Ok... hello all... this feels a little bit like baring my soul... because my current tank is one that has been very challenging, in that it hasn't gone according to plan and i've never been happy with it.
Firstly though, my previous tank, a RIO 180.
Spec:
Filter - Juwel + Eheim Pro 2028
Decor - coral sand + Ocean Rock
Lighting - 2 x triton
Stock - a blood parrot, some small malawis, a bristlenose
I was really happy with this tank... the aquascape, stock, everything went exactly how i imagined it would.
Then my personal circumstances changed and i was forced to move very quickly... i have no idea what became of this tank.
On to my current tank:
apologies... photos herein are taken with a camera phone
This tank, a RIO 240, was MEANT to be an amano-style set up... alas it all went wrong.
Initial Spec:
Filter: Juwel
Lighting: 4x 40" triton tubes
Subsrate: laterite base layer mixed with tetra complete topped with 3" of 2mm dorset pea gravel
Stock: 6 tiger barbs, 2 female and 1 male krib, 4 x ottocinclus, 3x marble angelfish
C02: homemade reactor (600lph eheim pump, gravel cleaner, 2 x 2l yeast bottles)
those two pics are from shortly after the tank was cycled and the plants / fish added.
the next pic shows the tank after an initial bloom of brown algae... the plants were doing great in spite of the (expected) algal bloom.
THEN...
a disaster happened... i bought some ferka rossetta root tabs from aqua essentials... i followed the instructions, but the next day i got up to be greeted with a war zone. My tank was the colour of milk, the angelfish, barbs, and ottos were dead. the tiger barbs were gasping at the surface.... i did several HUGE water changes and the water cleared... but the plants were all coated with a creamy film. i tested my water and nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia were all fine.
I am convinced that the root tabs released something into my water - however the retailer said that it was my subsrate that was to blame and that in inserting the tabs i had disturbed a 'bloom' from my gravel that killed my fish. I never bothered to mention that the tank was relatively new and hence it was doubtful the substrate had stagnated.
while the water cleared, the 'film' on my plants proved harder to remove. I tried uprooting some to clean them thoroughly, but in the process released more white gunk into the water and in my frustration decided to strip the tank down and start again.
Since then, i removed to substrate, juwel filter (hateful things that they are), and replaced the decor.
New Spec:
Going back to my roots... figuratively and litteraly. I cut my teeth on south and central american cichlids when i was young and have decided that my large(ish) tank needs some of them... I also want LOTS of wood in the tank. GEDDIT?
Filter: tetratec ex1200 external with 12 litres of alfagrog + fluval 4 plus internal
Lighting: 1x triton, 1x grolux-type (pink hue)
Decor: silver sand, 2 x LARGE silk ferns (2ft across), couple of boulders
Fish: 5 x severum (yes far too many, but they were 1" and i was hoping for them to pair off) 6 tiger barbs (they survived everything), a female blue acara, a 10" sailfin plec.
I'm expecting a delivery of LOADS of mopani wood soon and will post some more pics once the aquacape is beyond it's current functional state...
My sev's are currently approaching 5" and haven't showed the slightest trace of displaying to each other... causing me much frustration as they will soon need thinning out.
hope you've enjoyed the first post in my first ever tank journal - the point of this is to get your input, I've been succesfully keeping fish since i was 10 years old and have never had an experience like this tank...
Anyway... your thoughts please.
Firstly though, my previous tank, a RIO 180.
Spec:
Filter - Juwel + Eheim Pro 2028
Decor - coral sand + Ocean Rock
Lighting - 2 x triton
Stock - a blood parrot, some small malawis, a bristlenose
I was really happy with this tank... the aquascape, stock, everything went exactly how i imagined it would.
Then my personal circumstances changed and i was forced to move very quickly... i have no idea what became of this tank.
On to my current tank:
apologies... photos herein are taken with a camera phone
This tank, a RIO 240, was MEANT to be an amano-style set up... alas it all went wrong.
Initial Spec:
Filter: Juwel
Lighting: 4x 40" triton tubes
Subsrate: laterite base layer mixed with tetra complete topped with 3" of 2mm dorset pea gravel
Stock: 6 tiger barbs, 2 female and 1 male krib, 4 x ottocinclus, 3x marble angelfish
C02: homemade reactor (600lph eheim pump, gravel cleaner, 2 x 2l yeast bottles)
those two pics are from shortly after the tank was cycled and the plants / fish added.
the next pic shows the tank after an initial bloom of brown algae... the plants were doing great in spite of the (expected) algal bloom.
THEN...
a disaster happened... i bought some ferka rossetta root tabs from aqua essentials... i followed the instructions, but the next day i got up to be greeted with a war zone. My tank was the colour of milk, the angelfish, barbs, and ottos were dead. the tiger barbs were gasping at the surface.... i did several HUGE water changes and the water cleared... but the plants were all coated with a creamy film. i tested my water and nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia were all fine.
I am convinced that the root tabs released something into my water - however the retailer said that it was my subsrate that was to blame and that in inserting the tabs i had disturbed a 'bloom' from my gravel that killed my fish. I never bothered to mention that the tank was relatively new and hence it was doubtful the substrate had stagnated.
while the water cleared, the 'film' on my plants proved harder to remove. I tried uprooting some to clean them thoroughly, but in the process released more white gunk into the water and in my frustration decided to strip the tank down and start again.
Since then, i removed to substrate, juwel filter (hateful things that they are), and replaced the decor.
New Spec:
Going back to my roots... figuratively and litteraly. I cut my teeth on south and central american cichlids when i was young and have decided that my large(ish) tank needs some of them... I also want LOTS of wood in the tank. GEDDIT?
Filter: tetratec ex1200 external with 12 litres of alfagrog + fluval 4 plus internal
Lighting: 1x triton, 1x grolux-type (pink hue)
Decor: silver sand, 2 x LARGE silk ferns (2ft across), couple of boulders
Fish: 5 x severum (yes far too many, but they were 1" and i was hoping for them to pair off) 6 tiger barbs (they survived everything), a female blue acara, a 10" sailfin plec.
I'm expecting a delivery of LOADS of mopani wood soon and will post some more pics once the aquacape is beyond it's current functional state...
My sev's are currently approaching 5" and haven't showed the slightest trace of displaying to each other... causing me much frustration as they will soon need thinning out.
hope you've enjoyed the first post in my first ever tank journal - the point of this is to get your input, I've been succesfully keeping fish since i was 10 years old and have never had an experience like this tank...
Anyway... your thoughts please.
!!! you obviously take pride in your tanks, so don't give up on the planted side, and try it again!
I agree it looked fab planted, you should definitely try again.
