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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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
425L SeaBray Elite aquarium - Rio Mamoré (Bolivia) theme
4 x Cupid Cichlids, 14 x Cory caudimaculatus, 12 x Cory sterbai 51 x Reed Tetra, 4 x Honeycomb Bristlenose (L519)
Powered by EHEIM
4 x Cupid Cichlids, 14 x Cory caudimaculatus, 12 x Cory sterbai 51 x Reed Tetra, 4 x Honeycomb Bristlenose (L519)
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Martinspuddle
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Greetings ![:]](./images/smilies/smile.gif "Smile")
& welcome to 
to you and your son.
& welcome to to you and your son.WARNING - DO NOT BREED, FEED OR PET THE PUDDLE! 
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Gingerlove05
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Hello and welcome to 
To the tune of “the saints go marching in”:
Oh fluffy sheep! Oh fluffy sheep! Oh fluffy sheep are wonderful, they’re white Welsh and fluffy! Oh fluffy sheep are wonderful!
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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Drifty
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Welcome
Create Not Hate
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VikingMummy2015
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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 Fluval Roma with Oase 600 Biomaster: 1 German red bristlenose, 4 male cherry barbs, 6 standard rummynose, 3 golden rummynose tetra, 9 emperor tetra, 14 cardinal tetra, 2 hengeli rasbora, 3 nerite snails, 1 adult Sulawesi snail and multiple juveniles continually appearing.
Parameters: gH2, kH1, pH7.4 (tap).
Fish fiend since October 2017.
Parameters: gH2, kH1, pH7.4 (tap).
Fish fiend since October 2017.
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RandomTeaPig
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Welcome 
dh 18
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plankton
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Welcome to the forum.
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Staffylover
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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 500l - Africa river - https://www.aquariumforums.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=6873
2x200l - https://www.aquariumforums.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=7790
Others - https://www.aquariumforums.co.uk/viewto ... =15&t=7411
230L 6ft - Shallow stream
Roma 125l - Holding fish
Qubiq 60 - Dwarf Spotted Danio
40l/25L - Black- bellied Limia/Pygmy Sunfish
2x200l - https://www.aquariumforums.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=7790
Others - https://www.aquariumforums.co.uk/viewto ... =15&t=7411
230L 6ft - Shallow stream
Roma 125l - Holding fish
Qubiq 60 - Dwarf Spotted Danio
40l/25L - Black- bellied Limia/Pygmy Sunfish
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Sixo
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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
