Author Topic: Vini's Rio 125 tank log - and so it begins... (Read 3302 times)

vini · « **on:** February 10, 2015, 06:30:00 pm »

Whilst I while away the time until Friday when I can get my first fish I thought I would start a log. I’m a complete newbie so there will be mistakes along the way but I thought by writing it down it might help someone else - and I’ve got an appalling memory so it’ll help me see where I’ve come from!

I’d like to take the chance to thank everyone that’s helped so far - this is by far the most welcoming, engaged and friendly forum I’ve joined so thanks for that. Anyway, onto the tank…

Tank details:

Juwel Rio 125 with standard filtration and lighting. Only equipment I’ve added is an airstone which runs after lights-out. Sitting on a home-made cabinet built for the purpose.

Substrate is eco-complete; 3D background is the most basic Juwel wood-effect one; lava rock and manzanita wood make up the hardscape.

Planting is fairly heavy but hopefully tolerant of the low-tech approach I’m taking. Species are:

Mayaca fluviatilas, Sagittaria subulata, Sag. natans, Micranthemum umberosum, Crypt. wendtii (normal and ‘Tropica’) Ludwigia mullertii, Hygrophillia polysperma, Cambomba, Elodea densa (soon to be got rid of once the Apono. fills in), Vallisneria torta, Eleocharis parvulus, Rotalla indica, Bacopa caroliniana, Microsorum pteropus, Aponogeton ulvaceus with Salvinia auriculata, Salvinia natans and Phyllanthus Fluitans floating and Taxiphyllum ‘Flame' and Vesicularia ferriei ‘Weeping' mosses.

I’ve been using Stress Coat to dechlorinate and adding Stress Zyme and Leaf Zone weekly as per the instructions.

Basic water stats:

pH 7.8
GH 18
KH 15

I have completed a fishless cycle - currently keeping it ticking over until the arrival of fish. I’ll quickly jot down some details of how it went for me just for future reference on my own part really.

18/01/15
Set up tank with decor, planted and filled with dechlorinated water. Switched everything on, temperature to 27.5c for cycle.

19/01/15
Dosed up to 4ppm ammonia

20/01/15
Nitrite seemed to appear overnight (!) at 2ppm. Let ammonia drop to 3ppm and maintained it at this level for the duration of the cycle

23/01/15
Maintaining ammonia levels, nitrite slowly rising, nitrate also starting to really rocket off the scale. Performed water changes from here-on-in every time the nitrate was unreadable

02/02/15
Nitrite beginning to drop

04/02/15
Magic zeros ahoy, happy me

05/02/15
Ammonia dosed up to 3ppm will convert all the way through to Nitrate within 14 hours. Cycle complete, qualifying period until fish (hopefully) on 13/02/15

So that’s where we are now. I’ll leave a photo of how it looks today because I think it’s starting to get there - obviously I’m only new so it’s not as amazing as the tanks on here but I’ll learn!

Thanks all!

TropicalFishForums

taffy72 · « **Reply #1 on:** February 10, 2015, 07:01:02 pm »

That's very nice mate ,what's your stocking plans ?

chrisscar100 · « **Reply #2 on:** February 10, 2015, 07:21:07 pm »

Looks very good

plankton · « **Reply #3 on:** February 10, 2015, 08:33:20 pm »

It does look very good.

vini · « **Reply #4 on:** February 10, 2015, 10:29:19 pm »

Thanks all!

Quote from: taffy72 on February 10, 2015, 07:01:02 pm

That's very nice mate ,what's your stocking plans ?

Still not completely firmed up but it's looking like a group of zebra danios and a group of odessa or cherry barbs are definitely going to make an appearance...will let you know!

vini · « **Reply #5 on:** March 05, 2015, 09:30:12 pm »

Well, it's been a couple of weeks now since I purchased the fish and feel it's time for an update. Everyone settling in well and the tank is really starting to look good. Parameters have been perfectly stable throughout and I've been doing weekly water changes as well as fairly regular plant maintenance.
The inhabitants are 6 zebra danios, 7 cherry barbs, 3 dwarf gouramis (male and two females) and a lovely bristlenose plec. Really pleased with the stocking, it looks good in the tank with plenty going on at all levels. I shall obviously update as it all progresses but for now it seems to be going smoothly (touch wood!) - pictures coming soon as well!
Thanks for all the advice so far!

carpergt · « **Reply #6 on:** March 05, 2015, 10:38:44 pm »

Sounds great mate, needs a few update pics now

LearnerFishLady · « **Reply #7 on:** March 06, 2015, 06:32:52 am »

Wow - looks fab. You're a much better newbie than me! ;-). Lovely tank.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Zac460 · « **Reply #8 on:** March 06, 2015, 01:57:46 pm »

Tank looks good. Looking forward to pics of fish

vini · « **Reply #9 on:** March 06, 2015, 03:15:53 pm »

Just some really quick snaps of as many fish as I could get a view of during my lunch break! Apologies for the quality, will get some better ones with less glare (and better focus!) when I can.
Also, had some new additions this week. A friend of a friend has a lovely tank full of a mixture of cherry and rili shrimp - and the predictable brown ones which come from mixing the two - and was happy to give me a scoop of about 50 of them. Pretty pleased with that! They've settled in very well, no one has shown them any interest and there are a million and one places for them to hide. And yes, I will definitely be thinning the floating plants soon...

Will update with more pics soon!

LearnerFishLady · « **Reply #10 on:** March 06, 2015, 03:19:09 pm »

Nice!

plankton · « **Reply #11 on:** March 06, 2015, 04:17:09 pm »

Nice pics, thanks for sharing.

vini · « **Reply #12 on:** March 06, 2015, 04:18:59 pm »

Quote from: plankton on March 06, 2015, 04:17:09 pm

Nice pics, thanks for sharing.

Thanks for looking!

Zac460 · « **Reply #13 on:** March 06, 2015, 05:36:29 pm »

All looks happy and healthy. Well done

Drunken horse · « **Reply #14 on:** March 06, 2015, 05:38:26 pm »

Looks really good. I'm Jealous

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Author Topic: Vini's Rio 125 tank log - and so it begins... (Read 3302 times)

chrisscar100

carpergt