The Turtle

Now the Turtle. I received this turtle from a friend so it is not currently in ideal conditions. The turtle is in a 24"x12"x12" tank which is half filled with a large rock taking up about half the tank. There is a fountain filter and a small 25w heater. I am planning to get the turtle into a larger aquarium habitat soon with more room to move as he will be stunted and is a very livley turtle.

I take him out each day for a wander around the back yard to get some "space". The cats are still not sure what to make of this little moving hard thing.

The other aquarium I received from this friend in similar to my own, 30"x12"x14", except this one houses a 9" Three Beacon Catfish. Again I can see the same problem as with the turtle, the tank is too small. Also the filter is not doing a great job as it is an under greavel filter that covers only half the tank.

I plan on moving the turtle into the Three Beacon Catfish's tank when I purchase a new Aquarium set up for the Catfish. The new Catfish Aquarium will also be used to house the fish from my new tank when they begin to out grow the aquaruim they are in.

I will post some pictures of my aquarium set up soon so watch this space. In the meantime take a look at a wonderful screen saver I use at work to turn my computer into a living aquarium. It allows me to pick the fish and feed them and all. A lot less costly than the real thing!

Details of the aquerium set up

OK so the aquarium set up. I have purchased a 30"x12"x15" tank. Starting from the bottom I have an under-gravel filter to establish a mechanical and bio system that involves very little upkeep, only needing regular water changes using a gravel vacuum system (I use a piece of thin hose attached to a chopped 600ml soft drink bottle.)

Then I have filled the bottom of the tank with 20kg of black gravel. As this is a new aquarium set up I have not yet added any plants as they will have nothing to feed off. I have added a large piece of driftwood to create some atheistic character as well as a feeding ground for the fish that will follow shortly.

I am using a 125w heater and a two outlet air pump which runs the filter.

As mentioned in my last post there are two corydoras and ten tetras that are "dirtying" the tank. These fish are doing very well and are quite lively with all that room to themselves.

This weekend I will be picking up two 4" Whiptail Catfish, which the wife wanted. I like these fish as well and there will also be two Bristlenose Catfish added to the aquarium later. This will create a little overcrowding at the bottom level but I plan to add some plants and more driftwood to the bottom. The adverse effect of adding aquarium plants and driftwood with so many catfish will be I will not get to see them to often, but it will be so much better when I do see my catfish.

I then plan to purchase about five glass catfish, which are actually a mid level aquarium dweller so will not further contribute to the overcrowding of catfish on the bottom level. At the same time or later again I will be purchasing about three or four Black Tail Sharks. These are a very placid fish despite the name (they are not real sharks) and will hopefully finish off this aquarium nicely.

Here you will find the progression of my aquariums. I now have three aquariums containing all sorts of tropical fish and even one turtle. One of the aquariums is my own, the other two tanks were a friends who can no longer keep them. I will start with a basic list of the fish I have and then we will get into more detail about them. In its own fish tank I have a Three Beacon Pleco" or Leporanthicus triactis L091 is the scientific name. This leopard looking catfish is very quiet at the moment but should liven up soon. he also needs a bigger fish tank as he is currently in a 3foot tank.

Next is the Turtle, wieghing in at about one pound and eight inches long. This little turtle loves to run around outside and is a very cheerful little guy. I am planning to create an entire aquarium habitat for him eventually.

Now my aquarium, which is completely new. I am currently running my aquarium with ten tettras and two corydoras to establish the bioenvironment for some very nice fish, some of which I have already purchased. My daughter has named the corydoras "salt & pepper" as one is an albino corydora and one is a peppered corydora.

I will explain my aquarium setup in detail in my next post.