Drum-Roll Please.... My first display tank

[Melissa]

Im reluctant to post this video of the new Display tank im working on because its low quality and you really cant see how awesome the tank looks, but im so excited its pretty much finished i cant help myself. There arent any fish in it yet, but there will be soon ;)

The lighting isnt installed yet so its a little dark :)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y69cfAgseTE&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Its 125 gallons with an Aqua Terra 3D BG.

[Darrell Ward]

So far, so good! What else are you putting in there, beside fish of course?:D

[Melissa]

I have some pieces of manzanita wood soaking right now and I think ill add a few pieces, not many, and Ketapang leaves to stain the water :) Right now there are some small Anubias plants. I'm considering getting some Moss but I hate the idea of snails...

[AngryBird]

Looks good. What substrate do you have in there?

[Melissa]

Thank you.

The substrate is Whitish/grey play sand from home depot :) I like the color and it's not too fine.... And its like $4.00 for 50 pounds! Lol :)

[jball1125]

Looking good. What strains will you be adding?

[Darrell Ward]

It seems that sand you buy in different parts of the country differ a great deal. I guess the "Home Dumpster" buys sand locally to save on freight costs. The play sand around here comes reddish tan, and very dusty. Pool filter sand is really the only decent choice around here. It's a pale tan, quartz type sand, pre washed, very clean. Costs a little more at about $8 per 50 lbs.

[AngryBird]

more questions now...

I am going to assume that you are going to add wilds in the tank. What filtration are you planning on? will you be planting on the substrate?
Thank you.

The substrate is Whitish/grey play sand from home depot :) I like the color and it's not too fine.... And its like $4.00 for 50 pounds! Lol :)

[Melissa]

Wow Darrell, I think I'm pretty lucky then... The play sand is pretty dusty but a few rinses gets rid of most of it. I'm jealous it sounds like pool filter sand might look nicer :/ and pre washed?! Lol I hate rinsing sand...

I will be adding 8 Special Red Alenquers from Hans :) :) :) :) anyone remember th infamous tank 7? My dream fish in my dream tank for sure.

The filtration for the tank is a sponge filter hidden behind one of the roots... I'm buying some active sponges from Hans' system and I will be using one of those for the sponge filter. It is accessible and I will be able to occasionally squeeze it.
Also, I have a fluval fx5 running and the whole thing is just filled with bio-media to establish a strong biological filter for this tank. I pride myself on good husbandry, so I figure with the bio-filter properly established I can maintain the tank and keep it tip top with water changes.

The lighting is low, only a handfull of LEDs, I think the Alenquers will be very comfortable in their new home. And I don't fiddle with co2 or anything, so Im going to stick to the small handfull of Anubias scattered throughout the sand... I am going for more of a woodsy look anyhow. A few pieces of manzanita hanging from the top into the tank is going to make it perfect I think :)

[Melissa]

Here is a video from Hans of my group of Alenquers... :)!!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTuKVAULkqk&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[jball1125]

Beautiful fish. Should look great in there.

[Melissa]

Thank you jball :)

[rubinsteinnyc]

i have a suggestion, you see that hole in the background to the left of the bubbles? -paint the glass behind it or attach dark paper on the back of the tank in that spot, it really distorts the whole picture. Other than that, few roots and those alenquers will be sexy lookin :) gl

[Melissa]

i have a suggestion, you see that hole in the background to the left of the bubbles? -paint the glass behind it or attach dark paper on the back of the tank in that spot, it really distorts the whole picture. Other than that, few roots and those alenquers will be sexy lookin :) gl

You totally read my mind! Ill go ahead and do that :) Thanks

[rubinsteinnyc]

did you use my tips on lifting :) ?

[Second Hand Pat]

Melissa, when do the alenquers come? Tank looks great. That tree looks so real.

[Melissa]

did you use my tips on lifting :) ?

LOL! Yes sir! Thanks again for that :) :)


Thanks Pat, Hans and I haven't set a date to ship yet. But it will be soon :) I'm still wrapping a few things up. The lighting is in... But I'm not sure I like it... I need to raise it an inch or two as well because the bubbles are splashing water up on the strip the lights are on and that doesn't seem safe LOL tonight when the kiddos go to bed I'll fiddle with that, fiddle with the manzanita... and everything should be done! :) :) :)

[Darrell Ward]

LOL! Yes sir! Thanks again for that :) :)


Thanks Pat, Hans and I haven't set a date to ship yet. But it will be soon :) I'm still wrapping a few things up. The lighting is in... But I'm not sure I like it... I need to raise it an inch or two as well because the bubbles are splashing water up on the strip the lights are on and that doesn't seem safe LOL tonight when the kiddos go to bed I'll fiddle with that, fiddle with the manzanita... and everything should be done! :) :) :)

Honestly, I don't think you're going to be that impressed with LED lighting. I've experimented with LED fixtures, and ended up returning them after a couple hours. I ended up ordering 70 watt MH fixtures, and fell in love with them. I'll never go back to other types of lighting, unless they quit making 70 watt, 6500K bulbs. :D

[Gohans_Onna]

Update? :)

[Melissa]

Update: got the fish today. :) :) :) thank you so much Hans!!!!

The packing was insane, no leaks whatsoever and the bag temp was PERFECT. And the COLOR on these guys even after traveling across the country!!!!!!!!!!!! These pictures do not do them justice... i cant believe that mere minutes after arriving they look THIS good. Im in complete shock and im so giddy im dizzy!

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/255640_1923008488035_1626790161_1889605_6457421_n. jpghttp://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/255640_1923008608038_1626790161_1889607_6106353_n. jpghttp://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/255640_1923008648039_1626790161_1889608_1022775_n. jpg

Those pics were mere moments after being placed in the tank. For being shipping across the country... They are in phenomenal condition.

[jcardona1]

Wooooo awesome! Those guys looks amazing. Can't wait to see updated pics!

[Disgirl]

Wow, how gorgeous! Did you plop and drop or is it drop and plot? What an exciting day for you, have fun!
Barb

[JL15219]

Wow they look great and wait for more pics!

[Melissa]

Wooooo awesome! Those guys looks amazing. Can't wait to see updated pics!
:D hehe I know right! I'm totally in love with these guys.


Wow, how gorgeous! Did you plop and drop or is it drop and plot? What an exciting day for you, have fun!
Barb
Thanks Barb! Yes I just plopped them in. The tanks PH is around 6.8, the temp is 84-85. When the fish arrived, the bags felt just as warm as the tank which was awesome. I can't wait to see what they look like in a week!



Wow they look great and wait for more pics!

Thanks!!! I'll try to hold off on posting more pictures until they're really settled in... It's hard not to bother them right now lol i want to bust out the camera already! :) :) :)

[discuspaul]

Congrats, Melissa - Superb looking discus !!!!! Got to get me some of those.
Best of luck.

[fattubwhale]

Very nice set up! Love the whole plop and drop thing :p

[Melissa]

Congrats, Melissa - Superb looking discus !!!!! Got to get me some of those.
Best of luck.

Thank you Paul! Y'all ain't seen nothing yet! Lol I'm going to wait for them to settle some more and I will post some more pictures. Each fish is unique and beautiful, I'll try to get a good picture of each one.... They're so beautiful!



Very nice set up! Love the whole plop and drop thing :p

Thanks!!! :) :)
Yup, plop and drop ... Or drop and plop lol it's the best way to do it IMO.

[Darrell Ward]

It's cool how much color they kept during shipping. My Manta Limpas lost practically all their color during shipping, and are still working on getting the red colors back.

[Melissa]

I know, it's shocking really. I wasn't expecting them to keep so much color... They definitely pop and stand out in my new display tank with the Amazona BG. I'm not sure what I should expect when they actually 'settle in'... They're already so red. I wonder what would happen if they were to eat red enhancing food!

Btw a little update on the fish... 5 of the 9 just gobbled up some of ALs FDBWs. The others are still recouperating from their travels I guess :) I bet by tomorrow the rest follow suit though :) :)

[Rex82]

Noticed you mentioned 8 earlier but i counted 9...lol Great looking bunch Melissa! The tank looks great too.:)

[Northwoods Discus]

Wow great looking wilds. Can't wait to see them with the lights on. The tank shot is dark but I can see what looks like a thick carpet of floating plants. Nice. Will be waiting to see it with lights on.
Bill

[Herbicidal]

Beautiful wilds! Nice to see another Aqua Terra background in the mix too. :) Best of luck with your new fishy's!!! Looking forward to future pictures/updates. :thumbsup:

[edosan]

Great Alenquers!

[mwdw]

nice looking tank. you did a great job! jealous of your fish. those are beautiful.


mike w.