180 gallon cichlid build

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5x5

Aquarium Advice FINatic
Joined
May 4, 2011
Messages
942
Location
Philadelphia, PA
Here's some pictures of my recent CA/SA 180 build from beginning to end.

Leveled the floor with floor leveler and put a plywood base.

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the stand and tank finally arrived.


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added the sand, decorations and started the waiting game for the sand to settle. The tannins were pretty strong from the pieces of driftwood.

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6 days later the sand fully settled and the filter went on. Seeded with biomax from another tanks sump.

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the final stock list will be:

1 Tiger Oscar
9 buenos aires tetras
2 firemouths
1 sveni pike
1 andinocara stalsbergi (Peru white saum - green terror)

It's been a fun build.
 
Here's some pictures of my recent CA/SA 180 build from beginning to end.


the final stock list will be:

1 Tiger Oscar
9 buenos aires tetras
2 firemouths
1 sveni pike
1 andinocara stalsbergi (Peru white saum - green terror)

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Very cool, I picked up 18 more BA tetras this week to really fill out my large school.
 
Ah! You still got me beat. I'm only up to 12 BA, but half are still in quarantine.

For some reason, I can't edit my original post, so here are some more pictures. It's still borderline blackwater, but it's getting clearer.

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Everyone of mine are in QT still even my old ones I mixed back in, the school gets more and more entertaining the larger it gets.

The Stalsy is going to be stunning when ge grows up and the FM's are showing great color even with the lighter substrate. I'd like to see some O pics too!
 
Everyone of mine are in QT still even my old ones I mixed back in, the school gets more and more entertaining the larger it gets.

The Stalsy is going to be stunning when ge grows up and the FM's are showing great color even with the lighter substrate. I'd like to see some O pics too!

I hope to move the Oscar in about 2 weeks, so then I'll get some real pictures and ditch the iPhone. I'm still trying to verify my tank is fully cycled, even though I moved established media. With so much water volume and such small fish, I can't get any positive readings with the API kit, even after 2 weeks!

Any luck sinking that stump yet?
 
I hope to move the Oscar in about 2 weeks, so then I'll get some real pictures and ditch the iPhone. I'm still trying to verify my tank is fully cycled, even though I moved established media. With so much water volume and such small fish, I can't get any positive readings with the API kit, even after 2 weeks!

Any luck sinking that stump yet?

Toss that oscar in there, with those messy pigs you'll certainly start to see some readings!

No the stump is so large and Manzanita is so light I have a feeling it will float a couple more weeks. Then I'll take some real pictures and start trying to plant the tank, I just hope the oscars will agree since they are professional interior decoraters or demolishers is a better term.
 
Haha! This oscar is such a pig. His new favorite thing to do is drop a giant log right after I finish the water change, just to ruin everything.

Ah what the hell. Maybe I'll move him this weekend. Hope he doesn't put up too much of a fuss when I net him. He's started jumping at me recently when I feed him, so let's hope for none of that.

Redecorating is putting it mildy. In the past week, my oscar has ripped a bubbler out of the gravel, apparently bit a fake plant in half and pulled a giant strip of silicon seal from somewhere in the tank. You're going to come home one day and see the stump on ground outside of the tank...somehow.

The FM's are going to panic when they see this monster get dropped in. Now, that the tank is getting peaceful, it's time to wreak havoc again.
 
Haha! This oscar is such a pig. His new favorite thing to do is drop a giant log right after I finish the water change, just to ruin everything.


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Yes very very true, now consider two of them each over 14" with black substrate.
 
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