15 replies to this topic

[japes]

Hi Guys,

Just so you're aware, I'm copying and pasting segments together into one neat thread as the tank is -almost- complete. Any further updates will be posted in here but this original post is a combination of 5 days work. I've edited a lot of the original stuff to match in with any changes I made through the construction.

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Won't go into detailed stocking plans, but I bought it with the intention of Apistos. Will probably end up being a pair/trio of a species that takes my fancy (at this stage, a Nijsseni complex/baenschi variant) but it all depends on Jodi's shipment :soppy: Also looking at possibly 8 or so Nannostomus marginatus.

- Pair/Trio Apistogramma sp.
- 10x Nannostomus marginatus "Dwarf Pencilfish"
- 5x Otocinclus sp. (Not biotope specific but invaluable for cleaning)

Tank specs:

50cm (20") Cube, 10mm glass, Rimless/Braceless
Grey ADA Style Cabinet
Eheim 2215 w/ Glass Lily Pipes
70W 10000K Fixed Halide
Hydor 200W ETH Inline Heater (Thanks to Den for getting me onto inline heating)

Anyway, photos in chronological order to the best of my knowledge:

Day 1: January 17, 2010.





Bare tank with driftwood and Lily pipes.

Day 2: January 18, 2010.



Ballast + Powerboard mounting.



Rear of the tank painted black.







Light mounted. Also took the light apart, which was a standard white colour, and fixed it up with some black and silver paint as well as rewiring it and fitting some coverage to still provide good cooling, but make it more presentable.

Day 3: January 19, 2010.



Sand in, and my awesome Aqua One 3in1 Tool with the rake/shovel attachment. Fantastic for sand!





The Lily pipes I got off Danny had the intake cut to remove the standard strainer to allow for more flow. I actually cracked it while doing this, but fixed it up with a diamond blade to be square and fitting it properly. Instead of attaching a sponge or something similiar, I prepped and painted an Eheim 17mm Strainer with Black Krylon Fusion to hide it at the back of the tank.







Moved some Coarse Sprite from the Tapajos tank over. To mix up the play sand a little I've got small sections of coarser gravel, which is a little more red in colouration than I would have liked, but has actually become a little more pale today, especially with the Tannins. Indian Almond leaves and wood arranged as well. Picked up a single Amazon Sword to begin with as well.



Eheim 2215 hooked up with the lily pipes and running too.



Otocinclus sp. from the Tapajos tank to keep the filter going a bit, have Zuccini in the tank to provide them with food (since there's no algae) and to keep the bioload reasonable.

Day 4: January 20, 2010







Things have cleared up and the tannins are beginning to creep in.

Things to do:

- Fish.
- More driftwood.

Will probably post more updates as I'll hopefully be picking up some N. marginatus and driftwood tomorrow.

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Edit: I was actually planning on having a few basic plants in the tank to spruce it up a bit, but after some input from a few people I decided to really up the planned decor and make it as accurate a biotope as possible, including decor. I generally just go for stocking and keep the decor pretty natural and practical.

These two photos were a bunch of hundreds brought to my attention from photologs of Peruvian collecting in locations where Pencilfish and Apistogramma are commonly found together.

http://apisto.sites....m...0&Sign=TomC
http://apisto.sites....m...0&Sign=TomC

(Can't IMG tag the above on Perthcichlid)

So with that image in my mind, I made the 90 minute trip south to pick up some Wild Caught Dwarf Pencilfish that had just come out of quarantine, as well as some more driftwood. Unfortunately the Pencilfish weren't in store until the next day, so another trip would be necessary, but I picked up some wood and spent a while that night arranging the tank. This was yesterday, Jan 21.



Still not sure about the floating plants but might leave them in for cover.

Also purchased and attached this lovely device today. Hydor 200W ETH Inline Heater (thanks Den, although quite huge these are fantastic.)



Picked up 10 Nannostomus marginatus from Jodi today, very healthy little fish - already eating and well coloured and quite comfortable.







Apologies for there not being any Cichlids yet, I'll be sure to update with any changes. F0 Apistogramma from a recent shipment come out of QT this coming Wednesday and are in store that Saturday so I'll be there at opening time. Currently have my eye on one of the A. nijsseni complex species due to the females being quite vibrant fish in their own rights, and there will be a few baenschi variants in the shipment so I'll be checking them over.

[Ronny]

Inspirational mate

I love seeing set ups like this

[Fox]

Awesome set up & write up. Stunning tank.

Thanks for sharing

[japes]

Cheers guys.

Inspirational mate

I love seeing set ups like this

I'm going to love sitting next to this setup all day while I'm at work (from home) when there's some Apistogramma in there

[the pulpican man]

i love it one my favourite display tanks i've seen in a while

[Ronny]

Wish I could have a tank at work or work from home LOL.

What kind of Appistos are you gonna get?

There are some rally nice ones in QLD.

[japes]

Whatever takes my fancy on the day, shipment is released from QT and in store this coming Saturday. I'll be looking straight at the A. baenschi, A. sp. "Masken/Apache" and A. baenschi "Diamond", but perhaps nijsseni or panduro.

The beauty of it is that the entire shipment is from Peru, and N. marginatus are endemic to almost every system, so I'm open to whatever.

[dazzabozza]

Great write-up Japes!

Those tannins kick in real quick!

I haven't seen those particular Pencilfish here before but I luv the personality of the variety we get here, how the males display / fight etc.


Daz

[japes]

I haven't seen those particular Pencilfish here before but I luv the personality of the variety we get here, how the males display / fight etc.

Hey Dazza,

Most pencilfish you see are your standard N. beckfordi or commonly known as Golden Pencilfish, which are beautiful in their own right. In Fishchicks latest shipment she's brought in 100 odd N. marginatus (Dwarf Pencilfish), which are on the Bayfish list occasionally, but, well, won't go there. She also brought in smaller numbers of two different N. mortenhaleri varieties, commonly referred to as Coral Reds. When you tell most people about Pencilfish they have no idea what you're talking about, but they really are gorgeous, active little fish.

Edit: Should add that the Coral Reds, while absolutely -stunning-, are running about $23ea, which makes even a small shoal quite expensive. Even the dwarves at $10ea add up quite quickly.

[Wet Dreams]

Very nice looking biotope, and great write up to go with it.
Im not sure if you know or wether your doing it on purpose...but the output lilly pipe is meant to be fully submerged not above the water. They're shaped that way to to create a certain water path when fully underwater. HTH.

[japes]

Unfortunately due to paranoia about jumping fish I've kept the waterline quite low which means I can't fully submerge it - current position is keeping bubbling to a minimum so they aren't suspended around the tank, and keeps it quiet (it can make a pinging sound with water splashing against the glass)

Thanks for the tip though as I actually wasn't aware of this - first time using them.

[Ronny]

I reckon it's better having the outlet like that anyway (not that particular outlet, just outlets in general) cos it disrupts the surface and helps to oxygenate the water and gives that nice rippling affect at the surface

[japes]

Picked up 1M 2F wild caught Apistogramma baenschi "Inka 50" today. They've settled in nicely but will hopefully show a bit more courage and colour for photographs tomorrow - have a few here but none are fantastic.

[japes]

So my the setups basically complete now. I ditched my 70W Shopfitter halide today for a 150W setup with fan/mount etc. Cheap setup with a decent globe, cost me $80 second hand and while it's a bit larger, it's also neater.



To be all fancy:

30G Rio Huallaga, Peru Biotope

3x Apistogramma baenschi "Inka 50" (1M 2F, Wild Caught)
10x Nannostomus marginatus (Dwarf Pencilfish, Wild Caught)
5x Otocinclus sp.





and some shots of the inhabitants:



N. marginatus





Reclusive male, white balance exploded on the second shot.







Females.

Few of those shots are fairly grainy, needed to shoot at ISO800 with a 70W halide above the tank due to all the tannins. The Apistogramma are still very much settling in but they're actively foraging and eating healthily with mild bouts of conspecific aggression so they're getting there. Plenty of cover means I rarely see them, but I love that the tank can look gorgeous without the centrepiece fish being visible.

Cheers,
Ryan.

[the pulpican man]

the good thing about having a tank like that, its like a natural habitat and you can watch the fish act very similar as they would in the wild... i wish i had the money for a setup like this!

what was the total?

whats the matinence like?

and where did u get that stunning driftwood from!!

again, love it

Tom

[japes]

Total, well.

Tank + Stand: $100 second hand in great condition, basically new.
Lily pipes: $15 (Second hand)
Lighting: $80
Eheim 2215: $200 (Already had it though)
Decor: $100 (plus ongoing minor cost for leaves)
Hydor 200W ETH: $95
Otocinclus: $50
A. baenschi: $98
N. marginatus: $100

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$838, but minus what I already had, about $550.


- Driftwood is from a store in Brisbane, Fishchick Aquatics. Same supplier of the WC Apistos and Pencilfish.
- Maintenance isn't too much of a hassle yet, but once algae starts inevitably creeping in, using a stainless scraper can fit into tight gaps so won't be too much of an issue.