Well congrats to me!

[Emma Turner]

Thanks for letting me know the other species they get along well with, the only trouble is I can rarely find them here. I guess I could order them but I will cross that bridge when I get there. Right now they are in the 20 gal with my 2 angelicus. Is this ok? They seem to be fine but let me know.

Hi Kris,
The reason why I posted that reply with the picture of the tank was to show you the clowns living happily alongside Botia kubotai (which is what you are referring to as your 'angelicus').

That is a great looking tank. Is that real bamboo in there? I like the look of that. Does bamboo have to be treated/blanched before it is put in a tank? Do the loaches like to hide in it?

Thanks YF. Yes that is real bamboo in the tank. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for home aquariums as the water does cause it to rot over time. This particular tank is connected up to our heavily-filtered softwater fish system which contains about 750 gallons of water, and gets 2 large water changes without fail twice a day. In a smaller system, with less filtration and water changes, the rotting of the bamboo could cause problems for the fish. Unfortunately, it cannot really be coated with protective aquatic varnish because as you probably know, the bamboo has 'segments' inside which means you cannot get to and cover every available surface with the varnish. The water will then cause the protective coating to peel away. Most of the pieces of bamboo are planted up, but there are a couple of pieces I anchored on their sides and the loaches love to get inside there. However, that picture was taken back in 2004 and all the loaches have grown substantially since so not all now fit inside! The bamboo has also degraded somewhat, and I'm looking to try and source some more so that I can give the tank a bit of a re-vamp.

I can only dream of an 8' tank! Really have to get up to your shop one day. Curious though, how do you provide enough current for the clowns while keeping the water slack enough that the angels don't get blown about all over the place?

Yes, come up anytime Dave! The tank itself has a gentle current with the built in filtration, and I added a couple of extra powerheads into the tank to create areas of faster flow. The bamboo tends to break up the flow in places and the Angels seem happy (they spawn regularly) in the areas of lower current here and there.

Emma

[chefkeith]

New clown loaches. A new 150g loach tank on the way.

I love hearing this. I always get real excited when somebody plans a big loach tank.

How bout some pic's of the new clowns?

[palaeodave]

Yes, come up anytime Dave! The tank itself has a gentle current with the built in filtration, and I added a couple of extra powerheads into the tank to create areas of faster flow. The bamboo tends to break up the flow in places and the Angels seem happy (they spawn regularly) in the areas of lower current here and there.

Emma

The advantages of such a big tank!

[chefkeith]

You could start your new tank cycle long before you get your new tank. Just put the new filters on an established tank or put them on a small q-tank and do a fishless cycle on the filter and let them run until the new tank is set-up. You'll probably need a few more small q-tanks anyway. 5 gallon or 10 gallon tanks are good choices and cheap too. You can never have too many back-up tanks that can be set-up on the fly or for emergencies.