23 replies to this topic

[westcoastpara]

Hi guys i thought i would start a journal of the progress of me setting up my 6x2x2.

Purchased from nickflood69 a few weeks ago (thanks nick) im now just slowly getting everything together that i want for my setup.

The photos below show ive not made any progress aside from getting the tank into my place, and that the young fella likes to crawl through the empty cupboards! Thanks to another nick, (riggertron) for some advice on how to transport the tank in the back of a ute. Got it home in one piece, not a single scratch on it!

Ive bought a Juwel stone granite background from Gosnells aquariums and will silicone that to the back glass in the next couple of days.

Im planning to use washed river sand from soils aint soils as the substrate. I currently have a larger size aragonite in my 4x1 that is my current setup, but i dont like the look of the bright white as much as the more creamy colour of the river sand.

For filtration, i have an Eheim 2217, an Aqua One Aquis 1200 and 2x Otto internals with sponges for water movement. Im debating whether or not to use an air curtain, havent decided at this stage.

Its going to be a predominantly malawi hap/predator setup, i like the combination of size and colour that these fish have. I have a 4x14x18 out in the shed as a grow out tank for the future males for the display tank.

Current display fish (1 each):
Aristochromis christyi
Buccochromis nototaenia
Red Empress
Cytocarra moori
Nimbchromis fusco
Nimbochromis venustus
Dimidiochromis compressiceps
Cyphotilapia frontosa
Sciaenochromis fryeri

all male and around 10-15cm. Not sure about the sex of the dimi comp, but i suspect its a female.

Currently growing (around 4cm):
Placidochromis phenochilus tanzania (5)
Chilitolapia rhodesii (5, 1 confirmed male)
Copadochromis borleyi kadango red (3)
Fossochromis rostratus (1 only, had 2 deaths)
and a couple of bristle nose in each tank.

Always looking for more fish to add whether they be around 10cm and male or smaller groups to grow out

Ill update as i continue the setup, and would like to hear the thoughts and ideas people have as i go. Hoping to get a few questions i have answered too!

Thanks for looking!

Daniel

[nick05]

Sounds like its going to be an awesome tank! I nearly headed down that path with mine. Can always change my mind and try the all male display eventually.
My young fella keeps opening my cupboards too, think I'll have to put some of the kiddy locks on it but I'm getting sick of every cupboard door being kiddy locked!

[westcoastpara]

You can kinda see in the photo with the doors closed I've tied some ribbon around them to stop him opening them. It has stopped him opening the doors, but thatll become unworkable once the canisters and everything else are in there.

Ive siliconed the background in on saturday and taken some photos, just gotta upload them.

Next steps, buy some egg crate, buy my substrate, wash it all and put it in. Hoping to have it done by this time next week.

My first question for people reading this: how close does everyone have their tanks to the wall? Enough so you can reach back there, or have you got it sitting flush with the wall?

[Hypanheaven]

Whats the egg crate for? Tryimg to keep the substrate covering the floor? Imo its justmas easy to rake the sand back rather thn have ugly egg crate exposed when the sand does shift

Edited by Hypanheaven, 27 February 2012 - 03:51 AM.

[westcoastpara]

Whats the egg crate for?

I'm a bit paranoid about rocks breaking the base. The frontosa likes to dig around the rocks he's got in the tank currently, I imagine he'll do the same in this tank. Its really just to help me sleep at night 8-)

[Westie]

My first question for people reading this: how close does everyone have their tanks to the wall? Enough so you can reach back there, or have you got it sitting flush with the wall?

I have mine close enough to the wall so I can still reach my arm behind it. Any closer to the wall and it would make it hard running power cords, pipes etc. behind the tank.
Looking good man.

[sandgroper]

About 50mm just enough to fit a plug down the back.

[westcoastpara]

Thanks for the answers guys, i will have to move mine forward by about an inch i think, its quite close to the wall.

Some updates:

The silicon i used for sticking the background to the back glass





I used my sons little play chairs to hold the background against the rear glass for the first 24 hours. Werent really needed i dont think




I wish i know what settings i can change on my camera so the photos dont look so terrible! When i get the fish in there ill get my brother to come round and take some photos with a proper camera

[dazzabozza]

Should leave the chairs in there, they look mint I reckon

[sandgroper]

A musical chairs theme, it's certainly different, at the very least it's colourful. Steve

[westcoastpara]

Hahaha the chairs, my son was quite upset when he saw them in there and couldnt play with them!!

Background in, ready to go with the next few steps...should be operational by this weekend!

[Bowdy]

Looks good mate. That background seams to be popular with members lately. Look forward to seeing it up and running.

[westcoastpara]

Updated more photos. Its been up and running for a little while now, just havent added any photos here. Still not completely finished, need to tidy up the pipework, internal filter/heater setup, but the fish are in and happy. Its visible the appreciation from the fish about being in a bigger tank. The colours of the fusco and bucco in particular are much more pronounced, and every fish in there displays their fins a lot better now, especially the frontosa.

Any feedback/comments/suggestions on anything would be really appreciated.


Setting up for filling up. Laying a sheet on the carpet to minimise the mess of walking in and out. The young fella thought it would be helpful to climb up and down the ladder




Water in, white and blue light on




Just the white light




Fish in, rock work in




White Light




White and blue light




Close up rocks, Pipework needs work







I like the tank best with the white light only. Hard to tell with the low quality photos, but the white and blue doesnt look that great. Will be able to tell once i get some better quality photos of it all.

Another addition im going to add to the tank is a big fake plant. I dont want to put it in, but the wife wants some greenery in there. Im familiar with the marriage equation happy wife=happy life so a fake plant is going in there. She also suggested that a fake plant could hide some of the pipework. What do you think?

So my next additions will be some more haps/predators and a small tropheus colony of perhaps 5-6 fish, undecided which T's but something with colour over the whole body. Id be happy to hear from people who are selling male haps/predators around the 10cm mark. Ive added a male strigatus which i purchased from Aquotix not long after these photos were taken.

Thanks again for looking.

[Mattymak]

had the pleasure of seeing this first hand
looks good bro!

[Riggers]

I'm glad the move went well Dan, it's looking the goods mate

[westcoastpara]

Just got a new camera, these are some test shots that the wife took.

Theres a couple of the fronty with the dodgey markings near the tail, Its her favourite :-)

A couple of new fish, ill get some more detailed shots soon. Ish.

Got some tangs and a few more malawi's growing out in another tank that ill be adding to this tank shortly so should change the look of it. I hope anyway!

Enjoy!

[fishking123]

nice!!
dude your frontosa is deformed badly look at the mouth is bottom jaw is too small and the black on its last strip.

i realy like the ank set up

[Bowdy]

Deformed badly is an big exaggeration king.

Tank and fish are looking sweet man. That dolphin is a cracker. Pheno gissel and mdoka look sweet to.
Nice work.

[westcoastpara]

Haha yeah that fronty isn't going to be winning any comps that's for sure! He's happy, no probs eating or getting picked on. Its my wife's favourite in the tank so i've got no chance of taking it out!

Bowdy that pheno is actually a juvie tanzania i got from brenton around 6 months ago. Just hasn't got any spots yet :-)

[CichlidLife]

Got to see this Tank in person and altho the pics are very good, can't beat the live experience!

Looks great Dan

P.S Mdoka is doing well!