125 West African build

[Psy]

I had a bunch of tinanti in a 5ft 80 gallon. Starting with 5 they formed 2 pairs, and if I remember correctly, killed off the 5th wheel. After that however, they bred like convicts but never seemed to bother each other again, nor the Congo Tetras for about 2 years. Lost them, in a massive tank crash, starting with about 30 tinanti of various size I lost about 5 per day for a week until I had none left. Congos seemed unaffected, though I did loose a few in the post crash tank malaise.

I found them very unagressive for cichlids, accepting past fry right up to the cave mouth while they had eggs.

[scientist0724]

I showed your tank to someone and they mentioned that you should enter the AGA aquascaping contest under biotopes!

Arlene

[HaakonH]

Great setup What fish/creature can be added to such a set up to control the algae growth? I can't think of any common West-African algae-eaters...

Haakon

[Shane]

Thanks for all the comments and feedback. The tank is coming along very nicely and I am very happy with it. I did have to remove the Steatocranus. They hit a massive growth spurt in the tank and I started seeing damage on other fishes. Had to pull most of the tank apart to get them out. I'll keep the cichlid population where it is. A pair of kribs, a pair of P. taeniatus and a pair of Nanochromis parilus. These all seem to be getting along very well.
I'll get some updated shots soon.
-Shane

[Shane]

Some updated shots.
-Shane

[Shane]

I have also started work on a 45 gallon SE Asian theme. I have not decided if I'll do a background for it.
-Shane

[racoll]

These are 50 watt halogens. The entire set up is around $40 at Home Depot and comes ready to plug in.

Question about the lighting. 6x 50W is 300W, which is as much as a single halide lamp and seems like rather a lot to me. Are lower wattage LED bulbs that can be used in standard fittings available from the DIY stores now (e.g. http://www.energybulbs.co.uk/products/LED+Light+Bulbs)?

Well, in answer to my own question, I have been messing around with some LED spots while renovating my father's tank. I'm quite pleased with the results. The 3x unit was £16 from Homebase, complete with 50W halogens. The high power LED lamps were bought online at £15 each, and are only 7W each (5 LEDS per bulb). Colour temperature is 6,500K (daylight).

Here's a couple of pictures, and a video (which shows off the all important "glitter lines" nicely).

[lotsabettas]

amazing looking setup as always Shane

[elephant]

Shane,
Your new tank is gorgeous! I'm really glad you went back to redo the background a 2nd time -- I really had no idea what you were trying to create at first (haven't seen a 3D DIY background before), but love the end result! I never would have guessed it would make such a difference to the overall look of the tank. Very cool.

Couple questions if you don't mind? How do you secure your plants (especially in sand)? Are your Anubias attached with fishing line, or something else? I'm having a lot of trouble getting plants in my new setup to STAY put... and that's before any large fish have been added who will inevitably run into things. I almost wonder if my current is too strong, as the additional circulation pumps seem to make it impossible to keep plants in place.

Also, do you use fertilizers, special substrate, CO2, etc. to get your plants so luscious? That 45g SE Asian tank is so vibrantly GREEN, it's beautiful. Just wondering if I'm "depriving" my plants by not doing more for them -- they do well & grow, but certainly never look quite like this

Thanks, Amanda

[Shane]

Thanks Amanda for the compliments. I use thin fishing line to attach Anubias and Bolbitis to the stones and wood. The Crinum and lilies are planted in the sand. It is just construction sand, no other additives. I also do not use CO2 or plant fertilizers. I just stick with plants that do well for me.
The 45 gallon's substrate is just sand/gravel from the creek behind my house. It is lit by a $15 "shop light" with a single 40 watt bulb. I'll have to post some updated pics of both tanks as they are filling out nicely.
-Shane