My community tank - Pics

Morning all.

I first set this tank up around 3 months ago, and boy did it undergo some heavy stuff.

Its a Juwel starter tank, 54lt, and was originally with Dorset pea gravel, bog-wood pieces, Vallisneria along the back and Anubias tied onto the bog-wood.

I didn't like the look of the pea gravel, so i decided to remove it!
Mammoth job taking all the plants and gear our, all the gravel out, and then replace it with the new substrate, all while then fish were still in the tank!
Once that was done i replaced the gear, the bog-wood, the plants in some slightly new positions and added some new plants for foreground carpet.

The skull is my girlfriends idea. She wants Vallisneria growing up through the eyes and top of the skull for dramatic effect.

Currently i have in the tank (slightly overstocked, 2 x 25% water changes weekly ):
5 x Panda Cory
8 x Blue Tetra (any hints on what this is actually called?)
1 x Golden wonder killifish
3 x Dwarf armored catfish (Name again please?)

Temp is 24 celcius, pH is an average 7.6 stable, and i keep nitrates a bit higher at 30-40ppm for the plants.

As far as i can tell, everything is thriving. Fish have amazing bright color, and the plants are throwing runners and new shoots like crazy. Also, the tetras are in spawning mania mode at the minute.

Casualties :
4 x freshwater shrimp which promptly became an expensive crunchy snack for the killifish......... Really should have researched that first.

I'll keep you guys posted with fresh pics, as the tank matures further.

Pics here

Forgive the dusty look of the plants. This is the last of the "dust" thrown up by the new substrate. This is gone now.

Nice set up.
How did you change the substrate with the fish in it. Kudos on that.
I had to strip mine to do the same.
The cat is an ottocinclus.(not sure of the spelling)
The tetra looks like a harlequin but not sure.

Hi Pat.

Did it by just taking it nice and slow.

1: The day before, clean the filter of excess gunk.
2: removed all the ornaments and plants.
3: used a jug at the bottom to slowly scoop up the gravel.
4: When the water got cloudy, stop, wait for filter to clear it somewhat and start again.

The new substrate is a type of mini soil pellet, around 1-2 mm per pellet. This i poured in very very slowly. Taking 30 mins to pour in a 5kg bag. Again, when water got cloudy i stopped and waited for it to clear before continuing.

And then a final filter clean to remove the "dust" that came off the soil pellets. Allowing the soil pellets to fall down through the water mean that fish can graze through it now, and they won't kick up near as much sediment.

The whole process took fully 4-5 hours to finish.

This was then all followed by daily 20% water changes to get the now horrific nitrate levels down.
All the debris that fell in between the old gravel got stirred up and released its stuff.

I think i have proved changing substrate while the fish are still in the tank is perfectly possible, but it will take a looooong time to do.

Fishies are happy as can be. Immediate colour change to be seen on them.
That and the soil is much nicer to look at than the gravel, which gives off a nasty glare i think.

I love it...the skull looks cool! great looking tank.

the tetra is indeed a harlequin rasbora it is the purple colour forum of the fish although i do prefer the original myself, and yes your armoured catfish is correctly identified by pat as an oto... nice job on the tank, but not sure on the skull not my taste

Hi CC like the tank alot very open and clean looking. what is the name of the substrate where did you get it and for how much?

Cheers Stuart.