Welcome back to the community tank! We’re in Halloween season now, starting on the 27th October 2019, and we’ve got another look at our little underwater neighbourhood. This was filmed in the Juwel Rio 125 aquarium, complete with a collection of inhabitants. There’s always something happening when you’ve got several different fish sharing the same space, even if the residents aren’t terribly interested in following a filming schedule!

The next day, we’re back again! Is that Plankers? I find it fascinating how much time you can spend watching an aquarium. You’ve got the fish, the plants, the hiding spots and all those little details that are easy to overlook when you’re walking past. Stop and pay attention for a while and it becomes a completely different experience.

The clock ticked over to another day and we have, more fish! Three days, way more than three fish! Todd the Cod, Slinky, Plankers, Whiskers and the other residents certainly gave me plenty of reasons to keep the camera handy. It’s a bit like keeping up with an entire neighbourhood, except this one is underwater and nobody has to mow the lawn.

Fast forward to the 10th November 2019 and we’re on a mission to find Slinky! With a Senegal bichir in the community tank, a bit of hide-and-seek was practically inevitable. If you’re after even more Slinky, there’s a separate article about the October adventures.

Just one week on and we’re given some community tank bubble fun! Bubbles were a recurring attraction around here, particularly whenever Slinky was involved. Quite why watching fish and bubbles together could be so entertaining is beyond me, but there we are. Plenty of aquarium excitement without needing to leave the house!

And here’s a much longer look at the community tank from the same day. The aquarium had its own fair share of chemistry to worry about alongside all the entertaining stuff. My readings from the 11th November 2019 showed zero ammonium (NH4+), zero nitrite and nitrate between 20 and 40 ppm. Much improved readings than what I recorded earlier in the year!