Hey there guys!
I'm 18, been interested in keeping fish for the past year. I currently have 2 beautiful Ranchus, Fuji and MotoMoto, along with Golden Zebra Danios, White Cloud Mountain Minnows, Apple Snails (plus new hatchlings ). I also have two juvenile axolotls I have a lot of plants in my coldwater tank, my faviourite being Cabomba, it looks prehistoric Glad to see it being used in Takashi Amano's Gallery (means I can use it!)
I've recently acquired a new pc (well iMac <3) and so had to remove the tanks I had on my desk, in replacement I got an Aqua 40 I just can't not have a tank on my desk!
It's 25L, has a built in light and came with a free filter and heater.
I set it up today, I had got Tetra Complete Substrate, and was a bit bewildered when it said that I needed to cap it (after advice that I didn't need to!). Anyway, after some research, I decided to go ahead and use it. I already had washed sand (basic Unipac) that I had in a tank which I'm cycling as an upgrade for my axolotls. So, about 3cm of the Tetra went in, and then about the same of the sand, higher in some areas than others.
I got it filled up with dechlorinated water (of course using the dish method to avoid flying substrate!), got the filter and heater turned on, and added bacterlife (whatever good that might do! It's just habit I suppose!).
I want to get some hardscape for it...bit late though now? Hmm!
I'm planning to move some livestock into it in about 3 weeks; if all of the water parameters are stable.
Possible stocking list:
-Lots of cherry shrimp and some golden zebra danio fry I should have by then (I had a breeding pair lay today in a separate tank); or
- Dwarf Puffer Love these guys, but are they ok to be solitary?; or
- Betta Splendens (Siamese Fighting Fish), have had these before, but I can imagine a single male swimming around the large rock formation I'm planning, think it would look quite cool ; or
- An invert of some type, I really like crabs, but of course they need a terrestrial area, do they all? Or is there a completely aquatic species?; or
- Guppies, bit boring, but they are pretty.
I know my choices are limited because of the size of the tank, and that they tend to be a bit more unstable, but I've had experience in small, unruly tanks! My first ever tank was 16L...(was for a single male fighter, so no cruelty there! )
Anyway, back to the plants!!
I want something that will carpet well for the majority of the tank, and I'm really keen on using Cabomba to cover up the hideous filter and heater.
I'm planning on dosing daily (or what is recommended) with easy carbo and a Tetra Plantamin. Not wanting to use CO2 at this point.
Plenty of questions there, but honest, this is a journal entry!
Will check ammonia levels at a more godly hour, see how that is, if it's low I'll probably add fish flake as I usually do with my cycling tanks.
Back to more reading about plants!
Any advice would be greatly appreciated
I'm 18, been interested in keeping fish for the past year. I currently have 2 beautiful Ranchus, Fuji and MotoMoto, along with Golden Zebra Danios, White Cloud Mountain Minnows, Apple Snails (plus new hatchlings ). I also have two juvenile axolotls I have a lot of plants in my coldwater tank, my faviourite being Cabomba, it looks prehistoric Glad to see it being used in Takashi Amano's Gallery (means I can use it!)
I've recently acquired a new pc (well iMac <3) and so had to remove the tanks I had on my desk, in replacement I got an Aqua 40 I just can't not have a tank on my desk!
It's 25L, has a built in light and came with a free filter and heater.
I set it up today, I had got Tetra Complete Substrate, and was a bit bewildered when it said that I needed to cap it (after advice that I didn't need to!). Anyway, after some research, I decided to go ahead and use it. I already had washed sand (basic Unipac) that I had in a tank which I'm cycling as an upgrade for my axolotls. So, about 3cm of the Tetra went in, and then about the same of the sand, higher in some areas than others.
I got it filled up with dechlorinated water (of course using the dish method to avoid flying substrate!), got the filter and heater turned on, and added bacterlife (whatever good that might do! It's just habit I suppose!).
I want to get some hardscape for it...bit late though now? Hmm!
I'm planning to move some livestock into it in about 3 weeks; if all of the water parameters are stable.
Possible stocking list:
-Lots of cherry shrimp and some golden zebra danio fry I should have by then (I had a breeding pair lay today in a separate tank); or
- Dwarf Puffer Love these guys, but are they ok to be solitary?; or
- Betta Splendens (Siamese Fighting Fish), have had these before, but I can imagine a single male swimming around the large rock formation I'm planning, think it would look quite cool ; or
- An invert of some type, I really like crabs, but of course they need a terrestrial area, do they all? Or is there a completely aquatic species?; or
- Guppies, bit boring, but they are pretty.
I know my choices are limited because of the size of the tank, and that they tend to be a bit more unstable, but I've had experience in small, unruly tanks! My first ever tank was 16L...(was for a single male fighter, so no cruelty there! )
Anyway, back to the plants!!
I want something that will carpet well for the majority of the tank, and I'm really keen on using Cabomba to cover up the hideous filter and heater.
I'm planning on dosing daily (or what is recommended) with easy carbo and a Tetra Plantamin. Not wanting to use CO2 at this point.
Plenty of questions there, but honest, this is a journal entry!
Will check ammonia levels at a more godly hour, see how that is, if it's low I'll probably add fish flake as I usually do with my cycling tanks.
Back to more reading about plants!
Any advice would be greatly appreciated