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my first attempt but need help in these times

Susanna

Member
Joined
28 Mar 2020
Messages
27
Location
Birmingham
hi folks this is my first attempt at aqua scaping proper we always used to keep fish but to be honest the pants were for practicality i.e. oxygen and shelter rather than the set up itself.

I would like any suggestions and advice about my set up that is things that are potential for disaster.

The tank has been set up for a week now and I've been changing the water regularly unfortunately I was not able to secure any livestock before the lockdown and pets at home which is only 2 miles away will only sell supplies and plants no fish.

I plan to get a shoal of neon's possibly a small algae eater or something maybe glass shrimp?

I do have one small problem at the moment, the wood and some of the substrate/sand seems to have developed a white mucus like coating. Any suggestions? 20200330_132951-4.jpg 20200323_190208-3.jpg 20200330_132906.jpg
 
Hi Susanna and welcome :D

he wood and some of the substrate/sand seems to have developed a white mucus like coating

completely normal in a new setup and will pass, shrimp esp Amanos will soon take care off it once tank has cycled and safe to add livestock, Try and get most of it out when doing Water change will help also.
 
the pants were for practicality
You are Bridget Jones aicmfp. :)
That white stuff is mould growing on a bit of soft matter left on the wood. It will go away after a while. You can brush it off and syphon it out to keep things looking nice.
I would suggest you look at Green Neons; they are a little smaller than Neons, so they often look better in a small tank. Also, they are usually healthy whereas it is getting hard to find healthy Neons.
Cherry Shrimps would be good to help with algae, red are commonest, but there are orange or yellow ones as well. Also snails, such as the various nerites.
 
Agree with everything that’s been said so far, but wanted to add they I really like the look of your tank!! Amazing for your first go at aquascaping!
 
Looking good! As others have said dont worry about white coating.

And as for stocking, a school of neons sounds good to me. And I would recommend shrimps every day of the week if you want them, they're awesome to watch, add colour and do a job for you.

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk
 
Hi Susanna and welcome.to ukaps tank.looks good just keep.up.the water changes be patient and enjoy
 
Thanks for your replies folks I appreciate it. Starting to think I could have used more substrate as I have just had to replant a couple of my plants, I keep asking them nicely to anchor their toes for me !

I was getting worried about the top most Anubias barteri nana. as it displayed a bit of die back on one of its leaves and as this one is in the direct flow from the filter I thought perhaps I'd planted it in the wrong position but looking at it when I changed some of the water this evening I noticed that it was in an almost perfect straight line which makes me think that it was damaged in packing.

As an aside I was wondering if getting fish / critters by mail was an idea I did find a company in oxford who could courier them to me for an extra £17 as I don't fancy being picked up by the police journeying 15 miles to my nearest aquaria suppliers and to be honest I don't want to put myself at risk. I know I am rushing but I can see the situation getting a lot worse before it gets better, we are working on a 3 to 4 month lock down at work
 
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