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60cm shallow and unheated...

Myrtle

Myrtle

Member
Joined
21 Aug 2008
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814
Location
Basingstoke
Not being one to leave a good tank unoccupied, I ended up setting the shallow up again, but this time unheated to hopefully reduce evaporation & humidity issues (yes, this takes me to 15 tanks...). It is also only lit by the window behind as there's only one spare socket and that's running the filter. It's 60cm x 35cm x 20cm and 44 litres. I set it up as WCMM tank, but thought I'd ask if anyone had any other suggestions I hadn't considered. As it's unheated it will go down to probably 16C at the lowest as it's near the back door, and the highest, judging by the other tank in the kitchen, is likely to be around 26C, though I can probably lower that by shading the window. It has a medium flow, not a torrent but reasonable, so if anyone has any ideas I'm all ears, though I'm more than happy to stick with the WCMM too.
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Maybe Danio tinwini or Tanichthys micagemmae could work if you want something more exotic (and are able to source some), not sure how likely they are to try jumping out though. Hara jerdoni or some of the mountain-dwelling corys should also do well, and with less risk of carpet surfing.
 
Kaliilo said:
I like the WCMM, they look really pretty. All your tanks give me tank envy
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The beauty of living alone and being able to indulge my whims lol
Tyko_N said:
Maybe Danio tinwini or Tanichthys micagemmae could work if you want something more exotic (and are able to source some), not sure how likely they are to try jumping out though. Hara jerdoni or some of the mountain-dwelling corys should also do well, and with less risk of carpet surfing.
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I thought of Danio tinwini but I can't find any. I hadn't really considered corys as I wasn't sure any would be happy as low as 16C. My local MA specialise in catfish so perhaps I'll ask them.
 
Myrtle said:
I hadn't really considered corys as I wasn't sure any would be happy as low as 16C
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Wild caught C. paleatus should be fine down to maybe 12C, but domestic populations might need a bit higher. Depending on how long the cold period lasts I think many of the others would cope too, like C. panda, the water coming from the Andies aren't that warm after all.
 
Interested in the Blau tank .. seems to be listed on amazon.de as deliverable to uk, but out of stock on Blau's website and not listed on amazon.uk. It's a size that I'd be interested in, and I have the Blau 90L cube, ordered online (amazon.uk) but delivered direct from Germany. No issues and quality is excellent. Mine did come with a glass cover .. a very solid one that I've ended up not using as it's such a weight to maneouvre.

More Importantly. I'd be very tempted to try variatus platies. They should be fine in those temperatures although, as with other suggestions, aquarium trade stock will need a little acclimatising - and you have to accept the fish might have a degree of hybridity.

I concede this suggestion may be due in part to my fear of an aquarium which doesn't have some sort of platy in it. It's not natural.
 
I've never actually kept platys, mainly due to the fear of being over run. They would show up well though!
Sounds like I didn't miss much with not getting the lids after all. I ended up with the tank via amazon due to it being the only place to get one with those dimensions.
 
Myrtle said:
I've never actually kept platys, mainly due to the fear of being over run. They would show up well though
Sounds like I didn't miss much with not getting the lids after all. I ended up with the tank via amazon due to it being the only place to get one with those dimensions.
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in my experience, variatus aren't as prolific as maculatus .. brood sizes seem to be smaller, at least in my tanks. may be related to something I have no scientific data on, but that's never stopped me ... variatus stock in the fish trade seem to be less robust than maculatus. I've lost quite a few within the first few weeks. I guess what I have now is almost my own strain, and they're thriving. Incidentally, platy colouring and genetics are complex .. three sex chromosomes for a start. I've found there seem to be two types in the trade, with different body colours (the colour underneath the top shade / iridescence). One type has a yellow body colour, one type a darker olive green. The yellows do show up much more brightly in the tank, if the visuals matter. They all tend to reddish caudal areas so you can get a strong red-yellow colour contrast and they can look quite flashy.

the WCMMs wouldn't do the job here, but livebearer fry do make excellent live food for a lot of larger fish. I have a few maculatus in a tank with cardinals and lemon tetras, which are fierce, and its rare to see a youngster.
 
Myrtle said:
I would love to find a source for them! I have been looking 😉
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Michael Kirkham had some a while ago. He is a avid breeder of lots of fish and is very active in the shows.
He has some stunning lines of giant bettas he has been line breeding for years now. I have bought bettas from him a few times over the years.
 
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