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New 55 Gallon Design Advice

Discussion in 'Freshwater Aquariums & Fish Photos' started by Anonymous, May 18, 2009.

  1. Anonymous

    Anonymous Thread Starter Guest

    Top Poster Of Month

    Okay so I got another 55 gallon with canopy and such. I think I'm going to use the live (now dead) rock in it and get some africans to put it.

    I know most people don't use live rock for it and no one here on the forum said it could or couldn't be used for africans so I am testing it as the guinea pig.

    So please leave some input on how you think it looks [help]

    I've only added dead rock to the left side just to see how it looks.
    View attachment ac1.ac_images.myspacecdn.com_images02_102_l_e8f3d89e9d464b388115b9af8da11500.jpg
    View attachment ac2.ac_images.myspacecdn.com_images02_82_l_93eebbf861e0430b876c4f81c7c2fda9.jpg

    Thanks guys ;)
     
    Anonymous, May 18, 2009
    #1
  2. GOT MTS?

    GOT MTS? Member

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    Your plant looks so lonely :(
     
    GOT MTS?, May 18, 2009
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  3. Anonymous

    Anonymous Thread Starter Guest

    Top Poster Of Month

    Yeah haha. I have 2 huge mother amazon plants so I have plenty of babies. I was just adding that one to see how it does. The tank I got was a gift from my cousin and it had never been used. It came with stand, tank, canopy, and lights. The only thing is that the lights are Coralife 65w 50/50 lights. So it's 2 strips of white light and 2 strips of actnic light.

    I did a brief online reading and it said a mixture of white and blue lighting won't hurt the plants and that the blue makes the fishes colors REALLY pop out. So I am just slowly "Testing the waters" haha.

    How does the rock work look? I have 2 convict cichlids in there right now and they seem to love the caves.
     
    Anonymous, May 18, 2009
    #3
  4. MOD_Dawn

    MOD_Dawn Active Member

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    This is what I would do if that were my tank and decor

    Going with what you already have & adding a VERY cheap background:

    1) Move the filter to the center of the tank to assure even filtration..place the heater beneath the lip of the filter so the water will flow over it...this will allow the heat to be distributed more evenly.

    2) Need to stack rock better and stick it in the back left corner so it doesn't block/interfere with your intake. (maybe drill some holes in it if that's a possibilty to make it similar to holey rock). This will make a nice swim-through area in addition to a nice place to lay eggs or birth fry.

    3) Take the twisted log looking thing and place it towards the left back corner. If you do this, rotate it counter clockwise by about 4 hours to make the higher point look as if it is seated where the glass meets (in the corner). Get yourself some live easy growers or some fakes and place them in a semi-circle in front of the twisted log. Play with heights and don't be afraid to go TALL to create the right look ...I'd aim for a full look. That will make a sweet hideaway/territory for whatever is going in there!

    4)if you must use the ?log on the far right of your tank...I'd place it horizontally towards the center of the tank....but closer to the front of the glass.

    5)I'd slap on a black plastic $1.00 banquet party tablecover ((actually two so if you lift the filter off and it rips their won't be any issues since it will be doubled)) for your background

    -> Other idea would be to goto somewhere like Wal-mart and get a few of the terra cotta strawberry planters and stick them in there (work great for cichlids). In this scenario I'd stick one in each back corner & one in the center of the tank. I'd do some plants going in this direction from the back left front of the strawberry planter heading to the center in this pattern--> \
    then from the back right corner i'd put some plants heading to the center strawberry planter in this direction--> /
    :cool: Basically will create a V pattern overall.
     
    MOD_Dawn, May 18, 2009
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  5. Anonymous

    Anonymous Thread Starter Guest

    Top Poster Of Month

    Dawn you are by far the Martha Stewart of Aquascaping! Lol. I've never even heard of using a black table cloth but that is such a good idea. I never liked the idea of painting the back of a tank because what if you some how scratch the front? If you didn't have the black paint you could just turn the tank around and use the non scratched side.

    I am limited to the plants that I can use because I heard that africans and american cichlids dig up the plants. I do want some java fern in the rocks though.

    The rock is too fragile to drill into it. When I was washing it I felt a few pieces break off on the bottom. That's why I've stacked it around a bit.

    If the fish really begin to like the rocks, I will remove the log and the stump and just create a full rock setting with plants. I hope the plants do okay in the actnic lighting though.

    I will try to accustom them slowly, but I'd like to have my two convicts in the african tank. I know that's crazy but unless I house them in my 29 gallon alone, I have no where else for them. I think they would end up killing each other in a 29 though.

    I still have a few big pieces of rock that I haven't put in as well as a few smaller pieces. I also have another piece of driftwood mounted to slate that is really tall. It's just a vertical log type piece. I thought of placing that in the center of the tank with the rock work building around it with a few little pieces scattered around.

    I was just scared as to having the saltwater rock in a freshwater aquarium for looks and health purposes. The fish seem to be doing fine though.

    I'll definitely keep you guys updated! And I need a background for my amazon tank too! Thanks for the tips!
     
    Anonymous, May 18, 2009
    #5
  6. MOD_Dawn

    MOD_Dawn Active Member

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    Haha. Martha Stewart....thanks...I think?

    :D you can use showercurtains..showercurtain liners...plastic banquet table party covers...all should readily be available in your local $1.00 tree or just a buck store.

    Also can duct tape fabric to the back, posters, etc...just have to be more careful about getting water on them.

    My favorite storebought one is Oceanvisions (I think it was called crystal black). Easy to put on...stays in place...and no signs of water drippage or bubbling. Also can be removed easily if need be.

    Cheap enough to change out when you feel bored!

    Also can duct tape Melamine/shower board to the back. I did one a while back with white and the fish and everything really popped!
     
    MOD_Dawn, May 18, 2009
    #6
  7. LemonDiscus

    LemonDiscus Active Member

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    I used the BLACK plastic sheeting (the stuff at walmart for painters) and put it on the back to see for a while if I would like a black background before actually painting it.

    I agree about the paint and scratches.... I actually did have to turn my tank around because of a freaking Mag-Float and the sand in my tank.... Those 2 things dont mix with glass and I learned that the hard way. Needless to say the side I painted is now fully destroyed so turning the tank around is not an option even if I did not paint it.

    Unfortunately there are a few scratches on the side that is out now because it was the front of the tank from the previous owner..... The only fix now is a new tank :confused: Maybe one day....
     
    LemonDiscus, May 18, 2009
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  8. DarkDemolition

    DarkDemolition New Member

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    Awesome tank!
     
    DarkDemolition, May 18, 2009
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  9. LemonDiscus

    LemonDiscus Active Member

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    BTW keep an eye on your PH! The dead rock could raise your PH.... That would be the only thing I could think of on it reacting to your tank... BUT some Africans do like higher PH levels....
     
    LemonDiscus, May 18, 2009
    #9
  10. Anonymous

    Anonymous Thread Starter Guest

    Top Poster Of Month

    So the tank design came out well. Here are updated pics and the stock list.


    2 Convict (Amatitlania nigrofasciata)
    1 Yellow Lab (Labidochromis caeruleus)
    2 Blue Johanni (Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos)
    1 Red Zebra (Pseudotropheus estherae_
    1 Powder Blue (Pseudotropheus socolofi)
    2 Bumblebee (Pseudotropheus crabro)
    1 Kenyi (Metriaclima lombardoi)
    1 Auratus (Melanochromis auratus
    0522092009.jpg 0527092217.jpg 0527092217b.jpg
     
    Anonymous, May 28, 2009
    #10
  11. MOD_Dawn

    MOD_Dawn Active Member

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    looking good!
     
    MOD_Dawn, May 28, 2009
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  12. DarkDemolition

    DarkDemolition New Member

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    :D Awesome Cichlids !
     
    DarkDemolition, May 28, 2009
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  13. Anonymous

    Anonymous Thread Starter Guest

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    Thanks Dark. It's an on going collection. I got a really good supplier who has the best prices I've seen on fish so I just got 17 new additions the other day.

    Even though I just got a bunch of new africans the other day, they already come up to the tank when they see me haha.
     
    Anonymous, May 28, 2009
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  14. Leslie

    Leslie New Member

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    wow! do you really have 17 fish in that tank? that seems like alot to me. but thats just me.
     
    Leslie, May 30, 2009
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  15. Anonymous

    Anonymous Thread Starter Guest

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    Not 17 in that tank, I got 17 total from him. I've got 2 55 gallon tanks set up right now. But for a 55 gallon tank, as aggressive as africans are, it's good to keep more than recommended to keep aggression down. The more africans in the tank, the less aggression towards each fish.
     
    Anonymous, May 30, 2009
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  16. Leslie

    Leslie New Member

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    oh. i thought it was 17 just in the one. and overstocking means youll need a good filter.
     
    Leslie, Jun 1, 2009
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  17. Anonymous

    Anonymous Thread Starter Guest

    Top Poster Of Month

    Tank looks nice but you won't want plants with africans because plants won't survive the salt in the water. You also may want to remove a couple of the bulbs in your light. Sounds like you have a light for live rock?

    Looks great. You'll want to add quite a few africans at once to prevent aggression.
     
    Anonymous, Jul 10, 2009
    #17
  18. Anthony

    Anthony Active Member

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    Salt in the water ?
     
    Anthony, Jul 10, 2009
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  19. MOD_Dawn

    MOD_Dawn Active Member

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    I think they are referring to possibly SeaChem's Cichlid Salt??
     
    MOD_Dawn, Jul 11, 2009
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  20. Anthony

    Anthony Active Member

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    Possibly. I always question it because a lot of people thing aquarium salt should be added to every tank.
     
    Anthony, Jul 11, 2009
    #20