# 125 Mbuna Tank Build Thread



## ridley25

Well, I think IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ve finally reached a point where I can start posting about my display tank build.

In the fall of 2008 my wife said she would like a fish tank for Christmas.
Seemed like a nice idea.
A friend and coworker suggested I check out cichlids. IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢d never heard of them, so like anyone else in these times, I Googled them.
They looked cool! Cichlids, specifically mbuna, it was going to be.

The next step was a trip to my LFS.
The stock available was overwhelming - but not as overwhelming as all the hard-to-learn names.
IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ve since realized the value of _Latin names_; all the fancy made up trade names only serve to complicate and muddy things.

Since I was originally planning on getting a 10 gallon tank, buying a three foot 38 gallon tank seemed like a massive upgrade. I was worried that my wife might send me back!

The realization that a 38 gallon tank is way too small for mbuna is where my story begins.

In the spring of 2009 we renovated our first floor; this was my chance to fit in a big tank.
Our house was built in 1914 and thereÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s an apartment in the basement.
So the weight of a large tank couldnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t sit just anywhere.

Plan Ã¢â‚¬ËœAÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ had a built-in 4x2x2 120 over a support column in the middle of the house.
A neat idea that wasnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t great for viewing Ã¢â‚¬â€œ I was going to cut a window in my planned background to work around this:










Then we changed our minds on the location of the kitchen, which created an opening on a 74Ã¢â‚¬Â


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## newforestrob

opcorn:


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## pomi

I'm looking forward into reading your story. Don't spare any details


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## Rhinox

pomi said:


> I'm looking forward into reading your story. Don't spare any details


+1 replying now to get the topic into "my posts"


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## GTZ

newforestrob said:


> opcorn:


 opcorn:


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## juststayinthecave

Bring it on, can't wait. I'm scratching together the components for a 150 gal 4'X2'X30" high tank. Not sure what Africans I'll use yet, I'm a novice at best, but I'm reading threads like this to get ideas. opcorn:


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## jmartyg

GTZ said:


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## dielikemoviestars

jmartyg said:


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## ridley25

Plumbing.

Trolling the DIY forums for the better part of two years exposed me to more ideas and methods that could possibly be hooked up to one tank.

The first killer idea I saw was the addition of a *Drainage Valve* for my canister.
I bought a new FX5 for $200 a year and a half ago Ã¢â‚¬â€œ too good a price to even bother comparison shopping.

The same thread from which I stole that idea also had a *UV Sterilizer* plumbed into the canister.
Although superfluous, I liked the option of zapping all those nasties in what will be a plant-free tank.

I wanted to include a *surface agitator* since I don't plan on having any of the outputs aimed toward the surface.

I also wanted an *In-Line Heater*. One less piece of equipment to hide.

And *ball valves* to regulate the whole deal.

Among my rejected plumbing ideas were Wave Makers and Fluidized Bed Filters.

To increase my filtration and water flow as well as not over-plumb my FX5 I decided to add a Fluval 405.

Forgive the awesomeness of my Google Sketch prowess:









So...a quick trip to the LHS to buy some PVC, et cetera.

ThatÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s when the whole thing ground to a halt.

FX5 has 1Ã¢â‚¬Â


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## newforestrob

I love these types of threads, :thumb:

if it wouldn't be too much trouble could you pm. me info. on the industrial plastics supplier for future reference,thanks

opcorn:


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## ridley25

PM sent.


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## bearwithfish

opcorn:


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## zimmy

Great thread, Kevin!
I'll add my opcorn: to everyone else's to keep following your story.


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## GTZ

Just got in a new supply of phpbb popcorn, we were running low :wink:


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## phorty

Great thread!


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## ridley25

The stand might be on its way, but I've had a busy week of drinking with long lost friends - new post soon.

kevin


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## ridley25

Aquascaping.

A basic black painted back ground always looks nice but IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ve done that before and wanted to try something more ambitious.
IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ve seen some nice DIY BGs over the years but IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ve seen some that lookÃ¢â‚¬Â¦veryÃ¢â‚¬Â¦_DIY_.
Something that kinda sorta looked like the lake wasnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t going to fly in a six foot display tank.
IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ve always loved the convincing natural look that can be Ã¢â‚¬ËœboughtÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ with polystyrene back grounds.

Finding said back grounds can be a chore.
In Canada, I found the best place to be Gills NÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ Fins.
Patrick is a super-easy guy to deal with and packs his stuff for shipping with great care.
On one of my orders we had a misunderstanding that he corrected right away Ã¢â‚¬â€œ he clearly knows his customer service.

I tried a dry run on a 15 gallon Tanganyikan set up a few years ago that turned out fairly well.










The build thread is here if you have some time to kill.

But really, a two foot tank with no brace and two holes to cut was not that much of a challenge.
And the more I thought about it, the more I thought that just dropping a 72Ã¢â‚¬Â


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## bearwithfish

man i am so excited .. this is a great build....


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## newforestrob

Lookin good,I just ordered the 72" malawi background today,from P.Eriksson,after I get it,next stop John at N.A.F.B
did you get a custom stand made,my tank wont fit a "normal stand"


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## ridley25

newforestrob said:


> did you get a custom stand made,my tank wont fit a "normal stand"


Yes. Stand building seems fairly straightforward if you have tools and a little know-how, neither of which I have. So custom it is.

To be covered in the next instalment...

kevin


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## cantrell00

Really curious to see how these modules work out...

I have a 72" - 180 that i am putting together right now. Those backgrounds are just too expensive... This may be a viable route...


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## ridley25

cantrell00 said:


> Those backgrounds are just too expensive... This may be a viable route...


Don't kid yourself into thinking this is cheaper 'cause it's not. It's just the way I decided to go...

kevin


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## cantrell00

I was assuming that the freight would be significantly cheaper atleast...

I was thinking of module 2, 3 & 4 only... Adding the slimline really makes it expensive...


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## ridley25

I had planned on mixing Slimline & Modules. My plan was to cut the Slimline down so that it covered the height of the tank on one side but gradually descended as it came across the tank - kind of like an underwater drop off.

I think it would have looked cool, but when it wasn't available I decided to forge ahead with just Modules mixed with real rocks.

In hard costs the Canyon 72" is $249 (Malawi and Tanganyika are $389 but I like Canyon better).

The 6 modules I purchased ended up costing $405. I don't know if the shipping one over the other would have made a difference.

But in straight comparison they probably cost about the same - my modules will be used on the sides and top - they will cover more than just the back of the tank.

kevin


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## cantrell00

Gotcha...

I want the Canyon Rock also but the only guys that seem to have it in 72" are the guys in Canada (where you got yours) & apparently they won't ship to the US...

Maybe they would if I called instead of ordering online? Import customs would probably be really bad though - maybe not. Dunno.

I have the Malawi Rock in my 120 & it's front to back depth looks awesome but just takes up too much room.. That is a 24" depth too. Way too bid for 18" depth. It is H U G E!

Like I said - really interested to see how this works out for you... Imitation afterall is the greatest for of flattery..


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## backpacker369

opcorn:


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## ridley25

Things are getting hot and heavy now, so a quick update only:

Fingers crossed my _Synodontis njassae_ (I know I haven't even talked about my proposed stocking yet) will arrive this Sunday.
They've been very hard to find so I am getting them sooner than I'd prefer.

So the 3m/8f _saulosi _in my 38 gallon are being shipped off to the 29 gallon in my office to make room for the _njassae _in the 38.

I stayed late last night and converted my 29 from this:










To this:










Sorry about the reflecty cell phone pictures, but I think my _saulosi_ should do well here.
I was careful to create a few territories without sightlines into other territories.
I hope to keep all 11 but will trim to 1m/5f if need be.
Right now my BN pleco has the run of the tank:










kevin


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## cantrell00

Nice rocks with a tank.. :lol:

The fish don't care...


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## ridley25

I've now successfully siliconed one (one!) polystyrene rock to my tank glass, but I'm wracked with self-doubt and second thoughts about my arrangement, so I'll switch over to stocking.

I've had my 125 since August but have been changing my mind about stocking for much longer than that.

The only thing I've never wavered from is my only non-negotiable cichlid: _Labeotropheus_.
_Fuelleborni _or _trewavasae_, didn't matter. This tank had to have _Labeotropheus_.

With so many species combinations available in a six foot tank I thought I hit on a pretty brilliant idea: a *collection point aquarium*.
The idea was to pick five species from one tiny area of the lake and replicate it.
I knew it wouldn't be easy but it turned out to far more unworkable than I had ever imagined.
Some of the things to consider:
5 mbuna from one collection point that I like.
5 mbuna from one collection point that I like and are compatible.
5 mbuna from one collection point that I like, are compatible and are available.
5 mbuna from one collection point that I like, are compatible, are available and one is _Labeotropheus_.

I started with Zimbawe Rock. Protected waters. Finding 5 available species was going to be a problem. Same with West Thumbi Island.
I loved certain fish from Minos Reef, Gallireya Reef and Boadzulu Island but they didn't have 5 species I was crazy about.
Chinyankwazi, Chinyamwezi and Taiwanee Reef came closest to fruition, but ultimately I wasn't able to confirm that the 5 species I wanted were available for purchase.
I even considered mixing mbuna and haps as a shortcut, but I really wanted mbuna.

So that idea eventually died.

Now I was back to the drawing board of finding 5 mbuna species that I liked and were compatible.

I've been all over the map on this one, but here is where I'm at today. The pictures are from one of our site sponsors where I'll likely be making the purchase:










































By all accounts these cichlids _should _be okay together. Not surprisingly I have't come across someone else with this stock in a 125 who can say: "Yes it will work," but I think there are enough colour differences and temperament similarities to have a chance.

Confusingly, I've had some advice from people who have worked and dived with Ad Konings suggesting a mellow hap species like _Copadichromis borleyi_ or _azureus_ to occupy the top of the tank.

I'm still undecided about that one.
If I do add a group of haps I might remove the _joanjohnsonae_, since as a _Labidochromis _(many still call them _Melanochromis_) they might not have the spunk to do well with some of my other rowdies.

At any rate, I plan on purchasing about 10 juveniles of each (15 or so _demasoni_) and weeding out troublemakers until I get to about 5-8 of each.

But the hot news on my stocking front is that I already have some!

The only "pure" thought I had left from the collection point idea was my catfish; I wanted something native to Lake Malawi, and that meant _Synodontis njassae_.

These fish were hard to find.

I had want ads posted all over the place with no results.
But then two weeks ago I came across another hobbyist by chance who knew of a store in Montreal that sold them.
Fast forward to the weekend, when I moved my _Pseudotropheus saulosi_ from my 38 gallon at home to make room for its new inhabitants:
Six 4cm _Synodontis njassae_!



















Cute little buggers, aren't they?

kevin


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## Rhinox

Id go forward with those 5 mbuna and forget about adding any haps. Looks like a stocking list I'd be willing to try out. In fact, when I build my giant mbuna tank in a few years, those williamsi norths and exasperatus/joanjohnsonae are 2 of the first new species I hope to add with my existing stock.

Good job finding the Njassae too! I thought about going with them, but the one time I found them available they were more expensive than I was willing to pay at the time.


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## newforestrob

Good to here you found Njassae-(I seen your want adds on a couple of sites)
With all your methodical planning I,m sure everything will workout ,I like your mbuna choices


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## backpacker369

well hows it going???????????????????


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## ridley25

I was out of town for a little early March break and have also undertaken a home reno - but things are still going!

I have some rocks siliconed and some plumbing done - will post soon.

Thanks for asking!

kevin


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## backpacker369

great I look forward to seeing how it is going


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## ridley25

Things have stalled considerably. Partially because we're renovating part of our house, partially because I've been terrified about making a mistake siliconing my biggest rock.

It's going to have one intake and two outputs behind it, so getting the plumbing all lined up properly the first time (with no prior experience) is of the essence.

Here are the results - freshly siliconed tonight:










Between the angle and the reflections you can't tell, but I've drilled three intake holes and two output holes.
I siliconed plastic screen door mesh over the intake holes to keep any little fishes from swimming inside when the outputs are turned off during water changes.










A different view so you can see two of the three hoses - the last hose has been measure and will hopefully fit!
The protruding hose will be trimmed once the silicone dries.










Side view showing the depth of the Sierra 1 rock (the tank is 18" wide)










And here's a shot from behind that shows the 1" intake and one of the 5/8" outputs.
The FX5 input strainer was too big to fit back here, so I just have some more screen door mesh held over the intake with a rubber band - I'll be able to remove this tube easily if that little DIY fails.
The output not shown will point towards the surface to cause some rippling.

If this part worked out well things should speed up pretty quickly from here...once all my rotisserie baseball drafts are done!

kevin


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## newforestrob

kevin,
good to see youre still working on this,patient and planning is key, :thumb: 
looking forward to the progress,
are you painting the back black,it would give it depth,until next time opcorn:


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## ridley25

I have two pieces of plexiglass sheeting that I am going to paint.

I am hoping that by using a sheet that I will attach to the background I can do something more interesting than a flat colour.

With the first sheet I will try a very dark blue with a faint light spot that will seem like distant sunlight from the surface.

And if that fails I'll just paint the second sheet one colour.

kevin


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## ridley25

The aquascape is finally done. Well, I may add some vals on the left side...I haven't decided yet.

At any rate, all the AquaTerra rocks are siliconed in place. I found some brown silicone, which is nice because the few mistakes I made don't show up at all.

I worried myself sick over how to place these things, knowing that mistakes in cutting and siliconing were fairly irreversible and fairly expensive.
But in the end I'm pretty happy with the way they turned out.

Keep in mind that I will be adding a painted plexiglass back ground:










There is an "easter egg" on one of the rocks on the right - I'll give more details later.

I had to make some changes along the way once I got the AquaTerra rocks.

In the summer I spent about $80 on 300 pounds of sandstone. But once I saw the sandstone didn't match the fake rocks at all I had to switch them up.
The $80 didn't go down the drain since I used half of them in my 29 gallon saulosi tank.

I ended up buying rocks called "Pennsylvania Chicken Stone."
Trade names in the rock business are just as ridiculous as trade names in the fish business.
They don't match perfectly, but coming from the largest rock yard in Toronto, it was as close as I could get.

I also had 50 lbs of pool filter sand that I had bought in the summer. Once I started washing it I saw that it was far too white for my tastes; brown rocks would not dissolve into white sand.

So I ended up going with play sand - about 75 lbs in total - the rocks took up a lot of space!

My plumbing is almost done - I've painted myself into a corner with the Fluval 405 I've had seeding on my 38 gallon - I need to hook it up to my plumbed equipment, but as soon as I do all that nice bacteria is going to die off - I'm trying to avoid having to cycle the 125...

kevin


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## pomi

The rockscape is looking good.

Keep up the good work.


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## Dragonetti

Is that double bright led lights you have lighting the tank?


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## ridley25

That's right. From Marineland. Super bright when there's no water in there.

kevin


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## AquaCrazy_AZ

This thread is awesome! Your build looks amazing so far! Cant wait to see it finished!


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## jchild40

=D> opcorn:


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## FishyOne

Great thread, looking good!
opcorn:


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## newforestrob

hmmm....easter egg...chicken stone..or rabbit stone? :-? :lol:
which rockyard did you visit?


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## tankquility

you're an inspiration to us all!


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## ridley25

All except plumbers; I fired up my FX5 last night, which has a split output that runs through an in-line heater, and about half (or more?) of my connections started spraying water.

Being fairly useless I was ready with buckets and towels in case of something like this - I've never drained a tank so fast.

Time to reevaluate my plumbing plans...I'll likely post some pictures in the DIY section when I have a chance in the hopes of getting some assistance.

kevin


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## cjacob316

don't know if it was mentioned, but pretty sure it's required to have the heater verticle, also, with a T, isn't there a chance of non constant water flow? you could end up running your heater and uv dry


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## ridley25

The heater is vertical - that wasn't the problem - I have a lot of tubing and PVC parts to split my output hoses. Many of those connections weren't, and may never be water tight enough.

kevin


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## cjacob316

my honest suggestion.

put a heater behind the rock, sell the inline
get a pump and hose just for the UV, maxijets work great, heck maybe you can even use the maxijet behind the bg, and run the heater and uv off it


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## ridley25

It makes sense. Even if I get all these tubes working the way I want them I'll never be able to leave home for a week or two without worrying myself to death about coming home to 125 gallons of spilled water and a bunch of burnt out motors.

I may attach the inline to the Fluval 405 since they both take 5/8 hose. Barring that I will put a heater behind a rock.

The UV is a luxury - I don't really need it.


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## ridley25

An update with nothing to update:

Nothing has been torn down and the tank is still happening...eventually.

I may have mentioned that part of my house is being renovated. The plan now is to grab the professional plumber when he's on-site and have him look at it.

Then I'll be back in business, either with the original plan properly executed, or with a submersible heater and no UV sterilizer.

At least I don't have to worry about shipping fish in the cold.

kevin


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## ridley25

I've ditched the external heater and the UV.

Going with no UV is not a big deal - I always knew it wasn't necessary - it's for sale!

I managed to squeeze a heater in behind my biggest rock where it can't be seen. It _just _fits without touching the polystyrene, and there are lots of screened ventilation holes.
It only took a day to get all 125 gallons up to 78 degrees.

I still need to paint the background + one side. I won't post another picture until then because you can see the hoses and it looks awful! My wife keeps asking if it's going to look "like that." No, it's not.

Started cycling yesterday...

kevin


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## cantrell00

> Started cycling yesterday


Good feeling, huh?


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## ridley25

For sure. If all goes well from here I just might have finished this over budget, over time and not the way I meant it!

kevin


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## Deano5488

What an interesting read I wait with baited breath for the next instalment opcorn:


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## cantrell00

> For sure. If all goes well from here I just might have finished this over budget, over time and not the way I meant it!


Well... If it met all of those parameters it wouldn't have been nearly as fun!


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## ridley25

Wow...I hadn't done anything since May?

A little of this









And this









Got in the way.

Anyhow...I finally painted the background this weekend. I was going for a gradient with a sunlit bright spot, but in the end it just ended up look like dark blue. I painted on plexiglass so if I get bored or my fish don't pop in front of it I can swap it out for something different.

I will post pictures in the next day or two.

kevin


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## The King Crabb

I'm eager to see more! I've got a 125G just waiting to be set up too!


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## swrighty747

dielikemoviestars said:


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## kamikaziechameleon

gotta hurry up and show us that thing done!!! opcorn:


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## ridley25

Okay, here's how it ended up looking. Couldn't find my tripod so the pictures may be a bit blurry:



















There's an easter egg in the tank. When my rock modules arrived a coworker noted how much they looked like the asteroids in The Empire Strikes Back. So...










kevin


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## cantrell00

That is an awesome looking tank and the Millennium Falcon is truly a nice touch! :lol:

What kind of lights are you using? Are those LED pendants?


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## ridley25

The lights are Marineland LED Double Brights, if I recall correctly. I bought them so long ago!

kevin


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## cantrell00

Ah.. Ok.

Ya know, some jungle valisneria would look great in the gap along the back glass...

Also - have you considered what you are stocking it with?


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## newforestrob

definately worth the wait =D> now for some :fish:


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## ridley25

cantrell00 said:


> Ya know, some jungle valisneria would look great in the gap along the back glass...


I might give that a try. I guess the worst thing that can happen is it gets shredded by...



cantrell00 said:


> Also - have you considered what you are stocking it with?


...the 5 species of mbuna I'm putting in there.

1. Labeotropheus fuelleborni
2. Metriaclima sp. "msobo"
3. Pseudotropheus demasoni
4. Pseudotrophues sp. "williamsi north"
5. Labidochromis joanjohnsonae
and the synodontis njassae I have had in my 38 gallon since March.

kevin


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## cantrell00

ridley25 said:


> cantrell00 said:
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> ...the 5 species of mbuna I'm putting in there.
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> 1. Labeotropheus fuelleborni
> 2. Metriaclima sp. "msobo"
> 3. Pseudotropheus demasoni
> 4. Pseudotrophues sp. "williamsi north"
> 5. Labidochromis joanjohnsonae
> and the synodontis njassae I have had in my 38 gallon since March.
> 
> kevin
Click to expand...

Awesome..

I have actually had pretty decent luck withe the large amazon swords.

Demasoni, huh? Good luck. They frustrated me to no end & I eventually threw in the towel.


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## ridley25

Another major stall in my project occurred in October when I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. It's really hard to do a fishless cycle when you're in and out of the hospital all the time.

So...I have a bottle of bacteria on hand purchased from a site sponsor, and just finished up my fish order this afternoon. They should arrive Tuesday morning.

I have ordered all juveniles, so I will pull and sell/give away unwanted males until I get to stable ratios.

I already have 6 _Synodontis njassae.
_
Coming on the jet plane are:
12 _Labeotropheus fuelleborni_ "marmalade cats"
12 _Labidochromis_ sp. "hongi" SRT
14 _Metriaclima_ sp. "msobo"
8 _Pseudotropheus_ sp. "acei" Luwala Reef
12 _Pseudotropheus_ sp. "williamsi north"
2 Bristlenose plecos

I am very excited.

kevin


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## zimmy

I wondered what became of your project (I read the early posts in this thread as I was setting my own tank up so I was especially interested).

I hope all is well now with your health.

I look forward to seeing the pics of the tank when it's stocked. It was already looking great.


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## kamikaziechameleon

Yeah we need an update.


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## ridley25

Fish are due tomorrow.

Kevin


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## JimA

Tank looks great!!

Pancreatic cancer can be not so good (like any cancer) but I know that can be a really bad one. Some good healing mojo your way!! Will throw some fish mojo in there as well :thumb:

So I didn't see demasoni in the final list, did you axe them out?


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## ridley25

Yeah, too many horror stories about demasoni for me to dive in. Plus, to get the desired 12-15 I felt like I needed to buy 20 to be sure...and that was getting too expensive.

kevin


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## ridley25

The fish are in the tank.

I drove up to the airport yesterday and spent many nervous minutes (hours, actually) in a non-moving cargo pick-up line. Man, those places are a ball of confusion. When it was finally my turn at the counter things were fairly straightforward. I had to walk to another location to pay duty with Canada customs, then pay the delivery company, (for bringing the box all the way from the plane to the building next to the planes :roll: ) then the fish were mine.

Since they were going into an empty tank, I just floated them and then dumped them. Such cute little fishies!

A short (HD) video: 




I believe I admitted before that this project has been the opposite of DIY from the get-go: being too unskilled or lazy to do many things myself, I just paid top dollar for someone else to do so. That's a luxury of starting this crazy hobby when you're a well settled 40 year old.

Being a site sponsor, I believe I can mention that these fish came from Dave's Rare Aquarium Fish in San Antonio, Texas. This is mostly for the benefit of all the Canadians on this forum, but Dave certainly delivers to Canada. The cost of my fish was about $600. I paid $103 for shipping to South West Airlines. SW handed the box off to WestJet in Las Vegas. The delivery fee there was $63. The tax from Customs Canada was $77. Just some numbers if you're a Canuck needing a big order of fish that can't be found locally.

Dave, by the way, was great. Helpful and patient on the phone with outstanding follow up. He was keen to hear about the charges and process sending into Canada and was truly apologetic about the second delivery charge. Time will tell if my specimens are top notch, but so far they look a millions times healthier and true-to-type than the stock available at all but of a few LFS here in Toronto - and we have a lot of LFS.

Another video: 




Having this tank up and running is a joy. Next comes the maturation of my 56 cichlids, which I'm sure will see many ripped fins but hopefully no deaths as I get the numbers and balance right.

kevin


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## zimmy

The tank looks amazing with the fish in it! My only complaint is that the video is too short 

Thanks for all the information about bringing the fish into Canada. Very helpful.


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## TrashmanNYC

Awesome. Got anymore info on those rock modules?


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## GTZ

Excellent follow up Kevin, thanks! Since you didn't mention, I assume there were no DOA's?
Can I also assume that those prices were overnight?
Thanks again, the tank and fish both look fantastic


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## ridley25

No DOA's. I had one pleco that looked lifeless, but it's been fine. The mbuna are a little too interested in the plecos for my liking - with the hiding places I've provided I sure hope they don't get nibbled to death. I've never had mbuna kill a pleco in my 4 years doing this, so I'd hate to start now.

***

As for the question about more info about the rock modules, what did you want to know? Happy to answer any questions I can.


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## Jayse

What was used for the bluish background?? Love it and am thinking of incorporating this color with my new tank that appears to have been spray painted black on the back. Is it spray paint or something else? If paint what type? I'd like to not get one that reflects back so to speak. Is there a name to the color/ brand as well?

Got to be up there in the top 5 tanks I have ever seen. I've been thinking of doing a DIY styro/ drylok background, but wasn't too keen on the 3 inches of depth I would need to really make a wall stand out and look visually realistic. As you've mentioned there's some awesome ones out there and some ones that look really "do it yourself", I prefer the awesome ones. Maybe I'll try making styro/ drylok modules instead, don't thing I've seen that done before. Thanks for the inspiration!!


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## ridley25

Jayse said:


> What was used for the bluish background?? Love it and am thinking of incorporating this color with my new tank that appears to have been spray painted black on the back. Is it spray paint or something else? If paint what type? I'd like to not get one that reflects back so to speak. Is there a name to the color/ brand as well?


I painted on an acrylic back ground cut to shape. I just mixed a very dark blue with white try to get a gradient effect - but it doesnt show up at all. The paints are standard acrylic and were applied with a brush. Cannot recall the brand name.

kevin


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## ridley25

Here's an iPhone shot of some juveniles. You can see from the way he's flashing his colourful finnage that the _fuelleborni_ is acting very much like a male - or at least the owner of this rock.










kevin


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## JcarrVT

nice looking tank! also, great choices of species... I'm a big fan of the hongi/msobo/fuelleborni combo... they look great together.


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## ridley25

I found my little juveniles munching on a dead pleco today - couldn't determine cause of death.

Good thing I bought two.

Kevin


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