# My aquaria



## eds (May 10, 2020)

In another thread I was asked to post pictures of my aquaria so here they are.

I've always had fish tanks and when my wife and I bought this house the deal was I'd stick to two. So I'd better make them big ones!

Malawi tank
The Malawi tank is 2.4 metres long (just under 8ft) and 2ft wide and tall. 



It has a central weir that feeds into two quarantine / breeding / growing on tanks.



The water then passes into the filter,


The pipework from the weir and between QT and filter all passes behind our very ancient leopard gecko's enclosure.

The tank still needs finishing off - I have all the material to make the cabinet bit have been busy in the garden while the weather has been so nice over here on days when I'm not in work!

Amazon tank (to be!)
This will be my Amazonian tank. It's currently home to 4 fancy goldfish that summer outside in the pond that I mentioned in the other thread.



When it's finished there will be a black backdrop above the tank on the sides and rear to enclose the top. Branches (I have some corkscrew hazel drying off outside) will stretch above and below the water from the right rear corner with some larger pieces of wood forming a trunk effect in that corner.

The back, sides and weirs will be covered with black plastic inside or out.

Plants will be growing mainly above the water (not the agave and other seedlings there at the moment!) But there will be some large Amazon swords in the rear left corner that should grow out of the water. Some wood will hide the pots they are planted in.


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## eds (May 10, 2020)

Linus_Cello said:


> Altum angels? P. leopoldii? Heckel discus? Any fancy plecos? (I’m growing up an L14)



I'm looking at 6-8 red shoulder Manacapuras or similar. I think quality wild or near wild scalare are the best looking angels out there!

For discus it will be 6-8 Red turquoise or possibly red spotted tefe greens. Again wild looking are the aim.

I have a group of six white seam / starlight plecos in QT in my Malawi set up ready to go in plus my friend has some great scribbled small panaques that I'm tempted with. I also want some giant whiptails (though I'm worried they will be too big and look out of place).


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## Linus_Cello (May 10, 2020)

If you’re interested in catfish, and Covid 19 permitting, our fish club hosts the Catfish convention outside of DC in October. 

https://www.catfishcon.com/


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## eds (May 10, 2020)

Linus_Cello said:


> If you’re interested in catfish, and Covid 19 permitting, our fish club hosts the Catfish convention outside of DC in October.
> 
> https://www.catfishcon.com/



Catfish are nice but cichlids are more my thing! And unfortunately DC is a bit of a trek from Nuthall (a little village on the outskirts of Nottingham in the UK!)

I used to be a member of the BCA (British Cichlid Association) and BKA (British Killifish Association) back in the day!


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## Don I (May 10, 2020)

Neat.
Don


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## Linus_Cello (May 10, 2020)

We often get speakers from Germany, but understand it’s a bit far for you. So you are in the UK. Have you met aquascaper George Farmer?


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## eds (May 10, 2020)

Linus_Cello said:


> We often get speakers from Germany, but understand it’s a bit far for you. So you are in the UK. Have you met aquascaper George Farmer?



I've not met George but used to be part of UKAPS and was a moderator and wrote an article or two for the website. High tech planted tanks are too much like hard work these days! A lot of trimming, water changes and not enough fish!!!


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## Ernesto (May 11, 2020)

Linus_Cello said:


> If you’re interested in catfish, and Covid 19 permitting, our fish club hosts the Catfish convention outside of DC in October.
> 
> https://www.catfishcon.com/



I had been meaning to go to Catfish Con last year, but was stuck at work.


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## Linus_Cello (May 11, 2020)

Ernieg96 said:


> I had been meaning to go to Catfish Con last year, but was stuck at work.



There are several Catfish Conventions in the US. The one near DC is held every 2 years on the even years.


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## abax (May 11, 2020)

Cichlids!!!! I used to breed the small African
Cichlids and love them for the color and ease
of breeding. Have you got an Oscar? Oscars are
the only fish I'd call a pet...came to me when I
approached the tank and fed from my hand...also
ate a couple of other fish.


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## Ernesto (May 11, 2020)

Linus_Cello said:


> There are several Catfish Conventions in the US. The one near DC is held every 2 years on the even years.



Ah I must have been thinking about two years ago then. I attended the big all-day PVAS auction last fall and sold a ton of bettas. I wanted to attend more meetings after that but with the state of the world at the moment I don’t know when the next one will be.


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## Linus_Cello (May 11, 2020)

Ernieg96 said:


> Ah I must have been thinking about two years ago then. I attended the big all-day PVAS auction last fall and sold a ton of bettas. I wanted to attend more meetings after that but with the state of the world at the moment I don’t know when the next one will be.



I was one of the auctioneers. Right now PVAS (CCAA and GWAPA) are doing virtual meetings. Shame the anniversary celebration and shrimp festival had to be canceled.


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## TyroneGenade (May 12, 2020)

eds said:


> I used to be a member of the BCA (British Cichlid Association) and BKA (British Killifish Association) back in the day!



There are some BIG killifish coming out of the Amazon... Look up Moema quii. And Gnatholebias. I know a few BKA members breeding South American killifish...


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## eds (May 12, 2020)

abax said:


> Cichlids!!!! I used to breed the small African
> Cichlids and love them for the color and ease
> of breeding. Have you got an Oscar? Oscars are
> the only fish I'd call a pet...came to me when I
> ...



Not got an Oscar, though we did toy with a pair for the 5ft tank for a while as my son loves the larger fish with a bit of character. Our two Nimbochromis venustus in the 8ft tank are good characters though - the female launches herself out of the water when you're trying to feed them.

Cichlids in the Amazon tank will definitely be more sedate choices - angelfish, discus and maybe Mesonauta and then multiple pairs of a dwarf species (which might be West Africans!)



TyroneGenade said:


> There are some BIG killifish coming out of the Amazon... Look up Moema quii. And Gnatholebias. I know a few BKA members breeding South American killifish...



Now that sounds good! The other species than the dwarf cichlids that I thought might break the South American biotope might be some Aphyosemion but will look at the South American species too though worried that the open riparium design might let them launch themselves a bit too easily!


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## TyroneGenade (May 12, 2020)

Yeah, some of the Rivulus could decide to explore drier ground... but my Rivulus rarely jump out the tank even though catch them above water quite often. The only exception is Kryptolebias marmoratus... I don't know how it is able to navigate my aquaria so effectively. I have found them two tiers up from where I put them.

Check out http://www.itrainsfishes.net . See https://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/auction.cgi?disp&viewseller&Strathclyde , George (strathclyde) is a friend of mine.


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## eds (May 12, 2020)

I think I've bought fish or eggs from him in the dim and distant past (or another Glaswegian seller!).

When I finish setting up the rest of the fish room there will definitely by a rack of small tanks for killifish breeding again, though the West Africans will win I think - certainly some of the newer Chromaphyosemions...


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## Ray (May 13, 2020)

I have had tanks on and off since junior high. Typical community tanks, African cichlids, marine, etc. When I was in high school I raised a bunch of typical “tiger” oscars, getting it down to a breeding pair in a 55 gallon tank. The 55 below was kept full of feeder goldfish. There used to be a place in Lilypons MD that raised goldfish, and you could buy 1000 for about $20.

When I took my first job out of school, we lived outside of Louisville KY. There was a pet store that got a bunch of African cichlids in - no doubt for the color - but didn’t realize they were not great for a community tank, so they ended up getting most of them back. They discounted the hell of out them, so I bought them all (about 30, 3” fish for $25), and they even gave me a 10% discount if I could catch them myself.


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## Linus_Cello (May 13, 2020)

Ray said:


> When I took my first job out of school, we lived outside of Louisville KY. There was a pet store that got a bunch of African cichlids in - no doubt for the color - but didn’t realize they were not great for a community tank, so they ended up getting most of them back.



Malawi?


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## Ray (May 13, 2020)

It was an assortment.


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## NYEric (May 30, 2020)

I uaed to do fish. Guppies and =swordfish when I was a kid, on to salt water mini reef system. No mas. Plants only.


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## eds (Dec 29, 2020)

This tank is starting to progress.
Goldfish are gone into the pond and the soft water fish are in.
Started with a group of F2 Manacapura Red Angelfish and some Diamond tetras. Discus and cardinal tetras to come soon. Not sticking to strict South American species any more - have some West African Killifish and cichlids and also some ruby barbs that are a hang over from my last planted tank.
The barbs and the diamond tetras have already both spawned successfully and I have two and four babies respectively growing on!

The top is still far from finished - I have some coir to build a tree trunk in the right, rear corner and then I will attach some more branches to the 'trunk' and start mounting plants.

The plants will also be planted into wood containers to blend in a little more.

Still also need to sort out the overhead misting/spray arrangements too.


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## Linus_Cello (Dec 29, 2020)

Where are the angelfish from?


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## eds (Dec 30, 2020)

Linus_Cello said:


> Where are the angelfish from?



A specialist retailer over here called TA Aquaculture




__





TA-Aquaculture






taaquaculture.uk





I get all my fish food from Tim as well.


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## Linus_Cello (Dec 30, 2020)

Thanks. Hope these breed for you. When do you think the red shoulders will show up?


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## eds (Dec 30, 2020)

Some are starting to show a hint of red across the back (according to my wife - I'm colour blind!)

How much they will colour up remains to be seen! I know some do more than others.

Fingers crossed they will pair but I think another year of growing at least first.


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## Don I (Dec 30, 2020)

I like it.
Don


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## Djthomp28 (Dec 30, 2020)

Gorgeous tank. I would sit and watch them all day!


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## TyroneGenade (Dec 30, 2020)

eds said:


> A specialist retailer over here called TA Aquaculture
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Send my regards to Tim when next you see him. Also if you bump into Andy Gabbutt.


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## eds (Dec 30, 2020)

Don't know Andy I'm afraid but will mention you to Tim when I next buy some.


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## NYEric (Dec 30, 2020)

Cool, thanks for sharing.


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