SamH

Yes I often order from fish-street. Always had a good experience, shipping can take up to 2 weeks though.

IME 10L is plenty for a Betta, fancy tail types are actually less stressed when they don't have to swim as far to the surface. Aim to have broad leaved plants (tiger lotus, amazon sword, java fern) for him to rest on.

Start here :gopo:

3 T8s will be plenty. If going with the above plant list I would only run 2 for 6hrs a day or 1 for 10hrs a day. If you want to run 3 (especially on a longer photoperiod) then you will need CO2, liquid fertilisers and faster growing plants. It all depends on the sort of setup you wish to have, low tech (slow growing) or high tech (fast growing).

Fish breeding is a good sign the tank is healthy, well done

:cophot:

The allen key that came with the regulator is for tightening the joint between the regulator body and the sodastream adaptor. You might want to add another O ring in there (should be a small clear one on the outside of the hex hole in the regulator). The trick with the allen key in the sodastream adaptor is that it controls the height of the pin. Each sodastream bottle is a little bit different so you need to find the exact height where the pin will press on the valve. Set it too high and it won't open the valve so no CO2 will come out. Set it too low and it will press on the valve too early releasing CO2 before you can get it sealed up. It's all about finding that sweet spot, one way of doing it (if you're brave) is to put the pin as high as possible, screw the adaptor straight onto the sodastream bottle and use small allen key to tighten it until the CO2 just starts to come out. Some valves are pretty violent though so you could be in for a shock or cold burn on your hands. It's best to lower the valve a little, fit the adaptor to the regulator and then fit the bottle to the adaptor, safely testing if the pin is low enough.

I like to go as shallow as possible at the front (down to less than 10mm if no plants) for aesthetic purposes. I don't believe it stresses the tank much more than having water in it.

I use the last regulator you posted (from Raymond on TradeMe) and find they work well with sodastream cylinders. Getting one without a magnetic solenoid would be a huge hassle, running CO2 is all about timing so you will need to hook it up to an electronic timer. Don't forget to get a CO2 proof check valve and CO2 proof tubing too.

When creating an aquascape we tend to plant taller plants at the back and shorter plants at the front to give a clear view of the whole aquarium. Making the substrate deeper at the back facilitates taller plants. It's also used to create a sense of depth within the aquarium.

:iag:

3 and a half years late but thanks for the offer :lol: Keen for large HM females though.

Great stuff Jen 8)

Aim for the lowest possible substrate at the front of the tank (around 20mm) and slope it up toward the back for a maximum depth of 75mm. Most plants only need 50mm but if you grow monster amazon swords and crypts then the deeper substrate will benefit them.

If you're going to get more schooling fish (and especially if you want to breed them) then get more Black Widows. Schooling fish feel safer in larger schools and the effect it creates is far more powerful than schools of different species.