Today's a new day.

[Colin_T]

Did you have a good Easter and eat lots of chocolate?

 

[elephantnose3334]

Did you have a good Easter and eat lots of chocolate?

Yes, I did! Not as many choccies as last year though. The Bilby got me a Kinder bunny, which was good. Did you have a good Easter, @Colin_T?

 

[Colin_T]

No Easter for me, I just sat around swearing at insects like normal. Plus chocolate isn't good for diabetics or people with liver failure, so no Easter or chocolate

 

[elephantnose3334]

No Easter for me, I just sat around swearing at insects like normal. Plus chocolate isn't good for diabetics or people with liver failure, so no Easter or chocolate

Oh. I know that you didn't have a not so good Easter. Sometimes the negative stuff won't go away, but I would recommend focusing on the good things during the situation you have currently. We were lucky being born in Australia. Some people are dedicated fishkeepers, while others prefer cats and dogs. Which brings me to the planted tank conundrum. There are a lot of inspiration of planted tanks, so I have to design a balanced tank very carefully. Oh, and I found a 91 x 38 x 45cm (155.6L) aquarium on FB marketplace costing $120. This could be a much better choice than the 121.5L Petworx aquarium mentioned. They're Blue Planet aquariums, similar to Petworx aquariums in quality. It can JUST fit in the empty space near the bedroom window and my bed, with 9cm to spare. Beautiful aquarium, definitely recommend such things to beginners.

 

[elephantnose3334]

The aquarium hobby is therapeutic to me. It's great to hear the hobby is still going after over a year. Learning something new every day.

 

[elephantnose3334]

Today's Tuesday. Just a normal day as per usual.

 

[elephantnose3334]

I picked Hemigrammus erythrozonus as a suitable tankmate to rummy-nose and cardinal tetras because they colour-contrast each other and are peaceful to the fish. I'm trying not to overstock the tank, but 10 tetras are the minimum group size for each species.

Here is the revised stocking list and the fishes' temperature range:

Corydoras pygmaeus: 22-26°C

Petitella rhodostoma: 24-27°C

Paracheirodon axelrodi: 23–29 °C

Hemigrammus erythrozonus: 24-28°C

 

[elephantnose3334]

Today's Wednesday. The good condition $120 tank on FB marketplace I mentioned doesn't have a cabinet. My dad fears the normal cabinet near the kitchen may not hold the tank full of water. If it holds a 10 gallon, why not 41 gallons? But I understand that dad doesn't want to put it in the cabinet. I asked dad yesterday, but it doesn't have the cabinet with it. Sometimes we may have to sacrifice the tank cabinet for a normal cabinet. The cabinet that holds the 155.6L aquarium is not sold at Bird and Fish Place or any other Perth aquarium stores. That could be a problem. Other tanks at FB marketplace are of poor quality, I was lucky to find one this big that is good quality and no cracks/chips. I like tanks that look new, but not the ones that have cracks/chips on them. The eastern states sell the tank cabinet, but not Western Australia.

 

[JuiceBox52]

Today's Wednesday. The good condition $120 tank on FB marketplace I mentioned doesn't have a cabinet. My dad fears the normal cabinet near the kitchen may not hold the tank full of water. If it holds a 10 gallon, why not 41 gallons? But I understand that dad doesn't want to put it in the cabinet. I asked dad yesterday, but it doesn't have the cabinet with it. Sometimes we may have to sacrifice the tank cabinet for a normal cabinet. The cabinet that holds the 155.6L aquarium is not sold at Bird and Fish Place or any other Perth aquarium stores. That could be a problem. Other tanks at FB marketplace are of poor quality, I was lucky to find one this big that is good quality and no cracks/chips. I like tanks that look new, but not the ones that have cracks/chips on them. The eastern states sell the tank cabinet, but not Western Australia.

Some regular cabinets are not built to hold the weight of a tank. Water is heavy, and a 40 gallon tank could easily weigh 400 pounds with everything in it

 

[Colin_T]

A 10 gallon tank hold about 40 litres of water, which weighs 40kgs, we're in Australia, not the US Juicebox

A 40 gallon tank will have around 150litres of water, which weighs 150kg. The bigger tank will weigh more than the 10 gallon tank due to the thicker glass. The bigger tank has more gravel, which also adds to the weight.

Most kitchen cabinets are made of laminated chipboard and aren't designed to hold 200kg of dead weight (aquarium, gravel, ornaments, water, light, filter, etc).

Ask your mum, dad or grandad to make you or help you make a double tier stand out of pine. It will be stronger than the kitchen cabinet and you can put the big tank on the top shelf and have space under it for another tank. You can buy pine from Bunnings. Get 70x35 or 70x50mm pine and use bolts to hold it together. You should be able to build a double tier stand for less than $100.00 If you want doors on the front, buy some ply wood and stick a couple of doors on the front of the stand to make it look like a cabinet. However, doors are a pain in the butt when it comes to working on aquariums.

 

[elephantnose3334]

Today's Friday. I had a break yesterday and did a water change on that day.

 

[Colin_T]

Today's Friday. I had a break yesterday and did a water change on that day.

Are you still working or not during school holidays?

 

[elephantnose3334]

Are you still working or not during school holidays?

Not working at my workplace during the school holidays. But I'm actively looking after my tetras before I get them a bigger tank.

 

[elephantnose3334]

In 2006-2008, fishkeeping was a lot different back then. Before nano tanks and elaborate planted tanks were ANGFA and TFH/Practical Fishkeeping magazines. I don't remember most of my early life other than my 3rd birthday in 2010 and my childhood Labrador Retrievers from my Grandad. Fishkeeping was growing however, and still is today, however I didn't kept any fish during my early and most of the high school years. Days come and go and I really love fishkeeping nowadays. The hobby has been going on over a year, and I'm enjoying it. Fish are my first pets and although they're not a companion per se, they reduce stress levels in people.

@Colin_T, I know you're one of the fishkeeping experts, and you had a good run in the hobby. About fishkeeping magazines, which ones did you read?

 

[Colin_T]

I had a collection of TFH (Tropical Fish Hobbyist) magazines from the 60s onwards. I had FAMA (Freshwater and Marine Aquarium) magazines from the 80s onwards. I had Coral magazine, all the ANGFA Fishes of SAHUL and the ANGFA Newsletter/ Bulletins. I had Practical Fish Keeper and a couple of other marine magazines. I read them all and anything else I could get that was fish related.