# 125g Amazon Tank Photo Journal



## porksnorkel (Aug 14, 2007)

just documenting my tanks progress, so please enjoy the pics.

DIY 125g stand and canopy w/ marineland 125 tank

filtration.....twin emperor 400's and fluval fx5
lighting.......twin 96W AH Supply PC's on single ballast w/ 10,000K bulbs
cooling.......DIY mini fan from Skycraft Surplus
heaters......twin Stealth 200W's
timer/pwr....Coralife single digital and Leviton power strips 
backround...exterior black paint
substrate....white play sand from Home Depot
rock...........Tennessee river rounds from Pebble Junction
wood..........grapewood and unknown

flora..........Jungle Vallis [to be planted]

fauna[current]........2 angels
9 silver dollars [8 in QT]
5 silver hatchets
2 marble hatchets
1 clown pleco [to be removed if possible]
1 whiptail cat
2 spotted coris
1 glass cori
1 bolivian ram
2 ghost shrimp

fauna[to come]......1 whiptail cat
3 to 4 glass coris
6 bolivian rams
2 discus
10 to 15 small tetras of some sort [may not have room]


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## HONDO (May 4, 2008)

looks real good. very nice job. 
what kind of paint did you use for the bcakground?


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## D-007 (Jan 3, 2008)

Very interesting setup with the rocks at the front of the tank 

Will you be adding any live plants?

What did you put under the play sand (the brown stuff)?


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## jcushing (Apr 6, 2008)

i was wondering the same thing, im thinking its peat? (making that guess based on the color of the water)

tank looks good so far, its a big tank so for now it looks a bit empty with no plants but i know your just setting it up.


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## ArcticCatRider (Jul 13, 2007)

Yeah, porksnorkel used peat moss under his sand.I read this from one of his previous posts.


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## porksnorkel (Aug 14, 2007)

ty guys.

hondo...rolled on exterior paint. couldn't spray indoors, and there was no way i was getting 2 tanks back outside to paint! veeery heavy!

d-oo7...live jungle valls, should be ordered in the next few weeks. apparently the silver dollars are going to destroy them though, so they have to go i guess.

yes...peat moss under the sand.

jc...the valls will fill the rest of the tank out. all areas w/ no rock will be planted. may pull a few midsize rocks back out though. see how goes.


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## BlackShark11k (Feb 16, 2007)

Very cool 8)


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## firebird68 (Jan 4, 2008)

Play sand??


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## Fishbguy (Jan 15, 2008)

the sand used in sandboxes...looks really nice.

Love the tank...a little too many rocks for my taste...looks too africanish.

The silverdolalrs will make salads out of any live plant you put in IME.


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## porksnorkel (Aug 14, 2007)

yes firebird...play sand from home depot.

ty artemis and fishb.

i have been informed already about my silver dollar problem, so they will have to go back to the lfs. but...that leaves me room for a nice school of small tets. i wanted cardinals, but i think my angels may give them a hard time, so i'll keep looking.

as for the rocks...i agree. a bit overkill, but i wanted to put them all in and see what i had, before doing anymore arranging.


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## mithesaint (Oct 31, 2006)

Personally, I'd go for less rocks and larger/more pieces of driftwood. The tint of the water is nice, but looks sorta funny with the rocks. If you keep the rocks, I'd try for a different arrangement, it looks artificial at this point.

Canopy and stand look great! Let me know how the AH supply lights work out. I have a 135 that I'll be setting up very similar to yours in the near future.


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## porksnorkel (Aug 14, 2007)

ty for the input mith. i am in agreement on removing some rock, but not much. it will become less drastic w/ some very tall jungle val.

the AH supply kit is awesome. easy install, and good light. i'm actually ordering another kit for my malawi tank, as my canopy doesn't allow clearance for the current home depot set up, and that kit isn't very bright.


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## VT4Me (Mar 23, 2008)

You shouldn't have any problems with the cards and angels. I've seen plenty of tanks with this combo and cards can grow to a good size for a tetra, 2" is possible. Make sure you get a shoal of at least 15. I once had 30 and they looked great. You could also do with more cory's. I don't like to see less than 8, and a shoal of 10 or more looks great.

You definitely need to lose most of the rocks, add more wood, and I would suggest some Echinodorus amazonicus.


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## porksnorkel (Aug 14, 2007)

ummm...i meant a few rocks,not most,lol. ty for the input though. i will try the cards if i can find some a bit larger than what is available here.


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## VT4Me (Mar 23, 2008)

If you don't change the aquascaping much then you won't have a true Amazon tank. The species will be SA, but the look will not be. However, this is not a criticism, it's your tank after all.


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## porksnorkel (Aug 14, 2007)

no prob mon. i am open to critique and suggestions. i do however like the rock and the bulk of it will stay. sides...if i wanted a true biotope, then we wouldn't be able to see anything in the tank at all. perhaps i should change the "name" from Amazon to one of it tributaries or something more rocky.


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## VT4Me (Mar 23, 2008)

Unless you can be positive about where each species is from, I would just stick with 'South American'. This leaves the door open to pretty much everything then. But who cares what it's called!


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## porksnorkel (Aug 14, 2007)

i shoulda thought of that before i titled this dern thread. i would have called it "pork's tank", but i wanted some folks to actually see it,lol. anyways...ty for the input...check back in a few weeks, as i should have the vall in there, and some new fish.


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## porksnorkel (Aug 14, 2007)

picked up 5 more green cories. they are in Q right now. sorry bout the crappy pic, but i can't get a good shot in this tank for some reason.










also added 3 hydor nano pumps for 600+ more gallons of circulation.


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## porksnorkel (Aug 14, 2007)

ty guys. i have rearranged things, as i felt the set up was to cluttery, and left little room for plantings. much of the rock has come out as well as the wood. not sure how i feel about the last piece of wood at this point. i'll have to see it w/ the plants in.




























as u can see, there are some nice cory and ram caves. hopefully some will be convinced to spawn at some point.

i have added 2 more angels and the 5 cories that were in Q. also picked up 17 rummy nose tets, 8 scissortail tets, 4 bolivian rams, and 3 more panda cories. all the later are in Q.

on a different note, the last of the clown plecs was traded in, as well as all the silver dollars.


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## VT4Me (Mar 23, 2008)

I love your choice of fish, keep an eye on the water quality with those rummys. The rock piles look ok, perhaps a little too symmetrical in terms of size. I'd really like to see some more wood or roots in there and definitely some plants such as swords, pygmy chains, etc.


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## jcushing (Apr 6, 2008)

all the species that you have really like rooty pieces of driftwood and plants...


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## porksnorkel (Aug 14, 2007)

vt...the plan is for mostly jungle valls. perhaps an amazon sword inthe middle of things. i am liking the symmetry for now, but i may change things again when the plants arrive. as for wood...just not liking it right now. i want some branchy pieces that i can hang from the top, as if i low hanging tree were dipping it's branches in the water, so keep an eye out and lemme know if u see some for sale. as always...ur opinions are appreciated!


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## D-007 (Jan 3, 2008)

Ok, if it we me, I'd put the rock pile on the right side of the tank more to the back and corner, and add a couple of pieces of slate. That piece of wood in the center would be improved with 2-4 pieces of Java fern tied to it. In and around the rock piles I would also add Java fern or Anubias. Towards the back I'd add Watersprite that will eventually become a 'background' itself. These plant choices being that they are easy to care for plants. Plus, I would add more driftwood on account of some of the fish species you have chosen, so that they'll flourish better. Regarding the fish, I like the list too. BUT like I said, the previous remarks were if it were me 

Regarding the wood and what you are after, maybe you could find some thin branches/long twigs, either real or fake, and then silicone them together to give you the look you're after. :-?


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## Hsi Wang Hu (Jun 15, 2008)

I liked the rocks. I, personally, do not beleive you over-killed the rocks. But I think it needs some more driftwood and plants and, to me, it would be perfect.


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## HiImSean (Apr 5, 2007)

i like the new aquascape better than the old.


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## VT4Me (Mar 23, 2008)

Come on Pork, you've gotta pay attention to all these wood and roots suggestions now


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## porksnorkel (Aug 14, 2007)

i here em VT. just a matter of getting the plants in and going from there.


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## porksnorkel (Aug 14, 2007)

woo hooo!!! plants!


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## VT4Me (Mar 23, 2008)

Looking good.

Put the thermometer on the side though and

ADD...MORE...WOOD!!!


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## porksnorkel (Aug 14, 2007)

ty Vt. i actually like the thermometer on the front, so i remember to check it. as for wood, it seems i have that nice open space up front, so i'll have to look around and see what i can find.


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## Sick-Lid-4-Life (Mar 22, 2008)

Your take looks great now what the plants are in there.


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## D-007 (Jan 3, 2008)

Looking much better indeed - I'm jealous :lol: Agree with the wood idea too, maybe if you find a piece long enough you could bridge the gap between the rock piles.


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## porksnorkel (Aug 14, 2007)

thanks again guys. i'll post some pics in a month or so.


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## porksnorkel (Aug 14, 2007)

it's been an up and down week in this aquarium. the plants aren't fairing well. i think it is partly do to my substrate, but more so because my glass tops are so clouded that the light isn't getting through. i think i will move the hatchets to my daughter's 20g, and take the glass tops off. hopefully the moisture won't destroy my canopy. i also have a Co2 set up on the way. should arrive today.

as for the fish...i lost most of the rummies that were in Q. i didn't realize they were so sensitive when i got them, and i don't think i can provide the type of water quality they need. also lost 2 marble hatchets, an angel, and a bumblebee cory. they were all young fish. i think decaying plant matter, and possibly overfeeding may be to blame. i'm on 35% weekly WC's. not sure how much to feed, as i have not yet had a tank w/ this many fish in it.

but there was a very high point to the week...

ANGEL BABIES!!




























of course, now i have a whole new canno worms! what the heck am i gonna do w/ these guys when they hatch? they will certainly make a nice lunch for the other fish in here. perhaps i can temp them in a 10g till i figure out what to do.


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## jcushing (Apr 6, 2008)

wow, that didnt take long....

sorry bout the tetras, they are all very fragile. i lost 4 penguins for no apparent reason over 2 days. i lost them the same time i added 6 angels (and lost 2). i have had good luck with rummynose but *** been really carefull with them. i did a slow drip acclimation for 45min-1hr with them. im supprised i didnt loose any cause they looked bad in the store (no color) and the monkey that scooped em for me killed like 6 of them netting them for me.


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## porksnorkel (Aug 14, 2007)

update for july...

tank is coming around. i had to mow down most of the plants as they got beat up in shipping, and also the filters were destroying the valls. since then i have moved some of the plants away from the filters, removed the glass canopies, added a pressurized Co2 system, and another FX5. the emperors will go to the other tank, since using them is wasting the Co2. the plants are rooting well and have started to come back. it will be awhile till they get to the top i think.



















this is the new FX5 and Co2 bottle. i'm using an Azoo regulator and needle valve, controlled by the timer. the gas is delivered in the aquarium via this easy lil DIY set up. basically i'm using a small internal Elite filter, to diffuse the Co2. it makes a tapping noise when the bubbles pass through it, so a bubble counter isn't really needed.


















twin intakes...


















current fauna is the angel pair, 5 bolivian rams, 9 scissortail tetras/rasboras, 1 whiptail cat, 4 hatchets[had a jumper and never found him], 1 rummy nose[the rest did not survive] and a mess of cories.

this tank has claimed many lives thus far, some do to my stupidity, and some do to unknown causes. things seem to be getting better though. i will likely order another light kit so i can replace the glass tops. the evaporation is obscene. several gallons a day go missing. also helps stabilize temps w/ the tops on. seems to stay at a nice 80d-F. twas to hot before so i flipped the fan upside down to blow cold air into the canopy. works much better. i have a set of night time LED's now too. should have those on by next week. check back then...

ps...the angel spawn yielded no fry this time...or the filters ate them!


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## D-007 (Jan 3, 2008)

Glad that the tank is starting to look and run better, though I'm sorry to hear you had so many losses.

Surprised the glass tops were 'blocking' a lot of the light, although if they were quite cruddy then that is expected. If it helps, should you try using them again, give them a clean with CLR and rinse of well. It's what I use when they are covered with that crusty stuff and gunk.

The angel eggs were probably eaten by other tank members; quite possible the Rams or Whiptail. More plant cover will help prevent that. Seeing as you have had a lot of problems with the plants and the sandy substrate, you could try a bunch of Java Fern tied/wedged to the rocks. Years ago I saw a tank solely stocked on Java fern and Dwarf Hairgrass and it was really a looker :drooling: The lady that had the tank (think it was a 75g) did not use CO2 and just used flourescent tube lighting. I'm thinking of doing the same thing with one of my 55g's in the future, except I'll use CFL's instead - less heat and more hood room :wink: .

Looking forward to the LED pictures and well done with the tank.

D


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## BurgerKing (Jul 1, 2008)

if you're looking for a blast of color, you could get some glowlite tetras. They're bigger than cardinals but still school. They have a nice yellow stripe through their body and a red tip on their tail. Personally, i luv em.

Great looking tank and sorry about the losses. Good luck and keep up the great work


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## porksnorkel (Aug 14, 2007)

appreciate the input guys as always. haven't searched for wood yet. been focusing on some other stuff. i think i may add some more plant varieties soon. currently still having algae issues. i'll get it figured out though. i added 2 t-5 light strips from coralife. very cheap regular t-5's. no HO or VHO. these 2 are around 40W a piece i think. i am using these from 12pm to 12am. the big Pc lamps come on at peak growth times. i'm trying 1pm to 11pm currently, but will likely lower that time cause algae.

the lunars are working fine thus far. a bit clumsy looking and not quite bright enough, but worth a try on a smaller tank. this tank needs at least 6 more LED's. these are blue,wide angle LED's btw.



















night LED's. looks brighter in reality, but not much. puts a nice ambiance in the room, but not good for viewing.


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## convictkid (Jul 28, 2004)

> the emperors will go to the other tank, since using them is wasting the Co2


How were they wasting the co2. Cause I have one aswell as a c-360 canister on my 75 gallon. Just curious how it waste co2 cause I don't want mine wasted?


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## porksnorkel (Aug 14, 2007)

u don't want surface tension on a Co2 injected tank. the rippling on the water surface causes an air exchange at the surface, which wastes the Co2. obviously an HOB filter ripples the surface quite a bit. u should be fine w/ a canister though. i have 2 fx 5's running on this tank for around 1200gph turnover. just don't point the output towards the surface of the water.


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