mitsukuni

First thing I would do is crank the temp!!! IMHO, 74* is a bit cool for them anyways, but you want to speed up the ich life cycle, so I'd get it above 80*, praps 82-83*. Knowing what happens to o2 as temp goes up, add another airstone to increase surface agitation. In the meantime, lots of water changes to dilute the Ammo, and match the makeup water to the tank water using a thermometer. You can also throw some ammo chips in your filter, or use ammo-lock to render the ammo less harmful.

Saw some the other day as we made our rounds... I was tempted, but impulse fish buys usually end poorly, as we all know. Just wondered if anyone else had kept dwarf pikes, and how they got along with their tankmates, which sp. would you recommend, etc? The one I saw may have been crenicichla notophthalmus, but I'm not sure... LFS wasn't sure either. Nice looking fish though.

I finally picked one up this week. Pretty small, but nice coloring so far. He likes to follow my g.surinamensis around the tank like a puppy, as they both sift the sand... Very similar coloration at 2-2.5" to the surinam, with the biggest difference being the light vertical barring on the tapajos... I think I'm going to keep these geos as individuals for now, and try to put together a breeding tank of redhumps. A LFS in NE Calgary still has a dozen or so in stock... nice fish! Phil

Should work... I just finished setting mine up, and its now been running for about a week, with no water on the floor. The overflow is the key to success... For some theoreticals on overflows, check out this page: Overflow for wet/dry I got the idea for mine here: Nice Cheap DIY Overflow (19 pages long!) Here's mine (on the front of the tank, during "testing" I used 1 1/2" pvc, and the flexible hose from overflow to sump was 1 1/2" sump hose, with barbed ends on either side. In terms of the filter itself, you might wanna look at removing the bottom of the drawer completely except for the rim, and replacing it with eggcrate... here's what mine looks like: And make sure your drip tray has a lip... this lets the water fill it a little, and then run out of all the holes: More questions, fire away!

HOLY !! I would suggest maybe a wetsuit. Seriously though, I've caught "uncatchable" fish by using the cave/tube or whatever as the net... once they're in there, simply remove the decoration, fish and all... Yes, pictures of the tank please!!!

Thanks Jason. Obviously you're doing the right things, and they're rewarding you for it. :thumbs: Keep us posted on your progress!

NICE! Can you post a few more details on what got you to this point, ie tank size, filtration, how many red-heads you had, how many m's to f's (if you know) other tank inhabitants, etc? I'm interested in pursuing this myself and was thinking either red-humps or red-heads for a breeding project... Great news! Phil

King Mitsukuni Welcomes you! Get ready for your life to change for the better, as long as you know who's boss! :thumbs: They are great dogs! Mitsu (that's where my screen name comes from) is 2 years old, and we love him more each day. As long as you can get your head around the fact that they are not reliable off-leash, you will have many years of great fun with him. Very unique personalities as dogs go - some friends of ours have said ours is more like a cat than a dog, when he's sitting there grooming himself... they are very energetic, but are content to hang out too, durable in temperature extremes, relatively free of major health maladies, and cute as a button. If you ever want to talk Shibas, drop me a line! Phil (and King Mitsukuni, sitting on his throne, nearby)

Heheh... after your wife told mine, the question was put to me: "how long before you're gonna want to set one up too?" My response was vague, non-commital.... :shifty: That's gonna look killer when its done, dude- esp where you're putting it, first thing you see when you come in the house. Way cool...hmmmm.... a nano tank might be kinda cool and wouldn't take up any room, right? :thumbs:

So I have the thing running! I'm attaching a few pics to show the drawers, and the drip tray... But it works! I just need some more bio-media, and I need to move it to the back of the tank. Had it running on the front till I was satisfied that I wasn't going to create a river to the floor drain. Here are the construction details: Starting at the tank: -'W' 1 /12" PVC overflow, with egg crate at the water entry point, to discourage adventure seekers from taking the "plunge" -Output from the outside of the W goes to a threaded fitting, barbed on the other end, connected to 1 1/2" flexible sump pump hose. -another threaded/barb fitting on the sump side goes into a 90* elbow, which goes through the top of the drawer cover, into a flange fitting, with a sink drain gasket in between. The sump: -uses a small drawer setup (3 drawers), sitting on a coated rack, in a 20 gallon tank. -each drawer has the bottom cut out of it, and replaced with egg-crate. -top drawer: the top of the bio chamber with the 90* elbow on it empties onto a drip tray: I used a plastic lid from an Ikea container we had lying around, and cut the perimeter to fit the drawer. This works well, because there is a lip all the way around, allowing the water to pool in the tray, before running through the holes I've drilled every one inch square, using a 1/8 drill. This drip tray sits on egg crate, which sits on 4 foam filters from a Fluval 404, which sits on the egg crate bottom of the drawer. -middle drawer: plastic pot scrubbers sitting on the egg crate bottom -bottom drawer: bio-cubes sitting on egg crate. -The water level is at the very bottom of the lowest media drawer. There is room to put heaters down underneath. -A pond pump and an AC402 powerhead, each with foam prefilters, pump the water back up to the tank again (I have to make a hole just under the water line of each return line, to prevent the pump hoses from back siphoning into the sump). If the water level drops due to evap, the sump level goes down, but the tank stays the same. If the power goes out, the pumps stop, but the siphon holds in the W overflow, and the water stops flowing down the drain, as soon as the water level goes below the level of the slotted endcap guard. A few details to finish up, and this project is done! Phil

Picked up the last bits and pieces of plumbing, egg crate, hose and a small drawer setup. Right now I'm working on the trickle filter itself. Picking up some bio-balls this afternoon hopefully. I just finished the drip-tray (well, a second attempt - first one didn't work as I wanted). Did a trial run, from under the tank and it works! Now I need to finish off the bio media compartment... more pics coming!

Sorry Christian, Sometimes when it rains it pours eh? Here's to hoping your luck turns around in a big way: Phil

Indeed! Ah, maybe this will be a blessing in disguise... my trickle filter project is coming along nicely. Since this has turned into a DIY project, I've started a new thread in the DIY section: My 77 gallon DIY Project I'll keep it updated with pics, in case anyone else is considering it, or wants to laugh at my folly...

I've alluded to this project in another thread, but since its now started, and is going to be done "on the cheap", with as much DIY as possible, I thought this would be an appropriate place to put it... This tank is a 77 that a buddy gave me. Its going in my basement, so aesthetics aren't as important as my upstairs tanks. I plan to house South American cichlids, as well as some catfish, and maybe a few larger characins. I'll document what I've done so far first: Stand: "Legs" are 16 cinder blocks, piled in an "L" shape on either end. Resting on the cinder blocks are 2-2x4s with syrofoam over them, and the tank rests on this. Lighting: 4 foot shop light (48" x2) is hanging from the ceiling, about 8" over the tank, using looped blue nylon clothesline. Bulbs are 40 watt Philips Aquarium/Plant bulbs. Filter: I am planning a DIY wet/dry, with a homemade overflow (this tank is not drilled). Here is my progress so far: Overflow: "W" style, with one way valve. "Bucket-testing" the overflow: After this pic I put another pump in the bucket, for a total of 485 gph, but this didn't overwelm the overflow, which still has reserve. And as soon as I cut the power, the overflow would break the flow once the water level reached it (3-5 seconds). And it holds siphon! Next step is to build my trickle-filter. I'm planning to use those plastic drawers, with a 20gallon sump. More updates soon!

Well, after delving into this one a little deeper, I decided I would make my own overflow. Its based on the "w" type overflow, with a one way valve at the top of the the upper U, to make it easier to prime. Right now I'm waiting on the pvc cement to dry, and have begun work on the wet/dry system. Its probably going to be a drawer system sitting in a 20 gallon tank. Bio-media will be plastic potscrubbers, and return pump will use an AC402 powerhead I have sitting around. I'm taking pics along the way in case anyone's interested.

I am partway through the process of making my own W/D system, and was wondering if the pics you originally had up were still around somewhere? I'd love to see your setup, and compare it to what I'm planning... Thanks Phil

Great pics! Love the firemouth, and I also have Tapajos on the list... I saw them at a LFS here in Calgary on the weekend: PM me if you want the name of the place. Phil

So I took the water alarm out, thinking all was good. Went down last evening to hand a new light over the tank (cheaped out, and got a home depot shop light and some Philips Aquarium bulbs). The 404 was underwater in the 5 gallon bucket, and the water was spilling over. As I said before, this filter was used, but "looked" to be in good shape... I'm not sure if I can trust it not to leak a fairly large amount of water over my floor... so I am now looking for alternatives. I've been thinking for a while about a separate sump system - this might provide the impetus to do it. If anyone has suggestions where I can buy a cheap overflow box in the city or if you have one to sell me, please PM me (don't post the shop name here please). I know there are plans out there to make the overflow box, but I would like a reliable solution that is not going to end in wet feet. :boxed: At least the light looks good... :shock:

10. Decorate the outside of the tank with spray-on snow and tell them "we had a storm last night"... 9. Buy all the mermaid decorations at the CAS auction, and cram as many in the showtank as possible. 8. Peridocially sprinkle water around the tank and ask where the leak is coming from. 7. Ask them how they like your new impulse buy - when asked what it is, say "serrasalmo-something... The fish-store said it was a community fish...?" 6. Turn off the main breaker, hide all the blankets and the generator, and ask where the coleman stove is. 5. Immerse the bucket end of the gravel cleaner in tabasco, and then watch them try to start a siphon... 4. Perpetuate a rumour that the city has a strict water ban in place. 3. Simulate an algae outbreak via green food coloring 2. 'Accidentally' switch the diatom powder with flour. And the number one top ten April Fool's trick on your resident Aquarium Enthusiast... . . . . 1. TWO WORDS: TEA BAGS! -roll-

Did some fooling around in the city this afternoon and found what I was looking for: gasket for the 404, spindle for an old AC201 powerhead, and a cover for an AC200 HOB. Went home, installed the new gasket, and pumped water all over the floor. Reinstalled the gasket with some white grease, opened the valve carefully, and FINALLY it held. But, just in case, I am currently running the filter from the front of the tank, and its sitting in a 5 gallon bucket, with a water alarm in the bottom, till I'm satisfied that the basket-show is over. :boxer: But then I hooked up an AC401 powerhead to a couple of Marineland Bio-wheels I've had in storage. Yep, the o-rings leaked all over the floor in short order. Doh. Slowly I will get all my old equipment back in service. But I think I'll limit my dry-runs (they've been anything but dry so far) to the basement. In any event, the tank is now filled, and one filter is circulating. So the project is ON.

Yeah, I've got MTS as well... had two 33s and a 27 for years, since January I've added a 60, a 55, a 77 and another 33. And using AA as a support group in this case doesn't help! -roll-

Finally got the 77 in place on a cinder block stand (its in the basement, in an area thats quickly starting to become a fishroom). Used styro to try to even it out, and 2x4s between the tank and the blocks. Put a shelf below it for future expansion ( ). Gave it a thorough cleaning with vinegar, a razor blade, and several partial fills (it was sitting in a buddy's garage for the last few years). Finally, I filled it with water... No leaks. Things are going well so far... THEN I decided to try putting together the Fluval 404 I recently got with a used 55gal. Thinking I would seed it for a few days on my 55 up in the mainfloor office (with wood floors), I put all my new media in, ran the hoses, and primed the thing... This is where things went downhill... :shock: The tank quickly began to empty itself on the floor, around the cover of the fluval. After grabbing 4 large towels, and doing a quick mopup, I removed the cover o-ring, reseated it, smeared it with white grease, and tried again. Same thing. Brought it downstairs to the concrete floor, tried priming it on my SA 33 tank after monkeying with the gasket yet again, but to no avail. Argghhhh... I'm going to try to find a gasket today (think PPE on Edmonton Tr might have em?), but if that doesn't help then this project is temporarily on hold, since all my other filters are in use... My BIL has a 304 and has never had any trouble with it. Guess I'm just lucky... :bang1:

Here's a quick pic of my recent African setup. I bought a tank, and it came with the fish - some nice ones, but I'm normally a SA cichlid guy, so I don't know a lot about them yet... but I think I'm now hooked.... (the space you can see below is the upper level of my red-eared slider tank, and "Raphael" is sunning herself on her driftwood.)

My wife bought me this aquarium ornament a few years back - I don't normally keep anything besides wood, plants and rock in my tanks, but this one was a running joke, because it resembles my vehicle, if it had been underwater for 20 years... In any event, our clown pekoltia has taken to hanging out the driver's window, so much so that we now call it his truck. A few days ago I looked in and saw our large pleco hanging out next to the truck, with "clownie" in his usual perch, hanging out his driver's side window - not sure what they were discussing, but it sure looked funny! -roll-

Thanks for the input everybody. I started my 77 renovation tonight, so hopefully this project gets off the ground soon... Not sure how I'm going to aquascape it yet Mike, but I am definitely doing sand on the bottom, and am currently thinking of using only large driftwood, and lower light levels, but this could change... Connie, nice meeting you too! BTW, I think, according to what you were telling me last night, your place will have to be a stop on that spring fishroom tour we spoke of... esp if you set up a new geo tank!