Upcoming archer fish tank build.

[matt56]

Hello all i have had a 125g tank just sittin in my room for a while and figured since my discus are all doing just fine now it was to time to get things rolling on this thing. I wanted a fish that had a unique trait to it that made it more then just pretty, i could really care less how it looks as long as it has some special adaptation which is one reason i love discus, im fascinated at the different adaptations animals take on and make them specialized at one thing. For discus its swimming in between roots to get to safe spawning areas, for archer fish its shooting bugs from branches ;). So it was a no brainer for me to go with an archer tank. Took a while to get some real info, not alot of it around on these guys. I have a store near me who can order me a group when im ready. So ive got the tank, i will be making the stand because the one that comes with it i dont trust. I need to come up with ideas on filtration. I was going to just use 2 xp3 canisters, but i would really like to go with a sump. Unfortunately the tank is tempered glass so i cant drill it. I would have to go with a hang on back overflow, most likely the one from lifereef. Ive read lots of good things about these on reef central. http://www.lifereef.com/siphon.html i would be going with the double wide one.They are quite pricey but it would be worth it if it everything i read on the different boards is true. So ive got the overflow box covered, now for the sump. My discus are currently in a 55g and they will be moved this weekend to a 90g which ill pick up on thursday so i will be using the 55 for the sump. I am really considering just using poret foam to make the filter, ill be contacting swiss tropicals for some advice on it. Here is their design which is the one id be using. http://www.swisstropicals.com/Web%20pictures%20600%20dpi/Poret%20wet-sump%20filter.pdf. I was also considering doing a fluidized bed filter, which would be very simple just adding a couple baffles and some pipes to drain into the k1 chamber, but k1 is pretty darn expensive and after calculating how much i would need for my fish it would turn out to be around 20 liters, so would be expensive. Whats your guys/gals opinion for what kind of filtration i should use? Keep in mind im still in high school and making aquarium stands for people isn't exactly a stable job so please keep things reasonable ;).

[matt56]

Well darn just remembered that with archers you only fill the tank up 3/4 of the way so they can jump and spit for their food, so a hang on back overflow wont cut it in that situation. Im thinking about maybe just making an extra tall canopy to go on top so i can leave several inches of water below the rim so i can have the overflow box and still have say a foot or more of spitting area and jumping area inside the canopy. Whats your guys opinions on this?

[ZX10R]

I think your idea of having a tank of archer fish sounds pretty cool. Would be fun to sit around and watch them in action. Good luck and hope to see some pics soon.

[matt56]

Thanks! Yeah i plan to make a special canopy so that the lights are fixed on top of so them spitting wont get on the leds ill be making as well. However this is just the brain storming thread ill make a new thread when the build actually begins :). Cant begin on the stand for it yet until my dad finishes his bearded dragon enclosures. Sucks to share a garage with another wood worker lol.

[Elliots]

I always liked Archer fish but never had any. I know they jump a lot but do they go with Discus? I know you are going to have a seperate tank for Archers

[matt56]

Archers are brackish, though when they are young they can be kept in freshwater. People and lfs make the mistake of saying that toxotes jaculatrix, which is the banded archer or the most common archer, is full fresh water. As young ones yes but as adults they need brackish to live long term, so no they wont go with discus long term, but as young fish i assume they would be okay, though i really dont know. Like i said there really isn't alot of info on these guys. I know they are brackish, love crickets, and other meaty foods, and love to jump and spit ;).

[matt56]

Just got permission from my parents to use this storage room behind my tank as the sump room ;).
http://i797.photobucket.com/albums/yy260/mattster56/DSC01751_zpseec07228.jpg
Ill be tearing up the carpet and epoxy coating the floor and adding a lip at the door so if there is a flood its all contained in the room.

[Ryan]

Rather than a HOB-style power filter, why not get a canister filter? You can then cut the intake/output hoses long enough that they're below the water level, even if the tank is 1/4 empty. I use Fluval FX5 on all my large tanks in combination with wet-dry filters (my large tanks are drilled) and I love them. They have very strong flow and I only have to clean them every month or two. They have a large area inside (3 baskets) for media and sponges. The only thing about canisters being closed filters is that the bacteria will suffocate fairly quickly if you have a power outage. I have all mine plugged into UPS units which gives me time to turn them off and open them up if I think my power is going to be out for more than an hour or two.

I've always loved the look of archers but I've never actually kept any. I see juveniles from time to time at the LFS. Scats are also brackish -- have you ever considered mixing the two?

[matt56]

When i said hang on abck overflow i meant an overflow that hangs on the back so that you dont have to drill the tank. This is a hang on back overflow:
http://i797.photobucket.com/albums/yy260/mattster56/overflow_zps8dde9d38.gif
The short end goes inside the tank and water flows into the box, then gets siphoned over into the back box and down into your sump. I never use HOB filters unless i have to. And this tank i will be using a poret foam 55gallon sump with a lifereef hang on back overflow since i cant drill my tank. An alternative would be to use 2 xp3 canisters that i have but i would really like to use a sump, especially since i have the option to keep it in a storage room behind the tank. And yep ive thought about scats but i dont know which id want more, scats or monos.

[Ryan]

Ah, I see. Yeah, an overflow is going to be an issue then. Maybe the canopy idea would work.

[matt56]

Yep the most likely approach i will take, i just hope it doesn't look funny with an extra tall canopy, i might try to compensate a bit and make the stand 38-40 inches so it evens out the tall look with the canopy.

[matt56]

Got my sump design worked out. Contacted swiss tropicals and i took what stephan suggested to come up with this. This is not an original design i simply made plans for my specific situation off of his design found here
http://www.swisstropicals.com/Web%20pictures%20600%20dpi/Poret%20wet-sump%20filter.pdf. Here is my plan arftully created in ms paint ;).
http://i797.photobucket.com/albums/yy260/mattster56/Poretfoamsumpdesign_zps75403827.png

Water comes down into the sump, goes through a sheet of 10ppi foam to get rid of large particles, then through 2 20ppi sheets to filter out medium particles, then through 3 30ppi sheets which will provide massive surface area for bacteria and will be the main source for bio filtration. In theory stephan says i should only need to rinse the first 2 sheets every now and again, or when the water level in between 2 sheets begins to drop, then i know i need to rinse the sheet in front. It wil then be pumped back up with a 600gph pump with the heater in the last chamber.

[plecocicho]

Monodadactylus and argus are both schoal fish, whichalso grow big, jut to put you in perspective. Adults of both fish live in pure saltwater

[matt56]

Ah I see thanks for the info. I'll probably just keep it an archer only tank then.

[matt56]

Just got my 90g for my discus so will probably be a week or so before i update this, and ill just go on and make the build thread when i do update. Finishing up a stand for somebody then gotta make the stand for my 90g.

[Second Hand Pat]

Matt, on the side on the sump containing your pump I would suggest allowing enough room to lay the heater horizontal in the bottom of the sump so the heater is always submerged. You will find that you will need to keep the water level low enough in the sump so if you lose power the sump can capture the water without overflowing.

[matt56]

Yeah i remembered that, i just didn't adjust it on the drawing. I just put that there to show its going to be in the chamber ;). Thanks for the reminder though pat!

[matt56]

Hello everybody, as of today everything is being put on hold. My family is going to look at a house on friday that's about 2 times bigger then ours at the moment. (we need the space bad). So if we decide to go on and take it, then i wont be doing anything tank wise until we get moved over, and i have no idea how long that would take, could take a couple weeks could take a month who knows lol. So i apologize to everybody who was looking forward to this. I am dissapointed because i just sold a another stand so i have enough to get on with the archer tank, but now i have to wait, and if it turns out we don't want the house then its right back to the archer tank :). However if we do, and i really hope we do, then i would have a much larger room and i could finally build the turtle pond ive always wanted as well ;). I love mississippi maps and southern painteds, but never had enough room for an indoor pond. Anyways i apologize and hopefully either way i can get back to this soon.