Hello there - back in the UK

[Jaxpot]

Hi everyone
I'm in Bromley and back from having lived in France. I knew I was going to return to the UK so my first aquascape there (in a tiny nano) was very basic and small, with just half a dozen neon tetras and a few red cherries - for me, aquascaping brought me back to fishkeeping but once there were fish, their happiness takes priority - and any attempt at aquascaping suffers as a result. But I do love looking at the entries in the competitions that take place and think... one day.

I currently have a small 45-litre tank & a 30-litre, with the plants that survived the move back to the UK from France and the wait until I'd sorted out my house after having tenants in it for the past 10 years. Problem was I left it a little too long to replant them and when I did, I sort of threw them in with the spare substrate that I had left. So it's a bit higgledy-piggledy at the mo - and, of course, the London water is so much harder than the French Alpine water I had that some haven't fared so well.

But as I need a bigger tank for the fish that I have, I want to get something like a 90-litre and spend some more time setting it up from the outset - and then rescaping my 45L tank for my tiny scarlet badis project. I shall have lots of questions I imagine - hence joining this site. Particularly when it comes to substrate as I had an absolutely disastrous experience with ADA's substrate that turned the water completely brown as soon as look at it. I am really fearful of using ADA's soil ever again yet most plants loved it - my filter hated it - and I couldn't do a water change without turning everything the colour of oxtail soup.

So looking forward to posting - particularly when I get my new (to me), larger tank and replanting with a little more care and effort.

Thanks all, Jackie.

 

[Greenfinger2]

Hi Jaxpot, Welcome back to the UK. And welcome to UKAPS Sorry to here about the plants London tap water is as hard as nails There are lots of people on here with the same hard water including me. ADA substrate i have not used yet. Lots of members have had great success using this substrate though.

Looking forward to your questions and updates

 

[Jaxpot]

Thanks Greenfinger2. There's been some pickup in most plants now, with the CO2 switched on its regular timer and the introduction of hygrophila polysperma hemianthus callitrichoides cuba and cabomba c. which combined seem to make it harder for the hair algae and better for the plants. Even the staurogyne repens has picked up a little. But it's my nymphaea glandulifera that I miss (it died pretty quickly after arrival!) and it doesn't seem readily available here like it was in France.

But... different water means new and different plants. Cool.

 

[Rasbo]

Welcome to the forum, I'm in Bromley too so maybe we can swap a few things sometime.

 

[Jaxpot]

Thanks Rasbo, will bear that in mind for sure. Will be good to talk about experiences with others - my friends think I'm slightly barking

 

[Rasbo]

I always think this hobby is a bit lonely, not easy to find others with similar interests without accosting others in an aquarium shop. What sort of fish are you going to be keeping?

 

[Jaxpot]

I have half a dozen Beckford's pencil fish and an oto in the 45L - hence need for bigger tank - the oto is on its own , and the alpha male pencil is a real bully. So more space and I've heard putting something bigger in with them could help (I'm thinking piranha as I just don't like him so much now).

In my smaller 30 litre I have some pygmy corys and 2 scarlet badis (one of them is in avatar). This group I just love and want to increase their numbers eventually when the 45L becomes available

Do you have fish/shrimp in your tank(s)? Rasboras I'm guessing - if so, how do they find the hard water in the area?

Jac

 

[Rasbo]

8 tanks and one transitioning from dry start blacked out at present to deal with blue green algae. All started when wife gave me a tank at Christmas 2011 Juwel 180 but never really got to grips with plants. After losing many learnt what would grow. Second tank was a reciprocal gift Juwel 120 to wife which has been the most successful low tech tank of all, seems to thrive on minimal maintenance. Third an old seabray 3ft 150l designed to be dedicated to rasboras but they were really difficult to source so others got a look in too. Also got a Trigon 350 which has been a real headache from day one. Substrate is Tesco cat litter which is a bit light and so plants with a substantial root system are needed. Never managed to get on top of diatom or BGA whatever I do and on top of that we stocked with barbs who eat the plants. Nevertheless it looks just about acceptable. Remaining tanks are smaller 35l 25l and 15l but all planted. Only last two have really had a nod to aquascaping and not really happy with those. I guess it just goes with the territory.

Fish by tank
1 plecs endlers mollies platies sucking loach and a few odd tetras
2 dwarf pencilfish, lemon tetra, neon tetra, silvertip tetra sparkiling gourami cherry barb african banded barb ottos danios
3 rasbora - espei, urapthalmoides, borapetalus, eye spot, marginatus, plus hovering loach, dwarf cory and ottos
4 rosy barb, golden barb, checkered barb, odessa barb, cherry barb, giant danio, ottos and dwarf rainbowfish
5 rasbora - maculata, merah and burmese ottos and danios red cherry shrimp
6 rosy loach
7 rosy loach and daisys rice fish
8 vietnamese mountain minnow and cory hastatus and red cherry shrimp
9 to be decided

No issues with hard water though no breeding except for danios and cherry barbs. Currently trying to encourage rosy loach to breed but no luck yet.

 

[Jaxpot]

You have a veritable fish farm going on with many big tanks! That's fab that you're both into it (and probably just as well with that number of tanks). Interesting as I'd wondered about cherry barbs but thought they might want more space than I had, and sparkling gouramis but I can't remember why I discounted them now... think it was to do with water parameters of some sort. Do the cherries have lots of character as they're still on a "maybe" list for the future?

At the moment (famous last words), I seem to have gone through most of the hair algae stage - it was in the heudelotii bolbitis mainly but taking away the old leaves and leaving mainly the new growth seems to be helping, and moving the filter nearer to it - also the introduction of a couple of fast-growing plants has helped. I have CO2 in my tank - sodastream method - it lasts well and has proved a really cheap and reliable way of providing CO2. Just a few hours a day and with a bazooka diffuser that turns 1 co2 bubble into a mass.

When it comes to being happy with aquascapes - far as I can tell, most people who try it seem to be perfectionists and modest too - so I reckon yours are probably better than you're admitting to. Trying to reproduce that perfect picture in the imagination, and transfer it to a tank - never works out quite how intended. And those that produce something amazing then tear it down and start again. (I was looking at the full tank pictures on the forum today - wow, my word - I'm somewhere between being inspired, or looking at my tanks and wondering why I bother).

Still, it's inspired me to get my CV and covering letter done today. Job hunting is a must as I want to be able to splash out without guilt on some proper pieces of interesting rock. When I moved home, I brought quite a few bits of slate and other pieces back with me from the mountains. Useful tank fillers rather than stunning pieces. But a guy helping me move picked up one of the smaller boxes and said "Jeez, what you got in here? Box of rocks?" Er, exactly right. The things we do!!!

Good luck with the loach breeding - expecting to see pics on the forum when successful!

 

[Rasbo]

Cherry barbs are attractive and mix well with other fish but I would not say have much character. The rosy loaches do though but you need dither fish with them to overcome shyness. I have not gone down the Co2 route so plants largely muddle along.

Good luck with the job hunt, let me know if you need any pointers on best shops nearby or want any trimmings.

 

[Jaxpot]

Thank you Rasbo, I'll let you know when I eventually find the right tank.

 

[Rasbo]

Take a look on Gumtree or preloved, I've picked up good second hand ones, Lido 120 £100 and Trigon 350 £200 for example often with heaters, filters and oddments included. Still have another four or five 60x20x20cm breeding tanks in the loft and they were free!

Will have to trim pogo and micranthum micranthmoides soon, let me know if interested.

 

[Jaxpot]

Hi there Rasbo - only just seen this. I'm quite interested in some MM if you haven't trimmed it already ??? I have Cuba in my CO2 tank but it's not doing so well in my non-CO2 one, so if your MM is doing well in a non CO2 setting and medium light then that could definitely be worth a try in my smaller tank as an alternative (and not to mention, very much appreciated). If the pogo is helferi, then I'm okay for that - mine is beginning to pick up a little now.

Hope to be able to return the favour at some point - likely for the future could be: hygrophila polysperma, bolbitis heudelotii, fissidens fontanus (Phoenix moss), Anubia Nana Bonsai.