antwan Posted October 18, 2010 Report Share Posted October 18, 2010 Bought a 6x2x2'er last night off trademe, bit of a whim but very exciting. I have been wanting a 4-5 footer for a while but this was pretty cheap so nabbed it. Anyway, bought 80L of propagating sand today and went to the beach and got a bunch of pieces of wood. I have a basic idea with what I want to do, lots of wood, scattering of oak leaves, and maybe some balansae or val in the background. As for fish there will be the geo's (suri's) probably about 5 of them, and I was thinking maybe 3 firemouths, but I'm not sure how well they'd get on with the geo's since they occupy the same niche.. Those L191 dull eye royals have taken my fancy and was thinking about getting one of them, or maybe some Ancistrus ranunculus (pricey though). Then a school of some sort of tetra and some cory's. Anybody see any potential problems with this lineup of fish? Here's a pic of the wood, will have to see what it looks like in the tank and get a good combo. The tank comes with everything apart from the filter, but it has a couple of holes drilled in the back at the top for filter connections or a sump. Could I get away with a cf1200 on this? Maybe two? I've also got a few smaller tanks lying around and a pond pump rated at 2400LPH would it be relatively easy to make a sump? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hovmoller Posted October 18, 2010 Report Share Posted October 18, 2010 Sounds like a very good project you've got there.. Wish I had room for a 6 footer.. I presume when you say "suri's" you mean altifrons? My experience with them is that they are very peaceful with anyone not their own species (except when breeding) but can get a bit mean to the females of their own kind especially when territories are establishing. Both the Geos and the Firemouths will want territory and the weakest fish will get chased from one to the other. I think your fish numbers are good to start with but will have to be reduced as territories form. Also make sure the tetras are not too small e.g. neons or the will go missing during the nights. Sorry if I'm stating things that are obvious to you.. I had a look at your photobucket and it seems you know your way around a fishtank, hehe My first thought when I saw your driftwood was that its really nice but I would be worried that it could poke out an eye on a large skittish Geo.. not sure if this has any merit but that was just my first thought. Also I would definitely go with a sump if you have the space and if you already have that pond pump and the tank already comes with holes. Would love to see progress pictures Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malevolentsparkle Posted October 18, 2010 Report Share Posted October 18, 2010 that wood could either look awesome or horrible... good luck with that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted October 18, 2010 Report Share Posted October 18, 2010 Sounds good to me! I'd suggest starting out with a larger group of geos though, and thinning it down to 1-2 males and 3-4 females. The firemouths should be ok, but if they pair up they may cause trouble. Maybe a single male would be a better option? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supasi Posted October 18, 2010 Report Share Posted October 18, 2010 Nice! I agree with Hovmoller regarding the fish damaging themselves on the wood. Mine do get skittish at times and when they are spooked they just swim full steam ahead. Donk straight into whatever is in the way. I cringe at times as I wonder if they will knock themselves out at times. In my experience, I have never lost a fish to the Geo's. They are really peaceful to other small fish. I would be worried about the Firemouths picking on the Geo's rather than the other way round. Look forward to seeing progress photos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antwan Posted October 18, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2010 Yea I mean altifrons. Nope not stating too much, I appreciate all the info. I have never made a sump before so that could be quite exciting. Tank is full and no leaks (phew!) here's a few pics: I'm going to be doing a lot more of this, may invest in a couch from trademe And finally full I never really thought about the geo's hurting themselves, I was so caught up of a group of tetra's swimming through the branches in my head :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supasi Posted October 18, 2010 Report Share Posted October 18, 2010 Looks good After seeing the wood in the tank I would not worry too much about it. There is plenty of room for them to not hit the wood. Dont waste your money on a couch. Just move your bed there and lay in bed watching the fish all night. For ideas go to Monsterfishkeepers and search for user "japes" Some awesome Geo setups and photos galore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisP Posted October 18, 2010 Report Share Posted October 18, 2010 Personally I would put a few rocks around the base of each and a few more scattered around the place. Looks good though. I like the amount of light too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supasi Posted October 18, 2010 Report Share Posted October 18, 2010 Looks good After seeing the wood in the tank I would not worry too much about it. There is plenty of room for them to not hit the wood. Dont waste your money on a couch. Just move your bed there and lay in bed watching the fish all night. For ideas go to Monsterfishkeepers and search for user "japes" Some awesome Geo setups and photos galore. Or see some here http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/view ... 60038a02fc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antwan Posted October 18, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2010 Dont waste your money on a couch. Just move your bed there and lay in bed watching the fish all night. That's what my bedroom is already like with the planted tank, I could stare at it for hours. Cheers for the hint I'll check out his stuff tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Posted October 18, 2010 Report Share Posted October 18, 2010 Stunner Ant. Thanks to David for this link which I drool over at every chance I get...wishing I had my geo tank back... I personally wouldn't do a sump in the lounge again, but that's just me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supasi Posted October 18, 2010 Report Share Posted October 18, 2010 Stunner Ant. Thanks to David for this link which I drool over at every chance I get...wishing I had my geo tank back... I personally wouldn't do a sump in the lounge again, but that's just me. LOL, Thats the link I was gonna post, but I couldnt find it. http://www.qldaf.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=20740 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Posted October 18, 2010 Report Share Posted October 18, 2010 Mmmmm, I love the pics with the lemon tetras.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antwan Posted October 18, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2010 What would people recommend for a filter then? I don't have lots of money to spend, but what about a cf1200? If not permanent, just until I can afford a larger one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Posted October 18, 2010 Report Share Posted October 18, 2010 Anything big. Or two medium ones. I haven't used the CF1200 before but I hear they are quite grunty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antwan Posted October 18, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2010 I've got the via aqua 650 (aqua one cf1000 now) running on my planted and it is nice, 4 years old and still runs well so they are reliable, and the 1200's are only $150 from redwoods so cheap too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Posted October 18, 2010 Report Share Posted October 18, 2010 Pop a couple of those on there and you'll be sweet. Low noise, low humidity, oodles of media, low risk of flooding and easy to clean. Sounds like a winner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supasi Posted October 18, 2010 Report Share Posted October 18, 2010 CF1200 are what I have. I swear by them. Good value for money in my opinion (waits for the Ehiem freaks to rear their heads,LOL) They are quiet and grunty , only thing is it pays to add some more media to them as they can easily fit more than what they come with. I reakon two of them would be sweet for the Geos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antwan Posted October 18, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2010 Ok, I'll get one tomorrow after work, then another in a while once I've recovered from this massive dent in my wallet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navarre Posted October 18, 2010 Report Share Posted October 18, 2010 You could still plumb them into teh overflows. I have a sump in my lounge and it runs a little noisy but worth it happy for you to have a look if you want Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antwan Posted October 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2010 Cheers for the offer Nav, but I went for the two canister's. Got some bits so the intakes are plumbed through the holes, works really well. So far it's full of a big group of guppies :-? I just had to get some fish in there! I used the media from my other canister so it's pre-cycled. The wood is leaking tannins like it's nobody's business though, the water is so brown! I wanted to go for a brown tinge but this is too much, perhaps more light could fix it. Hopefully it lightens up over a relatively short time. (Flatmates keep asking why it's so dirty :roll: ) Tear down planted tank and use the halide on this? Hmmm.. that sword sure would look impressive coming out of this tank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malevolentsparkle Posted October 20, 2010 Report Share Posted October 20, 2010 filter will remove the bigger bits and WCs should keep it under control, but i like tanin stained tanks, looks more natural, esp with 6500K lights Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Posted October 20, 2010 Report Share Posted October 20, 2010 Haha!! I knew you would be tempted with all that plant real estate in there. 8) Sux about the tannins. I had a huge amount in my 6 footer when I added that huge piece of wood. I loaded the filter up with carbon just to keep it under control but the carbon only lasted for a couple of weeks before it stopped absorbing any more colour. Of course now I add ferts so I don't want the carbon in there. Now 4 months later t takes about 6 days before the water starts to take on a stained appearance but luckily it is only a day or so before the next water change is due. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supasi Posted October 20, 2010 Report Share Posted October 20, 2010 It will stop after a few months,just water change heaps and use carbon initially. I personally like the tannin look but its personal preference. If you were gonna add Oak leaves then they will add tanins too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antwan Posted October 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2010 Just to clarify, I also like the tanniny look, just not overboard. I'm sitting in front of it now and thinking that maybe it just needs more light, it's only got two two foot fluoro's on it that came with the tank so doesn't show much. I really do think this tank would look awesome with the halide over it, big sword sticking up and balansae rolling over the back. But I don't want to make it too planted, argh so many decisions :lol: Suggestions on a species of tetra for this tank too would be appreciated. No cardinals or rummynose's please. Want them to look shimmery in a school of about 25, perhaps bloodfins? Quick photo: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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