Jenn's 150G Geophagus Tank

[MCHRKiller]

I finally got rid of the last of my fake plants:19: I re-scaped my 150 and added a quart size bag of java moss, along with a couple handfuls of various floating plants(red root floater, salvinia, and dwarf water lettuce). I have 8 anubias ordered to come in the first of the week(4 good sized nana, 4 larger minima). I will also be adding some java fern and maybe some crinum as well as some larger species of anubias.

As of right now Im planning on 5 Geophagus abalios, 5 Geophagus pindare, 2 Rotkeil Severums, my L330 Royal maybe another pleco or some type of catfish, and 20-25 larger bodied tetras. I plan to get the fish from Jeff Rapps I contacted him a couple days ago but havent gotten a reply yet...if he doesnt reply by tomorrow I will probably re-send my email. I am hoping to get fish in by mid next week.

For you technical folks here is the specs on the tank:

Custom 150G glass, 72"L*20"W*24"H
Filtration: 3*XP3 canisters, 1 Emp 400
Heating: 2*200watt In-line Hydors
Substrate: 140lbs Torpedo Beach Sand
Lighting:260watts 6500K PC lighting


http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad180/MCHRKiller/DSC_0678.jpg

[lowlight]

That looks like it will be a nice tank once it's done. Keep posting pics.

[Zilla]

I'll be watching this to see how your tank comes along as I love Geo's.

Mine is a big baby that is shy but will turn almost black when he's mad, however, the tank wouldn't be the same without him so I just laugh his flakey behavior.

[rich311k]

Very nice. It is going to be a great tank.

[Northernguy]

It already looks like a great tank!
Love the set up.
Hope you get your tetras soon.

[MCHRKiller]

Thanks for the comments everyone :22:

I got confirmation from Rapps today, my wallet is screaming....but I guess to almost fully stock a tank this size I cant really complain about $300 of fish...if anyone ever orders from him...shipping is murder as you pay actual shipping costs instead of a capped shipping fee.

[Taurus]

It's another masterpiece in the works. :ssmile:

[MCHRKiller]

Thank you Taurus, I do hope it grows into a nicer looking scape. Im not used to this minimilist look...its taking some adjustment. Ive probably picked at the hardscape more on this than any other tank, since it wont really be much more than a hardscape. :hmm3grin2orange:

[Taurus]

Will the stock take to rearranging it for you?

[MCHRKiller]

Geos are notorious diggers, so most of the plantlife outside of a couple crinum will be tied down so they shouldnt be able to do much to it. The rotkeils may pick at some of the plants but since they are all so called "herbivore resistant" and they will be growing up in a planted scape it should help curb their mauling of plants.

I have a box of larger river stones in the mail which the anubias will get tied down to. Im on the look for a large patch of java fern to split up and attach to the wood and some rock. I also tossed in some lilly bulbs to see how they do in there since I found a pack in my fish supplies closet. I will probably thin the plants out of the 5G...and I may add the sword plantlets from the 100G and see how they do in here as well.

[Taurus]

Can't wait to see the finished tank!

[AmyLynn]

Did you actually get rid of the fake plants? Or, like mine, are they lurking around in a plastic tote somewhere just in case? ROFL

Tanks looks like it's going to be another masterpiece. I'll be watching this journal as well as your others. :19:

[MCHRKiller]

They have entered the black hole...aka my basement. So I doubt theyll find their way back out into circulation :hmm3grin2orange:

Thanks, I will probably update when the fish/and or plants come in whichever is first. :11:

[AmyLynn]

I have an 20 some gallon tote filled with "just in case" fish and aquarium items. LOL

I will try to wait patiently. (blush)

[MCHRKiller]

Give the hobby more time and it will be 20 totes :hmm3grin2orange:

I got about half of the plants I bought in today, as well as my box of river stones...mail person loved that Im sure. The anubias which I assumed would have been here saturday still havent made it. Got confirmation from Rapps fish are in transit as we type :22:

http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad180/MCHRKiller/DSC_0789.jpg

[lowlight]

I'm liking it so far. Wish I had the room for a bigger tank.

[Sandman]

Wow, beautiful aquascaping. Nice fish selection, too - I bet they are going to have some fun in that tank!

[Crispy]

Beautiful setup! Glad you picked geos! Can't wait too see them thriving in that setup! thumbs2:

[WoadCelt]

Wow!! Your tank set up pics are so exciting!! :shappy:
I'm sure it'll look beautiful and look forward to seeing more.

[MCHRKiller]

Thanks everyone :22:

I doubt that the tank will really change much other than grow out, the 8 anubias plants will probably be the only other plants going in here...unless I just run up on something I cant pass up. I cant wait for the red root floater to spread and the dwarf water lettuce to get large and send down roots tho.

[VoidParadigm]

How big do those species of Geos get, by the way?

Set-up looks great so far.

[MCHRKiller]

G.abalios will grow to around 9" for males and 7" for females
G.pindare will top out at around 6" for both genders.

[MCHRKiller]

Fish are finally here, I drip acclimated them for about 4hrs today and put them in the tank a bit after 4pm. Here are some pics of them, still a bit bleached out and scared but in good health otherwise. I will take some in a couple of days when they are adjusted to their tank.

http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad180/MCHRKiller/DSC_0838.jpg
Group
http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad180/MCHRKiller/DSC_0840.jpg
G.pindare
http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad180/MCHRKiller/DSC_0846.jpg
G.abalios
http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad180/MCHRKiller/DSC_0849.jpg
H.rotkeil

[Sandman]

Very nice! You can see the color lying in wait in the fins.

[octoxpuss]

Great looking fish, MCHR. Yeah you can deff. tell the colors lying in wait. Cant wait to see that severum all colored and grown up.

[AmyLynn]

Scape looks great! And your new little guys are pretty. Can't wait to see them with color. thumbs2:

[MCHRKiller]

I cant either! The ablios were supposidly starting to get mature color when they were shipped...I dont expect them to be full brilliance for several more months growth. But thats the fate of american cichlids theyre all kind of bland and ugly until subadults.

The fish ate a bit this evening so I think they will be just fine.

[AmyLynn]

Even bland and "ugly" they're still pretty fish. LOL And you can see a bit of color starting in their fins.

[MCHRKiller]

lol, thanks. My female parental unit came to look at the fish today and was all like you paid that much for those ugly little grey mutts :hmm3grin2orange:

In their defence the abalios will mature into these beauties:
http://www.cichlids.com/uploads/tx_usercichlids/user_pics/2409/img_66_e0596d0aa4.jpg

[Zilla]

:1luvu:

My Geo had no color to speak of when I got him. He was little runt that was about a inch and half and even now, there are times when he doesn't display alot of color. He always has color in his face, but sometimes the only obvious color on his his body is his horizontal and occasionally verticle stripes.

I love it when they put their dorsal fin down...

[Wild Turkey]

Tank looks really good so far jenn thumbs2:

[MCHRKiller]

Thanks you two:22:

The G.pindare dont really get highly colored, they do get alot of attractive spangling and fin striations but thats about it. Abalios are probably one of the more colorful Geos...I guess time will tell.

[VoidParadigm]

Great looking Geos.
Those mature colors will be well worth the wait!

[toddnbecka]

Looking good so far, how active/social are they now that they've had a little time to settle in?
I picked up 2 pairs of Gymnogeophagus catalan juvies that arrived last Friday, have 5 red severums coming tomorrow, and I'm thinking about some Gymnogeophagus norte too. The catalan are in the 55 with the botia's and pleco's. They're quite active and visible, not shy at all since their first day in the tank.

[MCHRKiller]

As of today they are exploring the whole tank, although keeping to the lower half. All 10 Geos are moving along in a shoal. The 2 severums spend alot of their time in the upper regions of the tank but they do also spend time with the Geos as well. They are much more comfortable in the tank today, theyre actively sifting the substrate. They arnt very interactive with me yet, but Im sure that will change over time after talking to others who own the species. They definatly dont run and hide when I approach the tank either so that is good.

G.norte are beautiful species, I hear they are pretty social and active. Ive never seen a catalan...Im sure they are lovely fish as well. Definatly get some pics of your fish once they come...glad to see other eartheater keepers on the forum for sure :11:

[AmyLynn]

Wow. They're going to be very pretty fish when they're grown.

[toddnbecka]

I've never seen an adult catalan either, looking forward to it. The juvies are about the size of adult Ram's now, though not as colorful, but starting to show a little. The diet I feed my cichlids will help bring out whatever colors they do have with time. With a little luck maybe they'll act as dithers for the "invisible" botia's and pleco's. :hmm3grin2orange:
I'll get some pics sometime fairly soon, but they aren't as pretty as your Geo's. Mostly just silvery, with the typical black spot in the middle if the body, and a smaller one at the base of the tail.

[MCHRKiller]

Shame it takes Geos so long to colorup, probably why they arnt more popular. Im sure they will grow into lovely fish, and I for one look forward to pics of those Catalans :22:

[Zilla]

Here's mine and what he looks like on a average day.

http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa192/Zillasplace/009.jpg

He doesn't have lots of color, but he is the King that's okay. In better lighting, his irridescent spots can be easily seen. Or when he gets mad, he turns almost black and his verticle stripes come out. I see his stripes with every water change as he doesn't like them. LOL

[domjd05]

I love earth eaters as well, never kept them because I don't like cleaning up torn up plants and stuff, but they are well worth the wait to color up. Nice looking tank!

[MCHRKiller]

That is a very nice leucosticta Zilla :22:


Yeah they are ferocious diggers even at the 3-4" size like mine they are moving quite a bit of sand. Im sure when they are adults I will need to add more for them to dig aorund in. But as long as the plants are attached to wood or rock they shouldnt bother them to badly...or thats what I hope :hmm3grin2orange:

[Zilla]

I can only speak for mine, but they do chill out a bit with the digging and sifting as they get older. This is not to say that I haven't filled in a few craters recently, but I can't expect everything to be perfect.

As far as plants go, mine doesn't dig up plants, but occasionally I will get a floater as there was a piece of food stuck in the leaves or something and in the process of getting the snack, the plant came up with it.

In the morning he's at his worst in terms of poking and sifting as that's when breakfast is and he'll pick around for a good 2 hours before he discovers that the food Gods are not going to provide anymore. After that, he spends his time either in his corner or hangs on the side of the tank where he can see what I'm doing out in the kitchen.

[domjd05]

My co-worker used to keep them and he was always complaining about the mess they made, he had them for 5 years or so too, but its good to hear a different account, maybe I'll give them a shot sometime, they are fairly non aggressive right?

[Zilla]

Depends on how you define aggressive. They won't go after other fish like a African Cichlid, but they will eat Neons or something that can fit in their mouths.

Part of my success is that I don't cramp him with plants. Even if my Gouramis and Rainbows didn't shred plants, trying to keep a tank that looks like a jungle with a Geo is near impossible. They need space to swift and pick and if they don't have it, they make space.

Mine is about a year old.

[MCHRKiller]

They arnt aggressive to other fish, you will get squabbling among the same species in the tank some will do this more than others but yeah they are peaceful.

[MCHRKiller]

http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad180/MCHRKiller/DSC_0854.jpg
Its as planted as it will get...I may add more floating plants but thats it. The microbubbles are because I just cleaned that canister...that one always sprays bubbles for an hour or so after being cleaned.
http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad180/MCHRKiller/DSC_0897.jpg
Group sifting with the big bullhead cat on guard for them
http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad180/MCHRKiller/DSC_0889.jpg
Rotkeil showing improvement
http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad180/MCHRKiller/DSC_0879.jpg
Abalios also colored up some

[Lab_Rat]

Looks awesome Jenn! Those cichlids are amazing! Have you thought about adding some tall anubias along the back? Can't have too many plants. :hmm3grin2orange:

[AmyLynn]

Looks fantastic! :19:

[rich311k]

Wonderful tank and fish! Great photos!

[MCHRKiller]

THanks guys, I do plan to probably add some crinum to hide the XP3 tubes. But Im probably not going to bother with that right now, just let the floating plants grow and their roots should hang down a good 10-12" into the water column so that will fill in the look of the tank alot. Also I need to keep in mind that the G.abalios males can hit around 9" so they are going to need swimming room as well. I still need to add a shoal of some form as well.

[Crispy]

Beautiful setup and geos Jenn! Love it! thumbs2: Should be a very peaceful, relaxing tank to watch.

[MCHRKiller]

http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad180/MCHRKiller/DSC_0560.jpg
The tank as it stands currently, I have added some Val and Dwarf Water Lettuce(thanks Labby!) its not viewable in the pic as I keep my water level to high to see it with the trim.
http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad180/MCHRKiller/DSC_0576.jpg
http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad180/MCHRKiller/DSC_0583.jpg
Also some photos of my 2 Rotkeil Severums, they are starting to color up now and look different from your every day green sev



I have been contemplating alot about what fish I want to really finish off the stock in this tank. Chances are I will be thinning my geos down once they hit breeding age. I have decided on Astronotus Crassipinnis, I have contacted Jeff Rapps and a few other importers about getting some...so hopefully by this summer I will have my hands on 2-3. I will probably grow them out and keep the nicest individual for myself. I also would like to acquire 2-3 wild blue Acaras to add a splash of color to the tank...theyre pretty easily found so whenever I find my A.crassipinnis I will pick those up as well. :22:

[toddnbecka]

Looking really good, tank and fish. How warm do you keep the tank? My red sev's were quite a bit more active/visible when I had the temp raised to get rid of the Ich they brought along. Since I lowered the temp back down to 76 they're more prone to stay under cover.

[MCHRKiller]

Thanks :22:

I keep their tank around 78*F, but in the summer it tends to raise a little higher during the day with the PCs on it probably reaches about 80*F

[MCHRKiller]

http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad180/MCHRKiller/DSC_0281.jpg
I think they had a growth spurt....they look much larger in the tank than they used to :22:

[Lab_Rat]

Wow, they're looking awesome, as is the tank. You've made me want some of those rotkeil severums too.

[MCHRKiller]

Thanks Labby :22:

I have IDed mine as a male and a female, granted the female likes to beat up the male...if by some weird chance they become friendly and spawn ill send you loads of little Rotkeils :14:

[Lab_Rat]

Thanks Labby :22:

I have IDed mine as a male and a female, granted the female likes to beat up the male...if by some weird chance they become friendly and spawn ill send you loads of little Rotkeils :14:


Woo hoo!!! :19:

[MCHRKiller]

Changed the bulbs on the tank today and what a difference it makes. I opted for a row of 10Ks and a row of 7Ks.
http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad180/MCHRKiller/DSC_0471.jpg
http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad180/MCHRKiller/DSC_0480.jpg
These two pindares have been sticking together like glue, I hope they dont spawn :14:

[toddnbecka]

The lighting does make quite a difference, the plants look much better now.
A Synodontis catfish would be a good bet for cleaning up eggs before they become much of an issue for the community in general.

[MCHRKiller]

Im on the look for a large syno or a P.blochii :22:

[LEG-IT]

loving your setup,
any updates,i also recently set up a earth eater tank with rio brancos and orangeheads

[MCHRKiller]

http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad180/MCHRKiller/DSC_0401.jpg

Recent photo of the tank, the tank is suprisingly almost algae free now that I have 5 bristlenose plecos on the job.

The fish are all growing nicely, the Geos are nearly full grown and the Sevs are moving beyond the teenage point. The female GT has came out of her stunted look and is actually quite robust...perhaps a little more robust than she should be :hmm3grin2orange:

[LEG-IT]

that is one beautiful tank scape, congratulations MCHRKiller, what do you feed them? they grew extremely quick and colorful, please tell me some hints and advice

[MCHRKiller]

Thank you :22:

The fish eat primarily frozen food; frozen bloodworms, plankton, krill, large mysis and beefheart on occasion. They also get Hikari sinking gold, Hikari staple floating, and OSI spirulina pellets. I feed frozen 5X per week. They get dried pellets when they are really begging for food so it varies. I fast them once per week. As these were wild fish I started them out on live black worms...which I have now stopped feeding. They adapted easily over onto the frozen bloodworms...which they get atleast twice a week. I use alot of food soaks...right now its a combo of garlic extract and Selcon.

[Crispy]

beautiful tank and fish Jenn. :shappy: :fish:

[Spardas]

I think it's about time you open up a fish store Jenn. :hmm3grin2orange:

Nice scape and pretty fishes.

[MCHRKiller]

Managed one for two years while I was working on my masters, unfortunatly said store is closing its doors in about 2 weeks. LFS are a hard business to make it in, sadly most of them rely on people killing their fish to stay afloat.

Thanks for the comments, I need to update some photos of the Rotkeils and GT...they have taken on some nice changes lately :22:

[LEG-IT]

updates?,
i just love this tank

[rothenb1]

Lovely tank! I hope you don't think I'm copying you LOL

Thanks for all your help.

[MCHRKiller]

I may have an update for you this evening...not much has changed scape wise...I did add a large crypt near the front which all the fish like, and have suprisingly left alone. Im hoping to land a large basketball+ size center piece of bolbitis within the next few weeks. So the scape is going to go through a slight makeover soon. Id like to shoot a video of the tank, granted my only working video cam right now is a laptop webcam so we'll see :11:

I dont think anyone is copying me for keeping Geophagus and Sevs together...its a lovely combination and Im sure thousands of people do it. lol

[toddnbecka]

Meh, I have a couple of juvie green severums in the 75 with the Gymnogeophagus catalans. Also a single curviceps and a pair of HRP's that look suspiciously like HRP/convict hybrids. So far they're all mixing pretty well, no split fins or stressed individuals hanging out in a corner somewhere.

[MCHRKiller]

Glad to hear yours are getting along as well :11:

I just ordered a few more good size anubias and Im going to move some needle leaf from the 100G as its getting really thick again. I should have a full tank shot the end of the week. Still hoping to get that bolbitis tho. lol

In the mean time here is a pic of one of the teenage Rotkeils
http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad180/MCHRKiller/DSC_0192-1.jpg
http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad180/MCHRKiller/DSC_0213.jpg
and of course an abalios had to be a camera whore

[rich311k]

Great looking fish.

[Crispy]

great fish! :fish:

[LEG-IT]

love the abalios,

i might get some soon probably i another 2 months, back down under in australia there is 2 variants of these,
Abalios variant one and there is geophagus abailos variant 2 which over here is Geophagus Colombian/Venezuela,

If you want more info visit http://eartheaters.qldaf.com ,
very good website for earth eater fans,

[Splish]

I love your tank set up and the fish look gorgeous, I'm sure it's even better in person and perfect tank to just sit and watch at the end of the day.

[MCHRKiller]

Thanks all :11:

It is a great tank to fall asleep to, the eartheaters are very relaxing fish to watch. I also like how this tank is probably my most low maintenance one...I dose when I remember and just dont worry about a speck of algae here or there because the BNs will eat it before it grows.

Thanks I will check out that website.

[Piscine]

Great pics!

[MCHRKiller]

My bolbitis has fallen though seller decided to keep it. I decided to pick up this truck load...literally, of needle leaf. It was such a good price it could not be passed up.

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u312/plantbrain/9730433e.jpg

[toddnbecka]

Nice pickup, (no pun intended) I always did like needle leaf java fern better than Val's. Less trimming to keep it from growing across the top of the tank...

[Taurus]

It is a great tank to fall asleep to, the eartheaters are very relaxing fish to watch. I also like how this tank is probably my most low maintenance one...I dose when I remember and just dont worry about a speck of algae here or there because the BNs will eat it before it grows.


:shappy: ...Jenn, it looks and sounds like you've created THE perfect tank. I know it was a lot work getting it started, but I loved the finished product.

:hmm3grin2orange: Did I just say finished?

[MCHRKiller]

lol! I dont think any tank will ever be finished...I am hoping that load of fern gives it more of the look I want. The geos dont really bother the plants other than uprooting a few of them, so Im not worried about piling on the plants. I have been debating on changing things up. The owner of my marine shop is really trying to talk me out of my G.pindare group...I could then see a Astronotus orbicularis in my future. Still on the fence about it, in a perfect world would find an Astronotus crassipinnis and just add 2-3 of them to the tank with all the Geos and such. I am definatly looking for 1 more fish for the tank now that I see how the bioload is taxing the tank. I havent done a WC in 2 weeks and the nitrates are less than 10ppm.

[MCHRKiller]

http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad180/MCHRKiller/DSC_0459.jpg
An updated pic of the tank, most of that fern is on the left end you can see some of it in the shadows.
http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad180/MCHRKiller/DSC_0477.jpg
Update of the GT

I have decided to add 4-5 Thorichthys...not sure of specific species yet but I am leaning toward aureus.

[KingFisher]

That's a great looking GT Jenn! I can't wait to see the Thorichthys, I'm thinking of getting some myself. thumbs2:

[MCHRKiller]

Thanks KF! I saw in my search of ThatFishPlace they had Aureus in stock...those grow into some extremely beautiful Thors...suprisingly they had several species of Thors listed.

[KingFisher]

Thanks, I'll have to take a look. Rapps only has mixteco and pasionis.

[toddnbecka]

Tank just keeps getting better, really makes me wish I had room for a big display tank. Few more years and a bigger house should do it. In the meantime, keep posting pics for our viewing pleasure and possible inspiration.

[MCHRKiller]

Thanks guys :22: I got a brand new 220G tank last week, it was a gift from the LFS owner that I used to work for. The shop closed the end of July and I helped him move his personal fish out of the store and that tank had been sitting on the showroom for months. I have it in storage, when I move hopefully it will become home to these fish. It is just 4" wider and 6" taller than my 150..but the extra 70 gallons will come in handy once that Royal becomes fully grown.

I got an amazing deal on a group of young H.multispinosa so I hoped for those instead of the Thorichthys...they came in this morning. I have them in QT right now...ordered 6 but only 5 made it alive. 2 of the remaining are going to be a bit touch and go...theyre pretty beat up. They were shipped overnight so I doubt it was just the transit that did it to them...they are all somewhat thin as well. I will give them a couple doses of Prazi Pro and daily WCs for the next couple of weeks and hope for the best. :11:

[Spardas]

Try to get some metro to treat them too while your doing prazi.

[LEG-IT]

awesome tank MCHR,
i am getting some pindares and Abalios (c/v), Xingu, Heckelii's, Tocantins, Leucosticta and some manaus ,
they are still relativley all under 10-12cm besides the Xingu full grown adults

[MCHRKiller]

Thanks Leg! You must post some photos of your Geophagus when you get them...such a wonderful yet highly under rated group of fish IMO.

Will do on the Metro, Spardas :22:

The Rainbows are doing much better, I went home for my lunch break and checked up on them...they ate like pigs. Even the beat up ones are showing better spirit today.

[harpua2002]

VERY nice tank! Geos are one group of fish that, sadly, I have never kept!

[CambridgeFish]

How do you take such clean, nice pictures of the inside of your tank? Every time I take a picture its got streaks, smears, reflections ... :)

[Spardas]

Jenn just have the magic touch to every little thing she does. :hmm3grin2orange:

[MCHRKiller]

:hmm3grin2orange: Nah...I have just learned how to wing/BS things moderately well

If you clean the front gass(which I suck at...its always got streaks) turn all your room lights off and take the photo with your camera flash off you will get nice looking pics. You will just have to adjust ISO and aperature accordingly but its not hard.

[LEG-IT]

will do Jenn,
just have to wait for the fish to come and to learn how to change the camera settings,
cheers,
Jonathan

[Northernguy]

thumbs2: That is a phenominal looking tank Jenn!

[MCHRKiller]

Thanks NG :22:

Here is crappy shot of one of my new Rainbows, its about 2" and has improved ALOT in the last week. Im feeding them 3-4X a day with a 50% WC every other day. They really responded well to the first couple of days with meds...fins are all almost healed as well.
http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad180/MCHRKiller/DSC_0466-1.jpg

[MCHRKiller]

I have been conducting a series of tests with my 150G as according to Aqua Advisor the tank is 148% stocked. I would according to them need to do a 68% waterchange weekly to keep parameters in check. Not to mention I am adding 5 additional cichlids to the tank next week. I had always done some quick dip strips weekly and an occasional liquid test kit test. Parms have always been good. I have started checking levels every other day for the past 10 days.

I am using a API liquid test kit and backing it up with strips each day I test.

Ammonia-0
Nitrite-0
Nitrate-0...I am a bit suprised with this one
kH-2
gH-15
pH-6.8

Before I added that large bunch of needle leaf my nitrates were flunctuating around 10ppm by WC day. I have also upped the amount I change weekly to 50%. The tank is by no means heavily planted...I would say moderate at best. I just found it very interesting how much live plants can really effect a tanks stocking ability and stability. Of course I knew that plants used organics for their own means but this is quite significant. Technically this tank should be a ticking time bomb for a crash with its estimated 1.5X the amount of bioload recomended.

[Taurus]

Very interesting Jenn. Now tell us about the amount and type of bio-filtration that you running on the tank. I'm just curious. :ssmile:

[hybridguy]

by far this is one of my favorite tanks i have seen. I cant wait to c pics n a few months when they get bigger. I have always wanted to do a geo tank,just dont have the time right now with all the africans i am breeding,all my tanks r in use. Great job again!thumbs2:

[MCHRKiller]

I have 3 Rena XP3 canisters, each one is setup exactly the same. I have the standard foam pads in the bottom basket...biomedia in the middle...and polyfill in the top. In one I have ~2L of Eheim Ehfisubstrat, in another I have ~2L Ehfisubstrat pro and in the last I have 2L Ehfilav. I average out cleaning each filter every 2-3months. I also have an Emp400 I run with random media mainly so I can seed my QT tanks when I pick up some new fish or whatever. I have a few AC sponges, extra biowheel shoved in there and some spare Rena foam pads. Filtration isnt nearly as crazy as I was once running on this tank which included 3 XP3s, XP4 and a Cascade 500 for peat. :14:

Thanks Hybridguy :22:

[Taurus]

No doubt that plants are very important to the health of the tank. My point is that you've got 6L total biomedia and that's one of the reasons you can "get away" with overstocking your tank. Lots of biomedia, large water changes, and a fair amount of plants are all factors that determind just how much you can "overstock" your tank.

LOL..for you, with your experience, I would consider your plan "right" stocking for you. :ssmile:

[MCHRKiller]

To add to my stocking ability, I have added quite a few more plants to the tank in my grand 100G re-scape. I added a very nice 18" sword, and 1/2 of my monster java fern from the 100G. I also added another large mass of Needle Leaf and 6-7 good sized red/bronze crypts.

http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad180/MCHRKiller/DSC_0506.jpg
New look
http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad180/MCHRKiller/DSC_0526.jpg
Big amazon...you can see one of the rainbow cichlids with the plant, they got added to the tank this evening as well.


My next and hopefully last project for this tank is covering the blue rena tubes. I saw on another forum somebody took some thin carbon pads which were black and used black zip ties to cover the rena tubes in the pads. Seems like about the easiest fix IMO...and if algae starts to grow the BNs and Rainbow cichlids should take care of that.

[MCHRKiller]

http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad180/MCHRKiller/DSC_0640-1.jpg
Update of my abalios...their filaments are really getting nice and long now.

[LEG-IT]

VERY NICE!!!!!!! thumbs2:

can i ask what type of lighting you use for the plants?
and any fertilizers or anything you do to make you plants so nice?

thanks

[MCHRKiller]

Thanks!

I have a 260watt PC fixture, I run 130watts of 6500K bulbs and 130watts of 10,000K bulbs. I only dose the tank twice weekly with Flourish Comp. the tank is very low tech.

[Taurus]

And gorgemous! :18:

[LEG-IT]

very nice Jen!!!.
How long did it take you abalios to grow from the size you got them from( what size were they?) to this size?
and what food did you feed?

this is my current tank, running 2x T8 Hagen Aqua Glo at the moments

http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae187/LEG-IT/tank/IMG_4787X3.jpg?t=1288242545

as you can see it doesnt look as good as yours obviously thumbs2:
i am just trying to find that perfect driftwood/bogwood, to fill up the top space

[MCHRKiller]

I got them in mid March at about 2", they are now 8". I fed them primarily live black worms and frozen foods while small as they were wild caught. I then started "training" them to surface feed which has actually curbed some of their crazy digging. They eat Hikari Cichlid Staple, Spirulina pellets, Frozen Plankton, Frozen Bloodworms, my homemade fish food and a few other types of frozen food which I have to much of for the other tanks.

Your tank looks good, what size is it? One thing you can try to fill in the top is some floating plants like Brazillian pennywort.

[kurly]

Beautiful Tank. Your fish and plants look so healthy!

[LEG-IT]

hey jen,
thanks for the kind words,
its a 36"x 20" high x 16"wide,
i might get some amazon frogbit or duckweed

Jonathan

[MCHRKiller]

Brazillian pennywort is an awesome floating plant you may also want to consider...grows like a spastic weed on crack and it isnt messy like other floating plants as it grows in a chain.

[MCHRKiller]

I have been thinking alot about where I would like to see this tank in the coming year. I am not completely satisfied with it currently. The pindares arnt as showy as I had hoped they would be, and my green terror rescue grows more deformed by the day as it is a "short body". The good LFS I visit which deals primarily with marines has been intersted in the Pindare for some time, I called them today and asked if they would be interested in taking 2 of my 5 abalios and the green terror. They said they would be happy to do so. Dealing with a LFS Im not making any profit off the fish, sadly Im only getting $50 for the 8 fish. But that will atleast cover my shipping costs for what I have decided to do next, so I guess all in all I cannot complain.

I have thought for awhile I would trade every fish in the tank to have an Oscar the equivalent to the female which died in a power outage last year back. So I have fully decided to commit to that thought and make it happen. I contacted Jeff Rapps about some wild caught Oscars, he stated he is going to be getting in some wild Orinocos and some very rare A.orbicularis in a few weeks. I will also be ordering another adult Rotkeil severum to go with mine in hopes it either forms a pair or calms aggression as the female is really laying into the male. The stock will look something like this:

3 A.orbicularis(grown out to pick the prettiest 1 individual fish)
3 Rotkeil Severums
3 Geophagus abalios
4 Rainbow Cichlids
1 L330
5 albino blue eyed BNs
20 Buenos aires...intersted to see if the orbicularis eats them or leaves them

Here is a photo of an A.orbicularis if anyone is interested:
http://www.cichlidnews.com/issues/2004apr/images/37d.jpg

Taking my fish on the 7th if all things go according to plan.

[Taurus]

That is one gorgeous Oscar. Good luck with the endeavor. thumbs2:

[MCHRKiller]

Thanks Taurus! I have wanted some A.orbicularis for years, I am very excited that things are looking as if I will be able to try some. I am not going to be able to take the Geos and GT to the LFS this Tuesday as planned, we had a fairly decent sized snowstorm and I am quite honestly sick of being stranded when it snows so I am going SUV shopping Tuesday instead.

I did buy a large stumpy piece of Manzanita for when I tear into the tank and rescape it for a potentially monsterous fish. Im sure the L330 Royal will also like to get his teeth sunk into this log as well :hmm3grin2orange:

http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad180/MCHRKiller/manz.jpg

[MCHRKiller]

I still have not received my piece of wood, seller was slow getting it out and shipped it Parcel Post which Im sure this time of year will take an eternity. Rapps has the A.orbicularis in stock now, but they are more pricy than I expected so I may just get 1 fish as I would never be able to sell the other for more than 10-15bucks in this area. I have asked him to pick me out a fat little individual, it will go into QT for a couple of weeks with 2 pond comets Im growing out. Hopefully that will give me enough time to "oscar proof" the tank. I will be attacking the anubias and fern to the wood in the tank with stainless steel staples and placing rock around the swords...should help keep everything in place. The Orbicularis is good sized already at 3-3.5" :11:

[MCHRKiller]

I sucked it up and ordered the 2 Orbicularis and Jeff is going to try to pick a Rotkeil out of the 3"ers he has on hand. The 3 fish are arriving in the morning...they will go into a 20G QT tank for about 2-3 weeks prior to diving into the 150G. I would like to wait and do a tank rescape before putting in the new fish so the others wont think it is only their tank. That piece of wood still hasnt made it tho :14:

[Lab_Rat]

Ohh, that's exciting! Congrats on getting the mini-Os! You can send any unwanted rotkeils my way. Plus, I love your wood.

[toddnbecka]

I know what you mean about the wood, I had a chunk shipped Parcel Post from CA a few years ago that took weeks to arrive. I actually got a refund from the seller through paypal, then paid again when it finally did turn up. That was the slowest shipment I've ever received, most Parcel Post packages turn up in 7-8 days or less.
Ironically, that particular chunk is mostly gone now. Time and BN pleco's gnawing away on the surface film have taken a heavy toll on (what was) a really nice piece of driftwood.

[MCHRKiller]

I may have one to send you, lol. Seems my "female" has begun to develope spangles on her face...so I have 2 males hence the fighting. Hopefully the new female pairs with one of them and I will move the 3rd leg out.

I have never had a Parcel Post package take more than 10 days either, I am giving the seller till tomorrow and I am contacting them about it. It will be 16 days which is just excessive coming from the continental US.

Im sure your BNs have done a number on your piece, my L330 has really mauled up the mass of manzanita branches in here...some of them are barely twigs now and they were quite thick before.

[MCHRKiller]

A.orbicularis arrived in very nice condition as did the Rotkeil. One interesting thing I noticed with these "oscars" is how much more bold they are than any wild A.ocellatus which honestly would not allow me to view them from close distances for months. These A.orbicularis are hand feeding off a set of tweezers after being in the tank less than 6 hours. No typical sulking or hiding, they kind of stuck near the back of the tank for about an hour but were off patroling like they had been there for months. They also eat pellets like crazy.

[Taurus]

Well then, they should be reading for picture taking sooner. :shappy:

[LEG-IT]

here is mine,
i have the varaint that wiedner recently discovered,
"Geophagus columbian/venezuela" not very common in australia.

heres my female, yet to get a new light, my light sucks. bulbs are dieing.
it doesnt bring out the full spectrum or the colour

http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae187/LEG-IT/female1.jpg?t=1293583763

[MCHRKiller]

Thats a great looking eartheater! It looks much like my G.abalios.

Huge changes for this tank, I did a total rescape and "oscar proofed" the plants by tying fern rhizomes together and then rubberbanding clumps to rocks. I also opened up the scape alot, took out alot of wood, added the new larger piece. Im quite pleased with the results. I also got in my new light fixture a 72" 2x80 watt HOT5 which totally kicks a 260watt PCs butt when it comes to lighting the tank up. 100watts less power alot brighter, its awesome. It also has a row of LED moonlights so I might have a shot in hell at seeing my L330 Royal. I am going to add the other Orbicularis and Rotkeil to the tank tomorrow, pics will come tomorrow after it clears up.

In even more random news, while doing my rescape I found one of my blue eyed albino BN plecos had spawned with a regular albino BN. I removed 16 fry and a cluster of eggs. Hopefully some of the fry turn out to be blue eyes :11:

[LEG-IT]

sounds nice,
oh and merry christmas btw!

mine are actually abalios but a different varaint from yours.

i havent seen mine in the states often, maybe there is but just under abalios.
i'm aiming for a amazon biotope nothing in-particular like from a certain region or river.

i breed the longfin bristlenose's thumbs2:

i keep royal whiptails with my geo's and some more plecs.
getting a talking catfish for a trade for some java fern :hmm3grin2orange:
they have so many plantlets!!

i say we need to see pics of your tank a fts would be nice and a side shot :hmm3grin2orange:

[MCHRKiller]

I believe mine are a Columbian variant of G.abalios, seems thats what I remember Jeff having them listed as anyway. Honestly I think most eartheaters look about the same tho :hmm3grin2orange:

I will get on the FTS tomorrow...couple of side views as well. Hopefully some fish photos in the mix....we'll see. Im sure your tank is lovely! Mine is just a general random SA tank with the exception of the rainbow cichlids...

Royal whiptails are awesome, you should breed those as well :14:

[LEG-IT]

well doesnt this suck,
the smallest royal whiptail is dead :evil:

i had a buyer who was suppose to pick up last week
but he couldnt cause he used his money on "christmas"

well thanks jen,
but your tank looks way better than mine thumbs2:

cant wait for the pics!

[LEG-IT]

.................................................. .......pictures :hmm3grin2orange: thumbs2:

[MCHRKiller]

Later today, I didnt get home until much later than expected :22:

[LEG-IT]

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!

now pics thumbs2:

[MCHRKiller]

http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad180/MCHRKiller/DSC_0013.jpg
Update of my A.orbicularis, little dude has grown about 1/2" since I got him and has filled out alot. As you can see from the scuffs and torn fins he has got him/herself into some trouble. I am assuming that this one killed the other which I added to the 150G a mere 2 days afterward on the opposite end of the tank as I cannot find the 2nd fish. It is also taking no sh*t from any other fish in the tank. It has officially dominated every fish in there.....
http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad180/MCHRKiller/DSC_0456-1.jpg
8" G.abalios
http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad180/MCHRKiller/DSC_0450.jpg
Rotkeil
http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad180/MCHRKiller/DSC_0415-1.jpg
Tank...debating on replacing those swords with some good sized Onions/Crinum if I can find any...and adding some Red root floater for some color.

[LEG-IT]

that is perfect!!!

i wouldnt do any more things to this beast of a tank!!

or maybe move the swords abit more to the right so it looks empty in the middle!

[MCHRKiller]

That is another option just letting it be void in the middle, honestly this tank is my "catch all" for plants from the 100G. It gets over grown I dump plants in here. I may leave it as it is for awhile and see how it grows out, my subordinate Rotkeil likes to hide behind the swords.

It was an amazing transformation in the fish behavior with the rescape. I was able to cator to all of their needs. The eartheaters have alot more sand surface area to sift, the Oscar and Severums have open water space, the plecos and Rainbows have thickets of plants to hide in. I do love watching the large shoal of Buenos Aires go over the large piece of wood and swoop down into the open area...kind of like they are flying or something.

[LEG-IT]

can i ask what type of wood is it? like meluca etc

and what plants you got in there, you use any ferts for the plants? or a special substrate or just sand?

[MCHRKiller]

All of the wood is Manzanita. The large piece is like a large manzanita stump and I have some additional branches in there.

Plants are; Needle Leaf Java fern, Regular Java Fern, Anubias gigantea, Anubias lanceolata, Anubias frazeri, Anubias nana, Amazon swords, and a Green Cypt. I use root tabs around the swords and the crypt...otherwise they get a weekly dose of Flourish Comprehensive. No special substrate just about 130lbs of Caribsea Torpedo Beach sand. :22:

[Red]

Always beautiful Jenn :)

[LEG-IT]

nice, im to afraid to use any fertilisers, i heard many geophagus are intolerant to some of the substances in the fertilisers and most of the time people dose it in the aquariums some or all of their geos end up dead

i have a question howlong do geos live for?
like the altifrons and the abalios?

[MCHRKiller]

Thanks!

Mine are direct wild caught fish and have never had an issue with ferts, I also dose regularly.

Normally 8-10 years is considered an average life span for most Geophagus :22:

[LEG-IT]

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5058/5390077188_28327fd302_z.jpg

cant capture the true colours yet, got a new camera, canon 7d.

sorry to hi jack your thread, thats the female by the way, yet to get even better food and upgrade my basic t8 light unit to t5 with aquarelle philips and t5 sylvania globes

[MCHRKiller]

She is a good looking fish, nice red pattern. Has her green sheen started to really come in yet? It is often hard to capture it in photos, normally positioning your camera at a slight angle to the fish will show it. :22:

[CassieLEO]

Very pretty fishies!!!!!!!

[Sandz]

i cannot wait until my geo's get that pretty!

[MCHRKiller]

I doubt you would find an ugly eartheater, they are all spectacular fish when grown if you can meet their needs. I will say that the G.pindare I parted ways with were lacking in the personality department, however these G.abalios are growing to be very owner responsive and personable fish. To be wild specimines they are not afraid when I am cleaning the tank they seem to enjoy hand feeding and chasing my hand all over the tank, or perhaps they are just pissed I am moving the 100lbs of sand back to where I think it should be instead of where they think it should be.

My Orbicularis has really shown me the will to live even a fish has, it is perhaps even more fiesty than ever. It all but died multiple times in QT...less than a month later youd never know it had been sick. Outside of having some weight to gain back...he will be fine. An interesting factor I have noticed is that the fish now behaves like a "normal" Oscar, it sulks when you clean its tank...only way to convince him he isnt doomed from the siphon is a few bloodworms. It is more personable and literally shoots to the front to beg. Perhaps the fish was never 100% as it never displayed this behavior and I just missed it thinking it was a difference in species.

[Sandz]

Jenn, that's awesome that the Orbicularis is coming around!

I would have to agree on the not finding any dull looking earth eaters. I have 3 baby Suranemis that I honestly think are Abalios. I have had them only a week and a half but they already like being pet. Its kinda crazy what fish will do for blood worms and earthworms :18:

[LEG-IT]

thanks jen!
yea she shows the green/blue sheen, just depends on the angle, they always move!!

if you look near the mouth you can see a green sheen.

all my abalios (columbian/venezuela) are F1, parents were wild caught.
btw the face pattern is stronger! i need a new light too!!

my light unit is 15yrs old plus, old t8 with 5yr old+ globes (blush)

and yet to get new foods and drop the ph even further!

[LEG-IT]

hey any shots of the abalios?

i am trying to determine whether to get g.abalios or g.columbian/venezuelan

it seems to abalios or somewhat duller to the c/v
http://eartheaters.qldaf.com/index.php?page=abalios2 (c/v)

http://eartheaters.qldaf.com/index.php?page=abalios1 (abalios)

[MCHRKiller]

I was planning on taking some photos tomorrow...the fish are all looking nice these days. The Orbiculars has grown into quite the brute at around 7" now.

Given eartheaters docile nature and the fact they readily live with other species of Geophagus...I wouldnt doubt if some of the plainer morphs werent actually hybrids.

[MCHRKiller]

http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad180/MCHRKiller/DSC_0375.jpg
the tank as it stands now, the rainbow cichlid on the bottom left is around 5" for size comparison to the others.
http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad180/MCHRKiller/DSC_0414.jpg
male rainbow cichlid


Will try to get pics of the geos, rotkeils and the orb. tomorrow...camera batteries are dead for the night.

[Taurus]

Amazing stock, tank, and pictures Jenn!

[MCHRKiller]

Thanks!

I may have to part with some of the stock within the next year...or drag out the 225G out of storage. I am up to 3 Rotkeil severums, 5 Geophagus abalios, 5 Rainbow cichlids, 1 L330 Royal, 6 Bristlenose and the 1 Orbicularis....very hefty stock for a 150G. Plus there are around 20 Buenos Aires tetras which are slowly getting picked off. :14:

[LEG-IT]

:18: loving the tank jen!

time for a new journal jen :18: pull out the 225g!

stunning male rainbow jen, cant wait for the abalios pics.
i've lost several sarpae tetras and black neons to my Tapajos breeding colony. Now theres plenty of vegetation for the tetras to hide :hmm3grin2orange:

[MCHRKiller]

lol, I really dont want to set that 225G up until I am for sure I will be living in this house more than another 1-2 years. :14:

I did a slight rescape on the tank today, utilized a ton of large anubias from the 100G's makeover. Here is my result:
http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad180/MCHRKiller/DSC_0003.jpg

[Taurus]

Nice Jenn. Hey, you could go diving in there with the geos. thumbs2:

[sheamurai]

very nice...I hope my SA tank looks half as nice when I finally settle on who's staying in it, lol.

[MCHRKiller]

Thanks!

Geos are very friendly fish...they get terribly excited when Im working in the tank. They all hand feed and are always right around my hand when its in the tank, they really dont mind to be touched....sort of random considering they are wild caught fish.

[Cermet]

Double wow! Now that is a tank! Very, very nice - great work. :22: My hat is off to you!

[MCHRKiller]

Thank you :22:

[MCHRKiller]

I got **VERY** tired of fixing the plants and dealing with mauled plant bits...not from the cichlids mind you, but from the L330 Royal. The cichlids never touch the plants, even the Orbicularis. But the L330 is intent on destroying the tank at all times. So I have removed the plants for the time being, I may add a few back or I may try some floating species. I would like to try some Pennywort in here actually.
http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad180/MCHRKiller/DSC_0361.jpg

[Aeonflame]

Plecos can be stubborn things. The tank looks great even without the plants

[MCHRKiller]

lol, that is very true. He is somewhat like a dog in the fact that he drags plants to other locations and doesnt eat them but he chews up the leaves and then I have floating leaf bits to clog the filters :hmm3grin2orange:

[toddnbecka]

Good luck with floating plants, my severums and silver dollars eat duckweed and water sprite faster than they can grow.

[ldoerr]

I think that I like the tank better with out the plants than with them. How many fish do you have in there and how big are they?

Again I just read 1 of your journals from start to finish and it was great.

I think that you should set up the big tank. (All your tanks are big buy my standards. My big tank is 29g and I have a 2.5g and a 5g tank that are both empty.

[MCHRKiller]

I am curious how some softer leaved plants would go with the Severums...none of my Rotkeils have ever touched the Anubias or Fern I had in before. I guess I will only be out a couple of bucks trying Pennywort so we will see, I have also considered 2-3 large Crinum plants fort a splash of green.

Thanks! I probably will set the 225G up when I am more certain I will be here more than another year or two. I am living in my parent's spare house and would really like to buy my own home soon.

Here is my fish list:

5 Geophagus abalios-they vary between 7-9"
2 adult Rotkeil Severums-both around 8"
1 juvie Rotkeil Severum-5"
1 Astronotus orbicularis-bit over 9"....these typically hit a very bulky 15" in the home aquarium
4 Rainbow Cichlids-5" for males, 4" or so for the females
1 L330 Royal Pleco-10"
4 Albino BN Plecos-4" for males, 3" or so for females
10-12 Buenos Aires Tetras...not sure they keep getting picked off

Depending upon my decision to add plants or not I may toss in a couple of silver dollars when the Orb. finally eats all the Buenos Aires.

Also I DO NOT recommend my stocking levels to anyone.

[MCHRKiller]

An interesting thing...my tank has continuously ran measuring 0 nitrate when I had plants in the system. I performed my usual 60% WC on Friday and here on Monday I was curious and did a nitrate test...it measured around 3-4ppm(not quite dark enough to be 5ppm but still measurable).

On one hand I expected the results to be higher, I would have assumed with my bioload I would be hitting atleast 15ppm of nitrate within a week. On the other had I am impressed the low light slow growing plants were sucking up that much nitrate each day from these large messy fish.

[MCHRKiller]

http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad180/MCHRKiller/DSC_0491-1.jpg
A pic of the tank as it stands. I tried floating plants but the crazy amount of circulation in the tank just didnt allow for that to work out well. So it is plantless and will remain so until these fish get the 225G sitting in the basement...the pleco wont be moving with them :hmm3grin2orange:

http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad180/MCHRKiller/DSC_0531-1.jpg
The orbicularis...he has grown to a massive size now, he is now easily 11"...not bad considering I have had him 8 months.
http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad180/MCHRKiller/DSC_0528.jpg
Juvie Rotkeil and one of the Abalios

[angel_love]

OMG I'm jealous! I love geos! That tank looks great, good job!

[MCHRKiller]

Thank you! The geos are very entertaining.

[MCHRKiller]

http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad180/MCHRKiller/DSC_0306.jpg

Resurrection of the fancy plants

Im still figuring out manual, that is at ISO 1600 tho so it really does handle high ISO without much problems

[Kayfish]

Beautiful Tank, Fish and Photos!!! Nice Job!

[WhiteDevil]

What kind of geo's are they?

I ID'd those little geo's I put up a week back, they are gymnogeophagus balzani's from what I am gathering its a pretty darn rare fish around here(my area)

The tank looks good, I am looking for a 100-125g corner tank for the geo's, aint had any luck yet.

[MCHRKiller]

Geophagus abalios.

Sadly most Geos are rare outside of online resources, sucks because they are such an entertaining peaceful cichlid. I have never seen a Geo in my area, or the surrounding area's LFS I occasionally visit.

Cant say I have seen a corner tank that size, may check out TruVu's website they do custom builds and for a top acrylic maker their prices arnt that horrible. Gymno.balzani grow into some lovely fish...Im sure you will enjoy them :22:

[MCHRKiller]

Just a FTS, you can see how large the fish have gotten :11:

http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad180/MCHRKiller/DSC_1178.jpg

[Fishin Phil]

Beautiful!

[William]

Atleast in parts of Europe you see Geos a lot in fish stores. Hopefully this trend spread as they are wonderful fish. My main fish store i used to visit before i left sweden usually had atleast 4-5 species at any time. Another store would have 2-3 species.

The tank look stunning btw!!!

[Crispy]

tank looks better than ever Jenn! you have awesome stock there. :18:

[ElizabethJKR]

I have some serious tank envy. Mainly just on the size of the tank. I mean, it's almost as big as my dad! I can't wait till I get a place of my own. I am SO saving up for a big tank.

[ldoerr]

Your Oscar is BIG and beautiful!!!!! Your tank looks GREAT!!!!!!

[MCHRKiller]

Thanks all for the kind comments! Im really glad that I reverted back to fake plants...much much easier to keep the tank clean with all these big fish. I am glad that Geos are common somewhere, here in the states you never seen them really.

[Aeonflame]

I know what you mean about the geos. I'm gonna have to head over to Venezuela to get some more. Your tank and fish look beautiful as always

[kurly]

BEEEUTIFUL Tank!!!!!! thumbs2:

[MCHRKiller]

Thanks you two!

Good luck finding Geos :11:

[MCHRKiller]

I did an 80% WC tonight and a slight rescape...removed the fake plants, repositioned the wood and added a few more stones. The Royal was tearing the fake plants up so instead of pieces of live plant everywhere I had pieces of fake plant everywhere. :hmm3grin2orange: I will try to get an updated photo of the tank soon...the Orbicularis is much larger now. :11:

*gasp* I am also considering adding another fish or two to the already overstocked tank...the new scape has given them all some room.

[Amelia]

This is the most stunning tank, Jenn. It really is an inspiration -- thinking of rescaping my 65g to look like a miniature version of this. Honestly gorgeous.

[MCHRKiller]

http://imageshack.us/a/img138/2848/dsc2009.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img641/6339/dsc2007s.jpg
Super easy and barren scape...perfect for that huge cow of an O.

http://imageshack.us/a/img221/3922/dsc2036w.jpg
Mr. orbicularis


And thank you for the kind comments amelia :11:

[homemadepopcorn]

This is awesome.

[MCHRKiller]

Thank you! :22:

[es31710]

Outstanding tank. This puts in perspective how happy an Oscar is in a bigger tank and how more friendly they can be. Just curious what kind of camera are you using?

[MCHRKiller]

I would honestly not keep an O in less than a 5ft tank...many of them especially wilds commonly reach 16" in length and obtain a much greater bulk than domestic fish. I wouldn't say this fish is friendly the others have grown to respect him and stay out of his way. The tank does have a hierarchy first with the O, then the male Rotkeil. I believe this is what keeps peace in the tank. When the other fish squabble between themselves the O tends to break it up.

I am using a Nikon D7000.

[Amelia]

I keep coming back to this tank as I plan my 5-foot 118g. I don't know how many times I've read this journal and watched the videos. We have fish labeled (probably incorrectly) as Geophagus Surinamensis at my local LFS and I've never thought much of them but yours are truly striking and have inspired me to include a small group in my 118g stocklist, along with 2 severums and not sure what else at this point.

I've heard many people say that oscars should not be kept with other cichlids but this gorgeous tank is testament that that's not always the case. Your O has gorgeous colouration, I love the yellow rather than the classic red. Your Rotkeils are also stunning. Unfortunately Rotkeils aren't available here so I have a group of Super-red sevs growing out in my 65g instead.

[MCHRKiller]

Geophagus are all very bland and honestly kind of on the ugly side until they become well nearly full grown. Then all of those wonderful colors youve seen hints off just pop. Os are excellent fish to add to cichlid communities. They are large, yet not very aggressive...mine actually keeps order in the tank. None of the other fish really squabble much because the O won't allow it.

Thank you for your kind comments about my tank! I have since moved and this tank will soon be torn down and replaced with a new 135G...stock will also be changed up some.