This is my 10 gallon which was originally set up in March 2020, and then I added in my own customised filtration in February 2023, and then finally replanted / decorated in April 2023 to give it the Island look.
Filtration / Heater / Lighting:
Filtration is made up of mostly sponge and then some filter floss, before the water pass by the heater and into the fluval flex 37 pump.
The heater is set to 24c.
The light is the River Reef 48l Led White double light, which is controlled via a smart plug. The light turns on automatically every day at 15:00 and turns off at 22:00
I also have an air stone which I tend to put on for a couple of hours each day, but no always.
Plants:
My longest living plant is the main one which goes along the back and in the centre, which I believe is called ‘Hygrophila’. I’ve had this plant for well over a year now, maybe longer.
In the centre, but more to the front is a plant called ‘Heteranthera Zosterifolia’, which i’ve only had a couple of months. There is some ‘Java Moss’ to the left hand side which again i’ve had for well over a year. Finally there is some ‘Anubias barteri nana’ to the right attached to the Mopani wood.
The only fert I use is the ‘Flourish Comprehensive Supplement for the Planted Aquarium’, which I only dose a very small amount once a week.
Stock:
I have 10 pygmy Corys, which was originally a group of 4, but in the past couple of months bought an additional 6. Increasing the number to 10 has definitely improved the morale of the original 4 as they are far more active than what they was.
I have 1 Otto, which i’ve had for about a year and half, I think. It was originally in a group of 3, but I sadly lost the other 2. Soon I will be getting more, when my local fish store has them in stock.
Eventually I plan to add another school of nano fish, to complete the nano community. Not to sure what to get though.
Feeding:
I feed the Pygmy Corys some ‘bottom feeder Bug Bites’, once a day at around 18:00, except for Fridays when I do a water change. Once or Twice a week I will substitute the Bug Bites for some frozen Brine Shrimp or Daphnia.
I feed the Otto 1 algae wafer, every other night just before the light goes off.
Water Changes:
Every Friday I do a 50% water change and I test the water before and after the water change to ensure everything is in balance.
First I trim down the plants and give the plants a general tidy. Secondly I will drain the water using a gravel cleaner, holding it just above the sand. I will rinse the sponges in the bucket of tank water once a month. Finally I refill the tank with water already treated with ‘Fluval water conditioner’
