New Tank :) 135 Gallons

[Wills]

Hi after a 2 week ban I am back, not going to go into details as I dont know what the rules are and I would rather not get a full ban. All that needs to be said is Im not going to be helping out as much I as I used to in the new members and tropical discussion section and Im only going to check the NW section on a regular basis from now on. With regards the ban in general I felt it pretty harsh given the amount of help I have given here over the past year and a bit.

Anyway.....

Pretty much the day after I was banned I placed an order for my first 6 foot tank its 6 foot long 18 inches front to back and 2 foot tall. Which makes it a bit over 500 liters and 135 US gallons. Initially its going to be filtered by a Fluval FX5 with a view to adding an other a month after the tank arrives and I can afford a second

The tank will arrive in early April not got a date yet though - its coming from ND Aquatics

So the plan is to move all the stock from my Roma 240 over to the new tank and sell that - so the starting stock will be.

1 Heros Severus (male)
1 Nicaraguan Cichlid (female)
4 Geophagus Winemilleri (1/2m 2/3f - not sure yet)
5 Annostomus Ternetzi
15 Lemon Tetras
1 Ageneiosus cf. Atronasus - sp.Blue
2 Sturisoma Aurem
1 Loricarade sp.

Im really open to any ideas so please throw them at me My own ideas are changing on quite a regular basis at the moment but I know I want more Severums - ideally 1 Rotkiel male and a male Belum to go with my male Severus - dont really want breeding Sevs in the tank to be honest. The other one Im quite set on now but will be hard to source is Archocentarchus/Cryptoheros Nanoluteus - I am thinking a pair as I have heard they are quite timid but in pairs they will deal with other cichlids plus when they are breeding they will keep their vivid yellow colours up.

So yeah any thoughts

Wills

 

[hillmar77]

Congrats on the New tank coming! Looks like its gonna be a monster tank..... well on the subject of monsters, what about a Flagtail prochildus/fei feng . I've always wanted those monsters, and if I do get a huge tank I'd probly get one to try out !

 

[elisew]

Can`t help with the stocking Wills, I just wanted to say it`s good to see you`re back. I must have missed the ban issue as I just thought you were busy away from the Forum. It`s quite shocking that you of all people were banned for any length of time but at the end of the day I don`t know the background to it so will just shut up now
It`s good to see you back, good news on the new BIG tank too

 

[mattlee]

hi mate if i can find a couple of gold or red spot sevs i might be letting my male rotkeil go if you can get to leicester.... not 100% yet as if i find another then ill keep him. just a thought!

im changing my stocking to get more sevs. im just loving them at the minute

 

[bonzo]

Looking forward to seeing the new tank Hope your still willing to give advise on the NW section.

 

[Wills]

Thanks guys

Matt - thanks but its a bit far for me I think but thankyou
Bonzo - I will still be helping out around here but just not going to spend time explaining the same thing over and over till some kind of confrontation however minor

Wills

 

[scouse_andy]

Welcome back, Wills good to have you back - you've been a great help to me in the few weeks I've been back on here.

You've got room to do a lot of good things in that tank and no doubt you will take your time and do your research and come up with some pretty rare species to put in there. Looking forward to seeing what you end up with.

 

[Wills]

Thanks Andy Hows your tank going?

 

[scouse_andy]

Thanks Andy Hows your tank going?

Seems to have cycled - just checking the stats a couple more times. Got the wood, sand and some silk plants in there, beautifully scaped and ready for some geos to completely rearrange when they get in there!

I am going to stock a Rotkeil, 6 Geophagus sp Tapajos (which I will probably thin out in time) and 10 Columbian Tetra. Just been to check out the redheads this evening - wow!

 

[snowflake311]

That's a great size tank I can't wait to see photos and see what you stock it with. That's very exciting. Welcome back I guess I thought you just had other stuff going on. Your thelast person I would see getting banned. Glad you are back.

How about 2 uarus? They are neat fish.

 

[simonas]

welcome back!!

Uarus are a very good suggestion I loved my big pair

 

[Wills]

Thanks guys

I have to admit tempted by Uarus but with them getting quite large like 10 inches and the tank only being 18 inches front to back..... Same reason why Im not thinking of Chocolates, Oscars or the larger Severum species.

Im a bit worried about the height of the tank and it looking quite empty as none of my current fish really spend much time up there. Contemplating Festivums but not sure....... maybe some kind of Gar? Or I was thinking of a large school of Pencil fish to go with my headstanders - the hockystick headstanders (not hockystick tetras) would look really good quite funny as well as they are a bit like a mini annostomus but the hockysticks swim tail down head up and the annostomus swim head down tail up

Wills

 

[karin]

Wills,

Glad you are back. The thought of you banned had me panicked.... I mean my 60 gallon stocking is because of you... who would I blame if it goes wrong?


Really though, your knowledge and advice has been invaluable!

And so glad you get to play with a stocking for yourself now. Can't wait to see how it develops.

Karin

 

[snowflake311]

Get a group of 5 or 6 festivum they are great and love the top of the tank.
In may I will have had mine a year. It's great all around fish best to keep them in groups of 4+ or one is ok mine likes his discus tank mates.

Here is mine just to give you something to think about. Haha

Just FYI they love plants. This guys love to rip my sword plant up he is always picking on anything green.

 

[hamfist]

Welcome back Wills.

Can't help too much on stocking as I know nothing about half of your current stock. But I would beware of adding too many more sevs. I have frequently had real aggression issues with sevs towards conspecifics. In my 500 litre, I have not been able to get 3 sevs to live happily in it, despite trying a few combinations. Two just about tolerate each other, but the both would clearly be happier if the other was not there. It maybe that a greater number, something like 4-5 might spread the niggling about much better, but that is probably pushing the bioload. It is not something I've tried yet. I often get slightly jealous watching others videos of (apparently) peaceful shoals of decent sized sevs in their tanks.

If you're looking for one large centrepiece-type fish then I don't think you could do better than a chocolate cichlid. If more, but smaller cichlids are more in your plans then you could look at rainbows, T.aureus, T.Ellioti, festivums (nice idea snowflake)or even angels if the tetras are not too nippy. To be honest, most CA's will probably be more trouble than they're worth, and there are not that many appropriately sized SA's around.

As for filtration, I would suggest that 2 x FX5's is probably overkill for that tank, and the flow produced maybe even rather annoying to many of the fish. 2 x FX5 will after all be over 9 x hourly turnover. I feel I have an excellent balance on my 500 litre with one FX5 and one Eheim 2217. WOuld save you a few quid too if you got something slightly smaller.