show us your tropical fish thread

[speedplay]

Hi everyone. Thanks to "Owenski" for pointing me in the direction of this thread. Thought i'd ressurect it.

If anyone in the Lincolnshire Area is interested I have some Baby Fry Mollies for sale. I have 9 dalmatian coloured ones that are just about an inch long now. 2 months old. Feeding well. £1 each. 5 for £4.75 or all 9 for £8

The other female in my tank has just given birth to 16 today so need to make space, these are black and all seem to be doing pretty well. I'd consider selling these but ideally i'd like to see how they mature.

Just thought i'd throw it out there if there are any tropical fish keepers in my are on the forum.

Cheers.



oooooh cheap food for my fishies....:)

[madnlooney]

heres some of mine, needs larger plants in really


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/madnlooney/fish%20tank/40069_10150227442430232_590820231_14275440_8294630 _n.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/madnlooney/fish%20tank/40069_10150227442410232_590820231_14275438_7038435 _n.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/madnlooney/fish%20tank/40069_10150227442405232_590820231_14275437_1866134 _n.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/madnlooney/fish%20tank/40069_10150227442400232_590820231_14275436_3930676 _n.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/madnlooney/fish%20tank/39888_10150227442525232_590820231_14275449_1649634 _n.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/madnlooney/fish%20tank/39260_10150227442335232_590820231_14275434_3352605 _n.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/madnlooney/fish%20tank/39260_10150227442325232_590820231_14275432_2605931 _n.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/madnlooney/fish%20tank/39260_10150227442320232_590820231_14275431_7052182 _n.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/madnlooney/fish%20tank/39260_10150227442310232_590820231_14275429_4545987 _n.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/madnlooney/fish%20tank/39260_10150227442295232_590820231_14275426_4897207 _n.jpg


Small babies hiding

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/madnlooney/fish%20tank/39260_10150227442290232_590820231_14275425_3644735 _n.jpg

[Speaky69]

Thats some Suave tech on that tank! :o Envious much!
We inherited a 5ft tropical tank from a relative beginning of last year, had a few BIG OLD fish in it, most of whom either died with the stress of the 45min car journey to get it back here, or have died mainly of old age since!
We only have 2 clown loaches and a talking catfish left of the original stock, the talking catfish is rumoured to be about 10years old!
How big are peoples Lepoard sailfish plecs? i bought mine about a year ago, and its now atleast 13 inches long, i was amazed at how quickly it grew!

Ill post some pics of it tomorrow if i can be bothered/get a chance! :)

[600+]

http://tapa.tk/mu/5ec089cc-8ecc-2cd1.jpg

Pic of mine a few months ago......plants have grown a bit now:)

[Owenski]

seeing these pics is a great reminder that mine desperatly needs sorting out, my fish are happy enough and the new filter is doing its job, nitrates etc are all at the right level but I havn't cleaned the thing since I took the pics and post them on here, it gets a wipe of its glass with the magnetic cleaner but nothing more. My gravel must be loaded with fishy poop.

[speedplay]

I'm getting rid of my malawis.
I've decided it's time for a change and if I can't rehome them, will just let the stock die out naturally.
Got plans for the tank and it doesn't involve loads of rock and coral sand!
Has been set ip like that for about 5 years now so it really is time for a change.
I may be keeping some of the synodontis as I've grown quite attached to them but everything else will have to go.
If anyone wNts to set up a Malawi system and can travel, the fish are here if they want them foc.

[Owenski]

ohhhh what you got in mind????
Similar process going on in my tank, waiting for the angels to die off so I can get neons and guppies to get some bright colours we've got the kid coming around March time and bright colours etc might buy us the 5mins of peace we'll be begging for.
Plus 50p fish will hurt the wallet less than the £10 fish, when I've lost one in the past Im sad to see one dead but also I cant help but see £5 floating around looking really well spent. If they're 50p each then it wont feel like such a massive loss.

[speedplay]

Well, I've got a huge bit of bogwood (pics to follow) thats about 3 and a half feet long and stands about 18 inches high in a sort of archway.
The pics will explain.
I'm thinking about chucking that in, deep gravel base and heavily planted.

I would love some more denisonii (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/Puntius_denisonii_1.jpg) barbs but at £15 quid each when they are the size of neons, its most likely to be a no.

Maybe some kuli loaches, probably one or two of my syno's as they are a great size now and a few tiger barbs to keep them company.
By a few, I've worked out that with the size of the tank and the filtration I have, I could be looking at as many as 2-300 of them :)

Species tank here we come....

Ive never kept tiger barbs either.

[Owenski]

2-300 of them :)

Species tank here we come....

Ive never kept tiger barbs either.

:smt103 epic, must post pics!

[speedplay]

:smt103 epic, must post pics!


Will do, It's a while off yet though as

1, I need to clear the tank first

and

2, Dont know if I'm moving yet.

[Owenski]

Another house warming present to your self is calling lol. moving is just an excuse for another tank.

[speedplay]

Another house warming present to your self is calling lol. moving is just an excuse for another tank.


I've got two already!

If I move though, there will be some large american cichlid, big clown loaches and some very rare catfish being rehomed from the tank in the hallway too :(

[DarrenSV650S]

Well, I've got a huge bit of bogwood (pics to follow) thats about 3 and a half feet long and stands about 18 inches high in a sort of archway.
The pics will explain.
I'm thinking about chucking that in, deep gravel base and heavily planted.

I would love some more denisonii (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/Puntius_denisonii_1.jpg) barbs but at £15 quid each when they are the size of neons, its most likely to be a no.

Maybe some kuli loaches, probably one or two of my syno's as they are a great size now and a few tiger barbs to keep them company.
By a few, I've worked out that with the size of the tank and the filtration I have, I could be looking at as many as 2-300 of them :)

Species tank here we come....

Ive never kept tiger barbs either.
I had one of those denisonii barbs. I think it was called a torpedo shark, maybe wrong though.

A swarm of kuli loaches would be brilliant. I had a few of them and they were always the most interesting to watch. But they spent most of their time hidden under the gravel. Maybe if you have loads of them they would be more active

[Fruity-ya-ya]

I had one of those denisonii barbs. I think it was called a torpedo shark, maybe wrong though.
I think we're gonna need a bigger boat!

[speedplay]

After leaving it 8 weeks since the last water change on both tanks, I've decided to have a bit of a clean up.
I managed to salvage the large piece of wood from the wood skip at the local recycling plant, its been power washed and tested and has been sat on top of the tank in the hallway ever since.

The plan was to do a species tank with just tiger barbs but the malawis keep breeding and I just cant justify clearing them out just to have a change so I moved the rock around and added the wood.

Pictures are iphone quality, the water hasn't settled properly yet and the fish have gone into hiding but you get the idea:-


http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt282/speedplay/photo-3.jpg
http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt282/speedplay/photo-2.jpg

[Owenski]

that timber is impressive, that'd be a fortune from an aquarium store.
Its all those caves fella, the malawis will be getting jiggy in the darkness lol you've made too good of a home for them.

Fitted a UV filter to my set up on Tuesday night, ordered it before xmas but it got here in the end. :D

[speedplay]

The wood weighs about 10 kilos or so and would be far too costly just for a change of scenery.
Couldn't believe the funny looks at the recycling centre when unasked for it.
They were like "yeah if you really want it" and just looked at each other!
If only they knew..
Water has turned a little yellow this morning though due to the tanning leeching out of the wood as I don't have a spare bath to leave it to soak in.
Water change next week will sort it though.
Fish will be getting jiggy in there alright :)
Was thinking of adding some hardy plants too...

[rigor]

Our fish:
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs933.snc4/74694_10150341274320464_728150463_15966222_1940941 _n.jpg (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=15966222&id=728150463)

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs776.ash1/166662_10150340732355464_728150463_15955334_479907 7_n.jpg (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=15955334&id=728150463)

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1387.snc4/163915_10150340732070464_728150463_15955326_606789 3_n.jpg (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=15955326&id=728150463)

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs025.snc6/165567_10150340731730464_728150463_15955314_698308 0_n.jpg (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=15955314&id=728150463)

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs048.snc6/167856_10150340731650464_728150463_15955311_363842 9_n.jpg (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=15955311&id=728150463)

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs745.ash1/163696_10150340731005464_728150463_15955287_714871 4_n.jpg (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=15955287&id=728150463)

240L tank
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs752.ash1/164346_10150340732625464_728150463_15955342_935211 _n.jpg (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=15955342&id=728150463)

90L tank
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs003.snc6/165333_10150340732530464_728150463_15955340_401116 1_n.jpg (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=15955340&id=728150463)

[Owenski]

They're some nice set ups, and your fish compliment it well.
:-( for the red tail shark, easily my favorite fish but for some reason I struggle to keep one for longer than 6months.
Waiting until my final angel dies to go neon and guppy crazy.

[Stuuk1]

Speedplay, what sort of wood is that? Without having to do a water change you could put some polishing media in the filter which catches it, personally I love the merkyness of the tannins.

Had a disaster with my tank, filter got blocked while I was away working and ammonia built up killing all the plants and 5 fish! All sorted now, but will be doing some serious gardening this weekend haha + shall soon be purchasing a nice new Eheim Pro 3 filter...

[Ian1971]

Hi there thought id share a few pics of mine. Bought the tank about 4 months ago and am slowly adding to it.

So far there are 2 Kribensis (1 Male and 1 Female)
3 Dwarf Rainbow Gourami
3 Harlequin
and 1 purchased today that ive forgotten what it is!

http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/9264/dsc1134l.jpg
http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/2532/dsc1129z.jpg

http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/2975/dsc1128j.jpg




http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/9505/dsc1120q.jpg


http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/8513/dsc1130l.jpg

[Owenski]

erm, I should warn you. Kribensis NEED to be alone! I had to terminate mine after they killed almost everything in my tank. They actually killed fish bigger than they were as well but left alone the really big stuff.

Rest of the tank looks really tidy, although it does sort of look like its only half on the table.

[Bluefish]

i had some kribs in my tank when i had one, must admit they will nibble some fins, but i had no real problems with them.

[Stuuk1]

Personally not sure about theilti colours... But everyone is different!

And carrying on from the tank being half off the table... I'd get that level
If I were you, any pressure of the glass bottom will very quickly
Leave a very wet mess all over your floor!

[Owenski]

if indeed thats not supported across its whole length im amazed it hasnt broken within the first night. The load from the volume of water is emmense!

when i had kribs I introduced them along with the angels to the rest of my community. I knew something was killng off the other fish I just didnt know what. Once I'd found a half eaten angel fish I knew whihc fish were to blame, removed them from the tank and never lost a whole fish nor discovered half of one since.

[speedplay]

Never had a problem with my kribs either.
Have had a pair in every cichlid tank but the Malawi set up.
Bung a small plant pot with the bottom knocked out on it's side in the bottom of the tank and hey presto!
Free food for all the other fish when the kribs breed and breed and breed and......

[Ian1971]

Cheers for the advice about the Kribs guys, they have been in the tank mixed with the rest for 4 months now and non have died but will keep an eye on them. As for the tank, it is supported, just saving up the cash for a proper tank unit.

[Owenski]

Build one mate, I've always felt the standard units have a certain "argos" look to them which is always disopointing when you've spent ages trying to make your tank look as nice as possible only to have the whole thing cheapened by a crappy chipboard and vanear cabinet.

Speedy, not sure its a total guess but I'd suspect the problems I had were due to it been a community tank many different species in there. In fairness they do say that chichlids are better kept in a speicies tank than in communinty aquariums.

[Bri w]

Got a Juwel Panorama 100, which I've had a few years.

Currently waiting on the stock dying off but the Emporer Tetra's won't stop cuddling up.

For those who like the Neon Tetra's why not try Cardinal Tetra's? They grow about an inch longer, live a little longer and the red strip, below the blue, goes the full length of the body. http://www.getahugetank.com/images/cardinal_tetra.jpg

Has anyone managed to get the water quality right for Discus? Tried them once before but not with any success, and they're too expensive to get wronghttp://media.merchantcircle.com/19674428/blue-discus_full.jpeg

[BernardBikerchick]

I just dont have anywhere sensible to put my tank now so i miss out on watching them do what they do :(



Not anymore you don't :)
i love my fishes I must get some pics up on here !!! They are luurrrrvvvly !

[speedplay]

Speedy, not sure its a total guess but I'd suspect the problems I had were due to it been a community tank many different species in there. In fairness they do say that chichlids are better kept in a speicies tank than in communinty aquariums.


Ive got a mixture of medium and large cichlids and dwarf (kribs) in with neons, loaches etc with no problems.
You do get problem fish from time to time though.

I just added a beautiful small red spotted severum into my tank :)

Pics to follow..

[Stuuk1]

Mistakenly I bought two featherfin catfish, they are great fish, very dominant when they want to be, but don't hassle other fish unless food is about (if a fish is eating the bit he wants, he is pushed out, even the red tail shark doesn't mess!).

I really fancy a tank with crayfish in, my aunt catches loads on her land in various rivers and ponds. So I decided to not replace any fish that die... I researched the catfish only to find that they live for 18ish years... DOH!!!!

[speedplay]

Bri,

Are you usin RO water with Discus?

They can be very hard to keep in the wrong water.

I have an RO unit her ready for if I decide to do the discus route again.

[kaivalagi]

Can't believe I've only just seen this thread :)

Here's my main 5ft (99%) South American cichlid tank in desperate need of a good clean, much like my bike:
http://i781.photobucket.com/albums/yy91/kaivalagi/5ft%20Seabray%20Dolphin%20Journal/tankshot.jpg

And some close ups of some of the fish (clickable thumbs):

Honduran Red Point (Sub Adult - Leucistic) from a breeding pair I have in another tank (anyone wanting HRP if you can pick them up they're yours for free):
http://i781.photobucket.com/albums/yy91/kaivalagi/Current%20Fish/th_hrp_leucis1.jpg (http://s781.photobucket.com/albums/yy91/kaivalagi/Current%20Fish/?action=view&current=hrp_leucis1.jpg)http://i781.photobucket.com/albums/yy91/kaivalagi/Current%20Fish/th_hrp_leucis2.jpg (http://s781.photobucket.com/albums/yy91/kaivalagi/Current%20Fish/?action=view&current=hrp_leucis2.jpg)


Rotkeil Severum (sub-adult male @ 5", have 4 of these and one female @ 4"):
http://i781.photobucket.com/albums/yy91/kaivalagi/Current%20Fish/th_sev_rottie1.jpg (http://s781.photobucket.com/albums/yy91/kaivalagi/Current%20Fish/?action=view&current=sev_rottie1.jpg)http://i781.photobucket.com/albums/yy91/kaivalagi/Current%20Fish/th_sev_colours.jpg (http://s781.photobucket.com/albums/yy91/kaivalagi/Current%20Fish/?action=view&current=sev_colours.jpg)


Geophagus sp. Orange Head Tapajos (4 of these):
http://i781.photobucket.com/albums/yy91/kaivalagi/Current%20Fish/th_geo_tapa2.jpg (http://s781.photobucket.com/albums/yy91/kaivalagi/Current%20Fish/?action=view&current=geo_tapa2.jpg)http://i781.photobucket.com/albums/yy91/kaivalagi/Current%20Fish/th_geo1.jpg (http://s781.photobucket.com/albums/yy91/kaivalagi/Current%20Fish/?action=view&current=geo1.jpg)



Geophagus sp. Dicrozoster (1 of these, should have been a tapa but was obviously caught in the same catch):
http://i781.photobucket.com/albums/yy91/kaivalagi/Current%20Fish/th_geo_dicro1.jpg (http://s781.photobucket.com/albums/yy91/kaivalagi/Current%20Fish/?action=view&current=geo_dicro1.jpg)

Port Acara (1 grumpy sod, @6" and still growing):
http://i781.photobucket.com/albums/yy91/kaivalagi/Current%20Fish/th_acara_port3.jpg (http://s781.photobucket.com/albums/yy91/kaivalagi/Current%20Fish/?action=view&current=acara_port3.jpg)http://i781.photobucket.com/albums/yy91/kaivalagi/Current%20Fish/th_acara_port1.jpg (http://s781.photobucket.com/albums/yy91/kaivalagi/Current%20Fish/?action=view&current=acara_port1.jpg)

The stocking is still a work in progress, my first proper tank to be fair. I will be selling on atleast 3 of the male rotkeil severums at some point very soon and then will add in one more fairly large (when adult) fish...currently thinking either a Nicaraguan Cichlid or a Chocolate Cichlid...still pondering

Good to see the hobby here of all places :cool:

[kaivalagi]

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs048.snc6/167856_10150340731650464_728150463_15955311_363842 9_n.jpg (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=15955311&id=728150463)

Those are Severums, and grow to anything from 8" up to 12" depending on the species, hard to tell when that young...nice fish


Has anyone managed to get the water quality right for Discus? Tried them once before but not with any success, and they're too expensive to get wrong

I've not kept them but have lots of online friends who have and to be honest they're not as hard to keep as is perceived so long as some rules are met, only more recently have the myths gone and a basic understanding of their needs been understand. A few things to mention though about Discus that I've picked up:

They need to be kept in groups (4-6 being good unless you already have a breeding pair then just 2)
They need a good deal of space in grow in, a 4ft tank being a reasonable size
although low pH is thier natural water type you can get by with 7.5 max, just take care when acclimatising them when putting them in your tank, they need a good hour of slow adjustment from LFS water to your water, best to drip feed or add small amounts of tank water to the bags every 5 minutes
Need high temps (~28C I think), not much else can deal with the same, GBRs and Cardinals seem to be a favourite selection of additional fish in a Discus tank
Do lot's of water changes, I would do min 2 x 50% water changes a week to be safe...easiest using a syphon!


The last point being the most important, assuming you have a well matured set of media which cycles well you'll still need to keep the Nitrates low

Cheers

edit: personally I would keep other cichlids as I do because they're more satisfying to watch and have more interesting behaviour, sevs for example are a gentle giant and are great wet pets once that grow up and know you
edit2: just realised how nerdy my posts look, sorry but I just love this hobby :p

[stewie]

I'm looking into setting up a small tank and thought I'd ressurect this thread to see if any else is in the same boat, basically I want to set up a 46 ltr cube tank to house one siamese fighter one dwarf plec and possibly a small group of tetra's (rummy nose etc ) I know about seeding a tank to get the filter working but which would you add first ? the plec or the siamese fighter ? the tank will hold about 10 galls and going on the 1 inch per gallon rule I reckon the tank wont be overloaded, waddya reckon ? was going to use bogwood and silk plants for deco too
stew

[Owenski]

A plec would survive in a bowl of urine so I'd go with that first. I dont know how hardy the fighters are because I've never had a tank where they'd co-habitate with some of my other species.
After another fortnight put in the tetra's they'll be about 50/50 they'll survive anyway so its worth the gamble just to build the tanks nitrate/amonia balance.

Considering selling my full set up before we move, not quite sure I can bring my self to do it though.

[Owenski]

Similar process going on in my tank, waiting for the angels to die off so I can get neons and guppies to get some bright colours we've got the kid coming around March time and bright colours etc might buy us the 5mins of peace we'll be begging for.


Waiting until my final angel dies to go neon and guppy crazy.

Well that final Angel fish is still bloody going, He's nearly 4years old now has only pectoral one fin and one eye and the resiliant bugger just keeps living. I first posted I was waiting for it to leave this world over 18months ago! Thats longer than some of my other fish have ever lasted.

http://i781.photobucket.com/albums/yy91/kaivalagi/5ft%20Seabray%20Dolphin%20Journal/tankshot.jpg



Is that the cylica sand? HOw you finding it,does it look a state/get stired up in a shiz storm.

[stewie]

Tbh they reckon the siamese fighters are one of the toughest breeds available but I think I'll go with the plec first then the fighter then the tetra's, I'd love a much bigger tank and house an oscar but the wifes not too keen on big tanks, she reckons they take over the lounge, she might have a point ;)

[kaivalagi]

Is that the cylica sand? HOw you finding it,does it look a state/get stired up in a shiz storm.

It does get messy with sev's, they're greedy buggers...with cichlids and sand be prepared to clean it lots. The reason I have the fine sand is to let my geo's sift which actually helps to keep it clean. It's just basic cheap sand, best to buy play sand and wash it thoroughly with a bucket and a hose outside. When I switch to a couple of oscars later this year I will be using gravel, they don't sift and will eat and poo lots so I want something easy to "deep" clean! :)

Tbh they reckon the siamese fighters are one of the toughest breeds available but I think I'll go with the plec first then the fighter then the tetra's, I'd love a much bigger tank and house an oscar but the wifes not too keen on big tanks, she reckons they take over the lounge, she might have a point ;)

I wouldn't bother with such a small tank size to be fair, sub 100 litres IMHO aint good for anything other than a single small fish or 2...a siamese and a couple of minnows maybe...it's not big enough for any plec IMO, not even a bristlenose (< 6" fully grown). And it's definately 100% no good for rummynose, they need to be bought in big groups (8+) and need a lot of swimming space which that size tank wont give.....honestly see if you can stretch to something like a Roma 125L etc, that was my first tank and worked well for small schools of fish and even a dwarf cichlid or 2

Do yourself a favour and get a second option on a fish forum or 2, that will firm up any understanding of what is needed for what you want quite quickly. If you want to do a fish-in cycle you will want to be changing water daily and about 80% of it too...fishless cycle is the way to go if you care for the fish ;)

Hope that helps

[Owenski]

To second what Kaivalagi says, and further it with:

If you buy a small one now, you'll be buying twice. I went with the "oh a small tank is all I need" theory... its a bad theory because I bought one slightly larger shortly after.... then I went for the one I should have got the first time and bought big.

[daveyrach]

10354

10355

10356

10357

10358

Here are some of mine, Bristlenose Plecs, Angels etc.

I got a 4ft Tank, 2x Fluval 304 filter's

I have all together

2x Bristlenoses
1x Albino Bristlenose
1x Clown Plec
2x Mated Pairs of Angelfish
12x Cardinal Tetra's
1x Rainbow Shark
1x Red Tailed Shark
1x 5 Banded Barb (Had for years)


We did have a lot more but we knew we were moving and as fish have died etc we have not replaced them, it has been set up for nearly 5 years and is now settled from our move so we are slowly building our stock back up.

Will try get more pics later when i get home.

[daveyrach]

10359

10360

10361

[stewie]

I honestly couldnt agree with you more guys on the tank size, Ive got the room for a 4ft or possibly even a 5 ft tank but I'm going away at the end of the year for a few months and the mrs isnt confident about looking after a big tank although tbh a big tank would me more stable an enviroment that an a smaller one. Will have a rethink on the rummy nose tetras didnt realise they had to be in groups that large, need something in a slighly smaller group.

[kaivalagi]

I honestly couldnt agree with you more guys on the tank size, Ive got the room for a 4ft or possibly even a 5 ft tank but I'm going away at the end of the year for a few months and the mrs isnt confident about looking after a big tank although tbh a big tank would me more stable an enviroment that an a smaller one.

Stability IMO will be more to do with the filter media than the tank size, bigger surface area of media in the filtration = better ability to handle the nitrogen cycle.

Although if you have more water and the same number of fish then you have a longer period between water changes for the same "cleaness" :)

I bought a 125 roma first off, that lasted less than a year, I then decided to buy a 5ft tank and have had that ever since. it's a seabray dolphin...lovely tank but bloody heavy, even without any water! Even so it will only handle one or at a push 2 Oscars...They're so interactive but so get BIG: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPxZDujB-fY

I tend to change water weekly regardless, and normally swap out 50-70% of my ~400 gallon tank using a syphon hose arrangement, I'd be there all day with buckets! If I am stuck for time I may leave the water change for one more week but never leave it beyond two weeks ever.

Will have a rethink on the rummy nose tetras didnt realise they had to be in groups that large, need something in a slighly smaller group.

Rummy nose are lovely schooling fish, they stick together in a tight group so are really nice to watch moving about a tank. You would be okay with a 125L tank for them or less if that was through a reduced height only i.e. keep a good size surface area. If you go real small I would go with neons or minnows as they are generally smaller and don't need such big groups.

There are some good fish types suited to the smaller tank but they are hard to find normally, "shelldwellers (http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/cichlid/shelldwellers.php)" are an african cichlid that are very small and live in shells surprisingly enough, they don't need a large tank and can be very interesting to watch but can also be quite elusive...if I wanted a small tank somewhere I would go with them but only once I had some stable filter media.

[stewie]

Think I may have had a result, looks like I may be investing in one of these
http://www.juwel-aquarium.de/en/lido437.htm?cat=599&mat=11550
3 times the volume of fluval edge and has that all important seal of approval from the mrs :D