The 150 gallon and 75 gallon Sciaenochromis Tanks

[GalaxyKoiBoi]

20230531_000504.jpg

Built the frame of the 150 stand last night. I broke down and bought a Metabo miter saw so I could do this properly. Took a few hours but the thing is solid as a rock and level. I followed the king of DIY's stand plans to make it. Going to let the glue dry, then sand and stain it today after work.

[jwcarlson]

Looking good, Josh! And the fish look beautiful as well.

[GalaxyKoiBoi]

20230531_232803.jpg

Sanded and stained the frame tonight. I used a combo stain/poly to add some water proof qualities to the frame. I will skin it with paneling and Liquid Nails in the future, for now it just needs to hold the 150 since my Eureka breeder gets here tomorrow.

I have 2 44 gallon drums of water aging with heaters right now. I have friends and family coming over tomorrow to help me move the 150 onto the stand. Getting close!

[GalaxyKoiBoi]

Thanks Jacob! Lots of work but it feels great to be getting close after not having fish for 6+ months!

[AquaticNerd]

Great job on the stand Josh. Are you planning on placing the tank directly on the wood top? Whenever I've placed tanks on stands like that I try and find a thin yoga mat or foam of some sort to soften the wood if it comes in direct contact with it. If the tank has the plastic border around the edges, I don't bother.

I grabbed myself a Metabo/HPT sliding compound saw when it was on a deal at a local Lowes. Retail was about $400, on sale for like $250, and rung up at the register for $189!

It's been great for my needs - I usually don't need to cut anything larger than a 2x6 (mainly working on trim/base shoe) and it's been awesome.

[GalaxyKoiBoi]

Thanks Jake! It's an Aqueon rimmed tank. I called them before building the stand and they said to NOT put a pad down as the plastic rim is meant to absorb the weight of the tank, so it is going directly on the wood.

I actually got my saw on Amazon for about $120! It's the 10 inch basic one and works great for my needs. I will only ever cut up to 2x6s with it as well. Sounds like you got a great deal on yours too.

[GalaxyKoiBoi]

20230601_225830.jpg

I finally have the tank set up. It took 4 grown men to get it onto the stand, but we did it. There was a moment of panic when my wife decided to switch walls where the tank would reside from a perfectly level spot to a place where the floor was not level, but a couple of shims ensured the stand was level after all. I will check back in a couple days after it has had time to settle to see if any additional shims are needed.

There are a few things that need fixed still. I didn't have time to rinse the sand before placing it in the tank, so a large water change will need to take place soon to clear up the sediment if the filter does not get it. Speaking of, the FX6 I have on this is loud as hell. I suspect there is some trapped air/sand in it making it noisy, so that will need to be cleared out soon as well. Lastly, I crushed a corner of the 3D background trying to get the filter intake clip over the rim of the tank - stupid, stupid mistake. I glued the crushed piece back together with some aquarium silicone and left the water line a little low so it could dry, but I suspect it will need to be sanded back and touched up with some Pond Shield soon to ensure everything is properly sealed in. Ugh. This hobby gives me so many headaches at times!

Let this be a lesson, don't try to rush everything last minute when setting up a tank! Going to bed now, but my Eureka breeder male is in there and doing fine. He has 135+ gallons of aged water treated with prime and stability to swim in, and I will be keeping a close eye on the levels the next few days to make sure he is doing well!

[GalaxyKoiBoi]

20230604_185814.jpg

Made some good progress on the tank. The water is clearing up but remains somewhat cloudy from the unwashed sand, so I have 90 gallons of water aging now to do a large WC. Hopefully that clears things up. I have a sheet of polycarbonate on order to make a third lid that will work with the side placement of the filter intake and output. I also have a Pond Shield touch up kit on order to fix the corner I broke while installing the filter intake (that's why it isn't completely full).

My Eureka is doing well. Still getting used to me and he is picky about the food I have on hand, so I will have to try a different african cichlid food to see if he likes something else. The palms will need their own lights too, but they help pull the room together.

[GalaxyKoiBoi]

20230620_212300.jpg

Little bit of an update. My Eureka male has settled in. He no longer hides when I come into the room, and will actively eat in front of me when I feed the tank. He had to go in a 44 gallon bin with an airstone and heater for a few days while I fixed the cracked corner of the 3D background with a coat of epoxy, but he is back in the big tank and doing well. I bought 20 java ferns to add a pop of color and help with nitrates, but they are floating around now until I find some granite rip rap that matches the color of the background to attach them to.

Unfortunately I was unable to get the sciaenochromis paradise. My source sold them months ago without telling me, and it was only through physically traveling there that I was able to get my deposit back. Huge bummer and a bridge well burned, but I have been able to source a similar strain from Aquahaus Gaus in Germany. I've ordered a harem of females for my guy - they will be here next month. While they don't have the purple/pink/orange coloring I was going for, they do have a platinum/gold/electric blue coloring that I think will mix well with my Eureka and hopefully make some stunning hybrids!

[LizStreithorst]

That sure is a pretty fish. I bet that tank will be beautiful when it's all done and the fish are in. Looking forward to seeing more pics.

[GalaxyKoiBoi]

Thanks Liz! He really is pretty. I chose Eurekas for my breeding project as they are generally more peaceful than most African cichlids and don't get quite as large as other peacocks. They also have longer fins with the white/platinum edges, a trait I want to incorporate in my hybrids.

[GalaxyKoiBoi]

sulfur-head-lithobates.jpg

image.jpeg

I have 6 females from these 2 strains on order. The first is a sulphurhead lithobates, line bred to have orange/pink blazes and deep blue bodies. These are coming from a domestic breeder. The second is sciaenochromis ahli multicolor, another hybrid bred to have platinumum/gold blazes with electric blue bodies. These are coming from Germany vis Beantown Aquatics (who i highly recommend if you want German quality african cichlids). While not the same species, they are very similar haps that each have traits I am looking for in my hybrids - sleek bodies with bright colored blazes to go with the long fins and peaceful nature of the Eureka. I fully anticipate the first generation (and second most likely) to be a hodge podge of fish, but I'll select the top 1% of fish who have all the traits I'm going for to make up the breeders for the next-generation, and so on.

Since the sciaenochromis paradise are no longer available to me I will make my own!

[bluelagoon]

I know it costs a lot to ship from Canada to the States but can be done. Here is a list from a suppler that I've bought many species of fish from over the years. Sometime he even has wild or F1 Malawi cichlids. He has wild brown discus on his list right now.
http://cichlaholic.com/lists.html

[GalaxyKoiBoi]

Appreciate the tip! I've looked into getting fish from Canada like you said as there is a breeder in Toronto who has the exact strain I'm chasing, but unfortunately it's prohibitively expensive and you have to jump through all the red tape of importing from any other country. Maybe a few years down the line when I have a basement fish room and more disposable income I will get my importer license, but that's not a reality for me right now. Thanks though!

[LizStreithorst]

Perhaps they use a trans shipper. It can't hurt to ask.