56 Gallon Column work in progress

[Pecktec]

Well I have this 20 gallon tank and its time to trade it up. The fish in there are to big for it and I want a nice large tank for the bed room. I really wanted a 40 breeder or one of the larger square tanks, but I found this one on sale at PetSmart and it seemed like the most bang for my buck. I have had a Fluval G3 as extra filtration on my 55 for 12 weeks so Im going to use it and hopefully avoid a lengthy cycling of the tank. I chose Eco Complete with a one bag of Flora Max on the bottom. I got one of the nicer Fluval E heaters thats rated to 60 gallons also. The main thing that held me up was finding the perfect piece of drift wood. I searched and searched in every store in town and online. Finally a store in town called the Aquarium had a big sale and I found it. So I added the substrate and the plants from the 20 gallon along with the wood, heater and filter. Its been filled for two days and has just the slightest trace of ammonia so now Im waiting for it to balance out.

 

[doublenerds]

Pretty! I love your dark substrate and choice of dw.

 

[rich311k]

Very pretty, looks like it will be a beauty.

 

[jimenezlee]

That does look really good! No fish in yet? Smart move.

 

[Pecktec]

Yea I was going to throw a guppy in and see. But Ill just wait since there is some ammonia in there already.

 

[Pecktec]

My water tests finally came up clean and I started adding fish and testing in the morning and evening so far so good. I swapped out the smaller piece of driftwood on the left for something more interesting. My wife loves rainbow fish and I wanted to add more because they like to school, so I picked up two at my LFS and put them in. The original rainbow flipped out and attacked they relentlessly for an entire day. I pulled him out and put him in his former tank. He doesn’t seem to get along with any fish Ill most likely trade him in. I added a Raphael catfish from the former tank as well and he just crawled into a crack and has sat there for several days.

 

[Pecktec]

Some new photos with the replacement driftwood, and black background. I have added a few more plants as well.

 

[jimenezlee]

This type of aggression in schooling fish is supposed to go away when it's about 6 of them I believe. You may want to read up on rainbow fish to make sure this applies to them.

 

[Pecktec]

This type of aggression in schooling fish is supposed to go away when it's about 6 of them I believe. You may want to read up on rainbow fish to make sure this applies to them.

Yes I haven't seen it in quite this way before but I think your right. Supposedly it's best to add equal portions of males and females. I'm going to pick up some females today. I didn't want to add them all at once because I'm still watching the the tanks water condition closely.

 

[jimenezlee]

I really like how they look btw...

 

[Pecktec]

I really like how they look btw...

Hopefully I can get more from the same batch. They are $20 a piece which is hard on the wallet. But my wife loves them.

 

[Coleallensmom]

Love the driftwood and plants! Looks great!

 

[jimenezlee]

Where are you getting these from? They don't seem to be very common. Do you keep them the same as other tropical fish? I wonder if they are compatible with angels...

 

[Pecktec]

Girl friends!

 

[Pecktec]

Where are you getting these from? They don't seem to be very common. Do you keep them the same as other tropical fish? I wonder if they are compatible with angels...

We have a LFS called The Aquarium that has lots of these. They have many of the same needs as other tropical fish. They would be happier in a longer tank I would think. I'm told they are peaceful but I can't confirm that. Most schooling fish ( that I have had) hide if there isn't enough of them. The one I had went crazy on my rummy noses and anything else that it encountered. These guys and gals are just hovering together hanging out. So far so good. I also added a flying fox that took about an hour to catch out of another tank. That's the down side of planted tanks.

 

[Bud]

I love that piece of DW and the rainbowfish are neat. Good job.

 

[Kat1103]

great looking tank! my 20 gallon I'm currently working on has drift wood, some real plants and black substrate as well.

 

[The Jam-is-on]

I didn't put two and two together until I was re-reading the thread. I almost bought this tank today! Now I'm really thinking about it!

 

[Pecktec]

I didn't put two and two together until I was re-reading the thread. I almost bought this tank today! Now I'm really thinking about it!

It's a pretty neat size. Fits the bedroom better than my 55. Also on sale it was the most bang for my buck. Coming in well under the 40 breeder I wanted. The Aponegeton I put in is growing quick. There should be long swirly leaves on the left pretty soon.

 

[The Jam-is-on]

Did you upgrade the lighting? The one we have on sale has a single strip that comes with it. I was wondering how that would work out.