Thatcichlidguys 125 Re-do.

[thatcichlidguy]

Well I sitting here thinking it might just be fun to keep a journal of my latest project, getting my 125 up and running again. Right now their isn't much to speak of as it is sitting empty in my in-laws garage. But here's what I've been thinking of doing with it.

Gymnos gymnos gymnos. Currently the better LFS in the area has been keeping lots of these guys in stock. Since I have been wanting to keep eartheaters again for a while now and haven't had the opportunity to do Gymnos in the past, I think I'll bite the bullet and go for it. Right now I'm leaning toward G. Balzanii and G. rhabdotus or G. labiatus for a second species. I will need to find some suitable schooling fish for these guys as this will be an unheated tank. While I'm not shooting for a biotope as such , I am trying to stay with fish that come from the same general habitat . Basicly Uroguay, southern Brazil, ect where there is a winter cool down and lower summer temps.

Right now this is all dependent on what's available once I get the darn thing cycled.

[Northernguy]

Sounds great!
Have you a line on those particular fish yet?

[thatcichlidguy]

Yes as a matter of fact, The LFS that has the Balzanii , has the other two species as well. Right now it's just a matter of waiting for the chance to get it set up and cycled. The schooling fish are gonna be a bit of a challenge though.

[Oscar_freak12321]

[thatcichlidguy]

Well unless you want pics of an empty tank sitting in a garage.........

'Till we move in a week or two, I wont be making any real headway on this project. Once it gets rolling I'll be posting plenty of pics. Right now it's all planning.

[thatcichlidguy]

OK I have a bit of an update. We finally got moved into the new house and the tank is on it's stand . That's as far as I've gotten with setting it up. The floors may require a little extra support to hold the tank. It's up against a load bearing wall and I plan to put a section of 3/4 plywood under it to help spread out the weight a bit . Hopefully I'll be able to avoid having to put jacks under the house.

I have settled on PFS as a substrate. I liked the playsand in it before but wanted something a little finer and more uniform since the fish I plan to keep are substrate sifters. Other decor will be pretty simple, a few rocks and some driftwood possibly a few plants. Definately gonna be more open than before. More of a generic SA rivine setup. I'm also thinking that for now the G. balzanii are out. They get kinda big and males can be bullies . I'm looking for a peacefull tank so for now I'm leaving them out of the plans. Thinking more towards G. rhabdotus and G. labiatus with some cool tolerant tetras and maybe corries . Lots of species from southern Brazil and Uroguay to choose from.

[Northernguy]

Sounds great!
Can't wait to see it!

[MCHRKiller]

Awesome! Cant wait to see the tank and the layout

[domjd05]

PFS is great, however after 2 weeks or so, unless you like to sift through your sand everyday, it very well may start turning very green... you may want to consider using estes brand that has a polymer coating, I've used sand several times and I've used several types, PFS was the only one that I found gave me some algae trouble, and its too bad because it's by far the best looking.

[thatcichlidguy]

I've had some degree of algae with the regular playsand too. Not anything bad but like you said you have to stir it fairly often. Fortunately with the Gymnos I may have a little help with that.