Sarah

Progress, please excuse the mess (is a worksite), and the horrible photos. Bit hard getting pics. I'll take a vid when it's set up I think. The inside walls are done, just need to be painted now. Then once dad's work section is finished, he can move his stuff out and we'll replace the doors with curtains (the doors currently swing wide open and would take up a massive amount of tank space). Then the outside walls just need to be finished, but that can be done anytime - dad said paint it (we'll probably do that Monday), and we can move the tanks in when that's dry.

Very nice, Simon.

By cover glasses I assume you mean lids? Yes, I do have lids on all my tanks (except for one).

Oh wow, Joan! Looking great, so many. Nessa, my room is the garage, and all my tanks are in it (well, until the fish room is finished, that is). I've found with the axolotls/unheated tanks, it doesn't keep anything cool. Basically whatever the temp is outside, that is what it's like inside. During summer, all tanks can get above 30*C.. so I have to work to cool things down. In Winter they can get about 10*C on average, if unheated/without chiller. Also gets very humid, so that doesn't help keep the tanks down. I have a humidity gauge thing, it can easily get 80% humidity in my room... it's horrible!

Thanks Paul.... Not sure what I'll do with the tank at the moment. Yan has definitely made my eyes open towards angels/discus. I'm getting her angel pair for my new 3ft when that is set up... thinking MAYBE I might do an discus thing going on - but not certain. With a 400L tank, there are a lot of different things I could do with it. However, filling a tank with goldfish, guppies or MOLLIES (mum's three favourite three fish, my three least favourite fish.. however I own/look after the tanks so they are not a single one in sight) is wayyyy out of the question! Have I said eww? I think I did. Eww. FINALLY I just got her off the dream off "tattooed fish" WHY? Not happening. Ever. Fill my tank with tattooed fish and you can smash it with a shovel all you want. D.I.S.G.U.S.T.I.N.G.

AND WE HAVE LIGHT AND POWER! The light is super bright!

Hope your boy heals OK! Keep his water warm and clean, and if you have any Indian Almond Leaves, definitely use some. It's been mentioned on here before that hairnets are a good idea (I use it for Ricca), just you definitely have to be careful when it comes to keeping them in with Bettas. Bettas really seem to manage to find themselves squeezing into the tiniest of spaces (under dividers, behind filters, and of course - hairnets). Personally I have used this method in my Betta tank, but I did make sure to let the plant grow out a little bit, so the actual net isn't visible (or accessible by an over curious Betta), before putting it in.

Mum's not too happy they died, said something about how she's sorry I'm getting a fish room because otherwise she'd make me get out of the hobby because everything always dies on me... not everything dies on me, she's referring to the loss of fish I had like a year or two ago. Anyway, I'm getting my sister's old marine tank.. so I'll use my chiller on that, get corals and stuff. Not sure what I'll do with the previously-axolotl tank. I really do love my axolotls, as you probably noticed... just... they seem too finicky.

R.I.P. Tenedor. My Leucsitic female, and last axolotl. Waaah... Is now axolotl-less... not getting any more.

Thanks guys! Mostly planned out... still figuring out exactly where each tank is going. You're right, Zui - never can have too much storage space. I definitely don't have enough at the moment, some of my stuff is stashed in the garden shed. Aha oh Les!! I did help put the window in, have the splinter to prove it. As for Matt coming down, not these holidays, the next ones (June/July). Probably staying for a week, but he won't be here to help set it up. NO WORRIES, I'm putting him to work scaping my tanks. Hehe, thanks MT. Ever come to Sydney, you're always welcome to come and share the water changing (offer is there for the rest of you people too!!). :P

Thanks, Ness. As for the shelving, you can see in the pics on one wall there is a work bench with a cupboard underneath, dad is going to take the door off and replace with a curtain - as the door swings wide open and will take away a fair bit of precious tank space! There are shelves next to it, he's going to take it all the way down to the floor (already is, just you have to get to stuff from the cupboard next to it and he's just making it easily assessable). Ontop of the work bench I'll probably put in my little cupboard I have in my room. That has all my meds and dry food. I also have a shelf (think it is maybe 5ft long, has three or four levels), that's in my room currently. Will move that into the fish room - it holds all my inverts, live food cultures and spare containers/foam boxes I use for shipping. I THINK that's enough storage space and shelving! If not (very, very much doubt this) I can always use the stands/cabinets some of the tanks have.

Hey Wayne, there is a tap/hose not 2m from where the door is - so that's great for the water source (right now I've been carrying buckets from the bathroom to my room, and taking old water through the house to put in the garden). As for the sink, the wall that has the cupboards and bench on it is the laundry wall, and that has a sink in it, so I'll just use that. Previously, I had been using that sink anyway... which is in the backyard, and my room right on the other side of our property - so much easier all round! Insulation - check. Will have insulation. I haven't done very well, dad has! As for moving his gear out, he would prefer to have his own thing, rather than go through the fish room. He's making another on the other side. Oh, electrician is coming tomorrow, so power will all be going. Just now we put the big window in. All coming together now!!!

Haha! Yeah I wouldn't mind a TV show. Thanks guys. Can't wait until it's set up. Had to decide where each tank, so dad could work out where to put all the power points. He said I was taking too long to make this massive decision, so was like "I'll stick a double here, here, here, and here, just stick them everywhere and I'm sure it will be more than enough."

Thanks. They had a few nice marble CT's there, and since then and now I'm fairly certain they had another shipping. Either way, I'm sure you'll find something that catches your eye! Good luck!

Yep, she can totally breed blue VT's - with redwash!

Right on Zui! Shadoh, I DON'T THINK SO! To everybody that was a reference to a story I told the other night. My older sister wanted me to spawn her a pet Betta and was being EXTREMELY specific in which colouring/tail type she wanted. I showed her someone's videos. I showed her Aquabid fish. She said the fish I had were nice, but not what she wanted. Then, she found her "dream fish" and would settle for nothing other than a.... BLUE. VEILTAIL. WITH. LOTS (had to be lots) OF REDWASH. Geez. I told her it would be too hard to move all the fry, and unless she wanted the ENTIRE spawn, it was a no deal. She only wanted one so went off muttering. The thing is, she doesn't want me to go and just get one from the pet store from her, I have to breed it so she can tell people her little sister bred it. So I was thinking of educating her, and giving her one of the fry from the grooming comp - blue with red wash. Sure, I think they're crowntail, not veil tail, but it's either settle for it or go and be betta-less.

Very nice! Happen to have any close up pics of your bettas there? They look lovely from what I can tell.

Thanks guys. Shall keep you all updated with loads of piccies!

Thanks Shadoh! Very exciting! Pic I took a few hours ago. Kinda hard to make out (bit of a hard spot to get a full photo), but all frames for the walls up. On the side wall, closet to me you'll see two little extra bits sticking out. There, dad is going to make shelves and stick his work stuff there, seeing as I'll be taking his workbench/cupboards.

OK, third time of typing this comment - this is the time! The frame is all up now. Have a few last pics but I'll put them up later. During the week the electrician is coming to put all the power cords/lighting/whatnot. Next weekend dad is going to finish the walls, put the windows and door in. Then we have to paint it.. and then the next weekend we can put all the tanks in! So should be all up and running in two weeks. Just figured out roughly where all the tanks are going... can't wait!

Thanks, Jarrod...

Thanks, Sarah.