woot fishytank stuff

[FoxyWench]

so i put up an add for the 48" crate asking for cash or an exchange for a large fishtank (anything from 40-90gal) well someone neerby contacted me, they are getting a large dog and have a 55gal tank that they dont want anymore...so were going to do a direct trade! WOOT! ill finally have my 55...(this also means that give me a year and ill want a 125gal lol)

im currently debating on what i want to Do with the tank...its going to be turned into a partial wall so itll be see through and act as a division between my bedroom and wiving room in the new apt...
meaning all decoration will be central in the tank rather than up agains tthe back/sides...

i was thinking i could do a real nice cichlid tank, pine the rockwork in the center, ide airtubes in teh rockwork for some cool bubbling effects and get some nice cichlids (i want bright colour) but if i go cichlids im stuck cichlids...

option # 2 is a discus tank, i LOVE discus and could mix in some nice cardinal tetras and some cory for extra movemnt...but im looking at an EXPENSIVE set up on that one as nice discus cost muchly, discus also tend to be delicate...thus far after 22 yrs of fish keeping im doing good but im not sure if im ready to take on the kings of fishy world...

option # 3 is a comminuty tank, i could do some awsome LARGE schools but the shcoaling behaviour is lost in a fishtank due to lak of threat so it doesnt work quite as well...

ahh desicions...

ive got plenty of time as the apts not even finnished yet, and of course the tank cant go in untill the rooms ready for it...(and dads going to reinforce the floor...just incase lol)

if im doing rockwork ill be doing fake rockwork from styrafoam with a concrete covering...itll look awesome but add about 2 weeks to set up time as it has to sit cause the concrete leeches...

so what you think chazzers, what fishies should i dedicate my tank to?!

 

[Psyfalcon]

1 will be VERY hard. The tank is so narrow, its difficult to get good rockwork going, up into the upper levels of the tank. It either has to stay short, or have a very small footprint, and a possible disaster. For this reason, I hate the 55 ; I have one, but only because it cost the same as a 33 long (only 1 foot tall vs 20 inches).


Schooling isn't really lost in a fish tank. Its lost to either, a) too small a school, or b) no predator. You should have seen my large barbs ball up when the Cichlids in the tank got hungry. Of course, some like Emperor Tetras may never school well, since it seems they are loose schoolers even in the wild. Others will school much more easily. Tiger barbs, despite being terrors seem to do that well. The Predator does not even have to be a real threat, they just have to think that it could be a threat of some kind.

 

[FoxyWench]

well because of the way i would be "building" the "rockwork" i dont have to worry about weight or toppling, the way i will be making it is out of 1 large peice of styrafoam, it will be carved to look like rocks with pcv pipes inserted throught the holes to make passageways through and caves, the foam would also be carved to look like rocks but it would all be 1 peice. Its then covered in a few VERY thin layers of tinted concrete on all exposed areas except the bottom...
the entire peice is then sumbersed in clean water preferably with agitation, and left to sit for a few days, then the water is removed and changed, this goes on for a few weeks untill the concrete is cured (and no longer going to screw with the levels in the tank) and then silaconed to the bottom of the tank.

because of the way there made there 100% stable (no singluar rocks to topple over) and VERY light, meaning less stress on the glass...and remarkably long lasting.

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/diy_aquarium_background3.php

this ones much like the way id be making the "rocks" if i whent that method, the differnece being that one is made as a background, but it gives you an idea...

ive never had much luck with schoolers, even the smaller tetras, i had a school of 10 neons at one point and even they only schooled for a week before all going their seperate directions....the only way to get them to school agian was to eithe radd something agressive or tap on the glass at which point theyd gather and freek for an hour before splitting...its sooo difficult to recreate truly natural schooling behaviousrs in a "safe" zone like a tank...

i do love tiger barbs and have found them ok in some community settings IF kept in a large school....but theres not much id feel id want to mix with them...

its such a toughie...id have lots of very large tanks if i could...

im realy leaning either discus or cichlid...but honeslty dont know much about cichilds other than there brightly coloured, fast and semi-very agressive...
i like discus but am so worried about doing it right...there soooo gorgeous and i couldnt stand to loose any!

Id love to see pics of your tanks...

 

[Angel Chicken]

Foxy, a 55 gallon is a GREAT sized tank to start out with cichlids.

Discus can survive in one, but would be much happier and healthier in a larger tank Malawian cichlids will THRIVE in that size tank though!!

I currently have 5 species in my tank, Aurora (2 males one female), Cobue(2 males, 6 females), Eureka(1 male, one female), Red Zebras(1 male, 2 females), and Yellow Labs (one male, one female) plus 2 itty bitty fry that are hiding out. 4 of the females (2 red zebras, 2 cobues) are holding at the moment.

Taking care of cichlids is very easy... get the tank cycled and add some salt and buffer for pH... get the levels right and your done. I've had my 55 for over a year now and have added buffer and salts only once to it! Low maintenance.

A few pointers...
If you get Malawian Cichlids, get sand substrate. I use a mix of crushed coral and gravel, but quickly went against crushed coral when one of my female red zebras died from choking on a shell.

Lots and lots of hidey places. You can NEVER have enough with these guys.

Don't do live plants. They will be dug up and ate in a New York minute.

And now, on to a few more pics of the tank.

I'll take a few pics later of how I have my rockwork and plants.

 

[FoxyWench]

thanks, im realy thinking cichlids would be the best way to go, as much as i LOVE discus, they seem to be way too delicate and need much more tank upkeep than i can give right now...and quite simply are out of my budget.
One day ill have a HUGE tank filled with a veriety of discus strains...

for now i think ill stick with birhgtly coloured cichlids with oodles or personality...

now to just decide What and how many of each lol.

Red, Yellow and Blue/turquoise are my apts colour scheme so it would be cool to do those colours, any hints on truly RED cichlids?
I know most of the "red zebras" often orange/yellow out.

and what kind of cleanup crew would work with cichlids? i know mnay cichlid species will bottom pick at foods and eat algea, but is it worth adding a small plecco or other species to the tank as a backup crew?

 

[Angel Chicken]

t
for now i think ill stick with birhgtly coloured cichlids with oodles or personality...

now to just decide What and how many of each lol.

Red, Yellow and Blue/turquoise are my apts colour scheme so it would be cool to do those colours, any hints on truly RED cichlids?
I know most of the "red zebras" often orange/yellow out.

and what kind of cleanup crew would work with cichlids? i know mnay cichlid species will bottom pick at foods and eat algea, but is it worth adding a small plecco or other species to the tank as a backup crew?

There are some red ones, but not many that I know of.

Red Empress

Eureka Reds (I have these guys... full of personality and simply beautiful!!)

Yellow labs are a great choice for yellow

And Blue you can go with many... like Cobues

More in next post... lol...

 

[Angel Chicken]

Ahli

Coblat Blue Zebras

Socolofi

Or Electric Blues

 

[Angel Chicken]

Benga Sunshine

Auratus

 

[FoxyWench]

perdy! i love how bright cichlids are, about as close to the marine colours as im going to get without doing a salty tank...

thank you!
those eurkea reds are stunning!

 

[Angel Chicken]

Yes, the reds are absolutly stunning. Mine are still growing, so he isn't colored like that yet, but he will be soon!

 

[Fruit bat]

We have had some really neat cichlids , Here are a pair of my Riosaltos with fry

Here is a strawberry peacock that I bought my mom as a present.

 

[Angel Chicken]

That isn't a peacock, that, my friend, is a very mature, and very beautiful Eureka Red

 

[FoxyWench]

gorgeous!

 

[Fruit bat]

That isn't a peacock, that, my friend, is a very mature, and very beautiful Eureka Red

That was expensive whatever he was, Thats about the 3rd different name I've heard for him. goes to show you fish store emp. don't know everything.

 

[Angel Chicken]

Yeah, they are expensive... I got lucky, a pal of mine needed to get rid of some of hers, so she sent them to me and only charged me shipping.

He is a beautiful specimen though! His finnage is amazing!

 

[Psyfalcon]

The styrofoam rock trick? Go ahead then, just make sure you get lots of holes in it! I love natural rock, though, so I'm safe from trying to build stuff out of it.

Fruit Bat, picture 1 looks more like a Texas Cichlid, than a Rio Salto? I thought those didn't have the light colored spangling.

 

[Angel Chicken]

I believe it is a convict actually.

 

[Aussie Red]

That isn't a peacock, that, my friend, is a very mature, and very beautiful Eureka Red

Angel I beg to differ with you . All though the coloring may be quite similar to the Eureka Red this is a peacock. I raised it and it is a Strawberry Peacock. The reason it is red like this is because it was in a fight mode. I took this photo normally it was pink and the most brilliant shades of purples and greens in breed mode. This is at its less colorful status. It would go to solid white and then turn the most vibrant shades of yellow to purple you have ever seen. He was a special order from the breeder and show quality and very costly. My kids knew I was going to buy him and they bought him for me.
I stopped raising Africans long ago and went to the harder to raise and more $$ such as the Lampralogis Compressiceps and that end of Chiclids. Discus are real easy to keep and care for and if you are not into high dollar ones you can get them for $ 29.00 As far as it goes you just need driftwood and some live plants to soften water. Me I quit buying into pet stores things and build my own filters now and raise Africans when the stores need them but otherwise I am done. I just gave away my breeding stock. I know what I am talking about because I am now going to be known for a new breed of Johanni. Electric Blues also a Blue Marble convict that I am perfecting now by means of 4 th generation and starting to breed true.

 

[FoxyWench]

Ahhh Aussie, dont go telling me Discus are easy, ive been holding myself back on the thought that the tank upkeep is too much for my schedual in order to not just go with them lol...

NO i will be strong...

Cichlids for now...
when i get my own HOUSE im planning on investing in a 125-200 gal, that will be my Discus display tank...for now itll be a 55 with some cichlids...at least...thats what my mind is saying right now...inbetween the...but i want to watch large adult discus swimming round...lol.


for the rocks, i do love the look of natural rocks, but im thinking weight, and stability for the kind of structure i want to build it would be insane...lol.
Im thinking of getting a few short lenghts of black pvc/plastic pipe in various diameters, and shapes and inserting tham into the foam, to make secure caves, and then ill carve around them to make them look as natural as possible, i figure doing it that way will be much more secure than simply carving caves into the foam...
Im pretty good with the carving tools and im HOPING that if i put my painting skills into play too i can get it pretty natural looking

 

[Psyfalcon]

Not a Convict, Angel Chicken.

Thats a typical breeding coloration of the Herichthys genus. The front half goes pale, while the back half turns much darker. Convicts also do not have spangles while their stripes are typically much more defined.

I still think it looks more like Texas, but the genus is correct!