5Ft Seabray Dolphin Tank With Sa/ca Cichlids

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kaivalagi

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Hi All,

As my new tank arrived today and I am very excited I thought I'd start a journal
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. I will be some way off setting it up proper as I have family and work commitments now which keep me away from home until the weekend after next, so expect some real progress from the 23rd/24th April onwards.

I plan on moving my existing stock via a 60litre cement bucket, and switching from gravel to sand. I also plan on less plants and more bogwood/rocks...


My current stocking (will update as I go):
  • 1 x Port Acara (male 5")
  • 4 x Geophagus sp. "Red/Orange Head Tapajos" (2 @ 4", 2 @ 3")
  • 1 x Geophagus sp. Dicrozoster (3")
  • 1 x Honduran Red Point (Leucistic Male 3")
  • 1 x BN (Male 3.5")
  • 4 x Marbled Hatchet fish
  • 6 x Rotkeil Severum (Sub-adult 3-5") (5 Male, 1 Female)
These were in the main tank but are now in the breeding tank awaiting to go:
  • 1 x Honduran Red Point (male 5")
  • 1 x Honduran Red Point (female 3.5")
  • Approx 15 young, max 2.5"
My natural water pH is about 7.5, just under when I use the big bogwood I have waiting for it.

I like the mixed species tank thing, hence sticking to one of each if I can. The old tank will be used to breed...

The 5ft tank (external 60"Lx18"Dx24"H, internal 59"Lx17"Dx20"H) will have the following equipment:
  • 2 x Tetratec EX1200 external filters
  • 1 x Hydor ETH 200W external heater
  • 1 x Hydor ETH 300W external heater
  • 1 x NeWave 2000 (2200lph) powerhead
  • 1 x Hagen GLO T5 ballast 2 x 54W
  • 1 x Osram 880 Skywhite 54W T5 tube
  • 1 x Sylvania Grolux 54W T5 tube
  • 1 x DIY secondary LED lighting system for both daytime white and nighttime blue lighting, all faded in/faded out (someway off but have most of the components and microcontroller programmed with first version) NO TIME!
I'll update the below pic as I go showing the latest tank shot I have:
totm_sept_21.jpg


Current tank vid below also:
[media]http://www.youtube.c...h?v=UusvK51aNSA[/media]

Any suggestions, comments, questions just fire away...
 
Sounds great.
IF I were you I would also be tempted to fit Uara/Nicaraguan cichlids in there too.
 
Sounds great.
IF I were you I would also be tempted to fit Uara/Nicaraguan cichlids in there too.


Thanks, I'm up for any and all suggestions so long as my current cichlids can stay...I am expecting to lose the cory/oto out of the tank which is okay cause I plan on a planted scape in the old tank longer term anyway

I do like nics, lovely blue and yellow hues, one female added to the list might just be the ticket :)

I'll have to take a closer look at Uaru, do they have a similar temperament to Sevs? They do look like a similar fish from what little I've seen...

I'll be updating a AqAdvisor page for this setup soon and will keep the link in the first post...

edit: should I ignore AqAdvisor's warning about tank size, it is under 50% stocked but territorially AqAdvisor suggests it needs to be bigger (only by 5% though). page here
 
I would say completely ignore the calculator...Add one fish at a time and see how it goes.You can 'overstock' a tank quite easily if you do regular large water changes, and you have no territorial issues.
Uara grow larger in general and I believe are more placid and more difficult to care for than sevs - lovely looking fish though.
 
Looks awesome, bet you can't wait to get it all set up and ready for new fish :lol:
 
Looks awesome, bet you can't wait to get it all set up and ready for new fish :lol:

Which new fish first is the next question...smallest to biggest...or big softy Sev first...

At least 3 weeks away from adding any new fish I figure
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I would get a female Festae (Red Terror)

You're taking the mickey right?

Don't they get a bit large...males 50cm, females 30cm...? Regardless of size won't I probably end up with just that one cichlid in the tank after a while...

Looks beautiful but I would like something that can get along with the other fish I have....
 
Yeh but she would be fine with cons etc, infact eh cons would bully her and possibly breed with her.
 
Yeh but she would be fine with cons etc, infact eh cons would bully her and possibly breed with her.


I have a HRP but no convicts as yet, was planning on a yellow but that's not the same as the defacto variety at all...

So is all the talk about aggression is more to do with males than females?

They are absolutely beautiful fish...but aren't they a hybrid of sorts? I read about them being a red devil and texas cross breed some time ago which I find hard to believe...maybe I'm getting my wires crossed? I haven't done any real research as yet, got confused when people were talking about mayans?

Also, I don't want cross breeding if I can help it, or any breeding in this tank for that matter, hence going all males thus far...making sure especially so with CA's...a HRP would potentially get it on with a female red terror right...

Might be an option in a species only tank in a couple of years maybe, or at least a more aggressive tank with say Salvini and Green terrors too but that's quite some way off :)
 
Making progress now :)

This is the tank before I started:
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I have fish moved to a 60L bucket, running the filter and heater with existing water, like so:
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I have also filled the tank with 1.5" of sand and have the water line as far as needed to reach the filter intake, I left the tank to settle for about 1 hour:
dda24dc1.jpg



I am now running the second new filter and external heater to clear the water and bring it to 25C...new pic with nice clear water to come soon hopefully
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I think I am either going to get some sort of DIY python syphon sorted out or get a water pump and hose to move water from tank to bath and from 60L treated bucket to tank when I need to do water changes...

The floor was a bit of a concern as it's wooden. But I have the tank running across joists with a bearer wall behind and concrete floor the other side of it... I am monitoring with a spirit level to make sure all is good over time...but by all accounts 80-90USG on the floor is fine (I asked who I could and read up on it enough to be confident...no survey paid for though...)
 
Lights fitted and getting clearer slowly...the temp started at about 14C and is currently 19C...might not be until morning before the fish get transferred
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It is taking a good while to clear and warm up, it's been 4hrs since the filter/heater has been on, or 5hrs from when the tank was filled. It's probably for the best that I don't disturb the fish for a while anyway...the move to the bucket was a bit stressful for them and for me
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I did intend to get a shot with the cupboards open showing one of the 2 external filters/heaters in place but I was too lazy and just used my mobile phone which doesn't have a flash
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edit: 20:40 - just found out I forgot to remove the plastic bag that has the bio media in the bottom tray of the filter
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That might explain why the water has taken so long to clear...no excuse as I already have one of these filters
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Good flow rate considering there was a layer of plastic in there
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Temp at 21C now...getting there
 
:lol: Even the experienced can make mistakes ay!

lol...not that experienced, only started last October. I was in too much of a bloody rush to get my tank setup...I'm good with the science but I can still be a plonker
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The temp is finally right at 25C but I'll need to wait until a nights sleep anyway cause the water is STILL cloudy and I can't wait much longer...this sand I got has really turned out to be a bit too fine me thinks. Looks very nice though.

Worst case if there is still a problem in the morning I'll have to do a BIG water change (90%) and start to bring the temp up again which will probably take me all day. The fish seem happy in their bucket atleast.

I got a 500ml bottle of Seachem Prime through ebay a couple of days back, 5ml does 200L so I have plenty of water mileage
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