New big tank DIY on a budget...

Well, I replanted the Vals at the back further away from the severum. Water has cleared a lot, I have not added any more wood yet. As you can see the few fish I have in there can
totally disappear.





If time I might get some tetras today.

Of course the cupboards and drawers still have to be made and we have to sort out reflections and tidy up a few things, but we wanted to get it up and running first. My son leaves today and has spent the best part of his vacation on this project....

 

Well it looks great!!! But yes you may need to add fish . I just can’t zoom in close enough to see what’s in there. I thinking maybe a 2’ arowanna. Maybe a few of them!!

 

Looks amazing! I think the thing I like about it most is the fact that everything in there has come from a natural, local source. You have your very own beautiful slice of nature in your home.

If I did the same over here, I’d end up with a tank scaped with a shopping trolley, a few beer cans and an old boot!

 

Looks amazing! I think the thing I like about it most is the fact that everything in there has come from a natural, local source. You have your very own beautiful slice of nature in your home.

If I did the same over here, I’d end up with a tank scaped with a shopping trolley, a few beer cans and an old boot!

Don’t forget the old tire!!!

 

I think it's lovely that your son was such an integral part of this build. It will be memories you'll share forever. I'm not sure you need any more wood in the tank, it looks great as it is. What type of Severum do you have? It's doing a great job of hiding in said wood, lol.

 

Fantastic pieces of wood, that tank looks so beautiful.

 

I think it's lovely that your son was such an integral part of this build. It will be memories you'll share forever. I'm not sure you need any more wood in the tank, it looks great as it is. What type of Severum do you have? It's doing a great job of hiding in said wood, lol.

It is Heros efasciatus, green severum, wild type (but not wild caught). She is guarding eggs right at the back.

 

I got some (12) bentosi tetras, perhaps I should have got twice that many…but I also got some diamond tetras which I hadn’t realised they had (and ran out of cash). Apparently they got the diamond tetras quite a long time ago and unfortunately there were only 7 left. If they had had more I would have probably just got them (though they were more expensive). They look lovely in my tank, as the water is slightly tannin stained they show up well and really sparkle as they change angles. The bentosi are still small and don’t show up quite as well, but still the tank looks quite a bit more active now. I did not quarantine these fish as they have been there for a long time and appear healthy. No sick looking fish in any of the tanks there, in general they always seem well cared for. But I do worry about the Uarus, I feel sorry for them, they are in a big tank but it is full of other cichlids mostly larger than them including some of my Cichlasomas from 2020 that no one wants to buy, some Geophagus, Satanoperca, Aequidens metae and Andinoacara. The water is kept very clean but it is too crowded. I believe the Uaru are much smaller than they should be for their age, I think they would do better in a more peaceful environment, so I will probably get them…

 

Only thing about the Uaru is because they’ve been there a long time and your saying they are small there probably stunted. May not grow bigger and may have problems as they get older.

 

Only thing about the Uaru is because they’ve been there a long time and your saying they are small there probably stunted. May not grow bigger and may have problems as they get older.

Yes, I have wondered about that possibility.

 

I think the Diamonds were a very good choice. A very pretty, durable, almost bulletproof Tetra. Big enough to keep with most relatively peaceful Cichlids.

 

May not grow bigger and may have problems as they get older.

What kind of problems would you expect? I don't mind if they don't reach their potential size but would not like to have health or behavioral issues. I know someone who took most of the other Uarus about 3 weeks ago. He runs a zoo and has a huge aquarium in his house. According to the fish shop owner the ones he took have since had a growth spurt, but I will ask this guy about this personally.

I think the Diamonds were a very good choice. A very pretty, durable, almost bulletproof Tetra. Big enough to keep with most relatively peaceful Cichlids.

Yes, I wish they had had more of them.

 

If their bodies are proportionately shaped, then likely no worries.

 

If their bodies are proportionately shaped, then likely no worries.

Yes, I think the bodies and eye sizes look normal.

 

One of my Chocolate Cichlids was in a vendor's tank for months. Tankmates were an array of boisterous feeders. Chocolates are slow, ambush type feeders. As a result he was small & skinny when purchased.
Since being introduced into my tank his growth is steady & he appears to be perfectly normal.
You're likely to have the same outcome.

 

One of my Chocolate Cichlids was in a vendor's tank for months. Tankmates were an array of boisterous feeders. Chocolates are slow, ambush type feeders. As a result he was small & skinny when purchased.
Since being introduced into my tank his growth is steady & he appears to be perfectly normal.
You're likely to have the same outcome.

According to the shop owner that is the situation with the Uaru, they are much slower to feed than the other cichlids in the tank. They first got them in around august last year as very small spotted juveniles, at first they were in a separate smallish tank, I am not sure when they were moved to the big cichlid tank.

 

Bravo!




Stunning build. You have captured an underwater nature scene that any fish should enjoy.

 

Bravo!

View attachment 841375

Stunning build. You have captured an underwater nature scene that any fish should enjoy.

Thank you, I do appreciate how lucky I am being able to go to the river and collect all that stuff, knowing that the river flows straight out of a protected cloud forest before bordering our property. I never could have afforded to buy it. Our tap water comes from the same river higher up and is untreated so I never have to buy prime or anything like that. Even though our river is Andean not Amazonian, I think we created the look I hoped for.

Just checked on the fish, I seem to have lost one of the bentosi tetras, all others seem fine.

 

Yes, I have wondered about that possibility.

Would that be detrimental in your tank?

 

Would that be detrimental in your tank?

Not if its only a question of size and probably wouldn't affect the other fish anyway. I just would not want them to have health problems.

 

Just a few quick snapshots to show there are actually some fish in the tank!







t

 

That looks fantastic....how many fish do you have in the tank at this time?
You had a lot of plants in your other tanks, will this one be planted as heavily?

 

That looks fantastic....how many fish do you have in the tank at this time?
You had a lot of plants in your other tanks, will this one be planted as heavily?

Thank you, I missed your post yesterday somehow. I have a severum, 5 festivums, 2 Cichlasoma amazonarum, 7 diamond tetras and 11 (I think) bentosi tetras (I bought 12 but one seems to be missing).

I am thinking of getting some Uaru soon and maybe some orange laser Corydoras a bit later on, and would ideally like more diamond tetras if any become available. I am wondering whether to put in a bn pleco (that I already have).

I have planted some Vallisneria at the back and sides, I might put some more in yet, I have plenty in other tanks, and a little Heteranthera, again might put a bit more in. There is some water lettuce in there as well. I don't want to put too many plants in as I am thinking of getting the Uarus, and they will probably eat all of them. Also I was aiming for more of a biotope look with this tank. Yes, it is completely different from my other big tank.

By the way I did mean to reply to your post about inline heaters, I had a look and they do look good. I could get them from Amazon. But they are quite expensive, more so with shipping, and I would probably need two. Maybe an idea for the future though.

 

Thank you, I missed your post yesterday somehow. I have a severum, 5 festivums, 2 Cichlasoma amazonarum, 7 diamond tetras and 11 (I think) bentosi tetras (I bought 12 but one seems to be missing).

I am thinking of getting some Uaru soon and maybe some orange laser Corydoras a bit later on, and would ideally like more diamond tetras if any become available. I am wondering whether to put in a bn pleco (that I already have).

I have planted some Vallisneria at the back and sides, I might put some more in yet, I have plenty in other tanks, and a little Heteranthera, again might put a bit more in. There is some water lettuce in there as well. I don't want to put too many plants in as I am thinking of getting the Uarus, and they will probably eat all of them. Also I was aiming for more of a biotope look with this tank. Yes, it is completely different from my other big tank.

By the way I did mean to reply to your post about inline heaters, I had a look and they do look good. I could get them from Amazon. But they are quite expensive, more so with shipping, and I would probably need two. Maybe an idea for the future though.

You need a bigger tank
The Uarus, will that be a single fish? No concerns regarding aggression?

The inline heaters are pretty powerful. I had a single 300W heater with the start of the 125gl, and it kept the temperature pretty stable ~72°. Of course it is all out of the window if the canister goes....
You have the interesting wooden side closures, you have one for the front as well?
Did you dismantle your other tanks or just moved them around?

 

Lol both of you confuse me. Both builds are coming along nicely!! But I’m never sure which one I’m looking at . I got nothing done this weekend . Ants!!! Discus are eating them but there’s thousands!! But I did end up at. A pet store today and bought another fish .
All I’ve read on uarus says they’re great fish that will have no problem in community tanks. They comefrom the same water as discus so they need warm water but that’s it. Says they’re very smart and like oscars have personality and get big.

 

You need a bigger tank
The Uarus, will that be a single fish? No concerns regarding aggression?

Mmm, well at the moment the tank looks quite empty, and is pretty peaceful, but the cichlids are still quite small except the severum, which is about 15cm (6”). Uaru are supposed to be very peaceful, and are commonly kept with severums, Geophagus etc. I have seen footage of a pair with fry in a large community tank. They are apparently best in kept in groups or pairs, but its not possible for me to get a pair without getting a group first. They have four left at the shop and I thought of getting all of them. So eventually yes, that might be too many big cichlids when they all get to full size. If a pair of festivums form I have a spare tank I could use for them, but I don't have one big enough for a pair of Uaru. I think the Cichlasomas are not a pair as they are both the same size - in my experience the males grow a lot more quickly. But if they do turn out to be a pair I will only keep one of them. As for the others I will see how things work out and deal with any issues if and when they arise.

We haven’t yet made a cover for the front, but have discussed making one for the night time, a bit awkward though as the front is so big.

Before making the tank I dismantled one tank (now a spare) and moved two that were in the place of the new tank. The smaller one (180l, about 47 gallons) has 6 Copella and 6 otos as well as a few Copella fry. And snails. The 240l (about 63 gallons) now only has the BN pleco and a clown pleco. I am currently thinking about what to do with this tank, I have a few ideas but not really decided yet. I also have the big planted tank in another room.

Lol both of you confuse me. Both builds are coming along nicely!! But I’m never sure which one I’m looking at . I got nothing done this weekend . Ants!!! Discus are eating them but there’s thousands!! But I did end up at. A pet store today and bought another fish .
All I’ve read on uarus says they’re great fish that will have no problem in community tanks. They comefrom the same water as discus so they need warm water but that’s it. Says they’re very smart and like oscars have personality and get big.

I bet the discus enjoyed the ants! Once we had a plague of fruit flies in the kitchen, the festivums loved them!
At the moment my tank is around 26.5 degrees C (just under 80F). I might increase it slightly before getting the Uarus.

 

You have a lot of surface on that tank. I thonk it is a cool idea with the wood, instead of running around, covering the tanks at night with blankets.

 

So an update. Everything is going well in the tank. I did lose one bentosi, found the two Cichlasomas eating it, but I doubt that they killed it, that was the day after I got them, the others are still all fine. I planted a bit more Vallisneria at the back several days ago, as the severum was no longer guarding that place.

Yesterday I went to get the Uarus. They only had 3 left after all - in fact I only saw 3 the last time I was there but the tank they were in is big, has some large branches in and is full of cichlids so I thought I had missed seeing the other one. Yesterday one of them seemed a bit freaked out, staying in one place and staring into space while the other two were at the back but acting more normally. Today I have seen the three together at times, but the same two seem to be together most of the time, they don't seem shy anymore. They haven't attacked the Vallisneria yet but are spending a lot of time picking at stuff on the wood (the Mesonauta do that a lot as well) and I saw one of them bite off and eat a piece of an almond leaf. They ignored the food I put in. Not too much aggression towards them from the other cichlids, the Cichlasomas and the biggest festivum are the most pushy and have nipped at them a few times but not constantly, and they don't seem to take much notice. The have been housed with much bigger Cichlasomas and other quite boisterous cichlids so I suppose its nothing new.

On another note the shop owner offered me for free two acaras that are in their big cichlid tank, they came as juveniles mixed in with some Aequidens metae but seem to be Andinoacara (blue acara type), though they have quite rounded foreheads (a bit like the one in that other recent thread we were looking at, but more so). Maybe they are A. latifrons I don't know. I told him I would think about it. I don't really want any more cichlid species in the big tank (although there is still plenty of room at the moment), but I am wondering if I could put them anywhere else. But that would mean changing some plans...

 

I saw one of them bite off and eat a piece of an almond leaf.

And THIS is why I say leaf litter is essential.

 

You need a bigger tank
Just out of curiosity....I notice that you seem to put the new fish direct into the big tank. Do you ever quarantine your new acquisitions?

 

You need a bigger tank
Just out of curiosity....I notice that you seem to put the new fish direct into the big tank. Do you ever quarantine your new acquisitions?

In this case no I didn’t as they have had the Uarus and other fish in that tank for a long time and the tetras for quite a while too.

 

Some bad news, I lost one of the Uarus. The one that from the beginning seemed weaker, more subordinate, didn’t behave the same as the other two. I had wondered about separating it, but didn’t, thinking it might just stress it more. But I should have. The day before yesterday I saw the Cichlasomas chasing and biting it’s tail, it wasn’t making much effort to get away. I went to get a net from another room and when I got back (only a few seconds later) they had it pinned down on the ground biting it. I quickly got it out and put it in the other tank with some almond leaves but it was too late. I was seriously considering trying to catch the Cichlasomas and giving them away (or frying them my husband suggested), but since then they haven’t caused any major trouble.

On a more positive note the other two Uaru are fine, and much more confident. They spend a lot of time just browsing on algae (or something) on the wood and they do eat almond leaves. They have not destroyed any plants yet but I am sure it’s just a matter of time. They eat Bug Bites Spirulina flakes greedily, but do not like the cichlid pellets. The two nearly always keep close together.The Cichlasomas do chase them slightly but seem to be losing interest now. The other cichlids don’t bother them. The tetras are all fine.

My husband has started working on the cabinet today. Before that there were too many other jobs that needed doing that had been neglected during the tank construction phase. Nothing to show yet as he is just preparing the wood.

 

Nice build love all the info and the natural scape is beautiful! It's definitely going to be a never evolving build!

 

I thought it was time to update this thread with a few photos. The Vallisneria at the back has not done well, I think it is too dark, I might add an extra light at the back on one side, or add more wood to disguise the background some more. However, at the front it is growing and sending out runners, despite some nibbling by the severum and Uarus. No one eats the water lettuce, it doesn't grow very big leaves or long roots in this tank but covers the entire surface in a week, I always have to remove a lot. I think Ruud was right in an earlier post I should add some more wood or roots right of centre as that rock is a bit too light in colour. I will see if I have anything suitable. I keep adding leaves. Almond leaves do not last long as the Uarus chew them up, but I found some dry leaves outside that are much firmer and while the Uarus are always moving them around they don't actually eat them. They do not stain the water as much as almond leaves though. The Cichlasomas actually spawned on one of these and moved it around from place to place before the eggs hatched (for the complete story see this thread Cichlasoma amazonarum and Blue acara - something fishy! | American Cichlid Forum | 522463).

Anyway here are some photos - the severum has eggs in the back corner and didn't appear for the photoshoot and I couldn't get any in focus shots of the bentosi tetras.

 

This tank is just so natural . It’s really settled in beautifully , you’ve don’t such a great job.

 

If you would submit it to this month's photo contest, I think you can still win

 

Thanks for posting, I've enjoyed this thread.

 

If you would submit it to this month's photo contest, I think you can still win

Non-US/UK/CAN can't win the prizes so we can only participate out of competition. Maybe for the best.

I love the tank, Clare. Pretty much what I would want but can't afford.

 

If you would submit it to this month's photo contest, I think you can still win

The trouble is it is quite difficult to get a good whole tank shot, but maybe I'll try.

Non-US/UK/CAN can't win the prizes so we can only participate out of competition. Maybe for the best.

Actually I have entered before, I thought I was entering just for fun and couldn't win, but I have won twice (not with this tank), and Mike asked whether I would like an Amazon UK or US voucher. Chose UK as my son can bring things from there when he comes over, so it was not a problem after all! I could also easily get things sent here from Amazon US too.

Pretty much what I would want but can't afford.

Maybe one day? We could only afford this as my husband and son are so practical and good at making things, and as we have access to a lot of materials for free (electricity bill has gone up a bit though...)

 

Actually I have entered before, I thought I was entering just for fun and couldn't win, but I have won twice (not with this tank), and Mike asked whether I would like an Amazon UK or US voucher. Chose UK as my son can bring things from there when he comes over, so it was not a problem after all! I could also easily get things sent here from Amazon US too.

Lucky you. I'll send you a PM.

Maybe one day? We could only afford this as my husband and son are so practical and good at making things, and as we have access to a lot of materials for free (electricity bill has gone up a bit though...)

Small city apartment, chronically ill (no chance of ever working full-time again), almost 40... Not gonna happen in this lifetime anymore.