25 replies to this topic

[elusiv101]

hi just started a ciclad tank i want to now what u guy think and any suggestions would be apreciated....
as u can see itts a sump set up low matinance with a pump in the bottom i only run bio balls do i need filter wool as well???
i plan on putting 50 -60 fish once the tank is cycled is this to many.

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[the pulpican man]

first of all, its spelt cichlid hehe

with the bioballs, i'd section it up, into sections of sponge, filter wool, bioballs or biorings etc,

if it was me setting up a sump i'd do it in this order, rough sponge to remove big bits, filter wool to catch all the fine stuff and then bioballs and bio rings for biological filtration, i find the bio rings (ceramic) alot more affective

tom

[(Anthony)]

I think 50-60 is too many fish,
It looks like you have Malawi cichlids there which can get pretty big,
From the look of the tank i would add 15 or so fish but would put another filter on for more oxygen,
Chuck in more limestone to make caves and stuff cause malawis like to go through tunnels etc.
All this is IMO though,

Anthony,

[Wet Dreams]

Hi there,
First off all what sort of cichlids do you plant on keeping? eg. Malawi, Tangs, etc. Im guessing malawi by having electric yellows in there? If malawis then i suggest filling up all the open space in the tank with limestone as this will help bring the ph up to where they like it and also provide hiding spots to help with aggression. 50-60 will probably be overcrowded to answer your question.
You might want to chuck up the tank dimentions aswell as the sump size and lph its pushing. Im not wizz bang on sumps but yes you will need more than bio balls to house the bacteria needed, sponges and filter wool too.
HTH a little and im sure someone with more knowledge than me can help.
Sam.

Anythony beat me to it haha.

[highlucks]

guessing by the photos the top tank is a 6' x 14" x 18" 283Litres and the sump is a 3' Standard. you can find some very good sump designs on the net if you just search "diy aquarium sump" As others have stated you will need more filter media than just the Bio balls, In fact bioballs are pretty crap considered to other medias that are out there. I would also add a trickle sheet to the top of the stacking of media The idea of this is so that the water is spread across the entire surface of the sump it is just a sheet of rigid plastic with lots of holes drilled in it for the water to trickle through. Also add a T piece to your outlet to aid in the dispersion of water into the sump. media should be arranged in the following order:

Trickle Plate
Course sponge
Filter Wool
Crushed Coral(lots of it)
Bio balls (if you feel the need)
Ceramic noodles
Egg crate shelf to hold it all off the bottom

If you can get yourself some large onion bags, the ones that kind of look like a hair net you can put your different medias into the bags and it will keep them separated and much easier to clean. Seeing as you want to run a sump filter, make sure your heater is able to heat both volumes of water which is around 424 Litres and because you have the sump you can have your heater down there out of view of the main tank.

As for fish numbers I would be aiming for around 30 adults. alternatively if you want to start with juvies you could have 60 but you would have to cut your numbers once they start to get big and if you dont natural selection will.

Again like others have said add plenty of lime stone it will help to buffer the ph of the tank(crushed coral in the sump will also help with this) and will also give your fish their much need territories to call their own. you could probably go for three stacks of rocks so that there is some open space for open water fish too. But it is up to you and how you want your tank to look.

Good Luck

HTH

[elusiv101]

thanks for the tips on the filtration.... this set up is in the 'cycle stage' i have noticed that the food is not being puled out of the tank i have been using different attachments to try to flush it out but am lacking a syphon. i was wondering if u know the name of these blue ones i bought them of a guy in the quokka??also where can i get coral can find it for free some where???

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[Wet Dreams]

The blue fish in the first 3 photos are called Mainganos, pretty common and can be very aggresive when they feel like it. As for the photo with the fish poo all over the sand you will have to siphon it out when you do your weekly water changes.

[dazzabozza]

As for the photo with the fish poo all over the sand you will have to siphon it out when you do your weekly water changes.

Adding a "pickup" filter inside the main display tank will also help collect / round up the poo.

Something like this - http://www.eheim.com.../index7b55.html

Daz

[Neakit]

that size you may get 50 - 60 fish depending on the adult sizes. Good luck its definately a good start, i love sumps they are a great way to get equipment out of the tank but you will still need in tank movement.

[highlucks]

thanks for the tips on the filtration.... this set up is in the 'cycle stage' i have noticed that the food is not being puled out of the tank i have been using different attachments to try to flush it out but am lacking a syphon.

What LPH is your return pump maybe it is not agitating the water enough to get the waste to move around, break up and eventually out to the filter. How have you got the water return setup, maybe a diy spray bar would help with this. Or an under water jet system myself and steve green have used these with great success in our tanks.

also where can i get coral can find it for free some where???

you can get it for free on some of the coral beaches in Thailand, but unfortunately it is pretty expensive here. You will find it at most PCS sponsor stores. Having said that though it is no where near as expensive as eheim ephy suybstrate pro and is nearly as effective a media.

[elusiv101]

hey guys thanks for the info plan on getting the set up crankin on the weelend some of u guys have mentioned "spray bar "??? what is this and sthe second question i pose is to many liters per hour will the fish have to swim against the current???do they like this?. i would be interested in getting some different colours if any one has little babys like these but in red, green and some funky red ones please feel free to let me know cause i know these thimgs breed like crazy but the guys in the quokka only have the real common ones will exotic colour fish mix the these common malowie's

[Wet Dreams]

Google is your friend, for the spray bar and the fish. All i can say is research, research, research.

[elusiv101]

i got two peices of perspex and some ceramic noodels coarse sponge and filter wool and am going to build a nice filter system im going to stck it all on a modifyed milk crate in the sump should be killer ill post up some pics asap but im still confussed about the spray bar i seen about 50 but there all different and do different thing HELP

[elusiv101]

What LPH is your return pump maybe it is not agitating the water enough to get the waste to move around, break up and eventually out to the filter. How have you got the water return setup, maybe a diy spray bar would help with this. Or an under water jet system myself and steve green have used these with great success in our tanks.

the returne to the sump is gravity fed the pump is for the returne line im not sure how many lph it is but it cranks i just need to make some kind of "spray bar but am lacking knowlage hahahahah

[Warby]

A "spray bar" is just a simple pipe with a capped end and hoels drilled along it to return your water to the tank in a "spray" rather than one large stream. take a piece of ~45cm piece of PVC the same diameter as your return piping, cap one end of it and drill 3mm holes every couple of cm along one side of it. From memory I think you want the total diameter of the holes to be equal to or slightly greater than the diameter of the pipe you have used (eg if it's 25mm pipe, you would want at least 9 holes) to reduce backpressure on the pump, but dont quote me on this

If you have a bit of a hunt on google for "Diy spraybar" or similar you should find more info.

HTH
-Dave

[elusiv101]

A "spray bar" is just a simple pipe with a capped end and hoels drilled along it to return your water to the tank in a "spray" rather than one large stream. take a piece of ~45cm piece of PVC the same diameter as your return piping, cap one end of it and drill 3mm holes every couple of cm along one side of it. From memory I think you want the total diameter of the holes to be equal to or slightly greater than the diameter of the pipe you have used (eg if it's 25mm pipe, you would want at least 9 holes) to reduce backpressure on the pump, but dont quote me on this

If you have a bit of a hunt on google for "Diy spraybar" or similar you should find more info.

HTH
-Dave

yea thanks for the idea will go to bunnings on the weekend that is a really nice fish u have in your profile pic what is it???

[Warby]

Apistogramma Baenschi (aka "Inka 50"). A very nice little south american dwarf cichlid.

[highlucks]

Hey mate is a link to a picture of a spray bar working.

Spray Bar



you can make them as long or as short as you like.

[elusiv101]

rhe tank is six foot and water s feedthrough a ich hole on the left ot the tank andon the right is the gravity fee returne here is what i pose on the inlet i have a peice of pvc pointing straight down at the tank floor than a 90deg bend to wards the out let to the sumpand stoping thirty cm before the being inline with the return hole will this method do one of the two requirment??

1. spray bar must keep al;l the xrap of the bottom and still aggitate the surface


2. must not mess with the fish ie will the pressure from the sump upset the fish


know i am not sure of the pump size brand or lph but as u can in prev picks it flow quite well
let me know thanks guys and i love the forum

[elusiv101]

bad news just lost 10 electric blue fry i think the yellos smashed them and got caught buy the current down to the sump