Jump to content





Posted Image

PCS & Stuart M. Grant - Cichlid Preservation Fund - Details here


Photo

Leichardti’S 6X2X2 Bedside Display


  • Please log in to reply
127 replies to this topic

#61 malawiman85

malawiman85
  • Forum Member
  • Joined: 11-December 08
  • Location: Geraldton

Posted 10 July 2018 - 02:05 PM

Watch that your bigger fish don't start getting lethargic. Not saying it won't be ok but just be careful... I was lucky... if I'd got home an hour later I'd have been looking at fish soup.

#62 Leichardti

Leichardti
  • Forum Member
  • Joined: 11-December 14
  • Location:Perth
  • Location: Butler

Posted 10 July 2018 - 03:44 PM

Will do, cheers

Got the wavemaker pointed up hitting the lids for the exact reason haha, plenty of air exchange in there



#63 Leichardti

Leichardti
  • Forum Member
  • Joined: 11-December 14
  • Location:Perth
  • Location: Butler

Posted 10 July 2018 - 05:39 PM

Reactor Build

As you will be able to tell this reactor is highly based on upon PeteThePlantKillers cerges design: http://www.aquariuml...VERSION-2-below
My design is differentiates in that I’ve added an elbow on the inside to create a bit of a vortex effect and have done the in/out fittings a bit differently in order to suit my setup slightly better.

Parts for my reactor:
1 Meter of 100mm PVC DWV Pipe
2x End Caps
2x 25mm barbed 20mm BSP male threaded elbow
2x 20mm Female Tank Fittings
1x 25mm Hose Screw Connection
1x 600mm 20mm Riser
1x 4mm Joiner Barb/Thread
1x 25mm Male Hosetail

First off was cutting the DWV pipe down; at first I was going to copy Pete’s design and go with a 50cm version however to avoid having to cut the poly riser I went with a ~60cm version
The DWV pipe was cut to about 63cm to take into account the space needed between the riser and end cap.

Next up is drilling the top cap for the tank fittings. The holes were marked by holding the fittings the furthest they could be apart. After drilling this meant that instead if having to slice part of the nut off it could simply be screwed on whole

Once all the fittings were put on I ended up with this:
10b76308b29a9ddb72562bff7c45c4b7.jpg
fac29402f56542b36e357d7a956aab26.jpg
The elbow on the inside was a bit of an extra I added to the design which should create a vortex effect
8aa4f328af1890a2cfa896cfe8eace08.jpg
With poly riser attached
Next the bottom and top end cap were glued onto the body
8b6fb109dac77ba98c4f380ab7ff930a.jpg
Once this is done you basically have a reactoe - without a Co2 inlet
10d9afb037a14f672044c0316c776cbf.jpeg
Above you can see there has been a small hole drilled into the “In” elbow. A small screw driven through this hole, then the 4mm joined pushed / screwed into place with a coating of SikaSeal 401 both in the hole and around the joiner
08ebfc21ac135d44b1549f0c54d2254f.jpg
Not the prettiest but does the job
Tooth pick was then put through the joiner a few times to make sure there was no SilaSeal which was going to block the Co2

f81fcdab8b1581a3e93a77792ce29666.jpeg

Finished Product Would look nice painted however it’s going to be hidden away

Edited by Leichardti, 10 July 2018 - 05:48 PM.


#64 Leichardti

Leichardti
  • Forum Member
  • Joined: 11-December 14
  • Location:Perth
  • Location: Butler

Posted 11 July 2018 - 02:41 PM

Put the reactor on today since everything seemed pretty sealed
6407b71b43e0fb516e075839a5e27184.jpg
Removing and slicing into tubing to put the reactor in
a7a9bbd67bb8819c0b04fc618b779c66.jpg
Whoops
1cdb2bb9946c8d15ff9d8191a1f29149.jpg
Got the reactor on and everything turned on only to realise there were leaks...
Some effort, swearing and an O-Ring later we have a reactor with no leaks, no noise and running well. I reversed the pipes which are inlet / outlet in the tank to allow some more flow and as I no longer need the surface skimming I was going to have for the sump.
d88ae316294eaa07fce933d2371b987c.jpg
Co2 Cylinder is now at AGP getting refilled

Edited by Leichardti, 11 July 2018 - 02:42 PM.


#65 Jules

Jules
  • Forum Member
  • Joined: 07-July 09
  • Location:Treeby
  • Location: Treeby

Posted 11 July 2018 - 03:17 PM

What substrate are you using? I like it.



#66 Leichardti

Leichardti
  • Forum Member
  • Joined: 11-December 14
  • Location:Perth
  • Location: Butler

Posted 11 July 2018 - 03:37 PM

I made a two toned mix, stuff on the bottom is propogating sand
Top layer that you see is just Gin Gin River Quartz from soils aint soil, probably has a bit of propogating sand and shel grit in the top layer too

#67 Leichardti

Leichardti
  • Forum Member
  • Joined: 11-December 14
  • Location:Perth
  • Location: Butler

Posted 13 July 2018 - 02:30 PM

Sleepy Cod showing signs if fungus around his jaw..
Off to get a litre of Methlyene Blue from AGP

Edited by Leichardti, 13 July 2018 - 02:31 PM.


#68 Leichardti

Leichardti
  • Forum Member
  • Joined: 11-December 14
  • Location:Perth
  • Location: Butler

Posted 24 July 2018 - 08:21 PM

New fish!
As I lost my Neo. Ater I’ve been on the look out for another, so I decided to contact a fish collector in Darwin.
I had 2x Neosilurus Ater and a Neosilurus Hyrtlii sent over last night from Darwin to Perth airport.
The result?
One 42cm Neosilurus Ater, one 25cm Neosilurus ater, one 20cm Neosilurus hyrtlii and a very happy me!!!
221ee1cf6ca59ed8fb1ae1fbc444cb2c.jpg
adb04a51a78948a856067420dda1403e.jpg
db78698aae6269e0ffd6aa8c2347aa82.jpg
Will get some more / better photos tomorrow

Big thanks to Dave Wilson for helping me get them and Jules for helping me out with freight / quarantine etc

#69 Jules

Jules
  • Forum Member
  • Joined: 07-July 09
  • Location:Treeby
  • Location: Treeby

Posted 25 July 2018 - 07:58 AM

Awesome man, look like there in good nic, haha had me worried with the freight!



#70 Leichardti

Leichardti
  • Forum Member
  • Joined: 11-December 14
  • Location:Perth
  • Location: Butler

Posted 26 July 2018 - 06:24 PM

Thats what I thought, lost the Hyrtlii yesterday tho..
He had a slightly reddened whisker which I didnt pay enough attention as I should have to. Proceeded to turn a lot redder overnight + gills and dorsal
Put him in his own tank with clean, ammonia free water and stress coat but he died 15 minutes later
Guessing it was ammonia burn from being in the bag for 24h+ as they were all in the same bag
The rest are fine and slowly becoming more active thankfully
Big shame about the hyrtlii though, quite a big one for the species, RIP ☹️
ccac7f753d181ed501c1d8b99ac5bc64.jpg


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

#71 Delapool

Delapool

    Membership Officer

  • Admin
  • Joined: 10-July 15
  • Location:Swan View
  • Location: Swan View

Posted 27 July 2018 - 07:32 AM

That’s a shame

Seen some interesting test results from water in bags. Not knocking it. Made me wonder how any fish used to survive when I was a kid as used to ride them home on push bike (on plus side I guess they saw a lot of new scenery very quickly).

#72 ice

ice
  • Forum Member
  • Joined: 18-January 07
  • Location: Huntingdale, WA

Posted 27 July 2018 - 07:41 AM

I think it has a lot to do with how you do the conditioning and how long you take. I leave them in the sealed bag until they have acclimatised to the temperature at which point I transfer into a bucket and add prime and some tank water immediately so the fish can adjust to my water parameters over the next 10 minutes or so as i add more tank water. In the sealed bag the C02 builds up and drops the PH which detoxifies the ammonia to an extent, the moment you break that seal and let oxygen in the water gets gas exchange and the PH will raise and render the built up ammonia toxic, this is where the damage is done.



#73 Jules

Jules
  • Forum Member
  • Joined: 07-July 09
  • Location:Treeby
  • Location: Treeby

Posted 30 July 2018 - 08:04 AM

Far out - Large fish should be bagged separately IMO.

 

This is why my 2 jardini last year died - putting 2 x 30cm fish in the same bag, of course ammonia will spike, the water was filthy and slimy, stank of ammonia and rotting fish. The fish literally dying when I opened the bag, still, but breathing heavy and slime coat all eaten off the,

They should know better than that, id tell them- that's something that isn't your fault, therefore you shouldn't be responsible for your money getting burnt like that.



#74 Leichardti

Leichardti
  • Forum Member
  • Joined: 11-December 14
  • Location:Perth
  • Location: Butler

Posted 14 August 2018 - 10:59 PM

Just a little bit of an update, haven’t been very active lately:
90232a0d1dd0102196e644e7513e8099.jpg
Pretty sure the two Neos have been eating bits of prawn, secretly. Going to worm the tank soon since they’re a bit skinny and w/c
aad67860a96605ff10b2d2d470a0e270.jpg
e8758bdbf3eb771945ca3a87c183abbb.jpg
I bought a 25cm Sooty Grunter today.. he’s a pretty cool and laid back fish, tanks now divided though as the Coal Grunter was bashing him. Hopefully some timeout will give the Sooty time to settle in and for the Coal Grunter to stop.
2d6913041b0e7aff7f89c85d4b8230dc.jpg
Plants are doing well as you may see in the background of the photos, Bacopa monnieri has had good growth. Hoping that within the next 3 months I’ll be upgrading my lighting to a DIY with Lumia 5.2 multichips with a custom LED layout.
6a65a6c367d2150de9afdf1322a2df68.jpg
Ive also nearly finished the cladding for the stand. This is an older photo but I now have each panel pretty much fully painted with edgebanding on.
Needing some dither fish for this tank I think to even out the aggression a bit. Thinking Giant Glassfish as I should have access to them soon
That’s all for this update
  • ice likes this

#75 Delapool

Delapool

    Membership Officer

  • Admin
  • Joined: 10-July 15
  • Location:Swan View
  • Location: Swan View

Posted 15 August 2018 - 07:26 AM

I really do like the layout in this tank - hope the fish settle in ok. Love seeing tank blog pics :)

That’s nice on the plants - did you get CO2 going?

#76 Leichardti

Leichardti
  • Forum Member
  • Joined: 11-December 14
  • Location:Perth
  • Location: Butler

Posted 15 August 2018 - 11:58 AM

At the moment the CO2 is on, only barely however as I don’t need much CO2 for the amount of plants in there currently.
The reactor is still leaking somehow, I think it may be due to the threading on the bulkheads being busted.. going to cut the reactor slightly shorter and replace them soon.
Once I get better lighting and some more plants I’ll get the CO2 cranking. Thinking Hydrocotyle, Potamogeton and Blyxa Auberteii for some other plants at the moment.
Been soing some research for a Lumia 5.2 DIY, here are some notes ive taken:

Custom Led Spectrum for Lumia 5.2

CH1: 5 x 6500k white chips
CH2: 4 x red and 1 x 6500k white chips
CH3: 3 x 6500k and 2 x green chips
CH4: 4 x blue and 1 x 6500k chips
CH5: 5 x 6500k chips

Tie CH1 and CH5 Together for both chips
CH1, CH2 and CH3 separately controlled but interlinked on both chips

= 4 Channels Total
5 LDD
CH1 & 5 LDD controlled by CH1 on Bluefish
CH2 Controlled by CH2 on Bluefish
CH3 Controlled by CH3 on Bluefish
CH4 Controlled by CH4 on Bluefish
CH5 & 6 on Bluefish for Moonlight & Non Plant side Lighting

2x Lumia 5.2 $
1x 90cm Aquastyle Heatsink
1x Coralux 5up Board
5x LDD-H Drivers
1x 250w Meanwell Power Supply
1x Bluefish Mini
2x Silent Computer Fans
+ Wiring
+ Power Cables

Edited by Leichardti, 15 August 2018 - 12:01 PM.


#77 Leichardti

Leichardti
  • Forum Member
  • Joined: 11-December 14
  • Location:Perth
  • Location: Butler

Posted 16 August 2018 - 09:47 PM

c0211f8d303e253c7731b72e4193d192.jpg
Tried to let the Coaly out yesterday
Tried..
In other slightly more catastrophic news I believe the larger catfish has the same weird fungus shit which I’m lead to believe may be Columnaris.. hes got some white fluffy patches in places

Edited by Leichardti, 16 August 2018 - 09:51 PM.


#78 ice

ice
  • Forum Member
  • Joined: 18-January 07
  • Location: Huntingdale, WA

Posted 16 August 2018 - 10:00 PM

To be honest mate I think youre barking up the wrong tree trying to get two large grunter species to cohabitate. They are just going to kill eachother unless you have far greater stocking density.

Hope the catfish recovers mate, would it be worth getting the fish vet out for a proper diagnosis and antibiotics to treat it and the other inhabitants? Meth blue and a temp drop in the meantime.

#79 Delapool

Delapool

    Membership Officer

  • Admin
  • Joined: 10-July 15
  • Location:Swan View
  • Location: Swan View

Posted 17 August 2018 - 07:23 AM

That can be a hard one on catfish ime - would also be worth trying a fungal treatment and just see. I had one bn catfish that recovered from columnaris but used to get fungal infections at the drop of a hat. Would come back from holidays to look at sheets of white fluff - two days of pimafix (which I’ve found useless on columnaris although seen it work for others) and all gone. Hope it comes good.

#80 Leichardti

Leichardti
  • Forum Member
  • Joined: 11-December 14
  • Location:Perth
  • Location: Butler

Posted 17 August 2018 - 08:57 AM

Honestly myself too Ice, it’s been a bit of an interesting experiment..
I do plan on upping the stock level to be eventually something like the following:
2x Neosilurus Ater
1x Sleepy Cod
1x Coal Grunter
1x Sooty Grunter
1x Butlers Grunter
1x Snakehead Gudgeon
3x Yellowtailed Grunter
Potentially a Leichardti depending on aggression and space

Obviously that’s a very high stocklevel, I plan on sumping the tank before I would get to that level. Fish aggressions I’m sure would make me reconsider certain fish, also. However I find it would make a good list of potential fishes
I’m also considering just adding a school of Giant Glassfish to the current stocklist - If I can afford then

Edited by Leichardti, 17 August 2018 - 08:58 AM.





1 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 1 guests, 0 anonymous users