WadeWilson's Tank Journal

[WadeWilson]

Hi guys,

Thank you for the warm welcome to the forum!

Seeing as I have so many things in my head that seem to pour out at any given moment in regards to my first tank set up I thought it'd be best to start a journal.

So far I've bought my tank the juwel rio 180, which I got preowned at a bargain price of £150 including the cabinet, sand substrate, heater, light and hood and the ehiem pick up, not sure which model but I just know it's the biggest pick up they make 2010 2012.

Being a juwel rio it has the black box to store the filter and heater in, debating trying to take it out using a knife as it's got all sorts of dirt caught between it and the side and back of the tank...
But if I do this and succeed how could I remove the glue/silicon left on the glass safely?

I did originally agree with the previous owners they were going to remove all the livestock they had in the tank and return to the store. I found a few snails in the first day which I kind of expected keeping the sand used previous.
After a couple of days of the tank being filled, with untreated water I must add, a crayfish appeared..

So now I'm planning on a complete substrate change to the black limpop sand(if anybody has any recommendations for any jet black sand as the limpop isn't exactly what I was looking for but needs to be Cory and pleco safe:) ) , doing so as to get rid of any more crayfish popping out on me and also the snails as more and more keep appearing lol.

Im going to get a black background and use fake plants to get the colours that we agree on as a family, it is a family Christmas present, mainly for myself and my daughter but the other half has backed it all the way for us so she does have some say I guess haha..

If I do successfully remove the filter/heater box I plan to change to an external 350 l/h filter as to have sufficient filtering for my full stock list. If unsuccessful I will just buy an extra internal filter to add to the current...

Im out of funds for two weeks so I haven't yet got a master test kit, aqua safe, ammonia. But I have done my research and I'm planning a fishless cycle before fully stocking the tank as much as financially possible in one go.
I've also checked my water quality via the local water company website and have come to terms with my hard water.

My plan for stock is 12 guppy, 12 platy (maybe 24 guppy depending on the colours we can hold of at the time) 6 Cory julii which I'm aware will more than likely be a false julii due to rarity of the julii, and one flash pleco.

I still need to buy some bogwood but will buy that soon as I find a suitable piece for our tank..

I also plan to buy an air/light strip for the tank which I will buy an ehiem air pump to work with.

Im pretty well planned out in all honesty but as I have time to um and ar about it that's what I keep doing lol

For those who haven't seen, this is the tank I've purchased. The ornaments came with the tank and aren't in the final places the tank just needed to be filled to be safe to be in the living room. My little girl loves the tank and it's easier for my mind to know if she taps the glass the tank isn't going to fly off!

Will keep you all posted!

[RiversGirl]

I'm delighted to see you've started a journal!


Seeing as I have so many things in my head that seem to pour out at any given moment in regards to my first tank set up I thought it'd be best to start a journal.

And that is as good of a reason as there ever was to start one.

[WadeWilson]

Heh thanks, best not to start hundreds of threads with one question after another, hey!

[RiversGirl]

Heh thanks, best not to start hundreds of threads with one question after another, hey!

haha. True, that. However, hundreds of questions fit nicely into a journal thread. *grins*

I have found the members here knowledgeable, helpful and very willing to share their experience and give advice.
Besides being very friendly, as well. Enjoy!
Good night to all.

[Baxter]

Congrats on the tank and the family project. It's amazing how many times the supportive folks on the "sidelines" develop strong opinions once the trips to the pet store start, LOL. I see at least two tanks in your future. :ssmile:

[SueD]

While I can understand wanting a "fully stocked" tank all at once, consider also that as you start to look around, you
will see so many options available. So perhaps consider a less than full stocking in the beginning to leave some
room for those fish you find later and just have to have and wish you had thought of in the beginning. Or else, start
looking for where that 2nd tank is going to go!

[steeler58]

I'm delighted to see you've started a journal!

And that is as good of a reason as there ever was to start one.

Just remember there's alot of thread jackers around here :shhh:

[WadeWilson]

Our next tank has already been agreed, but it has to be turtles lol.
We did have two Cumberland slider turtles until just after our daughter was born, unfortunately due to an idiotic house layout it made trying to maintain the tank a complete nightmare. So when we move house in the next year or two the next tank we are going back to turtles, not sure which kind yet but I'm going all out with the proper turtle tank set ups they have. *grin*

SueD - I did think this but after doing the research I have I am 100% happy with the stock I am going to go with for the tank, and due to my water quality I don't have many other options for a peaceful communal tank.

[WadeWilson]

Removed the black box for the filter and heater now, released loads of dirt etc. Now to find me a silent external filter capable of upto 350 l/h :)

[Slaphppy7]

Oh, I thought the filter was going to be a PITA to remove?....glad you got it done, that'll make cleaning that corner much easier

Over here, the AquaClear HOB filter are very popular, as are a few others...I'm not sure what brands ara available to you in the UK (?)

[Compass]

yay for the new journal! I know you are 100% locked in on this stock, I've been 100% locked in on stock lots of times. HAHAHA You'll be surprised how quickly that can change. You'll have the perfect stock list and then run into some random fish you knew nothing about. Then you become obsessed. Just my two cents. I'd start out with the guppies, see how the tank does with those, then start getting your other fish. This is good practice anyway. When starting a new tank, there are so many variables that can just throw the whole thing off. Getting a less than full stock can save you a lot of trouble if a problem does arise. Those cories are great little fish and my personal favorite. Those certainly need to go in last. Get the guppies, then the platies and let the tank mature for about a month, then put the cories in. The pleco could go in before them though. Also, make sure you get ALL male guppies and platies. Or you'll end up like Slaphppy7. One mental break away from being in a straight jacket.

[Slaphppy7]

^^ Good advice. Here's a vid of my current 10 gallon. We bought 2 female platys from the LFS, not wanting fry. Found out later that at least one of them was pregnant, that they can stay pregnant for MONTHS...and that they breed like rabbits.
I would estimate that we've donated close to 100 fry already; it is time to donate more.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXIr71MqMjQ

[Compass]

lulz. Every time he thinks he's got the breeding done with, another platy gets fat. :D You want some of his? He'll find a way to ship them to England for yah.

[WadeWilson]

I heard that to keep a happy bunch of guppy that the ratio should be 1 male 2 female.. Im not fussed about the fry and giving them away when it becomes over crowded, just want happy fish :)

I was going to leave the corys a while and the pleco but get the guppy and platy in one go otherwise I'm just going to kill off most of the bacteria I've got growing in the tank from the fishless cycle?

[Slaphppy7]

I have 2 male guppies, they are happy and healthy with no females...you may have seen them in the vid.

If I were you, I'd start with a handful of MALE platys...platys put out ALOT of bioload, plenty to keep your BB (beneficial bacteria) fed until you can add more fish.

You gotta be patient in this hobby; you'll realize that soon enough.

[WadeWilson]

In all honesty I'd prefer all male guppy as they are the more colourful and vibrant than the females, would 12 male guppy and 12 male platy all get along fine?

Not sure if you are familiar with AqAdvisor but that's where I got my ratio from..
Financially I'd probably be able to get all the guppy or all the platy in one go then a month or so later the other..

[SueD]

I've had lots of male guppies together with no behavior issues. I started with one male and one female. Had to start a 2nd tank just to try to keep the males and females separated. This was a lot of work, and not really successful. My all male tank was wonderful, though.

It get real old real fast when guppies are breeding. I still have a bunch in a 10 gal still breeding, but their numbers stay low, either due to aging or perhaps my pleco is snacking. The all male tank I once had ended up crashing due to overstocking and I lost most of them. The others in that tank, finally aged out.

So yes, I would advise all males. Mine were all from one pair so were all colored similarly, although not identially. This actually made for a great tank. But some people look for variety in colors and with guppies and there are so many beautiful options out there.

[WadeWilson]

Brilliant thank you Sue that's the new plan then all male guppy, I'll probably get a pair of each kind that I go for :)

Cory are alot more particular about the water when they breed aren't they so mix of Cory should be fine?

[WadeWilson]

Also sorry to repeat but does anybody know any good black Sands suitable for Cory and pleco? Id prefer a jet black look if possible :)

[Slaphppy7]

Good advice from Sue...it was mentioned to get corys last, because you want your tank established with a bit of algae and stable water.

Anything "bad" in the water column will settle to the bottom, where the corys mainly stay.

Corys are a social fish, they do best with their own kind (of cory)....get at least 6 of the same kind...if you were to mix them, you'd want 6 of each kind

[WadeWilson]

Brilliant, means my finances actually do me a favour then for once lol.

Ive wrote about the Cory in the wrong way, I was referring to the sex of Cory not the kind of Cory *handoverface*

Would 12 Cory, 12 guppy, 12 platy and a flash pleco be too much for a tank of my size? It's 101cm by about 30cm and about 40cm high.
Going for a 350 litre per hour filter. Sorry if you guys know it in gallons I'm clueless to them lol.

[Compass]

Also sorry to repeat but does anybody know any good black Sands suitable for Cory and pleco? Id prefer a jet black look if possible :)

Yes it is suitable.

[Compass]

Brilliant thank you Sue that's the new plan then all male guppy, I'll probably get a pair of each kind that I go for :)

Cory are alot more particular about the water when they breed aren't they so mix of Cory should be fine?

Yes you don't need to worry about your cories breeding into oblivion. LOL

[Slaphppy7]

Brilliant, means my finances actually do me a favour then for once lol.

Ive wrote about the Cory in the wrong way, I was referring to the sex of Cory not the kind of Cory *handoverface*

Would 12 Cory, 12 guppy, 12 platy and a flash pleco be too much for a tank of my size? It's 101cm by about 30cm and about 40cm high.
Going for a 350 litre per hour filter. Sorry if you guys know it in gallons I'm clueless to them lol.

LOL, no problem

That's about a 47 gallon tank...with proper filtration, you could certainly (eventually) have all of the above fish...you could even have 2 different kinds of cory, 6 each

That's what I have in my 40 gallon

[steeler58]

Brilliant, means my finances actually do me a favour then for once lol.

Ive wrote about the Cory in the wrong way, I was referring to the sex of Cory not the kind of Cory *handoverface*

Would 12 Cory, 12 guppy, 12 platy and a flash pleco be too much for a tank of my size? It's 101cm by about 30cm and about 40cm high.
Going for a 350 litre per hour filter. Sorry if you guys know it in gallons I'm clueless to them lol.

Your plan would work fine :thumbup:

[WadeWilson]

Woop.. So two groups of cory, come on guys my water is hard pH is 7.5 temp 25c again sorry I'm not sure of it in f.. Which other Cory would compliment the julii Cory and flash pleco on a black sand substrate? Panda maybe?

[Slaphppy7]

That's 77F...perfect for alot of corys

I just got C. metae, the "bandit cory", to go with my C. Sterbai, and really like them...not shy like the sterbai, always out in the open, and always climbing the DW and plants, grazing on whatever they can find

[steeler58]

I always liked C. paleatus, the Peppered cory ;)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=tPOvOije4vQ

[WadeWilson]

Yes it is suitable.
I know that part lol my bad wording again I think. I was looking for good black Sands to look at :)

[WadeWilson]

I always liked C. paleatus, the Peppered cory ;)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=tPOvOije4vQ
This video is wicked, that's definitely going into the maybe list!

[steeler58]

There's so many Cory's to suggest but this one in usualy available, hardy and inexpensive :)

[RiversGirl]

I'm excited for you Wade. Glad you are getting your stocking plan sussed out.

[steeler58]

Wade Wilson was also an American football QB ;-)

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CD8QFjAD&url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FWade_Wi lson_(American_football)&ei=hLNeVLmMGsrSoASg5IDQDQ&usg=AFQjCNFsPUawuUf2C061sn5iy_OsaGYTLA&bvm=bv.79189006,d.cGU

[SueD]

Take a look at this for black sand:

http://www.petmountain.com/show_product/11442-508600/?utm_source=bizrate&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=11442-516392&utm_campaign=PPC

[WadeWilson]

Looks very nice sue but it is a tad expensive, I'd need at least two bags of that size to fill my tank I believe lol

[afro123]

Wade Wilson was also an American football QB ;-)

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CD8QFjAD&url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FWade_Wi lson_(American_football)&ei=hLNeVLmMGsrSoASg5IDQDQ&usg=AFQjCNFsPUawuUf2C061sn5iy_OsaGYTLA&bvm=bv.79189006,d.cGU

I think he loves deadpool......dont you wade?

[WadeWilson]

I can't love myself afro :p aha

[SueD]

PetCo has their own brand that's a little cheaper

http://www.petco.com/product/115883/Petco-Black-Aquarium-Sand.aspx

For really cheap sand, you can get pool filter sand but it's not black.

[WadeWilson]

I'm UK based so petco isn't going to work out for me either, thank you for trying though sue

[WadeWilson]

Going to settle for the limpopo :)

[Slaphppy7]

Were you able to get the corner of the tank clean, where the filter was?....

[Compass]

Going to settle for the limpopo :)

The Great Green Greasy one? lol

[WadeWilson]

Were you able to get the corner of the tank clean, where the filter was?....
I was able to get the big box that held the filter out of the tank, just need to empty it and get the silicone off of the glass but that can wait until the substrate arrives :)

[WadeWilson]

The Great Green Greasy one? lol
It's one of the few I can get hold of in the UK and I've spoken to several Cory owners who use it with no issues. Not the jet black I wanted no but I'd rather have a safe environment for my fish than it to please my tastes.

[Slaphppy7]

The Great Green Greasy one? lol

I don't even know what this means...

[WadeWilson]

Hes referring to it not being black at all really lol its a natural looking substrate, couple of owners I spoke to didn't even clean it just popped it straight in the tank with no problems lol

[Compass]

I don't even know what this means...

LOL The Great Green Greasy Slimy Limpopo River. It's where the elephant got its trunk. Read your Kipling!

[Slaphppy7]

I'll take your word for it.

[WadeWilson]

Lol the jungle book? I've only ever watched the Disney cartoon haha

[Slaphppy7]

I've only ever watched the Disney cartoon haha

Me too...when I was 6 or 7 years old.

[WadeWilson]

Me too...when I was 6 or 7 years old.
Snap, they should do a dark Twisted remake like they did of Alice in wonderland lol. Sheer kahn being a blood thirsty cannibal and baloo the bear being some vin diesel/Dwyane Johnson type of guy aha..
Anyways yes limpopo it is, I believe there should be a photo back in the thread since removing the black filter box :)

[Compass]

Lol the jungle book? I've only ever watched the Disney cartoon haha

LOL No no no. Same author different story. The Jungle Book was one book plus a series of poems and shorts. But then he wrote a series of short stories called the Just So Stories, totally different. He also wrote Rikki-Tikki-Tavi and Captains Courageous. Among other great stories.

[WadeWilson]

Fair enough, I'm not a big reader. Unless it's a comic book or two ;)

[Compass]

Fair enough, I'm not a big reader. Unless it's a comic book or two ;)

Huh... never would have guessed. :hmm3grin2orange:

[WadeWilson]

Huh... never would have guessed. :hmm3grin2orange:
Haha, I guess if I found a book that I could get myself into I'd read. The last book I read was 'Urban Grimshaw and the shed crew' believe it's Bernard hare the author, Brilliant book based on life in Yorkshire during the industrial shutdown.
I do waffle off topic alot don't I aha

[Slaphppy7]

I do waffle off topic alot don't I aha


Pfffft, that's nothing...you ought to read my journal...maybe 10% of it is about fish, lol

[steeler58]

Haha, I guess if I found a book that I could get myself into I'd read. The last book I read was 'Urban Grimshaw and the shed crew' believe it's Bernard hare the author, Brilliant book based on life in Yorkshire during the industrial shutdown.
I do waffle off topic alot don't I aha

Nobody here ever gets off subject, ever, LOL!

[wgoldfarb]

Topic? We have a topic?

[Slaphppy7]

Topic? We have a topic?

We have several...

[wgoldfarb]

I'm glad to hear that. We need an official topic fast, because these people keep talking about fish.

[WadeWilson]

Ahh was up most of the night feeling a bit poorly so was looking into the sand again.. Anybody used caribsea tropical black sand at all?

[Compass]

Not personally but I've heard good things from others. It also goes by the name Tahitian Moon Sand if I'm not mistaken. Alternatively if you want to do some planting in your tank you could go with black flourite sand. A bit expensive but it should do the trick.

[WadeWilson]

Oh I thought this was different lol no worries I'm trying to establish what sand it is by emailing the company but no reply as of yet

[WadeWilson]

New stocking plan

12 guppy 4 male 8 female
10 black widow tetra
2 dwarf gourami
6 false julii cory
6 albino or bandit cory

Ordering test kit etc Thursday, almost time to get this tank started :)

[steeler58]

I'd like to try and talk you out of the Black skirts if I can; they get bigger than people think and as they get older they lose their "snappy black" coloring, turning grey. They also can be fin-nippers even when kept in a big school like you are going to do.

Something brighter and more peaceful that I would suggest; would be the Rosy tetra. Much more peaceful, always active and as I already said, more colorful :) Get 10 of these and you will be happier, IMO!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=TqJuwSTOpiI

[WadeWilson]

The main reason I chose black widow tetra were to control the fry population from the guppy.. Not for their looks although I think they are nice looking fish... The rosy tetra do look nicer admittedly but would they eat the fry as notoriously as the black widow?

[steeler58]

The main reason I chose black widow tetra were to control the fry population from the guppy.. Not for their looks although I think they are nice looking fish... The rosy tetra do look nicer admittedly but would they eat the fry as notoriously as the black widow?

Yes, they enjoy a good live food feeding very much ;-)

[WadeWilson]

Any other suggestions to replace black widow/skirt tetra that would eat most guppy fry... I'll be using fake plants so they'll have less cover than most I presume

[steeler58]

Columbians and Diamond come to mind.

[afro123]

Any other suggestions to replace black widow/skirt tetra that would eat most guppy fry... I'll be using fake plants so they'll have less cover than most I presume

Pretty much anyfish that can fit fry in their mouth would do ;)

[WadeWilson]

I went with limpopo in the end, here's the tank just finished changing sand over. Start the fishless cycle this week

[WadeWilson]

Well first test on the water today, not added any ammonia but I have around 1ppm ammonia, 2-5ppm nitrite and 10-20ppm nitrates

[WadeWilson]

Nitrites rising, nitrates rising, ammonia slightly dropped... A plus of preowned tanks and equipment I'm guessing :)

[Slaphppy7]

Good deal on the cycle!

[WadeWilson]

Oh yes, ammonia dropped again today :) haven't checked anything else today can't be bothered lol will check nitrites again tomorrow :)

[WadeWilson]

Ammonia went down to pretty much 0 so I topped up to about 1ppm

[Slaphppy7]

May be just me, but the solutions look very foamy (?)

[WadeWilson]

Wouldn't you be a bit foamy if you'd be shaken to bits lol

[afro123]

Wouldn't you be a bit foamy if you'd be shaken to bits lol

Nope,just dead XD

[WadeWilson]

Hahaha.. I do shake them like crazy and then shake again after the 5 minutes just to make sure lol must of taken the picture just after the shake

[WadeWilson]

Ammonia down to 0 again today so topped back up and tested nitrites reading at 10+ppm..the wait for the drop now

[Slaphppy7]

Patience is key....my ammonia just started hitting 0 Sunday, so I'm waiting on trItes to drop, too

Could take a few weeks, hang in there

[fishmommie]

just found this journal. Always fun to see a new one. Good luck on your fishless cycle. Shouldn't be long now.

[WadeWilson]

Yes it's all gone very quick so far so it's taken alot of the waiting out of the process luckily :)

Just need to buy the plants now ready to pop in at the end of the cycle when doing the big water change and I'm all set :D

[afro123]

I can just imagine deadpool taking care of a fish tank.

[WadeWilson]

Still no movement on nitrites yet, debating getting some of the pure aquarium balls to try boost the bacteria?

[Slaphppy7]

Adding things you don't need can mess up a cycle quickly...stay the course, the trites will drop...it takes time

[WadeWilson]

Well I believe I'm almost there.

[Compass]

Looking good! I'd say you are cycled. What are your nitrate readings? Probably through the roof. lol

[WadeWilson]

Will check them tomorrow, well today now technically lol...

Pay day Thursday so good timing.. Downloaded my local stores latest stock list.. Gourami or guppy hmm lol

[afro123]

one word..........Both :)

[WadeWilson]

I'm debating 3 guppy 3 gourami and 3 Cory lol

[afro123]

Because your cycle is not yet over I would wait.
As for your stocking I would add the guppys first wait a week add the gouramis(how big is your tank?) and then a month later add the corys

[WadeWilson]

Yeah I'm going for guppy tomorrow, the tank is 180 litre :)

[WadeWilson]

Got 5 guppy today and a Amazon Sword :) it has begun

[Slaphppy7]

Congrats!

Did you check your trAte readings before adding the fish?

All male guppies?

[afro123]

congrats :)
if you got females you are in for one heck of a ride :)

[WadeWilson]

Nitrates are 0-5ppm just off of 0 before adding fish. All 5 guppy are male :)

Caught everybody having a power nap near our plant lol

[Slaphppy7]

LOL...guppies don't nap...none that I've had experience with

Are they staying near the substrate all of the time?

They do have some nice coloring

[WadeWilson]

No only when the lights are off, soon after I turned them on they all burst to life and are impossible to picture lol

[WadeWilson]

I think they like the sand, where it's all unlevel they like to dip behind and quickly pop back up lol fascinating

[RiversGirl]

You've picked out some pretty guppies.

[afro123]

They look pretty.

[WadeWilson]

Thanks guys :)

[WadeWilson]

Updated pic, new plants added today :)

[Slaphppy7]

looking good!

[afro123]

Looking good ;)
Which corys are you looking at?

[WadeWilson]

I really want reticulated Cory but asking in store today they haven't had them for a while but I'm on the to call list when they are next available.
Im really not sure which Cory I want to go for now though

[Slaphppy7]

Get some Bandit corys, C. metae....I really like mine, they're very active

fishmommie just got some spotted corys, she's loving them, too

[WadeWilson]

The family favourite [emoji7]

[afro123]

A cobra guppy right?

[WadeWilson]

I thought they were called snakeskin? Lol

[afro123]

a cobra is a snake hence we both are right XD

[WadeWilson]

Lmao oh my hahaha talk about stupid! Yes thanks for clearing that one up *grin*

[WadeWilson]

Dabbling the idea of going to get my bogwood and maybe some Bolivian ram today *grin*

[Slaphppy7]

Is the bogwood already soaked, and free of any nasties?...if not, it's gonna take a while to soak...unless you anchor it

I wouldn't get BR's until this tank is much more mature than it is now

[afro123]

+1 wait a month or 2 until you add the BR

[WadeWilson]

Oh do I have to :( lol

The bogwood is presoaked and preplanted so will just be able to pop it in the tank :)

[Slaphppy7]

Oh do I have to :( lol



They'd have a better chance of making it if you did.

[Boundava]

Wow, I just say this joural too. Nice job on cycling and your tank. Love the cobra/snakeskin (whatever) guppy-he is so pretty.

[WadeWilson]

They'd have a better chance of making it if you did.
Advice taken and I bought gourami today :)

[WadeWilson]

Few updated pics :)

Won't let me attach more than one per post

[WadeWilson]

Picture two

[WadeWilson]

Picture three, will post some more once they are settled down. One of the rainbow dwarf gourami is very dull, almost pale yellowish hoping she will colour up again.

[Slaphppy7]

Few updated pics :)

Won't let me attach more than one per post

That's because they are so large..try resizing them before posting .tank looks good, congrats on the gourami!

Here's some good info, pay close attention to "behaviour and compatibility" and the "notes" sections: http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/trichogaster-lalius/

[WadeWilson]

Thanks, I'm on my phone so not sure if I can do that?

After reading I'm concerned I may have two males rather than two females. The guy in store said the two smaller ones were female, they are both similarly sized just one has the silvery duller look but the other looks like the bigger male... Will try get some group pictures of the three when possible, will be back in on the 27th to swap him if she's a he! Don't have any way to separate them if she is a he though :/ and now thinking of it the more colourful smaller one and the bigger male were having a little lip locking earlier, stopped after a minute or so and the smaller one tends to stay away from the others face.. Oh dear, worry for the next two days :( hey its midnight over here.. Merry Christmas everyone

[Slaphppy7]

Merry Christmas to you, too

[afro123]

Hope things work put :)
Merry Christmas :)

[WadeWilson]

Everyone seems alot more settled down now, will try to get the picture of all 3 gourami later. Now I'm thinking that one is just generally duller in colour but I have two females.

Hope everybody had a good day today :)

[Slaphppy7]

Hope you had a great one too, and hoping ypu do indeed have 2F/1M...glad to hear they've settled down

They'll color up even more once they get used to their new home

[WadeWilson]

Added 6 trili Cory today :) all water in perams been stable since day one. Will upload some new pics with my shiny new galaxy s5 in the next day or two :)

[WadeWilson]

Couple snaps of my Cory :)

[fishmommie]

Nice! .........

[Slaphppy7]

They look great!...nice coloring

[WadeWilson]

Thanks guys :)

[showmebutterfly]

Great looking cories and good pics!

[WadeWilson]

Would people say this is a male dwarf gourami, I'm pretty screwed if so :(

[fishmommie]

yep. That's a dwarf male gourami. Sorry - I don't remember all of your stock but why do you think you have a problem?

[WadeWilson]

2 males one female dwarf gourami, 6 trilineatus Cory and 10 guppy.. It's the two males one female I'm worried about

[Boundava]

Yeah, the dwarves at LFS are usually males only, and it does look like a male. You can try other online breeders or TWS for females, but they aren't as pretty so don't usually sell which is why the LFS don't get them. At least that's what they told me every time I wanted to buy a pair (male/female) of them.

[WadeWilson]

I have one that definitely is a female and I see the point, been told I can return and exchange so possibly go for honeys for the easier sexing lol

[Slaphppy7]

Yeah, if you have 2m/1f, there's going to be issues...return and exchange sounds good

[afro123]

Agreed....
Cute cories though :)

[WadeWilson]

I'm quite gutted really became attached to the gourami, the first fish that I really wanted personally lol. Off to the shop tomorrow to exchange.

My Cory are amazing, playing chase with their reflections up the side of the tank lol

[steeler58]

Nice choice of Cory there Wade, they have always been one of my favorites :)

[WadeWilson]

Thanks steeler..

Now let's cause a debate, least aggressive gourami?

[steeler58]

Thanks steeler..

Now let's cause a debate, least aggressive gourami?

Pearl and Honey.

[afro123]

Honey is the least aggressive followed by pearl.

[WadeWilson]

They didn't have pure honeys in last time :( fingers crossed

[fishmommie]

When I started my first tank I was completely ignorant. I let a fish store talk me into taking home 3 dwarf gouramis and 3 platy. No problem with the platy. But more than one male dwarf gourami in a tank is a recipe for disaster. Sorry. One will become dominant and start picking until it does some pretty good damage and could even kill the other. then it will start on the 3rd. Sorry.
And like everyone else, I'm betting you have 3 males. Very rare to find a female dwarf gourami in a store.

Good luck. Feel better be knowing you're doing what's best for the gourami - but i know, you do get attached to them

[WadeWilson]

Yes I'm aware of this which is why I'll be returning them tomorrow. The store I use is usually pretty good and completely understood, just can't get there until tomorrow.

Any alternative ideas to gourami, I have 10 guppy and 6 trilineatus Cory in there at the moment with the 3 gourami. Planning on adding a pair of bolivan ram in a month or two also

[WadeWilson]

Oh my, don't take that as me being offended or offensive just looked back and oh dear I'm sorty

[Boundava]

Honeys, I have 10 in my 75 gallon tank. Have had them for 2 weeks now and they are mostly females, but the 3 or 4 males I do have did nothing more than "kiss", and yesterday I saw them next to each other trying to intimidate each other with their dazzling good looks. Out comes the whiskers...touch...touch... all is well and they swim away. So darn cute. I have had gourami's before, the blue dwarf, neon blues and powdered blues-but never more than one at a time. I tried for 1 male and 2 female pearls-but bad stock at the store I went to, they died within a week of purchase-the male lasting the longest. So glad I rescued the 4 honey from Petco, then added 6 more from TWS. So healthy and active

[WadeWilson]

Just found out my Lfs don't stock pure honey, only the red Robin and the golden honey.. Hmm any alternatives?

[WadeWilson]

3 golden honeys in today they have all settled very well very quickly will take some pictures later on if I can, shouldn't be hard though they are all out at the front already :)

[afro123]

Please do :)

[WadeWilson]

And here's my three new additions.
The two girls up the top and the male at the bottom :)

[Slaphppy7]

Very nice...how do you sex them?

I can't tell the difference between the m/f, but my eyesight isn't what it used to be, lol

[WadeWilson]

The females have a dark line down the middle of the body, so I've read anyway lol

[Slaphppy7]

I see that now, thanks

[afro123]

Beautiful fish :)

[WadeWilson]

Thanks guys, I have a free house and free afternoon. Only one thing to do, grab my pile of unread comic books and sit in front of the fish tank :D

[DoubleDutch]

Hey Wade again hahaha. Nice patterned Trilis btw !

[WadeWilson]

Haha hello Mr Dutch, why thank you :D

[steeler58]

Thanks guys, I have a free house and free afternoon. Only one thing to do, grab my pile of unread comic books and sit in front of the fish tank :D

Which ones do you read?

[WadeWilson]

Deadpool and all the mini series, the amazing spider-man, shutter, outcast, red city, the wolverine spin offs after his death :(, batman eternal, wolverine and the x-men which is now soider-man and the x-men and rocket raccoon.

Bit back logged at the minute lol

This is just my unread pile aha

[steeler58]

Looks like you need tp get caught up as you said enjoy, I read Comics till 2003 and finaly gave them up.

[WadeWilson]

I've just started again after a 9 year gap, pissed because I started to collect wolverine again but it was the last volume now he's dead...

Again I used my daughter as an excuse, she can sell them on when she's older for uni haha

[steeler58]

How long do you think they will let him be dead?

[WadeWilson]

Well they are milking it, 4 issue mini series for the death of wolverine, there's a one shot death of wolverine; deadpool and captain America, 7 part death of wolverine logans legacy, now they are starting wolverines which features x23 and daken lol. He lost his regen powers nearly 2 years ago now so who knows

[WadeWilson]

Feeding time :)

[Slaphppy7]

Nice colors on the guppies

[WadeWilson]

Thanks :) kind of wish we went for less guppies now and maybe a combo of cichlids and gourami lol oh well tank number two in the pipeline haha

[Slaphppy7]

Oh yeah, you can't stop with just one tank...

[WadeWilson]

Oh no lol, not allowed it until we move house though.. But at least I know when we are looking at houses to make sure there's plenty of room for another big one

[Slaphppy7]

Good deal....yeah, the one you have now, just consider as a "practice" tank, lol

[WadeWilson]

Trying to talk the other half into a small tank for our daughters bedroom, I could keep mts breeding in there and take some out to feed the assassin in the main tank, with a few little somethings or a betta.. Shrimp as well perhaps lol

[WadeWilson]

Wait the feeding part would surely be illegal in the UK like feeding live food

[Compass]

Would snails really fall under that law????

[WadeWilson]

Not too sure if I'm honest, hope not, the assassins don't really eat much else do they either so not doing so is starving them?

[Slaphppy7]

They'll find stuff to eat after all the pest snails are gone...they don't need live prey to survive

They PREFER it, maybe, but don't need it

I have not had live food for mine in months...and I've gone from 11 to at least 50...they'll graze on algae, sinking foods, etc...like pretty much any other snail

[WadeWilson]

I only bought the one as I only had one real sized snail for him to eat and he was caught on the third day lol, may buy a few more now though

[Slaphppy7]

They're neat little snails of their own....

[WadeWilson]

Pea feeding frenzy

[WadeWilson]

Can anybody ID this snail, I only have one assassin snail so doubt it's a baby one of those, mts or other?

[DoubleDutch]

This i not an assassin Wade, but what it is is hard to say based on this pic. Assassins already have the same pattern as their parents (an already fertised female could lay eggs though alone : it did in my tanks).

[WadeWilson]

Mr assassin don't even care for him think he's too small or my assassin has something he's tucking into just under the sand lol
Ah I do love quiet Sunday afternoons where I can just sit and stare into my tank :)

[WadeWilson]

Really not sure what to do anymore, lost all faith in my Lfs. Seems I have 3 male gourami, don't know what to do apart from re home 2 of them, not going to try swapping them AGAIN...

Wish I didn't have guppy now, would open up more options... Debating just packing it all in, it's really got me down :(

[Boundava]

Are those honeys? Remind me what size your tank is...they should be fine because they aren't like the dwarf blues where they kill each other. So long as they have enough territory they should be good. I have 10 honey gouramis in my 75 and at least 3 possibly 4 ore males. they get along fine, when they spar they simply show off to each other by swimming parallel and then when mine where done flexing their muscles they simple touched "whiskers" and swam off. Don't give up!


Here are 4 of mine lounging around
http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/aquariumforum/attachment.php?attachmentid=38452&d=1419988659
This is definitely a guy
http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/aquariumforum/attachment.php?attachmentid=38454&d=1419990025

[WadeWilson]

Thank you for your kind words. They aren't true honey gourami but the golden honey gourami hybrid unfortunately, if they were true gourami I understand they would be OK together but the hybrids are supposed to be more aggressive.
The main bully has taken residence behind the bogwood and under the filter, either of the others goes near it and they are chased away.
Im using my phone at the moment so it won't let me go to the links grrr, can you mention me on the thread please see if that works? lol

[WadeWilson]

Feeding time is becoming interesting to attempt. The gourami don't get a lot of the flake because of the guppy so they go for the pellets instead. The Cory and guppy all push these into one corner however, all 3 gourami been taking it in turns to chase one away to get some food

[Boundava]

I drop food in two parts of the tank. That way my tetras and gourami's get an equal chance at eating, but my tank is 4 feet so that's easier. I will also pre soak the wafers and pellets in tank water or garlic guard so it is easier for them to eat right off the bat.

[WadeWilson]

Doesn't matter where I drop the food it always ends up in the same corner lol :(

[WadeWilson]

Now I'm trying to find a new home for two or maybe all 3 gourami, but I'm wanting something else to fill out my tank a bit more.

Im aware Bolivian ram should be OK with my guppy, not sure my water would support a blue German and not sure on their temperament..
Are their any other cichlids I could look at trying to keep?

My water pH is 7.5 and the hardness is 14gh

My tanks also planted and I'd kind of prefer it to stay that way lol

[Boundava]

Sorry no experience with cichlids, but that is what I have heard about the blue German rams. Very fussy about water conditions. I was thinking of a pair for my tank a while ago. Had enough with fussy fish though.

[WadeWilson]

Well two of my gourami were rehomed today, feel confident they have gone to a good home with a choice of 11 tanks!

After some thinking my to stock list now contains

A pair of bolivian ram, 6 bandit/panda Cory and an albino bristlenose.

So my final tank will be:

10 male guppy
6 Cory trilineatus
6 bandit/panda cory
1 golden honey gourami
2 Bolivian ram
1 albino bristlenose
1 assassin snail - these will be increasing soon due to a snail boom.

There's a tank local to me on eBay for £20 - around 28 us dollars give or take I believe. Juwel record 800 with stand, filter etc. With their current stock which I will of course be rehoming! It's stocked with 2 clown loach 1 angel and 1 red tail shark. Hope I win it just to rehome these guys, but this tank will be turned into a guppy tank, will re home 5 or so male and replace them with female and let the girlies watch their fish have babies :) Fingers crossed

[WadeWilson]

One of my guppy just won't keep bloodworm in him, comes straight back out of him and the others try to eat it out of his bum ergh lol he doesn't show any other signs of illness though eats every day and swims around normal with the rest

[Boundava]

weird...never seen that.

[WadeWilson]

Seems fine again, maybe he just can't stomach the blood worm, like some people have certain food go through them? Who knows lol

Managed to get myself a rena filstar xp2 for £20 plus an ornament that came with the tank that I hated lol.. Debating a pair of bnp now to try breed them hmmm

[WadeWilson]

Rescape. It's awful I know :( best I could manage though

[Slaphppy7]

Looks good to me, once the plants grow in it will be really nice

[showmebutterfly]

It looks good to me too!

[fishmommie]

I give it a thumbs up too :o)

[WadeWilson]

Thanks guys, it's growing on me now.. I think it's where I've trimmed so much sorry looking leaves etc. Going to add some valis and a couple foreground plants over the next week or two. Also planning to push either a coconut cave or a pleco breeding cave Into the pile of sand on the right :)

[WadeWilson]

Anybody any experience stocking Bolivian and German blue ram together?

[WadeWilson]

New pic of one of my trilineatus

[steeler58]

Nice picture of the trilineatus thumbs2:

[WadeWilson]

Thanks steeler, this one's even better

[cajunqn81]

...with liberty and corys for all! Looking good :fish:

[WadeWilson]

Haha thanks :D

Going to a new store near me today and possibly going to get Bolivian ram and a bristlenose pleco.all depends on how I feel about the fish and the shop when I get there though. Excitement aha

[WadeWilson]

Didn't get a thing, was terrible in there

[Slaphppy7]

Good will power, lol...but I agree, if the place doesn't look or feel right, pass on it

[WadeWilson]

Was my Mrs who pointed it out.. She hasn't a clue so that rings even bigger alarm bells

[Slaphppy7]

It sure does, lol

[WadeWilson]

Just had this email from the water zoo.
Would people with cichlid experience or knowledge agree with this email? Before I even look at what they look like lol




Well like you mentioned Apistogramma cacatoides should be ok as well as the German rams which come in Blue, Electric blue and Golden, although they are more sensitive we do keep ours in local hard water, another good choice would be Sheep head acara, Red breasted flag cichlid and Keyhole Cichlids.

*

Kind regards

*

Jamie


Not saying I don't believe him, would just like more opinions

[WadeWilson]

Oh yes, update.

Ive swapped my planted bogwood for two pieces of mopani that I have now placed in the tank. Look alot nicer and am going to plant them up myself :)

The guy I swapped the wood with also has just had a batch of the super red German bristlenose plec and I now own one. When 'the flash' is old enough to be sexed I am going to add either another super red or an albino/gold of the opposite sex.

Tomorrow I think I'll be getting my Bolivian ram or maybe just one if I can't sex them..
Will add some pics of atleast the wood in a couple hours :)

[Boundava]

Love it!!! Need to see some pics of The Flash ;-)

[WadeWilson]

Will try my best in an hour or so :)

[WadeWilson]

Meet the flash :D

[WadeWilson]

Today i found what I believe is a male and female pair of bolivian ram, also added a few Twisted vallis and a new foreground plant

[WadeWilson]

Ram a lam and ding dong [emoji38]

[WadeWilson]

Today I felt the need for a change. Found a friend who wanted some more males to reduce the fry numbers in their tank so swapped 7 males for 3 females. I kept my cobra/snake skin guppy and the three females are all cobras.

They look pregnant already lol :)

[Slaphppy7]

Always nice to have someone close by to share fish and fun with.

[cajunqn81]

Always nice to have someone close by to share fish and fun with.

Why must you all be so far away...?

[Slaphppy7]

I know, wouldn't it be cool for us all to be closer?...trade fish and shrimp and stuff

[cajunqn81]

And too bad that I normally have to fly when I travel down that way. I somehow doubt TSA would approve of me carrying little travel baggies of fish onto the plane...

[Slaphppy7]

Yeah, those may considered tools of terrorism, LOL

[WadeWilson]

LOL! Yes I'm swapping my gourami for 6 albino Cory on Thursday, they have bred before in our local tap water too :D
Then going to buy a pair of opaline gourami and then I'd like some form of schooling fish. Not sure which yet, smaller the better so I can get about 10

[cajunqn81]

Yeah, those may considered tools of terrorism, LOL

Yeah, I'll open the bag and they'll jump out and bite him...

My understanding was that the rule was supposed to prevent liquid explosives from coming through the checkpoint. I don't know about you, but I can't think of anything flammable/explosive that a fish could survive in.

Oh... Maybe the fish is explosive... :bouncyredfire:

(BTW, how is it we have an exploding smiley here, but not an exploding fish?)

Having made a trip about half that distance with fish in the floorboards, I'm not sure how happy I'd be to do it over twice that. Or how happy the fish would be... But if we drive down to the wedding in October instead of fly...

[WadeWilson]

If you over feed the guppy they maybe classed as explosives lol

[cajunqn81]

Don't. Even. Go. There.

All I could think of what you said that was my father's story about the time he was deployed, and one of the 'kids' on his ship got the oh-so-smart idea to feel the seagulls Alka Seltzer. As you can imagine, it didn't end well...

[Boundava]

Meet the flash :D

He is very cute, has some big shoes to fill, and you got me interested in getting one after my albino BN "Ghost". Based on that head you may even have a "she", my female BN was wedge shaped and that one has a pretty broad head.

[WadeWilson]

He is very cute, has some big shoes to fill, and you got me interested in getting one after my albino BN "Ghost". Based on that head you may even have a "she", my female BN was wedge shaped and that one has a pretty broad head.
Yes the breeder also said he thought it's female just waiting for the rest of the batch to be sexable to get me a male too :)

[WadeWilson]

Bloodworm anyone?

[Boundava]

Nice shot, cute BN. Bloodworms are delicious...at least for fish! :goldfish:

[fishmommie]

really nice!

[WadeWilson]

Thanks guys, had my coconut caves turn up today

Thinking of maybe planting up the one of the left with some anubias bonsai, will probably end up a different plant altogether but that's the plan lol

[WadeWilson]

One of my female guppy has a fungus on her mouth :( It's only tiny white dot on upper lip but I don't think I'll be able to get any treatment in time to save her either.. Hopefully she can shake it off herself?

[fishmommie]

Is there any way you can pull her out of the tank and into a hospital tank to treat her? If not, you might want to treat the entire tank
with a fungus medication and for certain do a lot of extra water changes as clean fresh water is the best medicine.

[WadeWilson]

Trying to get to pick up a new tank tomorrow but looks doubtful, I don't have any money to get any meds at the minute. I first noticed it yesterday after I did my big water change. Will do 50% every other day until I can get some meds, fingers crossed I get the new tank. Been told it's more of a secondary infection so hopefully won't spread but all the guppy will be moving tanks when I do get it :)

[fishmommie]

You could try adding a little aquarium salt (or sale without iodine) tonight and after each W/C as long as you don't have anything
in the tank that can't handle salt. 1 tablespoon per every 5 gallons. Dissolve it in a cup of tank water then add
it a little at a time over a couple of hours so as not to shock them.
How much you put in after a water change will be determined by how much water you take out.

[WadeWilson]

Don't have any money though and as I've never had a problem or brackish fish I've never bought any :( just got to hope water changes and fingers crossed a tank move.

It's most likely because I'm evil and have 3 male 3 female guppy will be rehoming 2 of the males when I can and only moving the females and one male to the new tank

[WadeWilson]

On a plus note a week Thursday I'm buying a 2000 l/h external filter so my tank will be crystal once that's going :)

[WadeWilson]

Is it possible to keep some mbuna and afra in a 3 foot tank? My partner really pushing for a cichlid tank when we get our new 2 foot tank to move over our guppy and Cory. Im just not sure, I'll have an external filter before its transformed...

[WadeWilson]

Changed my Bolivian rams for a pair of German blue on Wednesday and I've definitely a pair and have had first set of eggs tonight :)