Your current Fish tank Setups!

Well after 3 years I'm finally in a position where I can start my tank again. new furniture is almost done as well. Going to be sticking with a tropical set up and hoping to go with as many discus as I can fit/afford

This was what my old tank looked like before I had to brake it down.

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going to go with a more natural look this time round, opting for black sand with a wooden/under water tree theme and lots of natural plants. I'm hoping this will help keep the ph levels right but its a bit more upkeep and expense.
Just trying to do some research on what tree's are safe to use in aquariums, seems most common hardwoods are safe oak/beech/maple etc just got to find some nice dry bits.

any body have any experience with wood/ tree branches in a tropical tank, I'd like to hear your thoughts. I know I could go with bog wood, Mopani Driftwood, etc but its not really the look im after. I'm hoping to go for a branchy twiggy look.

so today I started the clean every thing ready for the re build, I had to brake the tank down in a rush so every thing just go chucked in the tank and left. surprisingly its all pretty clean. Lights and heater are working, not tried the filters yet but im hoping they will be fine, and also hoping the tank hasn't sprung any leaks.

This is how it looks at the moment, going to add the filter tubes, night lights and heaters next. hopefully get the sand tomorrow.

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I'll update with pictures as I go, the tank wont get fish for at least another two months. I'm going to cycle it for a month to get the water right in that time im going to try and find some nice discus.

any body every bought fish online? there are only a few aquarium shops near me and there not up to much, ok for basics but thats about all. I'm a bit dubious about it, I dont like the idea of not seeing the fish first and even more so that they will be stuck in a bag for 24 hours?

any ways more to come.
 
right after a bit of a fiasco with the cabinet, thought I'd cut the holes in the back plenty big enough for a plug to fit through, apparently not! Had to unbolt the cabinet from its partner and remove the 25mm back to re cut the holes :( all done now though thankfully.

got the heaters, night lights and inlet/out-lets for the filters in, not in final position yet going to move them about again when I start decorating the tank.

I'll probably swap the red and blue night lights out for white ones as well, but there all i've got at the moment.

next i'm going to start loading up the filters with media and they'll be ready to go.

just the sand after that and the tree's....now where's my axe :)

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It could probably take the weight of 5 fully loaded fish tanks without breaking a sweat, now the floor boards i'm not to sure about.
 
I have been thinking about getting a medium sized tank to keep a few tropical fish in. I was thinking of stuffing it will many smaller fish like tetras rather than a wide gamut...

Is there any recommend calculation as to how many fish to put in how much water. For example if I were to fill only with Neon Tetras how many per litre? Also, how much time would you say it takes to keep a tank in good health per week? I don't want to get a bunch of fish and neglect them.

Jealous of those with the time to keep a marine tank lol
 
Skyfall said:
water. For example if I were to fill only with Neon Tetras how many per litre?
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You're not going to get as many as you think if you think it's "how many per litre."

The general rough guide for a fresh water tank is around 1" of fish per gallon (4.4L) and even then it depends on the actual fish and their overall bio-load (stocky fish as opposed to slender fish and their diet.)

For a first tank, I'd stick with hardier species as neon tetras are quite delicate and sensitive and do best in softer water (don't know what your tap water is) and new fish keepers often lose lots and wonder why.
They shouldn't really be added to a brand new tank for this reason also and I've noticed some reputable fish shops won't sell them (and other similar fish) if the tank they're being bought for isn't a mature one.

Obviously read up on how to cycle a new tank and make sure you understand the nitrogen cycle.
 
anyone running a moving bed filter?

I created a small one from a lucasade bottle air pump/air stone and k1 media. It looks awesome and algea production is lower than previously so I could run the main lights for longer each day :)

FAMAS, why not run a sump on that tank? That setup looks perfect for it! Get it drilled now before you fill it and do it properly!

I had to create a diy overflow for my sump, wish I had drilled it when it was new!
 
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I've never really looked into sumps, I Always thought they were mainly for marine set ups so never bothered.

What are the benefits/negatives from using a sump? and what kind of pump would i need to circulate the water back to the main tank?

could I add one later if I feel the need, the holes are now more than big enough to accommodate more pipes and there's one in each corner.

annoying thing is i just sold a small medicine tank that would have done nicely for a sump.
 
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I run a sump in my tropical tank.
It means you can run all the filtration in the sump and some also run the heaters in there too the, makes the feature tank look much nicer.
Its also means you can have a much larger filter with more media :)
 
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Hey guys, I'm having an issue with algae in my tank lately. It got to the point where I had to take the fish out the tank, completely empty the tank, scrub all the glass down which was very green, clean all the bits in the tank and cleaned all the filter out, and changed about 75% of the water, this was also after 2 fish had died in that day. I tested the water before and everything was spot on.

Now it's been around 2 -3 weeks since I did that, and the glass is starting to get green again, and there's like hairy algae growing on things in the tank, getting it off is a nightmare as the paint seems to come off things if I scrub them too hard, and it's just growing like mad.

Any ideas on how to stop this? The tank has been set-up for about 18 months now and never had an issue like this. Will introducing live plants help at all?
 
Hey guys looking for some advice.

Me and the GF decided it would be a good time to buy something for our rented house, just to make it a little more homely and decided to go with a cold water tank set up just because we have never had fish before (except the standard plastic bowl ) growing up.

We have 4 little fish in our 20ltr tank and it came with a filter/pump etc.

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The problem im having is, the pump isnt really a pump its more of a water drip! Which i personally isnt doing a good enough job cleaning the water etc. Do i need to buy a different pump, as i know the current i have looks nice but id rather have better standards for the fish?

Im on day 4 now, 1 day old fish and the water is getting cloudy. Iv cleaned the filters etc.

Thanks.
 
If the people at the pet store were helpful they would have advised you not to put fish in your tank straight away. It is best to leave the tank running for at least a few weeks to build up the bacteria to ensure a healthy tank before adding fish.

The cloudy water is most likely caused by the new stones in your tank, this will clear over time with water changes.

The fish you have look like platies from the picture which are meant for tropical tanks as far as i was aware.

The tank you have purchased is meant to drip down, as long as the tank isn't overstocked it will be fine.

My advise would be to get a small heater if they are Platies and hope for the best or even better return the fish if possible and let the tank cycle for a few weeks + read up on what is suitable for your tank.
 
andy_mk3 said:
Hey guys, I'm having an issue with algae in my tank lately. It got to the point where I had to take the fish out the tank, completely empty the tank, scrub all the glass down which was very green, clean all the bits in the tank and cleaned all the filter out, and changed about 75% of the water, this was also after 2 fish had died in that day. I tested the water before and everything was spot on.

Now it's been around 2 -3 weeks since I did that, and the glass is starting to get green again, and there's like hairy algae growing on things in the tank, getting it off is a nightmare as the paint seems to come off things if I scrub them too hard, and it's just growing like mad.

Any ideas on how to stop this? The tank has been set-up for about 18 months now and never had an issue like this. Will introducing live plants help at all?
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Whilst live plants might help, you need great flow, and adding of ferts to let them grow well :)

The best thing to do it clean like you did before, water-change again, then try a "blackout". I have done this to a tank I had an algea problem on before and it worked great!

Look it up, and you will see how good it can be.

In regards to the fish dying, get a water test kit. It's a good idea to know what you parameters are when setting up a tank, so you know what you are dealing with :)
 
JoeF1 said:
Im on day 4 now, 1 day old fish and the water is getting cloudy. Iv cleaned the filters etc.

Thanks.
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This might be a bloom, sounds like your filter is not mature enough to support your stocking level. Daily 50% water changes till the filter is stabilised. A week or so should get the filter up to a minimal level!

Also, only rinse the filter media (foamy stuff) in OLD tank water. Do not wash in fresh water ever. As this will put you back to step one.
 
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