Pimp My Tank!

[joeskandal]

Hi folks, we performed an overhaul on our 200L tank yesterday.
We got rid of most of the horrible red gravel which we were given with the tank.
We have now replaced it with big chunks of plum slate on the left hand side, with a big piece of bogwood in the middle, and to the right we have aquarium sand, with a big caved area, planted, and made out of big pieces of slate.
Perfect for our plec and twig catfish.

It took us ages to plan it and wash all the slate etc, but we are very happy with the finished piece.

We currently have 12 neon tetras, 12 lamp eye killifish, a twig catfish, a gibbiceps plec, and two hillstream loaches.
we are thinking about putting half a dozen khuli loaches in there too, do you think this will be too many bottom feeders??
We also want to put 12 Clown Killifish in, but the ones we had our eye on never made it past the quarantine at Maidenhead Aquatics.


Apologies for poor picture quality, but here is the new look tank...
before the pimping:

And now:

 

[joeskandal]

We are yet to put the black background on, i think this will improve the aquarium a lot.

 

[seizethecupcake]

I think you did an excellent job!

 

[Gelt]

loving the purple slate, one question though - 'how are you going to get the poo and rotting food & plant debris out from between the slate substrate, when doing your weekly water change and vac?'
(unless you are running an ugc slate filter, then i have answered my own question)

just a thought

G

 

[joeskandal]

Thanks, considering this was the tank before:

and after:

not a bad overhaul, if i do say so myself...

What I was doing when we had only a little bit of slate in, was to shake the hoover backwards and forwards around the area i wanted to clean, causing a current, lifting all waste above the slate, and from there, suck it up.

 

[minnnt]

Jeeees!!! That red was really over powering!! Slate looks better by far.

 

[seizethecupcake]

Yes, I think it looks much better. That red was a tad much I'm sure your fish are thrilled with their new digs!

 

[algir]

Looks great!

 

[joeskandal]

Yes, I think it looks much better. That red was a tad much I'm sure your fish are thrilled with their new digs!

ooh aye, they love it.
That red was such an eye sore in large amounts!!
Our little gibbi turned a really light colour to blend in with it, but he is much better now.
Every single last bit of that slate was scrubbed down by my wife and I.
It was well worth it though, we love it, some of the plants are going to get cropped and re planted as they have grown so fast.

Those big bits of slate we used for the caves were the worst, they went really slimey when they were soaked for a few days.
The idea of having it as it is, was a lively area with the bubble stone in, and the current from the filter, and the other side, the caves, with plants all around the entrace for a chill out area, especially for the plec and hillstreams.
Also, i think the twig catfish has claimed one of the smaller caves.

In total for the materials, i think it only cost us about £60,
Those big slate pieces being the most expensive at £2.50 per kg;
but we got the tank and equipment for free, so one can't complain really.

 

[mattbleasby]

WOW that red!!!!!!! Looks 1000000% better now mate, Really like it

 

[joeskandal]

i know, i thought we were going to get stopped by the police on the way home, it's that offensive.

We got the tank and all the equipment for free, so it would have been rude for us to say thanks but no thanks to the gravel.
haha.
The previous owners had a comet, a bubble eye and a picto catfish in there, ooh also 2 hillstream loaches.
All but the loaches got taken to our LFS the next day, as we didn't want to keep goldfish in there.
Who in the right mind would spend at least £1000 on a setup to keep goldfish in?
Even more so, to give it all away a couple of years later.
Some people have more money than sense, but i'm the lucky one on the receiving end, so i'm saying nowt!!
Quite a nice little catch (get it?) on our part.

That plum slate doesn't half glow in the tank, i love it.
Took my wife the best part of an hour to build all those caves up in the back right corner though, but it looks the part, rather natural...

 

[seizethecupcake]

Your wife sounds amazing I wish I could get my husband interested in my (our? LOL) fish! I talk about them incessantly and I think he's grown rather bored. At least he's stopped working himself into a strop every time I spend money on fish or fish-related paraphernalia. Maybe I should take what I can get and leave well enough alone!

 

[joeskandal]

aye, shes the best!!
I didn't think she was gonna be as into it all as she was, until i started cycling my little 20L tank, and she was like "now here's the little diary, this goes here, that goes there, now dont mess it up"
etc etc.
She got well into it, and made me look like the bored one, haha.
I think we will have a happy life together sharing our hobby of fish keeping, and we will eventually be taking the plunge (get it?) into marine tropicals etc.
Once we have opened up our tatoo/piercing studio, we plan on spending a lot on a big marine tank that takes up a whole wall.