Mol_PMB's multiple tank log

[Mol_PMB]

I bought my first tropical fish tank back in September 2013, and started a log on here. Since then the number of tanks has increased to five, the number of tank logs to three, and it’s all getting rather confusing. Initially I was recording every test result on the log, but I can’t imagine that’s interesting reading. So I’ve decided to just go with one multiple tank log to summarise the main developments. I’m going to ask one of the moderators to lock the old logs so all new activity will be on here.

Links to the previous logs are here:

https://www.tropicalfishforums.co.uk/index.php?topic=45138.0
https://www.tropicalfishforums.co.uk/index.php?topic=61098.0
https://www.tropicalfishforums.co.uk/index.php?topic=61106.0

So, I’ll summarise all of the preceding 2000 posts with a bit of background. I think I’ve wanted to keep tropical fish for nearly 20 years, but until last year I had always found excuses as to why it wasn’t a good idea. I built a big a pond at my previous house thinking it would be easier to look after, but it wasn't.  Then after visiting a couple of my friends who have coldwater fish and finding myself spending most of my time watching the fish, I was persuaded to get some of my own, and of course I went for tropicals. I have received a great deal of support and encouragement from the members of this forum, and in the process have contracted that infectious disease known as multiple tank syndrome

I have very soft tap water here in Manchester (KH = 0.6, GH = 3, TDS=40) which is ideal for South American fish, so that’s my main focus. However, I am beginning to introduce a little more variety.  The tanks are as follows, numbered in order of acquisition:

Tank 1 is a 165 litre Aquastyle 850, bow-fronted with a sizeable lid-mounted filter. It’s been running about 6 months, is moderately planted with lots of big rocks and currently houses a mix of South American fish:
·         13 Hemigrammus bleheri Rummy-nose tetras
·         6 Corydoras trilineatus
·         3 Corydoras oiapoquensis
·         8 Otocinclus vestitus
·         1 Hemiancistrus sp L128 Blue phantom pleco ‘Orinoco’
·         1 Microgeophagus altispinosus Bolivian Ram ‘Tiwanaku’
·         1 Apistogramma cacatuoides super red ‘Greedy Boy’

Tank 2 is a 40 litre Aquastart 340, originally purchased as a quarantine/hospital tank. It is a bow-fronted cube with a small but effective lid-mounted filter. It’s been running since February, has some Java moss and Java fern and currently houses two small groups of fish native to the Rio Negro:
·         6 Corydoras melini
·         4 Poecilocharax weitzmani tetras

Tank 3 is a 120 litre Juwel Lido, bought second-hand from Discus_ste on this forum. Currently heavily filtered with a Fluval 105 and an APS1000EF+, it represents a Rio Negro blackwater biotope with lots of branches and some rocks, and only floating plants. It currently houses a lot of fish native to the Rio Negro:
·         12 Hemigrammus bleheri Rummy-nose tetras
·         5 Petitella georgiae Rummy-nose tetras
·         10 Carnegiella strigata Marble hatchetfish
·         6 Dicrossus filamentosus Chequerboard cichlids
·         2 Pseudolithoxus dumus L244 pleco ‘Yanomami’ and ‘Maquichimi’

Tank 4 is a 54 litre 2’ x 1’ x 1’ plan glass tank with HOB filter. This came second-hand from lurch1000 on this forum as a bit of an unexpected bonus when I bought Tank 5. At present it has a load of Echinodorus species, various floating plants and some bogwood, and the inhabitants are as follows:
·         6 Corydoras melini
·         5 Corydoras napoensis
·         4 Trichogaster chuna Honey gourami

Tank 5 is a Juwel Rio 240L which I bought third-hand from lurch1000 on this forum, and came with an APS1400 filter. It is currently just starting its fishless cycle which I hope to be fairly quick as I am using a good amount of media and water from my other tanks. This is effectively an expansion of the Tank 3 Rio Negro biotope, and incorporates a planted section with two large tree trunks to represent a region of flooded forest, plus sandy and rocky areas to simulate the deeper parts of the river.

Once Tank 5 is cycled, I intend to move a lot of the fish around. The current plan sees all 25 Hemigrammus bleheri and 12 Corydoras melini move into Tank 5, with one of the L244 plecos and the 10 marble hatchets.

The Petitella georgiae and Dicrossus filamentosus are also Rio Negro species, but for now I’m going to keep these in Tank 3 with the other L244. They may move over later.

I’m going to keep the Weitzmani tetras in Tank 2 while they grow up a bit; it will be easier to maintain these fussy fish in a species tank. They are also from the Rio Negro.

The Corydoras napoensis will move into Tank 1 with the similarly-patterned Corydoras trilineatus and the Corydoras oiapoquensis to give a group of 14. Together with the Otos, the pleco and the two cichlids I hope that will work out OK although it will be rather heavy on the bottom-feeders.

That will leave just the honey gouramis in Tank 4.

My ‘wish list’ for the latter part of 2014 is currently as follows:
·         10 Chocolate kuhli loaches to join the Honeys in Tank 4, which will have an Asian theme
·         A female L244 to add to Tank 5
·         Pair of Rineloricaria melini whiptails to add to Tank 5
·         Possibly a pair of Mesonauta insignis festivum cichlids for Tank 5?
 

[TropicalFishForums]

[Lucyd]

Blimey Paul... Looks like a lot of water when you put it all in one post..!

Sent from my GT-I9505

[leeanne]

You have mts bad...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Mol_PMB]

Yep - and all in the living room 

No telly in this house - the fish are much more entertaining 

[Danny7385]

Blimey! Sold the couch for space yet?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Mol_PMB]

It's a big living room

A couple of quck snaps I've just taken - one of a Cory napoensis relaxing in his hammock in T4, and another of all four Weitzmani tetras in T2. These guys are very good at hiding so it's rare to see them all at once. Sorry about the reflections.

[Mol_PMB]

Having written about my plans, I decided to put one of them into action already. I have moved the five Cory napoensis into Tank 1 with the trilineatus, where they seem to be enjoying the extra space.
And in Tank 4 I have replaced them with some sweet Asian tank-mates for the honeys.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[JumpMaster]

Nice  idea of keeping one log, it will be easier to follow your efforts/progress. May I copy you?

[Mol_PMB]

If you wish! You're not quite so out of control with MTS (yet!).


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Mol_PMB]

These guys are just manic

The remaining cories in this tank aren't impressed with their crazy neighbours, and the honeys have all changed colour again.

While sold as 'banded kuhli' they clearly aren't (and I didn't want the more common banded ones). I'm 99% sure they are Pangio oblonga, known as the 'chocolate kuhli' or the 'cinnamon loach'. Either is ideal for my sweet-tasting Asian tank

The tank they came from at Abyss also had a pair of 'samurai gourami'. I think these are the same as chocolate gourami. Very pretty but I left them for the specialists...

[Vikkio4]

Everything is so awesome, you're making me want to re-do my tank! If only you were closer to do it for me

[Mol_PMB]

Thanks

I was originally an Essex boy and I spent 4 years at uni in Cambridge, but it's a long way away now.

But we all have our own fascinating ideas and tanks - how are your purple crabs?

[Mol_PMB]

Do Kuhli loaches ever stop manically trying to tie themselves in knots? They've been at it for a couple of hours, from about 5 minutes after I let them out of the bag. Two groups of 5 in opposite corners of the tank.

[plankton]

They are great fun, completely loopy as all loach are..........in the right numbers, and you certainly have that......

[Vikkio4]

Thanks

I was originally an Essex boy and I spent 4 years at uni in Cambridge, but it's a long way away now.

But we all have our own fascinating ideas and tanks - how are your purple crabs?

Oh really? Not good enough to stay eh :P
Haha, that'll never get old! At least when I get crabs they're an interesting shade of purple (feel like I should've kept that to myself?)
They're good, had some moulting so just waiting for some baby crabs to appear when they're happy enough but I won't hold my breath ;P
I'm loving the khulis, they sound like great fun!