[European 66 gallon (250l) aquascaped planted tank]

Hello!

 

Many thanks for all comments. Let me answer it one by one 🙂 

 

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Columbian blue tetras are stunning they get 2-3in would and African butterfly cichilds  are on the small side and do well in groups of 6 

I've visited couple of fish stores recently and in one of them I've seen Columbian blue tetras. They are not very impressive at the store, but I guess they get much better once moved to proper tank 🙂.  They are quite pricy. Buying 10-15 of them is quite an expense, so I didn't bought them, but I'm still considering them as my second (smaller) school 🙂. 

 

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The post / concept just illustrates for me the difference between the US and EU hobby and the video Cory and Chris did on the topic.  This is SUCH a breathtaking setup before you've even added a fish or plant.  I look forward to seeing where you take it.

Actually, it aquascaping and YouTube aquascape vidoes brought me to this hobby. Initially I was much more interested in aquascapes than in fish itself. But now I am slowly starting to appreciate and put more attention also to fish and other animals 🙂 

 

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I highlighted the above text because I wanted to ask about the substrate you've chosen.  As far as what is "regularly available" and you mentioned the red sand.  Is there a lot of choice in this medium available regularly for you?  A lot of colors or just 2-3 choices for the "dennerle sand"?

Actually I made mistake in description about as this is not Dennerle sand, but JBL Sansibar Red sand (https://www.jbl.de/?mod=products&func=detail&country=us&lang=en&id=6117). First I tried with Sansibar Orange, but it was too bright. The red one matches the colours of my rocks much better. 

In general, at my place there are plenty of different sands and gravels to choose from. From less expensive ones (which sometimes looks like normal regular river gravel) to premium ADA ones (which are extremely expensive). 

 

@nabokovfan87: many thanks for all your suggestions regarding stocking. I've decided to go for red cherry barbs and I've bough 19 of them. I've also bought 3 Butterfly Hillstream Loaches, so currently in the tank I have:

* 19 cherry barbs (it looks that there are only three males among them, but maybe I'm wrong - let's wait and see)

* 5 otos 

* 3 Butterfly Hillstream Loaches

* 9 Amano shrimps

* different snails

 

I'm still planning to add:

* one school of fish (e.g. those Columbian Tetras or some Danios or something else) - are Danios OK for a tank without lid or will they massively jump out? 

* pair or harem of cichlids (I just need to find ones which are OK with a bit lower temps around 22-24 C [71-75F] - maybe some Appistos ?)

* I still want some stiphodon gobies, but it is hard to find them in my area, but I will surely buy some if I have occassion

* 1 or 2 plecos

* maybe some corries, but I'm not 100% sure - I'm a bit afraid that they might dig out the plants

 

 

[European 66 gallon (250l) aquascaped planted tank]

Here are some more pictures from setting this up and how it looked at the beginning. 

 

[European 66 gallon (250l) aquascaped planted tank]

Hello Guys,

 

I'm from Poland and I'm in aquarium hobby for about 2,5 years now. So far I had only nano tanks (25, 30, 40, 50 litres), but on March 27th I've set up my first large tank - 66 gallons (250l), dimensions 100 cm x 50 cm x 50 cm (40 in x 20 in x 20 in) and I would like to have nice community aquarium.

The equipment is the following.

VIV OptiWhite tank (100x50x50)

Chihiros WRGB II light 90 cm, 100W, 6200 lm

Filtration: canister filter Aquael Ultramax 1500 (1500 l/h)

There is some crushed lava rock in the bottom to build some hight and on top active soil: Maflora Rotala Intensive and then Maflora Rotala Light. Front and path made of Dennerle Red sand. 

Rocks: locally collected in mountains in Poland

Wood: beech roots, locally collected

 

List of plants:

Monte Carlo

Hemiantus Cuba

Rotala H'Ra

Rotala Walichii

Rotala Bonsai

Didiplis Diandra

Bacopa Caroliniana

Ludwigia Super Red

some moss

Cryptocoryne Wendtii Brown

Cryptocoryne Wendtii Green

Cryptocoryne costata

Cryptocoryne x willisii "Lucens"

Cryptocoryne Petchii Pink

Microsorium Pteropus

Microsorium Trident

Bolbitis Heulodoti

some Bucephalandra species 

Anubias Nana

Anubias Nana Petit

Eriocaulon cinereum

Eleocharis parvula mini

Eleocharis parvula 

 

As regards animals, at the moment there are 5 Otocinclus Catfish, 9 Amano shrimps and some snails (Clithon Corona, Onion snails, Zebra snails and a lot of pest snails which, I guess, came with plants). 

Now I'm considering different stocking ideas for this tank. Here is what I would like to have:

• 1 or 2 schools of some nice fish, not very big (2-3 inches max). I was thinking about:
  • Cherry Barbs and/or
  • some other barbs (not sure which ones - any recommendations) and/or
  • Rummynose tetras and/or
  • some Danios (not sure which ones) and/or
  • Platies + Guppies and/or
  • can you recommend something else, some schooling fish, not very big (max 2-3 inches)? 
• a pair of Cichlids (German Blue Ram or Apistogramma Cacatuoides or Bolivian Ram)
• 1 or 2 Plecos
• group of corrydoras (e.g. Corrydoras Sterbai or some other small corries)
• small group of rainbow stiphodon gobies (stiphodon ornatus)

As regards number of fish, would that work to have:

• school 1: 10 fish (e.g. barbs)
• school 2: 10 fish (e.g. danios)
• pair of small cichlids
• 1-2 plecos
• 8-10 corrydoras
• 4-5 rainbow stiphodon gobies

The tank has no lid and I would prefer to keep it without lid, so I need fish which do not have strong tendency to jump out.

What do you think? Any recommendations? Ideas? 

Many thanks in advance!

Tomek

[Welcome to the C.A.R.E Forum - Look here first.]

Thanks Colu 🙂

I've just started my largest tank ever (100x50x50 = 250 litres) and my first with CO2 injection. 

Here are some pictures of it from setup phase.

First hardscape (locally collected roots of beech and some rocks collected in the mountains), then planting and then how it looked after filling in. Now I'm enetering into "algae" phase. I hope I can handle that 🙂

 

 

[Sick Galaxy Rasbora - I don't know what is this]

Unfortunately I've lost patient #1 - he did not want to eat, no matter what I did. It seems that I might have also lost one more fish, because there should be 7 of them and I can never see more than 6 at the same time, but I am not 100% sure as the tank is quite heavy planted, so there is plenty places to hide. 

Anyway, those fish which I can see seems to be OK. I think I will keep treating them with levimasole for 1 more week with half dosage, just in case, any maybe also with metronidazole (half dosage - just prophylactic).

Anyway, thank you so much for your help here. Although I lost the fish, I am sure that without your help there would be more losses. 

[Sick Galaxy Rasbora - I don't know what is this]

Short update from my side. Since saturday I'm treating the tank with Levimasole in water column and I also soaked the food and I give it every 2-3 days. So far all fish are alive including "patient number 1", but he is even skinnier then ever before, I still didn't notice him eating and I'm afraid he will eventually die soon. Other fish seems to be OK. "Patient 2" is skinny, but I've seen him eating today, so I hope he will be OK. I continue treatment and I will keep you updated.  

[Sick Galaxy Rasbora - I don't know what is this]

Thanks. I will try to soak the food, but since I am not sure if all fish do eat, I will also dose to water column. 

[Sick Galaxy Rasbora - I don't know what is this]

Many thanks guys. Today I was able to buy something with Levimasole and something else with Metronidazol, so I will try the one with Levimasole.  I will add it to the fish in quarantine and also to the tank and let's hope it will help.

I didn't find anything with Flubendazole, but I would be afraid to use it anyway if it is not shrimp safe.

 

 

[Sick Galaxy Rasbora - I don't know what is this]

Hello Guys,

 

My name is Tomek. I'm from Poland. I have a sick Galaxy Rasbora and I'm looking for help how to treat it. 

 

Here is the story.

 

Just before Christmas I bought 8 Galaxy Rasboras and I've put them in 30 liters tank with Neocaridina Shrimps. This is seasoned tank as it was launched around 1 year ago. It is being filtered with internal filter with large sponge. After Christmas and just before New Year I've noticed some issue with one fish. It was very slim, not eating (even if it has food sminning by just before it's nose), constantly opening and closing its mouth (looked like breathing through mouth), apathetic, not shoaling with other fishes, but rather staying away from other fishes. Here is video of this fish at that time:

 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/dgLVGLj7Dsu4Rxhp7

 

Other 7 fish seemed to be OK, they were active, eating, chasing around in aquarium. 

 

I decided to separate this ill fish. I did not know what is going on, so I dedided to try to treat it for bactrial infection (with Sera Bactopur/Bacroforte - this is what I had at home). Currently, after a week of separation the fish is still alive, but I still don't see it eating and it looks even worse:

 

 

 

 

Additionally, I have impression that another fish in the main tank might get the same illness as it is really slim and is not shoaling with other fishes:

 

 

I've tested water, but I don't see anything wrong:

 

NO3: around 20-25
NO2: 0
GH: 8
KH: 6
pH: 7
Temp. 26 st. C

 

I would appreciate any advices what to do.

 

Many thanks in advance!

Tomek

[Welcome to the C.A.R.E Forum - Look here first.]

Hello Everyone! 

My name is Tomek. I'm from Poland. I'm around 2 years in hobby now. I have some nano tanks and I'm currently preparing to setup something what for me (and for most hobbists in Europe) is considered as large tank, but for you in US it seems not to be so large (250 litres = around 66 gallons). 

Here are some my tanks:

 

 

 

Tomek