From Square 1

[cynic]

The tank hood looks really well made, even though i like open tanks i do like yours with the hood on the top.

Daren't not have a proper top, we got a puddy cat, and he likes fish. Watches the tank for hours. Doubt he'd go for it as he'd hate being wet more than liking the fish but its something i don't fancy chancing.

 

[cynic]

Well things have moved on apace, have gone for sand as a substrate and this next pic is what happens when you spend 3 hours cleaning sand.

Anyway enough patting myself on the back, due to his new home not being up and running yet and the need for some bio load on the new filter bubbles has got to play in the new tank, seems happier than a pig in

I have used some huge chunks of rockery slate, scared the bejeezers out of me putting them in and adjusting the position.

Have some more pics as it is now, bubbles will come out tommorow as were getting new fish on saturday so the tank will have to be heated up its at 18 at the moment,(don't want a poached fancy ).

Anyway enjoy, plants were picked from a tank with no more thought than i thought they looked nice and would work with the bigger picture in mind.

And from end on you will see most of the decor is central, ahem and the back that i havent done the background for yet.

Comments?

Stocking wise its going to be pretty simple, i like cory's and the wife likes guppies, she cant have any of the odd ones with the silly frills as the filter is lumping the water out at a nice clip moving the plants so anything above the mid line of the tank out of the shelter of the stones gets a bit of a thumping. You can see the plants are blurred slightly in the pics.

Other than that maybe some rasborough maybe, anybody with suggestions of options would be appreciated. I think the tank is suited to some shoaling fish, numbering 20+ members maybe.

I'll be quiet now.

 

[mike455555]

wow.. it looks amazing and why not neons tetra (i love theses guys)

 

[cynic]

I understood they need a more settled tank, something thats been running for a bit as they are a bit fussy with the water quality?

 

[mike455555]

ohh they might do but you could always add them to the stock list ;p

 

[minnnt]

Guppies? Are you real? G U P P I E S in a 5ft tank?

No way would i ever put them in a tank of that size!

Harlequin Rasbora's would suit the tank well as you saw on Saturday... 20 would look fanstastic and you would see some amazing shoaling behaviour from them with that much size available to them. Another shoaler i have been impressed with recently are the Red Eyed Tetra's.

What Cory's are you considering? Sterbai's? I would also be looking at some plecs, maybe something like some of the fancier Bristlenoses perhaps? Maybe a nice Panaque of some sort?

 

[mike455555]

you could easily have about 50 guppies? maybe that could look impressive

 

[cynic]

Don't shoot me i asked her what she likes and she told me, she has been nipping into the LFS on the way to work and she thinks their pretty . Humour me and tell me why you wouldn't put them in.

Definately adding those harlequins to the list, a big group would be stunning. I must be honest, as far as the cories go they don't look all that much different. Like the visible diference between a goldline and a sterbi is not much but the cost difference is HUGE, its more the behaviour i'm interested by. There are temp issues with the different cory's too to consider.

Would the plec not just dig up the plants for sport? I'm going to have to find out what a Panaque is!

 

[minnnt]

Nah, not if you pick the correct one. Don't be fooled into buying a Gibbiceps or a Common though. Panaques need wood to rasp on, so ensure there is some bog wood in there for them.

As for Guppies... Nothing wrong with them in an 80-100 litre tank imo, but in a 5ft? Boring would be a good word to describe them. They're very temperamental and over the years the ones that most lfs stock have become very weak and appear to have hardly any immune system. Also, you will end up with 1000 in no time. They breed like rabbits, have about 50 a time, and can do this every month!

I would look into Bolivian Rams, maybe a pair or 2, a nice shoal of Rasbora's, maybe a group of Hatchet fish to add a bit of a difference to the tank (shape wise) along with a nice plec and your group of cories.

 

[Mowbz]

I understood they need a more settled tank, something thats been running for a bit as they are a bit fussy with the water quality?

This is true, they dont seem to do well in newly established aquariums, they're a bit delicate and do better going into an established aquarium, or one with a hefty amount of seriously mature media.

Its a beaut of a set-up you've built, the slate it amazing. Where did you get it? Looks too big to have been bought from a LFS surely? (If not, im not going to the right ones!)

Cant wait to watch this one!

Ben

 

[cynic]

Place called Hobby fish, near Stony Stratford on the A5.

They have slate, a brownstone and some stratified granite looking stone. Supposedly all good for aquarium/pond use. You basically have a sort through and pick what you think will suit your aqarium 4 lumps for 12 quid, what you can see is less than a tenners worth and its heavy.

 

[wirralbull]

i read rams like high temperatures. i would stock a tank that shape with zebra danioes tiger barbs and yo yo loaches or similar maybe pit bull plecs. not very adventuress fish but highly active an always on the move.

 

[Tizer]

Rummy nose Tetras would look ace in that tank.....they do mine Bolivian Rams would be fine and if you are going for Corys (which will love the sand substrate) then a big school of a species that are happy around 25 degrees would look ace in there.

 

[minnnt]

i read rams like high temperatures. i would stock a tank that shape with zebra danioes tiger barbs and yo yo loaches or similar maybe pit bull plecs. not very adventuress fish but highly active an always on the move.

German Blue Rams do better with a higher temperature, but Bolivians are fine in a more normal temperature of around 24.

 

[cynic]

Well 18 Harlequins and 6 panda cory's went in today all juve's and it still looks empty

The cory's loved it from the word go and the HR spent an hour or so scoping the place out and are now shoaling up but need more, like as many again at least.