Softbreeze

@Bev C a journal would definitely be helpful. There's more us than we think and probably quite a few who are hestitant because they're not sure how to do it.

@Patrick_G and @Cory, thanks!

Just reading this thread with interest. I wish there was a 'top tips' list pinned to help people like us, with all the ideas above included? @Cory this would be truly helpful for newbies. I have a rare condition called CTEPH (chronic thromboembolic disease with pulmonary hypertension) which happened after covid gave me three large and dozens of small pulmonary embolisms. I also have long covid, severe asthma and inflammatory bowel disease. All of which are new so adapting has been a steep and sudden learning curve. Long story short, at just 42, I'm a wheelchair user with the stamina of a poorly 90yr old lol. I don't yet need a chair indoors but can't stand for very long so normally need various seats or stools to rest on, dotted around the house. I also have some neurological issues which make remembering and learning very difficult. So...the point! To try to improve my quality of life hubs and I are planning a custom aquarium and it's been quite challenging. I do have prior knowledge but alot of is 15yrs out of date so the struggle has been for things like choosing lights and catching up on latest tech or info. Things I've found helpful 1. A sump, accessible at knee to waist height when sitting means just reaching in and replacing/washing sponges without needing to stand 2. Going big on the aquarium to reduce frequency of maintenance 3. Using either a python system or similar to empty and refill the tank 4. Having the stand customised to a lower height so that if I do have to stand to feed the fish etc I don't need to stretch 5. Adopting Cory's philosophy of making things easier! Don't overstock, don't stretch yourself too much to start with and ease into it. Try to plan ahead to avoid needing to do more maintenance than necessary. 6. Long handled everything! Pruning scissors, algae scrapers, nets. Buy it or mod it. Grabbers can be used underwater in bigger tanks. 7. Make sure your end goal is to be able to enjoy your tank. And not end up stressing about it. Things I'm still struggling with:- 1. Hubs is going to have to scape this tank for me. I'm just not up to reaching in to arrange decor or substrate. 2. I'm lucky he's my back up for maintenance if I'm poorly 3. Building in a crisis plan if something goes wrong and I'm on my own. 4. How to site plug sockets low enough to reach from sitting but still safe from drips/splashes 5. Learning. Instructions. Large print (I don't see so well anymore). It would be so good to be able to access a large print PDF of instruction manuals for your equipment. That's why I love YouTube videos, so much easier! 6. Planning maintenance to be short. My energy budget is so small but I want to be involved in this project rather than have hubs do it all. This part is hard and some things I guess I'm just gonna have to be ok with. I can't up the frequency because I don't have the consistency of health. 7. Test kits although I've seen some great tips above for these! Sorry for the super long post. If anyone knows of a YouTuber that shows tank maintenance from a wheelchair please let me know. It would be easier to not have a tank but then mental health is so important, especially when you can't leave the house. We'll make this thing work

I'm watching this with interest as am planning a big goldfish set up. In the past I've had them on gravel but am looking to use sand this time. Am hearing conflicting info on which is better though

Looks great! I'm sorry to hear about your loss, I had a similar experience many years ago and it's tough. Thank you so much for sharing these photos. That really is a perfect size alcove for a tank.

That's great advice, thanks! If I had my way we'd have the tank now but gotta get the living room refurb done first so I have to exercise the dreaded 'P' word lol Your fish looks great, do you have any pics of your setup?

Was thinking I'd need to the gudgeon and minnows in first, as I think they'll grow more slowly and I need them to be a good size before the goldies arrive. My lfs sells comets at 5cm minimum but I've seen they can grow fast! Will pack the sump with sponges and biomedia.

Want to throw my stocking idea at you guys to get some feedback. Please be gentle but I'm open to changing things if it's not appropriate. The planned tank is 72' x 24' x 24' @680l (180ish US gallons) with a 60-90l sump. I'm planning to plant it, mostly stem plants, possibly floaters, and I might go out of the europe biotope to get some goldie proof anubias in there. Hardscape likely to be river rock, gravel and sand with some wood but without cluttering up swim space. So, dealing with full and likely adult sizes.... 5x comet goldfish @30ccm 15x eurasian minnows @10cm 5x gudgeon (gobio gobio) @10cm 5x dojo loach @30cm *dojo loach as stand ins for the European Weather Loach from the same family as this requires a license to keep in the UK Gives me 500cm fish for my 680l tank, eventually. However, goldfish produce much more waste than the 30cm dojo loaches so I'm unsure on this calculation. I'd also like to make sure the comets would have enough swimming room in this tank. My prev tanks have been much smaller so I'm finding it difficult to imagine the size. We can get a pond but as I find it extremely difficult to leave the house due to my illness then I'd rather do my best to make this work.Otherwise I'd hardly ever see my fish. We can go to 72' x 24' x 30' tall instead, giving us an extra 200l to play with, as an alternative. I guess I'm after reassurance, or constructive criticism 😅

Clear plastic soap tray is genius, and looks great too!

Hi from down South. Purple guppies are gorgeous! I'm just planning my first tank after 15yr break and I'm already thinking about a second. I forgot what the addiction waa like lol

No idea on ORD but wondered if there are many other members from UK?

The part about keeping plants alive but only in the aquarium? I felt that 😅 Although I'm doing a good line in peace lillies atm lol

Hi! I used to have an aquarium a long time ago (both coldwater and later tropical) and have been itching to get back in to the hobby with a much bigger aquarium plus my first ever pond. Sadly I became very badly disabled a little over 2yrs ago and it looked like that dream was done. Luckily, I have an amazing husband who is all for creating that pond indoors with me. We're now planning a 6ft x 2ft x 2ft custom built sumped freshwater tank in the living room. I’ve got a soft spot for comet goldfish and wanted a more interactive fish experience. I'm also hoping to add weather loaches, gudgeon and eurasian minnows too. Not strictly native but want to try for a european-esque biotope. Not had a sump before, excited to learn. Looking forward to advice on stocking levels. I believe the minnows, at 4" will be too big for the eventual full grown comets to eat but am open to opinions. Leaning towards plants and fully accepting some will get eaten but I figure that's good goldie enrichment. I'm very pleased at the low tech trend as my last fish tank used T12s lol so needing to catch up with the last gear. So many cool toys to play with now but it is also a bit overwhelming! One thing we do need to figure out is the easiest way to do a water change as we can't install an auto change system in this room. Hubs will be doing the grunt work for me and I'd like to make that as easy on him as possible, especially with messy goldfish. I love the idea of growing plants out the top of the tank and in the sump, for more nitrate uptake. Not to replace water changes but to help keep on top of things. Yup, lots of ideas! Seems like so long since I had something to be excited for, now I feel like a kid waiting for Christmas lol! Anyways, pleased to be here and will share pics when we eventually get there.