Somehow I’ve found myself getting into another relatively expensive hobby. This time I have Arj to thank for it. Thanks Arj…

My brother kept fish when he lived back at mum and dad’s. He had two huge tanks in his room. I on the other hand only had a small one which was primarily a breeding tank for guppies. Now that I’ve got my own place I decided to set up a much larger aquarium as a centrepiece for the living room.

My mate Arj is a complete fish nut. He’s even got his own website/business which you can visit at www.addicted2fish.com. He’s been an infinitely huge help in getting everything together. He even convinced me to try my hand at a planted tank, which means not only having to look after fish, but also live plants.

Elaine’s school friend Catherine also helped out with some fish. Thanks Cat!

(6x) Neon Tetras

(5x) Congo Tetras

(1x) Swordtail

(3x) Siamese Algae Eaters

In terms of plants the tank contains primarily Amazon Sword, Anubias and Cabombas.

To keep the plants alive the tank is lit by a metal halide lamp on a timer and it’s plumbed to a CO2 tank. The tank itself is 4″x2″x2″, which means it contains almost 400kg of water. Including the weight of the glass and the stand it’s well over half a tonne.

Hope the floor is sturdy.