My 1st Proper Tank

[TipTop]

EDIT: can u move this i place in wrong section SORRY!

Well just picked up a Rio 180 the other day from someone for £160 not sure if this is good price

Parts Included:
Fluval 303 external filter
Fluval 4
Two 200 watts heaters
2 Silver Ghost Angels
2 Shrimp things and some other little thing (in pics)
2 Gouramia's
Few Plants
Sand
Ornaments (in pics)
Loads of testing kits, food, spare filter parts, new tubes, nets, gravel cleaner and few other bit's 'n' bob's.

Well i had to go and get some new fish (i love the Geophagus speices)
So i got
4 big Geo's not sure on name (can u name them please)
Put my 11 baby Geo Tapajos in 1.5" to 2.5" in size
1 Black Knife Fish
3 Cory's
4 Blue Acara (2 male, 2 female both previous mating pairs)
Some sort of Plec
1 Golden Ram
1 Royal Ram

Just waiting to get loads of slate, another 1-2 pieces of bog wood and new plants

Also the white stuff on the bigwood is bandage (anything to save money) tied on trying to get jave to get a grip, will change to fishing line when i get time to go.

Well i guess i'll show u my 1st proper tank
P.s me and my partner havent watched the tv for a couple of days now

Will add more photo's when new things arrive for the tank.

 

[Alex_]

I'm not sure the Q's but,

I think you'll be overstocking.

i Dont really no alot about your fish but you almost triples the inch per gallon rule

and 180 litres is what about 45 gallons the knife fish get 20''.

But that just me.

your tank is great tho, i love the idea of more bogwood and slate.

-Alex

 

[helsekia]

very nice tank

I would watch stocking levels though

 

[rixy]

i think your tank looks good.

 

[karen84]

your tank looks great well done

 

[lljdma06]

If I were you, I would remove the dead/dying leaves on your plants. That can contribute more waste to your tank, and with your stocking levels, you can't afford extra waste from decaying plant matter. I am also probably making a generalization about cichlids, but I have really only seen the small rams, angelfish, and discus in heavily planted tanks. Based on what I've read, you will have a hard time maintaining a densly planted tank with blue acara, they eat roots and constantly uproot plants. Some plecos have also been known to munch on plants and Geos, if I'm assuming you mean a member of the Geophagus genus, which is literally "earth eater", may pose a problem. They will also uproot and cause your plants stress. These fish can also get very large, 10+, if I'm referring to the right species, and acaras are no tiny fish either, growing to 8+. You might want to rethink the size of your tank, which is only 47g, and rethink the idea of a planted tank if you are considering these stocking options.

I can already see wear and tear on your poor plants. I don't mean to over-criticize, but I own planted aquariums and sometimes if you want both plants and fish, you have to compromise about what fish you can keep with what plants.

I have seen plants in the more problematic cichlid tanks before, but very hardy species, like anubias and java fern. You have to aquascape based on the needs of your fish and the needs of your plants.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. Good luck with your aquarium

 

[TipTop]

Well just thought i would show new pics of tank. I've added some new grass's and 8 moss balls which i think look excellent and different and now give them some hiding places. Would like some more big plants right at the back coz it looks a little bare up top, any suggestions?

 

[SamUK]

lol well 10 points for not listening to whats been said!

 

[lljdma06]

lol well 10 points for not listening to whats been said!

Well, at least you read my post, SamUK! Though I will admit the tank would actually be quite lovely, minus the plant-terrorizing giant cichild species.

Tip top, if you want to save money, please change your plant species to ones that are far better suited for your cichlid species. Like Java moss, algae balls, anubias, java fern. That valis will be torn up, leading you to buy more plants. But I guess saving money is a mute point since you are mostly likely going to have to spend money to upgrade to a larger tank, IMO.

 

[clareriley]

thats lovely and natural

 

[scrappy]

One of my tanks is a Rio 180, believe me u wont be able to keep a common plec in there for long and a knife fish is out of the question too, you will be buying a much bigger tank or selling that knife fish before long.

And another thing the Acaras will probably breed if paired like uve mentioned. This will cause huge fights in the tank im afraid as they look after their young ferociously like all cichlids do you will probably have a few fish deaths too...

You seriously have not thought about what goes in your tank, however your not the first to make this kind of mistake and certainly wont be the last.

If youve managed to buy all those fish from one LFS in one outing im pretty disgusted that they didnt ask you about your tank and mixing certain fish in the same tank, if they had you definitely wouldnt have gone home with what u ended up with.

 

[lljdma06]

One of my tanks is a Rio 180, believe me u wont be able to keep a common plec in there for long and a knife fish is out of the question too, you will be buying a much bigger tank or selling that knife fish before long.

And another thing the Acaras will probably breed if paired like uve mentioned. This will cause huge fights in the tank im afraid as they look after their young ferociously like all cichlids do you will probably have a few fish deaths too...

You seriously have not thought about what goes in your tank, however your not the first to make this kind of mistake and certainly wont be the last.

If youve managed to buy all those fish from one LFS in one outing im pretty disgusted that they didnt ask you about your tank and mixing certain fish in the same tank, if they had you definitely wouldnt have gone home with what u ended up with.

Thank you! At least I'm not alone in this opinion!

 

[wendywc]

TipTop, you don't need to add taller plants to the back. If your plants are successful, they will grow tall.

The tank does look good, but a single black knife grows to 18" and needs a 50 gallon tank. I would really listen to lljdma06 and others before a disaster happens. Since I have joined this forum, I've gotten nothing but great advise & knowledge from others for my tank. Good luck on yours.

 

[Neal]

That's a very creative tank, but not many fish. I really like it!