148.6L (39.2 gallon) aquarium journal

I'm writing a journal about my newest aquarium- a 3ft long 39 gallon brought from a LFS and I can't wait to make it a good home for my remaining silvertip tetras. They have been in the old 10 gallon tall for nearly two years, so I am yet to put them in the 39 gallon once it's cycled and properly made. It's been nearly two years since I've been wanting to upgrade it, so I want to give them a bigger home than the last tank.

October 19:

Day after high school graduation. I had purchased the 91 x 35.5 x 46cm aquarium which came with wide lid holders, with the pieces of glass cut to size for putting on the lid together. It can just fit the Tidal 55 filter on the side of the tank. There were no tanks of the Petworx brand (except nano series and Starfire glass) without the holders, so I went on with it. It cost $435 for the tank itself. A few days after we put the sand and some of the water in, it didn't leak. We also brought a DolPhin heater from the LFS, hopefully it works... The lid holders are a problem however. The water coming out of the HOB would flow into the lid part and spill, so I have to be careful about that.

October 23:

Brought some hardscape today: some riverstones and a piece of spiderwood that would bring it together. But I would boil the wood to rid of excess tannins and to sterilise it, then waterlog it for a week or two to put it in the aquarium. Then I would put some plants in the tank and cycle it before moving or putting fish in the tank. Thinking of a nice river landscape on the aquarium, it would take a while to make it right.

There's no need to boil driftwood and it doesn't get rid of tannins much faster than just leaving it to soak in a bucket of water or in the aquarium.

What's wrong with the handles on the coverglass?

Looking forward to what you plan for the scape! The tetras will love the new space. My Sawbwa's went from a 60L cube to a 90L 2ft long, I saw a big improvement in their behavior even breeding became more common

Colin_T said:

There's no need to boil driftwood and it doesn't get rid of tannins much faster than just leaving it to soak in a bucket of water or in the aquarium.

What's wrong with the handles on the coverglass?

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I do not want excess tannins to leach in the tank, and I've been wanting to do a clearwater tank with wood. The area where water comes out of the filter may land on the lid and will spill on it but due to space constraints, I had to do it on the side instead of the back.

We might get some plants on Sunday because of my dad's work schedule, he's working with Transperth. He's having late shifts now, driving trains all night. The driftwood is in the tank a few days ago, but it might have leached tannins today. Slow and steady might have been winning the race now.

Two other fish that live in the silvertips' natural range, the Sao Francisco river, are blackline tail and redeye tetras, but which one are more suitable for being a tankmate for the silvertips?

elephantnose3334 said:

We might get some plants on Sunday because of my dad's work schedule, he's working with Transperth. He's having late shifts now, driving trains all night.

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I hope your dad isn't one of those train drivers that beeps the horn every time he goes past the station here. Boy that's annoying at 3am

elephantnose3334 said:

Two other fish that live in the silvertips' natural range, the Sao Francisco river, are blackline tail and redeye tetras, but which one are more suitable for being a tankmate for the silvertips?

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Red-eye tetras are fin nippers and whilst they shouldn't hassle the silvertips, I wouldn't keep them with anything you value (I don't like them ). However, if they come from the same area they should be ok together as long as you have enough of them (at least 10).

I have never seen the black line tetras (Moenkhausia costae) but from the quick read on google they seem ok although a little boring for colour.

Colin_T said:

I hope your dad isn't one of those train drivers that beeps the horn every time he goes past the station here. Boy that's annoying at 3am



Red-eye tetras are fin nippers and whilst they shouldn't hassle the silvertips, I wouldn't keep them with anything you value (I don't like them ). However, if they come from the same area they should be ok together as long as you have enough of them (at least 10).

I have never seen the black line tetras (Moenkhausia costae) but from the quick read on google they seem ok although a little boring for colour.

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At least the redeyes are slightly bigger than the silvertips. Blackline tail tetras are cool, they have a greenish sheen on their bodies, along with their diagonal line on the anal fin and tail area. I was wondering I could have a go on having them. I have watched a documentary on the river to give me a better look of the habitats and ichthyofauna in the area.

elephantnose3334 said:

At least the redeyes are slightly bigger than the silvertips. Blackline tail tetras are cool, they have a greenish sheen on their bodies, along with their diagonal line on the anal fin and tail area. I was wondering I could have a go on having them. I have watched a documentary on the river to give me a better look of the habitats and ichthyofauna in the area.

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If they get a green sheen on their body they might be worth trying to find but I think the biggest problem you will have is obtaining the black line tetras.

Colin_T said:

If they get a green sheen on their body they might be worth trying to find but I think the biggest problem you will have is obtaining the black line tetras.

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I think the local LFS's sell them. I will check next time I go there. Problem is they are not on the AqAdvisor stocking calculator so guessing the percentage of stocking for these fish is the best part before buying them. They are pretty fish, but less colourful when they're pale in the LFS prior purchase.

elephantnose3334 said:

I think the local LFS's sell them. I will check next time I go there. Problem is they are not on the AqAdvisor stocking calculator so guessing the percentage of stocking for these fish is the best part before buying them. They are pretty fish, but less colourful when they're pale in the LFS prior purchase.

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We have filled up the water and let the filter run. The pump is a bit noisy, but the filter is running smoothly now. We might do the same for the heater, but we'll see how we go.