Hi!

[LiftCrazy*]

Hi everyone,

Great to have a forum to discuss all things aquarium related.
My name is Lee and i am a proud new owner of a 297l tank. :p

Hardware...
297L (1200 x 45 x 55mm)
2x28W boyu lamps
200W hagen heater
2x90mm PC fans mounted on the canopy (to keep the lights cool)
Dolphin internal filter 300l/h
DIY canister filter 1900l/h
Boyu CO2 diffuser running 2x2l DIY CO2
Airpump running 2 air stones

Plants... :blink1: i have no idea... i know the one is Java moss.

Fish...
4 Malawi's, 2 Bala sharks, 5 tilapia, 2 plecos and 2 goldfish.

[Singularity]

Hi and welcome liftcrazy, nice looking setup you have there !

[Rory]

Welcome to TASA LiftCrazy!

[LiftCrazy*]

Thanks for the warm welcome... i look forward to many many posts...

[Zebra Pleco]

Welcom to TASA :)

[Scaly]

Welcome!

What's in the breeding trap?

Really nice wood structure!

[LiftCrazy*]

Scaly - Hi

I have a rock with Java moss on it. I am using the trap to keep the Tilapia from eating it. They have already stripped the floating plants at the back of the tank.
The wood does look nice, it's just a pity about the water colour... it would look better if it were less stained.

[solex69]

Ola & welcome to TASA

Cheers
Dale

[Dolphin]

welcome to TASA!

[LiftCrazy*]

Hardware...
297L (1200 x 45 x 55mm)
2x28W boyu lamps
200W hagen heater
2x90mm PC fans mounted on the canopy (to keep the lights cool)
Dolphin internal filter 300l/h
DIY canister filter 1900l/h
Boyu CO2 diffuser running 2x2l DIY CO2
Airpump running 2 air stones


Apologies... thats a 1570L/h flow rate on the canister filter. Thats 1870L/h total.

[LiftCrazy*]

Plant like these?

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t208/LiftCrazy/IMG_6277.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t208/LiftCrazy/IMG_6278.jpg

Smaller tank with Java fern and Chinese grass stuff???
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t208/LiftCrazy/IMG_6280.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t208/LiftCrazy/IMG_6282.jpg

Clear Algae?
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t208/LiftCrazy/IMG_6284.jpg

[Henk Hugo]

I moved your post into your own thread :D

Nice swords - add an iron nut or bolt next to they roots. they will love you for this... you can also put in a root fert tab of some sort.

i have some bad news about the grass like plant in the 2nd photo. thats acorus. You buy it from the nursery for R25... for a plant the size of the tank i gave you. It will eventually rot away as it is not a water plant.

http://www.gardensoyvey.com/catalog/images/acorus.jpg

The stem plant on the left in the 1st photo is Luwigia Repens. very nice plant. when you upgrade to the T5s we spoke about yesterday they will grow like CRAZY. makes a stunning back ground plant.

[LiftCrazy*]

That's great! Pity about the that stupid garden plant...
I have those Sera Flora tablets which i have pushed one into the gravel for each plant (Under the root). But i guess that was a waste if i am replacing the gravel.

I am going through to get 4 T5's on Saturday, but redoing the substrate will be the first priority.

:bigsmile: The Luwigia Repens is quite a funny plant, i guess i should have guessed my lighting was not up to scratch... If i have the curtains open, this plant turns to face the light from the window. It's got attitude... :p

[Slummies]

Welcome,

what malawis u got in there?

[LiftCrazy*]

Slummies - The malawi's have been moved to the quarantine tank until i can decide what to do with them.

I have 1 something or other (In my avatar), 3 yellow labs, 2 Livingstoni and 2 Acei (I'm not sure about the Acei as they are a bit dark)

The one in my avatar lost it's coloring, ph too low and not enough veggies... it seems to be coming right now though.

My master plan is to set up a South American biotope and i am striving towards keeping dwarf cichlids like the Apistogramma's... Cacatuoides, Agassizii and a few Microgeophragus Ramirezi (Hard to get hold of in CT which sucks)

I guess i will have to get them from JHB...

[Henk Hugo]

you wont really get dwarfs other than rams... my imported brought in 200 agasisszis and they all died... not very good at doing the 30 hour transit time from south america

[LiftCrazy*]

You really want to make me cry this early in the morning... not cool.

All 200... ouch, that couldn't have been cheap.

Bobeyente got some a few weeks ago (Cacatuoides and Agassizii) I asked if it was possible to send some down, but all were already sold. :(

[Henk Hugo]

and all most prob promtly died in some guys tank.... thats why i took all of the checkerboards.... at least they have a fighting chance in one of my tanks

[LiftCrazy*]

Henk - The lighting we spoke about, i am going for 4 T5 tubes... should i go 2x 6500k and 2x 20 000k?

[Slummies]

yo, bobs fish are great! Lift, wait till he brings some in again. i know Dolphin also wants tot bring in so contact him. i believe there is a guy on another forum that also has a few that he is going to try breed.

[Henk Hugo]

3 6500K and one 20k

[LiftCrazy*]

Thanks for the info Slummies, will do...

[Slummies]

anytime mate

[LiftCrazy*]

Finally got my hands on some elusive Microgeophagus Ramirezi.
Here they are settling in...

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t208/LiftCrazy/IMG_6306.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t208/LiftCrazy/IMG_6307.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t208/LiftCrazy/IMG_6308.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t208/LiftCrazy/IMG_6310.jpg

Here's a pic of one of the three Bumblebee Gobys

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t208/LiftCrazy/IMG_6309.jpg

[Henk Hugo]

Very nice fish! where did you find them?

[LiftCrazy*]

Thanks Henk, got them at Sams

[Henk Hugo]

hehehehehehehehehehehe ok :D

[solex69]

Sams? :worried:

[LiftCrazy*]

Look, these fish look very healthy.
When and if they die, then you guys can laugh.

If any of the numerous fish shops i have been to had Rams, i would have bought from there.

[solex69]

I'm not laughing....I have made a personal choice to not purchase any livestock from him but I'd recommend anyone to get equipment from him...that is at a decent price and he has a very wide variety of items.

Cheers
Dale

[LiftCrazy*]

I saw quite a lot of Brine Shrimp eggs at sams if you are looking for some... They will try sell you the commercial boxed version though. I am gonna try my hand at hatching some soon.

[LiftCrazy*]

I have redone the tank and the sand is in. Here are a few pics with the new lighting... i did a quick and dirty job of mounting 2 of the 4 T5s for now.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t208/LiftCrazy/IMG_6323.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t208/LiftCrazy/IMG_6327.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t208/LiftCrazy/IMG_6328.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t208/LiftCrazy/IMG_6329.jpg

[2time]

that's a nice tank you have

[solex69]

Very nice LiftCrazy :)

I would suggest you cut off the leaves on the plants that are busy dying. I got some plants for you if you'd like some, so just shout and come get some. PM me if you're interested

Cheers mate
Dale

[LiftCrazy*]

@2time - Thanks bud.

@solex69 - Will go clip them when i get home, thanks for the tip. I thought i had loads of plants but now they seem very sparse. I will PM you later during the week.

[solex69]

Cool mate, I'm doing some trimming this week anyway, so it'll be good timing

Cheers
Dale

[Rowland]

Me too please Dale

[solex69]

Cool, I'll be at home on Saturday from 10am onwards, so just gimme a call and come collect :)

Cheers
Dale

[LiftCrazy*]

I took these pics last night of one of my last remaining Rams.
What a hansome fish!

The other 2 T5 tubes are in now... what a difference. The plants are loving it.


http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t208/LiftCrazy/IMG_6478.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t208/LiftCrazy/IMG_6479.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t208/LiftCrazy/IMG_6480.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t208/LiftCrazy/IMG_6481.jpg

My little Panda Cory

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t208/LiftCrazy/IMG_6482.jpg

[Henk Hugo]

looks good man :D

[solex69]

I took these pics last night of one of my last remaining Rams

What happened to the rest of the rams?

So when you collecting some plants from me? I'd like to see that tank filled up with more plants as it is very nicely scaped and would look stunning once plants take over in there

Chiao
D

[LiftCrazy*]

They were taken before their time.
I got some sick Neons (Yes they were from "you know where", but i should have trusted my gut.. they didn't look so hot when i got them) that died and got ground up by a powerhead i had in the tank for circulation. This introduced an infection to the tank, that's when they died. Within the space of a day all but two passed. It was then i decided to redo the tank with silica sand. (It was either that or throw in the towel).
In all it was a very dark moment in my life.

Oh yes, the plants... Please PM me your number. I am in the Table View every Sunday.
After the introduction of the additional 2 T5s the plants are growing rapidly. The fine plant i had at the back is 4cms from the surface.

OH MY..... i just paged back to the pics i took, the growth is amazing! I will take a pic tonight for comparison. I might not need any more plants.

[Henk Hugo]

So do you belive us about "you know where" now?

[LiftCrazy*]

:) Yes, i recall someone saying that their equipment almost always ends up dying. They have a good variety of fish, but shop around for price comparison.

What i should do is exercise a little restraint... i usually commit to buying before i even have a look at the state of the fish...

[Henk Hugo]

hahahahahahaha

[solex69]

Sorry to hear about the losses man

Personally, their equipment seems to last with me and it's at fairly decent pricing, but I will NEVER buy livestock, plants, foods or chemicals from him

Sending PM shortly.

Chiao
D

Cheers
D

[LiftCrazy*]

:) Yes, i recall someone saying that their equipment almost always ends up dying. They have a good variety of fish, but shop around for price comparison.



Personally, their equipment seems to last with me

:p I was joking bud... i swapped the two. Their equipment is great, not the other way around... :p

[solex69]

lol :D

[LiftCrazy*]

Alrighty then... check out the difference.

Taken - 23rd Feb
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t208/LiftCrazy/IMG_6323.jpg

Taken - 13th March
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t208/LiftCrazy/IMG_6489.jpg

Those plants on the right are new. Added the the extra piece of Mopani as well...

[Dolphin]

wow... looking great there!

[Henk Hugo]

Looking good - you need to come pick up some cuttings from me tomorrow.... drop me a line later

[LiftCrazy*]

Some new activity...

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t208/LiftCrazy/IMG_6518.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t208/LiftCrazy/IMG_6519.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t208/LiftCrazy/IMG_6520.jpg

[adriaand]

B E A Utiful.
Really nice.

[Henk Hugo]

aha! thats great! :D

[LiftCrazy*]

I am very chuffed.

The eggs should hatch today some time... if they do, i will post some pics.
Got some video of the spawning as well but i need to resize and upload (11 mins sitting @ 2GB at the moment)

[LiftCrazy*]

So much for that... Guess when they started wriggling they became food.

Next spawn i am going to try removing the eggs and placing them in a egg tumbler.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t208/LiftCrazy/IMG_6528.jpg

[maggie]

great great pictures

[LiftCrazy*]

Thanks Maggie.

I've been a bit too quiet, here are some updates...

New fish:
9 red eye Tetras
4 Apistogramma Cacatuoides (2 pairs)
2 Bristlenose Plecos (1 spotted & 1 albino)
1 Whip tail Pleco

The Rams just had spawn number 4. No hatching yet, just eating.
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t208/LiftCrazy/IMG_6566.jpg

New little Bristlenose Pleco
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t208/LiftCrazy/IMG_6565.jpg

Whip tail Pleco
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t208/LiftCrazy/IMG_6570.jpg

Apistogramma Cacatuoides Male
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t208/LiftCrazy/IMG_6559.jpg

Here is a plant growth comparison.

Last pic
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t208/LiftCrazy/IMG_6489.jpg

Current pic (Check the Ludwigia Repens, back right)
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t208/LiftCrazy/IMG_6581.jpg

[solex69]

Looking awesome mate!

Your Ludwidgia is still going to go far more invasive....just give it some time :)

[veegal]

It really is looking great. I feel your frustration with the Rams - mine seem to do the same thing, only thing is I can't move the eggs because they always decide to spawn on a hollow in the substrate. I hope have some luck soon with them :)

[Dolphin]

good progress there!

be patient with the rams, they'll learn to become good parents after a 2-3/4 spawns and will then raise the fry nicely by themselves.

[LiftCrazy*]

Just took a pic of my Apisto Cacatuoides mommy's fry in a swarm of BBS...

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t208/LiftCrazy/IMG_6624.jpg

[solex69]

How damn oulik they look! Can't wait to see them grow up

[veegal]

Lookin' good there - I take it the bs hatching worked well for you then, sure does look like it??

[LiftCrazy*]

Yup, thanks for the tips Vee... hatch rate was very good compared to the last time. I have started a batch with the eggs i acquired on Saturday, let see how that goes.

[LiftCrazy*]

AHHHH! :eek: I'm pulling my hair out... mom is taking the babies on a tour of the tank... so many lurking community fish. Dad is helping keep the hungry neighbors at bay but only Mom takes on the bristlenose plecos (at 3 times her size shes got her work cut out for her)

[Henk Hugo]

once this batch of fry has grown out or been eaten you have to move them into a tank jsut for them....

[Dolphin]

welldone n congrats!

[Rowland]

trying to make sense of Henks comment? Picturing how you move eaten fry to a tank of their own....

[Henk Hugo]

i was talking about the pair....

[Rowland]

I know bud, just kidding....

[Gert Combrink]

Congratulations! Lee.
My 4 Cacatoos all died. I envy you.
I would like to put in a order for some babies please! Keep me in mind asb!
Gert.

[Henk Hugo]

Heya Gert - i beleave you can get some A. hongsloi at Tropicum N1 for R80 a pair... phone them tomorrow to see if they still have some

[Gert Combrink]

Thanx Henk! Will do so.

[LiftCrazy*]

Wow, so many posts... :bigsmile:

Thanks Dolphin, Gert ...let see if they make it first.

Mommy Cacatuoides finally came to her senses and moved them all back to the "cave". Strange but there seems to be more fry than i counted originally.

I am waiting a little longer till the little ones stay off the ground. Once they get to this stage i will move half (or more) to a grow out tank. The grow out tank has loads of snails and i don't want the snails killing off the fry.

We all know a post doesn't actually count without pics... so here they are.

Back to safety
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t208/LiftCrazy/IMG_6639.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t208/LiftCrazy/IMG_6643.jpg

100% crop of the previous pic
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t208/LiftCrazy/IMG_6643_CROP.jpg

[Henk Hugo]

wow. very cool

[Dolphin]

depending on your priorities with these little guys and the other fish in the tank, consider moving out the other fish to another tank and let these grow in this tank - I really dont like to catch and move fry cos you risk injuring them and also infection/disease...

or partition the tank, but you must consider your filtration...

[LiftCrazy*]

Thanks for the tip Dolphin.

It makes sense as they have the "antibodies" for the tank they are in at the moment. New tank has other pathogens etc

It's a good idea; unfortunatley my other tank is a bit small to move the other fish out.
Perhaps a tank divider is a the better compromise here.

[Fish Fantasy]

Welcome to TASA, nice tank!!!!

[LiftCrazy*]

Thx FF.

[LiftCrazy*]

Welcome to the Jungle...

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t208/LiftCrazy/IMG_6908.jpg

[Gert Combrink]

Fantastic looking tank!
Would you say CO2 does work????

[veegal]

Beautiful!

[LiftCrazy*]

Thanks Gert - Yes, CO2 all the way (And Flourish excel)

Thanks Vee.

[solex69]

You da man bru! :)

[Fish Fantasy]

Your tank is really stunning, nice job!!! :)

[LiftCrazy*]

No YOU da man Dale... The combination of T5's, flourish excel and DIY CO2 is killer.

Thank-you Fish!

[solex69]

lol :)
I must make a plan to come and see this tank with my own eyes sometimes (and also pick up the gobies btw :D)

PM you now

Chiao
D

[LiftCrazy*]

Dale - Did the Gobies make it safely to Gert?

[Wayne]

Wow That looks stunning

[LiftCrazy*]

Thanks Wayne!

The tank looks a bit different at the moment. I recently did a trim and took out 1 full PnP bag of vegetation.

[LiftCrazy*]

Mom and Daddy are at it again... :laugh:

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t208/LiftCrazy/IMG_6938.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t208/LiftCrazy/IMG_6942.jpg

[Henk Hugo]

looks good man :D

[veegal]

AWESOME!!!! Hip Hip Hooray!!!!! Go Mommy and Daddy....someones makin' bacon....lol

[LiftCrazy*]

Some new residents...

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t208/LiftCrazy/IMG_6963.jpg

[Ferryman]

just followed the whole thread. awesome progress man, wow. great tank! congrats

[LiftCrazy*]

Ferryman - Thanks for the kind words...

[Donny]

tank looks awesome

[Henk Hugo]

ummm.. Donny.... Lee has been here longer than you :D

[Donny]

LOL thought the name looked familiar thought i saw it from another forum. LOL its early no coffee yet --- Co2 looks like the best thing to get if you want your plants to grow ,,, spoke to someone at shop in parow and explained biggest problem is finding and needle valve and someone to refill the bottle is this true ???

[veegal]

Donny, Tetra makes a CO2 canister kit (R150 for the kit and you purchase a new canister at around R50 when needed). I know one or two people here use it and swear by it.

[Slojo]

Donny, Tetra makes a CO2 canister kit (R150 for the kit and you purchase a new canister at around R50 when needed). I know one or two people here use it and swear by it.
Saw it at my LFS.Looks cheaper to run and seems to be as efficient as the cannister type.(Deducted this by reading the info and instructions)

Sorry i'm referring to the tablet type.

[rlowe]

Co2 looks like the best thing to get if you want your plants to grow ,,, spoke to someone at shop in parow and explained biggest problem is finding and needle valve and someone to refill the bottle is this true ???

Not true, speak to Philip from Philamano Aquatics on the planted forum.

[Henk Hugo]

tunze co2 presure recuder and chubb will refill for you

[LiftCrazy*]

This is the tank for the moment... the cuttings i got from Solex69 are growing at a rapid rate. THANKS DALE!

I have taken out almost all of the ludwigia repens as i have a nice variety of other plants i want to grow in it's place.

Unfortunatley the little orange discus didn't make it, he got tangled in some plants and i only found him the next day. After that i did loads of trimming and the tank once again looks a little on the empty side.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t208/LiftCrazy/IMG_6998.jpg

[Ferryman]

Still looks really nice, reminds me of how crowded my tank looks now, i need to rescape the new cuttings and get a bit of a structure and pattern going, like what you got going there

[LiftCrazy*]

Thanks Ferryman! I'm off to check your gallery...