Hello!

[Julia_M]

@Julia_M That document is the water quality report which doesn't give hardness; and very few UK water companies give KH (which they call alkalinity)

The document does give your water zone, Glencorse C, and this is your hardness from another page on Scottish Water's website
View attachment 123869

Fishkeeping uses 2 units - some profiles use one, some use the other so you need to know both. For Glencorse C, the numbers you need are:
Hardness as mg/l CaCO3 = 33.83 - this is called ppm in fish profiles
German degrees = 1.89 - this is called dH or dGH in fish profiles.


Your hardness is very soft.

What are the dimensions of the tank?
Something like a large shoal of one of the Boraras species could look stunning

Search Results boraras — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

Ah, that's brilliant! I really appreciate you looking that info out for me. And the Boraras look incredible! I think they're a winner. My tank is 38x38x43 (60l). Would they be happy enough in that, or do they do better in a longer tank?

 

[Julia_M]

Yes, Scotland has lots of incredibly soft water

Famed for our lovely water! No limescale on our kettles!

 

[Essjay]

Strictly speaking, the length is a tad shorter than it should be but I think they'd be OK. Boraras brigittae is one of the smaller ones, and one of the most colourful. B. urophthalmoides are, I think, a bit smaller but not as colourful. The ones I've had (and still got 3 of them) are more orange than red. I've had B. maculatus in the past - they are a bit bigger than the other two and are red like brigittae.

They are quite shy fish if kept in small numbers and a bare tank - but as you are planning an aquatic garden that should make them happy

 

[Essjay]

Forgot to mention - if you can't find them locally, a lot of shops will order them in for you.

 

[Julia_M]

Welcome.
Get the API water testing kit.
Get familiar with the seriouslyfish.com website. Also with the back pages of this place by searching for your subject (fish type, shrimp type, snail type, plant type etc) using the search box. There’s nigh on 20yrs of knowledge and bickering to read.

It sounds like you’re going for a “silent cycle”. A wise choice. All the best people do. Just add sand, rocks, sponge bobs, scooby doos, Loch Ness monsters, filter, heater and a load of fast growing plants like:
Water Sprite
Water Lettuce
Frogbit
Duckweed
Anacharis
Hornwort
Moneywort
Some flourish root tabs.
Turn the lights, filter and heater on then take a photo. Go to the pub for a few weeks popping back every four days or so to lob in a quarter of a cap of liquid flourish. Start comparing plant growth with your photo. Once there’s definite growth you should be good to go. Test your water before adding fish though.
Trust me you don’t want to get involved with any of this fish in fish out ammonia adding water testing chemical nonsense that clogs up half of this place and needs the advice of the clever people on here to get the poor fish living happily ever after.
Cycle the easy way, the chemical free way, the natural way, the lazy way.......cycle the silent way. You know it makes sense.

If you don’t like the look of the plants above don’t worry you they may not all thrive in your tank anyway. You can also sling the ones you don’t like SLOWLY once you’re up n running and replace em (or hide em behind) ones you do like. Though your new choices may not be as good for the tank as the old.
Best of luck....oooh dinner is served....about time as well.....bye. Remember silent cycling is the way.

All the terminology is new to me, but this sounds like what I think I'm planning! I'm so excited to get started, but doing it bit by bit and getting the plants in and established, and making sure the water is right feels like a good way to go.

Good tip on the progress photos. I'll probably be boring my pals with those anyway!

 

[Julia_M]

Yes, I think there is a good stockist nearby, although currently outside my Covid area! But hopefully in the new year (mid Jan/early Feb) I can order some in/check they have them and pop out to get them.

 

[Julia_M]

Strictly speaking, the length is a tad shorter than it should be but I think they'd be OK. Boraras brigittae is one of the smaller ones, and one of the most colourful. B. urophthalmoides are, I think, a bit smaller but not as colourful. The ones I've had (and still got 3 of them) are more orange than red. I've had B. maculatus in the past - they are a bit bigger than the other two and are red like brigittae.

They are quite shy fish if kept in small numbers and a bare tank - but as you are planning an aquatic garden that should make them happy

Aww, I hope so. They're cracking wee fish! Little humming birds for my underwater garden.

 

[Utar]

Welcome to TFF and questions is what we do.
My lord I would say something like about water, plants, etc, etc... but so many already have.
I don't believe i have ever seen a new person get as many responses so quick as you have, and you don't even have a tank yet...lol..in that particular category you deserve and award, so I am giving you one...

 

[Julia_M]

Welcome to TFF and questions is what we do.
My lord I would say something like about water, plants, etc, etc... but so many already have.
I don't believe i have ever seen a new person get as many responses so quick as you have, and you don't even have a tank yet...lol..in that particular category you deserve and award, so I am giving you one...

Well, I am full of blethers!

I am so thrilled with my award. Thank you!
The tank arrives later this week.

Totally got into this by accident. Had an unfortunate episode last month, where I adopted some lovely pet rats. I'd had pet rats as a kid and loved them. But discovered after 1 night that me and the smell of the rat wee in a small flat were not going to peacefully coexist. I rehomed them with a lovely person who had more recent experience of their... odour!

Anyway - as part of their cage, I'd bought a small fish tank so I could fill it with stuff they could dig in. I decided to keep that and get some fish. But then reading into keeping fish, I realised that small tank wouldn't cut it. So I've ordered a bigger small tank.

And that is the story of how I accidentally stumbled upon all this!

 

[WhistlingBadger]

There’s nigh on 20yrs of knowledge and bickering to read.

I think that next time I put together a Celtic trad band, I'm going to name it "Knowledge and Bickering."

Yes, Scotland has lots of incredibly soft water

That must be part of the reason they make such wonderful, um, root beer.

 

[Julia_M]

I think that next time I put together a Celtic trad band, I'm going to name it "Knowledge and Bickering."

That must be part of the reason they make such wonderful, um, root beer.

Haha! The old uisge beath ("water of life" Scots Gaelic)

 

[Utar]

An interesting tid bit of history, I heard this on an old history episode years ago.
When the English first came to America they build churches.
When the Germans first came to America they build barns.
When the Scotts first came to America they build moon shine distilleries......

 

[ClownLurch]

Famed for our lovely water! No limescale on our kettles!

33ppm! Where are you? Brigadoon? Down here we’ve kettles on our limescale.
You still don’t know how lucky you are fish type wise. Don’t dive in with your selection too soon. If you silent cycle you’ll have time to explore the nooks n crannies of seriously fish and you tube before selecting.
I’m betting you get a bigger tank and use the one you’ve got as a quarantine tank. Any takers?
Microdevario Kubotai would fit in a 600x300mm. If I had soft water they’d be my number one choice with scarlet badis and Dario Dario and panda Corys and and and....

 

[ClownLurch]

All the terminology is new to me, but this sounds like what I think I'm planning! I'm so excited to get started, but doing it bit by bit and getting the plants in and established, and making sure the water is right feels like a good way to go.

Good tip on the progress photos. I'll probably be boring my pals with those anyway!

The photo thing is a sore point in this house. I only got back into fishkeeping recently and had never silent cycled before. After weeks of peering into tank asking Mrs Lurch if she thought the plants had grown she said “”we’ll check em with your photo”.....

 

[Essjay]

Can you tell us the dimensions of the tank, please? In the first post you call it a "60 litre nano cube" so I've been imagining it as a 40 x 40 x 40 cm cube - a bigger version of my 30 x 30 x 30 cm shrimp tank