Aquarium...photos... my newly revamped tank

I've had my 15 gallon aquarium for a few years but decided to change the gravel from beige to black. I have neons and cardinal tetras which are from the Amazon area. They tend to like a darker type tank. Plus I have cory catfish (scavengers) and an otocinclus (otto) catfish for algae control. Both catfish also from the Amazon region. The fish weren't happy with me moving things around but they survived.

Tetras come from the same family as Pirahanas but they don't have the aggression or sharp teeth like their cousins. I like tetras because they are docile and pretty in a large school. Many color and species of tetras.

Cories are sociable and like to be together, at least two. I always wondered how fish communicate so I watched one day. They often turn their bodies and sort of slightly slap against driftwood, gravel, plants etc. The catfish especially.

I also bought a new 29 gal tank and the fish will be transfered to the new one. I bought aquarium sand for the new tank since catfish like to dig in it and it doesn't hurt their barbels like gravel does. I wish I bought black sand but I may purchase a different fluorescent light to tone down the brightness.

I have live plants in my tank. Fish prefer them plus it aids in oxygen for the tank.

Here are some photos.

My current tank which is a 15 gallon



Neons and Cardinal tetras. They both look similar except the red stripe on the cardinals extends from the eye to the tail. Neons the red stripe extends halfway from mid stomach to tail. They mix together but sometimes stay within their own school. I currently have six of each. The larger the school the happier they are. Cardinals are slightly larger than Neons. They both range from 1 1/4 to 2 inches at the most.







This is my otocinclus (otto for short) algae eater. More active at night. If there isn't enough algae I give him/her algae wafers.



Two cory catfish (aka trouble makers). They are docile but mischevious at times. They don't like to have their photo taken so it took awhile to get one. They root around and look for scraps of fallen food but I do give them shrimp pellets which they love.





I bought a new and larger aquarium about 5 months ago. It's a 29 gal from Walmart and also a aquarium stand. I bought aquarium sand because it's better for the catfish. If you notice with the first catfish pic, the one on the left is missing it's barbels. That's what happens after while when rooting in gravel. Sand is a more costly since you need alot to fill the tank. There is 25 pounds of sand in the new tank! I wish I bought black sand since tetras like slightly darker atmosphere but I may purchase a fluorescent light that is slightly duller. I know there are different types in pet stores. I also have two pieces of driftwood. I boil it in large pots to release any discoloration (tannins). I like a natural look to aquariums plus the fish likely feel more comfortable with familiar things like driftwood, rocks etc.



My plants are live ones. The old tank has Wisteria (the tall ones in the background along with watersprite. Some people say plants will not grow well in sand but I may experiment with some gravel around the roots. Plus there are plants called anubias that will adhere to rocks, driftwood etc.

My new tank is not aquascaped yet so I have to work on making it look natural. There is one anubias in there tied to a rock My water was tested recently and it's good to go for adding the fish from my smaller tank. Tetras are sensitive so I have to add the catfish first and let them build up more bacteria.

Fish keeping is a fun hobby and I'm learning along the way. I find when I'm stressed watching them dart about relaxes me. Whew.. long post, lol

Wow, thats really cool....hope they enjoy their new home!

very pretty and classy looking! I'm sure they will be happy there

That's awesome!! You seem to be very knowledgable about this. They look great.

wow!! i found this really interesting. i've never kept fish because we've always had cats and it seemed cruel. i've always wanted to though.

Col tank, Shelley! I love tropical fish!

I love the way you aquascape your tanks. It looks more homey for your fishies.

Looks great! I love fish tanks, we use to have one. One day I'll get another one.

Nice !! We used to have some fish at home but they died so now it's used to store very fine sand from New Caledonia.

Update..

I added my cory catfish to the new tank and they love it. The dig in the sand right up to their eyes lol. I had two in the old tank but added two more. They are much happier in a larger group. I plan on adding the tetras in a few weeks from the old tank to the new one. Tetras are somewhat sensitive so it's better to let the bacteria build up in the tank for a few weeks. The catfish will aid in the build up.

Here are some photos of my new cory catfish. They are quite shy so I was lucky to snap a few photos before they hid.

I'm also in the process of aquascaping the new tank so I will add new photos soon.

Awesome tank Shell! I hope your fishies are happy in their new home

That is a beautiful new home for fishies

Update...

The fish are in their new home. I moved them yesterday but they were not happy at first. Now they seem to like their new digs. It's larger and more heavily planted. There are 12 tetras so I managed to catch six at a time. For 20 minutes I floated them in a container so they would get use to the water. Anyways they seem like a happy gang including the catfish.

Here are a few pics of the new tank that is aquascaped. I plan on adding a few more live plants eventually.

I love the black rocks - sounds like fish are a lot of work!

Originally Posted by michelle* /img/forum/go_quote.gif I love the black rocks - sounds like fish are a lot of work! Thanks! It is a lot of work initially setting up but once the water quality is right etc then it's basically maintenance a few times a week. I do a 20 percent water change once a week and scrub the inside of the glass every second day to keep it tidy.
I dismantled my old tank with the black gravel and will be boxing it up. I thought about keeping both tanks going but it's alot of work.

The fish seem much happier in their larger tank. They are one happy gang and very active.

Wow love your aquarium. We have a smaller one but I'd love to have a larger size once we have more room.

Cool looking tank Shelley.

My plants have flourished plus I added more. Here is the new tank from two to three months ago..



And what the tank looks like now..

The tetras, catfish like live plants. Gives them a place to hide, adds oxygen and more of a natural enviornment in my opinion. I left a space open near the filter because the 'waterfall' pushes the flaked food down and they like to catch it. Apparently this is how they hunt for food in the wild sometimes. The plants I have are wisteria, horn wort, anubias and val. Two pieces of Malaysian driftwood for shelter.

Aw, it's lovely!

Nice tank. I like the contrast with the white sand and black rocks. We have axolotls in our tank by the front door. Apparently gravel is not good for them either so we swapped to a bare bottom. We have some large black rocks and some large glass beads at the bottom now.