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90cm/150litre - "Patience"

Tank is looking awsome, one of the best I have seen!!! Another UKAPS masterpiece, congrats mate.
Looking forward to seeing that carpet filled in 🙂
 
After a PM conversation with Dan, I'm swaying toward Ruby tetra now... Just checking to see if my friend can get them in 🙂 I'm still thinking 30 to start with.

Out of interest, what are people's opinions on when to stock the tank, bearing in mind the AS/amonia issue? I've done 2 large 75% water changes so far, and will continue to do so (next one tonight). I've not tested the water yet, but I will tonight. Should I stagger the stocking too? say, 15 at a time? Problem with that is transportation to the Harelstone MA in Northamton on more than one occasion might be an issue.
 
SteveUK said:
Out of interest, what are people's opinions on when to stock the tank, bearing in mind the AS/amonia issue?
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I always test for ammonia and nitrite before adding any livestock to a new Aqua Soil set-up. I only add livestock when they are undetecable levels, usually after 2-3 weeks.

After this period I usually add the entire stock, but I usually 'understock' and 'overfilter' considerably anyway. There should be plenty of nitrifying bacteria in the filter and substrate already, due to the Aqua Soil and plant growth.

I hope that helps, Steve.

I'm still amazed by the rocks, by the way. One of the best potential Iwagumis I've seen in the UK so far.... No pressure. 😀
 
Hi mate, i'm glad you've chosen them, they are stunning fish and will suite your scape down to the ground, or substrate LOL
Are you going to be ordering them in especially? If so then i should imagine that the store will be ha[[y to keep 15 back for you for a week or so, after all, it's in the best interest of the fish....
Youve got a big filter on there and mature media, if it clears up the ammonia in a week then i'd say it can cope with the extra bioload of all 30 fish, they really are small.
http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/Species ... p?id=26439
Please excuse the state of the tank, it wasn't a good time 😳
IMG_2726.jpg
 
Ok, that's good to know 🙂 I would naturally test and make sure before adding any livestock. 2 ex1200's should be over filtering enough too 🙂 I have seeded one of them, I might do the other when I get a chance (bit tight for space in the cabinet at the moment!)

George Farmer said:
I'm still amazed by the rocks, by the way. One of the best potential Iwagumis I've seen in the UK so far.... No pressure. 😀
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You're too kind 😳

The "peak" rock still troubles me. It just seems a little too under stated. I'm not going to touch it though. Just let it grow in (hopefully). Disturbingly, I've noticed a lot of the HC flapping about in the flow, suggesting some die off. I just have this feeling I'm going to get home one night to half the HC floating about :| I'm hopeful that it's still emmersed growth dieing off and all will be good... Where's the "pray" smiley?! :lol:

Dan Crawford said:
Hi mate, i'm glad you've chosen them, they are stunning fish and will suite your scape down to the ground, or substrate LOL
Are you going to be ordering them in especially? If so then i should imagine that the store will be ha[[y to keep 15 back for you for a week or so, after all, it's in the best interest of the fish....
Youve got a big filter on there and mature media, if it clears up the ammonia in a week then i'd say it can cope with the extra bioload of all 30 fish, they really are small.
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Thanks for pointing them out to me mate! I'll have a chat with my MA friend and see what she can do for me 🙂

Oh, on the glassware front, I've been looking for cheap and cheerful lily pipes. These are the best I can find for the price (look better than some of the ones on eBay). Bit worried about ordering from a random company though! I'm sure I've bought from Fish-Street via eBay before though...

I'd love to get the Cal-Aqua set... I could possibly stretch to 1 set, but 2... :|
 
SteveUK said:
Oh, on the glassware front, I've been looking for cheap and cheerful lily pipes. These are the best I can find for the price (look better than some of the ones on eBay). Bit worried about ordering from a random company though! I'm sure I've bought from Fish-Street via eBay before though...

I'd love to get the Cal-Aqua set... I could possibly stretch to 1 set, but 2... :|
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Hmmm, long way away! I recognise that photo with all the dimensions on - I think AquaEssentials used to sell them. If you're only concerned that they're glass and a good price then go for it, but if you've got your heart set on a particular style , or 'look', as your post seems to imply, I'd ask the store to confirm that the photos are actually of the pipes they're sending you. The pipes in the photo with the measurements don't look the same as the ones in the other pictures to me. Probably just being paranoid (was looking on ebay today at someone selling a koralia rip-off pump, and half the pictures were of the pump they were actually selling, and half were actually of a koralia pump (it wan't too hard to spot, koralia has a magnetic connection, theirs had three suckers!)).

Hope you get something you like and that works! Good luck 😀

Mark

EDIT: If you look at their 9mm, 13mm and 17mm pipe you'll see that they've used the same images for them all - so obviously at least two of the three sizes aren't being represented by a picture of the actual product.
 
Hmn, that sucks. I've found the same seller on eBay selling the same glassware, using the same photos. I'm pretty sure I don't like the look of them now :lol:

Popped to the LFS with a work mate today (it's great to have work mates interested in the same stuff, even if they *are* into marine - working on him to get his juwel lido planted 😉). I bought an Eheim compact 2000 pump for water changes. I don't think I've ever felt as excited as I do right now to get home and do a water change! 🙄

My next plan is to get some 25/50 litre water containers (RO style) and use these for water changes. I want to either pre-heat or get the water to room temp the night before a change. and use the pump to pump from the container to the tank. Decided using the hose pipe just isn't the best way to go, specially with these big water changes at the moment. Too much cold water.
 
Day 17:

All is comming along, appart from the lack CO2 at the moment. That should be sorted tomorrow hopefully thanks to Danny boy 🙂

Got some die off on the HC. Trimmed and re-planted some of it, but got destracted by a mate, so didn't do much. Managed to uproot some blyxa whilst swishing about, but that means I noticed some die off on the stalks. I've re-planted them and hopefully all will be good.

Did an amonia test tonight and it came out negative! We're on for fish this weekend, provided I can get to Maiden Head Harelstone!

Also, a lighting upgrade is on the cards, but more on that later :lol:
 
Fantastic tank there. Exactly the concept i was hoping to achieve with my Rio 180 when i re-did my tank. Then i got two dempseys and so plans changed 😛 Shall be keeping an on eye on this tank as each update comes 🙂

I see your from Coventry too 🙂
 
Yep, Coventrian here 😀

I'm plotting a Rio 180 at the moment too 😉 Crypts/ferns/bolbitis... I had a "vision" the other night whilst reading Amano's book 1 and I can't get it out of my head now :lol:
 
Indeed the planted tank is a poison that takes over. I'm yet to try my hand at an actual planted tank, preparations are in place for a 2ft first experience tank soon to come. I hope to start a journal on here when i finally do so, depending how badly or well it does :lol:

Do you have a Rio 180 currently? or plan to get one? I bought mine 4 years back when they came with x2 30W T8's as standard. Not ideal for planted growth, i believe now they have T5HO so its all fine. One thing i'd note is that the internal filter is useless and a pain, as you have found with your existing tank. Certainly is best to remove it as you did with your current beauty of a tank.

Do you mind me asking which aquatics shops you use in and around Coventry? I'm currently getting tiresome of some the local ones and wondered if you know of any i don't perhaps. The 4 i go to are; Coventry Aquatics, A5 Aquatics, Shirley Aquatics (blooms) and Shirley Aquatics in Shirley.
 
I've had the rio 180 for about 2 years, and I bought it second hand when I got it. It's the old style, single cupboard with the 2x 30w T8 unit (bleurgh!) It's done OK for me. I rigged it up so that it had 4x 30w T8 at one point but currently it's a holding tank for plants while I get other projects sorted out.

I will be upgrading the lighting soon though. I might be getting a couple of 125w mercury vapor pendants from Dan soon, so I think one will go over this 90cm and the other over the Rio 🙂

As for shops, essentially Coventry Aquatics is my "local". I don't drive (I should get around to taking lessons but it's so expensive!). It's about a 20 min walk from mine (Earlsdon) or a 5 min cycle. He's OK for bread and butter stuff, but as you know, he's very marine orientated. Scored the odd cheap plant deal from him though (came home with some reasonable bunched crypts recently - 4 for £5). I've been to the others with a fellow fish geek mate too, but not very often :lol: I wouldn't go to A5 again I don't think.

We'd usually go to Maidenhead Aquatics at Harlestone Heath in Northampton. Great fish and I know one of the folks that works there, from Tropical Fish Forums 🙂

Otherwise, it's all online ordering or hitching lifts with other forum folks to TGM (Usually Mr Starkey, the legend that he is 🙂) Kinda sucks but I've managed so far 😀
 
I'm pretty much in a similar boat to you then. Don't drive jsut yet, although my test is May 14th 😀 So soon i'll be able to ferry myself around. I have bad experiences with Coventry Aquatics, they sold me none aquatics plants on two occasions when i was starting out. Really peeved me off to be quite honest. A5 i like, they're quite helpfull and thats where i bought my Electric Blue Jack Dempseys so i'm always eternally gratefull to them. Never been to Maidenhead, always heard good things though and its right up there on my to do list.

I'm thinking of upgrading my Rio 180 lights to x2 39W T5HO GLO soon. T8's are to inefficient. HC, HG, vallis i struggle with them all. Ofcourse its never jsut been down to my lights. CO2 and ferts have been lacking this last year because my lighting was so hit and miss.

Online purchasing is certainly the way to go. I get all my stuff online usually. I get my plants shipped in from Singapore direct to my door 🙂 Don't know many people with the same pashion for aquatics in person, mainly online. So hitching lifts when others go hasnt been do-able for me :lol:

Well i'm off to work now. But i look forward to any updates on this tank soon 🙂
 
Verminator said:
I'm pretty much in a similar boat to you then. Don't drive jsut yet, although my test is May 14th 😀
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Hah.. Someone else I can hitch a lift with :lol:

I'm hoping to start some lessons with my old man soon. I hit 30 next month. You'd think I'd of sorted this out sooner wouldn't you 😉
 
Ok, i thought i left it late to learn to drive. Lets say the next number i hit is 20 :shock: Haha, by all means when i get road active and i'm going cruising to aquatic shops youd be more than welcome to hop along 😀 Thats a few months off yet though. I'll be a regular on here soon enough, and i can't see myself ever going inactive.

Getting a little off topic from your journal sorry :lol: Not trying to hijack the thread
 
Question about photoperiod guys. I'm currently running half light for 6 hours. Would it be best to go to full light for 6 hours or increase the photo period to the full 10 hours I was going to run at either half or full light? Bearing in mind I'll be on day 21 tomorrow...
 
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