3 to 5 tanks in under 8 hours

[Menagerie]

My fiancé and I spent his last unemployed day setting up our new 50 gal and a 20 gal that we had laying around.

Here is a break down of what will go where:

80 Gallon Cichlid Tank with tons of lace rock, basalt, some Texas Holey Rock, ornament stump and a piece of natural wood; Via Aqua canister filter: 2 Pseudotropheus zebra (1 blue, 1 white), Blue Acara—Aequidens pulcher, Girraffe patterned cichlid--Nimbochromis venustus, Jack Dempsey--Nandopsis octofasciatum, Powder Blue cichlid-- Pseudotropheus socolofi, Striped River Catfish--Mystus vittatus, and one ugly Synodontis

50 Gallon Community Tank with small gravel and gravel that looks like river stones, fake plants, ornament stump and lots of natural wood; 304 Fluval: 8 assorted Cory Cats, Rubber Lip Pleco, 2 Bolivian Rams, 2 Kuhli Loaches, Butterfly Loach, 3 Silver-tip Tetras, 2 Serpae Tetra, young convict cichlid-- Archocentrus nigrofaciatus (just visiting), 2 clown loaches-- Botia macracanthus (just visiting), and 4 assorted “rounder” Tetras

29 gal Lake Tanganyika biotope (well, getting there) with sand (coming soon—rocks); 104 Fluval: 2 brichardi (and shell dwellers to be added later)

20 gal BW Tank with black gravel, few fake plants and centerpiece castle (I got tired of all “natural” tanks); bio wheel: Fish to be added: bb gobies, a few Mollies and a few Celebese Rainbow (Marosatherina ladigesi)

10 Gallon Badis badis Hex Tank with giant fake fern and natural wood; mini bio wheel and wall of bubbles: 6 Badis badis, and a Butterfly Loach

5 gal QT—recovering 7” pleco (once healthy—back into the 80 gal)

2.5 gal QT--5 pygmy cories (once the Badis are healthy—into the 10 gal)

The 80 gal needs help, well over a year ago we bought "assorted" cichlids and NOW we now better. So far, they are fine, but Jack is maturing and needs to go :? .

The bb gobies are on order and I'll pick up the Rainbows on Tuesday when they are on sale.

We have clearly lost our minds. The apartment that we are renting has very few outlets and it seems that to use the microwave, we will be turning off all the lights and anything that is not necessary. Well, at least our three cats and two cockatiels don’t need electricity!

To top it all off, I found a beautiful denim blue betta with white tips yesterday. If he's still there when the bb gobies come in, he will get to live in a 2 gal tank I have around here somewhere (or a divided 10 gal—if I can talk my fiancé into it). (Okay, I HAVE lost my mind )

 

[AdamsZoological]

Sounds like a nice collection, should all look pretty good when its all done

 

[oscarbreeder]

Sounds awsome.
I love MTS!
LOL!!

 

[TankGirl]

It all sounds great and I am jealous!

Be careful about putting the shellies in with the Brichardi, since it will be a little tight and the Brichardi will be quite a bit bigger. I was going to do this very thing in my 44 and the shelly breeder told me it was a bad idea. If it works out let me know because it is something I am still interested in doing.

 

[AdamsZoological]

Actually a good point, al they're the same genera, not exactly the best fish to have together, in most cases

 

[Menagerie]

I was going to do this very thing in my 44 and the shelly breeder told me it was a bad idea.

Hmmm, I was talking with someone at a cichlid specialty LFS and mentioned my plan. He did not seem worried. He was more worried about the 80 gal. I don't have the little guys yet, so I will do more research.

 

[TankGirl]

Both of them are so fierce when they are spawning, especially the shellies, who are not afraid to step up to the plate, if you know what I mean. The Brichardi are bigger but the shellies don't care, and it gets rough, as it was explained to me.

I thought that with a 44 breeder (deep, rather than high) there would be plenty of floor space for the shellies, with tall rockwork for the Brichardi, but who knows. I know the Brichardi right now are all over the tank, bottom to top. If I do get the shellies I will rearrange the rockwork and upset the territories (would have been better to add everybody all at once for this reason) and see how it goes. I love 'em both! I am very interested in how it goes if you decide to do it.

 

[TankGirl]

I just can't get over the title of this thread! I am exhausted just thinking about it. Maybe it is because we are planning a move this spring and I don't want to face the reality... I really had not thought much about outlets! 8O I am nothing without outlets...

 

[Menagerie]

TG--well, our backs are paying for it! In those eight hours, my fiancé put together a stand for the 50 gal and reinforced it. Meanwhile, I was moving fish, cleaning gravel, sand and rocks, not to mention running into the living room to help with the stand. He was getting over a cold and little did I know, I was getting it .

To top it off, we will be forced to move in probably under a year. When we moved to Calgary, we took the first place we saw that was not on a busy street and within our budget. A developer owns the place and it will be torn down to put up a duplex or 4-plex since we're so close to the university and the hospital. We wish the place wasn't being torn down--it's great and I walk only 10 minutes into the hospital and over to the research facility.
We have a history of setting up tanks and having to move. Our last 5 months in Idaho, we were living in a trailer, knowing we were going to move when we made the decision to buy and set up the 80 gal. We don’t just lose our minds for the fish. While visiting Calgary last summer, I bought a 4 ½ foot tall cat condo—I would have gone bigger, but this was the biggest size that would fit in my Honda. We had it for less than 6 months in ID and then moved it up here. Luckily (or unluckily), we don’t own very much furniture .

 

[TankGirl]

we don’t own very much furniture

Prob'ly not much room for furniture. I'd much rather furnish my house with tanks, and sit on the floor!

 

[purplestarfish]

Wow, that all sounds dreamy . . . I can't offer any advice regarding the cichlids as I don't own any and therefore have never had to learn about them (I read about the fish I plan on getting, and therefore know a lot more about tetras, gouramis, and the likes). I would also much rather have zero furniture and just fish - that's the way to go! Just plop down a mattress and surround yourself with tanks, and tell anyone who's visiting that it's Zen and that's why your mattress is on the ground (to complete an oriental theme). One of my dreams about when I'm rich-and-not-famous is that I'll have a nice big (ok, huge) house (for a nice HUGE library . . . gotta love books!), and every room - even the bathrooms - will have a fish tank of some kind. That would be a lot of maitenance to clean, so maybe I'd hire someone to help out . . . but wow, I'm way off topic! I just think that the setups sound wonderful; good luck!

 

[Menagerie]

even the bathrooms

I think Endgame has a tank in the bathroom.
That's a little too odd for me

 

[clueless]

I would love a big tank- because decorations count and yours sounds very fancied up...

 

[webmoose]

Maybe you will luck out and the builder will hold off his plans and you can stay there for a little while longer or at least long enough for the summer session so there is lots of places to rent near you.

Where are you getting your gobies from? Same place as the rainbows? How exciting to have all that going on!

 

[Menagerie]

Where are you getting your gobies from?

I had Big Al's order them--no one else seemed to know what I was talking about.

Same place as the rainbows?

I found those guys at Petland on Macleod (every Tuesday is 25% fish and live plants). IMO, there stock was quite pricey, but I have never seen rainbows before.
I just bought 3 Gold Dust Mollies and will pick up the rainbows (if they're still available) on Tuesday and hopefully my bb gobies will be in this week! Then I will slowly acclimatize them to BW, since they are all in FW right now (at least the Mollies and Rainbows).

 

[webmoose]

how are all the tanks and fishies? Hopefully you can post some pics of the gobies! Did Big Al's get a bunch or just enought for you?

I got my Hillstream Loach from there Dec 22nd and He/She is still doing great.