trofius Posted June 16, 2006 Share Posted June 16, 2006 yep dave have to agree, with merjo here, it does kinda look like a fry tank, with just practical rather than asthetic features.. However the chunck of sand stone looks nice. I would get a saw...and cut the left side flat, and then sit it nicely on this side so it is rotated 90 degrees anticlockwise, and then get a few more pieces of similar colours, and add them in on one side. Its my aim to try a nice sandstone background, not against the glass but just off so it looks like a big collection of pillers , kinda..Sandstone has such great colours avaliable, and is one of the few rocks that can be manipulated, to fit around overflows etc Big rocks do look much better i have found, pitty about the weight, once again i will post a pic of my 8 footer, you can seen the 3 big rocks on teh left they are all in excess of 20kg each, you can see the difference compared to the 100kg of smaller rocks found in the centre of the tank., andthey are mostly grapefruit size, the bigger rocks are 10-12 high.. I will try and get a newer pic of th erocks a bit more of a close up, now they have a healthy lawn of algae on them and look a bit softer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoliroMan Posted June 16, 2006 Author Share Posted June 16, 2006 thanks guys for the constructive comments....i am so depressed now!!!!! I hope the tropheus don't notice it isn't natural. Only joking...i had my doubts about the rockwork but really wanted to try a sandstone look. I think the rounded rock look of trofius setup looks really natural...unfortunately i bought this quite unnatural large chiselled sandstone rock which is quite difficult to match to the rockwork. Should i remove the rounded rocks and add more chiselled looking sandstone? I don't want to add any more large pieces since i am afraid it may be too heavy for the tank. The rock on the far left end is a remnant of the original setup of limestone rocks. I wanted to keep it because it had a good cover of algae on it. Should i remove it as well? The rock on the far right is a really attractive Australian rock i got from Auburn aquarium, forgot the name....do u think i should remove it? It however does look chiselled and matches the sandstone block in shape but not colour. I guess i do catch and strip my holding females and do not want the tank to be too heavily rocked but i guess i could add more rock and allow them to release the fry naturally. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anchar Posted June 16, 2006 Share Posted June 16, 2006 Dave I like the sandstone colour and think it could be used to great effect. The rock on the far right looks like jasper (or a similar chert type rock). They would all go together if you had more rock to "join" them. Trofius has used blocky and rounded pieces harmoniously - placement is the key. Add more rocks of different sizes and make a few irregular clusters, off centre, with some uprights and some sloping and horizintal pieces. I find a good formula is to have a large feature piece, 2-3 medium pieces and up to 10 smaller bits. Wish I was closer mate as I would come and help you play Andrea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoliroMan Posted June 16, 2006 Author Share Posted June 16, 2006 Andrea...i think u need to come over for a visit soon!!! I have no idea how to do what comes to u so easily. Do u think that 'jasper' rock looks out of place because it is different in colour? Should i get rid of that larger rounded rock (2nd rock to the left)? Here are some other tank setups for your perusal: 4 by 2 by 2 (ex-moliro tank) Ilangi tank thx Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trofius Posted June 16, 2006 Share Posted June 16, 2006 Dave are you wanting a natural look or just a tank that is easy on the eyes and makes the inhabitants and you happy....I lnow it is nice to have great aquascaped tanks, but they are FISH tanks, not rock tanks A truely realistic tang tank would be a reall effort in my opinion, and a fair bit of cash, a background would go a long way, but are expensive, and as for the rock weight...most of mine is a granite type of stuff, thats 2.6X heavier than water( same SG as glass actually) and i have lot of rock in my tank, although in the pics it looks like stuff all, beleive me there is a lot, when pulled apart it completely covers a 3x6 foot dinning table, and a bit more!!!! Having said that i still want to go full hog in making my 8 footer as realistic as i can. I ensure all my tanks have a full suporting board under the full length, and then a 20mm layer of foam, most tanks that have rocks also have atleast a 10mm base, i was at one stage crawling in my 8 footer lol checking the inner seel before i filled it, My 8 footer is a nightmare to try and catch holding females, but saying that it is a display tank, and that purpose come first and formost, i accepted that when i put the tropheus in there. the other tanks in the fish room, have rock piles for the fish toplay in, but if i pull them apart i can wait a day or two to put them back, its not really an issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anchar Posted June 16, 2006 Share Posted June 16, 2006 I agree with Mick's comments. Personally I like a rocked tank for aesthetic reasons, but also believe the fish "seem" to prefer it too. It is a pain to catch holding females because 9/10 times I have to remove every rock to accomplish this. But, for the 20 mins. worth of pulling rock out and replacing it it is worth the effort to me. I also have wood under my foam for extra support. The other tank shots display nicer landscaping, purely because they are balanced (ie. nice amount of rock that is well placed/grouped and off set with constructive plantings). In nature, you will generally find that rocks of similar composition are found together and their placement is more random. Even Permian glacial paths, with their vastly differing rock types (due to being moved sometimes thousands of miles from their origin an dumped out as the glaciers melted) still exhibit a natural "order". It is still possible to replicate a natural looking biotope using contrasting rock types. You just need to stand back, look at the tank each time you place a rock and ask yourself "does this look natural?". It's hard to explain...it's a little like taking a photo and getting everything balanced in terms of framing, depth, perspective etc. It's something that you get a feel for I guess. All the groupings etc. in the tank should "flow" and three seperate rockpiles should not look like three seperate rockpiles. They need to be "linked" with either some plants, a piece of wood or some smaller rocks. You need to work with the depth (front to back) of your tank and give the illusion of more space even though you are effectively reducing it with the addition of rock. I used round river boulders and square, chunky pieces in 8x2x2 at an LFS once. It worked wonderfully because although the two rocks where of different shape (and source...one being quarried sandstone and the other being river worn metamorphic quartzite) because they were the samish colour. I will try to find a picture that I took, not great quality from memory, but it may still illustrate the principle. The overall effect resembled rocks that had tumbled into a river bank and settled where they had "fallen". I am just rambling now, so I'll conclude by saying; 1. Avoid symmetry 2. Make use of the whole tank, not just the centre (ie. foreground, middle, background) 3. Vary the height and size of the rocks 4. Link the piles/groups 5.Try to match up colours and shapes but don't let this restrict you I have an area in my shed that has about 3 cubic metres of rocks....sandstones, limestones, granites, shales, slates etc. etc. I will pick a theme and go to the shed and look at what I have that will fit into my plan. Some of the rock has never been used....but it will be one day. I collect "treasues" on country drives, trips to LFS and from other members if I think that it will one day be useful. I am pretty familiar with every piece I have, so I can visualise what piece I need for a certain spot and go to the shed and find it. I guess I am lucky because I have always aligned myself with nature and have studied life and earth sciences so I understand the concepts of nature. Maybe google terms like "river banks", "rock falls", "underwater rock"...anything like that and see what it returns in the way of photos to get the feel for it. Andrea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoliroMan Posted June 16, 2006 Author Share Posted June 16, 2006 thanks guys!!! u know u should both go into aquascape designing as a profession....but i think Andrea u already do this!!. do u actually put foam inside the tank....what i understand is the foam is under the tank? i think i might get some smaller pieces of quarried sandstone and see if i can get a more natural effect. the larger smooth rounded rock i think needs to go...it is really out of place in that tank. I will take another pic when i complete it to see what u consultants think! Dave ps...Andrea..would be good if u have a spare tank to make a sandstone theme with the fallen rock look....and show us some pics!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anchar Posted June 16, 2006 Share Posted June 16, 2006 Hi Dave...yes the polystyrene sits on the wood under the tank. I don't use any foam or eggcrate etc. inside the tank. Spare tank I have cut down from 80 odd to about 35 now so no spares atm. However I will try to source some nice sandstone and put together a small tank just for your viewing pleasure Dave Andrea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buntbarsch Posted June 17, 2006 Share Posted June 17, 2006 OK, I will try this one more time.............. Well guys, you have to go and look at the on the Yahoo site. I tried to post some pictures from there but your forum does not allow it. http://ca.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/buntbarsc...s.com/my_photos Sooooo, check out this link and enjoy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anchar Posted June 17, 2006 Share Posted June 17, 2006 Fabulous collection of fish Klaus and some really great pics. of them. Thanks for sharing! Andrea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sicj Posted June 17, 2006 Share Posted June 17, 2006 Wow you have a really amazing array of fish there I wish i could kep tropheus again but i am limited with space I was wondering what would be the minimum size tank to keep a colony of tropheus in As i want to post some pics up here aswell I have learnt so much on here everyone has such an array of information and people are so helpful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trofius Posted June 17, 2006 Share Posted June 17, 2006 Wow Klaus Sweet collection... The Chisanse look very similar to my Kachese, i guess their localities must be close.. Dave, I do have pieces of 8mm foam under my large rocks and rock piles, I have had a tank crack before,, not fun. enjoy you aquascaping adventures, it can be fun an rewarding but also pianful, i always pulll my piles apart several time before i am happy that they are random enough. Different coloured rocks will all eventually be green , so shape is more important. when i do pull apart the 8 footer trying to catch holding females i have rocks all over the bottom of the tank, the fish actually love it, looks pretty good , but i prefer the higher stacks /bigger rocks, but it is allways in the back of my mind to try it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoliroMan Posted June 17, 2006 Author Share Posted June 17, 2006 Andrea...i know u will be able to find another tank...pretty soon u will be up to 80 again!!! It would be great if u could set up a sandstone theme tank to give me some idea of what i should be aiming for. Remember there is an open invitation for u to visit and help with my tank!!!! and remember to bring in a suitcase full of rocks!!! Klaus...i thought u had forgotten about us here downunder!!! Luv the chaitika pics...so much bad press about these guys here in Oz, but your pics clearly show they are awesome..do u still have them anymore, if not why did u sell them? I usually have no problems linking pics to photos kept on www.photobucket.com....need to find time to look through your large collection of pics!! Thanks for sharing! Sicj....glad to see you have been caught by the tropheus bug!!!! Feel free to ask questions about Tropheus here and if u like on the www.Africancichlidforum.com where Klaus is the moderator.....back to your question - i think the absolute minimum tank size is the biggest size tank u can fit in the available space....i would say a standard 4 foot tank is the minimum for an adult colony of no more than 15 but that will depend on the variant and the aggressiveness of the Ts...i have heard of people keeping 8 adult Ts in a 2 foot cube tank but i think it is not the optimum condition for them.. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anchar Posted June 18, 2006 Share Posted June 18, 2006 My contribution to this thread for the week... Andrea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parrdog Posted June 18, 2006 Share Posted June 18, 2006 Very pretty, their colours sre beautiful . Jamie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoliroMan Posted June 19, 2006 Author Share Posted June 19, 2006 Andrea....healthy looking Ts there!!!! And the limestone rocks look awesome. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoliroMan Posted June 19, 2006 Author Share Posted June 19, 2006 Hi Guys, Trying to post some of videos of my tropheus, hopefully it will work. video They are all taken from a Pentax OptioS 4MP camera so don't expect quality. But gives u some idea of the type of busy activity that tropheus owners have come to enjoy!!! hope u like it! Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wormboy Posted June 19, 2006 Share Posted June 19, 2006 heh heh heh, see what I got Yay me! -Mat- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoliroMan Posted June 19, 2006 Author Share Posted June 19, 2006 Congrats Mat! For a minute there i thought u were having your first baby!!! Great to see the moliros are holding. Is this the first time? Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anchar Posted June 19, 2006 Share Posted June 19, 2006 Good stuff Mat! Are you going to make her spit or risk the swallow Andrea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wormboy Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 Thanks Dave and Andrea, Im actually so suprised, they are only babies themselves ( they grow up so fast!). Yep, first mouthfull so Im fully expecting her to swallow them . I though I would leave them in there with them for as long as she wants to keep them, let her get used to the idea. I reckon that way she has a better chance of becoming a good mother later on. The big move is scheduled for two weeks from now so if she is still holding then, she can stay in that tank while the rest go to the 8 ft until she spits. Now that I can ID on sight 1 male and 1 female, I think I may need a few more girlies. There are a lot of fish in there with the same longish pelvics as the dominant boy but not many looking lilke the girl (perhaps 6/3). We'll see. BTW, had a look at your videos Dave, The Ilangis look FAB! The GKs look awesome but gosh they are scatty arent they? Also, what Cyp variant do you have in there with them? -Mat- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trofius Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 Ok here are a few more pics of the Tropheus as of today, quite happy with the fact that all varieties (apart from the ilangi) now are breeding, here are the pics of the new Tropheus brichardi "Katonga", excuse the tank colour i had a touch of whitespot in here, and a few are a bit tatty, but they have a mouthful. Here is a new pic of the Ilang from Jim via Aline, thanks again guys, these are now at 4cm. A couple of shots of the Kiriza, she has been holding since the 23/5, still wondering if i should let the first mouthful go to chance in the tank....any day... a Few of the Kachese again, some shots of the big rocks for Dave, and there is a holding female amongst the boys aswell. I think he deserves to be included in here somewere, this Eret is growing up to join his buddy in the 8 footer eventually, fingerscrossed they like each other. Thanks for looking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 Nice collection there Trofius!!! What size tank are the ilang in an how many of them did u end up getting? cheers; Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trofius Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 6x2x2, i got 30 of them. hopefully i will wont have to move them for a while, just need to increase the number of rocks in a few months when the get a bit territorial Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoliroMan Posted June 20, 2006 Author Share Posted June 20, 2006 Wormboy....everything u plan on doing sounds great to me....if they are starting to hold, it is a matter of time when they become little fry production factories!!!! I know some people refuse to strip their females because they assume they lose the ability to hold fry in the future....i guess it is true, maybe u can do a randomised control study to see if it makes a difference. I know for a fact that wildcaughts can be stripped since they already will have known how to hold to term, however, WCs also make great parents and will likely protect the fry until they are able to fend for themselves! The WC GKs are a bit skittish because there aren't enough of them in the tank. I had 16 before but loss 5 due to bloat. However, i have another 36 fry growing up, of which i will add 12 to build up the colony!!! . The cyprochromis is of the variant kekese...i have a male and 2 females but no breeding as yet. T Mick....awesome katongas... for people who don't know these are the nicest variants of the tropheus brichardi ujiji....a few of us a thinking of importing some wildcaughts of these hopefully in the near future!!!! Also luv the ilangi....they look so at home in that 6 by 2. I think u need more in there!!! Those kirizas are so nicely coloured, makes me miss mine so much. I found when i had mine, even the smallest females would hold and for some reason they were very good parents. Also they tend to have smaller mouthfuls i,e around 4-6 fry. Luv the boulders, what are they...granite? Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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