SarahBravo
Fish Herder
I've a bit of a thing for loaches and have been thinking for a while about getting them their own tank. And I also love my neons and cardinals and wanted to get them their own tank.... anyhow, decided to combine the two and do a properly planned setup!!! I normally just chuck the fish in and aquascape after, and it never turns out like I wanted. So I decided to set up a tank with lots of rocks and nooks and crannies for the loaches, plus some nice wood and peat filtration for the tetras (my PH comes out the tap at almost 9!!!) Here is the photo diary of what I set up this weekend, plus the costs!!
COSTS:
2 x 3foot tanks, sliding cover, hoods, lights, 2 tier stand and other bits and bobs - £48 from Ebay!! Bottom tank is currently quarantine tank, will become "Guppies Galore" when I stick my 25 or so guppies in it.
10 polystyrene tiles, mispriced at my lfs for 30p the lot! Hurrah!! 2 bags of Caribsea Tahitian moon black sand at £15 a bag - not hurrah.... Slate - about £5 for the slate from the garden centre, plus a McFlurrie for my psycho mate to hit it with a sledgehammer and make it into small enough bits for the tank. Go Paul!! All other rocks taken out of other tanks. Wood about £10 from my lfs.
Eheim 2223 filter plus (includes all substrate and intake outflow kits) £75 off ebay including delivery. sounds a lot but £100 is the cheapest I've found them elsewhere.
Heater is a spare I had running in parallel in another tank. Sera peat - only about £1.50 from my lfs.
Background is part of a 6' wallpaper 'sample' that was free from B&Q. Temp gauge included with tank.
In case you're thinking - oi!! She ain't cycled it!!! There is a secondary eheim ecco running on it, was running in parallel on another tank, so instant cycle!
Now the good bit - pics!
Put on the polystyrene with double sided sticky tape, put the tank on, cleaned the tank with hot water! Washed 2 buckets of sand and filled tank!
Filling with water, gotta love a python!
Been learning over the last year...... filled halfway, then put rocks and wood in. Moved everything round 3 times, but it ended up back where it was at the start!!
And Suki decided to help:
Sat down and had some well deserved lunch at this point. Had to change clothes cos there was more water on me than there was in the tank!!
Read the instructions for the new Eheim..... had a cup of tea and read them again. Urgh. Finally got all the substrate washed and in the right place and all the tubes set up, and it working.... took a while. Not as easy as it says in the instructions, and i got very wet again!
Must admit, do like the spraybar. Will use a spray bar extension the whole length of the tank on the same model of filter for my 'Betta Barn' that I'm setting up (a divided 4 footer) - should provide very soft current for them.
All set up and running!
Put the heater in and left it at this point!
Resumed Sunday!!!!
Decided the layput wasn't quite right so moved it all around again
Decided I still liked it the way it was the first time. Put it back and added the hood and the light. Stuck on the background. Cos it's not shiny it doesn't create 'bubbles'!!
Then started catching the fish and transferring them over. Got wet again, so got changed while the fishes acclimated!
Finished it off just a couple of hours ago. all the fish are hiding of course, so can't get a good pic of them - little beggars!!
The loaches look like they're going to enjoy themselves though
This is the best i could do...
It still needs some work, i reckon a shed load of twisty vallis round the back and back corners would work like a treat!
What do you guys reckon?
Oh, PS, inhabitants: 4 sand loaches, 6 zebra loaches, 3 khuli loaches, 1 oto, 7 cardinals and 12 neons.
COSTS:
2 x 3foot tanks, sliding cover, hoods, lights, 2 tier stand and other bits and bobs - £48 from Ebay!! Bottom tank is currently quarantine tank, will become "Guppies Galore" when I stick my 25 or so guppies in it.
10 polystyrene tiles, mispriced at my lfs for 30p the lot! Hurrah!! 2 bags of Caribsea Tahitian moon black sand at £15 a bag - not hurrah.... Slate - about £5 for the slate from the garden centre, plus a McFlurrie for my psycho mate to hit it with a sledgehammer and make it into small enough bits for the tank. Go Paul!! All other rocks taken out of other tanks. Wood about £10 from my lfs.
Eheim 2223 filter plus (includes all substrate and intake outflow kits) £75 off ebay including delivery. sounds a lot but £100 is the cheapest I've found them elsewhere.
Heater is a spare I had running in parallel in another tank. Sera peat - only about £1.50 from my lfs.
Background is part of a 6' wallpaper 'sample' that was free from B&Q. Temp gauge included with tank.
In case you're thinking - oi!! She ain't cycled it!!! There is a secondary eheim ecco running on it, was running in parallel on another tank, so instant cycle!
Now the good bit - pics!
Put on the polystyrene with double sided sticky tape, put the tank on, cleaned the tank with hot water! Washed 2 buckets of sand and filled tank!
Filling with water, gotta love a python!
Been learning over the last year...... filled halfway, then put rocks and wood in. Moved everything round 3 times, but it ended up back where it was at the start!!
And Suki decided to help:
Sat down and had some well deserved lunch at this point. Had to change clothes cos there was more water on me than there was in the tank!!
Read the instructions for the new Eheim..... had a cup of tea and read them again. Urgh. Finally got all the substrate washed and in the right place and all the tubes set up, and it working.... took a while. Not as easy as it says in the instructions, and i got very wet again!
Must admit, do like the spraybar. Will use a spray bar extension the whole length of the tank on the same model of filter for my 'Betta Barn' that I'm setting up (a divided 4 footer) - should provide very soft current for them.
All set up and running!
Put the heater in and left it at this point!
Resumed Sunday!!!!
Decided the layput wasn't quite right so moved it all around again
Decided I still liked it the way it was the first time. Put it back and added the hood and the light. Stuck on the background. Cos it's not shiny it doesn't create 'bubbles'!!
Then started catching the fish and transferring them over. Got wet again, so got changed while the fishes acclimated!
Finished it off just a couple of hours ago. all the fish are hiding of course, so can't get a good pic of them - little beggars!!
The loaches look like they're going to enjoy themselves though
This is the best i could do...
It still needs some work, i reckon a shed load of twisty vallis round the back and back corners would work like a treat!
What do you guys reckon?
Oh, PS, inhabitants: 4 sand loaches, 6 zebra loaches, 3 khuli loaches, 1 oto, 7 cardinals and 12 neons.
.
