# New African Cichlid tank setup



## ccla

Hello everybody,

This is my first post on this site. I registered a few days ago with the intention of asking a lot of questions and then I started looking through the Library section and a lot of answers were answered there. I still have a few questions that I am sure are answered somewhere in the Library, however I was not able to find the answer.

First a little bit about myself. I currently have two tanks, a 10G with three small Goldfishes, and a 30G with 5 Featherfin Catfish, 5 Neon Tetras, 2 Guppies, and what I believe is a Yellow Glowfish. The 10G tank has been setup for 8 months and the 30G tank for 6 months. Originally the tropical fishes were in the 10G tank, and then I inherited the 30G tank from a friend who moved and did not want to take the tank with him.

I just purchased a new 75G tank (the excuse I gave the wife is that the Featherfins will be getting too big for the 30G). At the moment I am working on making some stuff for the tank cabinet and an insulated back for the tank, and once I am done with that I will start planning out the aquascape inside the tank. The tank will be placed on the second floor of my house looking down into the two story foyer. There is a south facing window that brings light into the foyer, and this is the reason that I am building a back for the tank that will insulate it from the sun.

While I am doing this I am also researching the equipment I want to use and deciding on what kind of tank to setup, either a Malawi or Tanganyika. Also I would like to have two or three plants in the tank (I read the Plants 101 article and am anxiously awaiting the 102 follow-up).

So with all that in mind, here is the equipment list I came up with:

â€¢	Eheim 2126 Professional II filter loaded up exclusively with Mechanical media.
â€¢	Eheim Wed/Dry Canister with Thermofilter (I do not like the look of in-tank heaters and rising bubbles. However, will this provide enough oxygen in the tank?).
â€¢	Pentai AquaStep UV Sterilizer 10W (I am not sure if this is really needed â€" so any suggestions are welcome). I am planning to put this in-line with the 2126. Will this do, or should I get a separate water pump for this?
â€¢	CO2 System (I havenâ€™t done as much research on this yet, but I was looking at this system: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/P ... catid=9935 . As I understand it all I need to add is a tank of C02 and I am in business.
â€¢	For substrate, I am looking at either Red Sea Success Reef Base Substrate or Reefsand Black Beach Sand #1. I am not sure which color I want my substrate, but it will be either white or close to black. Also I do not want the sand grain size to be too small, and I am not sure what size the Red Sea product is. Any ideas?
â€¢	One think I have yet to look into is lights. The aquarium came with a single Neon light bulb of 32W. I am pretty sure that will not be enough for the two or three plants (I am planning on Anubias, Java Fern, and Water Onion â€" not all three necessarily).
â€¢	For rockwork I was looking at perhaps a couple of smaller Texas Holey Rocks on one side of the tank, and Black Obsidian on the other(I really like the look of gbleekerâ€™s tank in the Rate The Tank Above You (mbuna style!!!) thread). I guess the best place to find the Obsidian would be at a local landscaping outlet.

As for the fishes, the tank will contain the five Featherfins I currently have in the 30G. For the other fishes I am not sure, but these are some of the fishes that I really like:

Malawi
â€¢	Blue Dolphin (Cyrtocara moorii)
â€¢	Electric Yellow Lab (Labidochromis caeruleus)
â€¢	Blue Ahli (Sciaenochromis ahli)
â€¢	Yellow Tail Acei (Pseudotropheus Acei)
â€¢	Afra Edwardi (Cynotilapia afra)
â€¢	Rusty Cichlid (Iodotropheus sprengerae)

Tanganyika
â€¢	Black Calvus (Altolamprologus calvus)
â€¢	Frontosa (Cyphotilapia frontosa) â€" But I think this fish might get too big for my tank.

I think all of these fishes would be able to co-exist with each other.

I also would like to perhaps put in the tank one or two Blue Lobsters. I know that they are out of place but I really like them. The only problem I see is that they like their PH in the 6.5-8.0 range. Will this create a problem? Would there be any other problems in including this invertebrate in the tank?

Thanks a lot for any help.

Claudio


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## sleepy09

Hi ccla, welcome to CF. It looks like you have a real nice plan here.
After reading your post I am not sure what your question is, it seems that you have a great plan and that you have done your homework.



> (the excuse I gave the wife is that the Featherfins will be getting too big for the 30G).


I can say one thing about that, you aren't the first one that has had use a line like that



> â€¢ Eheim Wed/Dry Canister with Thermofilter (I do not like the look of in-tank heaters and rising bubbles. However, will this provide enough oxygen in the tank?).


A wet/dry works by dripping water thru your bio media, the added bonus is lots of oxygen. It should be plenty with other filtration that you plan on using.



> For substrate, I am looking at either Red Sea Success Reef Base Substrate or Reefsand Black Beach Sand #1. I am not sure which color I want my substrate, but it will be either white or close to black. Also I do not want the sand grain size to be too small, and I am not sure what size the Red Sea product is. Any ideas?


Another option is Eco Complete sand. The grains are not that small and it helps in buffering your water. Not to mention I think it looks great. Not to black and not to white. Just right. Thats what Michelle Obama said. Opps did I type that.  8)



> I also would like to perhaps put in the tank one or two Blue Lobsters


I wouldn't put anything in my tank that could hurt my fish. You may wake up one morning and find a Blue Lobster snacking on one of your fish. What are the right water conditions to keep lobsters in? They may not be the same as Rift Lake water conditions.

Good luck and keep us posted. Don't forget to post some pics


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## ccla

Hello sleepy09,

I guess the questions were really hidden in the over-verbose post. You did catch a few of them, but here they all are:

- Will the Eheim Wet/Dry filter provide enough Oxygen to the tank?
- Should I include a UV filter in the setup?
- Can the AquaStep UV 10W Sterilizer be driven by the Eheim 2126, or should I use a separate pump?
- Is the C02 system I have indicated acceptable? Is there a better solution out there that is not considerably more expensive?
- Any idea where could I get some Black Obsidian? I tried the local landscaping business, but could not find it.

As with regards to the blue lobster, everything I read on it says that it does not attack fishes but will defend itself so I do not think the fishes will be at risk. However, its PH range maximum (8.0) is barely above the minimum range for most African species, so I was wondering if anyone ever tried having one in an African tank and what the results were?

Thank you for your answers,

Claudio[/list]


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## PaulineMi

> Opps did I type that.  8)


 :lol: :lol: :wink:


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## cevvin

ccla said:


> As with regards to the blue lobster, everything I read on it says that it does not attack fishes but will defend itself so I do not think the fishes will be at risk. However, its PH range maximum (8.0) is barely above the minimum range for most African species, so I was wondering if anyone ever tried having one in an African tank and what the results were?
> 
> Thank you for your answers,
> 
> Claudio[/list]


The ph isn't the problem. The blue lobster can attack your fish when they are sleeping, and when the lobster is molting, cichlids eat them for lunch. People have done it, and people gave their fish an expensive snack. Just wouldn't do it.

As for co2, you wont need it with the plants that you are planning. So skip it until you get further into the hobby.

Point your filter outtakes at the top of the water to create surface movement. This will supply plenty of oxygen.

IMO you dont need the UV filter, unless you are going to overstock and leave your lights on all the time. You really dont need it. If you run into a problem later on, which if you keep tank maintenance up, you probably wont, then think about adding it.

Lighting, if its a 4ft you can buy a 4ft flourescent lighting fixture from home depot, or lowes and increase your wattage. Don't know if you have thought about creating a hood.

Stock wise, I wouldn't mix lakes, or Mbuna with Haps/Peacocks. And if you want plants skip the Acei, as I hear they can eat a whole garden in an hour.


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## ridley25

cevvin said:


> And if you want plants skip the Acei, as I hear they can eat a whole garden in an hour.


In the wild, "acei" are known to graze algae from submerged tree trunks and branches, in addition to rocks. They're no more or less into plant destruction than other herbivorous mbuna.

Which is not to say there aren't lots of hobbyists out there who have had their plants destroyed by them...


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## ccla

cevvin said:


> The ph isn't the problem. The blue lobster can attack your fish when they are sleeping, and when the lobster is molting, cichlids eat them for lunch. People have done it, and people gave their fish an expensive snack. Just wouldn't do it.
> 
> As for co2, you wont need it with the plants that you are planning. So skip it until you get further into the hobby.
> 
> Point your filter outtakes at the top of the water to create surface movement. This will supply plenty of oxygen.
> 
> IMO you dont need the UV filter, unless you are going to overstock and leave your lights on all the time. You really dont need it. If you run into a problem later on, which if you keep tank maintenance up, you probably wont, then think about adding it.
> 
> Lighting, if its a 4ft you can buy a 4ft flourescent lighting fixture from home depot, or lowes and increase your wattage. Don't know if you have thought about creating a hood.
> 
> Stock wise, I wouldn't mix lakes, or Mbuna with Haps/Peacocks. And if you want plants skip the Acei, as I hear they can eat a whole garden in an hour.


cevvin, OK so I will not put the lobster in my Cichlid tank. I will still buy it and put it in the 30G that I will free up - and if it eats the tetras, oh well....
I will also save a couple of hundred of $ by not having the CO2 and UV filter, so thank you for that! With the money I will save I will think about creating a hood. I also saw (http://www.fmueller.com/home/aquaristic ... /lighting/) that Home Depot sells cheap fluorescent lights strips. So I will build a hood to house it.

Claudio


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## ccla

OK,

so I spent the last two weekends making the back and the canopy for my tank and I thought you might enjoy some pictures.

Here is the back for the tank viewed from the side that will lay against the tank glass. The top panel has been cut to fit between the top and bottom frames of the tank so that it will sit flush against the tank. You can see the aluminum hooks I made to hang the back from the tank. I already painted both sides a dark blue.










Here is the image of the back from the other side. This side has already been painted blue as well, and I will commission my kids to paint some fishes on it. This side will face down in the entrance foyer. All of the tubes and power cables will run between the two panels so that they will not be seen from the foyer.










Here is a picture of the canopy being built. I am using the instruction from the DIY sections on making a simple canopy and changing it slighly to created a closed back that will sit on the back panel above. Here I am getting ready to glue and screw in the back brace:










In the next two images I am getting ready to glue together the panels that will cover the back of the canopy:



















I will post more pictures as I progress.

Claudio


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## ccla

After another couple of days I have almost finished with my back and canopy constructions, all is left to do is the painting. Here are some images of the progress so far:

Rear of Canopy without top:










The two holes will hold switches to turn lights on and off.

Top view of canopy without top:










Detail of the double paned back showing where all cables will be routed:










All pieces:










Test fit for canopy:










Claudio


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## ccla

Hello again,

it's been a while, but there has been progress. The problem is that it took a long time to do the painting of the various items, so there was nothing really to report.

Now all of the parts have been painted and next I will be ready to move the tank in its spot and work on the background.

Here is a picture of the tank with the canopy on:










Here is a picture of the light fixtures attached to the lid of the canopy:










Now a picture of the the whole ensamble:










And finally a picture of the back of the tank (sorry there was not much space to take the picture):


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## alicem

Your kids are great artists! 
I do hope we don't see an octopus or jelly fish in with your calvus, platty and neon tetras! :lol:

Did you construct the base cabinet for your tank? Very nice job on the canopy.
It's comming together nicely :thumb: 
Looking forward to picts. of it "in place" in the room above your foyer.


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## ccla

alicem said:


> Your kids are great artists!
> I do hope we don't see an octopus or jelly fish in with your calvus, platty and neon tetras! :lol:
> 
> Did you construct the base cabinet for your tank? Very nice job on the canopy.
> It's comming together nicely :thumb:
> Looking forward to picts. of it "in place" in the room above your foyer.


Well I have to afmit that I did help a little in painting the fishes (especially my daughter who is 5 years old). And although I do not yet know what kind of Africans will go in there, I am pretty sure no jelly fish and/or octopus will ever see the inside of the tank!!

The cabinet is not made by me. I just bought a cheap PerSmart one, and reinforced by putting some pine panels in the back.

I was going to do a full rock background, but since the tank is going to go on the second floor, it would be impossible to move (if I ever want to). So I think I am going to order a Tanganyika Aqua Terra one.


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## sleepy09

WOW ccla your tank is coming together nicely. =D> That canopy looks great but I think that you might want to open the back of it up more. You want to allow for the warm air and evaporation to exhaust easily. Also if you are planning on hanging the hoses for the canister filter or wires for powerheads over the back of the tank you may want to make roon for those too.



> Will the Eheim Wet/Dry filter provide enough Oxygen to the tank?


I answered that question but you might have missed it.



> A wet/dry works by dripping water thru your bio media, the added bonus is lots of oxygen. It should be plenty with other filtration that you plan on using.


You can also do as cevvin said and point the outflow upward to break the water surface, it will help supply more oxygen to the water.



> Should I include a UV filter in the setup?


You really don't need to put a UV sterilizer on a new tank. You can add it later once the tank is established and stocked. It will remove free floating algea and parasites from your tank water. I am not sure what a UV sterilizer has to do with overstocking but..... As far as using your Eheim canister to drive the UV sterilizer, I know that there are people that do use their canisters to run them but I think that you would be better off using a smaller slower powerhead or pump. They work more efficiently with a slower flow rate.



> - Is the C02 system I have indicated acceptable? Is there a better solution out there that is not considerably more expensive?


Alot of people have plants in their tanks without using a CO2 system. I think it is more important to have the proper lighting on the tank. Here is a link to help you with lighting your tank for plants. http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/l ... d_tank.php Make sure that you don't put any fish in your tank that are grazers if you are planning on putting plants in it.



> Any idea where could I get some Black Obsidian?


I don't know anything about that substrate. I really think that you should look into the Eco Complete Cichlid sand. It looks great and helps with buffering your water. The grains are a nice size and settle to the bottom fast. It comes bagged up with benificial bacteria in the bag which means that you don't have to rinse it plus it helps jump start your cycle.

*cevvin wrote*


> Lighting, if its a 4ft you can buy a 4ft flourescent lighting fixture from home depot, or lowes and increase your wattage.


That is exactly what I did. I spent about $30.00 on the light and the bulbs at Home Dumpster.
I got a shop light that uses T8 bulbs and screwed it into the inside of my canopy. I am using the Sunshine bulbs.


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## ccla

Hey sleepy09, thank you.

Yeah, I forgot to put vent holes in the canopy. I will put a couple of holes in there. As for the cables and hoses, if you look at the pictures they will go in-between the two panes that make up the panel at back of the tank (in one of the pictures you can see the power cable for the lights coming out - although not very clearly). In theory the only visible portion of the cables/tubes will be from the bottom of the back of the tank to the whole in the back of the cabinet (the thought that I could make the back of the cabinet double paned too came too late!!).

As for your answer I did not miss them, I just re-posted all of my questions without the ramblings. And I want to thank you for all your help.

I have already bought a sterilizer and I will set it up, but I will turn it on only once the tank is fully stocked. As for a pump for the UV does anyone know if the Eheim series are silent? Since the tank will be sitting next to our bedroom I would like to cut down on the noise as much as possible. Any other suggetiuons on good pumps? I will check the review section.

As for the CO2 system I have decided to use low light plants and not use it. I may revisit the issue if I find out that the plants need it!

As for lighting, I think I may overdone it. I actually put three HD T8 fictures in the hood (and the blue leds). I do not think I will be using more than two of the fixtures. Oh well they were only $10 or so each.

I will post once more progress is made.


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## ccla

So,
it has been a few weeks. I have made little progress as I have been out of the house for a couple of weeks and I have been struggling with illness with my African Featherfishes (luckily they pulled through).

Anyway, I have put a couple of vent holes in the canopy:










and I have received the background I am going to use:










And finally I have removed the top from the aqauarium so that I can put the background in without cutting it:










I also made a couple of addition to the stand, putting in some slide out shelves. Hopefully by the end of this weekend the background will in the tank and the top will be back on. Then I can test the tank for leaks for a week or so and by next weekend I can start the fishless cycle.


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## ccla

And here is the tool that I improvised to separate the silicone on the top of the glass pane from the tank rim:










I made it by bending an old knife and then filing the top so that it would slide between the glass and the trim.


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## ccla

Ok so I made progress, just not as much as I had hoped (had to do some work in the garden).

I have cut the background down to size and drilled/cut all the holes. Some of the holes will be almost invisible once the tank is setup, but a couple would be visible and I wanted to make them less obvious. I read about using sand, except I could not find any send that would blend in with the background color. 
I figured I could use parts of the cut background to make some pieces to silicone onto the sides of the holes.

Here are some pictures of the holes:




























And yes, those are blood stains on the overflow. I sanded my fingers as well as the background pieces when I was thining them out. 
I hope that the silicone on the overflow will not be as obvious once under water.


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## ccla

Small steps, small steps...

Today I siliconed the grate to the holes in the background:



















And here is how the background looks in the tank:










Hopefully tomorrow I will silicone the background in the tank.


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## FloodXL

Great build, I can't wait to see the finished product. Love the background.


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## ccla

More progress has been made. The background has been siliconed in the tank:










You can see the wave maker in the top right hand corner. I did not like the way the box looked so I set out to use some of the extra pieces of background to create a cover for the wave maker. Here is the cover seen from the front:










I do not particularly like the silicone seams but I hope that they will blend in with time. Here is a view from the back with the siliconed hooks that will hold the cover to the wave maker:










And here is the cover attached to the wave maker (from the front and from the top):



















And finally here is a power head that I will use to keep water movement in the back of the background and to provide additional biological filtration:










The green tube siliconed into the background is the return of the UV filter.


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## studmuffin

WOW!

looks great! keep updates with pictures!


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## ccla

Why is it that every project turns out to be more work than anticipated? I have made little progess on the tank. I have siliconed the top frame back on.
Anyway, the place where the tank was going to sit was carpeted (the only places in the house that do not have hard wood are the upstairs hallway and the kids rooms). Eventually I would want to place hardwood in those places, but if I put the tank down on the carpet I would have to remove it in order to put down the hardwood. I do not want to do that, so I spent the weekend flooring the hallway. Not as hard to do as I thougth it would be, but very hard on the back and knees!

So here are some pictures of the project. Hopefully next weekend I can finally fill the tank!

The carpet has been removed:










Just a few planks:

















Finished job (except for the trimmings):


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## alicem

Looks really nice. Trim work is the hardest part of construction IMO.
Congrats on a job well done.
:fish: 
Looking forward to seing the tank setup in place. (Bet you are too!)


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## ccla

alicem said:


> Trim work is the hardest part of construction IMO


There you go, and here I thought that the hard part was over!!


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## freshwater100

ccla,

great work on the tank really like to see when it fills up with water.

Also great work with the wood flooring.
I am also thinking to put some wood floor I just done family room with a professional but thinking i can do it myself. where did u get the gun and how much it cost to rent the tool.
what kind of wood u using and do u need to put the pading too. I am very close to convince my wife to let me do my office from carpet to wood (Bamboo wood) I like their looks and they are 
good for heavy traffic. I saw the guy who did my Family room and I think I can do the same its not that hard just hard on the Knees and Back as u said.


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## ccla

freshwater100,

putting down the wood was actually easier than I thought. I rented the tools from the Home Depot. I suggest you get the hydraulic gun. I originally was going to get the manual gun (cheaper because you do not have to rent the compressor), but the HD guy convinced me to get the hydraulic one instead (something about getting one arm looking like Popeye's).
Believe me, I had to put down only 120sq ft but it was back-breaking. I also had the AC upstairs down to 74 for the whole day and I was still sweating like a pig (I know, I know pigs do not sweat). I cannot imagine doing the same work with the manual gun (by the way the cost of rental for one day was $80 including insurance in case I broke the tool - of course today I just found out that a co-worker had the tool and compressor, which by the way retail for approximately $500 and $300 each, and would have been willing to lend them to me).

You will also need a miter saw (again, I was going to use my jig saw, but my brother in law convinced me to get the miter - he also offered to ship me one his two from Florida but it probably would have cost more to ship than to buy a new one). I got a good deal on a DeWalt model from Lowes. I believe it is a must because the jig saw would take too long to cut the planks.

A jig saw is good to cut weird shapes (for example when you have to trim a piece around a door molding). A table saw, if you have one, can be good to cut planks length-wise for that last plank that does fit, but I have a little jig for my jig-saw that allows me to cut straight lines. Not as straight as a table saw, but who cares? The cut portion will be covered by moldings anyway)

I suggest you also get one of those flexible saws to cut the door moldings to fit the wood under it (I had bought one to cut my background so I re-used it: Something like this).
In addition you will need a hammer and a nail set (to recess nails), a crow bar or something similar to push the last plank that will end at the wall to remove the gap from the previous plank, and pliers to remove nails that will go in only half-way (I am not sure if I had a defective nail gun, but sometimes when I did not hit the switch hard enough with the mallet, the nail would only go in half way).

I used Bruce hardwood (the natural oak 3/4" x 2 1/4" planks)

Keep your tools (including miter and jig) close by because you will be doing a lot of cutting. You will create a lot of dust so I suggest some kind of mask. Always trim off less rather than more and you will save a lot of planks. You can always trim more off, but I have yet to find a way to put wood back once I trimmed to much .

Also keep in mind that the most time consuming part of the work is to work around weird shapes floors. I believe a square room is easier to do than a hallway with recesses and landings.

Good luck!


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## ccla

So,

I am almost finished with the floor trimming and I moved the tank and stand upstairs. Here are a couple of pictures. The first shows the tank, while the second shows the view from the foyer (please ignore the hanging plastic bag which is there to bend a branch of the plant down):



















You will notive that the canopy is not on the tank. That is because I unfortunately hit another snag. When I took the top trim off, I placed some tape on it to prevent it being scratched when I was scraping off the silicone. Once I took the tape off, the glue stayed behind on the trim. I tried everything I could think of to remove it (orange skin, alchool, baby oil) but nothing worked. I guess it will be down to elbow grease. I did one half of the long side, and hopefully tomorrow I can do the rest and fill the tank.


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## freshwater100

ccla,

thanks for the detail for the flooring, i am also looking at the handscrape laminate Click lock so I dont have to worry about any nails just a Saw machine.

Your tank is almost their it will look great once you fill it up and put lights.


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## Dj823cichild

This guy is a regular Handy man! Great Job Ccla!


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## ccla

Tonight I cleaned the glue off of the top trim. What a pain in the @&#&. I got two huge blisters on my thumbs to show for it. Lesson learned: Buy painter's masking tape next time. Do not use regular packing tape.


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## alicem

Sorry, ccla, I've been off the web and just got back and read your post. 
Packing tape and masking tape _are horrible to remove _after they are on for a while. 
For future reference, there is a product called "De-solv-it" sold at WallyWorld in the house hold cleaner aisle.
It is great for removing old glue, gum, road tar, etc. It's organic and biodegradable. 
Not sure if it would have been the total answer to your problem, but may have saved you a blister or two.  
btw
Your tank looks great! The floors are amazing, too.


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## ccla

Ok, it's been a while but I hosted some family for a couple of weeks and had other projects outside of the house.

Anyway, the tank has been filled and I started the fishless cycle. Hopefully in a few weeks the tank will be cycled as I have used some media from established tanks.

Here are the latest pictures. First a couple of full tank shots from the front and the side:



















and then a full cabinet picture from the side. In this picture you can see the black side panel I added to the tank to hide the wavemaker and where the background is siliconed to the glass (there is a similar panel on the other side):










And here is a couple of pictures of the filtration system in the cabinet. All the filters sit on sliding shelves so that I can more easily maintain them. I was afraid that this would lead to higher noise but the whole setup is rather silent. The item that makes the most noise is the powerhead behind the background.




























Now I got to think about the stocking.


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## ccla

The tank is finally done and is cycling. All is missing is the fishes.

Here are a couple of pictures:





































Here is a shot with the blue leds on:










and here is the reward:


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## alicem

> Now I got to think about the stocking.





> As for the fishes, the tank will contain the five Featherfins I currently have in the 30G. For the other fishes I am not sure, but these are some of the fishes that I really like:
> 
> Malawi
> â€¢ Blue Dolphin (Cyrtocara moorii)
> â€¢ Electric Yellow Lab (Labidochromis caeruleus)
> â€¢ Blue Ahli (Sciaenochromis ahli)
> â€¢ Yellow Tail Acei (Pseudotropheus Acei)
> â€¢ Afra Edwardi (Cynotilapia afra)
> â€¢ Rusty Cichlid (Iodotropheus sprengerae)
> 
> Tanganyika
> â€¢ Black Calvus (Altolamprologus calvus)
> â€¢ Frontosa (Cyphotilapia frontosa) â€" But I think this fish might get too big for my tank.
> 
> I think all of these fishes would be able to co-exist with each other.
> 
> I also would like to perhaps put in the tank one or two Blue Lobsters. I know that they are out of place but I really like them. The only problem I see is that they like their PH in the 6.5-8.0 range. Will this create a problem? Would there be any other problems in including this invertebrate in the tank?


Are you still working from this list to stock your 75G?


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## ccla

Alicem,

I have decided to go with a Tanganyika tank (the stoking is being discussed here: Tank Stock).

In the end I think I will go with what triscuit suggested:

10 C. leptosoma, non-jumbo variety 
8 Paracyprichromis 
6 A. calvus (to be thinned out once a pair forms)
6 E. cyanostictus (again to be thinned out)
5 Synodontis euptera 
7-10 Zebra Nerite snails


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## alicem

Ah, yes, nice to have a stocking plan in mind.
Best of luck and congrats on your progress!
We'll be watching for "fish in tank" picts :thumb:


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## ccla

While I was cycling the tank I found I was looking for some rocks to create some hiding caves and I finally found something I liked.
I cleaned the rocks by power washing them (no soap) and then boiling them for 5 minutes.
Here are a couple of pictures of how the tank looks like now. I have ordered some plants that I will put in the tank next week, and I am wating for nitrates to go to aero before I order the fishes.


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## malawi_luver

If you'd like to get a true feeling of how your tank looks... Turn off the flash and use the lights in your aquarium.

I don't really like those rocks to be honest haha they're too jagged and don't blend in with the background at all. I'm sure some river rocks would look amazing.

-Garrett


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## vaypourus

Very enjoyable thread. It is nice to see somebody that has researched and done the work before jumping into it head first. You have selected some great equipment and have done things the way it should really be done. Kudos.

I love the tank setup but I am not really feeling the rocks either. When I changed my tang tank from square jagged rocks to a more natural rounded stone (similar to the indigenous rock of tanganyika) I found that the behavior of my fish improved dramatically. But, it is your tank and your really didn't ask for our opinions. So, do what makes you happy. You're the one that has to look at it all the time.

Have you decided what variant of Cyp you are going to get? A site sponsored retailer (who will remain unnamed) just got a really uncommon non-jumbo variant called Cyprichromis Leptosoma Mamelesa which looks to be a beautiful fish. Do a google search-

Keep us updated-


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## ccla

Hi,

I think in the following pictures the rocks fit in a little better. I am not sure why the background looks so green in the old pictures, it must be the flash.
Anyway one of the reason why I picked these rocks is that I really do not like the river rock look. And I assumed, by looking at the shape of the background, that the rocks in the lake would be a little less round and smooth than river rocks (see, I did miss something in my research). 
As always I apprecaite the replies and any critique, as this is my first Cichlid tank and I need as much help as possible.
Here are the latest pictures:

Full front view:










Left detail:










Center detail:










Down the side:


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## ccla

vaypourus said:


> Have you decided what variant of Cyp you are going to get? A site sponsored retailer (who will remain unnamed) just got a really uncommon non-jumbo variant called Cyprichromis Leptosoma Mamelesa which looks to be a beautiful fish.
> 
> Keep us updated-


As for the Cyp,

I did not decide yet. I do like the Mamelesa, but I have to see if it will be available when I am ready to place the order. I also like the Kerenge .


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## vaypourus

This video shows underwater footage of the lake; most of the rocks that I see are rounded.






Regardless, I think the tank looks great. I am interested to see how it looks when there is some algae built up on the rocks and background.

I decided on the Kerenge Island myself; I am considering purchasing some of the Mamelesa to grow out and see which I like better. A friend said that his favorite was the Kerenge Island due to the vertical stripes, the high saturation of blue on the bodies, and the high incidence of blue tailed morphs. My shoal is just starting to show the signs of starting to color up.


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## freshwater100

Looking good now I think with time and algae growth those rocks will look good,


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## ccla

vaypourus said:


> This video shows underwater footage of the lake; most of the rocks that I see are rounded.


vaypourus,
I was not doubting the "roundness" of the Tanganyika rocks; I just made assumptions that fit with my likes and dislikes. Great video(s) by the way.


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## alicem

vaypourus said:


> I am interested to see how it looks when there is some algae built up on the rocks and background.





freshwater100 said:


> Looking good now I think with time and algae growth those rocks will look good,


Agreed, eventually everything should blend in nicely.
btw,
The back ground is_ amazing_!
Great tank :thumb:


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## ccla

Today I received the plants I ordered (anubia, lace java fern, cryptocoryne wendtii, and some red tiger lotus). I am not sure that they will all survive the fishes, but we will see.
Anyhow here are a few picture with the plants in them (I used some of the plants in my other two tanks).
The black dots are the red tiger lotus bulbs.


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## AquaJr

VERY NICE TANK!!!! i love the Diy background hope ur plants survive! know mine didnt!


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## ccla

AquaJr said:


> VERY NICE TANK!!!! i love the Diy background hope ur plants survive! know mine didnt!


Well I wish I could take credit for the background, but my DIY was limited to siliconing it in place!


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## alicem

Fantastic! The plants help tie the rock piles in already.
Your hard work is paying off nicely.
 
ps, be sure your anubia _roots only _are planted in the sand, not the rhizome part.


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## ccla

alicem said:


> ps, be sure your anubia _roots only _are planted in the sand, not the rhizome part.


Thank you alicem, I did make sure that the rhizome is above the substrate.


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## Dj823cichild

So this is what your tank looks like Ccla, I responded to your heating problem thread as well. All I gotta say is Awesome!!!!!!!! :dancing:


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## ccla

Yeah that's the tank. Tonight I am kind of bummed. I measured Nitrites last night and I found them to be at 0.25ppm so I tought the cycle was nearing its end. However tonight I did another measurement and they were back to 1ppm (I measured twice to make sure).


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## xdm40_krazy

dang! ur tank is awesome. wish my 75 looked like that.


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## ccla

xdm40_krazy said:


> dang! ur tank is awesome. wish my 75 looked like that.


thank you. I hope the plants hold up once I put the fishes in!


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## Deviate

ccla, that tank looks absolutely amazing.

Unbelievable work. It's quite inspiring for when I end up in a house with more room someday.


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## ccla

Deviate said:


> ccla, that tank looks absolutely amazing.
> 
> Unbelievable work. It's quite inspiring for when I end up in a house with more room someday.


Thank you.


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## Dj823cichild

ccla said:


> Yeah that's the tank. Tonight I am kind of bummed. I measured Nitrites last night and I found them to be at 0.25ppm so I tought the cycle was nearing its end. However tonight I did another measurement and they were back to 1ppm (I measured twice to make sure).


Don't rush the cycling process or get discouraged sometimes it takes a little longer. Your have an amazing tank please don't rush that masterpiece!


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## ccla

I will diligently wait... but it is not easy!


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## ccla

So I am not sure what happened, but I obviously did not read the Nitrite levels correctly. I still have Nitrates at a 5ppm level. I first checked the water from the tank and I could not decifer which color the water was. So I did a 1 to 5 solution of tank water to tap water (after I made sure the tap water measured 0ppm) and I got a reading of 1ppm (or so I thought). To make sure I made a solution of 1 to 10 and tested it again. I got a reading of 0.5ppm so I am pretty sure that I have Nitrites at 5ppm.
Now my ammonia has been zeroing out since around June 17th. Should I worry that Nitrites are taking so long to go down?


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## merkey

Looks great but you should do what i did.After making your hood you should go to one of your local home stores and buy corner molding for cabnets and add it to the corners of the tank and paint them to match the hood.it covers the glass edges and makes the hood and stand look all one piece.Just add a little clear caulking and stick it to the tank.You will be very happy with the outcome.make sure you get a wide enogh piece to cover the whole corner or glass edge.


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## ccla

So I have been quiet for a while. Unfortunately I am still fighting Nitrites. I do not know why, but my nitrites are still not falling to zero. The ammonia has been falling to zero on a daily basis for over a month, but nitrites are still present.
Sometimes I get an almost zero reading (I now always double check my readings) and I get my hopes up, but then the next day the reading is back up to .5 or even 1.
I am still patiently waiting and I hope that this will give my plants a chance to anchor better. Anyway, following are a set on new pictures. Not much has changes except that the Tiger Lotuses have grown.


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## theBIGone2087

looking great man! Really impressed with the set-up. can't wait to see how it looks with some fish =D>


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## non_compliance

what are you measuring the nitrites with? What kind of test kit? Strips, or test tubes?


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## alicem

The tank look really great and the plants are comming along nicely. :thumb: 
Question: 
Are you adding ammonia daily? I think something is going on with that, if you are...
You are so close and it's been so long...
Have you done any partial water changes? Touched the filters?
You might want to re-read some of "prov356's" posts for helping folks with the nitrogen cycle. 
He is very good at explaining these sorts of things.
sorry I couldn't help,
alicem


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## BlueMermaid

WOW! It looks amazing! I love the background just fantastic! I can't wait to see the fish in there.. I really enjoyed looking through this!


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## ccla

I use API Master Kit to check the water parameters (which is also used on my other two tanks so I know that it works).
I do add ammonia daily, enough to bring the level up to 2-3ppm. The filters have not been touched since I started the cycle, however I have done some water changes just to keep nitrates to go through the roof, but I only did three partial water changes (25%) since I started the cycle. If I recall correctly I started the cycle about 6 weeks ago (I do not have my notes with me at the moment).


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## harveyb27

I have to say you have an impressive tank. I see you have the Tanganyikan Aquaterra background! :thumb: It will look amazing with algae and fish. I have a Malawi Aquaterra background and your welcome to watch the construction of that tank (link below in signature). Maybe you can provide some advice along the way.

Did you find any problems when fitting the background, any tips?


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## ccla

harveyb27,

I think the most important thing I had to decide regarding the background installation is whether I would break the background in section and glue it back in the tank or if I would remove the top frame and keep the background whole.
I always leaned towards removing the top frame and the final decision was made when I realized I would have to break the background into three separate pieces to be able to install it without removing the frame. I was not sure how strong the glued back background would have been and how good it would have looked. 
I am definitely not regretting the decision, but let me tell you that removinf the top frame was a tedious process. I also had to improvise a tool to cut the silicone between the top of the glass pane and the frame (there is a picture of it in the thread somewhere).
As for fitting the background I used a saw like this one to cut the background into place. Make sure you double check your measurements twice (I did so by laying the background at the back of the tank) and then cut the background slighly larger that it needs to be. You can always trim off more but the reverse is a little harder. Silicone the backround at the bottom first and let it dry before doing the sides.
If you have any nore questions please feel free to ask.


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## ccla

I do not want to jinx myself, but what the heck! Today was the third day in a row that Nitrite have fallen to zero in 24 house.
If this continues until the end of the weekend I will be ordering my fishes on Monday!!

:dancing:


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## harveyb27

Thnks for the tip. I plan on taking the top rim off too so the brace bar does not get in the way :thumb: I think you definately made the right choice. I could never cut something so expensive and risk ruining it. How many intake holes did you cut into the background in the end?

Have you decided your final stocklist?


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## ccla

harveyb27,

I put several holes in the background. The following image shows where the holes are:










Here are also some some images of the actual holes in the background:


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## harveyb27

Thanks for that. One thing i love about these backgrounds is the quality of the detail. Not many DIY backgrounds can match it. 

How did you cut the rectangular holes, like in your overflow etc.?


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## ccla

I used a utility blade to cut the overflow and the rectagular hole in the background. To cut the background down to size I used this: Saw.


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## ccla

:dancing:

The tank finally cycled and tonight I received my fishes and after acclimating them I put them in their new home. They are beautiful specimen. I will try and post pictures tomorrow.


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## alicem

Any photos of the fish and tank? 
Hope everything is working out great for you, it's been a long journey.
 
alicem


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## ccla

alicem,

here are a few pictures of the Calvuses, Cyps and ParaCyps. Unfortunately I think all of my gobies died (three out of six confirmed). I am looking at getting more gobies.

Enjoy.


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## alicem

> 10 C. leptosoma, non-jumbo variety
> 8 Paracyprichromis
> 6 A. calvus (to be thinned out once a pair forms)
> 6 E. cyanostictus (again to be thinned out)
> 5 Synodontis euptera
> 7-10 Zebra Nerite snails


Did you order all of these? I'm curious about the nerite snails...did you get those and if so, how are they doing?
I'm thinking I want some...



> Unfortunately I think all of my gobies died (three out of six confirmed).


Shoot!  
You were going to thin them down after getting a pair, but not this way. 
The other 3 may be hiding. You might want to wait and be sure before you order more.

The cyps and paracyps are young, best way to go. The cyps will soon get much larger than the paracyps.
After they mature more I bet they'll really start "hanging" on that background.  
My cyps _began to _color up around 2.5".

What color variant are the A. calvus?

The crypts and anubia are doing great. Really settling in. :thumb: 
I bet you are very pleased with that background, it looks so natural.
Congrats!


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## ccla

I did order everything except the snails and the Synodontis. The catfish I already had, but I have yet to put in the 75g. They are currently residing in my 30g tank. It is a little small for them (two of them are over 6") but I wanted the other fishes to settle first and make sure they did not have any disease.
For the Nerite snails, I am waiting for them to become available. The lady I am ordering them from is waiting for a shipment.
I am pretty sure that all of the gobies are gone. Tonight during my water change I found another dead one within the leaves of a Tiger Lotus. I spend a lot of time looking at the tank to try and spot them but I have yet to see them in over 4 days. I will give them a few more days before I order more.
I thought perhaps my water was not "good" enough for the gobies but I've been told in another thread that Calvuses (by the way they are Black Calvuses) are actually more sensitive to water conditions so I think they may have suffered in shipping or were already sick. The seller had a refund policy for a few days but needs pictures and I did not take any. Live and learn.

Some of the cyps and paracyps seem to already have a hing of colour. They are about an inch and a half long. The cyps are of the Kerenge Island variety.

All of the plants seem to be doing good. One of the anubia leaves got stuck in a crease in the backgound. I did not think much of it at the time and waited for the water chage to "free" it. Once I did I noticed that it had turned yellow. Again live and learn, now I make sure that all the leaves are free floating.

The background looks great (to me at least). I have to admit I am really enjoying the tank.


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