We've featured Sanjeev's colossal and mouthwatering rainbowfish aquarium before - and we were so over-awed by that set-up that we almost let this other tank of his fall off our radar, says Nathan Hill.
However, revisiting our archives we reconnected with it and are convinced it’s worth a second, third and, yes, even fourth look!
The tank itself is a custom made acrylic by Neptunes measuring 115 x 82 x 75cm/45 x 32 x 30” high, and costing some £1,200.
Heating and filtration are combined in an Eheim 2180, which Sanjeev bought off eBay for £200.
Lighting is facilitated by a Pacific Sun Mettis, specifed for freshwater usage. It's a 200w model, but Sanjeev has control of the output and it runs at about 80% capacity for seven hours daily.
At the time this unit cost £900.
To recreate the substrate you'd want to invest in a good 20 litres or more of TMC’s Nutrisoil underneath. That’ll cost you about £90 and maybe £25 for a layer of sand over the top.
A trip to a garden centre will enable you to select a good handful of choice, large cobbles to make up most hardscape and some bigger pieces of bogwood will add the centrepiece. Budget about £50 to £80 for hardscape, or up to £150 to recreate with the kinds of wood Sanjeev has picked up here.
He has opted for a variety of rainbowfish, such as the lovely Melanotaenia pygmae (pictured above) and Chilatherina alleni (pictured below) but you could consider a bulk buy of two or three of your favourite species. M. boesemani can be picked up for £6 or £7 a head, and the charming M. praecox can be snapped up for around £5 each.
Get a fire extinguisher with a TMC valve to sort your CO2 and that will cost you around £89.99, plus maybe £15-£25 for an extinguisher. Then you can grow most plants on yourself from a few pots, bunches, or even a couple of mother plants if you haven't the patience to wait and replant.
Hydrocotyle sp. Japan will fill in gaps, with Echinodorus tenellus on the base. Hygrophila pinnitafida can be strategically placed and the only plant to buy big is the slow growing Microsorum Java ferns to cling to the wood. Get two or three mother plants for the best value.
Price: It’s not the cheapest, but a tank like this could set you back around £2,800.
Check out Sanjeev Kumar's larger rainbowfish aquarium.
Take a look at some of our other inspirational aquariums:
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