# Setting up new tank, i want fronts!



## lexi73 (May 2, 2008)

Hey everyone,
Just wanted to post a new post to get some advise on a few things i'm up to. I've kinda been out of the scene for a while, although I'm still keeping some fish. Apologise for the LONG post, just had to ask a few questions and gat a few things off my chest.

I'm setting up a new tank, 125 gallon with overflows. I've been building the stand and getting everything setup and planning out what i want to do. Currently i've got a 75 gallon all Male Peacock setup with a single Frontosa in it. Ideally i'd like the new 125 to be a Front Only tank, but at the same time i'd like to remove the old tank. So will a group of fronts go ok with the malawi's? The other issue is that the current fish are somewhat large, 4-6", and I'd probably have to get somewhat small fronts to start my colony. Will smaller Fronts become an issue with what i've currently got? Or should i just keep my Malawi tank separate? I'd really like to kill the other tank and just have one, i just cant get rid of my other fish i've had for about 4 years now!

Anyway, I dont know much about Fronts specifically but i need to figure out what i've got now, and what i'd like to get. I'm still getting sand and trying to figure out where to buy rocks. I still need lighting, heaters, and a pump for my sump so i'm a few weeks out from setting it up. I plan on getting some Marineland Double Bright LED's and hang them from the ceiling, anyone had an experience with these?

Also if i do kill out the old 75, what should i do about cycleing the new tank? I'm just a little nervous because it's almost twice as large, new substrate, and new filter. I can hook up the filters from the 75 on the new aquarium to aid the cycle if i kill the old one. I've got a canister and a HOB filter on there that i could move to the new tank to help the cycle. The process can either be to cycle fishless and then move everything over, or move everything over including as much water as possible, all filters, and some of the rock, and even put some of the old substrate in the sump for the time being. what to do?

Review questions:
1. Are fronts ok with Malawi's?
2. Are small fronts ok also?
3. How should i do the switch from the 75 to the 125? 
a. Move all Malawi's at once with most equipment?
b. Cycle new tank first the old ammonia way?

Here are some photos of the project as it is now:


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## Bevo5 (Mar 19, 2004)

Hey, nice looking tank. A 125 is a great tank for fronts - 6ft is really the minimum I'd go with if you plan on keeping fronts for any extended amount of time.

Now, to answer your questions as best I can. But these are just my opinions so take them as you will.

1 - I think most Peacock tanks end up having one nice frontosa in them eventually. That usually works out pretty well. But I don't know if I'd want to mix a group of fronts with a group of peacocks. Fronts are a pretty chill species and do best in their own tanks. But, I'm sure there are plenty of people who keep a few fronts with their peacocks. Also something to keep in mind - if you want the fronts to spawn, it's usually best if they're by themselves. Peacocks would go after those eggs super fast.

2 - This one is hard to answer. Big fish are always going to want to eat small fish. Especially a group of super aggressive male peacocks. You'd have to just use your best judgment on that one.

3 - Ideally, you'd want to cycle the new tank with some seed material from the old filter. Just take the old/dirty filter floss from your canister and toss it in the new filter. Follow the directions for a fishless cycle and you'll be done with it in a couple weeks.

Switching the fish is pretty easy. You're going to have bigger filters on the 125, but what you want to do is just drain the 75 into the 125 and hook up all the filters from the 75 to the 125. That's the safest way. You could also just switch the filter media but I think plugging in the old filter to the new tank is the safest. You don't want to do anything that disrupts the media. Also put the gravel in if you are keeping it the same. Just put in whatever you can. Then move the fish.

But as with any new tank (Even when seeded) keep your test kit handy and make sure you're not spiking.

As for frontosa specifics - lots of great info here. Also a couple sites dedicated to frontosa (cyphos.com is one). Just be careful...you'll be buying groups of Moba and setting up 240g tanks before you know it.


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## lexi73 (May 2, 2008)

Thanks for the reply, 
So you think i'd be ok switching everything over at once. I'll move as much water from the 75 as possible, move both the canister and the HOB filter over and set them up temporarily on the new tank, move some of the old rocks, and maybe some of the old gravel into the new sump because the new tank is sand, not gravel.

thanks for your help, and the link to cyphos.com. i'll be reading there also.


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## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

lexi73 said:


> Thanks for the reply,
> So you think i'd be ok switching everything over at once. I'll move as much water from the 75 as possible, move both the canister and the HOB filter over and set them up temporarily on the new tank, move some of the old rocks, and maybe some of the old gravel into the new sump because the new tank is sand, not gravel.


Don't waste your time moving the water from the old tank to the new one. It's not going to make any difference in jump starting the cycle on the new tank. The bacteria need to cling to something so they don't live in the water column. You should use new conditioned water.

If you're moving the fish over and not adding any new ones for a while the new tank will be fine (but you should still test daily to make sure you're not getting any spiking).


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## Bevo5 (Mar 19, 2004)

Zimmy is right - there isn't a whole lot of bacteria in the water column. That's why you can do massive water changes and not really affect much.

But in my experience there's some value in just playing it as safe as possible. When you move water (which is as easy as running a powerhead attached to some tubing) you're not putting the fish in 125gallons of brand new water. It'll be like a big water change to them vs. an entirely new set-up.

Also, what kind of gravel are you using in the old tank? If it's a crushed coral type then you probably need to check your tap water PH and compare it to the 75gallon. Just make sure that it's at least in the same ballpark before tossing your fish in. Doesn't have to be exact, but within a decent range.

Either way you'll probably be fine, but I'm a firm believer in just doing whatever you can to make transitions as seamless as possible.


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## RRasco (Aug 31, 2006)

If you seed the new filters with established media they will cycle much quicker than weeks. The trick to cycling a new tank is putting established media in with new media, so long as they are in contact with each other, they will double in bacteria every 7 and 13 hours, respectively to each bacteria colony.

Don't use any water from your old tank, it's pointless and will bring unnecessary nitrates.

I have a single Kavalla in my mixed malawi male tank, he does great in there, but I don't think my Mobas would be happy in there. It's way too aggressive for them and they like their chill space. I'd personally recommend keeping both tanks, but that's a decision you have to make; there is a reason I have 10 tanks.



Bevo5 said:


> But in my experience there's some value in just playing it as safe as possible. When you move water (which is as easy as running a powerhead attached to some tubing) you're not putting the fish in 125gallons of brand new water. It'll be like a big water change to them vs. an entirely new set-up.


There really is no difference in this situation. Water doesn't really get established, it's the bacterial colonies that play the importance of making sure water quality is maintained at levels that are not harmful to the fish. So long as the bacteria survives, the fish really will have no clue and it will be better for them with cleaner water.


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## lexi73 (May 2, 2008)

I'll be just moving the fish over and not adding any new ones for a bit...until i figure out what to do with my peacocks.

I wont put so much emphasis on moving water over then, although i may move a little with the fish. The old tank has some small pebbles like this:









I know, totally not for cichlid's, but that's whats in there now. The new tank is going to have white Silica Sand. Should i start off with some of the old pebbles in the new sump to help move some of the bacteria over? I could probably fit a good amount of it in there.

Here is some photos of the current 75, although they are a few years old at this point.

Should i just set up the old HOB and my Canister on the new tank for about a month, or actually move the filter media to the new sump? i ask this because RRasco says "The trick to cycling a new tank is putting established media in with new media, so long as they are in contact with each other". Does this need physical contact or just contact through the water?

I'd really like to keep my peacocks, although i's also like to have a frontosa only tank... I'm not sure what I'll do at this point, but for the time being they are all going to go into the 125. Then in the future I'll get some new fronts.

Thanks for the help so far.


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## RRasco (Aug 31, 2006)

You can move the established filters to the new tank, but in order to get the bacteria to the sump, it has to travel through the water column or establish a new colony all together. Essentially, it will cycle like a new tank in that scenario...except that the established bio colony will consume any waste produced, quite possibly delaying the bio colony from establishing in the sump as quickly. If you move the media in front of the sump media where it is physically touching the new media it will establish much quicker.

Not sure the layout of your sump, but do it something like this, putting the old media in the first chamber or equivalent in the sump, psychically touching:

-->|OLD MEDIA|NEW MEDIA|-->


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## lexi73 (May 2, 2008)

Thanks for the clarification... I'll get it all set up correctly and keep an eye on the levels.


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## lexi73 (May 2, 2008)

Just an update,

I've got my pump, lights, heaters, and test kit ordered; Rocks picked out and Sand purchased. So it's all ready to go. I plan on setting this up this weekend once the parts come. My plan to do the switchover will be:

Setup
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remove filter floss from my canister filter and put is directly on top of the new sump bio balls. Also move some of the old gravel into the new sump. Also move some rocks form the old aquarium.

Move the HOB filter over to the new aquarium.

Fill the new aquarium and get it running for 24hours with the media on the tank. Test the water to see where things stand.

The Switch 24 hours later
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Remove the fish form the old aquarium and put them into the new tank
Move the Canister filter over to the new tank and get running
check the water often, and dont feed for 2 days, then feed small amounts.

Does this plan sound ok?
I imagine by giving the new tank 24 hours to warm up, run with the old media directly on the bio balls, and set up the HOB filter this should populate the tank bio fairly well to move the fish in the next day. When the fish are moved i'll also move the Canister to provide some extra bacteria in the canister media. This should hopefully ease the cycle so some extent... I'll keep an eye on the levels and change water as needed too.


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## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

Sounds like a good plan.

I'm looking forward to seeing the "after" pics. Your set-up looks amazing so far.


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## Fishy_Cichlid (Aug 4, 2011)

Nice tank Lexi73. I too have a 80G running currently and I wanted a Frontosa/Gibbs only tank. I too chose a 6 footer but with a different footprint than yours. Mine is 6'x2'x22" - so thats a 165G.

Initially wanted to stock it with just Mpimbwe's but now I am thinking of adding a pair of Alto Calvus Black Congo. These guys are cool, come from the same lake, are usually not aggressive and get along quite well with the Gibbs/Fronts. I chose the Congo black. There are other color variants like Gold i.e. Yellow, White and Pearl. Thinks, will look nice if you have them in a tank and throw around some shells. Just got my shells yesterday. $4 for 21 of them  

Good luck on your new tank.


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## lexi73 (May 2, 2008)

So *** got the tank setup and running, everything's going great and i'm really happy with how it has turned out so far. I'm still running my Eheim Canister to help aid the tank for a while longer.

I still need to hang the lights, not sure how that's gonna happen yet... I picked up the Marineland Doublebright LED's and they are brighter than what i was expecting, although the below looks much darker than what they are live.

My sump is much louder than what i'd like, I'm actually thinking about getting rid of it and getting something that has a bubble trap or something. The rushing water hitting the drip plate is where it's loud. I've been thinking about switching to a Aqueon Proflex 4 which seems VERY quiet.

anyway here is a video of it taken this morning:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tePh0nh- ... ture=g-upl


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## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

That looks great! Very nice set-up! =D>


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## lexi73 (May 2, 2008)

Zimmy, Thanks for the compliment!

Here are two more videos...

Regular lights on:
http://www.youtube.com/user/imullarney? ... Byi4yp3nrQ

Lunar lights:
http://www.youtube.com/user/imullarney? ... QB-gMLq7UE

I'm gonna run it as is for about a month or more then start the hunt for some Fronts...meanwhile i'll be learning more


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## lexi73 (May 2, 2008)

So the setup has been running for a few weeks now and i'm really happy with how it turned out.

I've ordered a ATO for the sump and it's ready to go in, still have some lights to install in the stand but thats about it!

Here's some photos of my current fish, and the setup:


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