Reply With QuoteI remember this story making headlines some time back:
https://www.practicalfishkeeping.co....e-controversy/
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As requested from the other thread.
3 in our house currently all in the eldest boys room. He’s took a huge interest in it since look down and think he’s done a pretty good job
I remember this story making headlines some time back:
https://www.practicalfishkeeping.co....e-controversy/
Sent through the ether by diddling with radio waves
I used to have them when i was a child.
Ended up breeding hundreds of convict cichlids ( not by choice, i was unaware they breed like rabbits )
I had a friend who had a very impressive set-up with a custom tank about 6ft x 4ft x 3ft or something like that, it was a massive tank and i always wished i could have had something like that
Sold my tank a few years back after around 15 years. Originally got the tank for a goldfish but then adde tropical fish, then got rid of the goldfish as it kept eating the smaller fish. The rocks we smuggled in when on holiday.
I've had tanks for 25 years or so. This one in my living room is a German made Jewel with a bow front. It comes with it's own internal filter but I also run an Fluval 207 external filter. I have a basic set-up for the plants which means ferts only but no CO2. The fish are mixed community on low stocking levels and a few shrimp for cleaning duties.
The Fluval filter has made a huge difference to the water quality of my sons largest tank. The water is always very clear and you get a lot less build up on the sides and gravel
Used to keep a tropical with a large Oscar years back.
Just started again but tank has been running for more than a month and the No2 had still not dropped to a safe level. Getting seriously frustrated now.
Any ideas most welcome lol.
I’ve got a Fluval 240. I’ve got a few tetras some mollies, platties, 3 angel fish to help keep the fry in check, some snails 2 giant African Shrimp and a few armano shrimp.
My greens (artificial plants) are out of the tank at the moment being cleaned.
I ran a Jewel 240 for about 6 years. Heavily planted community tropical, bubbled CO2 through it with additional lighting, which made a huge difference to plant growth.Originally Posted by Man of Kent
I've had tanks for 25 years or so. This one in my living room is a German made Jewel with a bow front. It comes with it's own internal filter but I also run an Fluval 207 external filter. I have a basic set-up for the plants which means ferts only but no CO2. The fish are mixed community on low stocking levels and a few shrimp for cleaning duties.
Have always wanted a marine setup but you need to run the water quality at such tight parameters, it just looks like too much work. I used to drool over Deltec setups.
Theres some Kuhli Loaches and aquatic frogs in there but you rarely see them. Keeping the plants healthy is a must. I bought some LED lighting recently and am very impressed with it. The background needs changing though.
Last edited by Kaffe; 31st October 2020 at 22:54.
How often do you guys clean tour tanks? With mine I had to do it every week which one of the reasons I eventually got rid of it.
Depends on stocking levels really. I don't have many fish, and do 3 or 4 week changes. I change about 60% of the water though. I've never had a problem with water quality. Good filtration is vital (and knowing that looking after your bacteria is the most important thing). I also think that having natural plants helps because they utilise any spare nitrogen.
I don't feed the fish every day either, only every other day or sometimes less.
I've kept fish for what seems like always and this tank has been going a long time now. I think successful aquarium keeping is down to what others have said and that's really that it's the water you keep healthy and if that's OK, so will the fish be.
One has to learn about bacteria and good filtration regimes and also in my case, learning how to grow plants well has allowed me to keep the sort of set-up that I enjoy. If you want to keep the sort of fish that live well with plants then the plants do a great deal to aid water quality. Mine grow well, in fact I'm for ever pruning them and throwing many away, to stop them totally taking over the tank.
To be honest though the tank looks after itself mainly, I just feed the fish and plants daily and do a 20% water change give or take every week or two and sit back and enjoy the view.
Some lovely looking (clean) tanks. I used to to keep fish as a lad
I used to love watching them at night before nodding off. Over the years I had quite a selection of fish, the Harlequins shown earlier in the thread were a favourite of mine as were the red tailed black ‘sharks’ and clown loaches (anything bright really)
It’s something I have found myself looking at re starting since lock down but the Mrs has a good point - do I really need yet another hobby!
Not exactly aquaria, but I’ve just bought a house and the previous owner has left me to inherit his Koi Carp pond. They are huge. Not something I’d ever thought I would be into but I’m quite happy to have taken them on!
Haven’t got a clue how to take care of them...better start googling!
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Last edited by Christian; 1st November 2020 at 15:43.
The key to healthy, happy pond fish is good filtration and maintaining a high oxygen content, especially on long hot summer days. Disturbing the surface of the water with either the return from your filter or a separate mini pump spraying water back onto the surface will help with this.
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The art of keeping plants in an aquarium though means just the opposite, in that in order to grow plants well one has to introduce more co2 into the water, which the plants then use in conjunction with the lighting to photosynthesise, using the carbon for growing tissue and then releasing oxygen back into the water which the fish then use to live on.
Those plants look very healthy. What do you do?
Theres some Kuhli Loaches and aquatic frogs in there but you rarely see them. Keeping the plants healthy is a must. I bought some LED lighting recently and am very impressed with it. The background needs changing though.
It gets a scrub to remove the algae from the glass once a month and change/clean filters. Every couple of months I clean the gravel by running it through fingers and syphon tube to suck up crap. Then change about third of water. Not managed to suck a fish up yet. They're too quick. The tank is near a window but not in direct sunlight. Perhaps that helps the plants. The lights go on for about three hours in the evening. I don't add CO2. Wasn't aware one could. Plants seem happy.
There's a few ways of adding Co2. Most of the high-tech plant growers use Co2 canisters through regulators and diffusers to put a continuous stream of fine Co2 gas bubbles through the water coloumn. That method takes quite a bit of time and cost but can have some amazing results in terms of plant growth.
At the lower tech end of carbon addition, and almost certainly the easiest, is to add something like Easycarbo which is a carbon source liquid that is added daily to the aquarium. ... https://www.easylifeaquarium.co.uk/p...food/easycarbo ...
I use this very easy method in conjunction with some liquid plant fertiliser and as I say, I'm thinning and pruning plants out regularly as a result. The biggest benefit of added CO2 in some form is that it helps plant growth which stops algae growing, probably the biggest bane of an aquarist's life...
I moved into my last house and it had koi. I ended up making around 4K selling them.Not exactly aquaria, but I’ve just bought a house and the previous owner has left me to inherit his Koi Carp pond. They are huge. Not something I’d ever thought I would be into but I’m quite happy to have taken them on!
Haven’t got a clue how to take care of them...better start googling!
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That is very interesting. Thank you.There's a few ways of adding Co2. Most of the high-tech plant growers use Co2 canisters through regulators and diffusers to put a continuous stream of fine Co2 gas bubbles through the water coloumn. That method takes quite a bit of time and cost but can have some amazing results in terms of plant growth.
At the lower tech end of carbon addition, and almost certainly the easiest, is to add something like Easycarbo which is a carbon source liquid that is added daily to the aquarium. ... https://www.easylifeaquarium.co.uk/p...food/easycarbo ...
I use this very easy method in conjunction with some liquid plant fertiliser and as I say, I'm thinning and pruning plants out regularly as a result. The biggest benefit of added CO2 in some form is that it helps plant growth which stops algae growing, probably the biggest bane of an aquarist's life...
Just had a major makeover after 4 years in original guise. Mainly tetras and a lot of cherry shrimps which are delightful to watch and easy to keep
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I've a nano tank next to my bed that has plants and Red Crystal Shrimp in and which serves as a light. The darned shrimp breed like mad though and the tank is heaving with them most of the time, fun though aren't they.!
Regarding adding CO2, I used an old stubby fire extinguisher, proper aquarium regulator and diffuser. Think the extinguisher cost me £35 and a refill via a fire extinguisher company was £20 every 4-6 months.
Didn’t they used to sell small shrimps and call them “Sea Monkeys”?I've a nano tank next to my bed that has plants and Red Crystal Shrimp in and which serves as a light. The darned shrimp breed like mad though and the tank is heaving with them most of the time, fun though aren't they.
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
Plenty of 'old' extinguishers to be had on eBay. Most are expired as far as fire safety is concerned but are perfectly safe to use in aquaria. This is without doubt the cheapest way to go if you want CO2 injection; if you have somewhere to hide the relatively large cylinder.
That brings back a few memories...They were a type of artemia brine shrimp that were developed back in the seventies if I recall and very popular with kids. handy food for bigger fish too, they were even taken into space !
Last edited by Artistmike; 3rd November 2020 at 11:00.
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