My First Planted Tank Ever

[AshGillott]

After doing some research I decided to buy a canister filter, £60 for the 401 and they didn't have the 701, took me ages to work out how to use it and now it's working as it's supposed too. Light unit will be ordered soon.

However, before I had lots of flow and now it's a trickle, I suppose it won't matter though will it?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Akasha72]

the drop in flow could be down to an air lock. Try tipping the canister - rock it from side to side and see if it gives a splutter and gets going a bit. There should be a good flow rate so there's either an air lock or a kink in the pipes

ps ... good choice. You won't regret buying JBL

 

[AshGillott]

Done that, I believe it's working how it should


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[AshGillott]

Got some anubias and moved stuff around, re plumbed the filter and tidied up a little, I seem to have lot some shrimps though and wondering if they got sucked into the filter or eaten,

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[AshGillott]

Ok so it's all gone a bit Pete Tong, my shrimps are dead.. Long story but it involved me getting flea bites and some measures to prevent anymore happening. The bites were picked up at work and 2 days later after clothes had been washed I ended up with 2 more. So my Mrs bought a can of flea spray and used it all over the house including the garage where my tank is. Gutted!! Anyway shrimps removed from tank and huge water change straight after. Clothes (including a pair of £120 jeans) have been subjected to a 60 degree wash so I'm hoping I only have to replace the shrimps!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Akasha72]

aww no. Please tell your wife not to use any kind of aerosol near the tank ... this includes air freshener, furniture polish ... anything really with scent. It can kill the fish aswell as inverts - although inverts are the most sensitive.
 
So sorry to hear you've lost them  Hopefully they can be replaced 

 

[AshGillott]

Well everything happens for a reason right? I can get some more from eBay collection only in Doncaster £10 for 7 So I'm gonna [emoji4]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Akasha72]

they do say everything happens for a reason ... I just don't need a reason to buy beautiful fishes lol 

 

[AshGillott]

Not sure how many more fish I can have in my tank though, need some cory's, another BN and quite fancied some oto's too.
 
currently have a rainbow shark, 4 platies, 4 guppies, 5 cardinal tetra and a small BN in a 30" x 16" x 12" (L x H x W) 

 

[Akasha72]

well ... I can help a little there. I would hold off on the 2nd BN if they are to live in the same tank. If you are unlucky and end up with 2 males they will fight and it gets very brutal. I had two BN's in my 4ft and they lived together happily for a number of years. They'd settled on territory at the opposite ends of the tank and all was well ... until one Sunday late afternoon ... I was cooking tea and came into the living room to see my fish going nuts - splashing and trying to get out of the tank and sand was flying everywhere. I got closer to investigate and there were my two male BN's smacking hell out of each other. They were using their cheek spines to batter each other around the head. I was horrible to watch. I ended up ringing my Dad in a panic and asking him what to do. He said you'll have to break it up, one will have to come out. He offered to take one in to his tank for the night and so we set about catching one. He went to the lfs the following day sadly. I was upset but it was obvious they wern't going to live together anymore. The lfs managed to re-home quite quickly though so that was good.
 
In terms of cories ... gorgeous little fish but the shark may bully them. Cories tend to bumble about and don't care about territories, where-as the shark is a territorial fish and it gets more and more territorial as it ages. Also while we're on the subject your 30" long tank is unlikely to hold the shark for long. At some point he's gonna need a much bigger tank. I'd never recommend these fish - whether that be the red tailed shark, rainbow shark or the bala shark - unless you can accommodate a tank of around 5-6 foot. They're a bit like the common pleco ... another fish that needs bigger tanks than our homes can normally accommodate.
 
The oto's ... great little fish but not a fish for a new tank. Oto's can be hard to feed as they feed on the bio-film in our tanks. It can take more than 6 months for that bio-film to really get going so I would wait until your tank matures a bit more. Once it's over 6 months old get a little group of oto's. Oto's are shoaler in the wild and live in large groups so a group of 6 is a good one to aim for.
 
Is that helpful? 

 

[AshGillott]

Very, thanks a million!
So no new fish for me then just yet.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Akasha72]

you could try the cories and see how it goes with the shark. There are some members who are keeping sharks and cories together and it can work. You know your fish - sometimes you get a territorial fish that isn't territorial. My angels are a perfect example of this. They're really well behaved as angels go. If you think your shark is a well behaved one then give it a try if you can already see territorial behaviour from him then may be leave it. You can see his temprement I can't 

 

[AshGillott]

Naa he is usually mardy, if any fish go into his cave while he is out admiring the scenery and he see's them he swims back pronto with a pitchfork and a torch to see them off. 
 
Whilst I was at my sisters earlier I was watching her corys and they appear to be on a constant sugar rush, Jaws2 wouldnt like that very much at all. 

 

[Akasha72]

yeah ... cories are like that. They bumble about constantly. It's part of their charm to me. I have too many cories ... I love em

 

[AshGillott]

Is that why it says 'mad cory woman' underneath your pic, or just a happy coincidence?



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk