community tank work in progress

hey guys.i have finally set up a community tank after years...been dabbling with wild caught rift lake cichlid..i forgot how fun a community tank can be. busy with this set up at the moment...still work in progress

here is the tank...85cm long, 45 cm wide and 60cm high
filtration system
drip tray

hydor powerhead to supply water to drip filter


i chose this gravel for the tank..think it should look nice once i wash it out and put it in..got four bags..probably gona need more

i already have a group of stunning emperor tetras in quarantine...keeping them in a 90cm tank while my tank cycles

another shot of the tank

must still build the slides for the top and add the plants...already have java moss, java fern and some sword plants

also got four ancistrus triradiatus...they very nice but cant get a pic of them

 

no ways!

You're lying to us .
How do we know they're nice?

 

pics..........or it doesn't exist

D

 

You gonna have to get a pic ... or I can see a riot coming on !!!

 

i will post pics of the ancistrus tommorow...but trust me..they are nice...like the rest of waterzoo's fish.put wood, gravel and plants in...waiting for it to clear up, then will take pics and post.unforunately had a heater malfunction today in the quarantine tank..= 16 DEAD EMPEROR TETRAS

 

Ouch its a good thing we not allowed to swear on this forum..

 

I kinda believe you...

just pick them up with filter, wood or pipe, hide-out.

Then DUMP them into 2L ice-cream tub if you want to photodocument them for later GENDER differences ,shape, size, etc.
It helps, if you drop a short plastic ruler into the icecream tub too!

thanks man...

but crappy about your "Emperors new clothes" trick malfunctioning heater pulled on you:cry:

 

Is there any way to sex them when they are younger????

 

It's very easy to sex emperor tetra when they are bigger..males get blue eyes,females get green eyes..male gets longer fins too

 

Er, I think Vee was askin about the Ancistrus?? Just a guess, but I think its right?

Cheers!
Big G!

 

Yip, I was actually referring to the catfish.....sorry, I should have made myself a little clearer

 

okay...been bit sick last two weeks but managed to do some work on the tank...it still far from looking how i want it to..

added these fish so far..
8 royal tetras
4cardinals...waiting for more next week
6 glo light tetras...cant get decent pics...these guys are fast


3 ramerezzis...doing very well ;D





four ancitrus triradiatus...got these from the waterzoo..before adding to tank


in the tank..







let me know what you guys think...plan on adding a few more fish...maybe some dwarf neon rainbowfish, or celebes rainbowfish..definately ten more cardinals

 

Lookin good meneer

Perhaps add some Anubias & Windelov to the wood as well.
Maybe replace the PVC piping with some clay/ceramic pots and attach some moss on top of them.
Once you add CO2 to the tank, you'll create a little cave effect that is completely covered in moss and it will look o-so-natural That's what I've done in a tank of mine and the moss has attached itself very nicely to the pot.

Also add some background plants

Chiao
D

 

Thanks for the advice dale..any idea where i can get nice clay pots?i added the pvc pipes for a short term hiding place for ancistrus..i actually have to build some slate caves according to plans i saw on plecofanatics.com.i want to add more plants..and co2,but not sure if it'l be worth it due to fact that the pleco need high oxygen levels.i am planning on adding anubias tho..jst on the lookout for nice specimens

 

You can get the pots from any Nursery or Builders Warehouse, Stodels, Super Plants, etc etc

Whatever cave structure you build, get moss on top of it to give you that effect. You could even try riccia to grow on it...I think that will look much better actually
If you not keen on going CO2, then get some strong light into the tank for optimal plant growth. Use Prof Dirk's ferts too

 

Ok,so got my hands on ten dwarf neon rainbowfish today..looks like 5males n 5females..got to wait for them to colour up den will post pics..they seem to be happy..already swimming around and displaying

 

guys..and girls.tried to get some decent pics of the dwarf neon rainbowfish...but those guys are too active...this was the best i could do..







a pic of royal tetra..




and can someone tell me what plant this is...i need to brush up on my plant knowledge..

 

Hey sarf, I'm not sure those are actual emporer tetras (Nematobrycon palmeri), I think they are Inpaichthys kerri, otherwise known as the Blue Emporer tetra, which as far as I know doesn't get the blue or green eyes, and the dangly bits on the fins?

Still nice fishies tho!

Cheers
Big G!

 

Thanks big g.i know they are not emperor tetras..i think i mentioned somewhere in this post that i had 16 emperor tetras but lost all 16 due to heater malfunction..so got the royal blue tetras instead

 

Hey sarf, where did you get the dwarf neon rainbows from?? I've only seen small ammounts around places, I had four, but recently lost 2 due to a strange illness that wiped out all the expensive (R30 +) fish out in my tank! All fish below R20 survived! Work that one out!

Cheers
BIg G!