My New 280 Gallon Tank

[CloudDave]

Hey guys, I just semi-finished my plastic plant tank after some grueling work. It's a huge 6 x 2.5 x 2.5 feet tank and quite hard to fill properly thanks to the huge vertical space. I needed to find something that looked like roots. Had to make do with weighted tree branches, old ones of course.

Meanwhile, the huge driftwood with the rocks on it is still annoyingly floating. I wonder how long something big like that will take to sink. Any suggestions or should I weigh it down? No fishes yet as I want to run it for a week or more to improve water quality. What do you guys think of the design? Any suggestions or constructive criticism most welcome!

PS: Sorry for my bad photos, low quality camera here. Also added a yellow spotlight in the upper right corner to get that 'sunlight' feel to it.

 

[AquaJason]

looks spot on mate, you should be pleased.
So what fishes do you have in mind?

 

[fishprotector]

The last wood I bought was redmoor and it took around 2 weeks to sink it. then again I used to have some bogwood and even after two months it floated. By weighing it down with stones, you are doing the right thing. What is the final stocking going to be?

 

[CloudDave]

looks spot on mate, you should be pleased.
So what fishes do you have in mind?

At the moment I am tentatively thinking of a school of tetras either neons or cardinals. I am also very partial to clown loaches but am worried it will attack the neons. Definitely some corys will make their way in there. I need some suggestions for mid to upper level fishes though and I've been considering rosy or tiger barbs but they can tend to nip other weaker fishes' fins. Definitely some golden plecos for algae control as well. Shrimp? Not sure since they might become food for the barbs as well. Any suggestions?

 

[fishprotector]

Oh and it looks good. I imagine severums and some large barbs would look great in it.

 

[CloudDave]

Oh and it looks good. I imagine severums and some large barbs would look great in it.

Thanks, but aren't severums a kind of cichlid? From past experience they are incredibly territorial and aggressive. I'm looking for more of a community tank where I don't have to worry about other fishes disappearing into another's guts.

 

[fishprotector]

Yes they are a south American cichlid. They are moderately territorial but regarding aggresion, it all depends on what you house them with. I am sure that tetras and corydoras would look good though.

 

[Craig89]

Quality set up giving me so many ideas for when I get my 6ft tank. What substrate are you using ?

 

[fi_sjo]

Tank looks nice. Where abouts do you pick up wood like that? I'm looking to create a mangrove-style root system but can't find anything like this.

 

[nurglespuss]

Me Likey!

 

[Shovelman]

Ever looked into oddballs? How about a nice group of Toxotes microlepis?

 

[xingumike]

A shoal of Denison Barbs would look great in a tank that size.

 

[mrlewis1978]

Amazing tank - anything would look good in there!

 

[CloudDave]

Quality set up giving me so many ideas for when I get my 6ft tank. What substrate are you using ?

I'm using river sand scooped up straight from the river at my backyard. EXCELLENT size and texture for my Corys.

Tank looks nice. Where abouts do you pick up wood like that? I'm looking to create a mangrove-style root system but can't find anything like this.

Those are actually tree branches. I had to weigh them down using fishing anchors and some fishing string while drilling small holes in both. Message me privately if you want some photos.

Ever looked into oddballs? How about a nice group of Toxotes microlepis?

At the moment I am going with community fish. Don't want to complicate matters.

Oh and sorry guys for the long absence. Chinese New Year was just around the corner and you know the drill, family festivities and all. Anyway here are the updated photos of my tank.

I've resorted to cramming rocks around the driftwood to get it down. (one on the left) So the rocks will look haphazard and unsightly but I assure you it's temporary.

Will try to remove the stones when I feel confident that it won't float anymore. Meanwhile, I have added the following fish to the tank, periodically of course
2 Clown Loaches (want more, but store was out of stock)
4 Spotted Gouramis (2 Golden, 2 Blues)
4 Peppered Corys
4 Leopard Corys
10 Rosy Barbs
4 Chinese Algae Eaters (yes I know they are notoriously territorial but I don't want HUGE plecos)
6 Silver Dollars (I love how these fish resemble Pirahnas)

And that's it, I don't plan to overstock my tank. nd keeping the space for more clowns when I get my hands on them. Am also toying with the idea of introducing a batch of cheap river shrimp but worried it will compete with the bottom feeders.

As it is, the Silver Dollars are annoyingly scooping up the algae wafers for the Corys and devouring them like pizzas. The Corys and Clowns only get the bits and pieces. Any suggestions? Will upload pics of the fishes tonight.

 

[CloudDave]

As promised, some photos of my little fishies. Sorry about the bad quality, am still new to snapping their pics. Meanwhile, the Silver Dollars keep snapping up all the food including the sinking algae wafers and bloodworms.

So much so that all my bottom feeders (loach, corys) are getting only scraps. I have resorted to cutting a hole onto a transparent tupperware, weighing it down with a rock and tying a string to it. When I put the food in, I lower the tupperware onto it, 'cupping' it and preventing the bigger fish from entering.

My loaches seem to know how to enter into the hole pretty well. I will include some photos of it soon. What do you guys think? Good solution?