Today's a new day.

[elephantnose3334]

Oh, and @Fishmanic, is it okay to get aquaria from Amazon.com.au and enter them later this year or next year? Will there be a TOTM where two of a user's aquaria can be entered because I like the idea of entering two tanks instead of one? I like entering one tank, but I think two should be better.

Here are some aquaria I might get from Amazon and despite most of them aren't big enough for animal inhabitants (except the 11.5 gallon), they should do the job for plant only aquaria:

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www.amazon.com.au

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All of them are under 16 gallons. Can you give me some ideas on a nice aquascape like you did with the fisherman in the Jan 2019 TOTM please?

 

[elephantnose3334]

Found an old 100 Facts book hidden away in the shed and the 'Endangered Animals' book mentions the rarest freshwater fish in the United States, the Devils Hole pupfish. It used to be a vulnerable species, it is now Critically Endangered according to the IUCN Red List.

 

[elephantnose3334]

The tetras are resting now. Spent time with family to watch the Australian Open final. Currently doing my research on cube tanks now.

 

[elephantnose3334]

Prepping for June's TOTM as @Fishmanic allowed me to enter the Petworx 10.6L tank. I noticed that September 2023's TOTM winner was a 12 litre aquarium, but I can go slightly smaller than that. But first, more research! Priced out the project on a notebook (it is a bit above $160 in total), comparing the tank to the similar cube tanks I found on Amazon.com.au and voila! Project will be ready to go in mid-February or slightly later. Here's the routine of the tank once it's completed: Feed the shrimp twice a week if there's algae, if not, every day in tiny amounts. Water changes will be done by an empty 2L ice cream tub instead of the usual 10L jug every 1.5-2 weeks instead of 4 weeks because it's a very small tank. The plants will be trimmed when they grow large, just have to be careful with the chameleon shrimp. They will also be fertilised too with Seachem ferts. Filter sponge will be cleaned once every 1.5 months.

I just need to ready up for the next couple of months to get the desired plant growth I need. Getting some learning to do with aquascaping, then I'm fully ready to enter my tank on TOTM. Here is the vision of the aquascape I will be working on if anyone haven't seen it yet:

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

With small tanks, you can use a clean, empty plastic cup to remove and replace water, and as Essjay has said before, just because your bucket can hold ten litres, doesn't mean you need to fill it with ten litres if you then can't move it alone.

If all you can move at a time is 2L, for example, then use the plastic cup to remove two litres into the bucket, empty the bucket, return to tank and continue repeating until you're removed enough of water.

You can also use airline hosing, a small gravel vac, or a turkey baster to clean the substrate in small tanks.

Remember also that small tanks need more maintenance to maintain good water quality than larger tanks too, since the small water volume means it turns toxic much faster than in a large tank.

Good to see that you're feeling positive!

 

[elephantnose3334]

Today's Monday. Fed the tetras and currently doing more research on the stuff that are required on TOTM contests. More research equals higher chance of winning. I am a happy person nowadays. Research will take a while to do but it's always needed when doing tanks of different sizes.

 

[elephantnose3334]

The 92 x 36 x 42cm Aqua One Horizon tank will be done in the future. I just now need to move the remaining cardinals into the 90L 45cm cube away from the silvertips. It can be expensive but it is what it is. I was originally going for the 92cm long tank, but since I am liking with cube tanks now, a 45cm cube will be used instead. 15cm more space for the cardinals. A 'nano' Orinoco biotope will be in the works in a few months time. Just need to price out everything first. I also used the Aqadvisor calculator for the stock levels of my tank. It is at 81% which is under the 100% stocking level.

 

[elephantnose3334]

Went to the O'Connor LFS and priced the project out. I found a really good piece of driftwood and it fits perfectly into the tank and stands up properly. Haven't brought any stuff yet and the stuff is tucked away in a box for me. The 45cm cube tank itself cost $285 The Exo Terra cabinet that goes with the tank costs $265. Helanthium tenellum cost $8.50 ea 10kg of river sand cost $50 ea and 40 pc of Seachem root tabs $65. These are some of the items that will be used for the project. The total cost of the project is almost $900 excluding dwarf sagittaria and coontail. I will go to another LFS to price out the dwarf sagittaria and then back to the O'Connor store to price out the coontail.

But first, the 10L shrimp tank, then the 90L cube project. The 90L 45cm cube and its cabinet will be in my bedroom.

 

[Ortegai]

Have you priced a canister filter for the 90L cube yet? Vebas is a honest and long running business - it's been around for a long time and I did visit the shop many times while I was living in Murdoch.

 

[Seisage]

Went to the O'Connor LFS and priced the project out. I found a really good piece of driftwood and it fits perfectly into the tank and stands up properly. Haven't brought any stuff yet and the stuff is tucked away in a box for me. The 45cm cube tank itself cost $285 The Exo Terra cabinet that goes with the tank costs $265. Helanthium tenellum cost $8.50 ea 10kg of river sand cost $50 ea and 40 pc of Seachem root tabs $65. These are some of the items that will be used for the project. The total cost of the project is almost $900 excluding dwarf sagittaria and coontail. I will go to another LFS to price out the dwarf sagittaria and then back to the O'Connor store to price out the coontail.

But first, the 10L shrimp tank, then the 90L cube project. The 90L 45cm cube and its cabinet will be in my bedroom.

As I'm sure you've been realizing, buying aquarium equipment gets very expensive very quickly. If you're able to, I recommend purchasing used items. This isn't always the best option for some items, but it's a very good option for others. A 20gal tank, light, 50W heater, and two air pumps were all used items that I bought from sellers on Facebook Marketplace. They're all in good condition and, all together, they cost me only around $40USD ($60AUD). I also bought my plants through sellers on Facebook. Since you're in Australia, you could also look on Gumtree. Even if you don't want to buy equipment secondhand, you could look for hobbyists that sell the plants you want. Many hobbyists will sell cuttings of their plants, or whole plants, for much cheaper than the store prices.

 

[elephantnose3334]

Have you priced a canister filter for the 90L cube yet? Vebas is a honest and long running business - it's been around for a long time and I did visit the shop many times while I was living in Murdoch.

There is no canister filter for the 90L in the Petworx kit.

 

[elephantnose3334]

As I'm sure you've been realizing, buying aquarium equipment gets very expensive very quickly. If you're able to, I recommend purchasing used items. This isn't always the best option for some items, but it's a very good option for others. A 20gal tank, light, 50W heater, and two air pumps were all used items that I bought from sellers on Facebook Marketplace. They're all in good condition and, all together, they cost me only around $40USD ($60AUD). I also bought my plants through sellers on Facebook. Since you're in Australia, you could also look on Gumtree. Even if you don't want to buy equipment secondhand, you could look for hobbyists that sell the plants you want. Many hobbyists will sell cuttings of their plants, or whole plants, for much cheaper than the store prices.

Yes, it can be expensive quickly. That's why I'm saving all my money on the project. And I don't trust FB marketplace and Gumtree.

 

[Seisage]

Yes, it can be expensive quickly. That's why I'm saving all my money on the project. And I don't trust FB marketplace and Gumtree.

That's understandable, but there are genuinely good sellers who sell things that are in good working condition. Many sellers are aquarium hobbyists as well. It is a bit riskier than buying new items, but if you know what to look for, then your chances of getting scammed are pretty low. However, if you really don't want to even consider the marketplace websites, then you could look for aquarium groups in your area. They might have a website or a Facebook page. They're a good way to connect with local hobbyists and it's usually easier to trust buying equipment or plants from them because they know more about what they're selling.

 

[elephantnose3334]

The aquarium hobby is constantly changing day by day and I have done some research into hardscape and plants that go well with the vision of future aquascapes.

 

[elephantnose3334]

I'm on Scape It and planning some tank aquascape designs. The tetras are resting now. I will see them tomorrow.