Hi from South Manchester

[AndyMcD]

Another avid reader who has plucked up the courage to join this fantastic forum.

Since November 2013, I've been having a go with a budget set up, a Superfish Expert 70 aquarium with an external Eheim filter and inline heater.

I'm about to upgrade to an 800mmL x 450mmD x 400mmH Optiwhite aquarium, on a cabinet I already have.

I now realise that I have complicated matters by going for rheophilic fish, hill stream loaches and glowlight danios (fast).

I'm concerned that rheophilic fish from fast flowing, highly oxygenated rivers will struggle in a high tech, CO2 injected tank, so I'm going for a low tech set up with surface agitation, perhaps adding liquid carbon when I start to struggle.

I've learned so much from this great forum already and I've reached a point where I'm going to have to start putting what I have read into practise.

However, I've still got loads of questions and I'm hoping to benefit from the opinions of the experts on this forum, hopefully before it all starts going horribly wrong.

I'll start a journal so hopefully others may learn from my experiences, probably what not to do!

 

[CanisDraco]

Hi from North Manchester nice sized tank you're upgrading to, I have two 125l just slightly thinner than that, lovely shape for scaping

 

[AndyMcD]

Hi, I bought the tank to fit the cabinet, but I now hope that the extra depth may help with gas exchange on a low tech tank. I'm hoping it will be a good balance, a bit bigger so more stable but not so big that maintenance will be a chore. Thanks.

 

[Henry]

Hello also from South Manchester. Old Trafford, to be precise.

The secret to a good low tech is keeping the lighting very moderate. I've recently set up a tank using only sand as a substrate, with no ferts and only surface agitation. Currently it's more stable and healthier than any high tech I've ever kept! If you keep everything slow-moving with a low amount of light, and keep on top of water changes, you're onto a winner.

I look forward to your journal. Best of luck with the new tank!

 

[AndyMcD]

Hi Henry, I work in Old Trafford ... Small world! Thank you for the feedback. Very helpful!

 

[Edvet]

Welcome@ukaps

 

[Dr Gibbon]

Hello from East Manchester and welcome to the forums, interested to see your new se tup take shape

 

[AndyMcD]

Edvet and Dr Gibbon, thanks very much. Need to start pulling my ideas together!