Ruud's 25.5G (96 liters) setup

[Ruud]

Hi all, 

Thought it made sense and would be nice to document the start of my new aquarium.

Background: I have been having multiple aquariums (SA cichlids, L numbers, Cory's mostly) for most of my adult life. 

In 2015 I moved to Spain for work and up until recently been moving around too much and never felt rooted and at home enough (if that makes sense) to setup aquariums again. In my current home there is just too limited space to do what I want how I want, however I found some space to at least get back to 1 aquarium and get the juices flowing again. Thanks to this forum and Youtube!

So I got a pair of new 96 liters about 2 years back thinking it would be the start of a small fish room but the house I planned it for never materialized due to legal paperwork issues. I put them in storage and kinda forgot about them mostly, thinking one day I will find the right house and set them up in a proper room. 

Pulled one out of storage yesterday, filled it up to make sure its not leaking 

 

That went well, so put some black vinyl on the back and one side and put it in his new place: 

Edited November 2, 2020 by Ruud

[Ruud]

In past tanks I always used sand or gravel as bottom and had little plants. This time I want to try and do something better with plants, so hopped on the bike and went to the local pet store (that is expensive and has next to nothing in terms of fish) and got this: 

Considering water her is hard and high PH, I'd reckoned this might help softening it a little.

Next step putting in the substrate, fill her up with water and put all the stuff in it. I have a Ziss filter, an internal Fluval U2 sponge filter to help with bioload and a Sera 100w heater element. Might go back to an external canister in future, for now I am curious how the Ziss works. I ordered cheapish lights on Amazon that should come in on Wednesday. 

Question to the masters out here. Do I put a layer on top of the substrate?? Like rocks or gravel? I don't like fine gravel, I like the more rounded bigger gravel that @Dean’s Fishroom has in the tank that holds the big school of Cory's, Giant Otto's and whiptails. I'd like that but how do you call that type of gravel? Hoping Amazon can deliver me something similar? If not something like a thin layer of Flourite on top maybe?

Ruud

Edited November 2, 2020 by Ruud

[Daniel]

Slightly off topic, but what is it like setting up a new aquarium in Spain. It looks like you do a bit of shopping on online, but what is like shopping at the local fish store? Do the stores have a good selection of supplies? I notice the substrate bag is in English. Is that typical? It seems like the German brands like Eheim would lead the pack.

[Ruud]

Frankly, @Daniel, in my experience it is dificult. First of all there are no PetCo's or similar big box stores here in Spain in the aquarium world. So you are left with local pet shops or specialized stores. 

If you look at a city like Barcelona there are only a handful stores that have a half decent selection of fish. All the fish they carry are extremely small (think Cory's of less than an inch) and young. Stock usually is quite bad (Spain is still hurting a lot from the economic crash of 2008 and stock means cash and therefore stock is very limited). To give you an idea, take a look here, this is probably one of the best shops I know in Barcelona: 

ACUARIOFILIA - Urban Natura

WWW.URBANNATURA.COM

There are some Spanish companies that make nice aquariums, like Blau 

[Ruud]

Any thoughts on my soil @Daniel ? I am tempted to find some nice gravel to put on top. 

[Daniel]

1 hour ago, Ruud said:

Any thoughts on my soil @Daniel ? I am tempted to find some nice gravel to put on top. 

This is an area I don't know much about. But, I know what I would do and what I think you do should and they are not the same thing.

I would just use the substrate you purchased without gravel on top because useless the bag says that the gravel substrate is recommended it is probably unnecessary and I would like that plain look.

But to you I would recommend that you find some nice gravel to put on top because I think that is what you would like to do and I don't think it would hurt, so I think you are free to do what you want.

Sorry for the mixed messages but as I said I don't have an informed opinion on this.

 

 

[Ruud]

Thanks @Daniel, will start putting the substrate in and see how it looks and go from there. To be continued!

[kammaroon]

With these type of soil, you can cap it or leave it uncapped, depending on the aesthetics you want. However, if you want to soften your water, you will need it exposed or partially exposed to the water column.

[Ruud]

Thanks @kammaroon that was actually one of the reasons why I got this type and not just gravel. Water is extremely poor quality here and very hard so can use every bit of help in softening it. I just posted this in a separate thread actually where I am also asking what brand of test strips people tend to use, but these are the parameters of my water out of the tap: 

NO3 50 (mg/l ppm)

NO2 0

GH > 21

KH 20 >

PH 8

So yeah, hoping the soil will help a bit in lowering my GH. You make a good point though that it will only help with water quality if it is more or less exposed. Tomorrow my lights get in, by then the mist should be cleared in the aquarium so will see how it looks then. 

[cornelius85]

22 hours ago, Ruud said:

Frankly, @Daniel, in my experience it is dificult. First of all there are no PetCo's or similar big box stores here in Spain in the aquarium world. So you are left with local pet shops or specialized stores. 

If you look at a city like Barcelona there are only a handful stores that have a half decent selection of fish. All the fish they carry are extremely small (think Cory's of less than an inch) and young. Stock usually is quite bad (Spain is still hurting a lot from the economic crash of 2008 and stock means cash and therefore stock is very limited). To give you an idea, take a look here, this is probably one of the best shops I know in Barcelona: 

ACUARIOFILIA - Urban Natura

WWW.URBANNATURA.COM

There are some Spanish companies that make nice aquariums, like Blau 

I thought you'd be better over there than us in Turkey, but it seems lke the other way around. 

Stock wise you can find pretty much anything you like. As for the quipment, almost everything is available, Eheim, fluval, tetra jbl etc.

But I feel like we are a little bit short on meds, only seachem and sera products available.

But it is getting more expensive every single day as our currency crashed against USD pretty hard.

 

[Ruud]

My main issue here in Spain is that there are only a hand full of true quality places. I know one in Barcelona, and one in Madrid (which is a 7 hour drive away for me). Then there is the issue of few things to choose from and very small size of fish. Eheim, Tertra, Fluval and such is available but usually much cheaper to get through Amazon than buying in the shops. Food wise the assortment also is low. 

[Ruud]

Today's update, not entirely happy yet with the substate as the water is still quite cloudy and whenever I touch it to change the thickness at some places, it's instally fully clouded again. I know its just a matter of patience and time, but still undecided whether I a thin layer of gravel on top to help against clouding up. 

Plugged in the Eheim 250 (700l/h) yesterday but didn't have any Polyfil or something similar, so have ordered that on amazon and should get in today, also will change the medium a bit from the stuff that comes with the Eheim filter. Also got the light in, a Nicrew classic led G2 (basic light from amazon but will have to do for now)

Hopefully I can go to Barcelona tomorrow afternoon to get some plants. Hope to get at least a moss ball, some Anubias nana petite and anything else that I see and like. Maybe a sword or something. Fingers crossed I can go, cause the weekend I am locked down again in my pueblo!

Pics to follow once I have something worthwhile showing!

[Daniel]

7 minutes ago, Ruud said:

I know its just a matter of patience and time, but still undecided whether I a thin layer of gravel on top to help against clouding up.

Once I had just bare naked garden soil as a substrate with no cap. It took a couple weeks to clear. Eventually (like at 6 weeks) if you disturbed the soil it would cloud up for 1 hour and then go back to clear. So even without a cap and even with disturbance the tank will stay clear if you have patience.

Most people choose a thin gravel or sand cap for that very reason, because it helps at first and helps a little bit in the long run. But in the longest run it doesn't make that much of a difference.

[Ruud]

That was my chain of thoughts as well.... put in a thin gravel cap or be patient and leave it at is. I quite like the brown actually and I am picky with this kind of stuff - not any gravel will do, it needs to be pretty gravel haha.

Also when I stuff the filter full with cotton wool or polyfil and run it for a few days like that, it will be much better. 

[Ruud]

Went to a fish store in Barcelona that I never went before and got me some plants. Here they are acclimating in the tank, after adding more substrate (hence the clouds)

Got Echinodorus Bleheri, a Annubias nana petite, a type of Java fern I think (with the curly leaves), a regular java fern and a moss ball. Perhaps someone can comment whether I have the names right (better pics to follow)

[Ruud]

also a picture for @Daniel. Remember when you asked about fish shops over here and I said the fish were extremely small?

Cory Paleatus for Euro 3.75 each. Probably less than a cm each. 

[Daniel]

It’s all a matter of taste, but if I could get all my fish as small juveniles, that would be my first choice.

$4.50 for healthy Corydoras paleatus and no shipping, sounds good to me!

I find my fish do better when I buy a decent size group of young fish and raise them in my water feeding them my food.

I guess the grass is always greener on the other side of the pond, but I envy your choices. 🙂

[Ruud]

I guess you have a point here indeed Daniel, maybe buying babies is not that bad. 

Actually come to think of it, the assortment is a bit weird here. That shop, that really had good quality fish, clean tanks, knowledgeable staff etc... I see 10 types of Molies, but no Swords. 10 types of guppies and goldfish. Several types of Cories (Aeneus, albino, julio) but no L numbers. Discuss and Angels from babies to full grown. 1 type of Ramirezi's but no Apisto's. Lots of schooling fish and several types of Gourami's. They had a few very nice knife fish (that I don't know anything about) that my gf really liked but allready told her it will outgrow everything!

[Daniel]

12 minutes ago, Ruud said:

 That shop, that really had good quality fish, clean tanks, knowledgeable staff etc... I see 10 types of Molies, but no Swords. 10 types of guppies and goldfish. Several types of Cories (Aeneus, albino, julio) but no L numbers. Discuss and Angels from babies to full grown. 1 type of Ramirezi's but no Apisto's. Lots of schooling fish and several types of Gourami's.

Only one of my local fish stores meets those standards. And the important thing, it looks like your having fun.

And I also think this Forum is part of what makes it fun. When I do something interesting, other people are interested. And when other people do something interesting, I get to participate in their joy. It doubles the pleasure on everything fish keeping related.

I can even talk to a Nederlander living Spain about what Spanish fish store looks like! 🙂

[Alesha]

All the plants look great, @Ruud! So glad you found the Marimo moss ball...hope it does well for you.

[Ruud]

Thanks @akconklin! Yeah happy I got that one, its quite an okay size as well. They are hard to get here and most of them are really small.

Any idea if I am on point with the names of the other plants?

 

Yes @Danielyou are right. I am having fun, geeking out at a fish store! And being here with like minded people, sharing,  makes the hobby more fun. Cant wait till my water clears, put in some Polyfil so hopefully better tomorrow.

[Alesha]

7 minutes ago, Ruud said:

Thanks @akconklin! Yeah happy I got that one, its quite an okay size as well. They are hard to get here and most of them are really small.

Any idea if I am on point with the names of the other plants?

I do recognize the java fern, but unfortunately, I still don't know many of the plant names yet. I know the ones in my tank...lol. And I'm slowly learning the others. 🙂 

[Ruud]

I got me a pretty spectacular piece of wood, think its spider wood? Though its a bit bigger in the aquarium than I thought it would be (it always looks smaller in the store). Either way I think it will look good. Now the eternal wait for it to sink 🙂

[kammaroon]

That is a an impressive piece of wood. 

The curly leaves plant seem to be shooting out a runner. I don't think Java ferns do that. Could it be a Cryptocoryne crispatula?

[Ruud]

I haven't really identified the curly leaves plant, just thought its some type of fern. I don't think its the Crispatula, but I probably need to ask for an ID in the plants section here on the forum.