September TOTM Winner - Baddams

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fr499y
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We will get there with other competitions but this one for now. More bits are in the works but won't be done till the start of the year. I'll start a new thread which will go into some details. @"Baddams" if you can do a little write up of the equipment and stocking, I'll add it to the first post :)
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Marty.h
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Congratulations stunning tank you have

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plankton
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Well done. :D
If at first you don't succeed....
...get someone else to do it! :D

Enjoy your fish, shrimps and snails!
Ian
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Baddams
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Thanks again, all. Are you sitting comfortably...

It's a four foot Fluval 240 Roma with a Fluval 305 filter. The light's a replacement Fluval LED (not sure of the spec) and I've added a small internal filter on the left of the tank. That's mainly to act as a powerhead to create better circulation/aeration as the Fluval in/oulets are fixed on the right hand side. There's a standard 200w heater and the tank runs at a cool-ish 73 degrees.

The substrate's (DAMNED) playsand and the various cobbles & pebbles have been collected over time from the back garden through to Santa Barbara, via Guernsey. There a few bits of driftwood and the planting's mainly Hygrophila Guianensis, Red Val and Java Ferns - the only things that have thrived - and the odd Sword & Crypt that are remnants of previous plantings. It's decidedly low tech with no CO2 or ferts (apart from root tabs & clay balls). The lights run for about 9 hours/day on 'low' with them ramped up for the middle 4 or 5 hours.

The stock's as per my signature. The Lonesome Neon's a last remnant from a failed shoal and he refuses to be caught. The Platy fry are a legacy from the original stock that I inherited with the tank, since moved on.

Pretty standard maintenance regime - weekly 60 litre water changes with a glass scrape and sand vac. 50 litres of which is RO every other change (I've got moderately hrd tap water). Filter gets a rinse every couple of months and the hardscape gets a scrub when the BBA starts to get ideas above its station. 

It's been set up for just over a year and it's only now feeling 'settled'. I bought it second hand and the guy that had it before wanted to rehome the fish as well. This consisted of a Plec the size of a small frying pan and dozens of multi-generation interbred Platys. I made the mistake of agreeing to take the Platys and used the existing media to get things up and running quickly. The tank was a mess before and riddled with BBA. I shipped it over with the media and it was soon overrun. It's been a bane to control and, with hindsight (yeah, I know), I'd have blitzed the lot and started from scratch.

Getting the tank and the overall set up almost fell together accidentally. It sits in what we, optimistically, call The Office. Mrs B and I talked about building some storage across that wall - shelves above with a row of cupboards below. I sketched it out and got some quotes. Once I'd picked myself up off of the floor, it got out on the budgetary back burner. A little later, the wife and I went to the local BHS when they were closing, to see if they had some cheap lights (the one in the pic below). Turned out they were getting shot of everything, including the shop fixtures and fittings. I picked up a couple of heavy duty box section display units (on the left & right of the pic) for a tenner each(!). Bolted them to the wall, with a gap between & worked out that IKEA kitchen cupboard doors would be the perfect height to close in the bottom couple of shelves. I then built a heavy timber frame between the two units and fitted the doors across the lot. The final step was Mrs B spotting an old sideboard in a charity shop. The top fitted perfectly across the gap.

Image

I still hadn't found a tank and toyed with getting one built to fit (the gap's about four and a half feet), but again, the budget wouldn't stretch. Mrs B to the rescue again. She was visiting a client, saw his tank and mentioned that I wanted one. He was moving, couldn't take it with him and offered it to me at a bargain price with all the kit. I took a look, measured it up and I reckon it almost looks like the set up was designed for it. I let people that see it assume this and, if any of you tell them otherwise, I'll deny it.
Planted Fluval 240 Roma
18 Harlequins
18 Norman's Lampeyes
12 Amano Shrimp
8 Panda Corydoras
6 Kuhli Loaches
4 Otos
3 Pearl Gouramis
2 Assassin Snails
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Nick Jarvis
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Congratulations, lovely tank
Main tank, 270x60x70cm 950ltr flat back hex shape, Central America and neighbours theamed.
Second tank, is 1 side of a split 210ltr so 105ltr, peaceful community tank.
QT currently holding a small black ghost knifefish and guppy fry.
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Fishtales
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Lovely tank Baddams and great story. I really like how without using anything fancy you have achieved such impressive results. It is encouraging to see what can be done with hard work, dedication and care. Well done   :D

ps. Yes you would think the cabinet/unit had been made for the tank. Isn't it just great when things work out that way?  :cool:
Fishkeeping - 4yrs

Aqua One 405lt 5ft tank - Sailfin pleco, Rainbow shark, albino/bronze cory x 11, 7 x Clown Loach
Filtration 2 x Aqua One Aquis 1050 externals, 1 x Ocellaris 850 external

Juwel 120lt 2ft - 12 x Cherry Barb, 10 x Panda Cory, 1 x Albino Bristlenose Pleco
Filtration Fluval 205
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