My 16 Gallon Work :)

[StandbySetting]

Cirax is just Juwel's take on ceramic media, if I were you when it comes to replacing it (which you don't need to do for a good few years, it should last forever techincally) just boy a box of ceramic media and a filter sock.

 

[hanny93]

Oh no I got that it was just plain ceramics, my annoyance was of the box breaking.

No the review thing was just because i like to read reviews of everything

 

[hanny93]

Right so today I've had a rather energetic day! walked to and from my lfs twice (which includes lots of hills! and I'm hungover after a girly night with my bestfriend) to get a new arcadia light, which is SO bright!

Had a massive kerfuffle with the light, went and bought the proper Jewel nature light because I wasnt risking it not fitting, brought it home, and it was so thin! then i realised it was a T5 and my tank hood only fits T8's.

So I trotted back off to the lfs, asked them to exchange it for another, and the guy was ace! He got me a cheaper one and then when I bought two little fire shrimp he gave a me a largeish lump of ocean rock completely free!

But one of the shrimp was tiny and I think my biggest cory attacked it because it's now dead. I've put the other one in a breeder net thing with some moss balls, just to be safe. It is considerably larger than the other one but I'd rather not lose £8 of shrimp in 2 hours..

I've bought a few bunches of pygmy chain sword aswell, and it looks ace if i do say so myself!

 

[PDSimon]

Good stuff, glad the little cory has survived! wheres the pic?

ocean rock can raise your pH btw. not entirely sure of all your fish, most fish will do fine in a slightly higher pH but just so you know.

Do you know what watts the new bulbs are? I would start low with the amount of light and build it up assuming the algae stays away!

 

[hanny93]

I'll get one tomorrow he's huge now!

Yeah I know, it's not massive but it's not a pebble either, my pH is a little bit low anyway, about 6.5 so it could do with being raised a bit!

I only got the one, only spoace for one in the tank hood! it's 15W, same as the old one, the old one was just REALLY old so it might aswell have been a candle in a tube

 

[PDSimon]

Sounds like a good amount of light, i'd start with 6 hours and then move it to 7-8. My scape has been going 3/4 of a year and I only put the lights on for 7, its more than enough for plants.

 

[hanny93]

Ive had this one going for about a year and a half, if I put the lights on for more than 6 hours I start to get algae problems. At the moment they come on about half four and go off at about 10/11.

I'll get some pictures on later, just letting the sand settle because ive been moving things around after the cories went on some kind of rampage last night!

 

[hanny93]

Pics as promised, VERY pic heavy because I like pictures

FTS (ish, sorry it's not full on, the flash gets mega in the way!)

Little baby cory (just on the right hand side a bit up from the sand). This was a couple of weeks ago

Gourami and the wood ornament my granda made for me

Ocean rock, pygmy chain sword (Which i ADORE!) and fatty boy neons

And again

Any crtitiques off anyone?

 

[hanny93]

Big update now

After selling all my current stock I was left with an empty tank, so i popped off to my lfs and came home with 12 harelquin rasboras and 2 dwarf neon rainbows (i tihnk male and female yay!)

I also moved everything round, so that now the branch thing is on the left hand side (and is also covered in java moss, double yay!) and a new little ocean rock is next to the filter (for my solitary cherry shrimp, also covered in java moss!).

All in all I'm pretty happy, although i will miss my cories, but it does mean that i dont have to leave as much space now at the front for them to burrow about, meaning I've got a lot more space for MORE PLANTS

I'll add pictures when it's cleared up a little bit.

 

[hanny93]

Update on new scape and inhabitants

Java moss on the wooden 'tree'

New Dwarf neon rainbows, I love the shimmer!

And again, but with the harlequins

FTS - my mum asked why has my filter got 'excited' so childish! I also took her to my lfs yesterday and she decided a parrotfish or an oscar would be lovely in my tank, 'because they have funny little faces'. Please, if anyone ever sees my mother trying to buy fish pin her down and take her card away from her.