Hi, I'm Richard.
My 7 year old son loves aquatic creatures so my GF bought him a Ciano 60L starter tank at Christmas. It came with heater, filter and lights. We bought the substrate and some live plants separately.
After cycling the tank properly (an age when there's a 7 y.o. asking if he can buy fish yet!) We added 8 Neons, a pearl gourami, a black and yellow swordtail and some amano shrimp. Added 2 bristlenose after a further month. The tank has been healthy, returning 0/0/0-10 with the API master test kit. I enjoy the maintenance and love relaxing, watching the fish and listening to the water bubbling.
Spotted a 160l, 19" square base tank for sale second hand, with a solid oak unit and lid. Beautiful. Couldn't let it go at £150. Added a Fluval 307 filter, Fluval lights (ouch!) and a 200W heater. Natural colour substrate and live plants. Air pump, cycled for 4 weeks.
It now has
2 Thai Glass fish
2 Sailfin Mollies (m/f couple)
2 silver sharks
6 Galaxy Raspora
10 Red Flame Tetras
1 Betta.
Doing very well too, all healthy.
Looking forward to chatting and picking people's brains!
Hello From Ayrshire!
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Stephen
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Re: Hello From Ayrshire!
Hi Richard and welcome to the forum
Just an observation; your Saifin Molly will not do well in your soft Scottish water as they need hard water.
They may appear fine but they won't be and I expect that they will have very shortened lives.
Also the Swordtails will not do well for the same reason.
Fish to avoid (that need hard water) will include Molly, Platy, Swordtails, Guppy, Endlers, Limia species, many Rainbowfish species, Rift Lake cichlids and a few others.
Luckily you have found this excellent forum where the members will always give good advise.
All the best
Just an observation; your Saifin Molly will not do well in your soft Scottish water as they need hard water.
They may appear fine but they won't be and I expect that they will have very shortened lives.
Also the Swordtails will not do well for the same reason.
Fish to avoid (that need hard water) will include Molly, Platy, Swordtails, Guppy, Endlers, Limia species, many Rainbowfish species, Rift Lake cichlids and a few others.
Luckily you have found this excellent forum where the members will always give good advise.
All the best
6 foot (550L) - Rio Ucayali themed
9 x juvenile Biotodoma Cupido, 54 x Paracheirodon innesi, 21 x Thayeria boehlkei, 29 x Gold Laser Cory (CW010), 2 x Flash pleco (L204) named George & Mildred
2 foot (120L) - Breeding tank (temporary stocked)
15 x Paracheirodon innesi, 9 x Three-lined Cory (Corydoras trilineatus)
9 x juvenile Biotodoma Cupido, 54 x Paracheirodon innesi, 21 x Thayeria boehlkei, 29 x Gold Laser Cory (CW010), 2 x Flash pleco (L204) named George & Mildred
2 foot (120L) - Breeding tank (temporary stocked)
15 x Paracheirodon innesi, 9 x Three-lined Cory (Corydoras trilineatus)
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Martinspuddle
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Re: Hello From Ayrshire!
Greetings ![:]](./images/smilies/smile.gif "Smile")
& welcome to 
to you and your son.
& welcome to to you and your son.Arrivals information: --- Aqua Oak Aquarium --- Delays 
...pesky carpet fitters are not coming till the 17th of May now.
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...pesky carpet fitters are not coming till the 17th of May now.
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Gingerlove05
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Re: Hello From Ayrshire!
Hello and welcome to 
Oh fluffy sheep! Oh fluffy sheep! Oh fluffy sheep are wonderful, they’re white Welsh and fluffy! Oh fluffy sheep are wonderful!
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VikingMummy2015
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Re: Hello From Ayrshire!
Hi from a wee bit further up the road in Angus.
I started off because my son liked the fish in Pets at Home so I know the drill!
Stephen has given some great advice (seriously, listen to him about which fish to choose and stocking levels, he is a real guru).
I would say that a 60L tank is too small for a Pearl gourami. I have had them in the past (would like again) but personally I wouldn’t go smaller than a 240L. It’s very easy to look at fish and pick them based on looks and size in the store but there’s quite a lot more to the hobby (although kudos on knowing to cycle a tank and test it!). A Pearl AND 2 bristlenose is just too much for me to feel comfortable with. I’m calling my 57L tank fully stocked with a maximum of 9 cory’s.
I’m not familiar with sharks (I just know to be wary with some as if you have more than 1 it doesn’t end well) and again the stock list seems larger than I would personally feel comfortable with. It’s a learning curve for sure.
I started off because my son liked the fish in Pets at Home so I know the drill!
Stephen has given some great advice (seriously, listen to him about which fish to choose and stocking levels, he is a real guru).
I would say that a 60L tank is too small for a Pearl gourami. I have had them in the past (would like again) but personally I wouldn’t go smaller than a 240L. It’s very easy to look at fish and pick them based on looks and size in the store but there’s quite a lot more to the hobby (although kudos on knowing to cycle a tank and test it!). A Pearl AND 2 bristlenose is just too much for me to feel comfortable with. I’m calling my 57L tank fully stocked with a maximum of 9 cory’s.
I’m not familiar with sharks (I just know to be wary with some as if you have more than 1 it doesn’t end well) and again the stock list seems larger than I would personally feel comfortable with. It’s a learning curve for sure.
240L: 6 cherry barbs, 1 honey gourami,
6 Otocinclus, 1 elusive sterbai Cory, 6 standard rummynose, 4 golden rummynose tetra, 8 Congo tetra
57L: 8 sterbai, Pumpkin (nerite snail)
Parameters: gH2, kH1, pH7.4 (tap).
Fish fiend since October 2017.
6 Otocinclus, 1 elusive sterbai Cory, 6 standard rummynose, 4 golden rummynose tetra, 8 Congo tetra
57L: 8 sterbai, Pumpkin (nerite snail)
Parameters: gH2, kH1, pH7.4 (tap).
Fish fiend since October 2017.
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RandomTeaPig
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plankton
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Staffylover
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Re: Hello From Ayrshire!
Hello and welcome 
There is a tank log section if you want to start a journal, always nice to see other set ups, lots of experienced people on here who will advise 
There is a tank log section if you want to start a journal, always nice to see other set ups, lots of experienced people on here who will advise 400l 6ft Asia River Theme - (Scissortails, Tiger Barbs, SAE, Hovering zebra and dwarf chain loach, silver hatchet imposters)
300l 4ft Dagoba theme tank - (phantom tetra, african banded barb, synodontis petricola, gold laser and schwartzi cory)
300l 4ft Dagoba theme tank - (phantom tetra, african banded barb, synodontis petricola, gold laser and schwartzi cory)
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Sixo
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Re: Hello From Ayrshire!
Hello and welcome from Motherwell 
As Stephen said Hard Water fish like Swordtails, Mollies, Platys, Guppys etc don't do well in our soft water, the good news is there's loads of soft water community species to choose from, a lot of which are both hardy and colourful.
Your glass catfish will prefer (and look cooler) in a small group.
If the silver sharks you mention are Bala sharks they can end up growing big eventually(1ft+) and would need a much bigger/longer tank.
I had to donate one to a shop I'd inherited from my sister-in-law as it was well on it's way to becoming mahoosive.
Best of luck to you and your boy with the tanks
As Stephen said Hard Water fish like Swordtails, Mollies, Platys, Guppys etc don't do well in our soft water, the good news is there's loads of soft water community species to choose from, a lot of which are both hardy and colourful.
Your glass catfish will prefer (and look cooler) in a small group.
If the silver sharks you mention are Bala sharks they can end up growing big eventually(1ft+) and would need a much bigger/longer tank.
I had to donate one to a shop I'd inherited from my sister-in-law as it was well on it's way to becoming mahoosive.
Best of luck to you and your boy with the tanks
