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Hi! I'm not new to fish keeping, nor planted tanks. I've had fancy goldfish for about 5 years now and have had a couple of tropical tanks - an Aqua One 32 litre and have just recently set up a Fluval Spec.
But earlier this week I had a tidy up on my goldfish tank, spread the Crypts out a bit, added some new plants and diy co2.
Fish (one thing I love about keeping goldfish is getting to know their personalities (and giving them names!)):
- Sayidetta (formally Sayid from when I was obsessed with Lost, but she spawned once so the -etta was needed). She's one of my original goldfish so she's about 5 now. I bought her when she was barely an 1" and almost completely black so she's changed a lot.
- Teddy, who I've had for just over a year.
- Mr Custard the Bristlenose
- 3 unnamed Bronze Corydoras
- A Sewellia lineolata who I've had for about 3 years.
Plants:
- Java fern
- Java moss tied to slate
- Anubias nana
- Various Crypts (I believe I have three types)
Tank - Fluval Roma 90 (90l/20g)
Filter - Fluval 105 with spray bar
Lighting - 2 x 15W T8 Power-Glo
Co2 - 2 x 2litre bottles straight to Mini Elite filter intake (see below)
Fertilisation - Easylife ProFito (after twice weekly water changes) and EasyCarbo (daily)
Maintenance - twice weekly 30% water changes
- filter clean when flow is visibly reduced
I get co2 into the tank using an Elite mini filter. The airline goes from the diy co2 bottles, via a non-return valve, into the filter intake on the side and is expelled in tiny bubbles. The filter doesn't have great flow, I don't know if that's cos it's old and been sitting in storage for a few years or it just didn't in the first place, but it does the job. It's on a timer with my lights so when the lights go off so does the filter, the large bubbles then just go up to the surface (I watched it last night just to be on the safe side).
I've got the external filter spray bar running across the surface of the water to create enough surface agitation to get enough oxygen into the water for the fish. The micro bubbles from the Elite filter rise very slowly and the goldfish actually swim through them (it might be because my desk is at the same end as the co2 and they like to sit and watch me and beg for food).
Onto the pictures! Here's the inhabitants:
Sayidetta
![]()
Teddy
![]()
One of Mr Custard's favourite places
![]()
The loach riding the Vallis
![]()
July 2010 - when I first set it up
![]()
November 2010
![]()
August 2011
![]()
After the re-scape this week
![]()
The view from my desk
![]()
What it looks like today
![]()
They've been busy grabbing mouthfuls of gravel and dumping it on the moss but it's still trying to come through!
![]()
Co2 bubbles
![]()
You might think I'm crazy but I'm just passionate. Goldfish (both standard and fancy) get a bad press generally, sadly.
But earlier this week I had a tidy up on my goldfish tank, spread the Crypts out a bit, added some new plants and diy co2.
Fish (one thing I love about keeping goldfish is getting to know their personalities (and giving them names!)):
- Sayidetta (formally Sayid from when I was obsessed with Lost, but she spawned once so the -etta was needed). She's one of my original goldfish so she's about 5 now. I bought her when she was barely an 1" and almost completely black so she's changed a lot.
- Teddy, who I've had for just over a year.
- Mr Custard the Bristlenose
- 3 unnamed Bronze Corydoras
- A Sewellia lineolata who I've had for about 3 years.
Plants:
- Java fern
- Java moss tied to slate
- Anubias nana
- Various Crypts (I believe I have three types)
Tank - Fluval Roma 90 (90l/20g)
Filter - Fluval 105 with spray bar
Lighting - 2 x 15W T8 Power-Glo
Co2 - 2 x 2litre bottles straight to Mini Elite filter intake (see below)
Fertilisation - Easylife ProFito (after twice weekly water changes) and EasyCarbo (daily)
Maintenance - twice weekly 30% water changes
- filter clean when flow is visibly reduced
I get co2 into the tank using an Elite mini filter. The airline goes from the diy co2 bottles, via a non-return valve, into the filter intake on the side and is expelled in tiny bubbles. The filter doesn't have great flow, I don't know if that's cos it's old and been sitting in storage for a few years or it just didn't in the first place, but it does the job. It's on a timer with my lights so when the lights go off so does the filter, the large bubbles then just go up to the surface (I watched it last night just to be on the safe side).
I've got the external filter spray bar running across the surface of the water to create enough surface agitation to get enough oxygen into the water for the fish. The micro bubbles from the Elite filter rise very slowly and the goldfish actually swim through them (it might be because my desk is at the same end as the co2 and they like to sit and watch me and beg for food).
Onto the pictures! Here's the inhabitants:
Sayidetta
Teddy
One of Mr Custard's favourite places
The loach riding the Vallis
July 2010 - when I first set it up
November 2010
August 2011
After the re-scape this week
The view from my desk
What it looks like today
They've been busy grabbing mouthfuls of gravel and dumping it on the moss but it's still trying to come through!
Co2 bubbles
You might think I'm crazy but I'm just passionate. Goldfish (both standard and fancy) get a bad press generally, sadly.
