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Thread: The 150 gallon and 75 gallon Sciaenochromis Tanks

  1. #1
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    Default The 150 gallon and 75 gallon Sciaenochromis Tanks

    Hi everyone, it's been a few months since I posted here. With starting a new job with the city and waiting on some custom equipment to make its way to me I haven't had much time for setting up my tanks. I finally do have some time, so I am posting today. I have started this thread to document my progress and will be updating regularly.

    Glad to be back into fishkeeping!

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    Default Re: The 150 gallon and 75 gallon Sciaenochromis Tanks

    Screenshot_20230312_224921_Chrome.jpg

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    The goal with these tanks is to cross these 2 strains of african cichlids - Aulonocara Eureka Super Red (above) and Sciaenochromis Paradise (bottom).

    I am shipping these strains in from 2 seperate sources over the next month.
    Last edited by GalaxyKoiBoi; 04-15-2023 at 07:45 PM.

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    Default Re: The 150 gallon and 75 gallon Sciaenochromis Tanks

    I purchased the 150 gallon from a LFS in Cincinnati. They had new 150s going for $300 less than my LFS near my house. So I rented a cargo van and drove 1.5 hours to pick it up. Even with rental fees and gas it was still $150 less expensive to pick it up there vs the shop down the road.

    I brought it home and painted the background black, along with the 75 I already owned. After buying some lumber, I set about building a "double decker" stand for these 2 tanks. I rented a saw and some other tools and set to work on a Saturday morning. Unfortunately. I came down with a violent case of food poisoning, and in an attempt to push through while I had the tools rented, made some dumb mistakes and came out with an off level stand. Though, to be fair, I was battling violent food poisoning symptoms too unpleasant to share here!

    Resized_20230304_205211.jpg

    Frustrated at my mistakes, I wrote off the cost of lumber and tool rentals as a loss and let it rest for a few weeks while I figured out if I wanted to start over or figure out something else. It was also at this time that I found out from my fish guy back in AZ that it would be a few months before I could secure the sciaenochromis paradise, so I decided to order some custom 3D backgrounds since I had plenty of time before the fish would be ready. I'm a patient guy with this hobby, so using the time I had to wait to my advantage was okay with me.

    Attached is a picture of the beginning bones of the stand, with approval from the water change supervisors Miso and Mochi.

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    Default Re: The 150 gallon and 75 gallon Sciaenochromis Tanks

    I ordered my backgrounds from NatureDecor, and it was.... a horrible experience. I went with them because they seemed to be an offshoot of the OG AquaDecor but based out of Canada with better prices. The ONLY thing going for them is those prices.

    I was quoted 15 days build time, it ended up being 45 days build time with 10 days shipping. I ordered the backgrounds in a gray/tan color, they came in a mud brown color. I ordered one pattern for the 150 and a different pattern for the 75, they switched those. Email communication was atrocious, often requiring 2 or 3 emails asking the same question before it was answered after a week or more waiting. The backgrounds came well wrapped and protected, but there were still chips and cracks in half a dozen places that required silicone to fix. The finish they use is thin and brittle, so I ordered some clear Pond Shield to add a layer of protection since I don't trust it to be necessarily safe for my rare and expensive fish that will be in there soon.

    Overall, I would absolutely not recommend NatureDecor. Go with the original Aquadecor. Even though their prices are higher I have heard nothing but great experiences with them.

    Here are a few pictures of the progress of siliconing the backgrounds in this weekend.

    Screenshot_20230416_113014_Gallery.jpg

    Screenshot_20230416_113034_Gallery.jpg

    Screenshot_20230416_113056_Gallery.jpg

    Bonus picture of the water change supervisors hiding from the thunderstorm this morning.

    Screenshot_20230416_113101_Gallery.jpg

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    Default Re: The 150 gallon and 75 gallon Sciaenochromis Tanks

    Screenshot_20230417_203133_Gallery.jpg

    The silicone finished curing on both backgrounds today. Up next its time to apply a clear layer on Pond Shield to the backgrounds. I will tape off the glass on the sides and bottom, then apply a layer of clear over the rocks. This will boost longevity and durability, and hopefully make the colors a little darker. Unlike discus, most african cichlids show brighter colors on dark backgrounds.

    This will also serve to lock in anything unsafe for the fish, as I don't fully trust this material to be fish safe after seeing the quality of materials used to construct this. Live and learn.

    Screenshot_20230417_203149_Gallery.jpg

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    Default Re: The 150 gallon and 75 gallon Sciaenochromis Tanks

    20230419_072325.jpg

    Painted the Pond Shield on the backgrounds. It's a little glossier than I would like but I'm counting on some of that going away once it is underwater and has a bit of algae growth. Happy to know that everything is sealed in and will be much stronger and long-lasting now.

    Up next is building the stands. I'm going with cinderblock and wood stands, but I'm going to paint them to look classy and hopefully get a minimalist look. Will pick up my materials this week and start on that soon!

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    Default Re: The 150 gallon and 75 gallon Sciaenochromis Tanks

    Screenshot_20230419_200531_Gallery.jpg

    Rough placement of the rocks on the 150. Getting closer to having this thing up and running!

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    Homesteader jwcarlson's Avatar
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    Default Re: The 150 gallon and 75 gallon Sciaenochromis Tanks

    Looking good, Josh!
    How's the new job going? Hope all is well with you and your wife!

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    Default Re: The 150 gallon and 75 gallon Sciaenochromis Tanks

    Quote Originally Posted by jwcarlson View Post
    Looking good, Josh!
    How's the new job going? Hope all is well with you and your wife!
    Hey Jacob! The new job is great! Better pay and benefits, less hours, and I feel like I'm contributing towards something positive and making the community a better place. I absolutely love it. Things are great, my wife is doing well!

    Any exciting updates on your end? How are the Stendkers doing?

  10. #10
    Homesteader jwcarlson's Avatar
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    Default Re: The 150 gallon and 75 gallon Sciaenochromis Tanks

    Quote Originally Posted by GalaxyKoiBoi View Post
    Hey Jacob! The new job is great! Better pay and benefits, less hours, and I feel like I'm contributing towards something positive and making the community a better place. I absolutely love it. Things are great, my wife is doing well!

    Any exciting updates on your end? How are the Stendkers doing?
    Nothing major. Still doing a boat load of water changes. lol They're well, though. Pushing up on 6"! I think they'll end up in my empty 125 at some point in the near future, though. And then cut back on water changes to a few per week, maybe? Don't know yet. The plan would be to bring the 8 of them and then to also have bigger schools of tetras.

    Glad to hear all is well! I started a new job just short of two years ago and I still feel like I won the lottery! haha

  11. #11
    Silver Member Iminit's Avatar
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    Default Re: The 150 gallon and 75 gallon Sciaenochromis Tanks

    Nice start! So are you waiting on the fish or looking elsewhere? For backgrounds I used a company called Universal Rocks. Many different options. Background came quick. They are premade to size. Funny the first one I got had footprints walking across it. Sent them pics and they sent another. I needed 60x24 and the closest they had was 60x48 . So I’ve now got a lifetimes worth . My problem was a black acrylic background I wanted to lighten up but not give up much tank space. This background is about an 1/8” thick so it is perfect. I didn’t glue it in in case I want to remove it down the line.C37C873B-9B8E-4E97-8717-7FD0D8E7EE43.jpg.
    Good luck with the new job! Probably be able to find a chopsaw on market place for cheap. Pays to have some tools. I’ve built about 6 stands over the years. Stands paid for tool .

  12. #12
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    Default Re: The 150 gallon and 75 gallon Sciaenochromis Tanks

    Sounds like a great tank! One thing about african cichlids is you can't really have tank mates in there with them. A definite advantage of discus is the tetras and plecos and what not. Sounds like it would be a sweet 125!
    Last edited by GalaxyKoiBoi; 04-21-2023 at 10:00 AM. Reason: Spelling

  13. #13
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    Default Re: The 150 gallon and 75 gallon Sciaenochromis Tanks

    Yeah, if I ever do a 3D background in a tank again I'll either go DIY or obviously a different company. Sounds like you have it made indeed! Lol

    Yep, probably should invest in some tools. I have plans for a plywood tank in the future. It's getting purchases past the wife that are preventing me from going crazy with the hobby. Though perhaps that's a good thing!

    Also, I'm waiting on the paradise. There's really only one source in the states for that strain so I just have to wait it out. I should have them next month. The eurekas are a common strain, but the German bred super red variety is a little harder to come by. I have one or two different sources on that breed that are somewhat regularly available, so I will secure a few breeder males of those after I obtain the paradise.
    Last edited by GalaxyKoiBoi; 04-21-2023 at 10:06 AM.

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    Default Re: The 150 gallon and 75 gallon Sciaenochromis Tanks

    Update: after 4 days the Pond Shield is ever so slightly tacky in a couple of spots. It is supposed to cure 100% after 24 hours. Chatted with the manufacturer and they believe I didn't mix the epoxy thoroughly enough when applying the first coat, but luckily another thin layer of properly mixed epoxy on top will ensure the whole thing cures.

    Kind of a hassle but better safe then sorry. I ordered another small batch and will apply that more carefully tomorrow after it arrives. Lesson learned. Don't rush this if you decide to use Pond Shield yourself!

  15. #15
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    Default Re: The 150 gallon and 75 gallon Sciaenochromis Tanks

    It's been a minute since I posted. Life has been busy with my new job and family events, but I have an update.

    Screenshot_20230523_195456_BAND.jpg

    I've secured my Eureka breeder male! This guy comes from Uncle Wuddy in Thailand, courtesy of Black Label Cichlids. I picked the best one from the last batch (and I sure paid for it!) He will be here next week. I am also traveling this weekend to pick up the sciaenochromis females (getting a group of 20+).

    I will be building the stands this week, starting with the 150 first to house all my fish. The 75 will go up later after all the fish have reached breeding age. Things are finally coming together!

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