29/04/2009

This is my Aquarium

I post this information of my Aquarium which Ah Boy bought last year. It seems that the fry that we had did not survive during the March holidays because there was no food for them over a whole week. Okay I gather that my fish must be either guppy, molly or swordtail because I only learnt recently that these fishes do not lay eggs but have their young born alive. Our little fishes that were in the aquarium were born from our first batch bought from the store and how happy we were when we discovered these little fishees in the aquarium among the artificial plants, shielding them from the adult fishes.

Umbrella Rec was so kind to post an article to help or rather guide beginners like me learn more about having planted plant with soil (as substitute food) in fish aquarium for food should one is away for the holidays. There are more detailed information so if you are also interested in breeding fish, check out this post - Planted Tank for Beginners

I told him that I would post some photos of the aquarium I have so that he could tell if it is suitable or not in terms of light source and etc.

Here are the photos and whatever helpful info I have about the aquarium:

The aquarium and it's measurements




Looking down




Opening the cover and Light information




Left, centre and right from top


Hopefully these photos are good enough for Umbrella Rec to advice if I need any other device to be attached besides a timer for light. And, Thanks!!

7 comments:

Umbrella Rec said...

Based on my calculation, your tank is 11.47 U.S. gallon. I prefer to round up to 10 gallon (about 40 litre) since normally we don't fill up the entire tank with water + rocks/substrate take up the space too. Sorry, I am too used U.S. gallon and inches as I deal with Americans mostly.

Yes, K is for Kelvin. The amount of K looks ok for plants. The wattage is below 2 watt per gallon, which I am a bit worried. How old are your light tubes? If they're over 1 year old, I suggest you change the tubes. Anyway, I suggest you try out hardy low light plants such Java Ferns or Anubias Nana that you attach to a driftwood/rock. You don't have to worry about soil if you keep these plants. These plants are commonly available at LFS (local fish shops). Don't rush for it, go around Singapore to check out the price first. Try the shop called C328 in Clementi. I also heard there are farms in Choa Chu Kang and Pasir Ris areas. I was told there are LFS almost everywhere in Singapore. Also take some time to think about what you want the planted tank to look like. So, that you can give me an idea to help you.

The design of your filter looks odd to me especially the last photo. I don't understand why the pipe has to directly go to the outlet or too near to the outlet. I believe there is a section you can put a piece of foam, right? Without the foam, it does not serve as a filter anymore but for aeration purpose only.

I am going out of town today. Will probably post an article at my blog for you again when I am back.

Umbrella Rec said...

Your former fish is probably Platy. Definitely not Guppy and Molly. There is a possibility for Swordtail. Platy and Swordtail can inter breed and they look alike. There's a way to differentiate them through the body shape.

Questions:
1. What is the white colour piece of plastic below the pipe? What is the purpose of it. I cannot figure out from the photo.

2. Refer to the last photo. If you put a piece of foam in between the pipe where the water flows out and the outlet, will the water overflows?

To be honest, a lot of planted tank people do not like tanks with everything built-in because there are a lot of restriction in terms of equipment you can use and finding replacement parts especially "made in China" ones are horrible.

I'll give you about 6-7 days to think about it :) I may be able to reply you from my sister's house.

Umbrella Rec said...

By the way, it may be hard for you to find replacement 11 watt PL. You can try the shop where you bought it to begin with. 36 watt one from Phillips is more common. Modification to make it 36 watt is an option but the LFS screwed up when I sent mine for modification + it's not cheap (I don't encourage it). After running for 1 month, it blew up. I got a new lighting set eventually. :(

The plants are not substitute fish food (unless you keep plants eating fish...haha) but sometimes a bit of algae in the tank will help as well as some tiny critters you cannot see. Too much algae is an ugly sight though - I am sure you don't want it. :) It's normal for planted tank to have a bit of algae though.

I encourage you to try keeping Endlers (male one looks like wild Guppy but more colourful but female one looks like "longkang" fish). Fancy Guppy is too fragile these days unless you can find a breeder. Platy is ok but having too many in this tank will overcrowd them easily in the long run (bear in mind they breed very frequently). Swordtails and Mollies are too big for your tank.

You should google for Java Fern, Anubias Nana & Endlers to see how they look like and determine whether you like them.

Nick Phillips (15/03/1967 - 04/11/2022) said...

I've always wanted an aquarium but just don't have the time to maintain it ...

Umbrella Rec said...

I think your filter should be fine. You may need to wash the media about once a month.

Did you managed to survey anything about the plants and fish?

If you think the garden soil technique is too risky, you may consider using ADA Amazonia soil or Seachem's soil (I am unfamiliar with which type for Seachem though). They're safer but more expensive. Yes, it's always a bit risky to use garden soil because there are unknown factors such as chemical or too much fertiliser.

Umbrella Rec said...

When you use any of the soil, your water will be murky initially. So, majority of us do not introduce any fish until the murky water is gone. The fish comes in later than the plants. Usually after at least 1 day. You can introduce 1 or 2 fish after one day but you need to monitor them carefully because you'll never know what's going to happen when a tank is new.

Anonymous said...

Did you managed to survey anything about the plants and fish?The fish comes in later than the plants. Usually after at least 1 day. You can introduce 1 or 2 fish after one day but you need to monitor them carefully.
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