6 foot Community Update

Well, a couple of people (Paul ) have asked to see how the big tank looks now I've installed a couple of Halides to promote growth - so, here you go...

First off is a whole tank shot, you can make out the two areas of the left hand side lit by the Halides. I think I'll leave the right hand side as it is as it provides a more sheltered enclove. Maybe if the plants covere more of the surface I'll consider something else I like it at the mo' though.

Looking along the front of the tank

looking good, very bright!!

ah ha...more pics

This is the Neons hanging out in their favorite corner, I don't know why but ever since the first MH went on they suddenly school together and sunbathe. B)

The middle of the tank.

Yes Paul, more pics. Alas, dial up means that flood control has almost no effect on me

Dude the Sailfin Pleco enjoying a cucumber with a tank bred Guppy (that's right, this guppy survived being born into a 35 gallon with 4 Pictus and reached adulthood before the whole community was moved downstairs - This batch are real survivors )

Bob, one of our Bala Sharks, cruising around below one of the butterflies (3 times already I've had to fish them out of the sump... ) Note the picture hungry Minnows and the hatchets who have scuppered all attempts of a close up of the butterfly fish

This is Custard, our blind Bala, he was like it when we bought him (we thought he was on his own in the shop so we just had to have him, however Roobarb was with him so we had the pair and got a discount for the pair ).

Originally he was extremely white (I originally thought he might be an albino or some such) but he is ever so slowly darkening up but has grown much slower than the other two sharks we bought near the time. But he is lovely to watch

(minnow in on the act again... )

This is the largest of the Pictus. The main reason for this one being bigger than the rest is that he has picked the spot where most of the food settles for his territory (he shares it with the Upside downs who are particuliarly unhappy about having the fishy paparazi hunting them )

A rare picture of the female giant mountain fan shrimp (the male just hides 90% of the time and almost never ventures out of his hidey hole - lazy so-and-so )

This is our newest acquisition: Stripey the L333. He's a lot braver than our L264 who tends to just hid under bogwood with the tip of his tail visible.

Finally (for now...) this is Myska the Persian pussy cat keeping an eye on the female guppies (segregation is the only contraceptive, and I mentioned earlier the fry's ability to survive all known predators...)

Hope you all enjoyed the pics

opps just a few more!! those were the days back in dial upper times!!

Great pics, love the pim pictus and the L333 very nice colours indeed (from what i can see )

I have 1 of those nets in the last picture!! great for washing livefood.

oh yeh I noticed from straps aorund some of the bits of wood, whats that about?

Great tank.

A couple of thoughts.

I think a black background would add tremendously to the presentation of the tank. At this point painting is out but even an attachable background would do wonders.

The tank would look even better if the background planting was beefed up, the right side in particular. I think something as simple as some fast growing stem plants would work.

The plants that you have in the foreground look like they are going to be better suited in the midground, planting them there will enhance the look of the driftwood forrest as the conceal various parts adding depth.

great tank.

Thanks for the comments guys,

The strapping on the bog wood is me trying to make a few plants attach to bogwood with lead. I'm far too lazy to use cotton (and haven't dare learn where the lady keeps it).

I know a couple of the foreground plants may grow a little taller, to be honest I haven't had a great deal of luck with this plant other than some floating plant that looks like mini clovers that has infected all my tanks and the stem plants. Eventually I'll get some more swords to beef the back out and once I find a good growing "grass-style" plant for the foreground I'll probably move some of them back.

I'm not a great fan of the backgrounds, that and the wall behind it is Moss Green so it looks a little better in real life. My plan was to get some real heavy plant growth at the back to hide it (and the ugly weir). Hopefully in a year or so I'll have a veritable forest in there.

The L333 is actually now really cleaning the glass. He's fairly active.

Edit, one other problem I have encountered with plant setup...My Sailfin pleco and some of my pictus fancy themselves as gardeners/landscape designers moving vast tracts of sand and plants around the tank to suit how they feel. While at times it is cool to watch, it can get annoying to watch Pim "Alan Tischmarch" Pictus decideing that plant would look better 3 inches to the left infornt of his neighbours cave.