have a break :smln:

Just had my first swim of summer :dnc1:

To be honest, I'm actually considering ditching freshwater aquaria altogether and getting a nano reef tank I like the idea of having a mini ecosystem with various invertebrates, small fish, corals and other critters all living together happily. I wouldn't be able to achieve this with a freshwater tank because there are only fish and plants in NZ, no tropical freshwater shrimp, fully aquatic tropical frogs, ornamental snails or anything cool like that. And reef tanks continue to evolve. With a freshwater tank, once I've got the plants growing nicely and have a group of fish all I'll need to do is waterchanges and trimming the plants which IMO is kinda boring. And I really don't fancy tearing down the scape every now and then and setting up something different. I have thought long and hard about what I want to get out of this hobby, and I really want relaxing medium-sized aquarium full of diversity and colour, which I will definitely be able to achieve with a reef aquarium :thup:

You are right, as usual. Though if there is enough space in a freshwater tank the plants will keep creeping along doing planty things, there just isn't any freshwater coral or anemones that look like a living fixture.

zombiefish and i just set up an approx 100l tank with nice little bits of terracotta pipe i found under my last house and smashed with my beloved hammer for the 5 kuhli loaches to hide in, and a whole pipe i didn't break for the two juvi jaguars that were getting a hard time in my big tank. i have some of that flourish(?) substrate and black sand to go over the top of it, with hairgrass, dwarf sag, stargrass and twisted val scattered throughout. after work tonight i will take the fish out, lay the substrate and hope it clears up enough to put the fish back in. that substrate sure does cloud up the water a lot!

it has a big fluval internal filter so the flow is huge, have to hold the plants down with bits of terracotta lol

tank is next to a window that is usually open but not in direct sunlight. i will not bother with having a proper light on the tank but will dose with ferts and probably attach a DIY co2 system. there no heater in tank, not needed yet, overnight temp didn't even drop below 23 last night.

i'll take pics once it settles.

this is my first foray back into planted tanks in a few years. should be interesting

anyone wanna send me some plants or cuttings of, feel free.. will save me spending my next paycheck at the LFS lol

and to joe - i think moving on to a saltwater setup is the logical next step for someone who has all but mastered the fresh water side of the hobby. i really like the idea of new organisms popping up unexpectedly, while some of them may be bad organisms, it still appeals to me, the adventure of finding new things growing in my own fish tank. i am really keen on a local marine setup, and being able to bring stuff home from rockpooling (my favourite pass time) but i am far, far from even being able to take the first step into it as yet. damn money shortages :an!gry

You are right, as usual. Though if there is enough space in a freshwater tank the plants will keep creeping along doing planty things, there just isn't any freshwater coral or anemones that look like a living fixture.

aren't plants living????

off to rinse out old tank and start setup for my dwarf puffer

its a 22L that used to be my local marine, going to me a low tech medium planted setup using a "Splish splash starter kit" a home modified clear view 200 filter and some gravel from a pond i'm dismantling atm ( loaded with blackworms, hope a few survive) and a $10 desk lamp (currently running a warm white light, will be changeing to a cool white when the next house bulb blows)

total costing:

Tank And filter $15 for local market

Gravel $0

Plants $0 (off cuts from other tanks/ work tanks)

Fish $14 for Puffer, Leopard fish free (will remove if problems occur)

Snails $0 from breeding setup

Light $10 from bunnings, bulb, free, stole from girlfriends closet

Yay lotsa fun for $39

Leopard fish free (will remove dead bodies when problems occur)

and to joe - i think moving on to a saltwater setup is the logical next step for someone who has all but mastered the fresh water side of the hobby. i really like the idea of new organisms popping up unexpectedly, while some of them may be bad organisms, it still appeals to me, the adventure of finding new things growing in my own fish tank. i am really keen on a local marine setup, and being able to bring stuff home from rockpooling (my favourite pass time) but i am far, far from even being able to take the first step into it as yet. damn money shortages :an!gry

You summed it up nicely :thup: And yeah it is cool about things popping up unexpectedly. There are lots of cool invertebrates (such as Acropora crabs and pistol shrimp) that aren't on the import list but they come in on corals and make awesome additions to any reef setup I'd love a pistol shrimp with a goby. That would be so cool!

If I ever do a saltwater tank it will be a native marine so I can catch the critters myself.

Yes set up a saltwater! Btw bigger tanks are easier to Handel.

Yeah. I was thinking 75x60x45cm with a Giesemann Spectra with a 250w Radium halide and KZ T5 bulbs.

I'd also like a 45x45x30cm pico lit with a Kessil spotlight to go on my desk.

I have a 6 foot 250w halide with 4 blue t5's and led moonlight I could sell you for a good price when it comes to the time

Sorry but I am not interested in massive tanks and second hand equipment. I want something that is going to be manageable and that I am actually going to be able to move, and I want it to be rimless with low iron glass and not drilled. And I want to buy everything brand new, because that way it will have the warranty and also my needs will differ from yours because my intentions are different. Also if I recall your halide was DE, and 250w Radiums only come in SE. And I just love Giesemann lights, and I don't mind paying extra for that world reknowed German quality :happy2:

Sorry but I am not interested in massive tanks and second hand equipment. I want something that is going to be manageable and that I am actually going to be able to move, and I want it to be rimless with low iron glass and not drilled. And I want to buy everything brand new, because that way it will have the warranty and also my needs will differ from yours because my intentions are different. Also if I recall your halide was DE, and 250w Radiums only come in SE.

whats d.e and s.e?

Oh my goodness you're joking right? You're supposed to be the expert here :slfg:

DE = Double Ended.

SE = Single Ended/Mogul.

Oh haha I haven't used metal halide in agessss I have LED

We have DE

hey marine fish id be keen on the metal halide possibly? could you pm me some details and mabie some pictures?

joe as for going marine just do it! ive just started my first nano marine tank and its awesome i can sit there for hours just watching it and it dosent evin have any fish in it yet only snails and a few corals. my big fw tank will be converted over once i can afford it and have got the hang of keeping marines. like you say they a so much more interesting than a fw tank and the organisms you can get are much much cooler

I will be packing up Denny Crane (and his scratching post) and taking him down to the Pet Bus! :happy2:

joe as for going marine just do it! ive just started my first nano marine tank and its awesome i can sit there for hours just watching it and it dosent evin have any fish in it yet only snails and a few corals. my big fw tank will be converted over once i can afford it and have got the hang of keeping marines. like you say they a so much more interesting than a fw tank and the organisms you can get are much much cooler

Only problem is that I need a bit of income first Especially if I want a low iron glass rimless tank with a fancy Giesemann halide

Only problem is that I need a bit of income first Especially if I want a low iron glass rimless tank with a fancy Giesemann halide

haha yeah fair enough im now broke as hell now haha spent far to much on my nano while on holiday (new lights and corals :thup: ) and im already wanting to convert my big tank (not going to happen for a very long time now) but oh well good things take time...just like cheese!

also joe check out this forum its all nano tanks there are some absolutely amazing set ups on here www.http://thenanoreef.co.uk/forum and also these guys who make nano reef tanks ready to go which are awesome tanks http://thenanoreef.co.uk/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=62

p.s sorry mods if im not aloud to post links to other forums on here feel free to remove if need be

Thanks for those links Going to check it out now...

I use www.nano-reef.com which is a good website, if you don't already know about it :thup:

last day of holidays today, i spent it at the beach :dnc1: :bggrn: :thup: