in some adapters for the light and pump?

 

[b0rn2sk8]

I just checked mine, the light uses an EU plug (it has a built in power supply so you can’t cut it off). I’m not using the filter but I would assume it is the same.

I think I got the adaptors from wilko.

Make sure you also grab a timer for the light, I’m using wilko digital ones.

 

[robj20]

Lost another guppy yesterday. Don't understand why all water parameters are fine. 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites and acceptable nitrates.

 

[ddoubleep]

I just checked mine, the light uses an EU plug (it has a built in power supply so you can’t cut it off). I’m not using the filter but I would assume it is the same.

I think I got the adaptors from wilko.

Make sure you also grab a timer for the light, I’m using wilko digital ones.

I'm half tempted to grab the tank on it's own and then source my own mini/nano filter, thermometer and over hanging light.

Aquael seem to do some smaller stuff for the size of tank I'm after.

When's the best time for the lights to be on and for how long?

 

[Raggs]

cleaned the canister filter out the top pad was gross let the maintenance go too pot later end of last year it seems, the pad needs to replaced once per month - 6 weeks full tear down every 3 months sound good ? the larger course pads were not that bad , brown algae bloom i had is clearing up just green appearing on the gravel now hopefully it will clear up too.

 

[b0rn2sk8]

When's the best time for the lights to be on and for how long?

8 hours is about right but there is no hard and fast rule.

Just set the timer for when you are at home (evenings?).

@Raggs I rarely clean my canister filters if I am honest, Maybe once every 3 months if they are lucky will I crack it open.

@robj20 For the guppies is there any sign of stress, illness or aggression? How old are the fish?

What is the water temp? What is your PH and water hardness (check your water companies website).

Have you sprayed any cleaning chemicals near the tank? What is your water change schedule? Is the PH or temperature of your tank wildly different to your tap?

Guppies are heavily line bread and are not very hardy at all and they very much prefer hard water. They can be bread in brackish water in the Far East so could have problems adjusting (mollys are also the same). They have pretty short lives in the grand scheme of things and sometimes fish do just die.

 

[robj20]

8 hours is about right but there is no hard and fast rule.

Just set the timer for when you are at home (evenings?).

@Raggs I rarely clean my canister filters if I am honest, Maybe once every 3 months if they are lucky will I crack it open.

@robj20 For the guppies is there any sign of stress, illness or aggression? How old are the fish?

What is the water temp? What is your PH and water hardness (check your water companies website).

Have you sprayed any cleaning chemicals near the tank? What is your water change schedule? Is the PH or temperature of your tank wildly different to your tap?

Guppies are heavily line bread and are not very hardy at all and they very much prefer hard water. They can be bread in brackish water in the Far East so could have problems adjusting (mollys are also the same). They have pretty short lives in the grand scheme of things and sometimes fish do just die.

2.1 Clarke which it says is soft.
pH 7
Tank is around 23c.
Fish all look fine, they share the tank with 2 Cory and 5 neons, down to 3 guppy now they are about 8 months old.

 

[Unicorn]

Jesus my Erm.. Husbandry of reef tank has lacked evidently.. Something (I suspect its a blended starfish) was blocking bits of my reactor up and has caused a little issue. These bloody star fish keep getting into sump and somehow getting in equipment to become mush or stuck.

Is there anything i can do to protect sump life from equipment? Except clear my sump out which I'm reluctant to do as iv got a hermit down there who's fine, a snail and these stars

 

[b0rn2sk8]

2.1 Clarke which it says is soft.
pH 7
Tank is around 23c.
Fish all look fine, they share the tank with 2 Cory and 5 neons, down to 3 guppy now they are about 8 months old.

There are a few things to consider, but no real right answer:
You are running the tank a little on the cool side, its normally something I would advocate as it slows everything down but if your having issues you could raise raise the temp to 25-26.

Your water is soft, guppies prefer hard water, I think this is likely having an impact. Lots of live bearers are bread in brackish or even salt water and will not transition well to soft water. Normally you would see secondary issues (infections, fungus, white spot) but not always. I would avoid all live bearers if I had soft water, Tetras would be a much better fit. Its a good excuse to buy a big tank and a load of discus though!

You have had the fish for 8 months, their typical captive life is around 24 months. If your fish were sat round at a wholesaler and retailer for awhile they could be coming to their natural end.

Perhaps a combination of all 3?

 

[rebel rebel]

Depending on your setup you could get some filter socks.

Did you buy the stars or get them as hitchhikers?

 

[NoobCannon]

Jesus my Erm.. Husbandry of reef tank has lacked evidently.. Something (I suspect its a blended starfish) was blocking bits of my reactor up and has caused a little issue. These bloody star fish keep getting into sump and somehow getting in equipment to become mush or stuck.

Is there anything i can do to protect sump life from equipment? Except clear my sump out which I'm reluctant to do as iv got a hermit down there who's fine, a snail and these stars

Yes buy crochet mesh from ebay or similar. Used to wrap my intakes in it when i kept fish in the sump temporarally.

https://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/darice-mesh-5-count-plastic-canvas-33cm-x-56cm/570423-1000

MKe little appropriate sized cages out of it and secure with cable ties.