Recent content by abbysue

Hello, I was thinking about adding some cory cats, or perhaps some shrimp to my tank, so I'm checking in with you all before I do. 55 gallon, fluval 307 filter, ceramic heater. pH sits at about 6.5-6.8 Pool filter sand as substrate. Planted areas, clear areas, rock-stack areas, some drift...

Thanks - I change water once weekly, or every 2 weeks, depending on how busy I am (I aim for once weekly). The fish swim great, eat great, and appear to be growing. I think the colour is coming back slowly... The tank is in a fairly quiet space, plus, we work outside of the house, so at...

Maybe I should say nitrate is at the lowest end of the test kit being 0-5ppm. I am quite certain the tank cycled, but I am willing to accept that I have been fooled. I did a fishless cycle first with ammonia and seeded filter material from one of my established tanks for 4 weeks, then added...

Substrate is light coloured. Water parameters: pH might be slightly high for them at 6.5. Nitrate, nitrite, ammonia all at zero. :fish2:Susan:fish2:

When I bought some GBR's, they had possibly been exposed to ich, so I was advised to put them in a quarantine tank and do the classic treatment for ich (malachite green, water changes, etc etc). I chose some very pretty/vibrant rams - nice blue colour, bright red eye, healthy looking. I did the...

Thanks! I used rock that previous homeowners had left in the garden, and a piece of slate that a landscape company let me have as a free sample (even knowing that I was using it for an aquarium, and wasn't planning on coming back for a tonne of it.) :fish2:Susan:fish2:

New set up Getting ready... I've been cycling the tank for about 4 weeks now, added dither fish and plants 2 weeks ago, and more rock today Just waiting for the chemistry to be perfect before I go and get some rams. :fish2:Susan:fish2:

Nice tank! Love the plants and wood! :thumb: :fish2:Susan:fish2:

I think that the tank looks great - and that you're working with/for your daughter on this project :) The tanks that I have put together with my son feature orange gravel and volcanos with airstones in them... If my 12 year old self had been allowed to decorate a tank, it probably would have...

Thanks - I'll ask around at the landscaping store next week ;) S

Thanks, Andrew - I did see that article - it started me down the road to hating play sand, and loving pool sand :) I have the drift wood, and few rocks - just wanting more :) Susan

Thanks, Andrew!

What a fun idea for a work aquarium! Are shell dwellers very fussy in terms of their requirements? I was thinking of a tank in the reception area of my work as well, but want something a bit hardy... maybe I'll just go for some dither fish and plants :) :fish2:Susan:fish2:

Soooo, I thought that I'd be building and African tank, but it seems that my local water ranges much more towards SA norms: soft water with lowish GH and KH. AND in terms of pretty fish, rams are just so nice! So far, in my 55g (cycled! tank), I have pool sand, a big chunk of drift wood...

So... My 55g tank is looking like like it is cycled, and I'm continuing to build up the hard scape, maybe get some plants tomorrow as well. I've read that some kinds of granites can be detrimental to larvae/spawn development, and while I'm not planning on breeding my cichlids, I certainly...