the-obstacle

So it looks like he's on the mend - but the rest of my guppies have come down with it to some degree (not as bad though) so they're all in the med tank for the next couple of weeks. The salt treatment works wonders and he's put on a lot of weight in the last few days which is great. He's also swimming with his tail again after one massive bowel movement, I assume that was causing the paralysis.

Another idea is the AquaPoxy paint line from Resene. It's typically used to line pools and paint commercial floors but it's bulletproof and non-toxic when cured (24 hours). It sticks to pretty much anything so should be ok on Firbeglass but check with Resene directly. If it sticks to fibreglass it'd be my choice - I've seen 2 minute long burnouts done on workshop floors painted with it and when the car drives off you just sweep the rubber off it. I think it's sold by a few other coating specialists too, it seems Resene license the name from Aquapoxy in the states.

Thanks all - I'll have to pop into hollywoods to see what they've got as it's a bit far to drive to chch for some fish. I'm liking the rainbow suggestion more and more. They'll be sharing with some guppies if I can get the guppies back to health quickly enough. As it's a first tank I'm going for a mixed sand / gravel with plants and a couple of rocks. I think once I get permission to get a bigger tank this one will either become a shellie or fast river tank though - they're awesome! I'm building it all up this weekend so will post some shots when there's something to show. Thanks again dan

What rainbows would you recommend? Any idea where I'd get some?

Oh, not enough flow / spread? I'd imagine it'd be like using a slightly better shepherds hook as the output. Still, looks good

Nice! Are those inlets and outlets the glass ones from *insert ebay shop name here*? They look awesome.

Oh ok, cool. I'll have a look into it. Thanks.

wow, there's quite the group near the cbd then. Nice.

It's almost the same as my 120x25x25 so I'm taking a good look at these ideas too. I'd be keen to know what you decide on.

Awesome idea... thanks

Sweet! you're closer to the fish shop

It's just the one guy from what I can tell but my tank was $90 in standard glass or $120 in low iron. I went with the $120 option and it's awesome! email him on [email protected]. He was more than happy to do anything I wanted with it. If you've got an idea of how you want the bracing / lid / holes etc. just tell him and he'll sort it.

Hmmm, was it cheaper?

Hmmm, i tried the stock calculator and it made a very good point - the shellies need a much higher PH than the rest of the options so it might not work as a community tank option.

My tank? I had it custom made by Greg at tanks2u to fit the only space I have for it - a long breakfast bar area that only gets used for storing stuff we haven't quite put away yet (junk) in between the kitchen and lounge.

That's the problem, I'm already designing my next tank and this one hasn't even cured yet.

hahaha, I knew I was going to get learned on that one! Am I right in thinking that the blackwater stream would consist of darker water (not crystal clear) though? Also - would a pair of shellies co-exist with a school of tetra and/or a pair of the blue dwarf chiclids? I like the fact that they dig. I think the goal is going to be the smaller the breed the better as far as depth goes but with the length I'd like to break it up a bit. Maybe planted rocky at one end and open sandy at the other with a mix in between then find the fish to populate those areas? I definitely want a community tank so there's a lot going on.

Thanks all, it's nice to be here. Arch Hill is pretty much everything on the southern side of Great North Rd from Newton Rd to the Grey Lynn shops - it's kind of Grey Lynn but it's not

Not so keen on the brackish / tannnin filled water look. Have I go the wrong idea there? Would the need for low currents (slowing the filter down?) lower the quality of the filtration? I am however very keen on the stock list. I'd be concerned the whiptails would outgrow the tank fairly quickly though, or is that not likely to be a problem? Just researching all the other awesome suggestions too. Thanks everybody for the ideas so far.

Interesting, I'd need to add some plants for them (seems that's the best way to go for the water and other fish anyway) and the sand looks like it'd be right up their alley. Would I need to go to a breeder or are these readily available in the shops around Auckland? I assume they'd live happily with a bunch of guppys and a SAE or 2?

I quite like that idea but it'd take a bit of convincing with the wife - she wants some of those nice flashy little fish . Would my eheim produce enough flow for this? I assume a few scattered large rocks and some hardy substrate would be all I'd need? Would the sillica stand up to the currents or should i abandon that idea? Maybe some plants? edit: I've done a bit of reasearch and I might reserve this idea for a future use for this tank once I've upgraded to a larger tropical in a few years time.

At the moment I've got a 22L Aqua One 126 with 4 guppies and an SAE. I've just had a 1200 x 250 x 250mm (75L) tank made which I'm looking for stocking, plant and lighting advice on. Specifically I need some ideas on some low growing plants that will be happy in this size tank.

Hi all, I'm new to all this but loving every minute of it. I've used a lot of information (and asked for a bit too) in the last week since I discovered this site so thanks to all who have provided me with ideas and helped with my questions. I'm sure I'll keep bugging you all as my hobby turns into an addiction (if it hasn't already). Cheers! Dan

I've got a 1200 x 250 x 250 (in milimetres) 75L tank that I'm about to setup and cycle. Once that's complete I'll need to add a few more fish to it. It's going to be fish only at this stage with an eheim 2222 and heater, bubbles, some big rocks and a mixture of black gravel and silica (seperated by an acrylic strip). What fish should I stock this with? I've got 4 guppys and an SAE at the moment in my 22L tank but I think they're a bit crowded which is why I had the tank made. I can either transfer them all to the big tank or just take a couple (or just the SAE?) I've looked at the stock calculator but don't know what's easily available in NZ so I thought I'd ask what you would set this up with. Give me your ideas! (please )

Turns out he's paralised - swimming with his pectoral fins only. Euthanise or let him keep going?