Mofo Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 Hi Guys, Just picked my tank up. The tank is a Aquatek supplied by Seaview Aquariums. The cabinet was supplied by H2O Aquariums. The 1 x 6FT Double T5 4 X 39w lights where brought from Guppy’s online store. I am looking forward to my 1st build. I will try & keep you guys up to date on any progress that I make. I will be keeping Lake Malawi Cichlids. No specific variety as I am still learning about these fish. Most likely keep a maximum of 40 fish in hear. Or would 40 fish be too many for this size tank. Any advice & I dears that you may have please speak up.... I also live in Adelaide. So if any one is from around hear & would like to shear any of there knowledge over a few beers that would be awesome. I will need all the help I can get.I will make a decision on the sump set up & design some time next week. Is there any particular rule I should follow when selecting the media to use for the sump? e.g. should I use sponge into noodles into bio balls?? Or what? I don't really know as every one has a different I dear. I want the best possible filtration I can get in this tank & I would love to get it right from the start. Is there any particular system I should use that will really polish the water??? I will be looking a turn over rate of 3500Lt to 4000Lt a hour. So hear are a few shots I got of the tank tonight. My apologies on the quality as I ran out of light & had to use the tank lights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bwah Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 is that the 6x2x2 from seaview?? loooks like it.. absolutely mint tank if it is!in short, 40 fish will be fine in that setup considering you'll be running a sump...do lots of research on species you like before you stock it to make sure they're compatible etc..personally i like large colony's of species rather than 40 different type of fishthey interact better when grouped together and males display better colours when courting females3500 lph turnover is finesponge/wool etc first to remove solids then bio-balls (emersed) then matrix (submerged) if you can afford ityou want to make sure your bio-balls are not submerged in water as they will degrade bacteria better under aerobic conditionslike i said do your research, get it right the first time, dont rush into filling tank because if you change your mind its alot harder to fix when its establishedlook forward to your build, enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mofo Posted February 16, 2012 Author Share Posted February 16, 2012 Hey Tanks Bwah.Yeah the tank is from Seaview Aquariums. I ended up going with them as there build quality was un matched hear in Adelaide. I think it was well worth the extra $$$$.Yeah I know what you are saying about the colony`s of fish. That’s the path I will take.My mate as a pair of this & a pair of that. It looks really nice but there looks like there is so much going on. Colony`s will have a lot more of a less busy look to it. Thanks for you advice on the sump filtration. Any thoughts on a good tap water chlorine removers?? I will be doing a lot of water changes so I am looking for a good brand that sell it in large containers & is also relatively cost effective. I haven’t found much hear in Australia except for 200ml bottles. Also is there any particular foods people can recommend. Thanks Guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bwah Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 get what you pay for.. peace of mind and a stunning peice of furnitureyou can buy bulk chlorinators but for the price and the amount you use its really a non-issue, unless you have a fish roomfood wise i would try out nls, you can buy big tubs (2.2kg) for about 130 which is great value when you compare it too smaller amounts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mofo Posted February 16, 2012 Author Share Posted February 16, 2012 Bwah, Where would I get this food from?? & do you recommend a cretin brand that will have all the nutrients for these fish? Another question. Are Rift Cichlids the same as Lake Malawi Cichlids??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mofo Posted February 16, 2012 Author Share Posted February 16, 2012 All good.I found the threads on the foods. I love this sight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattrox Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Rift Lake refers to lakes Malawi, Tanganyika and Victoria. I always try to feed at least one brand of premium food in the feeding rotation. With lots of hungry mouths to feed, a budget food can be used but a good look at the ingredients is required, and most people go with the trusted brand names. For dechlorinator, I use API tapwater conditioner, it seems to be the most economical. A well conditioned filter should quickly take care of any ammonia produced as a by product of breaking down chloramines. So I don't use prime. Having said that, I am pretty sure Adelaide uses chloramines, but have never detected ammonia in water after a water change...and I do large ones. But I have lost fish, when I have got distracted in the middle of the water change routine and forgotten which tanks I have dechlorinated... ooops!!! I have heard of some Adelaidians who don't use dechorinator and haven't had problems, but I would strongly advise using it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mofo Posted February 16, 2012 Author Share Posted February 16, 2012 Yeah thanks Mattrox. I will stick to the NLS food. Every body seems pretty happy with that. Much appreciated on clearing up my question on Rift & Lake Malawi. So regardless of fish stock numbers I should do 50% water change every 2 weeks in a 680lt tank? Yeah better to be safe that sorry. I will use the tap water conditioner. I couldn’t forgive my self if I was to loose a fish to save a job & a few $. After all these little guys rely on us to give them the best of every thing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bwah Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 another thing to think about it preparing your water before adding it to your tank rather than just filling up your tank from hose then adding supplementsi perform 200ltr water changes using an old pickle barrel (from paramount browns) on wheels Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorto Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Can't wait to see that in action. Keep us updated with pics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mofo Posted February 17, 2012 Author Share Posted February 17, 2012 Thanks guys. I will keep you posted as soon as I make some progress. I have sent several e-mails off to Aqua-Maniac regarding 3D back grounds. Still haven’t got a response from them on if they will ship to Australia.I have also made contact with several USA companies that make great background. Yet again not one response. So if any body could give me any contacts that supply these I would really appreciate this. I cant set my tank up with out the best back ground I can find. Even if it takes me 6 months to source one I wont give up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skippy Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 The shipping for a background from Aqua Maniac is approx ₤100 so he is reluctant to ship to Australia unless you can find a cheaper shipping option yourself. As a guide a 5x2x2 background weights around 8kg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mofo Posted February 17, 2012 Author Share Posted February 17, 2012 I am more than happy with 100euro for shipping. Don’t really want to spend much more that $700 AUD if I have too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skippy Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 ₤ = pounds, although the difference between ₤100 and € 100 isn't that much is AUD at the moment.I suspect the expensive shipping was just an excuse because he can't be bothered wrapping up and lugging large, heavy backgrounds to the post office, if you're really serious give the Aqua Maniac guy a call (UK is 11 hours behind at the moment i.e. 7pm here is 8am there) you might talk him round. I didn't try to hard because I was moving back to Oz and had the option of adding the background into my sea freight.The Aqua-Maniac backgrounds are actually made in Poland, the company that makes them has a website but I can't find the name at the moment, if I lay my hands on it I'll let you know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mofo Posted February 17, 2012 Author Share Posted February 17, 2012 Cheers Skippy,You have given me some hope. I will give them a call. If not i might have to source the company who do make them. They might send me one if I am lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucem Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Pretty nice first tank! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AC/DC Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Nice looking tank mofo keep the pics coming Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mofo Posted February 24, 2012 Author Share Posted February 24, 2012 Hey Guys,I have finally made contact with Aqua-Manic. They will hopefully be able to supply me with a nice 3D backing for my tank. How ever I have run into a bit of a issue. They advised me they are finding it difficult to source a company who will be able to deliver it to Australia.So my question to you is…. United Kingdom into Australia.Have any of you brought from this company?? Or any other company’s in the UK?& if so what company did you use to bring it into Australia?Can any one recommend any company’s that will be able to help me??The approximate dimensions would be 75cm X 75cm 40cm Weight would be no more than 10kg`s I would say. They will advise this in the next day or 2.Appreciate all your input guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triggered1 Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 Hey MOFO keep us updated on your aquarium background search.. Ive spent hours myself searching online looking for suppliers in adelaide even australia.. or someone who will ship to aus with no luck at all!! Ive been trying in particular to get the Grey Malawi and Tanganyika Rock by Aqua Terra or the Pangea 3D for a 6ft tank, 4ft tank and in the near future would be looking to get one for an 8ft tank if I was happy with the others...but no luck at all!!!! good luck!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mofo Posted March 7, 2012 Author Share Posted March 7, 2012 Hey Triggered1,Aqua-Maniac are not much help at all. I have to send them 6 reminders before I get a reply. They said they would sell me one & I could arrange shipping through http://www.interparcel.com/ So I am on the right track. I am still waiting on width dimensions of the back ground so I know what lengths I have to order them in to fit them into my tank. I would say I will need mine in 3 sections. So all up I recon I can get away with one delivered for around $650 Australian.My apologies as I have accidentally removed my photos form Flicker. I will have to take some more & re modify the post. I will keep you up to date once my order has been placed & finalized. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cichlid_mafia Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 I did the same thing and found out later that I just bought every fish I saw so.just some words of advice only buy a fue species and try pair them up or even a colony or two Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skippy Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 I am still waiting on width dimensions of the back ground so I know what lengths I have to order them in to fit them into my tank. I would say I will need mine in 3 sections.I'm pretty sure they only come in 2 sections (my 5 x 2 did) so you'd be looking at 90cm x 60cm plus the ample packaging Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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