My new pleco, L128 (Blue Phantom)

I went out fish shopping today to find a red betta. Unfortunately no luck there so it will probably be three or four weeks before I get one. However I did end up with this cheeky chappy:

Juvenile (under 2inch) L128 'Blue Phantom' Plec - photo really doesn't show his beautiful colour

It doesn't really show how blue he is but trust me, he's one good looking plec. He's living in the 65l for a few weeks so I can keep a close eye on him but he'll be moving into one of the bigger tanks when I know he's ok. 

Too cute!

Bonus post: My Blagdon Affinity Pillar Pond

Thought I'd get some pics up of my 'pond'. I was lucky enough to win this one in a competition about four months ago. It's quite small at 200l and is home to three goldfish (Bob, Bob and Bob), a few marginal plants which are doing really well (perhaps too well!), some oxygenating weed and some pond snails which I am hoping will help get rid of some of the algae. I don't mind scrubbing but the water is very cold!

I know that these have had mixed reviews but I really like it, particularly the portholes as the fish come up when you're passing and stare at you through them. It's a really nice looking addition to the decking and very calming to watch.

Saying that, I don't know what will happen through winter, it might have to come inside if it's particularly cold and that's not a job I'd relish. I should perhaps mention that I have a plan b, and if I can't look after them over winter or when they get too big they will be moving down south to my parent's large garden pond.

The LED light is a nice touch although I think there's algae on the sensor as it seems to come on quite early in the day. Ah well, a bit more scrubbing it is then...

Also I did have the waterfall feature on but it was just too loud and harsh, the fountain is less nice to look at but it won't drive you mad at night! Finally, the cover is home made because it doesn't come with anything to keep the cats, bird and foxes out. This seems to have done the trick and kept the fishes safe so far. 

Blagdon Affinity Pillar Pond

Goldfish have come to the surface to see what's what

Checking me out through the porthole!

A cable runs through the wall to power the included Blagdon pond pump which is rated for a far bigger pond.

This is my last tank...promise!

And I do mean that this time, as I have NO surfaces left!

First of all, updates on my tanks.

The loaches which I introduced in this post are clearly not YoYo loaches and I feared they were going to get much too big for the 125l so I swapped them with my peppered cories. They both went mad, the cories seem to love the darker substrate and settled down really well and the loaches are so active in my bigger tank they are almost exhausting to watch!

Unfortunately the female dwarf gourami also died so the tank is missing its centrepiece fish, the krisbensis is now behaving herself but as she is primarily a bottom dweller there is definitely something 'missing'... I'm going to think long and hard before I replace them though.

Have started dosing SeaChem flourish excel for the plants and it's made a real difference. It's likely to get expensive but not sure I'm ready for CO2 yet.

Some update pics of the 200l:

Fluval Roma 200

Two of the loaches which are too quick to photograph!

Cardinal Tetras gather at the back

And the 125:

Two Angels dominate this tank!

Fluval Roma 125

'Viv' - (s)he's the boss

Rummynose Tetras

No changes in the 65l really, that tank has never caused me problems at all . A recent picture:

And finally, my new betta tank! Well it will be once it gets a betta. At the moment it's home to two small platies and a guppy who are making sure it stays cycled. It came free with a subscription to Practical Fish Keeping magazine and is a 15l Superfish Wave tank. It's really neat as the heater and filter are hidden from view and you can change the colour and intensity of the light via buttons on the top. We've gone for a minimalist 'zen' feel to this one!

Superfish Wave 15

Will house a betta if I can find the right one!

Shrimp tank hasn't changed since the last update except there are now loads of baby shrimplets :D Too small for me to take a photo of...

That's all folks!

New pics and some bad news :(

King boffer died after a long battle with DGD.

Poor boff.

And in better news, just a couple of new pics of my 200l

As you can see, quite hot in there today, but there doesn't seem to be a lot we can do. I don't know why it holds the temperature so well, the other tanks aren't anywhere near 28 degrees. Maybe it's just because it's the biggest tank? Or maybe the external filter has something to do with it? I don't know. I've tried cooling it but the fish seem to be alright, no deaths, no illness, no flashing for a very long time. Hurrah!

The 125 is still going OK although I decided that plants, minimal lighting and loaches was a bad mix so have some vallis and java fern and a few odds and ends but that's it, moved the rest to the 200 where I am dosing flourish and everything seems to be...well... flourishing!

Over the last month we have lost another rummynose to a mystery illness which turned its body white from the inside over several months, thought it might be Neon Tetra Disease but it hasn't spread at all - Phew. All other inhabitants fine. Thinking of getting a plec for this one as the algae is everywhere and the loaches snack on any snails they come across. Maybe I will go with a slightly rarer L number this time but I'm not 100% sure yet.

Some of my newest project a few months in

Thought I should get some pics up of the most recent project, the shrimp tank in the kitchen! It's been running perhaps six weeks or two months now.

It's an Arcadia Arc 20l and we started with around ten cherry red shrimp

Here are a few of the shrimp having a 'shrimposium', I have just noticed in the top left hand corner there appears to be a shrimplet :) Unfortunately their arrival has meant it's very difficult to hoover up after them as you can see!

23rd July 2012

Ok so... Been a little while but all is going ok, thought i'd get some updated pictures up.

My 125 currently. Looking quite busy at the moment' current occupants are two angels, 11 rummynoses (lost one mysteriously, wasn't ill to my knowledge...) 6 loaches and a smattering of guppies and platies which were getting bullied in my other tank. I might re-introduce them as I am getting impatient for the perfect tank and three species is all I wanted in there.

I was sold these as yoyo loaches but I am now wondering if they might be Botia histronica?..

Any ideas??

Finally a few of my 200l, no new inhabitants and no one gone to fishy heaven. The dwarf gourami who I thought had DGD is living in my 65l with a bunch of female guppies and platies, he's not quite right - a little curved - but he feeds ok and he's no where near as bad as he was when I took him out of the 200l to treat him with anti internal bacteria meds.

Will try and take better ones but I am not a born photographer and my iPad isn't exactly an SLR... :X

A month or so on...

FINALLY, some pictures of how the tank looks now (not very good I'm afraid!!).

  

Current inhabitants:

2 x Baby Angels
6 x YoYo Loaches
12 x Rummynose tetra
2 x Platies
and a bunch of guppies who were getting bullied in the other tank.

All are getting on well so far but I'm keeping careful watch in case I need to separate anyone in future!

In other tank news, have switched to an external filter in my 200l so it looks so strange now - so much more space! Haven't altered the stocking much except we had to put in Mrs Kribbitch the moody kribensis as we needed the hospital tank for our sick dwarf gourami, he's still with us but for how long I don't know. Could be the dreaded DGD. His Mrs is fine and still in the 200l.

The kribensis has settled down now, and isn't picking on anyone; she's even getting on fine with the cories.We moved the guppies & hi-fin platies out (into the 125) because she would just rip them to shreds, and have put in two new platies to add a bit of colour. Tetras, danios, barbs and cories are all fine too, as is Mr Bristles who is getting HUGE already. Here are a few rubbish pics taken today:

Ta-da!

And last but not least, the 65l is now home to some rapidly growing platy and guppy young ladies. it's also had a wee re-scape:

:)