My Fish Apartment

[Termato]

I got some detailed shots of what I did here. We used coat hanger command strip hooks to hold the end of the light to the wall. each one is rated 5lbs each and the light barely weighs that much. More than plenty.

For added security, I hot glued the PVC I cut to the counter top. This way it wont move and easily be knocked over YET easy to remove:

I cut the tops of each of the PVC pipes connectors so I could lay the metal parts of the lights in there. They are perfectly wide enough:

And the tank's frame was wider than the PVC so I had to hot glue the PVC to some wood (a wooden ruler I had) and then I glued that to the tank. I put the glue under it and pushed it down then glued around on the tops. Working great.

I put them a little nigher than necessary just because I can easily make it shorter but to make it longer would suck.

I did all of this with 2 PVC pipes that cost $5, 6 end pieces that cost $3, command strips that were around $7, and the hot glue gun was $6 all together new. All in all, three light stands for $21. If you have a hot glue gun that'd be $15.

 

[Termato]

Fish Apartment Update!!

I have gotten the following tanks today:
- Two 20 Gallon High
- Two 10 Gallons
- One 75 Gallon

The 75s frame is broken and I'll have to do some testing before setting it up but it was $40 and the glass alone is worth that much...sooooo hahah.

I also got two 30G longs from Lucas at the BFD. I now have all the tanks I need to really get started...oh and my angels just spawned today! WOO!

Tomorrow I plan on setting up the two 20 gallons so I can move the two pairs of angels into them. I need to find a location for those tanks because I don't have the racks set up yet for those two tanks. I wont have time to build the racks for a bit but I can let the angels sit in those tanks for at least a couple of months before moving them.

I get the 125G on Sunday and then that's all the tanks for a while. This Sunday will be crazy moving tanks and setting new things up day.

 

[MDB_fish_newbie]

shweeeet im jelly.... sounds like a lot of fun and work and water.. =]

i might get a 57g on sunday !! wooo, wanna try discus. good luck with the new tanks

p.s. wondering what kind if looks you get from the people in the lobby/neighbors while you are handling all these tanks lol

 

[Termato]

shweeeet im jelly.... sounds like a lot of fun and work and water.. =]

i might get a 57g on sunday !! wooo, wanna try discus. good luck with the new tanks

p.s. wondering what kind if looks you get from the people in the lobby/neighbors while you are handling all these tanks lol

:wacko: :unsure: and the

hahahha

When I picked up the tanks, Johnny had these awesome little heaters. They work perfectly for putting into my glass bowls and drilling out the plug for it. It's smaller than a pen. He gave me two of them. Can't wait to use them.

I'm worried that when I move my angels, they wont breed. Last time, I tried putting them in a 29 and they terminated the first batch of eggs the first day. Any advice to keep that from happening?

On this current batch they just laid, I was thinking of waiting until they hatch and siphon the wigglers out. Then, remove the parents. Put them all together into the 20 high. Buuut then I don't know that will work. Hm...

The fish juggling, keeping things sanitary and everything is going to take some planning.

 

[MDB_fish_newbie]

Maby separate the wigglers into there own tank or bowl or bin until they get some size and you room is further completed. I've personally never had my fish spawn, so i don't know lol.

Buttt i think my female geo has been holding eggs in her mouth for about 5 days now. Not sure how long that process goes on for, but she has not eaten in a while.. hoping they might hatch soon...

 

[WorkingMan]

Maby separate the wigglers into there own tank or bowl or bin until they get some size and you room is further completed. I've personally never had my fish spawn, so i don't know lol.

Buttt i think my female geo has been holding eggs in her mouth for about 5 days now. Not sure how long that process goes on for, but she has not eaten in a while.. hoping they might hatch soon...

If you want them to hatch and you want her to eat... get an egg tumbler, or make one cheap. I used a fluorescent bulb cover and a thin t-shirt or screen to make my first one. worked great.

Depending on tankmates, females can get harassed when holding. For mouth brooders,I typically let it go for about 4-5 days then tumble the eggs. after that, I typically loose very few to fungus, and I know the mama isn't getting beat up by other jealous fish.
If you do tumble eggs - make sure you watch them closely at least 3 times a day. If an egg goes bad, it can spoil the bunch.

Bill

 

[Termato]

One of my pair of Rams laid eggs overnight

EXCITING!!!

Now if only all of the other fish will do this...lol. This is the first time these two are laying eggs for me so I hope they are good parents. This pair had been hiding behind the rock until I laid it flat. Once I did that it really helped the environment of the tank and allowed them to breed.

 

[Termato]

Last night I made a little video tour of my fish room. I still have a LOT of work to do but you can see the progress I've made: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0lEjDVXZzA

 

[FishEggs]

the eggs still around?

 

[Termato]

the eggs still around?

They got eaten I'm pulling the next batch out and hatching them myself. Any tips on helping German Blue Rams to spawn?

 

[FishEggs]

I think thats common with first time spawners. they might not have been viable. My rainbow cichlid eggs disappeared the next day too.
As to helping them spawn maybe play them Liebe ist or maybe a classic like Lili Marleen



p.s. i know they aren't from Germany

 

[Termato]

I tried to Lili Marleen but they seemed to like Kenny G better. The saxophone does the trick, I think. hahaha

 

[Jt731]

Yea the first time my gbr spawned they ate them. Try two was better

 

[Termato]

Yea the first time my gbr spawned they ate them. Try two was better

This gives me hope! While I'm in Brazil, I hope they breed. I got some of my friends to stay over at our place and be fish sitters.

So they wouldn't have to do water changes manually on EVERY tank, I got a little innovative. I bought a 50ft hose and a 460gph powerhead (now I think I should have gotten a stronger one).

Yesterday I tried out my new experiment. I siphoned the water out of the tanks directly into my drain using 25ft of hose. I just sucked the tube and it started coming. I will never empty out into buckets again. EVER. screw that mess. This was too easy.

I cut it in half in case it got moldy. Then, to fill the tanks, I fill up the bathtub and prime it (rinse first of course). Then I put the power head in and turn it on. Boom. Now, I just have to watch filling. I'll take pictures / videos of it when I'm home so you all can get a better idea of what I did. I had to do some modifications to the power head to fit the hose...

It does save time because I can fill multiple tanks at the same time now AND i don't have to carry buckets unless I want to fill faster. Emptying is much easier because I don't have to carry anything and I can set the hose to a certain level so it wont empty it past where I want (even if I forget).

There are two tanks, however, that the pump isn't strong enough to get water too. The tops of those tanks are more then 6ft off the ground soooo it's understandable. I can fill those two manually no problem. The rest of the 12 tanks that are set up will be able to use the system. It'll really come in handy once the other big tanks are up and running.

I'll be looking for a bigger pump eventually. Maybe fill the tanks with both hoses and both pumps?

 

[Becca]

I wouldn't use a bathtub unless that's the only thing it gets used for. You're better off using a python hooked up directly to a sink and just adding the right amount of prime to each tank before filling it. This is what I do for my tanks and I've never had an issue.

Also, get a utility/sump pump, not a power head. Most have some information regarding how high they'll pump water, you probably want one with the capability of doing at least 9 feet, given the distance you're also covering. Much cheaper than a powerhead for the amount of pump you're buying and perfectly safe.

 

[lkelly]

The real question is how frequently you make gin in your bathtub.

 

[Becca]

The real question is how frequently you make gin in your bathtub.

Mmmmm... bathtub gin...

 

[dhavalsp]

I wouldn't use a bathtub unless that's the only thing it gets used for. You're better off using a python hooked up directly to a sink and just adding the right amount of prime to each tank before filling it. This is what I do for my tanks and I've never had an issue.

.

+1...

 

[Termato]

We make caipirinhas in the tub every other week! lol

Yea Becca that is a good point. It's not all that is used for. I had to scrub the tub until my arms almost fell off. Then I bleached it, washed it, and rinsed. It was a lot of work. I don't want to do that every time.

The only place I can hook it up to is the shower head because it's the only one with a properly threaded nozzle. I can run out tonight to grab something from home depot before my next water change. I think I have an old python adapter here somewhere.

But I may have to just get a designated tub for now if I can't find that. Tubception!! Tub inside a tub.

 

[Forester]

I have a similar situation, I use rubbermaids and a sump pump. When you start breeding fish you will want to siphon into a tub in case you accidentally suck up fry. Also pumping directly from the tank means that unless your pump is really heavy duty you will not be able to suck up much gunk.