5Ft Seabray Dolphin Tank With Sa/ca Cichlids

[PDSimon]

Looks amazing

edit: What song is that btw?

 

[kaivalagi]

Looks amazing

edit: What song is that btw?

Thanks...no where near where I want it yet! Fish are great, just need to do a better job with the rocks and plants...

The song is a track by Ming+FS (http/www.myspace.com/mingfs) called "fish something", picked from the hip hop selection in youtube audioswap section (when editing uploaded video). I have some of their tunes, nice hip hop instrumental/dj stuff

 

[PDSimon]

Looks amazing

edit: What song is that btw?

Thanks...no where near where I want it yet! Fish are great, just need to do a better job with the rocks and plants...

The song is a track by Ming+FS (http/www.myspace.com/mingfs) called "fish something", picked from the hip hop selection in youtube audioswap section (when editing uploaded video). I have some of their tunes, nice hip hop instrumental/dj stuff

I have this catalogue by tropica thats really good, it matches with the 'beginner' plants in this forum too... lots of useful information. every plant in that sketch should in theory be easy to grow/easy to maintain

Cheers

 

[kaivalagi]

I thought I'd post a new picture, not that anything in the tank decor wise has changed but to show how much more "yellow" the water has become with tannins from that big piece of bogwood...

One other thing, one of the Tapajos doesn't look like the others now, I am not sure if it is getting beaten up lots or is a different species of Geophagus, I got a picture but not a very good one, note the red tint in the eye and the lack of striping pattern in the tail, instead there is more of a red tint top and bottom:

Any ideas?

 

[kaivalagi]

Still no ideas on the Tapa above, I think it is a different species now as it is just too dis-similar...once it grows a little I'll get some good pics of it...for now the nose seems more rounded too which makes it look more like some of the other geo's around...the uglier ones

 

[Big_eyes]

Still no ideas on the Tapa above, I think it is a different species now as it is just too dis-similar...once it grows a little I'll get some good pics of it...for now the nose seems more rounded too which makes it look more like some of the other geo's around...the uglier ones

If you don't want it I'll take it in

Anyway to the point in hand..............pics pics pics pics pics!!!!

 

[kaivalagi]

I want to rescape before I next upload pics of the tank, I am not happy with it at the moment...I also have someone eating/ the vallis to need to rethink the planting...I may go fake with some silk plants in prep for the severums

Or just go with more frogbit and more java fern...and lose the vallis altogether

Rugby 7's weekends, not a chance of that this or next...I'll manage to get a big water change done on the main tank today before I head up to Preston for a workshop next week and that'll be it...I have a real tannin thing going in the main tank now, hence a 50% water change today to come back to light yellow as well as feel better about being away from the tank for 5 days

Quick update on main tank inhabitants. The older Tapa that's in there is now starting to really grow (still no red yet), bigger tank and younger pals have helped that happen...The port acara is always hiding now, and has a few scales off the top of his head, the firemouth is giving him far too much grief...what to do? I may just get rid of the firemouth, he has always caused whatever tank he is in trouble, I would worry if adding any young Rotkeil Severums in there and will worry about all my growing fish as when they get to his size they'll probably be seen as threats by him

Plus it's supposed to be an SA tank anyway...

My HRP fry are doing well in the other tank, no noticeable loses yet, mum and dad doing a great job...

Okay, got a quick photo of the bigger tapa:

And got a vid too (the vid looks very green when compared to the above photo for some reason, I've been messing about with the Phone OS...probably needs re-flashing)
[media]http/www.youtube.c...h?v=-Zrtj7Z0_ng[/media]

 

[snowflake311]

Nice photos and the tank is looking good.

 

[c-dub]

Brilliant. I love your tanks and stock. Fantastic job pal.

 

[kaivalagi]

Thanks for the kind comments, but I am not happy with the layout yet and planting needs a rethink...

Rugby sevens got in the way of getting some fish this weekend unfortunately...but in the next week or so I will be adding a female bristlenose (albino?) to go with the male and 8 silver hatchets I think...then it's waiting time for the rotkeil Sevs

I've yet to re-scape now that I have lots of slate and rocks (some just too big though) to play with, so long as a rescape is done before the Sevs go in I'll be happy.
Layout wise I plan on setting up a slate cave system at the room corner end of the tank (using slate and granite rock hard against perspex sheeting which will be protecting the glass )...then the wood will go to the far end and there will be a clearish area in the centre (< 2ft).

Do you think it best to have multiple caves in the tank (I have one at each end at the mo) for refuge or is one big place okay? The other option to do the end cave system and to also create some sort of DIY cave system I can bury in the sand, that might be nice...

Plant wise I think I will either go 1) with purely java fern (as no fish touches it) and floating plant or 2) use silk plants and live floating plant...currently my frogbit isn't doing too well and I think I may switch to duckweed...not sure though

I don't want to get too much into planted tanks as I would sooner enjoy only the fish and have no need for ferts and root tabs. Currently my vallis is being torn to shreds by something and I figure it's just cover so fake plants would just be easier to replace with.....I need to look at some of these silk plants to know how they will look in a tank.....

Anyone care to share pics of fake silk plants that they use and are happy with so I have an idea of what is achievable with them?

Or if anyone has suggestions on plant types which don't get eaten or shredded and grow without any additional ferts that would be great too. I do like live plants but want something that does the job for the fish and requires minimal effort to maintain

 

[kaivalagi]

8 x Marbled Hatchet fish just arrived home, acclimatizing to the temp, then the water...should be in the tank in about 30 minutes

They look like this (pic taken from here)

I hope they don't get picked off...they're about 1.5" in length...

I am not happy with the frogbit I have in the tank, it has perished quite quickly so there is lettle cover for the new fish, I think the Oto have taken a liking to the frogbit but I can't be sure...might try duckweed next...

I ordered 5 silk plants last night, not sure if they'll look great but from the pics they look alright.
I got 3 like this (1 x 15cm, 1 x 20cm, 1 x 30cm):

and 2 more like this (1 x 20cm, 1 x 30cm):

 

[PDSimon]

Look foward to some pics

 

[Big_eyes]

The prreeeeecioussssssss, I wantssss them I doessss!

 

[kaivalagi]

The prreeeeecioussssssss, I wantssss them I doessss!

I want more of those hatchet fish already! Really interesting to watch...and much more pretty in the tank than I thought they'd be, they really shine and have interesting pearling too

I want to leave these for a good month or so to see how they get on then I might well add another 8...

Just need some better floating cover for them!

 

[Big_eyes]

The prreeeeecioussssssss, I wantssss them I doessss!

I want more of those hatchet fish already!

I was talking about the tapajo's

Although I've always found hatchet fish tempting too