# My New Tank



## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

So just this last month I got a tank. It's been a while since I've had a tank and figured I would do something easy like a cichlid tank. But then I came across these three beauties
3 3" African tigers.
















One killed the other two so I only have one. but I have 2 small convicts a Pleco and a clown loach. Thres another Male convict in the overflow area. 
I also planted the tank. theres a couple swordplants and some anacharis. Theres also some corkscrews but I don't think they are going to make it cause I keep finding floaters. no biggie. 
I plan on adding an arrowana and a ornate bichir. And I think that will do it for fish for that tank.









Last week I got the bug to make a moonlight for the tank. with some stuff around the house and a trip to home depot and radio shack I threw it toghether.
I guess this is mostly asthetic. But its nice for the fish to do their noctournal thing and still be able to see them.


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## bmpower007 (Feb 11, 2005)

Very nice setup the moonlight affect gives it a nice relaxing view to watch at night.


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

yeah the moonlight was a huge success. IMO. I'm actually really proud of it cause I built it myself. you should have seen this tank when I first got it. one of the worst Calcium build ups I've seen on a tank. VERY thick. After cleaning and buffing out some of the worse scratches. And repainting the stand and canopy. Here we are. two weeks later. ok Its been almost 3 weeks now. 
Yesterday I added a sm arrowanna. He and the tiger "get along" But he tiger has been VERY intersted in the arrowana. I don't think he likes him being in his world too much. But the arrow is a lil bigger then the tiger so the tiger is unsure if he should mess with him. fun to watch the tiger following the arow. around tho. finally something got him active. he got tired of chasing my lesbian convicts around. 
Yes I determined the two female convicts I have in the tank are lesbians. They have taken to lifing toghether in a cave they dug out under some rocks and living toghether as a m/f pair would. kinda weird. 
The Clown loach I think almost lost its tail to the ATF so he keeps his distance now. Before he was trying to antagonize the ATF by trying to nip its tail. That ended real quick. I wish I could have seen that. hehe

I will post a pic of the Arrow in the tank once I get a clear shot of him. I swear. I thought ATF's were a pain to get pictures of. Arrows are even worse.


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## joylinne (Apr 17, 2006)

very cool set up. i wish i can hav one dat petty =D


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## freakgasolinefightaccident (Jan 3, 2005)

Good lookin' setup you got there buddy. I really like the moonlight effect and it's even more impressive that you built it yourself.


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## scent troll (Apr 4, 2005)

im impressed to say the least


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

Thanks guys. I appreciate the complements. 
Yeah I figured building the Moonlight would be pretty easy. So I did it. and it was. I will write up a little tutorial on how to make one. 
This was my first tank after not really having one for a few years. 
My last tanks I had to sell because of moving and I lost all my fish. I was left with only my RT barricuda. and kept him in a 30 gal for a while. then he died on my next move due to a heater malfunction. went too deep into shock and I couldnt get him out.








Heres a pic of my old 100 gal. so overstocked with the meanest SA cichlids it was rediculas. I can't even remember all the fish I had in there because some I would never see due to the caves I made for them. There were about 20 fish in this tank. 
This pic is about 8 years old.


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## killerbee (Aug 18, 2004)

Very nice tank setup but don't atfs get huge? I though about getting one but then i read up they get too big.


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

Yes they do get big. In theory. I'm also told they are fast growers. But as you can see he's still a small guy. and has a couple yers of growth on him before the tank size becomes a concern. I it gets to a point that he is actually too big for the tank I will trade him in to the local aquarium. Or sell to someone with a larger tank. If my plan goes well I will have a 300-400 gal for him to live in after this tank once I get into a house.


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## killerbee (Aug 18, 2004)

I hear ya, its a great looking fish and i wish you the best







But your tank is very, very, very nice


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

killerbee said:


> I hear ya, its a great looking fish and i wish you the best
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Well thank you Very very very much. I appreciate the complements.


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## Mettle (Dec 29, 2003)

That's an awesome setup. Will look great once those plants in the background grow in a bit and create a green curtain for a backdrop.


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## Fastmover13 (Jan 24, 2006)

You will have some time with you ATF in that 75, IME they grow at a rate relative to the size of their diet. They metabolize food super fast so power feeding will have great effect with these fish, you will be able to get your ATF to 10" in this set up no problem. But once that size their groth rate will pick up. The best plan is the one you already have get you house and get a monster tank! I can't tell you how bad I want to drop the major $ and get a set up big enough then buy my old ATF back. I have a moon light set up on the 30 long in my kids room, works like a night lite for him.


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

Hey everybody. just took some new pics. and added a myspace blog about the tank and all that jazz. I'll include a few of the pics here but if you want to check out the whole think click the link to my blog.


















My fishtank blog. Translated for laymens. Please bear the lack of detail.


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

Ok So I have this horribly crappy camera and I struggle with taking presentable pictures. The brightness aren contrast are always off. Andways I finally got a couple decent pics. one that has my Arrowanna and the Tigerfish in it. These two have really seem to have become friends. They never fight ot show any aggression at each other. I'm sure eventually the tiger will kill him. but till then friends to the end. 
So on these some of these shots I did use the flash. It actually helped catch alot of the natural color of the tiger. Something you don't see in alot of photos of these fish. they are so much more colorfull then alot of pics would lead you to belive. Anyways I apoligise for the crappy pics.

first we have the updated tankshot. plants are doing very well. I devised a way to fert them without dousing the whole tank with chems. And they are reacting pretty well. one of the swords doubled in size. And most the anacharis is reaching for the sky. 









Heres one of the pair.
With flash fastest exposure









And this one with no flash and slow exposure time. So the arrow came out a blur as usual.









And heres a couple of Just the tiger on a close up.

With flash








No flash









Heres a shot down the lenght of the tank. Arrow in the background.









And one with the arrow I actually caught him sitting still long enough to get a decent pic without using the flash.









And of course inmate #00420 the male convict in my overflow.









**EDIT**
Just caught the Bichir out and was able to take a couple pics of him.


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## SLANTED (Dec 7, 2003)

Your vitt has his colors coming in nicely. He must be quite comfortable in your tank. Most ATF's I see in smaller tanks have bruised up faces from flying into the walls. Good job!


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

yeah. he does have a little brusin on his chin. from time to time he will try and fight his reflection. And sometimes he will forget how long the tank is. ((THUMP)) But for the most part he isn't as skittish as he was. He still trips off other people but he dosen't off me. I can get right up on the tank and try and scare him to the other side and most of the time he just stares at me like im dumb. But he is shy when others are around. 
Thanks for the complements!


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## Z♠NGT♥KER (Dec 27, 2005)

nice setup


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## piranha_guy_dan (Oct 4, 2004)

that arrow looks incredible! once of the nicest ive ever seen. hope the ATF doesnt decide to eat him one day cause that would be a terrible waste


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

piranha_guy_dan said:


> that arrow looks incredible! once of the nicest ive ever seen. hope the ATF doesnt decide to eat him one day cause that would be a terrible waste


Thanks Dan! Yeah The arrow is looking good. he is still small. but luckly the Tiger is not a nipping kind of fish so the arrows fins will stay good. my last arrow was just as nice except I had it with big cichlids and they took his chin forks off. I hope this one keeps his for life.


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## piranha_guy_dan (Oct 4, 2004)

Blacksunshine420 said:


> that arrow looks incredible! once of the nicest ive ever seen. hope the ATF doesnt decide to eat him one day cause that would be a terrible waste


Thanks Dan! Yeah The arrow is looking good. he is still small. but luckly the Tiger is not a nipping kind of fish so the arrows fins will stay good. my last arrow was just as nice except I had it with big cichlids and they took his chin forks off. I hope this one keeps his for life.
[/quote]

what species of arrow is that? just a nice looking regular silver or what?


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

piranha_guy_dan said:


> that arrow looks incredible! once of the nicest ive ever seen. hope the ATF doesnt decide to eat him one day cause that would be a terrible waste


Thanks Dan! Yeah The arrow is looking good. he is still small. but luckly the Tiger is not a nipping kind of fish so the arrows fins will stay good. my last arrow was just as nice except I had it with big cichlids and they took his chin forks off. I hope this one keeps his for life.
[/quote]

what species of arrow is that? just a nice looking regular silver or what?
[/quote]

yeah just a reg ol silver. 30 bucks at the LFS. I almost got a jardini but felt that at the 4" he was he looked too much like the tiger. Also some warned about the temperment of that jardini. At the size the tiger was when I got the arro I didn't want to chance losing my 3rd Tiger.


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

NEW PICS.


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## bob351 (Oct 23, 2005)

awsome fish you got there


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

Thank you!


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