Fish Tanks!

[Jims5543]

Originally Posted by bivenator

Jim, do you have any pictures. I think the idea of an middle of the room tank is neat. Too often the tanks that back up to a wall make it hard to see the fish as they will hide.

The best pic I can find for right now I'll see if I have any more.



This is the old filter it was o.k. I have since switched, I'll take pics over the weekend.

[bivenator]

Very nice. I like the human aquarium in the backyard as well.

[Ronbo]

Originally Posted by Hugh R

No fish for a day or so, I've got an algae eater sitting in a big bucket with a bubbler in the garage. Fish guy says to take water from my tank and put it in the bucket a gallon at a time over an hour and then pour him into the aquarium. Other fish in 3-4 weeks, if he lives.

Just a thought, but I imagine there's no algae in the bucket and certainly none in your tank. You may want to throw in a slice or two of cucumber for the fish to eat until some algae is produced. I used to do this when the pleco in my old tank finished everything off. I'd keep the slices in there a day or two. The fish seemed to enjoy it.

[Hugh R]

Just transferred Al to the tank from the 35 gallon bucket he's been living in for the last month (actually, I don't know if Al is a he or a she, anyway I digress). Told the neighbors who gave me the tank and Al that they could come up and visit anytime they wanted. I just looked at that aquarium thread, amazing vegetation, something to strive for (as if I didn't have enough chores in my life).

Ronbo, thanks for the tip, my fish guy gave me some pellets for Al to eat for the next month until I can introduce new fish into the tank.

[slodave]

Hugh,

How's the tank? What fish did you go with?

[Hugh R]

It's doing well. I went with Lemon Tetras, Black Phantoms, Guppies, and African Catfish, and a mini crab. The mini crab disappeared for a few days and we though he had escaped (apparently a not unheard of event) but he reappeared. You can just see the crab on the bottom right of the lower picture.

[slodave]

Nice Hugh. I was kinda hoping you had gone the route of Chiclids, as I have 8 babies that are soon to be in need of new homes.

[Hugh R]

Hey Dave, I'd have to ask my fish guy if Chiclids play well with my fish or not. But I have a fish egg question. I think one of my guppies is laying her fry. Should I protect them from the other fish? You can see her on her side and the male nudging her. Edit: did a little research I may buy a birthing net for the next time. You put her in the net when she appears prego and then when the fry are born (live birth) they fall into a lower net where mom and the other fish can't eat them.

[elwood-914]

Chiclids are an agressive fish. I wouldn't put them with ' comunity fish'. The crab will eat the eggs and whatever it can catch.

I used to have some crawdads and I fed them feeder gold fish.......about 4 bites and they were gone

[slodave]

Hugh,

African Chiclids require special salts/minerals that mimic their habitat. As far as I know, you can't add them to a regular freshwater tank. Your tank is not really setup for their habitat either.

I usually let nature take its course and let the big fish eat the fry (I'd only see two or three), but this last time, too many survived. I'm not too keen on having them in my tank as they get older. The four I already have are siblings (I think), I don't care to dilute the gene pool any further.

[Chocaholic]

Wow...that "stand" makes me nervous. You've got $25k floors and you're using a Walmart book case to hold a 55 gallon aquarium??? Looks like press-board, no?

"That hat balances on your head, like a matress balances on a bottle of wine". -Bob Dylan- Leopard skin pill box hat.

One other tip that helped me in the past. When setting up a brand new tank, have your pet shop give you (or sell you), a nice sized scoop of gravel from a mature tank. Mix it in with your new gravel to help get the bacteria cycle started. Add maybe one Molly or two and in a day or two you should be ready to start populating your tank.

Man....that stand has me nervous.

[Dave L]

Originally Posted by slodave

Hugh,

African Chiclids require special salts/minerals that mimic their habitat. As far as I know, you can't add them to a regular freshwater tank. Your tank is not really setup for their habitat either.

I usually let nature take its course and let the big fish eat the fry (I'd only see two or three), but this last time, too many survived. I'm not too keen on having them in my tank as they get older. The four I already have are siblings (I think), I don't care to dilute the gene pool any further.

You can add water conditioner for chichlids but in about 7 years I never have. They do like harder water so if your water is exceptionally soft you would want to add condiditioner.

Guppies and other fish will be breakfast for chichlids. I have had plecos and clown loaches in with them and they seemed fine.

To set your tank up for Chichlids you need to stack rock top to bottom on your tank to provide hiding places for the fish. They need to define territories and thats what the rock provides.

[Hugh R]

Mike, I understand your concern. The stand is particle board, but pretty heavy duty. It has a shear panel in back that is glued and nailed, it has L brackets on the corners, and is bolted to the wall top and bottom. I think the aircraft cable holding it top and bottom to the wall is pretty tough.

BTW, she died overnight.

[Hugh R]

Starting to build a canopy for the top. Making it out of poplar. I'm going to work on the lid tomorrow. I'll trying using the dado blade for my table saw that I must have bought 25 years ago but never used. Trying to make some basic molding for the frame of the top, then stain and semi-gloss urethane to match the base. Got 17 baby guppies about two months ago, she's prego again, the Slut.

Right now, I have a huge leopard Pleco which is hiding behind the petrified wood in the far left corner of the shot; he's about 15 years old and about 10" long (came with the tank), some lemon tetras, black phantoms, guppies, an african catfish,, a mini crab, cardinal tetras, glow lit tetras and a mini frog.

[Tobra]

Cichlids will fight over the best spots. I had a Pacu in the tank at the office but he got too big and I gave him away, about 18" long, probably 20 top to bottom and about 3" thick. Got a bunch of convict/Texas cichlid bastards, and a 10 inch Texas cichlid daddy fish in a 135 gallon tank with a few firemouths now

[Hugh R]

I finished the cover a while ago. When I went to stain it, I had problems, my neighbor, a retired set painter finished it. He used shoe polish and a sealer.

[jyl]

Sure has turned out nicely!

[slodave]

Looks nice Hugh.

My Cichlids killed and ate my plecostomus last week. Well, I can't prove that they killed 'im, but they did eat him. I'm still angry enough to fry the bastards.

[Schumi]

Man.. I have a 50 gallon tank with a really nice standalone filter system and lighting that a friend gave to me when he moved out of the area a year ago.

I set it all up, put the water in it, got the filtration going... and never got any fish.

I just stared at the pretty water and fake plants for a while. Not its sitting here in my room half empty with calcium stains all over the glass.

This summer I am going to bite the bullet and do this, I think...

[Schumi]

Also another thing-

Hugh your first post really reminded me something I should do this summer also- earthquake proof my tank stand. Right now it is on a nice table, but a table with some rather skinny iron legs... It has too many degrees of freedom and in the chance of a quake would most likely buckle one of the legs and cause hell...

.. especially since it's in my 2nd story bedroom.

Here's a pic of part of it- it is all I have... from when I was taking pics of my new speakers on either side of it. The stand is that oak tabletop, with 4 bend rod iron legs under the black curtain, masking a bunch of junk..