Thinking of Getting a Tank again after 6 Year

Hi Everyone

So I have been out of the game for about 6 years now, I had to sell my setups when I bought my first house, but I want to get back in to the game again...

What has changed the last 6 years in tanks, tech and suppliers?

 

Hi @oupoot

Always nice to see someone come back.... Welcome

If i try recall the last 6 years... dont think a LOT has changed
In terms of media, charcoal not really used by most except for removing meds from the water or tannins
There are few new products ie media balls that loo lie "cheese balls" and the same media in cylinders about 210cm long. I believe its quite good, i dont have any but my son has a fair amount and is happy with it
Otherwise the ceramics, lava rock, Matrix from Seachem and perforated plastic bioballs are all good
I have found the blue non perforated plastic balls useless

As far as filters are concerned still pretty much the HOB. canister or sump and sponge filters
there are also various internal filters
This choice of which would depend on tan size.. species of fish you want to keep.. planted or not

As for water treatment/ preparation products. i think Seachem products are pretty much on top of the list with most of us... others can chime in

Lighting... i thin the trend has definitely moved to LED'S as there are cheap options and the more fancy Zetlights etc, although many people still use the T5

Suppliers, im not sure in your area but im sure there must be other members in your area
We usually go to the East Rand, not sure if you willing to travel that way

These are the few things i could think of... hope it helps
What fish are on your wish list

 

Hi @MariaS

Thanks for the update, lighting im not too supriesed about, the rest im disappointed at, was hoping for more innovation.

At this stage Im not too sure what I want to keep, leaning towards a planted shrimp tank as its low maintenance, but im not sure that it will keep my 2 year old entertained compared to a tank full of Tetras.

Size im still deciding on, I would like a massive tank again, but don't have the time and space at this stage to go with that idea...

Thanks for the update!

 

Welcome back!

You should be able to get a good LED light, aquasoil, hardscape, plants and livestock fairly easily.

For lighting the Zetlight range works really well. I haven't got any experience with other brands unfortunately, but they are the most readily available.

For soil, cheaper options like Langa are great. ADA Amazonia is the gold standard for a lot of people, but it is almost twice as expensive as Langa and requires a lot of initial water changes to manage the ammonia spike it creates. Prodibio is decent, but I find the granules to be a bit light for easy planting.

If you're looking to dose fertilisers, which I find really helped me, there is a locally made product called Scape Complete that is an all-in-one fertiliser that is pretty cost effective and works really well. They also supply a dechlorinator and liquid carbon that are cheaper than other options.

If you can, check out AquaEmpire in Randpark Ridge. I've always had great service there, and they keep stock of almost everything you need. If you follow their Facebook page you can get a head start on plants and hardscape too, as some of the stock sells out within a day.

Seeing as you're looking for shrimp, check out @ShrimpNation. Based in Fourways, and keeps some different plant stock than other shops. Is also a member of the forum and has a thread for updates.

VIP Pets at Retail Crossing in Strubens Valley has a pretty good variety of fish and plants. Not all the plants are labelled though. The keep a lot of equipment on hand too, so if you prefer shopping in person vs online then a good option. Their tank prices are competitive. Hardscape selection is a bit small, and hidden at the back of the store next to the koi holding tanks.

If you're ok with shipping items, McMerwe in Bloemfontein (https://mcmerwe.co.za/) also keeps stock of shrimp. Plant wise they only have Bucephalandra at the moment, but stocking does change.

Rebel Pets in Kempton park isn't a shop that I have used, but they seem to have a great variety on fish, equipment and plants too.

I've also used Jungle Aquatics in Fourways for some of the equipment, but they can be a bit more expensive than other places, and seem to be catered more to the saltwater side of the hobby.

Good luck, and keep us updated on how it all goes

 

@oupoot , it's a pleasure

Unfortunately I'm not the most experienced at planted tanks as my fish dont agree with the idea but we have many planted tanks members as above who can point you in the right direction
If you willing to travel, Petmasters on the East Rand, although not my place of choice for livestock, their prices on equipment and food etc are very competitive and their new shop is really nice
Fish for Africa also East rand is a very nice place too, prices are competitive however plant selection hasn't been that great when I have been there
Live stock they have a fair variety but dont recall shrimp being one of their specialities
We have Wazeers in boksburg, the main shop outside the flea market is another good place to take a drive too
Very helpful and not much you cant find there from livestock to equipment.. hardscape and their variety of fish is not really matched by many
They have also gone quite big on planted tanks
There is also a new petshop called Aquarium cabin, they only opened about month ago but from what I have seen advertised well worth taking a drive to although I haven't been there yet
For shrimp, I dont keep any but I must say that from what I have seen, @shrimp nation usually has a nice variety

 

Welcome back Oupoot,

You can have a shrimp / tetra mixed tank. The shrimp will survive (probably). If you want a low maintenance tank then you want to stay away from CO2 and lots of stem plants. Stems take over quite quickly and need trimming back quite often. Easy plants like anubias, java fern, most crypts will work.

 

Speaking only in terms of shrimp, I do think there have been massive changes in both tech as well as availability in South Africa compared to 3 years ago.

Shrimp wise I think if you know where to look you should be able to find most species (Including some rare stuff as Sulawesi Shrimp).
Quality of shrimp has also got a massive boost in recent years, but I would recommend checking with online shops and breeders first, as petshops normally don't have the greatest quality of shrimp (Sad but true).
There is also a couple of breeders that specialize in colours in SA.

Equipment-wise... Yea there is a few new stuff but nothing massively exciting if you ask me. The coolest thing for me was dual media sponge filters and Undergravel filters for shrimp.

Plantwise, we now have a couple of importers of higher-end and rare plants you won't normally see in Petshops (I do carry some of them and take requests for additional stuff when I can get them).
An example of this would be more Buce species, Anubias (Nana petite, bonsai etc), and some rare cryps or even moss balls I guess?

Welcome to drop me a message for shrimp specific stuff, always happy to help.

 

@ShrimpNation ,
You absolutely right... shrimp is something that has taken off in the last 3 years with the most amazing selection of colors

 

@fux940510 Thanks for all the details, the last time i was in the game there was basically just seachem soil on the market for the price of a kidney

@MariaS Thanks for the info on the East rand, I recall Petmasters and how bad their fish stock was but how good their hardware was. I dont recall seeing VIP pets the last time I was a retail crossing

@ShrimpNation Please give me some more details of the new filters, they sound interesting and wort looking in to before I buy anything. I saw your site and loved the variety you had available.

 

Sure, nothing really overly fancy but I really like them and use them in every single one of my tanks.

Essentially its a improvement of the good old dual sponge filter and highly compact.

Some talking points

• Its green, so it won't show algae.
• Its got a media compartment for better filtration
• Overall higher build quality.
• Good suction cups.
• Allows for much higher flow compared to other sponge filters.
• 2 sizes (Big and small)

Thats all I can think of for now. One major plus point for me is, it runs off air, so when eskom fails me its easier to run from a battery pump to ensure there is still filtration.

 

I recently bought 2 of these for my new big tank (goldfish). Absolutely LOVE them! They are fantastic. I'm hoping to get a third for that tank. By far the best filter I've had so far and super easy to clean.
My only issue is the one had one misshapen suction cup which I only noticed after it was in the tank a few days (couldn't understand why the bottom cup wouldn't stick to the glass), but it works fine even with the bottom not fully attached to the side.

 

Welcome back to the Hobby

 

Thanks for the info, i have a rough idea what to look out for now.

Now I just need to get all the equipment before i get started