Hi all,
I was hoping you fine people may be able to assist me.
I own a fish tank!
Now, I like my fish tank, and I like the plants and the fish I have in them. However, I do not like maintenance of practically any form or other..... which obviously brings me into conflict with owning a fish tank.
I have just had a little baby boy and one of his favourite past times is sitting in his high chair next to the fish tank staring for around 20 minutes or so (in peace and quiet) at the fish. As you can imagine, this is also a habit that Mummy and Daddy quite like..... especially so, the ‘peace and quiet’ bit.
So, I have decided to pull my finger out a bit, remember we are talking maintenance here – so I can’t pull it all the way out, and get this tank to a point where it’s a joy for us all and not just the little one!
This is my tank:
• My tank is a Rio 180.
• It’s around one and a half years old
• I have not changed the lights
• I have a new heater
• The pump ‘seems’ okay.
• I also have another little fan in there, though I think the location is not ideal.
• Tap Water PH is just below 8 (that’s London for you)
• GH 210 to 320 and KH 210 to 280
• Fish – Mollies, Blue Rainbow, Neon’s and Clown Plecs
• 6/7 difference plant varieties – mostly unknown but with Amazon Swords and Java Moss.
• 2 lumps of bog/drift wood
• Currently non-functioning CO2 tank
As you can see........ its full, which given my views on maintenance, is not ideal.
After being inspired by a thread in this very forum – the one on using Akadama as a substrate, I plunged head first, not literally, and completed started over with my tank (keeping much of the water and filters – so as not to lose my cycledness (if that’s a word)).
When the tank is working well, its stunning, at least to me, however nowadays, it’s rarely working well.
I have more varieties of algae than you can shake a stick at and I have plants that are probably not right with each other or with the amount of light I have and they are certainly not compatible with the algae I have!
The afore mentioned algae:
So..... I want to start over, to tie in with my renewed efforts. HOWEVER, and this is a big however, hence the caps, I want to get things right from here on out.
I want a low maintenance tank that will look nice! Not much to ask for eh? And If I can do that with what I already have, then all the better.
This is what I am thinking and this is also where you fine people come in (please please come in!)
• More slow growing and hence lower maintenance plants. I love Anubis and I have a fair bit of already, cut and grown my myself. I love it more without the algae though! I also have some smaller, what I call fat plants ie short but wide:
• More fast growing and low maintenance plants. By low maintenance, I mean that I can cut from the top and not from the bottom where I have to submerge my whole arm:
• Lots more bog/drift wood to replace the empty spaces I’ll have from removing the Swords and it will give me space for the Anubis to grow.
• Minimal substrate – there is no particular reason for this other than to minimise the mess in the tank when I maintain it. Because of this I assume I will need plants that can grow from pots or that do not need roots.
• Small (fist size) smooth stones to put into areas where I can hide pots (for certain plants) if needs be.
• I love the thought of trying to cover half of the bottom of the tank with Ricca or at least the stones
• Lots of moss of some form of other on the wood.
So...... over to you:
• Is this possible
• Is this actually ‘low’ maintenance?
• Can you suggest some plants for me
• Can you suggest a substrate
• Are there any examples of something similar anywhere?
• Can you please assist with the algae
• Can you suggest a backdrop for the tank. I have a white wall behind or planted look wallpaper.
Thanks for taking the time to read this and even more thanks if you are able to assist me.
And, before I forget, one more picture, the little one:
Regards
Lee
I was hoping you fine people may be able to assist me.
I own a fish tank!
Now, I like my fish tank, and I like the plants and the fish I have in them. However, I do not like maintenance of practically any form or other..... which obviously brings me into conflict with owning a fish tank.
I have just had a little baby boy and one of his favourite past times is sitting in his high chair next to the fish tank staring for around 20 minutes or so (in peace and quiet) at the fish. As you can imagine, this is also a habit that Mummy and Daddy quite like..... especially so, the ‘peace and quiet’ bit.
So, I have decided to pull my finger out a bit, remember we are talking maintenance here – so I can’t pull it all the way out, and get this tank to a point where it’s a joy for us all and not just the little one!
This is my tank:
• My tank is a Rio 180.
• It’s around one and a half years old
• I have not changed the lights
• I have a new heater
• The pump ‘seems’ okay.
• I also have another little fan in there, though I think the location is not ideal.
• Tap Water PH is just below 8 (that’s London for you)
• GH 210 to 320 and KH 210 to 280
• Fish – Mollies, Blue Rainbow, Neon’s and Clown Plecs
• 6/7 difference plant varieties – mostly unknown but with Amazon Swords and Java Moss.
• 2 lumps of bog/drift wood
• Currently non-functioning CO2 tank
As you can see........ its full, which given my views on maintenance, is not ideal.
After being inspired by a thread in this very forum – the one on using Akadama as a substrate, I plunged head first, not literally, and completed started over with my tank (keeping much of the water and filters – so as not to lose my cycledness (if that’s a word)).
When the tank is working well, its stunning, at least to me, however nowadays, it’s rarely working well.
I have more varieties of algae than you can shake a stick at and I have plants that are probably not right with each other or with the amount of light I have and they are certainly not compatible with the algae I have!
The afore mentioned algae:
So..... I want to start over, to tie in with my renewed efforts. HOWEVER, and this is a big however, hence the caps, I want to get things right from here on out.
I want a low maintenance tank that will look nice! Not much to ask for eh? And If I can do that with what I already have, then all the better.
This is what I am thinking and this is also where you fine people come in (please please come in!)
• More slow growing and hence lower maintenance plants. I love Anubis and I have a fair bit of already, cut and grown my myself. I love it more without the algae though! I also have some smaller, what I call fat plants ie short but wide:
• More fast growing and low maintenance plants. By low maintenance, I mean that I can cut from the top and not from the bottom where I have to submerge my whole arm:
• Lots more bog/drift wood to replace the empty spaces I’ll have from removing the Swords and it will give me space for the Anubis to grow.
• Minimal substrate – there is no particular reason for this other than to minimise the mess in the tank when I maintain it. Because of this I assume I will need plants that can grow from pots or that do not need roots.
• Small (fist size) smooth stones to put into areas where I can hide pots (for certain plants) if needs be.
• I love the thought of trying to cover half of the bottom of the tank with Ricca or at least the stones
• Lots of moss of some form of other on the wood.
So...... over to you:
• Is this possible
• Is this actually ‘low’ maintenance?
• Can you suggest some plants for me
• Can you suggest a substrate
• Are there any examples of something similar anywhere?
• Can you please assist with the algae
• Can you suggest a backdrop for the tank. I have a white wall behind or planted look wallpaper.
Thanks for taking the time to read this and even more thanks if you are able to assist me.
And, before I forget, one more picture, the little one:
Regards
Lee
