So I have a bit of spare time on my hands (for once) so am putting together a journal of killifhs. Hopefully it will encourage other enthusiasts to keep killies as well, and maybe encourage some killi-egg swaps.
Tank
So the tank that I will be using is this one -
A juwel Rekord 60. That's just a stock photo, I doubt I could ever plant that well. Or overstock that well either.
I keep a few tanks already, but don't really have tanks that I could really show someone with a "wow" factor. I've tried, but I am terrible at growing plants, and most of my fish are plain coloured oddballs. So I want a tank that friends and family will appreciate (most don't really "get" the hobby").
So to start with I wanted to make the tank a bit different. I spotted a background in an LFS that I liked but there were 2 issues
1 ) It was too big for a rekord 60
2 ) I have no idea how on earth you put a background into a tank. My DIY experience has only ever gone as far putting together the most basic of aquarium stands.
So I had the rekord 60 for some time before, and put it into storage after I upgraded the fish from it. It needed a throrough clean and the new background adding. I had previously removed the Juwel filters (which I don't really like the look of, and don't fit in with the objective of "show tank". I also removed the standard juwel lighting on the basis I wanted something quite strong lighting for plants.
After a good clean and a wipe down (using just newspaper and vinegar - my favoured tank glass cleaning tools) I had a clear Juwel rekored 60. I took the background, and using not so careful measuring techniques sawed the end off of it. It's made from a fibreglass style material, but I would have to assume it's non-toxic, being a fish tank background and all. I siliconed it in (I think that siliconing is not my vocation in life, but after a few days it still holds strong and there is none on the all important front glass. The background also revealed it might form part of the filter, but more of that later.
Here is a photo of tank in it's current position, with background in, water in, and the lights from my 75g brackish tank above it -
It's a start, and probably a better start than most of the tanks I've had in the past.
Filtration
So I want minimal equipment on show in the tank, and thankfully behind the background there is room for the heater. Water flows freely behind the background because of the notch in the top left, and there was a slight gap on the far left as well. This gap I have cut sponge to fill it. This gave me an idea - As water flows freely behind the filter, I don't want to lose small fish behind there, but maybe I could put it to use? Using the sponge as a prefilter, I have filled the back of the tank with filter media, plastic ribbed rings. The idea is that the water will flow through the sponges on the far left, through the rings, into the external filter intake, and then the outake would be in the far right of the aquarium, as unobtrusive as possible. So i needed to find an external filter ideal for a 60 litre tank. I thought Ebay would have the answer for me, and that it did.
Rated at 5.5w and 200 LPH it was enough to filter the tank (plus all the media at the back) but not enough to create a large current. I want the tank as still as possible. It's in hong kong, so delivery will probably be up to 28 days, but, it's exactly what I want. Total cost is £20 also.
Lighting
I saw that the same company also do a mini luminaire.
This luminaire looks very stylish i thought, and cheaper than arcadia's offering (£163 versus £17.30 delivered). I havent decided whether or not to buy this yet. The consensus is that I could buy a light from ikea to do a similar job, but maybe I could simply add a decent tube with the right spectrum to this light? As yet, I'm still undecided. I maybe buy 2 and add them both. I would also then have to add cover glasses to the tank.
Substrate
In other tanks before this one when I've tried pathetically to grow plants, i've added eco-complete. I've never been convinced by it's properties as a fertilised substrate, so today i bought a similar looking but cheaper gravel.
Simply described as "Roman gravel" it's reasonably large stones, jet black. I'll add this to the tank later tonight, and hopefully it will bring out the colours in my fish.
Fish
So i decided quite early on I wanted to keep a killifsih in this tank, Nothobrancius Eggersi.
These fish are Killifish. I've never kept Killis before but always want to try my hands at something new. These fish live in small ponds and ditches, and few grow very large. This particular species comes in many forms, the most propular being variations of either red or blue. I prefer the red (although the blue is also pretty good!). I've never seen these in my years of wandering fish shops, so needed to locate a breeder. A lot of killifish are "annuals". that means they live for a year, and in that time they spawn in their habitat, and the eggs themselves "overseason". While the dry season happens and there is no water, the eggs survive in the dirt where they were spawned, meaning that during the next rainy seaeson they can hatch and the whole cycle begins again. I plan to replicate this in the aquarium, but I'll add photos on that later on.
I found these fish on Ebay Thailand.. Because the fish have a stage where they're out of water, they are postable. Mine have been posted and are on their way to me. 50 Eggs, and I paid £15. I hope to trade these with other people who are keen to keep them, and some of the ones I hope to breed as well.
Plants
No idea. I'd very much like some ideas. I'm very good at killing plants, so easy to keep ones would be great. I'd also like to try my hand at CO2 as well, but my understanding is that I'd need a specific light level before I can do that. Educate me!
So that's the beginning of my Killi-keeping journal. I'm hoping this will grow into a thread which will encourage others to keep killis as well!
If you can see any problems, issues or things that should be changed or anything I haven't covered in full, be sure to ask!
Tank
So the tank that I will be using is this one -
A juwel Rekord 60. That's just a stock photo, I doubt I could ever plant that well. Or overstock that well either.
I keep a few tanks already, but don't really have tanks that I could really show someone with a "wow" factor. I've tried, but I am terrible at growing plants, and most of my fish are plain coloured oddballs. So I want a tank that friends and family will appreciate (most don't really "get" the hobby").
So to start with I wanted to make the tank a bit different. I spotted a background in an LFS that I liked but there were 2 issues
1 ) It was too big for a rekord 60
2 ) I have no idea how on earth you put a background into a tank. My DIY experience has only ever gone as far putting together the most basic of aquarium stands.
So I had the rekord 60 for some time before, and put it into storage after I upgraded the fish from it. It needed a throrough clean and the new background adding. I had previously removed the Juwel filters (which I don't really like the look of, and don't fit in with the objective of "show tank". I also removed the standard juwel lighting on the basis I wanted something quite strong lighting for plants.
After a good clean and a wipe down (using just newspaper and vinegar - my favoured tank glass cleaning tools) I had a clear Juwel rekored 60. I took the background, and using not so careful measuring techniques sawed the end off of it. It's made from a fibreglass style material, but I would have to assume it's non-toxic, being a fish tank background and all. I siliconed it in (I think that siliconing is not my vocation in life, but after a few days it still holds strong and there is none on the all important front glass. The background also revealed it might form part of the filter, but more of that later.
Here is a photo of tank in it's current position, with background in, water in, and the lights from my 75g brackish tank above it -
It's a start, and probably a better start than most of the tanks I've had in the past.
Filtration
So I want minimal equipment on show in the tank, and thankfully behind the background there is room for the heater. Water flows freely behind the background because of the notch in the top left, and there was a slight gap on the far left as well. This gap I have cut sponge to fill it. This gave me an idea - As water flows freely behind the filter, I don't want to lose small fish behind there, but maybe I could put it to use? Using the sponge as a prefilter, I have filled the back of the tank with filter media, plastic ribbed rings. The idea is that the water will flow through the sponges on the far left, through the rings, into the external filter intake, and then the outake would be in the far right of the aquarium, as unobtrusive as possible. So i needed to find an external filter ideal for a 60 litre tank. I thought Ebay would have the answer for me, and that it did.
Rated at 5.5w and 200 LPH it was enough to filter the tank (plus all the media at the back) but not enough to create a large current. I want the tank as still as possible. It's in hong kong, so delivery will probably be up to 28 days, but, it's exactly what I want. Total cost is £20 also.
Lighting
I saw that the same company also do a mini luminaire.
This luminaire looks very stylish i thought, and cheaper than arcadia's offering (£163 versus £17.30 delivered). I havent decided whether or not to buy this yet. The consensus is that I could buy a light from ikea to do a similar job, but maybe I could simply add a decent tube with the right spectrum to this light? As yet, I'm still undecided. I maybe buy 2 and add them both. I would also then have to add cover glasses to the tank.
Substrate
In other tanks before this one when I've tried pathetically to grow plants, i've added eco-complete. I've never been convinced by it's properties as a fertilised substrate, so today i bought a similar looking but cheaper gravel.
Simply described as "Roman gravel" it's reasonably large stones, jet black. I'll add this to the tank later tonight, and hopefully it will bring out the colours in my fish.
Fish
So i decided quite early on I wanted to keep a killifsih in this tank, Nothobrancius Eggersi.
These fish are Killifish. I've never kept Killis before but always want to try my hands at something new. These fish live in small ponds and ditches, and few grow very large. This particular species comes in many forms, the most propular being variations of either red or blue. I prefer the red (although the blue is also pretty good!). I've never seen these in my years of wandering fish shops, so needed to locate a breeder. A lot of killifish are "annuals". that means they live for a year, and in that time they spawn in their habitat, and the eggs themselves "overseason". While the dry season happens and there is no water, the eggs survive in the dirt where they were spawned, meaning that during the next rainy seaeson they can hatch and the whole cycle begins again. I plan to replicate this in the aquarium, but I'll add photos on that later on.
I found these fish on Ebay Thailand.. Because the fish have a stage where they're out of water, they are postable. Mine have been posted and are on their way to me. 50 Eggs, and I paid £15. I hope to trade these with other people who are keen to keep them, and some of the ones I hope to breed as well.
Plants
No idea. I'd very much like some ideas. I'm very good at killing plants, so easy to keep ones would be great. I'd also like to try my hand at CO2 as well, but my understanding is that I'd need a specific light level before I can do that. Educate me!
So that's the beginning of my Killi-keeping journal. I'm hoping this will grow into a thread which will encourage others to keep killis as well!
If you can see any problems, issues or things that should be changed or anything I haven't covered in full, be sure to ask!
cant wait to see the final product!
