New to the board + hobby - Hello from Belfast

**HEADIN** · 08-04-2010, 12:31 PM

Hello everyone.
Name's stephen, from Belfast (NI)

I've just joined up and i've recently just gotten into the hobby aswell.

I've had my tank up and running now for about 4/5 weeks (freshwater)

4' x 1' x 1'.
few plastic plants, some decor etc. gravel substrate.

currently have 2 rainbow sharks, 1 pleco (4"), 6 black widow tetras, 5 zebra danios, 2 sailfin mollies (m+f), 2 siamese fighters (m+f), 2 blue gourami's, 7 red platys, 2 clown loaches (inch and a half each roughly) and 4 other wee chaps, could be tetras or something, not sure. v small though.

also had a large goldfish that came with it but in the last 2 days ive noticed he has disappeared. where the hell to i've no idea unless he's been eaten but i would have noticed lol.

so far i've lost 2 platys, and 2 clown loaches are 2 water changes. the other 2 seem to be doing fine.
everyone gets on with everyone else. no fighting as of yet, all pretty much keep themselves to themselves in their own wee groups.

the sharks camp out at opposite ends of the tank for most of the time.

tank has a fluval 2 plus internal submissable filter, but i've a 3 plus arriving either today or tomorrow.

im going to try and move toward getting my tank capable and ready for some dwarf cichilds, maybe cockatoo's.

have a cave to construct first before i nab them and a few more plastic plants, which are quite a pain to find the right ones, rather than all the tiny piddly things flying about.

Any suggestions where to get good plastic plants that cichlids would enjoy?

thats all for now.

**rich311k** · 08-04-2010, 12:34 PM

Welcome to AC!

**Northernguy** · 08-04-2010, 03:03 PM

Welcome to the fabulous AC!

That is quite the stocking you have there!

**souly** · 08-04-2010, 04:28 PM

Welcome to AC. My Adopted mother is from Belfast.

**Cliff** · 08-04-2010, 04:50 PM

Welcome to the forum

**Gisela** · 08-04-2010, 06:56 PM

Welcome to the AC. My Hubbys ancestors are Irish.

**Pleco380** · 08-04-2010, 07:01 PM

Welcome to the AC forum!

**teddscau** · 08-04-2010, 07:23 PM

I'd get some large cloth plants for your tank. Your fish can swim between the leaves and you don't have to worry about them getting scratched. If you want some easy live plants you could always get some moss/marimo balls. They grow best in bright light, but if it's not that bright it doesn't matter, they just grow slower. I squeeze out my moss balls under my tap once a week to clean them.