Agassizii's GBR Breeding Project!

[Goodbye]

Over the past few weeks, I have given much thought into what I am going to do with the empty tanks that I have. I finally decided on setting up my 20 Long Tank as a breeding tank for my pair of German Blue Rams. This tank has a DIY background that my brother put together in it. The background has parts broken off and is in bad shape so Im gonna tear it out (if possible without damaging the tank) and build a new one. If I need to damage the tank to get it out, then I will just do the the repairs. The tank will also have a piece of bogwood, along with plenty of flat, smooth stones. There will also be various live plants which I have not decided on yet. The substrate will be Regular Flourite. The tank will be mantained at 79 degrees F with a 150 watt Visi-Therm Stealth Heater.

I have not decided on filtration, lighting, Co2 injection and fertilization yet.

Now that you have read a breif summary of what the tank will have, I will go into detail, a little more, of what I am doing with the DIY background since the first step will be to make a new one or repair it. I'll let you guys know how tearing it out goes.

Here is a link to the directions for the background!

[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

It will take me a few weeks to finish the background. Especially since I need to track down a few of the needed matierals. This week I will hopefully be able to purchase the needed matierals.

Materials Needed

½" Thick sheets of Styrofoam
Styrofoam balls from the craft store (optional)
Any Styrofoam from electronics packaging (optional)
1 Can of "Great Stuff" expanding liquid foam (optional)
Tubes of GE Silicone I and a caulk gun
T-square or straight edge
Concrete pigment in black and brown
1 40 lb bag of rock salt (for water softeners)

The optional items I may or may not get!

Later on, once I think I have decided on the rest of the setup, I will explain further into it. There are a few things that will need to be purchased for that part. I want to get an RO/DI system so that my water quality will be more to the rams liking. I will keep you guys up to date on my progress and I will keep updating this journal until the tank is established with the plants and the rams are living happily in their new home. This tank will be my most challenging project that I have done, but will be very rewarding.

Here are some pics of what the tank looks like now. The sand substrate will not be staying in there. It will be replaced with Flourite.

[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

[Crispy]

cool project! that is a great link for an awesome DIY background! I'll be keeping my eye on your thread. :)

[Gemini]

I'm keen to try breeding my rams too - I'm gonna be keeping a keen eye on your journal!!
I love that DIY background too!! Looks awesome when finished!

[KingFisher]

I cant' wait to see it when it is done. The rams will have a nice home in that tank. thumbs2:thumbs2:thumbs2:

[Goodbye]

Thanks Guys!!

I will be attempting to take ithe background out tomorrow. If it doesnt work then I will either patch the holes or I will cover them with Java Moss or something.

[Gayle]

Wow that is a great background!!! I cant wait to see it when you get done with it!!!

Sounds like a wonderful idea for the empty tank!! Good luck!!!

[Goodbye]

UPDATE #1:

This first update will contain the purchases I have made and the modifications I have made to my original plan.

To start off, the modification is to not tear out the background currenly in the tank. I have decided, after much though, that instead of patching the holes with new cement mixture, I would have Java Moss growing over the areas that need the work done. Two of the spots I realized are for a heater to fit into so that it is hidden behind the background. The other of the two spots is for the intake tube for the Bio Wheel 350.

The purchases I have made are as follows:

#1 A Turbo Co2 Bio system. This will be used for Co2 injection. Instead of buying the Bio Generator Refills for the system, I will use sugar, yeast and water. It seems that the generator refill is just a mixture of sugar and yeast that you use.



A link to this product may be found here: [Only Registered Users Can See Links.]


#2 My next purchase is to take care of the lighting. I will use Coralife Single Compact Flourescent Lighting. It has 1x 65 watt bulb, which will provide the tank with 3.25 watts per gallon.

A link may be found here to view these lights: [Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

#3 My next purchase was two bags of Seachem Flourite Gravel. This will be used as the tanks substrate. Its much better then the sand in my other tank since the plant debris will sink into the gravel instead of sit on the substarte as the debris does in my 38g. I may also mix a little laterite in with the flourite.

A link may be found here: [Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

#4 I have purchased four types of NLS food that will be used in the diet for all my fish. It will be an upgrade from the flake, and pellets I am currently using. Thge types are as follows:

1. New Life Spectrum - Thera + A Non-Medicated Anti Parasitic Formula
2. New Life Spectrum - H20 Stable Wafers ( This will be for bottom feeders and will be accompanied by blanched veggies)
3. New Life Spectrum - Freshwater Flakes with Garlic
4. New Life Spectrum - Community Fish Formula 150g

A link can be found here to view all the NLS food I purchased:
[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

The diet will also contain frozen foods. Also, the bottom feeders in my 38 will be fed blanched veggies as well

#5 I purchased a few other products. Some of them being a 6-pack of airstones, a small pair of scissors used for trimming plants, two new nets and an algae scraper.

These should all be delievered to my door within a few days. I will fill the tank with 40% tap and 60% distilled water to bring down the pH and hardness. This will make the water so that the eggs can develop better and have the fry hatch. After, I have my purchased items and I have the tank filled with the tap and distilled water I will discus what plants I will purchase besides Java Moss to cover the holes in the background. I am wanting suggestions on that part.

I am open to suggestions on plants!!

[Sharon]

If the background is 3D as it looks in the pic, fish will get trapped behind it if you leave openings....

[Taurus]

Stop reading my mine Sharon. :razz:

[Goodbye]

If the background is 3D as it looks in the pic, fish will get trapped behind it if you leave openings....

Ok, then I must find a way to seal the holes. I may have to cement them still. Thanks for giving me a heads up about that :22: . I hadn't thought of that yet!

[Goodbye]

I looked at the holes again. There is only one hole that fish would go through and be able to get stuck in. The rest are already sealed off and just have a chunk missing that shows bare glass. It is the hole made for the heater to fit in. I will need to find a way to seal it up and just have the heater sit in the tank as it would in my others.

[PostalPenguin]

A simple solution would be to cut an Aquaclear spong to shape and stuff it in there. This would allow you to remove it if you ever want to put a heater behind it again.

[Sharon]

You'd be surprised at the small spaces that a fish can get into. Be careful...if a fish dies in there, you'll have to strip off the background, which is going to be a real pain!

[Taurus]

Agassizii, just a question. Are you sure you can't get that background out of the tank without damaging the tank\glass? I'm only asking because IMHO that would be a better solution.

[Goodbye]

Agassizii, just a question. Are you sure you can't get that background out of the tank without damaging the tank\glass? I'm only asking because IMHO that would be a better solution.

I'm pretty sure that I can't. I toom off a small piece and it took a lot of effort just to get that piece off. They are cemented on really good, so I don't want to risk cracking the glass in the process.

I have recieved the NLS food, Compact Flourescent Lights, Co2 system and flourite. All came in excellent condition except the compact flourescent bulb was cracked.

I still am waiting for the order of the airstones, two other NLS foods, nets and the algae scraper to arrive. They should be here end of this week or early next week.

My next order will contain the plants and the new compact flourescent bulb. That will be ordered within the next 2 weeks. By then I will have obtained the other packages, smooth rocks/terricotta pots and gallons of distilled water. I plan to fill the tank with 60-80% distilled water and the reamining room with tap because my tap is to hard and alkaline for the ram eggs to develop properly.

For plants I am thinking of Echindorus Tennellus and Cryptocorne Lutea. May add a few other species, but I think those two will be included for sure. At some point I will purchase a few olive nerites and zebra nerites to help keep the tank clean.

All for now

[terapie]

Good ideea, i`m also thinking about a small tank to breed ramirezi or altispinosa(or who knows...maybe even the angelfish)

But for now...PICS PICS PICS!! thumbs2:

[Goodbye]

I am finishing up a plant list and will have it posted when I return from my camping trip this weekend. Then, with some help, I will determine which plants would be best to use and remove the others.

I will also post the Co2, lights and other factors that may determine whether some plants are suitable.

Echindorus Tennellus and Cryptocoryne Lutea are two species that will be on this list.