Aquarium decor from Home Depot

Hey everybody,

I built this wild looking tank stand for a 125 gallon tank we had sitting in storage, resealed the tank & all that. We were going to sell it but we need to real-estate now & are on a very tight budget.

We used black diamond sand for substrate & spent everything we had available on an fx4 filter to ensure the fish would be healthy.

Now the problem. This is going to be a cichlid predator tank. We have very young, & very aggressive fish to add together (listed in descending size). 1 blood parrot, 1 green terror, 1 salvini, 1 convict and 1 fire mouth.

The largest of which is currently 2” & the smallest is about 1”. So obviously we need hiding places they won’t get stuck in as they age up, but numerous enough where they can all establish their own territory. Problem is we’re pretty broke.

However, I have a 100 dollar Home Depot card, and was wondering if you experts could give me some insight as to options I might find there. I’ve heard clay pots, but they seem kinda boring, & I’m not sure if their lava rock comes large enough to stack safely. What can I buy from there to suit my needs?

any help is appreciated! I don’t want the little dudes getting too stressed!

(also want to know if we should add other fish or if we’ll be at our limit once they grow now/ I know these types of groups only do well if added while young but don’t want to overstock)

tank is 6ft-built in lighting
1st pic is of the fire mouth / convict
2nd pic is of the other three

 

Where do you live? I’ve found rocks all over the place. Best places is on rocky beach front or from streams. I always look for flat rounded rocks. Next driftwood can also be found locally. Find submerged in streams. Add to a 5 to one bleach and water mix. Lets it for a few hours than leave in the sun for a week. Resins in a bucket and add to tank. Why pay for decorations?

 

Where do you live? I’ve found rocks all over the place. Best places is on rocky beach front or from streams. I always look for flat rounded rocks. Next driftwood can also be found locally. Find submerged in streams. Add to a 5 to one bleach and water mix. Lets it for a few hours than leave in the sun for a week. Resins in a bucket and add to tank. Why pay for decorations?

I live in Florida.

Ive read that using things from outdoors is risky because of potential leeching pesticides. (Florida has constant runoff) I gather you’ve not had an issue?

also, the tanks I’ve been raising these little dudes in until the large tank is read are small. They’re getting aggressive & are posing risk to others in those tanks. Kinda looking to quick cycle the large tank and get them in there as soon as some hero fish test the water.

 

A large pvc pipe could work, and I agree with above, I can find driftwood and rocks for aquariums if I want to, because actual stuff is super overpriced.

 

What kinda stuff is best to gather? And do I have to worry about leeching pesticides?

 

The problem with runoff, I wouldn't, but if you soak them, they might get rid of it. But I wouldn't know, you could also ask around or ask gov authorities if they know which lakes are protected and aren't allowed to have runoff go into them, because they want to preserve natural fauna, so there are probably protected lakes near you.


Though the safest would be rocks, as they can't really soak up any pesticides and stuff.

 

I'm far from an aquascaping specialist, but I think some pvc with lava rocks around and on top of them can maybe give caves with rocks. Not sure if that makes sense, but in my goofy mind it does

 

Thanks.

nobody really listens to regulations down here. We have natural springs everywhere, which we’d expect to be untouched but they just had to close one to prevent pesticides from destroying the ecosystem.

know of any way I could test what I find if I go this route?

 

I bought a bag of 2-3 inch river rocks and plan to use silicone to hold them in place. That would work for lava rock.

 

I'm far from an aquascaping specialist, but I think some pictures with lava rocks around and on top of them can maybe give caves with rocks. Not sure if that makes sense, but in my goofy mind it does

I think that makes sense

I bought a bag of 2-3 inch river rocks and plan to use silicone to hold them in place. That would work for lava rock.

solid option. Does it have to be aquarium silicone or would any 100% silicone from Home Depot be safe?

 

You could put it in a bucket, put a filter on it and have a test animal like a ghost shrimp, fathead minnow, or other cheap fish. I am usually against having fish you expect to die, but both of those are already meant to be killed.

Or you could do pest snails, those I personally have no problem killing, and are probably more vulnerable to pesticides than fish.

 

You could put it in a bucket, put a filter on it and have a test animal like a ghost shrimp, fathead minnow, or other cheap fish. I am usually against having fish you expect to die, but both of those are already meant to be killed.

Or you could do pest snails, those I personally have no problem killing, and are probably more vulnerable to pesticides than fish.

Thanks
Yea same here. I’ve got plenty of fish I’d otherwise just use as feeders to test the water. Guppies breed like crazy. Also have pond & assassin snails in large numbers.

Hadn’t considered the use of a bucket, but that seems like a reasonable / cost effective way to test. How long would you figure id have to wait?

 

I think that makes sense

solid option. Does it have to be aquarium silicone or would any 100% silicone from Home Depot be safe?

There are some that are safe and some that have anti-mold chemicals you want to stay away from. I get mine at a LFS that has some that is safe. You can probly get advice about what brands are safe here.

 

There are some that are safe and some that have anti-mold chemicals you want to stay away from. I get mine at a LFS that has some that is safe. You can probly get advice about what brands are safe here.

Reason I ask is the fiscal constraints I’d mentioned before. The stuff I used to re-seal the tank was 25-30 bucks a tube! What’s LFS?

 

Reason I ask is the fiscal constraints I’d mentioned before. The stuff I used to re-seal the tank was 25-30 bucks a tube! What’s LFS?

Local Fish Store. The stuff I buy is less than $10 a tube. It's a smaller tube, not like the ones that need a calk gun.

Local Fish Store. The stuff I buy is less than $10 a tube. It's a smaller tube, not like the ones that need a calk gun.

Home Depot probly has some that would be safe, I just don't know what brands that would be.

 

Thanks
Yea same here. I’ve got plenty of fish I’d otherwise just use as feeders to test the water. Guppies breed like crazy. Also have pond & assassin snails in large numbers.

Hadn’t considered the use of a bucket, but that seems like a reasonable / cost effective way to test. How long would you figure id have to wait?

At optimum, I'd wait a month, but if you can't as long as possible, if they start beating each other up I would just put them in because they might die.

 

I think that makes sense

solid option. Does it have to be aquarium silicone or would any 100% silicone from Home Depot be safe?

I had to edit what I originally wrote...autospell on my phone got "pictures" from me typing "PVC". I have changed it. Maybe that makes more sense now.

The thought is having like multiple pieces of PVC in kind of like a mountain of lava rocks. So the PVC is protecting the cave from collapsing, but the rocks kind of cover the PVC so it doesn't look like a plumber left his project laying around.

 

Again the 5 to 1 bleach and water treatment will work great for rocks. I’m on Long Island and all my rocks are from the beach. North shore is very rocky. These I rinse in water and add to my shrimp tank till I find a place in another tank. When I done with it I store them on a shelf for future use. Jus don’t understand why people buy rocks? There free everywhere .
As to your fish are they all together now? Or all in different tanks? Those types of fish can and will be territorial. If added together at large sizes you will have problems. If added together at small sizes you may have less problems. MAY is the key word. Most of those fish should be kept with there own species and some should just be kept alone.

 

I had to edit what I originally wrote...autospell on my phone got "pictures" from me typing "PVC". I have changed it. Maybe that makes more sense now.

The thought is having like multiple pieces of PVC in kind of like a mountain of lava rocks. So the PVC is protecting the cave from collapsing, but the rocks kind of cover the PVC so it doesn't look like a plumber left his project laying around.

Yea, that makes a lot more sense lol. Sounds like a solid option. Was actually just wondering about something like that with acrylic, but pvc sounds a lot more cost effective. Thanks!

Again the 5 to 1 bleach and water treatment will work great for rocks. I’m on Long Island and all my rocks are from the beach. North shore is very rocky. These I rinse in water and add to my shrimp tank till I find a place in another tank. When I done with it I store them on a shelf for future use. Jus don’t understand why people buy rocks? There free everywhere .
As to your fish are they all together now? Or all in different tanks? Those types of fish can and will be territorial. If added together at large sizes you will have problems. If added together at small sizes you may have less problems. MAY is the key word. Most of those fish should be kept with there own species and some should just be kept alone.

I’ve had a lot of success with mixed predator tanks in the past, which is why I’m asking these specific questions.

Last time (before moving) I had a half dozen similar fish living together quite well. Did put them together while young, which is why I’m kind of in a rush on all this.

the fire mouth and convict are together in a 30 gal community tank & the other three are in a 10 until I get this 125 cycled. I want to get them all together quickly so they get used to one another, but I need to ensure there are viable hiding places and territories for each.

from my experience (have no issue when I have cash/ was laid off due to covid) when they’re small they carve our smaller territories. Putting these 5 together while so small in a 125 gallon & from such smaller tanks, leaves them in a place where the new one seems so vast that they’ll only seek out a portion of the 125.

I might be giving them too much credit, but this has worked before and worked well. (With every fish except RBP) The hiding places are critical though. Also may be worth noting that I feed a mixed diet by tweezers/ tongs or by hand when larger.

I plan to teach them hand signals to know when it’s time for each to feed. Surprisingly (or at least it was for me the first time), it’s doable & prevents a lot of aggression because they don’t get all excited when they see someone walk up to the tank normally.

Again the 5 to 1 bleach and water treatment will work great for rocks. I’m on Long Island and all my rocks are from the beach. North shore is very rocky. These I rinse in water and add to my shrimp tank till I find a place in another tank. When I done with it I store them on a shelf for future use. Jus don’t understand why people buy rocks? There free everywhere .
As to your fish are they all together now? Or all in different tanks? Those types of fish can and will be territorial. If added together at large sizes you will have problems. If added together at small sizes you may have less problems. MAY is the key word. Most of those fish should be kept with there own species and some should just be kept alone.

That said, there is a breaking point & that’s generally something I’ve run into when they hit maturity. At that point, I’ll have a 75 gallon on standby with balanced temp just in case I can’t calm them down. If it doesn’t work, then I have 3 cichlid tanks in stead of two lol.

I’ve got a decade old Oscar in the 75 now & he prob won’t live much longer (he’s a rescue so he’s never been 100%). Would prefer to turn that into a planted tank once he goes but I’ll keep it open until after these guys show their mating colors.

 

You have gotten some very good advice on cost effective ways of getting rocks and other items needed for this tank.

You've mentioned getting this tank cycled before moving the fish. Since you already have so many cycled tanks cycling this one should be a breeze. Simply move media from your cycled tanks over to this one and you can move your fish right away. That is the beauty of having a cycled tank (in your case more than one). You can use the cycled ones to instantly cycle another one.

 

You have gotten some very good advice on cost effective ways of getting rocks and other items needed for this tank.

You've mentioned getting this tank cycled before moving the fish. Since you already have so many cycled tanks cycling this one should be a breeze. Simply move media from your cycled tanks over to this one and you can move your fish right away. That is the beauty of having a cycled tank (in your case more than one). You can use the cycled ones to instantly cycle another one.

I generally just use good bacteria. Is that way better?

the filter we have order is an fx4, & though we’ve got two other canister filters, two waterfalls & about 8 bubbler powered filters running in the house this is the first barrel/bucket style canister filter we’ve used. Not sure if the foam media will fit in the new one. Think I’d be alright with moving a few bubbler powered filters in there & adding some good bacteria to the big one?

 

I generally just use good bacteria. Is that way better?

the filter we have order is an fx4, & though we’ve got two other canister filters, two waterfalls & about 8 bubbler powered filters running in the house this is the first barrel/bucket style canister filter we’ve used. Not sure if the foam media will fit in the new one. Think I’d be alright with moving a few bubbler powered filters in there & adding some good bacteria to the big one?

In my humble opinion bacteria we have grown in our own tanks is a much better option than anything that comes in a bottle. I really can't see paying for something we already have and in your case have in abundance. I am not sure what you mean by "bubbler powered filters". Does that mean sponge filters? If so then they would be perfect. Sponge filters should be loaded with bacteria.

When I set up a new tank I pull a well seeded sponge filter from my main tank. By doing so I am moving both ammonia and nitrite eating bacteria over to the new tank. I add fish right away and within a week or so I start seeing nitrates. I never experience an ammonia or nitrite spike.

 

Yes. That’s essentially what they are (though several are multimedia).
Thanks. I appreciate the insight.

 

If you’re looking for rocks, look past most of the garden center to where they have the 8-10 lb bags of landscaping rocks. That’s where you’ll find the best price.