My New Setup

Here are some pics there are more to follow...

here you go...

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nice tank fishlover900, beware of the depth of your gravel though, make sure you give it a good prod on a weekly basis right to the bottom, thats a lot of substrate for anerobic bacteria to build up in.

if you see bubbles coming up from it thats the cause (the bubbles stink as well)

nice reflector as well LOL, it all helps doesn't it..

edit: sorry just noticed the plant to the right (green with white edges) is non aquatic and will die. dont let it rot in there or it'll be tasty food for algae to thrive on.

i had that plant in a different tank for months and bought it from a very good fish shop. Also the pics were just before i did my weekly clean. I clean the gravel every week

Your air pump should be higher than your water level....it looks like it is on the floor next to the tank and doesnt look like you have a valve check on it (to stop water flowing back into it and could cause an electrical fire.....someone correct me if Im wrong here but thats what Ive always been told but I dont use air pumps myself.

it does have a valve you just can't see it. Because i have one you don't need it above the tANK

thats okay then. (regarding the airpump)

that plant will still die, trust me. it may be dying very slowly granted but it's drowning i promise.

have you seen any new growth ie new leaves being produced? i think not...

i also buy plants from reputable fish stores they all and i mean every single one stock at least 4 or 5 non aquatic plants.

i confronted a very well known and huge store locally to me. many members know it but i'm not naming names. i said is that an aquatic plant (knowing full well it wasn't) the guy hesitated and wispered

"you obviously know what your talking about..... no it's not, i grew those at home on my window sill but dont tell anyone (chuckle). most of our customers dont know the first thing about plants and they'd kill true aquatic plants anyway. if we sell them these and they last a month everyones happy. they just come back and buy more"

thats fine if your aware of what you are buying goldfish for example will eat anything you plant with them so a non aquatic plant in their tank is fine for a few weeks of prettyness but not when the tank they are sold in is labeled "premium aquatic plants"

here's a pic of my first planting in the rio 180







i asked for a refund as i had not been sold what i asked for and the answer was yes of course just bring them back in their original pots. how many people buy plants and leave them in the pots for gods sake. because i had planted them they weren't interested and i wasted about £40. needless to say i hate that store. for anyone reading this who has followed my cracked centre brace thread guess where i bought the tank.... yep the same store. bloody useless and rude to customers why oh why are they so popular i dont know...

edit..... er sorry, got a bit carried away there...

what is that fish in the 4th pic?

OK jimbooo take a chill pill!

im actually doing quite well and these plants have lasted much longer then the resdt. I upgraded the lights bought a co2 thing and use plant food. I was planning on buying the set of plants for a 18" TANK FROM WWW.JAVA-PLANTS.COM WHAT DO YOU THINK?

WHAT THIS ONE? ( the fish question earlier)

Great tank fish love i love that guppy, Do you live in the UK?

fishlover900 thats a gourami (blue gourami) I think.

demonmagus if your talking about the 4th pic jimbooo posted thats a bala shark.

yup, thats a blue gourami...nice fish. i have 1 too.

yes im in the great UK!

OK jimbooo take a chill pill!

im actually doing quite well and these plants have lasted much longer then the resdt. I upgraded the lights bought a co2 thing and use plant food.

Click to expand...

I don't think this was necessary, Jimbooo is extremely knowlegable and knowing you are new to this is making sure that all the basics are properly installed. And giving you basic information.

I have also bought non or semi aquatic plants although I have to say the fact that they would not survive long underwater was never kept from me. I am a little sad I have started to order on-line now(but I needed more variety)because the man at the shop is great. You point to the plant you won't and he tells you the basics e.g vallis: remember you have to take that out of the weight and seperate it
When you pointed to a non aquatic you were warned that they would eventually die. Wish everywhere was as good.

Way of topic. Also these plants are really hardy and that is why they survive underwater. I am pretty sure all your lights,CO2 and fertilizers have had very little to do with it surviving. The reason they are able to sell them is that before they die they manage to survive a lot of bad conditions making them perfect for goldfish tanks.

Somebody offer good advice and gets "take a chill pill" in responce?

Comments like that will only result in you "biting the hand that feeds you" if you want help on the forum as you are clearly very new to fishkeeping its maybe better to be carefull how things come across in your posts as Jimboo's post wasnt even having a go at you, he was helping you.

Fishlover, interested in selling me that male guppy to breed?, I'll send u back half of the spawn..