Bichir Or Snakehead?

[§tudz]

Would it help to put an internal filter into the bucket with the fish in it and also a small heater if I have one?? I could then put some of my media in to it just to at least keep some bacteria running really well???

I actually have a 2 foot tank at my mums that holds just under 60 litre and that would be about a third of my current tanks capacity so I take that would be even better than the bucket idea.

Is any children's play sand OK?? If so, my mum and dad work at B&Q so a nice little discount could be available for me there!!

My one small issue is that I have 1 HUGE piece of bogwood that has large bit of java fern on it, it would be impossible for me to put it in a bucket or anything and it won't fit in the 2 foot tank I have so any ideas how to keep the java wet???

thanks for your help on this

no need to run the filter in the bucket withy the fish. keep the filter in a bucket of old tank water though.

Any play sand is fine, I get mine from B&Q and a not-so-lfs costs like £3 for a HUGE bag. if you have the spare tank at your house when you do this it'll be fine, but bucket will be ok as well.

where you when I spent a good amount on money at B&Q last weekend grr!! /me wants discount too lol

as for the bog wood, dont know, get a spray and make sure someone keeps spraying it?
put it in the spare tank?

 

[mr williams]

Would it help to put an internal filter into the bucket with the fish in it and also a small heater if I have one?? I could then put some of my media in to it just to at least keep some bacteria running really well???

I actually have a 2 foot tank at my mums that holds just under 60 litre and that would be about a third of my current tanks capacity so I take that would be even better than the bucket idea.

Is any children's play sand OK?? If so, my mum and dad work at B&Q so a nice little discount could be available for me there!!

My one small issue is that I have 1 HUGE piece of bogwood that has large bit of java fern on it, it would be impossible for me to put it in a bucket or anything and it won't fit in the 2 foot tank I have so any ideas how to keep the java wet???

thanks for your help on this

no need to run the filter in the bucket withy the fish. keep the filter in a bucket of old tank water though.

Any play sand is fine, I get mine from B&Q and a not-so-lfs costs like £3 for a HUGE bag. if you have the spare tank at your house when you do this it'll be fine, but bucket will be ok as well.

where you when I spent a good amount on money at B&Q last weekend grr!! /me wants discount too lol

as for the bog wood, dont know, get a spray and make sure someone keeps spraying it?
put it in the spare tank?

Have a bath??? By the way studz I wish I'd asked you before I changed to sand without emptying the tank fully of gravel. i've been using a seive to filter out the gravel left under the sand. Your way sounds much easier. I changed to sand so my Birchirs won't choke on some gravel, It makes it easier for them to feed.

 

[§tudz]

thats a lot of dechlorinator to use in a bath lol

yeah, thought my way would have been obvious lol

 

[ghent_3rd]

I think I am going for it tomorrow as apart from a meeting during the morning I am off, kid-free for pretty much the whole day so I should be able to get it done.

From what I remember when I add the sand after washing it it feels very thick in the hand until the water is all over it then it goes back to fine aquatic like sand, is that correct??

I am going to place all the angels and bottom dwellering fish I have into the old tank that will be coming up from my mums tomorrow and the tetras will be going into one of the buckets I will be using. That way I can set-up the spare heater and filter I have in the old tank and I don't have to think about rushing the whole job as the angels and the cats will be basically in a miniature version of their current residence!!

I can't wait to re-aquascape the whole thing and get rid of some of the old plants that are looking really tatty now but I haven't been able to access properly. Going to add some more bogwood in aswell over the coming weeks, maybe lose a bit of the slate in my tank.

I may have put across the impression that I am looking for an awesome planted tank but to be honest I am actually downgrading the amount of plants so I have yet to decide whether to add a new batch of the complete substrate. Planted is too much maintenace with football, kids and work all taking it's toll on my schedule! I want to keep some of the plants that are easy to look after for sure, especially the monster Javas that I have got going but reckon I may just add some artificials at the back to really make the back of the tank look dense so if the fish want to dive in there then they can.

Just got to decide for sure then whether to splash the cash on the bichir or stcik with South American theme and add some more cories!!!

 

[§tudz]

Your right on the money with the sand, when its washed it sticks hard and fast inside the bucket, a small spade like the kids use at the beach is great for getting it out.

you'll need to watch for algae blooms if your downgrading your plants.

As for the bichir or cories thats a hard one, two of my greatest fish loves, oddballs and catfish, its shame a lot ofthe more common BIG oddballs are bottom dwellers lol.

Good luck and lets seem some pics of the tank before and atfer the upgrade

 

[ghent_3rd]

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!!


And it looks great aswell. Not quite finished aquascaping yet but I am nearly there and am very pleased with the result. Having had the chance to look at the tank I have decided to go without the bichir as I think it would be cruel to corys everywhere not to allow them in my wonderful sandy substrate.

I will get pics up hopefully over the weekend of before and after shots.

Big thanks must go to studz for the kick up the backside, sorry, I mean encouragement, that he gave me yesterday to take the plunge into sand!!!

 

[fishfishfish]

haha.studz has always been the person to get someone to do something for the better.its funny how many people hes actually booted into the right gear.
cant wait to see pics.

 

[§tudz]

haha.studz has always been the person to get someone to do something for the better.its funny how many people hes actually booted into the right gear.
cant wait to see pics.

Thanks I try to help

Glad to hear you've sorted the tank out, now you wanna get some rare cories and breed them

You do realise now you've decided not to put polypterus in that tank, that you will have to setup another tnak for them.
Thats how it works your see, I bought triops and their tank wasnt big enough so I bought a 15gallon tank, they died and I started keeping fish, that was about 2 years ago. I then started traveling all over looking in fish shops and going "woo! they look cool" going off researching them, them buying a new tank so I could keep them.

And hence why I have 8 tanks and soon to be 9, its very addictive and catfish and oddballs seem to get more than other fish.

 

[ghent_3rd]

wish I could to be honest but with 2 kids, a non-fishkeeping g/f and limited space there is only so far you can get with flowers!! lol

 

[§tudz]

wish I could to be honest but with 2 kids, a non-fishkeeping g/f and limited space there is only so far you can get with flowers!! lol

the way I got round getting greif was talk my GF into wanting fish, she only keeps goldish but she has a 40gallon tank for them
I dont have the kids problem though, yet

 

[ghent_3rd]

Took some pics this evening but only with my moonlight so they aren't the best. I will hopefully get some more tomorrow with all lighting on and get them posted ASAP

 

[BladeDogg]

I would love to see some pics. I would love to get bichers but they are not availiable in Hawaii sad to say....