Upgrading My Tank :)

[Jenni84]

hi Jenni
that new tank looks great,could i ask you the name of the tank and where you bought it from,
i have been looking everywhere and on the web to find a tank but just cant seem to find the one i want,
you say yours is 120l,do they do bigger?
i hope you can reply soon,
thanks

Hi Festo,

Thank you I bought the tank of Ebay from a private seller. It says Aqualantis in the lid so im guessing that this is the brand but thats all i know. I looked for ages to find the right one and found it in the end!

guys, arent we missing someting.

you cant just add aload of fish without uprating the filtration or allowing it to cycle.

On a 120L tank, you really need an external filter kicking out 1200Lph +
Internal filters are not good enough and dont have the media capacity.

Nick16,

If you read through the thread, it says that i will be adding the fish from my 60l to the 120l not that i already have. The tank has no fish in it and is cycling as we speak with mature filter media.

As far as the filter goes, it is an Interpet PF3 which according to alot of internet sites and most of the lfs's i have visited, is absolutely fine for my 120l.

I may be a newbie but i do my research which is why i am on here most days asking questions and learning

 

[festo]

Thanks Jennii
just thought i would ask as it looks a great tank,
best of luck with your new setup

 

[Jenni84]

Thanks festo, good luck with the search for your tank.

I dont know where you live but ebay have some really nice ones on there at the moment

 

[Nick16]

Festo:

before you do anything. read, read, and read some more.

without knowledge and understanding this hobby will fall down by your feet.

this forum has plenty of knowledge and plenty of more experianced members to talk to.

read this

-- CLICK HERE --

best plants to keep for newbies:

Vallis
Anubias species
Java fern
Java moss
Echinodorus species
Bolbitis
Cryptocoryne species

would steer clear of rainbowfish if you are a newbie mate. stick to easy fish like danio's, harlequins , neons etc. (small community fish0. as you are still learning and will be for quite a while, its not worth the risk of buying more expensive fish until you get the hang of caring for easier ones etc. build yourself up to it. it will feel so much nicer when you feel that you can take that step.

Larger rainbow fish like Lake Kutubu's, Boesemani's etc, need big tanks. (4 foot+ )

dont forget to post any questions in the relevant parts of the forum.

Jenni, your kidding me......

LFS's are know to give out shoddy advice! on my 120L im running two external filters and yet i have a very low stocking.
Think of how much media is inside that tiny interpet thing compared with a tetratec ex600?

Both have the same output but the media quantity is VASTLY different. enabling room for stocking. Larger surface area of the media in externals means larger bacterial colonies = more breakdown of waste. simple theory.

 

[Jenni84]

Nick i do understand where you're coming from but like i said, im fairly new and have done some research which confirmed that this filter was fine for my tank.

Maybe i will get an external filter eventually but will see how i get on with the one i have 1st.

Anyway i just wanted to share the pics of my new tank which im very proud of

 

[Nick16]

i love your plec though!!

studying the plants in your tank. the plant on the second from right. with quite broad leaves.

if thats an echinodorus sp. then its fine, but im owrries its an anubia which needs to have the rhizome planted above the substrate, much the same as java fern. (i think you probably know this and its not an anubias plant, but safe than sorry!)

 

[Jenni84]

my plec is a lovely little guy, im really pleased with him!!

tbh i cant remember what the name of that plant is but i know its not an anubia. i am planning on getting some more plants though once i decide what stock is going into the tank

 

[JenCliBee]

Looking good, nice to see my old plec again and looks to be in a nice condition

Just be careful with temperature stocking, to keep the L260 happy and thriving he really could be doing with temps of low to mid 80's which alot of your fish may not like.

As much as Nick was straight to the point (as always i see nick ), he has got a point with the filter, flow wise the filter isn't bad, surface area for bacteria growth will be very limited. The plec even though isn't as wasteful as some plecs still produces alot of waste and that extra media that you will find in an external really does make alot of difference .

Anyways keep up the good work and looking forward to more pics, especially of the 260

 

[Jenni84]

Hey!!

He is really happy i think and is eating well.

I keep the temp around 28ish which seems to suit everyone in there.

My 120l is doing well with its cycle is is consistently giving out readings of ammonia 0 nitrite 0 and nitrate 10 so hopefully will be ready to move them all over soon enough.

Still thinking about what to stock though, its so hard to make a decision!!

 

[Nick16]

28 is not going to be good for fish like neons long term im afraid. my tank is a 24.

not only is your leccy bill going to be higher but you might be replacing some fish shortly.
if you can, slowly being it down to at least 26 whislt monitoring the plec. should be fine at 26.

 

[Jenni84]

Aaaarrrggghhhh yet another case of mis information!!!

It really does depend on who you speak to about these things!!

I was planning on looking into bringing the temp down anyway to suit other fish that im looking at.

 

[stiddy]

If your looking to get rainbow fish 26 sounds about right, not really too sure whos looking to get the rainbows you or nick!? I think whist you where maturing the filter 28 was a better temp as it helped the bacteria grow. only really scanned what was going on, getting basic ideas. I do like your new tank look really smart. Ive been on ebay for the last couple weeks looking for a nice tank, cant find anything as nice as yours. I want something looking slightly different.

 

[Jenni84]

i think rainbows were a suggestion....im still not sure what to get.

i am going to transfer the fish into my new tank this weekend as the stats have been really good and consistent

keep looking, you will find something that you really like, it just takes time and patience!!

 

[carl0ski]

i think rainbows were a suggestion....im still not sure what to get.

i am going to transfer the fish into my new tank this weekend as the stats have been really good and consistent

keep looking, you will find something that you really like, it just takes time and patience!!

Tank sounds pretty big just for guppies mollies and tetras.


I found that in a large tank the smaller fish just don't stand out

I was lucky to find an aquarium where they bred quite large Fancy Angel fish together with neon tetras and interesting doesnt eat them.
Still havent eaten them 5 months on.

but I accept there is a risk they will be eaten in future

Clown Loaches get fairly large, look really good and are bottom dwellers
Apparently they would coexist with Tetras, but I dont have any

 

[Nick16]

clown loaches are a no-no. they get to big.

how about a shoal of smaller fish, when you get 20-30 harlequins or neons they look amazing shoaling together. see the TGM tank!