Rio 240 Tank Journal

[Laffers]

Hey.

Starting this journal a bit later than I had hoped for as my tank has currently been cycling for a little over 2 weeks now. Unfortunately, my camera was with someone else until now so couldn't really be as detailed as I would have liked to have been with the original setting up pictures.

I'm not using an amazing camera, and do not have the greatest skills with one either but I'm hoping I can use Photoshop to blur out backgrounds of fish. Have done it before with other things, just hope it works as well with this type of picture. I wont be using it to colour change any of the fish though

Time for a little background on the tank. Its a Juwel Rio 240l tank in beech which I am so far really pleased with especially the dimensions of it which give it a really nice footprint. Although I have been scouting these forums for the best part of 2 months (my post count probably doesnt reflect this, lol) and talking to a lot of you in the live chat, the tank is still large enough to be forgiving of any minor mistakes.

Here is the tank with the water and sand in it. As I said previously, its a shame I never got any decent pics before this but it cant really be helped. You will see later on in my post that the sand (Argos playsand) is a lot lighter than it is showing in this pic. I was a bit concerned about the colour at first as it didnt seem to match the colour that everyone elses was but it has come good now thankfully.

I also decided at this point that I had a bit too much sand in there so have since reduced the amount a bit. I do still need to get the sand where I want it but that is something I plan on doing when I get my final layout done.

Next thing I did was to start my cycle. After browsing through the forums I finally managed to track some ammonia down at homebase. Sadly, the staff there didnt have a clue what it was so I had to hunt through most of the store to find it. To go with this I obviously needed to get myself a decent liquid test kit. I ended up going for the API Master Freshwater kit on the recommendation of what seems like the majority of the forum. After using it for a little while I really cannot complain with it at all and would recommend to anyone else looking for one.

After my first week I was starting to get a bit concerned that my ammonia had not dropped slightly and was getting fed up of looking at an empty tank so decided it was time to go decorating!! Ive always liked tanks with a mix of rock, bogwood and plants plus you get the added advantage of the plants helping the water quality.

As you can see here, its a bit unorganised at this point. The slate doesnt look too bad but I wasnt happy with the bit to the left of the pic - far too big and only one thing to do.....go get a large axe and a hammer!!

 

[Laffers]

After convincing myself that I was actually smashing the slate about for the good of the tank and not just because it would be good fun I went out and smashed the biggest piece of slate in the hope that it would come out somehow like I wanted it. The one advantage of slate is that with the layers its quite easy to dictate where its going to break off.

In the end, I was quite pleased with how it came off. Ive still got the straight edge along the back that I'm not 100% pleased with but the chances are that this bit of slate will come out eventually. Ill go into the reason for this in a bit, but I just wanted something that was semi nice to look at while im waiting for the water and other things to sort themselves out. This seems to make the whole waiting game of the cycle a little easier.

After shuffling the plants about a bit and moving a few bits of the excess slate about I made a few minor changes that may not look much on the screen, but when your seeing it quite a lot it does seem to make a bit of a difference. Have to excuse how unclean the glass is, Im not sure if this is some kind of algae but I will make sure that its clean once my cycle is complete. Anyone that can suggest something to use to clean that without scratching the glass would be an absolute legend!

Now, onto the silly bit!! Ive gone over how I have played around with my layout a bit so I have ended up with something that I am semi happy with. Not finished by a long way, but its ok to look at while I wait for my cycle to complete. ]

I went to my not so local Swallow Aquatics at East Harling the other day in the search of some interesting bogwood that would look nice and dark in my tank. The 2 places near me have wood but its all a really light colour and looks more like plastic than wood. I started off picking up a smallish bit that was quite well shaped and a lot better than anything I had seen. Just as I was walking outside I saw a load more bogwood but this time they were really big bits and a lot more interestingly shaped than any others Ive seen.

I ended up keeping the smaller big of bogwood (pics coming later) although Im not quite sure where it will go now and my large bit of bogwood which was only £15 in the end which I thought was really good. Both bits are currently soaking in my back yard in a 10 gallon bright pink bucket, my only concern is that im only 80% confident my wood will actually fit in my tank. Hoping that I dont need to use my axe for anything other than my slate!

Sadly, the pictures of my wood really not do it justice. Ill need to have a proper go at it with the camera sometime to see if I can get a better angle of it or something but this will give you a rough idea of what it looks like.

This now leads me on to what I would like to stock my tank with. One of the thing I had to agree to, to get my tank was to let my gf have a say in what my tank is stocked with. It is for this reason I cant go for anything that isn't considered 'pretty!!' but with a help of a few people on the chat I have got a few species in mind and a few questions to ask.

The first fish that HAS to go into my tank is Bosemani Rainbowfish. This actually Aces fault for pointing them out to me but ever since he has Ive seen them in all the LFS I go to and everytime they seem to look nicer and nicer.

Ideally, I would like two different species of dwarf cichlids with my two favs being Kribs and Bolivians (Would love Blues but heard a lot of bad things). The only thing I am concerned about is mixing SA with African and so far I have had conflicting reports on whether they would go together or not. IF not, I suppose Ill go for the rams and some cockatoos.

For my bottom feeders I would like to go for a nice sized shoal of Khulis (although have also heard bad things) and peppered or panda corys. Ideally Im thinking of 6+ of these but Im not 100% on whether they will both be happy having another type of fish feeding from the bottom.

Other than that, the other things im thinking of are Endlers, Cherry Barbs and to keep my gf happy Cardinal Tetras.

If anyone can see any problems with my stock list or has any suggestions on good ideas I could add (esp to replace the tetras )

The other question Id like to ask is in reference to backgrounds. Having seen Kams 450l diary I have decided that a black background is what I am going to do for, I was just wondering if people have made there own or have found somewhere they can buy a laminated piece that would fit their tanks.

Anyway, thanks for reading, I do plan on adding to this on a regular basis and intend to write less in the future and use more pics....theres only so much rubbish I can type!!

 

[Ace Of Spades]

Youve disapointed me, I cant believe you finally posted

Tank is look nice mate, Although you could try stacking those slate in a certain way instead of leaving them flat, cant wait to see it stocked with the BOESMANI RAINBOW FISH in!!!!!

 

[guppy_man]

Here are some stocking ideas.....

You could go for a pair of angel fish, they would look really nice in that open space tank. Then if you get angelfish you won't be able to get tetras because tetras are angelfishes main food source in the wild, so that can be your excuse to your gf
There are many types of angelfish around, my fav's are koi's but others are real nice too.

You could have a pair of kribs or rams, some may disagree, but i have had angels living with both these fish and everything was fine between them.

You could also go for bristlenose catfish, it would love your cave structure. Maybe 2 of these.

6-8 panda cory's would look nice.


I also have an idea for that flat piece of slate you hate . You could cover the flat surface in java moss It will look fantastic, and easy to do.

Check out the planted section in the pinned topics about attaching riccia and java moss




Keep us updated on how it goes.

 

[Straydum]

i must say i'm going to be an avid reader to this journal if you keep posting lovely tank set-up although i'd lose some of the slate, maybe a small piece or two. you've got there some estimated 80 to 90 gallons which opens you up to many options of fishes.

coming from someone who's into oddballs, you could throw in a few of the smaller spiny eels species. the smaller species tend to appreciate more being in groups (which is a good thing) as compared to their larger cousins.

 

[Laffers]

Thanks for the feedback so far guys (and Ace).

The big piece of slate isnt going to be an issue because as soon as my Bogwood is soaked it will be coming out altogether or getting smashed into smaller bits to stack up as Ace suggested earlier.

As far as my cycle is going, the ammonia seems to pretty much be there now with 4ppm filtering through in time. My main problem currently lies with my nitrites always showing at the same level whenever i check my water. I know this obviously means that it is going down too as I am adding ammonia every day at the moment, and I know that nitrites take longer than ammonia - its just frustrating!!

On the bright side though, the bogwood is leaking less and less tannins by the day and should be ready to go before I get around to getting my fish in 2 weeks time (cycle permitting).

Just a couple of quick questions to anybody that can answer. As you can see on the pics of my tank there is a build up of something on my tank. I have a feeling that it is just sand that stuck to the side after it first went in. Is there anything I can use to clean this without scratching or damaging my glass?

Second question is where I can I get a black background for my tank? I've been told that normal black, unlaminated paper is just as good to use as laminated. Im not overly sure as I can imagine it doesnt look as good and will obviously get wet if any water somehow gets down the back of the tank.

 

[SJ2K]

Looks like the typical air bubbles around the glass, whatever it is, just wipe it off

As far as background goes, just go to your lfs and buy black laminate for a few quid no biggie.

 

[Ace Of Spades]

Looks like the typical air bubbles around the glass, whatever it is, just wipe it off

As far as background goes, just go to your lfs and buy black laminate for a few quid no biggie.

yup looks like bubble on the glass like when you put new water in and I bought 8 foot of black background for 10£ cheapcheapcheap!!

 

[Straydum]

with regards to the blogwood soaking, to speed things up, you might want to soak it in boiling water for say twenty minutes then overnight in normal water. the tannins will all (or almost) be removed. i didnt do this and my wood is still leeching even after being in the tank for two weeks.

 

[ALW]

WOW! , Nice Tank

 

[Laffers]

with regards to the blogwood soaking, to speed things up, you might want to soak it in boiling water for say twenty minutes then overnight in normal water. the tannins will all (or almost) be removed. i didnt do this and my wood is still leeching even after being in the tank for two weeks.

Its sitting outside in my bright pink 10Gal bucket at the moment lol. Ive pured boiling water over it and filled up the bucket twice now so it has been soaking in hot water. The tannins are now slowly leaking a lil less which is good - will be done before my tank is cycled which is a bonus as it should give me time to scape it a bit and get it more finalised before the fish go in.

Thanks for all the feedback, its all being taken on board and appreciated!! Still looking for stocking ideas too if anyone has any suggestions.

 

[Biulu]

The other question Id like to ask is in reference to backgrounds. Having seen Kams 450l diary I have decided that a black background is what I am going to do for, I was just wondering if people have made there own or have found somewhere they can buy a laminated piece that would fit their tanks.


I use black paper or carton that I stick on the back with cellotape. Is cheap and works very well. I've had it on for almost 2 years now.

 

[Laffers]

Finally the news Ive been waiting for!!

Have just done my water test and in 24 hours my nitrite test came out blue and my ammonia test yellow meaning both are at yellow. The plan is now to sit it out for a week and keep adding more ammonia just to make sure that nothing can go wrong. I might even up the amount I add just by a lil bit as I dont think it will do any harm.

This all results in a VERY happy Laffers!

 

[paul_219]

Very nie tank looking gr8.

 

[Laffers]

Thought Id have another little mini update just to show that I am still about! Not a lot has happened since my last post, its just a case of adding more ammonia everyday to make sure that i keep my bacteria going. But, on the bright side, the ammonia and nitrites are still clearing like they should and I'm hoping I can organise it so that I can get my fish by the end of the week.

As I'm probably not far away from getting my first fish, I thought it would be a good idea to start getting myself a bit more organised with things. Took a quick trip out to the LFS (not a very good one - some of the advice they have given me in the past is laughable!) to get some dried food. After having a quick scan over what they have, I ended up getting some Hikari sinking wafers and some Tetra colour pro. I'm planning on getting one more type of flake food just so that I can mix things up. Ive also got a tub of JMC catfish pellets that were given to me. Not sure if these will be any good but Ill give them a go. Not overly sure why I took a picture of the food I got but hey!

The one other thing that came from our trip to the LFS was that my gf likes Angels. As someone stated earlier in my journal this may not be a bad thing as it might be what gets me away from having to get neon/cardinal tetras . Now its just a case of reading up on Angels and making sure they are compatible with the rest of the fish that I want. Hopefully I will actually make up my mind and decide on my final stocking list!!

The bogwood is still soaking in its bright pink bucket and still leeching a lot of tannins. Its now been in there for a week and has had a few kettles full of boiling water poured over it in the hope of getting more to leak out of it. Will be doing the same again today so that I can hopefully speed up the process as I dont really want to be rescaping my whole tank once Ive got my fish in.

After getting a bit concerned that my bogwood wouldn't actually fit in my tank I decided to take a tape measure to it and see. Thankfully, it fits in my tank by just under half an inch. To say I was relieved would be an understatement as I really didnt fancy taking a saw to it. Have tried once again to get some decent pictures of my wood but as it was raining outside I didn't spend to much time on getting any close up shots to show all the detail like I would want to. Might have a go later tonight weather permitting. Still got to decide what way I want my wood to sit in the tank, think Im going to be wanting some kind of plants to attach to it if anyone has any suggestions.

Please note the pink 10g bucket in the foreground. Have two of these (Colour chosen by gf, not me!!!) and they have been the handiest things I could ever have when it comes to fishkeeping.

Thanks for reading again and keep the coments/suggestions coming! Hopefully the next proper update will be showing you all some fish and the updated scape w/ bogwood.