si_sphinx

You should give it a go, its been quite easy so far once you get into it

So i don't think ill be getting anything to do with fish lol

All my friends and family think im weird and obsessed with fish but i just like to take care of my fish and give them what they need Ill be 21 8)

Yes it is all glued together at the moment but will be cut to fit in the tank when it comes time to fitting. and it will cover full length of back and one side of tank.

Yay Its my birthday on Wednesday I like getting presents :lol: Can't wait 8) The last few days always take the longest.

Its for a 1200x600x600 cichlid aquarium. Ive used a combination of purple and white polystyrene, the purple seems to be harder than the white stuff and took ages to shape. Ive read that other people have used acrylic paint so i would probably use that and final coat of resin or similar to seal it all. But I'm kind of leaning more towards concrete to make it look more like rock but still find some way of sealing it so i dont have the concrete leaching chemicals into the water. which is also an advantage of paint,no chemical leaching after a few tanks of water to wash it out....? difficult decision i say.

I thought everyone would like to see some pics of the background i have started to make from polystyrene... I know i like seeing other peoples DIY jobs I used a bread knife to cut the general shape out and then used a spoon :lol: The spoon seemed to work well to give the rock texture i was after. Now i just need to decide if i'm going to concrete it or paint it....

Nice Steamer, I to am into Balsa But more into the faster 100km+ boats and planes aswell :lol: Sorry off topic. :roll: just good old 90x45 timber framing will do well for a tank stans

Thats awesome, im keen when you have some available

the tank water seems to be staying clear now did a good water change and pulled pump to pieces n cleaned. Also added a pile of shells /coral to filter.

This looks awesome. I'd love to build something like this one day. I would have a problem with finding somwhere to put it though. Keep us updated

Smaller tanks seem to be good when you have smaller fish, but as they get bigger their tank will need to be bigger as well.

Any type of shell in particular that works best?

the rain/tap water is quite low in pH down here soooo im gona find those shells after work.

Because the test can test down to 7.2 and i like to keep the water at 8.2 so when it goes below 7.8 or 7.5 i adjust to suit.

I only have high range pH test kits. OK i will find some shells, i think i got some around here somewhere, and add them to the tank. I find i need to raise the pH after every water change so will add those shells and see what happens. will keep you posted.

The bacteria you can buy in a bottle from LFS when setting up a new tank. Stress Zyme i believe its called. I usually to a 30-40% water change. I siphon out through hose and replace with water from plastic drum i keep outside. Water is combination of tap water and rain water that has been sitting for a week or so. I add the required buffers to get to correct pH and slowly siphon through smaller pipe back to tank as not to get water temp change of more than 2deg

Just wondering what sort of duboisi is available here. Im looking at starting a 400ltr tank full of a breed of these as ive seen tankks full of them before and they look awesome. I know there is Pemba but i would rather prefer Halembe or Kabogo. If not possible to obtain enough of these to fill my tank then tropheus Ikola would also be good to keep. Any comments or help please on where to get any of these....? Thanks

The tank has been running for a few months now. I dont think there are any micro bubbles in there. Im going to do an 80% water change and add more beneficial bacteria to the filter media. and see how that works

after 2-3 weeks after setting up the tank i supose, im not exactly sure. it just slowly went like that. tank was brand new and was cleaned out thoroughly before use.

Sorry, the water is a cloudy milky white. possibly colour is because substrate is white and lighting is white

OK... i have a problem with keeping my tank water clear. I have a 150ltr tank with built in wet/dry filter and lights in hood. this tank is similar to the Aqua one AR 850. It has 7x electric yellow cichlids ranging from 3cm to 6cm + 1x 5cm pleco. Filter media: bio balls, filter wool, carbon, ceramic noodles. Flat gravel substrate (higher at the back), with a few broken terracotta pots in the middle. I have taken all my plants and rocks out to allow for more water circulation but the water still doesn't seem to stay clear. I have also reduced the amount of food feed each morning and night as well. Weekly water changes of 30-40% every Sunday but water goes murky within 4-5 days this tank has been running for a few months now. Tank temp: 25deg, pH: 8.2 I have another tank the same but only 80ltrs and loaded with plants and fish and has crystal clear water for weeks Is it the filter that isn't working or am i missing something here...? :-?

do you have any plecos, catsfish etc in the tank?

What other fish do you have in the tank?