53 Gallon/200 Litre Nature Aquarium/community Tank

HI everyone, I'm new on the forum and so thought this would be the best way to introduce myself.

I was given my first fish tank as a birthday present, a 3 gallon/15 litre Biorb. It only took 2 weeks to decide I wanted a bigger tank! The 3 WCM minnows clearly needed more swimming space, and I soon realised (after Googling their behaviour) that the dominant fish was bullying the other two. I had also started admiring Amano-style nature aquariums, and so my head was full of ideas... 3 months later, this is how my new tank looks.




I bought this Juwel Lido 200L (53 US gallons) tank second hand (2 years old) via an internet advert from a man that lived locally, who had a marine set up. It had (tired looking) fake rock stuck to two sides, and needed lots of cleaning, but was in great condition otherwise. I also refurbished and renewed the media in the external filter (Fluval 306).

I hadn't realised that a deep tank would present some practical challenges, but to be honest it was a perfect fit for the space I had in mind and it was nice and big! And it cost a fifth of the brand new retail price...

My vision was to invoke the feeling of a mountain river in the WCM minnow's native China, and to create a nature aquarium using Zen design principles.




To use the tank's height, I knew I'd need to create different substrate levels. For a few weeks, I experimented with different designs after sourcing some rocks and wood. I chose large pieces of wood to create the illusion of a 'tree trunk' and roots. I used a black rock from the garden centre for the 'bedrock' look for the river bank, and to support the higher level substrate at the back (right side) of the tank. Stones also hold the weight of the heavy hard wood, since it would otherwise sink into the substrate. I created countless mock-ups on a spare table at home, since doing this in the tank was awkward due to the tank's height off the ground.

The river bed gently slopes from back left to front right, arching around the raised planting section. I used Seachem Flourite underneath and behind the tree trunk, covered with AquaSoil on top (the finest grade granules). The soil spillage onto the gravel is mainly due to the busy Amano shrimp that are incredibly industrious at moving the soil substrate where it shouldn't be... I had put some AquaSoil below the gravel just in front of the dark grey rock, so that I could plant some carpet plants, so they probably did me a favour anyway.

The grey fine gravel is mixed with small river pebbles and larger river stones.

In terms of the equipment setup, the Fluval 306 filter is fitted with clear acrylic pipes fitted to glass inlet and outlet fittings, which cleans up the look. I have CO2 gas injected via a single stage regulator with solenoid, on a timer; I use Sodastream gas bottles which are small and cheap to replenish in the UK. I have a small Eheim circulation pump to help the flow in the bottom half of the tank, and which pushes around the CO2 gas bubbles. I have the filter outlet raised out of the water to agitate the surface water, as I worry the tank is quite deep. The CO2 drop checker shows light green, so I seem to have enough CO2 and the plants seem to be doing fine.




Plants and quantities are as follows:

Taxiphyllum barbierI 3
Rotala rotundifolia 2
Limnophila aquatica 2
Vesicularia ferrieI 'Weeping' 2
Fissidens fontanus 1
Eleocharis parvula 3
Hemianthus micranthemoides 1
Blyxa japonica. 2

At first I tried to choose plants native to China and that the minnows might encounter in the wild, thinking this would make them happy... they do seem to be! The stem plants are native to China, and the minnows seem to love these fine leaved plants. But I soon veered off course as I wanted to create the nature aquarium look, and loved the look of moss on wood, and the carpet planting often used.

I decided not to go for the full carpet plant treatment on the grounds of too much maintenance. Experience so far shows this was a good decision, since the deep tank dissipates light and makes the HM grow up not sideways. I actually like the mix of soil substrate and gravel, which I think looks a bit more natural given the effect I was after. And the Amano shrimp won't leave the soil alone anyway! They love to push it over the edge of the stone border to the raised planting section...




In terms of livestock, I have 30 White Cloud Mountain Minnows of which a third are the gold variety. Their behaviour has changed a lot as the numbers increased over time, and the planting matured a bit. They seem to schoal a lot more of the time now, and whilst males will display to each other at the slightest provocation, and occasionally will physically bump each other, they seem much happier and confident.




For the clean up crew, I have 17 Amano shrimp that do a fine job, with a bit of help from me to clean the glass and siphon the gravel. I have only just discovered all those black bits that come out of the siphon are shrimp poo! I thought it was AquaSoil... I've just added some Assassin snails after suspected baby snails turned up on the glass.




Today I bought some Peacock Gobies/Gudgeons, as I was looking for some bottom dwelling fish to add interest in the foreground and lower part of the tank. The minnows mostly swim in the middle and top of the tank, though when feeding or spawning they will go everywhere.

Initially I was interested in Stiphodons, but after chatting with a local fish shop I decided against due to the deep tank and lack of sufficient flow. The depth makes it hard to grow algae fast on the stones and rock, so I feared they might not get enough food. Though I still love those beautiful fish...

The peacock gobies seem ideally suited to the environment I've created, and so I have 6 juvenile fish (we think they are 3 males, 3 females). Having read about them, I'm sure I will enjoy their behaviour as they get settled in and start to mature. Today is day one in their new home, and the first thing one of them did was to nudge an Amano out the way and follow a minnow for a while!




So I think that's it for now. I don't plan any more live stock, I hope to just continue maturing the planting and enjoying the show!

 

Wow that is stunning. Most people can't get that level of aquascaping on their first try without help. Great job! You're plants look healthy and happy. I love when people start to veer away from the mindset of "I want 6 white cloud mountain minnows, 6 neon tetras, and 6 ember tetras" (random schooling fish fyi) and into the mindset of "I want to build their natural habitat, with one big school of one type of fish". Its so much better for the fish, and the behaviour changes so dramatically!

 

I'm in love with your tank its just so gorgeous! the plants are so green and healthy looking just amazing especially since aquascaping isn't very easy and plants can be difficult especially for the first little bit of having them. I would literally pay you to make my tank look that good lol

 

Wow that is stunning. Most people can't get that level of aquascaping on their first try without help. Great job! You're plants look healthy and happy. I love when people start to veer away from the mindset of "I want 6 white cloud mountain minnows, 6 neon tetras, and 6 ember tetras" (random schooling fish fyi) and into the mindset of "I want to build their natural habitat, with one big school of one type of fish". Its so much better for the fish, and the behaviour changes so dramatically!

Thank you Culprit, I'm really pleased you like it. Friends come round and enjoy the tank, but they have no idea how much work was involved. So it's great to share the results here, and get such a positive first response from someone who knows!

Before buying my first WCM minnows, I had no idea that I'd become so obsessed with making them feel at home LOL. I played with the idea of lots of different species of fish, but initially it was the aesthetics that led me away from that approach. I realise now that there is much wisdom, and a deep appreciation of nature, that is embedded in the Amano style of nature aquarium where generally you only see one or two species of fish in larger schools. So initially I was just chasing the aesthetic impact of schooling fish, but I quickly became quite attached to the WCM minnows and really enjoyed their nature. As I researched the species and their habitat, my motives changed. Particularly as they were clearly not happy in smaller numbers. It's all too easy, I found, to get into the mindset of 'they're a beginner's fish' (which they are of course) and want to 'trade up' but actually I think they're wonderful fish.

Thanks again for the kind comments.

 

I'm in love with your tank its just so gorgeous! the plants are so green and healthy looking just amazing especially since aquascaping isn't very easy and plants can be difficult especially for the first little bit of having them. I would literally pay you to make my tank look that good lol

Thank you so much JamieXPXP. I get such pleasure from the tank every day; it's so easy to get lost in watching the fish and taking it all in.

Yes I agree the initial stage of planting is difficult and frustrating. I took care to buy most plants from a well-regarded supplier in the UK (The Green Machine) who buy plants in on a pre-order basis, in order that they are in good condition. That helped a lot as these plants faired well. Plants I've bought from fish shop tanks had generally deteriorated (in my first Biorb tank), and I think that perhaps this is due to their adaptation to different water chemistry and conditions? I chose to start again for the new tank, and put the old plants in my garden water feature where they still live.

The stem plants took a few weeks to start transforming into their water-based form, and it was amazing to watch their transformation from thicker leaves to such fine ones. Previously I had no idea that plants could do this.

The Blyxa was bought from an Amazon supplier I'd never heard of, simply because I couldn't find it anywhere else. It came in a plastic bag, all yellow and withered. I planted it anyway, and it wilted further and melted away. I thought it was a gonner, but miraculously it came back from that and now looks healthy. Same thing happened to my Java fern (the only plant transferred over from my little Biorb tank) which is a supposedly an easy plant; it just looked worse and worse so I cut off all the leaves. Now the rhizome is still green, and growing new roots; so I have hope that that might even come back... it's tied to the moss-covered 'root' waiting for it to come back to life.

I think the early Biorb experiences are what convinced me to go straight away for CO2 and quality substrates that I researched heavily based on the plants I wanted to grow. I also took time to figure out the impact of the substrates on water chemistry and nutrition for the plants. My natural tendency to research everything to death has paid off with the aquascaping too, since I think the time invested up front in planning and creating a vision, made the execution a relatively simple job.

Thanks for feedback, and great to meet you virtually.

 

Wow that is a beautiful tank! I'm glad you were able to share it with us fish lovers. I really like the natural look, I'm a sucker for things like that. I would love to see that tank in real life. Judging by the first picture it looks like the room is a very light color so I bet the tank just pops, so gorgeous! Congratulations on being able to do this, it was totally worth it.

 

Wow that is a beautiful tank! I'm glad you were able to share it with us fish lovers. I really like the natural look, I'm a sucker for things like that. I would love to see that tank in real life. Judging by the first picture it looks like the room is a very light color so I bet the tank just pops, so gorgeous! Congratulations on being able to do this, it was totally worth it.

Thank you Gala!

Yes very perceptive of you, the room is painted white with stone flooring of a light colour. It's a kitchen-diner, and the kitchen is very contemporary with clean lines and the dining furniture is modern. So as you say, the tank really does pop! The greens of the tank, and the fish movements, just draw the eye in.

In the first picture of the tank you can see through to the living room which is also very simply decorated... I can feel another tank coming on for that room at some stage!!

 

Welcome to fishlore.
Your tank is beautiful. A 53g dedictated to the beautiful yet highly underrated white cloud minnow. You won't see that very often. Being a big fan myself of these fish, I like it a lot and am impressed, even your detail on plant selection. Most go for the typical neon tetra. I find the colors (especially when flaring) of the white clouds much more appealing than the many commonly sold tropical fish.

 

Welcome to fishlore.
Your tank is beautiful. A 53g dedictated to the beautiful yet highly underrated white cloud minnow. You won't see that very often. Being a big fan myself of these fish, I like it a lot and am impressed, even your detail on plant selection. Most go for the typical neon tetra. I find the colors (especially when flaring) of the white clouds much more appealing than the many commonly sold tropical fish.

Thanks Scarface, much appreciated.

I totally agree the WCM minnow is highly underrated, thanks to its 'beginner fish' reputation. They are a lively and beautiful fish with great personality. I did think about the tetra, as they are beautiful, but the minnows just grow on you don't they?

The colours are really vibrant, especially the males as you say. I found that the fish in the shop always look a bit pale, but within a day or so (even hours) they seem to gain colour in the planted tank with colourful tank mates. I also feed them live blood worms a few times a week, which seems to really boost their health.

No need to upgrade at all!

 

I think the early Biorb experiences are what convinced me to go straight away for and quality substrates that I researched heavily based on the plants I wanted to grow. I also took time to figure out the impact of the substrates on water chemistry and nutrition for the plants. My natural tendency to research everything to death has paid off with the aquascaping too, since I think the time invested up front in planning and creating a vision, made the execution a relatively simple job.

Aquascaping is definitely something that takes lots of times. I make a mock tank, then build a quick aquascape, leave it for a day, make a few minor changes, leave it, come back, ect. It can take me weeks to months just to build my hardscape! Research, especially on plants, is completely necessary. I have that exact same tendency! Quality substrate with Co2 is a must for a high tech tank. You just can't do it with sand or something like that. I almost made that mistake on my first high tech tank but I used aquasoil instead and it has made such a difference.

 

Aquascaping is definitely something that takes lots of times. I make a mock tank, then build a quick aquascape, leave it for a day, make a few minor changes, leave it, come back, ect. It can take me weeks to months just to build my hardscape! Research, especially on plants, is completely necessary. I have that exact same tendency! Quality substrate with Co2 is a must for a high tech tank. You just can't do it with sand or something like that. I almost made that mistake on my first high tech tank but I used aquasoil instead and it has made such a difference.

Yes the time it takes to research is considerable, but very enjoyable too. I'm already thinking about the next project, collecting ideas and reading about fish and plants and habitats. Need to find some time to work as well!

 

That's what I do! As soon as I finish one... I start planniing another or planning how to upgrade. For instance my next planned tank is a 20 gallon reef

Speaking of which... You should come to the dark side. Saltwater is completely amazing especially the corals. And if you habe enough money for this you have plenty for saltwater. Don't let people steer you away from saltwater because, "its too expensive". Its really not any more then a high tech aquarium. In fact, the reef aquarium I'm planning is going to cost LESS then my 20 gallon high tech. And that's with quality stuff.

 

That's what I do! As soon as I finish one... I start planniing another or planning how to upgrade. For instance my next planned tank is a 20 gallon reef

Speaking of which... You should come to the dark side. Saltwater is completely amazing especially the corals. And if you habe enough money for this you have plenty for saltwater. Don't let people steer you away from saltwater because, "its too expensive". Its really not any more then a high tech aquarium. In fact, the reef aquarium I'm planning is going to cost LESS then my 20 gallon high tech. And that's with quality stuff.

Come to the dark side? What?! You know, if I'm not careful I'm going to end up with more tank volume than living space! This hobby is too addictive.

I was thinking of the next tank as a hill stream/fast flowing river style of tank, so that I can get some of those Stiphodons and loaches and the like. I'm fascinated by them and their life cycles. And I like fast-moving water and fish. However, I'm not sure how I feel about keeping wild-caught fish purely on ecological grounds. And the Stiphodons can't be bread, at least not at all easily... mind you, maybe if I had a salt tank as well... can you buy live plankton at the fish shop? Doh!

In all seriousness, I was admiring a salt water tank only the other day. The corals and plant life were more mesmerising than the fish! I'm also a Scuba diver, so I've always loved corals and the beautiful fish species (having dived on the Barrier reef and at Sharm El Sheikh, seeing lion fish was the high-light). I'm definitely open to the idea at some point.

For me the key aspect of projects will be achieving an aesthetically pleasing tank that looks natural and brings out the fish's and invertebrate's natural behaviour.

 

Thank you so much JamieXPXP. I get such pleasure from the tank every day; it's so easy to get lost in watching the fish and taking it all in.

Yes I agree the initial stage of planting is difficult and frustrating. I took care to buy most plants from a well-regarded supplier in the UK (The Green Machine) who buy plants in on a pre-order basis, in order that they are in good condition. That helped a lot as these plants faired well. Plants I've bought from fish shop tanks had generally deteriorated (in my first Biorb tank), and I think that perhaps this is due to their adaptation to different water chemistry and conditions? I chose to start again for the new tank, and put the old plants in my garden water feature where they still live.

The stem plants took a few weeks to start transforming into their water-based form, and it was amazing to watch their transformation from thicker leaves to such fine ones. Previously I had no idea that plants could do this.

The Blyxa was bought from an Amazon supplier I'd never heard of, simply because I couldn't find it anywhere else. It came in a plastic bag, all yellow and withered. I planted it anyway, and it wilted further and melted away. I thought it was a gonner, but miraculously it came back from that and now looks healthy. Same thing happened to my Java fern (the only plant transferred over from my little Biorb tank) which is a supposedly an easy plant; it just looked worse and worse so I cut off all the leaves. Now the rhizome is still green, and growing new roots; so I have hope that that might even come back... it's tied to the moss-covered 'root' waiting for it to come back to life.

I think the early Biorb experiences are what convinced me to go straight away for CO2 and quality substrates that I researched heavily based on the plants I wanted to grow. I also took time to figure out the impact of the substrates on water chemistry and nutrition for the plants. My natural tendency to research everything to death has paid off with the aquascaping too, since I think the time invested up front in planning and creating a vision, made the execution a relatively simple job.

Thanks for feedback, and great to meet you virtually.

lol I can watch my fish for hours, they are so much fun to watch and its really peaceful.
I agree if you get your plants from somewhere that takes good care of them and are high quality then it does make it a bit easier. it is both frustrating and fun haha, it takes forever to get the look you want and to get things growing nicely but once your done, you feel amazing and proud. yea research is a great way to become better at aquascaping although I tend to get too into researching because I find it pretty interesting lol.
I'm sure your java fern will come back to live, mine went through **** when I was just learning about live plants and stuff and now I have 4 instead of 2 somehow

 

This tank is so gorgeous. Any updates?

 

This tank is so gorgeous. Any updates?

Thank you Vikingkirken!







The main tank changes are:

- water filter inlet moved to right side of tank to improve water circulation
- 6 Peacock Gobies/Gudgeons added to the livestock to add interest to the middle/bottom of the tank
- I've adopted the EI fertiliser/dosing regimen, keeping the weekly 50%+ water changes
- had some problems with algae (diatoms) which motivated the change to EI dosing fertiliser regimen; as the tank has matured the diatoms have died back and green algae now grows on the rocks instead
- I had some problems with stem plant growth on the left side of the tank where flow/circulation is weakest; still not wholly resolved but see below CO2 injection changes made
- I was toying with upgrading lighting, but had read that this is only a good idea if CO2 levels are sufficient to meet the plants' requirements for carbon; I wasn't sure, so I have left it for now
- I've made some small adjustments to the CO2 injection: replaced the glass diffuser with an atomiser, and placed the atomiser beneath the water filter inlet so that most of the CO2 goes into the filter to try and dissolve more of it




Updates on the new 'family' members:

- as the minnows have all settled in, they now swim at the top of the tank more of the time
- the gobies have evicted the minnows from all caves and gaps at the bottom of the tank!
- the Amano shrimps regularly get pregnant

 

Wow!! That tank is a total inspiration. Someday I will master the nature aquarium look, but I'm definitely not even close yet! I can't believe this is (basically) your first tank!

The moss is amazing. How did you attach it? I've tried that look, and the moss never stays put for me.

 

Wow!! That tank is a total inspiration. Someday I will master the nature aquarium look, but I'm definitely not even close yet! I can't believe this is (basically) your first tank!

The moss is amazing. How did you attach it? I've tried that look, and the moss never stays put for me.

Yes I feel a bit bad about the fact this is my first aquascape. In my defence, I did work very hard on the tank for about 2 months!! And I had already created a Zen garden at home, and so I understood some Japanese garden design principles from books I'd read on NiwakI pruning. This all helped the vision take shape in my head, and my eye was already tuned in to ways to create the 'look' I wanted.

I really think that if my experience is anything to go by, then the end result of the tank is 80% due to the prework that I put into the research and design. It helps that I have a tendency to research things to death!

The moss was simply attached with brown cotton thread. I spread the moss thin over the wood and then just wound lots of cotton thread round and round the wood. I read that it dissolves after a few months, and though I still have loads of it in the tank it's starting to break up in places now. After a couple of months the moss started to attach to the wood, but only loosely. Its grip is better on the bark-like surfaces, the smooth wood (lighter wood colour) is impossible for the moss to grip to. I don't know if the moss will stay when the cotton thread all dissolves - I might have to re-attach it.

In these photos the moss is cropped, but I did let it get too overgrown recently and the moss went brown underneath the new growth. So this weekend I had to chop it back in order to let it re-grow.

The one plant that just doesn't seem to like my tank is the hair grass. Most of it has died off - it did well for about 2 months, but after a 4 week holiday I came back and it was struggling. I think the light is too low at the bottom due to the depth of the tank. Or the CO2/fertiliser is not circulating there. I'm hoping the changes I've made will help over the next couple of months.

 

I'm going to have to try thread again, but more of it. And get over my aversion to pruning. I have such a hard time cutting off nice green growth, even if it is getting leggy.

I'm with you on the obsessive researching. Unfortunately, I broke from my usual pattern when I got my first tank back in the job after years away--trying to be spontaneous!--and ended up with some fish that were incompatible with everything else I realized I wanted. That was the start of MTS and now I find myself with six tanks...

 

Wow! Hard work and rigorous research has created beautiful results. This is a vivid dream tank, and one of my favorites. It must be even more soothing to gaze at in person. Thank you so much for the inspiration. Following with excitement.

 

I'm going to have to try thread again, but more of it. And get over my aversion to pruning. I have such a hard time cutting off nice green growth, even if it is getting leggy.

I'm with you on the obsessive researching. Unfortunately, I broke from my usual pattern when I got my first tank back in the job after years away--trying to be spontaneous!--and ended up with some fish that were incompatible with everything else I realized I wanted. That was the start of MTS and now I find myself with six tanks...

O. M. G. ... 6 tanks?!!!

I can barely keep up with one... but I can see how it happens... luckily I don’t have time to start another one right now!

Yes lots and lots of thread. Have you tried glue? Just curious if it works.

 

Wow! Hard work and rigorous research has created beautiful results. This is a vivid dream tank, and one of my favorites. It must be even more soothing to gaze at in person. Thank you so much for the inspiration. Following with excitement.

Thanks so much for the kind comments.

It is a really lovely centre piece of the kitchen-diner area, and draws a lot of admiration. I find that people either ‘get it’ and are totally absorbed in this tiny world, or they don’t even see it! When people get it, they sit there studying the creatures and taking in the ‘slice of nature’ look and feel of the tank... that’s my favourite ‘ultimate’ comment, when people say (unprompted) that it looks like a bit of nature...

That’s how I hoped it would turn out, and the experience of watching the fish go about their business is like a form of meditation, both feeling immersed in their world and contemplating ours...

 

O. M. G. ... 6 tanks?!!!

I can barely keep up with one... but I can see how it happens... luckily I don’t have time to start another one right now!

Yes lots and lots of thread. Have you tried glue? Just curious if it works.

Well, they're not all display tanks. I have a 10 gallon for QT and raising fry, two 20g's for breeding/raising fish, a 20 gallon salt which is literally a bunch of stuff I picked up at the beach, and two larger Freshwater tanks. The breeding/fry tanks are very low-maintenance.

 

Well, they're not all display tanks. I have a 10 gallon for QT and raising fry, two 20g's for breeding/raising fish, a 20 gallon salt which is literally a bunch of stuff I picked up at the beach, and two larger Freshwater tanks. The breeding/fry tanks are very low-maintenance.

I fancy trying to breed some fish... Will think about that in summer. I might do a salt water tank next...

 

Just budget the supply cost before you start SW! That's been the killer for me!

 

Just budget the supply cost before you start SW! That's been the killer for me!

Would I be mad to consider a 300mm cube Pico tank as a small desk-top Saltwater tank? I’ve decided I want a Pico cube for the desk, but wonder if it’s going to be too difficult as a first Saltwater tank. The idea would be no fish or invertebrates just coral/plants.

Thanks for any thoughts...

 

Mabye.... but were all mad LOL. Just realize the only corals you will be able to put in such a small tank will be stuff like zoas, gsp, pulsing xenia, mabey a candy cane. You probably won't want to put any euphyllia in there. So a 1 foot tank? That's really tiny. Mabye you could do a 16g biocube? Or even a 10 gallon aquarium would be better. We would all love to have you come to the dark side tom!

 

Mabye.... but were all mad LOL. Just realize the only corals you will be able to put in such a small tank will be stuff like zoas, gsp, pulsing xenia, mabey a candy cane. You probably won't want to put any euphyllia in there. So a 1 foot tank? That's really tiny. Mabye you could do a 16g biocube? Or even a 10 gallon aquarium would be better. We would all love to have you come to the dark side tom!

Okey dokey, will have to look into this a bit more.

The problem with a bigger tank is literally have space to work on the desk! It's also one of those sit or stand desks, with electric up/down button (lovely Ikea product), so I'm restricted with weight as well. I'm really decided on a small cube, so it's just whether a Saltwater cube would work.

Will think a bit more on it...

Cheers,
Tom

 

Mabye.... but were all mad LOL. Just realize the only corals you will be able to put in such a small tank will be stuff like zoas, gsp, pulsing xenia, mabey a candy cane. You probably won't want to put any euphyllia in there. So a 1 foot tank? That's really tiny. Mabye you could do a 16g biocube? Or even a 10 gallon aquarium would be better. We would all love to have you come to the dark side tom!

For completeness, the other option is obviously a small aquascape. I'm thinking a Zen style bonsaI tree on a hill sort of look, with a bit of rock thrown in. Not very imaginative, but could look really nice. Again, no fish probably as it's so small. Might put a few Amano shrimp in, although can't help feeling it's a bit cruel to put anything alive in such a small space! Will ask some of my Amano, ha ha...

Tom

 

Okey dokey, will have to look into this a bit more.

The problem with a bigger tank is literally have space to work on the desk! It's also one of those sit or stand desks, with electric up/down button (lovely Ikea product), so I'm restricted with weight as well. I'm really decided on a small cube, so it's just whether a Saltwater cube would work.

Will think a bit more on it...

Cheers,
Tom

If that's the case... I say go for the minI reef. You could fill it with zoas, gsp, pulsing xenia, leathers, mushrooms, toadstools, trumpet, and candy canes.

 

If that's the case... I say go for the minI reef. You could fill it with zoas, gsp, pulsing xenia, leathers, mushrooms, toadstools, trumpet, and candy canes.

Can't wait to Google all that!

Only problem I foresee is that I'll be gazing at the tank all day and not doing any work. At least it'll distract me from the internet though

 

Only problem I foresee is that I'll be gazing at the tank all day and not doing any work. At least it'll distract me from the internet though

Bahaha . That may be a side effect LOL.