Robertadamplant
New Member
Hello and good health.
Five years ago my wife suggested we get a fish tank and some Neon Tetra. Finding a nice 120 litre (24 UK / 30 US Gl) for Ā£20 on a local selling page, I made the short drive to collect what would be our first aquarium. At the time I had an allotment and while I didnāt actually get to grow anything before moving for work, I had decided to apply similar aspirations to the tank.
I canāt recall how I heard or learned about Java Moss but a quick Google Image search demonstrates some highly creative ideas for what I would learn to be part of the art of aquascaping.
As simple as it is, and I wish I could credit the artist, this is the image that inspired me in my first aqua scape:
Of course the more I read, the more I learned that setting up a new fish tank is not just a case of filling a box with water and dropping in the fish; amongst other things such as fish compatibility, choice of substrates, choice of plants, high or low-tech and scaping materials, there are water parameters, temperature ranges and of course the nitrogen cycle to consider.
Given all those decisions and with so much to learn with regards to our first steps into this hobby, it was more than six months before we would see water inside the tank (other than our initial clean and leak test of course).
Given the desire for a full carpet of Dwarf Hairgrass (Eleocharis acicularis) to complement the Christmas Moss (Vesicularia montagnei) chosen for the tree canopy, a high tech set-up with light and CO2 injection seemed like a clear and no less exciting choice.
The fish less cycle seemed to go well initially, with a considerable amount of time spent adjusting the CO2 output and lighting patterns to allow sufficient build up of carbon dioxide prior to the lights coming on, timed to turn off just as levels had fallen sufficiently and back on again for an afternoon session of photosynthesis.
the first real issue we encountered was that of hair algae; I had read about it and considered the options to combat in advance so I cleaned out the majority with an old toothbrush and invested in a handful of, what I had learned of them as, Amano Shrimp (Caridina multidentata).
So almost nine months after buying the tank, and the first life to be added were actually crustaceans: The shrimp did a fantastic job of clearing up the remaining hair algae and thanks to this fantastic little clean up crew it never returned.
Given that we now had almost six months of fish less cycling, 12 months of research and stock selection, great water parameters and now a fully carpeted tank, it was time to add the fish:
Five years, nine tanks (of both increasing and decreased sizes) later and I have just set up my latest (500 litre tank); they stopped being my wifeās after tank number two when we introduced a couple of fancy goldfish to the household.
The stocking consists of:
Consolidating from two Juwel Delta tanks, establishing this tank took over a year, from acquiring the tank, building the stand, making the underwater sand fall, choosing the plants and deciding on filtration but I got there in the end. I imagine it will be another couple of years before the next upgrade but the research has already begun and it is said that the journey can be just as enjoyable as the destination.
I have learnt three new things with this build:
Kind regards,
Robert.
Five years ago my wife suggested we get a fish tank and some Neon Tetra. Finding a nice 120 litre (24 UK / 30 US Gl) for Ā£20 on a local selling page, I made the short drive to collect what would be our first aquarium. At the time I had an allotment and while I didnāt actually get to grow anything before moving for work, I had decided to apply similar aspirations to the tank.
I canāt recall how I heard or learned about Java Moss but a quick Google Image search demonstrates some highly creative ideas for what I would learn to be part of the art of aquascaping.
As simple as it is, and I wish I could credit the artist, this is the image that inspired me in my first aqua scape:
Of course the more I read, the more I learned that setting up a new fish tank is not just a case of filling a box with water and dropping in the fish; amongst other things such as fish compatibility, choice of substrates, choice of plants, high or low-tech and scaping materials, there are water parameters, temperature ranges and of course the nitrogen cycle to consider.
Given all those decisions and with so much to learn with regards to our first steps into this hobby, it was more than six months before we would see water inside the tank (other than our initial clean and leak test of course).
Given the desire for a full carpet of Dwarf Hairgrass (Eleocharis acicularis) to complement the Christmas Moss (Vesicularia montagnei) chosen for the tree canopy, a high tech set-up with light and CO2 injection seemed like a clear and no less exciting choice.
The fish less cycle seemed to go well initially, with a considerable amount of time spent adjusting the CO2 output and lighting patterns to allow sufficient build up of carbon dioxide prior to the lights coming on, timed to turn off just as levels had fallen sufficiently and back on again for an afternoon session of photosynthesis.
the first real issue we encountered was that of hair algae; I had read about it and considered the options to combat in advance so I cleaned out the majority with an old toothbrush and invested in a handful of, what I had learned of them as, Amano Shrimp (Caridina multidentata).
So almost nine months after buying the tank, and the first life to be added were actually crustaceans: The shrimp did a fantastic job of clearing up the remaining hair algae and thanks to this fantastic little clean up crew it never returned.
Given that we now had almost six months of fish less cycling, 12 months of research and stock selection, great water parameters and now a fully carpeted tank, it was time to add the fish:
- Neon Tetra (Paracheirodon innesi)
- Opaline Gourami (Trichopodus trichopterus)
- Angelfish (Pterophyllum)
- Bristlenose Pleco (Ancistrus)
Five years, nine tanks (of both increasing and decreased sizes) later and I have just set up my latest (500 litre tank); they stopped being my wifeās after tank number two when we introduced a couple of fancy goldfish to the household.
The stocking consists of:
- Neon Tetra (Paracheirodon innesi)
- Opaline Gourami (Trichopodus trichopterus)
- Angelfish (Pterophyllum)
- Bristlenose Pleco (Ancistrus)
- Dwarf Gourami (Trichogaster lalius)
- Clown Loach (Chromobotia macracanthus)
- Do Jo Loach (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus)
- Kuhli Loach (Pangio kuhlii)
- Clown pleco (Panaqolus maccus)
Consolidating from two Juwel Delta tanks, establishing this tank took over a year, from acquiring the tank, building the stand, making the underwater sand fall, choosing the plants and deciding on filtration but I got there in the end. I imagine it will be another couple of years before the next upgrade but the research has already begun and it is said that the journey can be just as enjoyable as the destination.
I have learnt three new things with this build:
- test before siliconing in hard scape (still having issues with the sand fall).
- Give plants at least a month to establish roots before introducing fish.
- My wife does not enjoy the hobby as much as I.
Kind regards,
Robert.
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