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[DexterPunk]

I just grabbed a CO2 bottle and regulator today.








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[DexterPunk]

I finally made a start on the tank yesterday. Fairly happy with it so far.




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[CLP]

I finally made a start on the tank yesterday. Fairly happy with it so far.

Nice work! Looks very neat

[DexterPunk]

Thanks mate can’t wait to start planting it. I’ve run out of cash for the time being. Fuck me this shit is expensive.


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[wobblysauce]

Indeed it can be.

Going back to the light you have gotten... I am still using the same one that has been in my house since before I was born. 30+ years using the fluro, been looking at the new LED setups, still undecided on the setup.

[DexterPunk]

Are you going to do a planted tank wobbly with more demanding plants? Or fairly standard?

If you want to attempt something like I am, and don't want to pay close to a grand for lights, look at the Finnex 24/7 with newer red channel. I also hear that the Twinstar lights are pretty good value for money.

[CLP]

Miss V and I just grabbed a couple of LED light hoods for both of our tanks.
Currently sitting in their packaging waiting for an opportunity to put them on the tanks, with any luck, this weekend following a tank clean and water change

[wobblysauce]

Oh, was running tropical for about 20years, now just running some coldwater fish for about a year. It is about 18x18x48in, so 250Lish tank, with water level 3in from the top, so at about 212L, the cabinet is in the same style that Vilante has but it is a 3 door, with an Aqua Nova NCF1000 underneath the tank.

And a smaller AquaStart 500 - 65L 15x12x19.5curved front, cold water, with a triangle filter with an airstone.

Selection of Black Moor, Butterfly Tail, Fantail, Oranda.

Been looking at different plants again, last lot got mostly eaten/pulled out... had an angry male(5.5/6in (well thought it was male now have a little one in the tank also..)) and swapped to the smaller tank with the main plant material I grab and place into the bigger tank... Was a few strands but now covers the top of the tank about min 2in thick.

No idea what it is called but the fish like it.

[DexterPunk]

Miss V and I just grabbed a couple of LED light hoods for both of our tanks.
Currently sitting in their packaging waiting for an opportunity to put them on the tanks, with any luck, this weekend following a tank clean and water change

Awesome! Post pics if you get them up and running.


Wobbles it doesn’t sound like you need anything too crazy. Most of the more demanding plants are tropical from SE Asia. Lots of ferts, dosing iron, lots of light, and CO2 is mostly required. Aquascaping is also more about plants than it is fish... so most people only have some Tetras or similar that won’t rip up plants, and are happy in the slightly more acidic water that the CO2 creates.

Any old eBay LED light will likely be fine for your tanks.

I’m still collecting bits and pieces. I spent some time in the lab at work with one of the researchers making up some 4dkH solution and bromothymol blue for my CO2 drop checker. So much cheaper than buying it from an aquarium. Handy knowing these sciencey egg heads.


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[wobblysauce]

Indeed... though I think some of the other plants like it in the 20c range.

Putting your knowledge to the test in a fun way.

[CLP]

Miss V and I just grabbed a couple of LED light hoods for both of our tanks.
Currently sitting in their packaging waiting for an opportunity to put them on the tanks, with any luck, this weekend following a tank clean and water change

Awesome! Post pics if you get them up and running.

got Miss V's tank sorted. There's nothing much to see really, since they're a direct swap over replacement for the stock light hood on these tanks. They have a night mode (blue light only) and regular mode (white and blue lights) that are activated by a rocker switch. It'd be pretty awesome to automate the switching between the two

Sadly, V only has 1 fish left in there at the moment. Only the other day one of them seemed to randomly freak out, jumped and hit the light, damaging itself passed away a day later

IMG_1542_0800.jpg

[norbs]

Arduino is perfect for switching stuff like that Carl. Throw in a light sensor (daylight sensor) and it can all be automated.

[CLP]

Arduino is perfect for switching stuff like that Carl. Throw in a light sensor (daylight sensor) and it can all be automated.

Woo.. that sounds like the ticket! Cheers Norbs! that's a great idea!

[DexterPunk]

That is a pretty cool bit of kit by the look. Similar to a raspberry pi?

Yeah definitely needs some new inhabitants. What are you thinking of putting in there?


Oh and for those who don’t have much spare space but would still like a nice tank...






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[wobblysauce]

Been looking at No Filter, No CO2, No Ferts Bowl setups and came across this playlist from Foo the Flowerhorn.

Just wow...

[DexterPunk]

I spent a lot of time on this tank over the weekend. I bought plants on Saturday and there was no turning back. Finally got everything planted and running late on Sunday. Hopefully everything grows in nicely. Looks a little cloudy at this point but has started to clear up. The next week is going to be large daily water changes.




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[pixelboy]

This aquarium caper is a lot of work!

I admire your dedication Dex.

[DexterPunk]

Thanks Pix. Honestly if I’d have known how much time and effort (and money) it was going to take to get to this point I may have thought twice about tackling it. But I’m enjoying it and learnt a lot.


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[wobblysauce]

Costs are relative to what you want out of it.

[DexterPunk]

Starting to get there. Hopefully ammonia drops soon and I can start introducing some shrimp / fish.




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[CLP]

Starting to get there. Hopefully ammonia drops soon and I can start introducing some shrimp / fish.

So pretty... :o
I hope whatever fish you introduce in there don't like to dig... or eat plants... like mine do.. the little f*&kers

[DexterPunk]

Haha I hope not. First up will be an algae crew... Amano shrimp, and some Otocinclus. After that I haven't decided but likely some Galaxy Rasbora, Rummy nose, Green Tetras or similar.

[CLP]

Currently having a whole shit load of drama happening in my tank

During my swap out of the light hood for an LED version I did a routine water change, tank glass scrub down and filter material rinse.

A few days following that I found the big dominant male in the tank dead :'(

then maybe a week after that i noticed two others seemed to have parasites hanging off them. So i removed those guys into a small tank to treat them, plus treated the main tank.

The two fish being treated responded very quickly and were looking in really good shape within 24 hours. Then the larger of the two went from good to dead in the space of about 1/2 an hour. :'( maybe 12 hours after that, the smaller one started struggling, and I lost that one overnight. <sigh>

Water parameters appear mostly ok, with the exception of ph, which seems to be acting very strangely in both my main tank and the small treatment tank. ph of 7 out of the tap drops to ~ 6 - 6.2 after being in the tank(s) for not very long. Hopefully the remaining four fishies remain healthy

[DexterPunk]

That really sucks. Fingers crossed it’s all over.

I’ve been doing a bit of reading on Ph, as my CO2 lowers it considerably. It seems almost unanimous that you shouldn’t worry too much about it (unless you have nerite snails as it slowly destroys their shell).




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[CLP]

That really sucks. Fingers crossed it’s all over.

I’ve been doing a bit of reading on Ph, as my CO2 lowers it considerably. It seems almost unanimous that you shouldn’t worry too much about it (unless you have nerite snails as it slowly destroys their shell).

i think it depends a little on the fish species. they generally have a range that they prefer. My electic yellows are fairly tolerant and have a reasonably wide "happy" range. I'm just a little stumped as to what is going on that causes the Ph to drop so dramatically after a water change, especially given it was happening in two tanks.

things appeared to have calmed down a bit, but i am fairly conscious that the parasite issues started about a week or so after the last water change. wait and see i guess