The Roma 240 has landed!

So before Christmas, I sent my other half an email with an ebay link for a 240 litre tank about 40 minutes away. It was a very good price due I imagine to it being fully stocked. Anyway much to my surprise, he encouraged me to bid, so I did...and I won! Hurrah.

Fast forward to the start of January, and it was time to pick up the tank! It took several hours to bag all the fish, empty and completely break down the tank, and several cars to move it all, but I got there in the end thanks to the help of my wonderful husband, the previous owner who was extremely patient, and my cousin and her husband who helped transport the tank and cabinet.

We got back to our house about 2.30 in the afternoon in the knowledge that my brother in law and family were shortly scheduled to descend on us, so got to work right away. I am pleased to say that all the fish survived the ordeal, and they seem to be doing really well in their new home. Unfortunately as the whole things was a bit rushed and little lives depended on it going as quickly as possible, I didn't have time to take pictures, but after a few hours it was all in place, and it looked like this:

The stocking has been played around with a fair bit, and is is a mixture of old and new;

21 cardinal tetra
1 angel
1 dwarf gourami
6 loaches
6 cories
7 harlequins
6 red rainbows
2 very bristley bristlenose plecs!

I set up the co2 a week later and am waiting for a new glass diffuser to arrive, as I don't like the JBl ones. It was much easier the second time round! We have since added in a background and it looks like this:

I really like it, and am very glad I went for it. I have been monitoring the water stats and even though we had to move two external filters there has been no sign of any ammonia or nitrite, which is very lucky and a huge relief. We have done one large water change so far, another one is scheduled for tomorrow. It isn't actually too much hard work compared to the two tanks it replaced. In the 200l, there is now;

1 angel
8 danios
5 male guppies
7 five banded barbs
7 glolwlight tetras
7 dwarf chain loaches
1 BN plec
1 blue phantom plec
1 clown plec

I apologise for the state of the pictures, they are a bit blurry I'm afraid! However I hope it shows how well the co2 is working, the plants look fab and I am so glad we did it.

...we rehomed two BN plecs, ten rummynose, several platies and a krib much quicker than I was expecting and broke down the 125l, which has now been sold, and the 65l which we are intending to keep as a spare/quarantine. (Update: we got rid of this one too in a house cleansing exercise!).

That takes our total tanks down to four, including the betta tank and the kitchen tank which currently houses two elderly guppies and some platy fry.
So what is next? Well my plan is to enjoy the fish and the plants for a while, and not add any more fish or change any of the stock. I absolutely love my tanks, they are a fantastic thing to watch and now wherever I go, any living room without a tank looks like a room wasted!

New year's resolution!

Well Christmas is almost a distant memory. My poor doggy went in for an op and the stupid vet made an awful mess of it which meant he was very poorly over the whole of Christmas :( He is now on the road to recovery, snoozing on the sofa next to me, but countryside walks are off the menu for a long time I'm afraid.

Poor doggy, not impressed with his ultra-festive cone of shame.

In better news, I got aquascaping tools for Christmas, and an ipad keyboard, so not only will I be able to take better care of my plants, I'll be able to update much easier too :)

And now on to the exciting bit... On 5th January, I will be picking up a new (to me) second hand tank. It is 240l and also a Fluval Roma. It comes with co2, which is fab, and is already lightly stocked however my plan is through rehoming some of my fish and some of the new fish, it will ultimately replace my 125l Fluval Roma and my 65l tank.

This is my plan!

200l with co2
1x large angel - stay
6 x botia rostrata - move to 240, swap for dwarf chain loaches
12x cardinal tetra - move to 240, swap for glowlights, rummynose or harlequins
7 x five banded barbs - stay
5 x danio - stay + 3 from 240
4 x male guppy - stay
3 x male platy - stay + males from 240
1x BN plec - stay
1 x blue phantom plec - stay

125l - all fish, plants and wood to move to 240. Close down tank & sell.
1 x female guppy - move to 240
4 x female platy - move to 240
4 x red rainbowfish - move to 240
1 x angel - move to 240
6 x peppered cories - move to 240
1 x clown plec - move to 240

65l - keep as QT tank
10 x rummynose tetra - move to 200 or 240
1 x krib - rehome, will stay in QT tank until somewhere is found
Assassin snails - to move in with betta

15l - stay as it is
1 x betta
7 x pygmy cories
+ shrimp/ snails

Eventually close down and sell QT tank (20l Arcadia Arc)

New tank

240l with co2
7 x dwarf chain loaches - move to 200 - replace with botia rostrata
1 x dwarf gourami - keep in tank
9 x cardinal tetra - add 12 from 200
9 x glowlight tetra - keep
4 x BN plecs - keep one or two. Rehome others
6 x harlequin rasboras - keep
3x danio - move to 200
3 x platy - males to 200 and females to 240
Plus shrimp, snails etc, move to 15l
All stock from 125 to move in.

Rehome list:

10 x female guppies - done :'(
1 x female krib
2 or 3 x BN plec
Possibly some platies

Now I am aware that, by conventional standards, my tanks may appear overstocked however I should probably mention that I do a lot of maintenance and also make sure I factor in the life span of certain fish - the livebearers have been with me for a year now, and several have died of what appears to be old age (gradually slowing and fading, no sign of parasites/disease) in the past few months, so by the time the loaches, plecos, angels etc have grown to adult size the guppies and platies will most likely have lived their lifespan. I read differing reports but it seems that two years from purchase is sadly a good lifespan for a platy or guppy these days.

I also have a lot of good filtration. I currently run an eheim 2217 on my 200l which is rated for up to 600l, and the new tank comes with two external filters. I will also have the 2213 which I currently run on my 125l if it is needed or in case of a breakdown.

I will also be taking it very slowly. For a few weeks at least I will be running all of my tanks, and break them down one by one, piece by piece. I will be very sad to part with my 125l Fluval Roma (particularly when it was so close to being part of a matching set!) but to make space for the arrival of the new tank it has had to block the back door in the living room so alas it must go!

My Fluval Roma 200 and Fluval Roma 125 - temporarily together.

Brief update - Fluval Roma 200 planted tank

Before and after (just over 1 month apart):

The glosso needs a trim and it hasn't really worked but everything else is looking ok.

I have a powerhead I am thinking of adding to get a bit more flow around the tank but the filter is pretty strong already. Any advice? Anyway not bad for a first attempt...

Current tanks & stocking list

It's been a while! I've done a huge move around of all my stock and thought it was about time I added a new update and perhaps a few piccies too.

Let's start with the smallest.

 My Betta, One-eyed-Willy, has now moved to the kitchen in his fab Superfish Wave 15 tank. He couldn't live next to the TV any more as we got a dog and even though he's an exceptionally chilled out dog and here is the proof:

....I imagine it would be too tempting even for him to have a little critter swimming about at nose level! Here he is:

He now lives with seven pygmy cories who all managed to escape the camera. There are also a few shrimp in there. I had to forgo my shrimp tank for a QT tank, and it currently has just one elderly platy in it so I shan't post pics of that.

 The 65l community tank currently houses a shoal of rummynose tetras, four red rainbows and a kribensis. I know the rainbows will have to move and long term, they will be going in the 125l. Sorry about the state of the plants, I've been concentrating my gardening efforts elsewhere and it shows!

The 125l is a bit of a waste at the moment. It houses a single angel, 6 peppered cories,a clown plec, four platies and 11 guppies, all famels, 11 of which are identical...

I am not a big fan of guppies and I am waiting until these pass on (although I might try and get them a new home) as I'd prefer to stock with a nice shoal of tetra and add the rainbows in there. There are also BILLIONS of trumpet snails as you can see here! It's going to be a snailocalypse this weekend!

I still have the three goldies outside in my affinity pond. I've just purchased an outdoor heater to see them through the winter but they're doing very well in there at the moment, all healthy :) ...

And Finally...

 My 200l is now home to: One angel, six botia histrionica, twelve cardinal tetras, seven five-banded bards, five zebra danios, a bristlenose, a blue phantom plec and a smattering of male guppies and platies. It has also got co2 running - only for five days now.

We got a good deal on the JBL u402 at Aquatics Live - the whole lot for £149 and a ceramic diffuser thrown in! It took ages to clean out the tank entirely, re-scape and set the co2 up but first impressions are encouraging Day one (a bit misty!):

Day three:

And some taken today:

None of the photos are great but I think it shows even over the week, there has been some growth! Hurrah! Hopefully there will be some improvement over the next few weeks.

Meet my new Betta!

Here he is...

My new Betta!

I really wasn't expecting to get a betta today but I popped into a fish shop on my lunch break, I saw him and I had to have him. So after work I went back in to ask how much he cost, and they gave him to me for free!

He's called One-Eyed Willie, no prizes for guessing why!

And here's his not-so-photogenic side!

I didn't notice the blue on him in the shop but he really is a lovely colour

He's been in his tank for a few hours now and he seems to be doing really well. He's on his own at the moment, am considering trying him out with some dwarf cories as I have some in my 65l which are so teeny tiny they tend to get a bit lost in there!

Here he is checking out his tank:

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.