Update, at last

So where were we?

The last entry I think we had just moved in the huge six foot tank. Well, that didn't end... well. After filling it, buying a new pump and putting in sand and bogwood I inspected it and found that where the idiot mover had dropped it (Yep! What a guy!) there was a big chip in the corner. Despite it being reinforced internally, I just wasn't going to take the risk, especially with a little one cruising around sticking her fingers in everything, and long story short we got rid of it and decided that after everything we had been through, we would just buy new. 

We ordered another six footer, slightly thinner and more in keeping with out current furniture. It was not cheap, but the moment it arrived I knew it was a better decision; a better fit and much more pleasing on the eye. Stupidly I didn't take any photos of it empty! But here it is just after we started to set it up.

Annoyingly, it wasn't plain sailing from the start. The bulkheads on the sump dripped no matter what we did, meaning we had to empty the weir and take apart the pipe work multiple times. In the end, we bought some gold label sealant and used it instead of the gaskets supplied, and that did the trick immeadiately. I hope we don't have to take the pipe work apart! We fit four T8 lights and then the starter just mysteriously stopped working so now there are just two, which won't do long term for the plants  although obviously the fish don't care.

After a few days of running the tank empty, we added the wood, plants and then fish. It wasn't much to look at because it was so murky for a while until I got a new powerhead. Here is a picture, a week or so on. Apologies for all the crud, it needs a bit of a clean!

We moved over:

7 Siamese Algae Eaters

7 Pentazona Barbs

7 Glowlight Tetra

7 Cardinal Tetra

7 Dwarf Chain Loaches

6 Yo Yo Loaches

6 Cories (5 albino one peppered)

3 Bosemani Rainbows

2 Dwarf Neon Rainbows 

2 BN Plecs

2 Angels

2 Swordtails

1 Platy

1 Clown Plec

1 Blue Phantom Plec

1 Plucky Harlequin Rasbora

1 Ancient Danio

As you can see, quite a mishmash!

Before adding any old fish to the tank, we added six new Platies. Canaries, if you will. They all survived the experience (thank goodness) so are now happily living beside their new chums.

I've also added:

3 Red Rainbows

3 Blue Rainbows

4 Bosemani Rainbows

4 Rainbows that I can't quite ID... Possibly Madagascan but with a slightly different tail??

4 Dwarf Neon Rainbows

I wouldn't normally have added to many fish - the first six last week and twelve yesterday - but the ones yesterday were an absolute bargain. Just £2.50 each for the larger rainbows and £3 for the dwarf neons. Take that, Maidenhead Aquatics and your ridiculous prices! After losing so many (six red rainbows, four Bosemani and TEN dwarf neons!) in our tank disaster, being able to up the number for a reasonable cost seemed like a very good idea. They're all only juveniles at the moment so you can completely understand why they sit in the display tanks for so long.

I'll try to get some pictures of them if I can!

The biggest fishy disaster of 2014...and a new project

Well after my last post, things didn't improve. What I assume was a temperature or Ph swing from refilling the tank too quickly after the disaster claimed all six red rainbows, three Bosemani rainbows, ten dwarf neon rainbows, four harlequins and a few cardinal tetras. 

RIP little guys. 

 A bit jaded and upset, I wondered whether it would be better to give up the rest of the fish and dismantle the tank but then my husband made a suggestion that I am certain will haunt him to his grave. 

 Let's get rid of the two big tanks and replace them with one bigger one. 

 So, wanting to launch myself into a new project to take my mind of the horrors of disaster week, I started putting feelers out there for a 5 or 6 foot tank to replace the 240l and the 200l. I posted on a facebook group and a guy replied, saying he had a 6x2x2 that didn't fit in their new house and he was looking to swap for a smaller tank like my 4 footer. So thinking 'bargain!' I agreed with him that, once the carpet was laid, we would do a swap. 

 Well, I won't go into the work involved in moving a tank capable of holding 180 US gallons (with a sump) but suffice to say it wasn't straightforward and the air turned blue a few times that day! However, happily the tank survived the swap and was installed in it's new place in my living room. 

As soon as the guy and the mover had left, my husband and I looked at the tank, and looked at each other. We knew the dimensions of the tank, we had even been to visit ones just like it in an aquatic shop, however I don't think either of us really appreciated how BIG this tank was going to be.

Here is a picture of it with my ten month old daughter for scale, and I don't even think it shows how imposing it is. However, a few days later and I am getting used to it, and now I can't wait for it to be set up!

Since this photo was taken, we have half-filled it, put in the sand and bogwood - which previously dominated the 4 footer but now looks pathetically small! We are going to get the sump up and running today and run it for a few days until it clears. Maybe even plant it up a bit.

Anyway I am intending to take photos at each stage so hopefully I will be able to update them to this journal! Wish me luck!