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StyleUK

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
Dec 30, 2004
Messages
183
Location
Midlands, UK
I've contracted MTS! I started off with one tank, and within 4 months I had 2, now i'm on my 5th i'm not sure what happend! I'm running out of space and plug sockets!

Well anyway onto the tank specifications.

Tank One - Genisis
15 gallon - Rena XP2 filter - 150W heater - 15W light
Heavily planted with Cabomba
Large gravel substrate
4 female Balloon Mollys
1 male Balloon Molly
Around 20 fry, with more expected. They move into Tank 3 once they're about 2 weeks old.

This was my first tank, I once overstocked it very heavily but soon learnt from you guys here at AA! At one stage I had about 50" of fish in there. Now on to my second tank.

Tank Two - Snails "R" Us - 15W light
15 Gallon - Rena XP2 Filter - 100W Heater
Calcified ocean rock formation
Large gravel substrate
5 Large Golden Apple snails
5 Large Blue Apple Snails
Tiny baby golden and blue snails, too small to count.

I love snails, from the big ones to the small, I keep them with the Calcified ocean rock so they're shells are strong and they seem to have developed this shiny clean imaculate shell. Now onto the third one.

Tank Three - Eel Cafe
55Gallon - Fluval 404 and Rena XP3 filters - x3 150W heater - x4 40W lights
Slate rock formation, lots of caves and crevices.
Sand substrate
2 Zig Zag Eels
2 Tire Track Eels
2 Peacock Eels
Balloon Molly fry - Extra treats when they're big enough to be seen and hunted - You have to understand that I really do love mollys and they're a great fish but they just breed to quickly for me to keep up with, so I feed some, but not all fry to them, once they're caught it's over very quickly for them, pretty much one snatch and they're gone.
Heavily planted with Cabomba and a few others I cannot remember.

I've always loved Eels, just never had enough courage to keep them, once they get settled they are very easy to care for. The only thing they do require is a good heality diet and clean water. I run too powerful filters so the waters not the problem. And I suppose I do have fun digging up my mums flower beds looking for the earthworms for them. I feed them all bloodworms, earthworms and small Molly fry. I hope one day my Tire Track Eels will grow to around 24". Should be fun finding an earthworm big enough for them both.

Tank Four - Hospital
15 gallon - Rena XP1 filter - x2 100W heater - 8W light
Yet another tank heavily planted with Cabomba
Large gravel substrate
Slate rock formation
2 Very large Apple snails keeping it cycled - My first couple of snails, not sure why but they don't eat the plants.

I use dim lighing and have good heaters so I can attempt to sure Ich or and other fungus that appears. I've been very lucky so far, i've had no fish die from my first cycling efforts in Tank one and no fish haved died due to any visible infection or illness. A few have died from old age, like the mollys and guppys I once had but thats about it.

Tank Five - Town House
55 gallon - x2 Rena XP2 filters - x3 150 heaters - x4 40W lighs
Just love that Cabomba
Calcified Ocean rock formation
Sand substrate
10 Tigre Barbs
2 Marble Angels
5 Khuli Loaches
4 Hong-Kong Plecos or as most people call them, Butterfly Loaches

This is my mums favorite tank, She loves to watch the Tiger Barbs when I feed them as they're like darts trying to eat as much as they can. The Loaches like dig and wiggle around in the sand it's fun to watch. The Khulis have successfuly reared young and I've given most of them to my school and friends, I left 2 but have disapeared and I have no idea where as all the filter inlets and outlets are coverd with fine mesh that not even a tiny bloodworm could wiggle through.

Anyway thats all of my tanks, I had fun making them all and im sure i'll never need another tank. But no doubt my brain will one day think otherwise and i'll end up with another one.
 
StyleUK said:
im sure i'll never need another tank. But no doubt my brain will one day think otherwise and i'll end up with another one.

There is no cure for MTS lol
 
Everytime I go to the LFS to buy some food I always have a look at they're new tanks. I almost have to leave my wallet at home or I know i'll buy one :(

I'd call it impuse buying but it's almost like my brain plans it!
 
There is no such thing as MTS. Believe I know :wink: :wink: I don't think your tanks are overstocked considering how much filtration you have.
 
Pictures...we want very big pictures :lol:

My only question would be why is your hospital tank planted? My experience, and most recommendations I have read, is that a bare tank without substrate works best for a quarantine/hospital tank because it is easier to clean and break down when necessary.

Some medications can also be absorbed by charcoal so I use a sponge filter in my quarantine/hospital tank. Of course a bare tank doesn't look very appealing compared to a decorated tank :)

I completely agree with your fondness of Cabomba. I just added it to two of my tanks recently. It is growing extremely fast :D
 
Sadly my digital camera is broke at the moment and my webcam does'nt like all the light.

I don't mind taking time to strip down all my tanks, when I do the every 4 month total clean out of a tank I spend about an hour washing the gravel alone. I like things clean so I really don't mind taking the time and effort.

Oh and it's amazing tanks really are good focal points everywhere in the house, when someone comes around they instantly turn to the tank(s) and want to stare for hours, it's really made loads of difference.

Anyone else have lots of tanks that people like?

Oh and yeah, Cabomba rocks!
 
StyleUK- I don't think its really a good idea to be completely washing gravel in tap water as the bacteria will die off, unless I'm reading your message wrong.
 
Every 4-6 months I clean the tanks from top to bottom including gravel.

Since I don't use an UGF I don't think that much bacteria will be present on my substrate, there will be some, but not enough to make my tank start to cycle again.

As you can see i've got very powerful filters, they are more then enough to keep the water very clean.

I hope everyone else cleans their tank every 6 months, aswell as the usual weekly gravel cleaning and 2day 10% water change.
 
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