Bec

OK, Not hard at all if you are not to fussed on fancy appearances. Firstly, anything with wood is all about precise cuts. So long as the pieces are the same length and cut square wood work is not hard. The good news is Bunnings will cut all your wood for you for 50c a cut (if you wear a short skirt, flutter your eyelids and look pathetic / useless they usually do it for free ). Secondly, pre drill all holes and use screws to secure the frame ... it costs a tiny bit more for screws than nails but it is easier, stronger and more precise when you have little skill. Thirdly, make a good plan. I have two wood stands that each hold four 45cm cubes that I bought of eBay ages ago and they are rock solid, very basic and were used by a breeder who bred cichilds for a living. I will go downstairs tomorrow and take a photo to give you an idea (its to dark now). They are good, but there are a few things I would change... Consider the height between the top of the tank that sits on the bottom tier, and the base of the second tier. Leave enough room to maneuver nets, heaters etc. leave room to put in hooks so you can hang cords so they from drip loops, or for hanging air pumps or what ever. Do you want an exact fit, or a little room in front or on the side to put food containers, chemicals etc for easy access. I found it handy to keep the stuff I was using right near the tank, and my shelf did not allow room for this. It is rewarding to do it yourself, and you can make it the exact size you want

Hey Les, Thanks for the compliment , not only do I get to see all the fish together, I get a constantly changing flare display as they see different fish swim past. And it is cheaper in terms of heating ... one heater vs 14 I had going before. I really do need to get the plants worked out though, some are even upside down and add the rest of the sand mix to cover the base properly. Re the percheron: Even though she is a really big horse I actually bought her for my youngest daughter to learn to ride on two. Her temperament is so gentle, friendly and personable and she is unflappable! The perfect beginner horse (a bit lazy, but that is OK, I don't have to worry about bolting, bucking etc, it would just be to much effort for her to bothered with). She will be put to stud for the 'second' horse this spring, and what ever she drops will no doubt suit her for anything she decides to do. Percheron's are now listed on the rare breed list, so I have a goal to promote them as much as I can, they really have a lot to offer the horse world and were once used widely to improve Aussie stock horses! :yes:

Ohhh...I want a baby that is the same colour as that pink one, is it really that colour? :drool:

I can only see half the pics ... berry nice though! Did you breed any of these fellows (love big red, I lost my two red males and I loved them) :drool:

You see the problem is I have only ever had girl babies, I come from a family of girls ... my biggest fear is 300 baby boys, all at once ... AGHHHHHHH :scared:

Oh wow Joan, you've done a great job ... and look at those BN's, are they the babies I saw at your place last time? They are so big! I get rid of duckweed with gold fish, but I guess that is not really going to be very helpful advice now is it... When I get moved I intend to set up my plants nicely (no point now, they will all need to be packed up soon) and I shall have to pick your brain for techniques.

I hadn't thought about the sponge filters and bubble nests, but that would make sense now that I think about it. But that is OK, I really don't think I want a spawn in a jar, that would be very hard to manage (I don't think I will ever breed, I just don't have the time). Mind you, I did get the big cubes drilled and bought a pump, so maybe if I get a barrack built by next summer I might have a go! I even drew up a plan if I remember rightly (somewhere on goggle sketch up). Getting bqack on this site could prove dangerous Hey Neffy, sorry to hear that boy didn't spawn for you ... he is a pretty boy and would make some nice babies. How did your lavender girls go? They were lovely, when my girls start to dwindle in numbers I'd love some like those, such lovely bright colour and amazing size! And this is Tiffany, she is my latest neddy!

I'll tell you what Wayne, that tank and stand weighs as much as that big horse of my daughters ... if you tried to hijack it you would definitely GET hurt (broken back a the least ). Actually, I got smart and put little slides on the underside of the frame so it can kinda be shoved around the room when it is half full. It has moved three times in the last few months (a woman's prerogative to change her mind). I don't think I can part with it in reality, I think if I get rid of all the other tanks I can easily manage the horses and the one big one ... I love to turn on the light at night and watch the various fishy interactions. It’s like watching the bold and the beautiful as they dart around in their little cliques, flirting with one fish or another and chasing the less popular girls! By the way, that lavender girl is the biggest tart of the lot. She is constantly teasing the boys … one day I have a good mind to pick her up and dump her in one of the jars just for a laugh . I have had one occasion when one girl jumped into a boys jar. I came home from work to find both happily waiting for dinner. Neither seemed to care about the other, there was no bubble nest or eggs and neither appeared to have attacked each other. I still have not got around to putting lids on the jars (slack).

The jars all have glass jigs siliconed onto their bases ... male. These secure into glass channels on the inside bottom of the tank ... female (also siliconed). They twist lock into place so they do not move around when you do water changes. All can be removed if there should be a need to do so! Was an absolute pain to put together as each jar has a different amount of angle to the base and so required much fiddling. The kids have a good laugh at me and say when all the fish die (actually, they say "when you have killed them all" ) we can have lovely flower displays everywhere and if they are plastic you won't be able to kill them Oh my goodness... there is a pack of possums dancing on my roof ATM! It sounds like a heard of elephants skydiving on the roof :scared:

Many, many, many, many, many trips to two dollar junk shops all over Melbourne, and I finally found what I needed (in the quantity I needed) at the local junk shop right here in Eltham I can't get any good ones of the fish in the back jar...I'm just not cluey enough with a camera!

And more ... Haha glass bucket! Except they don't handle being dropped (I smashed two fixing their base jigs on )

OK ... in the tank are eleven round glass jars that each hold 9 liters of water. Each jar has its own water and own sponge filter, no cross-contamination for the boys. The entire tank is heated by one large heater and as the jars are surrounded by the warmed water and made of glass, they are the same temp as the outer tank ... so only one heater required. Each jar used to have its own mystery snail as well, which meant the glass was always clean, but they have mostly emigrated to the outer tank as there was more food for them there. At the moment I only have five males at home as I have farmed most out to friends and family so I would not need to move them when I move house (I think I may have some trouble getting a couple of them back though). I am not the best at taking photos of the fish so here goes ...

No, I don't card them. They swim around happily enough and the boys rarely see the other males unless they see each other by chance, and than there is a good flare up. Most of the flaring goes on when one of the girls takes a fancy to one of the boys, and swishes back and forth teasing him ! Here is my two horsepower lawn mower ... is a Tink & Raven all weather ride on My new Andalusian cross and my 13 years old giant Percheron, who stands 17.1hh Under that curtain is a solid steel frame, a 2200l canister filter and a six outlet air pump, and tonnes of foods, lotions and potions!

Hi all, I have not fallen of the planet, just been very busy (I bought a couple of horses ) and have had no time to surf the forum! So here is a photo or two of the six footer I turned into a beta display tank. I have not finished the hood (it is somewhere in storage ... I move in April). Excuse the plant mess, there is a tonne of plants in the tank but I have not had time to plant it out yet (one of my kids has pinched half my driftwood and put in her hermit crab tank I have noticed )... Tell us what you think? I was thinking of selling it as I have less time for the fish now that I have the horses, but am thinking if I get rid of all the other tanks and just keep the one it would cut down my time dramatically , Cheers, Bec

Wow, some very nice little bubs there!