Scaping a varieties for the new tanks I have

Tom Barr

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I'm slowly picking away at the new tanks I have, but have most all the components finally.

1.
I chose to have a custom rimless 38 gal, 24LX20HX18D out of 3/8" made for my bedroom. I think this will be the Whimple piranha tank for now.

I plan on a fairly low cover for this tank, a little wood.
Whimples hide if you give them cover.

2.
I have a 60 cube for West African biotope.
This will be white sand only on the bottom, with darker plants, and lots of epiphtyes on the wood.

The goal is to have Congo Tetras darting between the dark wood, with the white sand. There will be no sediment rooted plants.

3.
The other 60 cube is rock wall for the tidepool macro algae.
White aragonite etc.

4. The 180 gal, no plants attached to the wood. This contrast 180 degrees from the other 60 Cube. This tank will have ADA AS and lots of rooted plants. This will be a more well trimmed open tank, but dense plantings.

5. The 120 Gal is a Tang Rift tank.
This tank will have some nice Cork screw Vals running through the middle, some giant pondweeds, and lots of rocks. I might use Bolbitus(doubt it). Black flourite SAND(onyx might seem like a good choice, but it's an ugly color).

So rock, bare wood(highlights the nice wood I have), attached plants on wood with white sand, open design with some sand and low lying foreground plants mostly, and a Rift system with rocks.

Regards,
Tom Barr
 

VaughnH

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I'm really looking forward to some photos of those tanks as they progress. And, of course it would be spectacular to hold a SAPS meeting at your place sometime in the middle of the building up of those tanks. That's my wish list for today.
 

JDowns

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Can't wait to see your pics on the ARLC tank. My 150 is an ARLC and I personally love it. I'll have to get some pics together when I get back in town.

Side note. I come to San Fran on Tuesday and Aqua Forest is closed (of all the days), and I have to leave early in the morning. I'm going to try and delay things until 11:00 so I can at least to some quick browsing and maybe some shopping.
 

Tom Barr

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VaughnH;22970 said:
I'm really looking forward to some photos of those tanks as they progress. And, of course it would be spectacular to hold a SAPS meeting at your place sometime in the middle of the building up of those tanks. That's my wish list for today.

Well , you get to see them in person Vaughn:)

I'm doing the West African this week most likely.

Regards,
Tom Barr
 

Ardell

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Tom,


What fish are you planning to keep in the rift tank? Tanganyika is what got me into the hobby in the first place. I still love to hear what others are doing with the setup.
 

Tom Barr

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I think Raun got it.

Tropheus moorii
Tang irasacae
Juli reaganii
O ventralis
Lamp lelupii
Lamp calvus
Syno petricola

Regards,
Tom Barr
 

JDowns

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Yes Ruan did get it.

My ARLC planted guests consist of:

Ps. Demasoni
Labidochromis sp. "Hongi"
Julidochromis marlieri
Tropheus duboisi

and some Multi's who are temporary guests.
 

Ardell

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Calvus are my all time favorites. of the colors i kept, i considered Chitika White by far the most beautiful. Sounds like a very nice mix of fish.
 

JDowns

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Ardell;23021 said:
Calvus are my all time favorites. of the colors i kept, i considered Chitika White by far the most beautiful. Sounds like a very nice mix of fish.

I use to keep those exact same Calvus in this tank. I had to remove them since they were way to efficient at eliminating any and all fry in the tank. I choose to let the fry develop naturally in the tank rather than remove any holding females.

And I have to agree, IMO Chitka's are the most beautiful of the Calvus.
 

Tom Barr

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Many of these fish are well suited to planted tanks.

Alert!
Planted tanks need not be soft KH's!!!
They can have high KH and use CO2, the KH is still the same.

These fish do pretty well, but good control over O2 and CO2 is mandatory. Cypri's and Xeno's are pretty sensitive to these two gases, more so than Altums etc.

O. ventralis has been pretty good IME.
Been awhile, but a 120 Gal open tank is a good layout for a large group of them cruising back and forth, nicer than rose line barbs and much more dramatic IMO.

Then the more cryptic species like calvus, I'll look for the whites BTW, I've seen them.
The Tropheus and the Tang irasacae will provide comedy, I have some really colorful sources for Tropheus, so most every one will be very good lots of color. I have 5 old multi cats in a normal moderate water tank in a clients, they ate all the shrimp:)

I'm good about water quality and feeding, so I tend to do well with most fish.

The West African will be done up next week.
Be about a month before I add fish though.
Mostly branches and high light/CO2, here's the tank right now:

resized60WAcube.gif


Hung the light and set up the light rail 2 days ago.
2x65W PC's, 2 moon lights, 150W HQI.
Filter: Rena XP4, loaded with Matrix carbon, zeolite, purigen and sponge(450 gph).
CO2: in line diffusion
Heater: hydro 300w in line.
Built in intake and outflow through bottom
60 gal cube : 24x24x25T

Fish load:

20 Congo tetra
12 African glass cats
2 M. elephas, true elephant nose
4 Nanochromis nudiceps
6 Ctenopoma angorsii
2 Butterfly
4 Synodonits angelicus
4 " schoudenteni
4 " brichardi


I'd love to add a Distochodus sexfasciatus and black ghost knife and perhaps go with M boulengeri, there are some nice barbs and some nice Cyprids.

This tank as well as the Tangy tank will be without algae eaters really.
Ghost knives eat shrimp but I like them a lot even though they do not go with this African theme, Distochodus eat plants but have a nice personality and color like a clown loach.

I know I want the Congos,a large group darting in and out of th darker epiphyte covered wood will look nice.

The Bolbitus growing up and out of the water etc, it'll look nice.

I might add some ADA AS for a few plants, such a lotus, and few others in the rear, likely in a pot.

I also might add Ricca to some of the branches.
Not sure until I get into it.

Tom Barr
 

tedr108

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Quick questions, Tom, if you have time...

I noticed you are putting carbon, zeolite and purigen in your filter. Do you do this on a permanent basis or just at the beginning of your tank's life?
 

Tom Barr

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Beginning only, they become biomedia after.

Regards,
Tom Barr
 

rusticitas

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Tom Barr;23033 said:
Beginning only, they become biomedia after.

You can just leave it in there from then on? Do you need to remove/change the Purigen and Zeolite like activated carbon after awhile?
 

JDowns

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Tom Barr;23027 said:
I also might add Ricca to some of the branches.
Not sure until I get into it.

Tom Barr

My experience with riccia was pretty poor with the Tropheus. I had a very nice flat (about 8" x 8") floating for a long time. Then I decided to to make it into a mound tide to a rock. It lasted a day before the Tropheus tore it to shreds. I know people that haven't had the same experience. But I wish I would have tried a much smaller portion first.