Hello from Western Australia

[Gastroplod]

Hello all, I’m joining this forum because I think my partner and mates are sick of me trying to talk their ears off about aquariums. I have been away from the hobby for a while but in the last six months or so I’ve been re-acquainting myself with everything - learning what former facts are now considered wrong, seeing the development of different tech etc. It’s been really fun to get excited about something I’ve always enjoyed since I was a kid. Right now I’m about to move house (rental to owning), so I’m mostly just scheming on my set-up, while maintaining the following: 

A) 250l cold water tank with two 5cm goldfish, hornwort, Aqua One Nautilus 2700 and sponge filter back-ups (and for future tank set ups)

B) 40l blackwater style tropical setup with 4 cherry barbs, 6 juvenile guppies, 6 WCMM, an Oto, and a mystery snail called Gary. That one has an Eheim 160, Java ferns, heaps of wood, vallis, crypts, frogbit, mosquito fern, duckweed - it’s technically overstocked but that was due to a tank emergency, and the water tests consistently perfect - in fact, I have to fert a lot to stop the plants starving themselves. 
 

my plan post-move is to move the tropicals to a 90l bookshelf low profile tank, then set up two 90l cubes with shell-dwellers and kribs respectively and try breeding some. With the goldfish on the bottom of a large shelving unit housing the whole lot
 

Anyway, I look forward to asking questions and learning from everyone. Thanks! 

[GoofyGarra]

Welcome to the forum! Your tanks look very nice

[Whitecloud09]

Welcome to the forum! Nice tanks. The first pic of the tank looks awesome!  @Gastroplod

[Gastroplod]

Thank you both 🙂

[Moose]

gorgeous blackwater tank...I love the look of plants in blackwater. Do you use botanicals or dose a blackwater extract directly into the tank water? 

[Gastroplod]

It’s all just natural tannins from the wood actually. The plants are doing such a good job keeping the nitrates down that I don’t have to do a lot of water changes so I guess that helps the colour stay nice and dark. I also love the black water aesthetic 👍🏻

[mountaintoppufferkeeper]

Nice setups. Welcome to the forum. 

This forum is awesome id would be rough to talk as much fish as we do here with those around us who have "less of an interest". 

[FarmerCon]

Nice looking tanks, welcome to the forum. 

 

[AAE]

@Gastroplod, welcome!  Sweet looking tanks!

 

[Gastroplod]

Hi again, I'm just posting this here because the thread I started about 3 weeks ago referring to a mishap I had with a shell dweller set-up appears to have been deleted 😞 I was hoping to give the people who offered good advice an update. I've finished cycling a new 60 litre tank for the remaining Ocellatus, and now I'm waiting to hear back from my LFS about a restock so I can give this little dude some friends asap. So yeah, glad that all worked out in the end.

 

Additionally, I upgraded my planted community tank to a 90 litre cube - which contains some fantastically red, extremely energetic Albino Cherry Barbs. I thoughT they looked a bit meh in the store, but they pop so hard against all the greenery. I cant get a decent pic of them close-up cuz they never stay still long enough.

Edited June 23 by Gastroplod
typos

[j_rider]

Tanks look great. Does the new 90L cube mean you have moved into your new place? Hope the forum is letting you talk more about the hobby with like-minded others.

[Gastroplod]

On 6/24/2024 at 6:14 AM, j_rider said:

Tanks look great. Does the new 90L cube mean you have moved into your new place? Hope the forum is letting you talk more about the hobby with like-minded others.

Nah we decided not to move for the time being, so I just put this tank into action rather than go another day starting it empty wishing I could be fiddled with it hah.