My Mid-life crisis - My New Fish Room!!

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@TheGrissom can not see image

 

That's weird. When I edit it I can see it but when I post its not showing.

 

I can see it fine - It appears to be a photobucket image? If so, there is an extension for chrome that sorts it out: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/photobucket-hotlink-fix/kegnjbncdcliihbemealioapbifiaedg

 

Also cant see it @TheGrissom

 

It is a TASA thing ... the value of proxy.php is inconsistent - I am sure it had a reason to exist but it is getting less and less useful from a users point.

It looks like that plug-in ignores the img src tag and just gets the image form the data-url ..

https://i1150.photobucket.com/albums/o601/TheGrissom/20190416_194305_zpsqxetmulm.jpg

cool rack BTW ;-)

Later Ferdie

 

Thanks Ferdie. The plan is to grow out moss in those tanks with just a single rock with either an anubais or java fern attached and to use those as fry growout tanks for small schooling species of fish. Should enable me to increase my output significantly.

 

@TheGrissom How easy is it to grow out moss and how long does it take.
Since I have the spare tank capacity I have been thinking of doing it as well. I have never really been into plants but their is a lot of options these days as well as equipment and fertilizers etc that were not available 20 years ago in SA. So I figured I would give it a go as well try to grow some plants myself.

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Moss is very easy. The biggest thing is that most mosses prefer lower temperatures. Mine are all at 22 ºC. It grows very slowly but it requires hardly any work. The biggest issue is trying to keep it algae free

 

First time I've seen a guy say that to another guy

 

So I realized that I did not do an update on the fish room for ages, sorry about that, so here goes:

I would say I am up to about 80% complete with the main setup and infrastructure of the fish room. Let me warn you before hand if you are planning something like this, you need to commit a huge amount of time at the start of the project and also be prepared to be involved in about 20 mini projects within the main project as you proceed.

LOL but dont be frightened off by this if you are really committed to the entire idea as I was you will love every minute of it, oh and also you will continually spend money on this as you will always find something to buy or need to by for the project. LoL it never seems to end. (I cannot work past a Wespack without going in and comming out with something I like more than I need. Last week it was measuring jugs with nice marking scales on them. They were 2L and are awesome.)

So I have a permanent water supply now installed so the amount of bucketx I need to carry up and down are now far less. I have a carbon block installed and a RO unit installed.

I have the drainage installed now as well but it needs some upgrades. My fishroom is below ground surface in the cellar of the house so drainage has been a challenge. Current I have a drainline installed into which I pump water up from the tanks using a small 12v DC pump that I got off cheap from Banggood. It had a max head pumping height of around 4 meters so it works quite well. This goes into the drain line and I use gravity to drain out straight into the garden.

I added an extra rack which I had to build around and exsisting counter that was already in place. This has space for at least 10 x 30 liter tanks placed long ways which are the ideal size for breeding.

For air I am using a small compressor pump that I already had from about 3 years ago, but was so noisy I never used it till now. I solved the noise issue by installing it into an enclosure and installed a 12v cooling fan inside the box to keep it cool. It has an external exhaust from which it draws in the air with a small filter on it. Then I also use a combination of the USB nano air pumps and they are amazing.

All the lighting to date is DIY and a combination of 220v and 12v, but I will slowly switch over to 12v throught the entire room. Much safer than 220v and I am happy with the results of the experiments that I have done so far on the various 12v systems that I DiY'ed. All the lightning is controlled with Sonoff timers and some of the wave pumps and circulation pumps afe also controlled by them.

For filteation I am using a combination of canisters HOB and varoius other air driven sponge filters. I basically put together what I need on a tank by tank basis based on the species that is going to be in the tank and wheather or not I am going to attempt to breed them. I like the idea of having separate filtration per tank that way I can control disease out breaks if they ever happen. I am however looking into some sump options, I very much like the plastic compact type they use in the states that I have seen on a couple of YouTube videos and I am planning to build one soon. (Just another excuse to go shopping at Wespack again!)

Heating is done per tank as mentioned before and each one is controlled with an external digital thermostat. However I know have a proper door installed on the room and the room is well insulated since the roof is basically the floor above which is made from wood and wood turns out to be a very good insulator of temperature. The temp stays quite constant in the room and I am able to controll it slighlty with a couple of large cooling fans that I installed into the window opening and by turning them on and off to create a stream of airflow from outside to in and visa versa, I can get away with an average temp in most of the tanks of between 25 and 26 and where required 27 with the help of the heaters. This woked out better than expected and I am happy so fat with the results, as the room is also comfortable to spend time in and beleive me I have spent hundreds of hours in here already.

Altogether their is around 1500 liters of water amoungst around 13 tanks so far and this grows slowly on a month to month basis. For now though I will only be adding 30 liter tanks becuase I have the space for them and already have bigger tanks in the room. And I dont have space for the bigger tanks, but I am working on another plan for that for next year.

I am currently looking at some different options with regards to an over flow system, so that I can eventually semi automate the water change procedure by turning a couple of valved and pressing a button or 2.

Despite the hard work and all the effort that has gone into this I am very happy with the results so far and consider this to be by sanctuary to which I try to escape to for a couple of hours every day and forget about all the crap thats going on in the world and recharge my mind and my energy.

Below are a couple of pictures. The last picture is the star of the show. Every single morning and every single night Gizmo is their with a big smile on his face patiently waiting to engorge him self on a couple of snails or a block of frozen blood worms.

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Dang that's awesome. I'm ready for a mid-life crisis too I think

 

Ok I'm jealous

 

Slow and steady and you will get their, dont rush it.

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He/She is a green spotted puffer, they are almost impossible to sex. They are a scaleless fish and pretty much live out their adult lives in brackish to full salt water. They will also not eat any flake or pellet foods and it is very important to give them a balanced diet of frozen blood worm and live snales. They need the snales to keep their beaks filled down.

Gizmo is a real personable fish and its not hard to fall instantly in love with them. They are also highly intelligent little creatures that love exploring and hunting.

Gizmo is currently my measure as to how succesful I am in my fishroom currently. If I can keep him happy and healthy and alive then I am up for other challenges. I basically "rescued" him from almost certain death. If I had the space I would rescue them all from all the LFS that are currently selling them. Seems that currently one of the big importers has flooded them into SA and they seem to popup hear and their in arb LFS where 99% of the time they are poorly housed and poorly looked after, simply because very little is known about them in the hobby in this country and so they are not like your normal plug and play fresh water tropical fish.

They are also unfortunately sold under false pretences most of the time and wiil most certainly die if not transitioned to salt brackish water as soon as possible and most fresh water hobbyiest wont have the know how or equipment to do this, although its nit that complicated.

But yes a most personable creature that wiil steal your heart!

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@David Kusner ....

All i can say is WOW!!!!

Absolutely amazing... loads o work but, as you say, when the heart is in it the work is light

As for Gizmo.. he is too cute for words!

 

You are so right @David Kusner and sadly its not only the puffers

There are a few others like Scats and Monos which are amazing but also being sold as freshwater when they will not survive long term n freshwater

 

Congratulations on an awesome setup!
If you're tending towards 12V are you going to put a battery bank and some solar panels on the roof?
I've been looking into 12V, the biggest challenge is heating water