My 6ft Community Aquarium

Hi all,

My first actual thread. Lol. I've been around for a while but because of work and other things going on I haven't had time to post but this is my current and only setup at the moment. Used to have more but like I said work had me so busy the last 2 years that I eventually only kept my one tank so here it is:
Dimension
180cm x 450(H) x 600(w)
Running with a 3ft sump filter

Stocking:
5 x Rainbow Boesmani females
6 x Rainbow fish (I am not 100% sure of the exact species but I hope someone here on the forum can help me identify them)
10 x Torpedo barbs
12 x Rosy Barbs
3 x Pakistani loaches(Used to be 6 in the tank but 3 disappeared a while ago and I just didnt end up buying more)
1 x polkadot loach(this guy was a rescue because he was the last one in the store and he wasnt looking happy at all so I took him home and QT'd him for a bit and moved him into my tank where he has been super happy. He's still quite a bit smaller than the Pakistanis but seems to be doing very well otherwise)
4 x Scissortails
1 x Synodontis Featherfin Catfish(This guy got into my tank by accident because one month I was out on work so had to get a maintenance company to maintain the tank for that month and when I got back there was a SMALL size catfish living in my aquarium, go figure) Now he's pretty big!!
1 x bristlenose pleco(My trusty glass cleaner)

Tank maintenance is done weekly with water changes ranging between 30 - 70%.
Tank had no live plants because I wasnt really into it at the time of setup but within the next few months, I am hoping to do a full conversion to live plants

I have two lighting options for this tank
1. The wooden hood the tank came with mounted with 3 x T8 pink globes for the front and mid section lighting and then 2 x T8 blue lights in the back section on the left and right ends for blue back light effect.
Each light works off its on switch so the lighting is very customisable depending on what effect I prefer at the time so I can range from a dim lighting effect to a full bright light with a blue/purple tinge in the back to give a decent aquarium effect.

2. LED lighting system. I had to purchase these units because I injured my arm a few months ago and working with the heavy wooden canopy became impossible so my only choice was to remove the hood and find an alternative lighting option and I managed to procure this from a LFS at an ok price, actually it was pretty expensive but I really needed it at the time so just took it.
Will post pics when I have it installed on the tank again

My observations on the lighting T8 Pink globes seem to enhance the colours and glow on my fish much more and the LED lights highlight water clarity and quality more than the fish. The fish look good but the reds seem to be a lot more muted then with the T8's.

The tanks been running for about 4years now and almost all of the fish were raised in there from juvenile especially the torpedo barbs(they came to me like tiny little sardines)
Oldest fish is one of the Pakistani loaches, She is with me since I started the hobby in 2010 with a 3ft aquarium and just seems to have been a fish that never left.

I'm not really good at pics but I will try to upload better ones as I go along. I will try to get more pics the fish for you guys(hopefully better ones if thats even possible for me) in the future. Current pics are with the hood lighting.

This is my main tank currently and I have more plans for more tanks in the future seeing as I am not that busy anymore and I am planning on starting a low-maintenance, low tech fish room in the next few months but focusing my attention on smaller type aquarium fish but now the focus would be more on live plants than the fish.

Anyways thats my story, apologies if it's a bit long but looking forward to being an active member on the forum from now on

 

Some nice looking Rainbows you have there. The other Rainbows is a bit difficult to id as the pictures are not that clear. Imo it is some form of Melanotaenia hybred. They will apreciate the live plants once you add them to the tank

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

 

Nice tank and cabinet, love the glow from the T8's. Your "fake" plants looks real.

 

@zm1611 .. Welcome and great to see you posting

Your tank looks beautiful.. really does
Those Rainbows are stunning and so are those torpedo barbs

The artificial plants look very natural and look good
It wont be too easy "i think" to have live plants with barbs and loaches but if you feed them cucumber and baby marrow and use hardier plants it should work

Hahaha.. when last have you completely emptied out your sump?
I had 4 little polkadot loaches and two vanished for a long time..
My two oscars.. although they had never eaten a fish... just automatically carried the blame..

Some time later my son decided to totally empty out the sump.. guess what.. there were my two polkadots among the ceramics fat and healthy!!!!

 

Looks pretty cool. Sand and live plants will really add to it!

@MariaS most barbs won't eat plants. I keep notorious plant eating rosy barbs and even they aren't so bad.

 

Oh.. ok... that's cool then

I also have all my loaches and people say the eat all the plants but i give them some cucumber almost every day which they munch to the skin and they leave my plants.
Fair enough i only have java and anubias but at least its something..

 

Thanks all for all the kind words.

I just emptied and cleaned the sump two weeks ago but no such luck on my end

 

On a side note I just got back from the LFS

heres what I ended up getting:
3 plants: Saggitaria grass (the long one), an anubia and some other plant which I dont know.
Going to post the pics up shortly, maybe someone can help out with the ID

These plants are going to be added to a 1ft tank that I setup for my niece for her beloved veil tail siamese fighter.

 

I also got some free java moss from the guy. I wanted to add it into my sump in a mesh type of bag for bio filtration. Anyone have any thoughts on this.

For lighting I have two LED fittings I can throw in the sump for a few hours a day to ensure the moss is getting light.

 

Sorry... was hoping you would have same luck.....

That was a typical Sunday shopping trip,, hehehe
Post the pictures and some of the plant experts will help
As for the moss in the bag.... i dont know if that will work or if it will die being constricted like that but i am not the right person to give accurate advice there but someone will..
Have a look at @Pezulo's thread that he started this morning "Something different"
You cold make a plastic wall like that and maybe put on one of the compartments... maybe that would work but would depend on the flow too, i guess
What about an algae sponge (i think its what they call it) they let algae grow on it in the sump.. someone will chime in here too, im sure

 

I am currently running my sump with floating hornwort in all the compartments except the return, T8 led running for about 8hrs a day, it definitely helps with algae control.
I am positive the java moss will also grow but not in a mesh type bag. I would suggest tying the moss to some lava rock and dump it in the sump. The lava rock is an excellent bio filtration media and not expensive.

 

Actually - this is one of those awesome tanks that I would probably say - do not go planted !!!!! You have the maintenance sorted, fish look healthy and you understand what works in your tank. If you really want a planted tank - start a second or 3'rd etc.


Later Ferdie

 

Ok thanks, I cant remember where I heard that the moss growth could be controlled in a bag but seeing as more than one person has pointed out that it may not work, I am definitely reconsidering the idea.

Yip, us fishy people definitely love our Sunday morning shopping trips but unfortunately for me budget has never gone according to plan and I always spend more than I was planning to no matter how much I tell myself not to.

Also a great idea, going to keep me busy this two weeks cos so many new things to try,

Hmmm now that's a very interesting possibility, thanks @BBFish for the tips. My first compartment has a great open space with good water flow and light access. I have a few small pieces of lava rock that I could attach the moss to and leave it there.

Thanks @f-fish, yip a second, third, fourth up to 10 are in the planning phase already

the best part of biological filtration is that you can never really have too much so all these ideas are really awesome and much appreciated, keep em coming. Thanks guys.

 

Ok so anybody know what the front plant is, please let me know and if I made any wrong choices in the plant selection, please feel free to point out because there really wasnt much for me to select today.
Oh and if anyone wants to know where the fish is, he is hiding in the back because I stressed him during planting.

 

That is aquatic and will change form when grown under the water name eludes me.

The other two - one looks like mondo - no good in your tank and not sure if that one on the back right is anubias or a Spathiphyllum wallisii .. latter will be no good.

Later Ferdie

 

Cryptocoryne I think.

 

@f-fish thanks. I'm pretty new to this so I thought the back left one looked like a giant Saggitaria when I purchased it. If anyone knows good places to procure some nice plants, I am open to suggestions.
I just need to make this tank pretty and relatively low maintenance for a 13 year old so basically a bit of trimming here and there and water changes only. I'm more or less trying to teach her responsibility of a pet but at the same time I don't want it to be pain to clean and keep the system healthy.

 

Pffft I'm 15 and tanks for daaaays!

Betterweather has good plants. where you based?

 

Wow 15. I am impressed!! she's a girl and her mind seems to be more into the usual girly things. She came with me one day to the LFS and saw a Blue/red betta that she really liked and wanted so being the fish lover and impulsive buyer that I am just got it for her on the condition that she take care of it properly. I think she's become more emotionally attached to the betta than being an avid aquarist.

 

I had a betta too, cute little fish and was fun but died of natural causes.

I'm getting the other half into fish too but she has an interest at least, seems girls are suckers for bettas

Are you near cape town? I could help with plants