Late 2005- Early 2008 -
2 1/4 years
60L
Tropical
Internal Filter then switched out for an External.
1/6 water change per week
Had mainly just bread and butter fish that were suitable
I remember a big sword and a big crypt. They were very healthy until they went down hill. I do not know why this happened, but I didn't fertilize the tank at all, and it was a T8 15w lamp. I do not know why I can't grow my crypts like this anymore
.
Late 2007 onwards
10g /35L
Tropical
Stingray internal then my old internal from the other tank
1/3 water change per week
Had a very hard time with this tank. I tried fishless cycling but despite waiting ages the ammonia never went down, due to people on the internet thinking there could be something bad in my tank I had to sterilize my tank several times with baby bottle sterilizers.
The tank then had some black neons in it, the tank never really took off with just odd pieces of rock and wood.
In May 2008 disaster struck twice. Firstly this small tank started leaking so it took at least a week until my Dad could re-silicone the tank (I had to buy the stuff too.) During this process my sister decided to tip all the fish food into my Juwel Lido 120, so that 1/3 of the fish died (including my prized and growing angelfish
and my mum's favourite fish, the yoyo loach.) I left the tank with the fish overnight because my other tank had just be repaired and needed setting. The next day I had to transport all 25 ish fish into my newly repaired 10g where they had to spend a week while I totally re-did my Lido.
However, because of this I only had 1 black neon left, who I thought it would be best if he went in the big tank because at least he attempts to shoal at times with my harlequins. This left my 10g empty.
Since about April, conveniently I had been planning on here with the help of a few others a rescape of the 10g.
So, naturally this was the right time to start it off. By the end of July, the tank had 8 green neon tetra and a big piece of wood with flame moss, weeping moss and spiky moss that was kindly sold or donated to me by ukaps members
. Then I went on holiday for a few weeks and to my surprise my moss had grown quite well. In mid August I added 4 pots of crypts and 2 pots of anubias to the tank. These seem to be doing quite well, but it's hard for me to tell since they are growing slowly. At this time I also started dosing DIY CO2, and after buying a yeast that doesn't work I found Allinsons yeast in Tesco, and this works great, with 1/2 tsp I get a lime green level for pretty much up to a week and a half. I started dosing dry ferts in ratio with that I used to dose on my Lido (thanks for ceg for telling me to put more in my Lido
). This week I have added 3 more crypts and a narrow sword from my big tank that have mysteriously perked up. Also during this time I have got 6 otocinclius and about 15 cherry shrimp, i've had no deaths apart from 1 cherry shrimp, which is good. I'd like to thank everyone who helped and especially Scott at Maidenhead Aquatics @ Hickstead for donating his unused HOB filter that would've cost me £25 :$. The next thing perhaps might be adding a low wattage PC light to the front of the tank, because I have the smaller version of what Aaron has, I'll copy him perhaps
. This will to be to boost growth by a little but mainly because my weeping moss doesn't get much light at all because the vertical wood it's on slightly arches foward.
2008 onwards
30g /120L
Tropical
Juwel Internal AND Fluval External
1/4 water change per week
Started off this year with silly me just ordering a mish mash of plants from green line, turns out I got fed up with the stems because the low leaves die (which is about 40cm without any leaves) and the vallis grows huge, I trimmed it and it just died off. I also had other plants that never really worked. The in May 2007 my sister killed 1/3 of the fish and I thought it would be a good idea to leave my plants outside in the freezing cold for a week. Both my tanks got some alien snails and duckweed, which I've managed to control the duckweed. I realised my plants had basically died off and now this tank is just inhabited by fish, I'm trying to figure out how to scape this tank and get it going properly again, without get pressurised CO2. I'd like marines but to be honest I can't really part with al these fish so I think I'll wait to either when we move house (in a year or so) or when I move out.
Aaron is quite an inspiration to me because he's the #1 15 year old fishkeeper here and I'm 15 too. I just fish I was as good as him :$.