# what else does my tank need? UPDATE!!!



## piranha_guy_dan (Oct 4, 2004)

the tank is 120 gallons

im getting 18 red bellies later today for it they are all about 4 inches im selling 3 to a friend so im keeping 15 for myself.

let me know what you think of the tank and if you would do anything to change it.

if there is something i missed in the poll then feel free to add your comment.

KEEP IN MIND 15 REDS ARE GOING TO BE IN THERE SO IM TRYING TO LEAVE SOME SWIMMING SPACE.


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## uhjkool (Mar 26, 2004)

the tank looks great but i think some rocks might add to the natural look and i've always liked the look of some big rocks with driftwood


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## ryalan (Jul 19, 2005)

if you are trying to recreate a lowland enviroment, any rock possible to add
Just driftwood and plants... tank looks great


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## RB 32 (Mar 2, 2005)

You gonna put 15 reds in that 120g for life??


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## ronzz (Oct 26, 2004)

tank looks great can,t wait to see it with the piranhas in it


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## Joga Bonito (Oct 30, 2004)

tank looks nice.

i wish my tank looked like that lol


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## 2PiRaNhA~2FuRrY (Nov 1, 2005)

leave the way it is....look great already.


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## rocker (Aug 12, 2005)

looks great as it is. But a background would be cool.

either a fake on or a bunch of tall grassy plants


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## Tinkerbelle (Oct 14, 2004)

LIVE PLANTS!


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## piranha_guy_dan (Oct 4, 2004)

no live plants im too lazy lol


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## Mr. Hannibal (Feb 21, 2003)

LESS PS





















...eventually 15 Pygos will outgrow a 120g tank. Other than that i'd get some rocks and a powerhead...







!


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## piranha_guy_dan (Oct 4, 2004)

Venezuelan Caribas said:


> LESS PS
> 
> 
> 
> ...


powerhead is in the top left corner.

i will play it by ear with the 15 p's weather things work out or not

if things need to be changed they will be but im not a newb so i know what im doing.

im trying to go for a natural look and there is no rocks in the region of the river im going for. i know its not real plants but its still more realistic then having the rocks in there.


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## Winkyee (Feb 17, 2003)

I think you should plant it heavier and put your rhom in there.


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## piranha_guy_dan (Oct 4, 2004)

Dr.Zoidberg said:


> I think you should plant it heavier and put your rhom in there.


lol well im too lazy for real plants and also i dont want to put a 6 inch rhom in a tank all by himself, i would get too bored with that and its a waste of tank IMO


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## oscar119 (Nov 26, 2005)

That tank is going to look bitchin with 15 reds in there!! Can't wait to see it..

Only thing I'd add is maybe more smaller driftwood, but that's up to you.


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## BASSFISHERMAN (Feb 22, 2004)

what do you have for filtration for this tank?


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## piranha_guy_dan (Oct 4, 2004)

BASSFISHERMAN said:


> what do you have for filtration for this tank?


oddysea cannister filter rated for 175 gallon tanks(im not sure what GPH it is but its rated for 175 gallon tanks)

AC500

and a large sponge filter


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## Pat (Jul 19, 2004)

Tank looks great. I would have no problem with that many reds. 
What's with the "Are you going to put those in there for life?" comments. 
Who has ever kept any P for life??

Nice tank Dan.


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## Mr. Hannibal (Feb 21, 2003)

Pat said:


> Tank looks great. I would have no problem with that many reds.
> What's with the "Are you going to put those in there for life?" comments.
> Who has ever kept any P for life??
> 
> Nice tank Dan.


Me...














...i´ve been collecting Ps (mostly P. cariba and S. rhombeus) since 1989 so i've seen many of my Ps grow (huge) and die...so trust me on this: a 120g tank is not enough for 15 full grown pygos...certainly you can keep them in there for a while but eventually you should reduce your shoal or get a bigger tank...that's a fact...














!


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## piranha_guy_dan (Oct 4, 2004)

btw thanks to whoever says it sucks and i should quit


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## superman (Dec 30, 2004)

Tank looks good buddy!
BUT i think the plant in the middle looks lonely and akward...i would move it to the side.


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## piranha_guy_dan (Oct 4, 2004)

superman said:


> Tank looks good buddy!
> BUT i think the plant in the middle looks lonely and akward...i would move it to the side.


but it sorta hides the sponge filter LOL


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## Pat (Jul 19, 2004)

Venezuelan Caribas said:


> Tank looks great. I would have no problem with that many reds.
> What's with the "Are you going to put those in there for life?" comments.
> Who has ever kept any P for life??
> 
> Nice tank Dan.


Me...:nod::laugh: ...i´ve been collecting Ps (mostly P. cariba and S. rhombeus) since 1989 so i've seen many of my Ps grow (huge) and die...so trust me on this: a 120g tank is not enough for 15 full grown pygos...certainly you can keep them in there for a while but eventually you should reduce your shoal or get a bigger tank...that's a fact...:nod:







!
[/quote]

Well...
I see you have 12 Cariba. that would mean at a 14" fully grown size you would, no doubt, have them in a tank over 400g.

I'm sure he's aware that you can't house a shoal of 15 piranha's that are fully grown at 11"+.


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## superman (Dec 30, 2004)

piranha_guy_dan said:


> Tank looks good buddy!
> BUT i think the plant in the middle looks lonely and akward...i would move it to the side.


but it sorta hides the sponge filter LOL
[/quote]

Looks like ur driftwood grew a tumor on the rite side lol 
That blog thing is looking huge! Ever consider breaking that part out?


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## oscar119 (Nov 26, 2005)

piranha_guy_dan said:


> btw thanks to whoever says it sucks and i should quit


It sucks and you should quit. I talked to Sidney Crosby and he thinks so too.

j/k







I just wanted to beat someone to it. Again I like it... Looks good.


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## piranha_guy_dan (Oct 4, 2004)

superman said:


> Tank looks good buddy!
> BUT i think the plant in the middle looks lonely and akward...i would move it to the side.


but it sorta hides the sponge filter LOL
[/quote]

Looks like ur driftwood grew a tumor on the rite side lol 
That blog thing is looking huge! Ever consider breaking that part out?
[/quote]

its 2 pieces. one is a stump and the other is a partial tree with roots attached. the tumor part is the stump and the tree part is resting on the "tumor"


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## Fry (Oct 9, 2005)

Ithink its gonna look tight!!! Then its gonna look really tight (literally)after 2+ years .


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## Mr. Hannibal (Feb 21, 2003)

Pat said:


> Tank looks great. I would have no problem with that many reds.
> What's with the "Are you going to put those in there for life?" comments.
> Who has ever kept any P for life??
> 
> Nice tank Dan.


Me...:nod::laugh: ...i´ve been collecting Ps (mostly P. cariba and S. rhombeus) since 1989 so i've seen many of my Ps grow (huge) and die...so trust me on this: a 120g tank is not enough for 15 full grown pygos...certainly you can keep them in there for a while but eventually you should reduce your shoal or get a bigger tank...that's a fact...:nod:







!
[/quote]

Well...
I see you have 12 Cariba. that would mean at a 14" fully grown size you would, no doubt, have them in a tank over 400g.

I'm sure he's aware that you can't house a shoal of 15 piranha's that are fully grown at 11"+.
[/quote]

Well... 
In my humble opinion you don't need a 400g tank for 12 Ps...IME, most Caribas raised in home aquaria won't reach 14" long (in fact most of them will stop growing at 12"- 12 1/2")...then for me 12 +12" Caribas should do great in a 250g tank for life (depending on footprint)... that's the reason my actual set up is 9 Caribas in a 180g tank and 3 Caribas in a 80g tank...







!


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## the_w8 (Jul 28, 2003)

the Piranhas


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## piranha_guy_dan (Oct 4, 2004)

wow 4 people think it sucks and no one has the balls to say it in a post...........


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## oryschakgp (Nov 5, 2005)

piranha_guy_dan said:


> wow 4 people think it sucks and no one has the balls to say it in a post...........


You're the genious who offered it as a choice. Why's it bothering you now?


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## jayp_313 (Apr 23, 2006)

I THINK U NEED SMALLER DRIFT WOOD ROCKS AND SOME KIND OF TANK BACKROUND AND
TAKE OUT THE PLANTS AND HAVE MORE OF A REGULAR TANK THAN A SALTWATER TANK


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## eddy3 (Jan 3, 2006)

I think you need to throw out that drift wood, it just looks werid to me. Post this same topic at http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/ you will get better replies on this sunject


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## piranha_guy_dan (Oct 4, 2004)

jayp_313 said:


> I THINK U NEED SMALLER DRIFT WOOD ROCKS AND SOME KIND OF TANK BACKROUND AND
> TAKE OUT THE PLANTS AND HAVE MORE OF A REGULAR TANK THAN A SALTWATER TANK


ive never seen drift wood and plants in a salt water set up lol

what makes it look salt water? white sand?

and as for making that it sucks and i should quit a poll option is because i had to cover all the fields not just give people set things to vote for making it look all positive....... clearly is doesnt suck bad enough for me to quit the hobby. and as for people voting that it sucks and i should quit......... i would really like to hear your explanations of why it sucks so bad. i guess the pro's telling me i suck dont want to preach to me about what would make it look better. instead the people who have voted have yet to come forward and explain their vote and give me some advice to make it better.


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## piranha_guy_dan (Oct 4, 2004)

pics of the tank with fish added


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## taylorhedrich (Mar 2, 2005)

piranha_guy_dan said:


> pics of the tank with fish added


Where? They didn't load for me.....


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## piranha_guy_dan (Oct 4, 2004)

taylorhedrich said:


> pics of the tank with fish added


Where? They didn't load for me.....
[/quote]

page 1 LOL


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## 2PiRaNhA~2FuRrY (Nov 1, 2005)

it look great! with the fish in there..........personally if that was my tank, i'll take the plants that you have right now out, and add real plants in it...it would look awsome dude!.

but that just me...your fish look happy in there.


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## piranha_guy_dan (Oct 4, 2004)

im too lazy for real plants









i may add a couple more since thats what people think it needs most,
when im at the dollar store next i will grab some more


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## Fry (Oct 9, 2005)

Voted other for bigger tank.


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## Grosse Gurke (Jan 3, 2003)

Well...I voted it sucks and you should just quit....however the only reason I did was because you were talking about it so much...just thought I would add to it.








Personally, the only plants I like are the floating ones. The other plants look like house plants...and seem out of place in an aquarium. Just my opinion though.


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## JustJoshinYa (Mar 25, 2006)

^^^^^Agreed the other plants do look like house plants i would go for some plants from your LFS and make a partial line or wall across the back, and then small grassy plants in the area just in front of the wall and under driftwood ...


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## bisk25 (Feb 25, 2006)

nice tank


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## humpy_3 (Feb 28, 2006)

looks good to me


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## russm4a3 (Aug 24, 2005)

Get rid of the floating plant...other then that looks great. Currently I have 17 mixed pygos in a 125 long but they'll be upgraded in the next month or so.


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## SidewalkStalker (Oct 26, 2005)

i'm partial to a darker substrate... looks great though!!


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## Tinkerbelle (Oct 14, 2004)

Instead of just jamming more fake plants in there, get better ones. The ones you've got look like you picked them up at the local craft shop. Do they have any wire in them???

Personally the way they are just stashed in there does not look natural. Grouping with tall plants in the back and shorter to the front would look a lot better, and creating a focal point out of your driftwood would be nice too. If you're not TOTALLY against live plants and really want to make an effort to make this tank look great, at least ditch that big floaty plastic one and start growing some java moss on that driftwood. Its a basically no-upkeep plant that will thrive just fine on its own and give your tank a much more natural look without you having to really bother with it.


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## awdawg (Jan 25, 2006)

I personally like the tank, dont know how long 15 pirahnas will stay fitting in that tank very well but good luck!


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## sprfunk (Dec 22, 2005)

keep it opened!


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## piranha_guy_dan (Oct 4, 2004)

new pics with more plants added. no rocks or drift wood just plants

looking better or worse then the first pics????

feel free to rate it from 1-10 and give reasons for your rate!!!!!!!!!!! tips are welcomed


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## Pat (Jul 19, 2004)

Good improvements Dan. Looks very good.


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## faebo_tarzan (Jun 5, 2005)

Looks good, but I would get rid of all fake plants and get real ones instead. Its better for the biological system in your tank and looks alot better. Then I would try to sell off atleast five reds so they dont have too compete with space later on.


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## therizman1 (Jan 6, 2006)

Id rate is a 8.5.

For improvements:
- real plants, I just really like the look, you can get low maitenance ones like anubias, java ferns (several varieties available now), java moss, dwarf sag, onion plants - all are pretty easy to grow and take care of
- the sand looks good, I am just a fan of black as I think it provides a better contrast, but thats personal opinion
- I would add some more driftwood, all my tanks have quite a bit in them... trick to get it in some really cool positions is to sink some galvanized screws into them and then attach suction cups and then you can put them on the back glass of your tank
- finally try to hide some of the filter hoses and electrical cords by using plants

Very nice overall though, I am sure your ps appreciate all that you have done for them!


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## anaw214 (Feb 27, 2005)

rocks for me too!!!!


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## Rick james (May 2, 2006)

I would put some sort of hoods and lighting on it. Other then that I think you are on the right track. Mabe build a cave out of some rocks. for them to hide in.


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## piranha_guy_dan (Oct 4, 2004)

im too lazy for real plants and i dont have the hood and lights built yet but they will be soon im hoping.

the part of the amazon i am simulating does not have rocks. its just sand plants and drift wood.


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## AKSkirmish (Jun 24, 2005)

it's starting to come around there guy.But why does it matter?If it looks good to you,thats all that matters n e how


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## piranha_guy_dan (Oct 4, 2004)

id just like to see if people like the sorta natural look im going for. i know plastic plants arent natural but thats the only thing besides the filters heater and powerhead that doesnt look natural.


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## AKSkirmish (Jun 24, 2005)

piranha_guy_dan said:


> id just like to see if people like the sorta natural look im going for. i know plastic plants arent natural but thats the only thing besides the filters heater and powerhead that doesnt look natural.


I wouldn't worry about the fake plants.They are just easier.With taking the time to pick them out you can get them to look just as good as the natural live one n e how.It is also eassier said then done to do a planted tank.I am in the process of setting my first one and have dumped a ton of cash and alot of time seeting it up.It better be worth all the trouble.IMO your tank looks just fine,although I have never been a fan of sand(to hard to clean properly) it looks good in your tank.


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## piranha_guy_dan (Oct 4, 2004)

thanks I really appreciate it


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## piranha_guy_dan (Oct 4, 2004)

bump


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## C0Rey (Jan 7, 2006)

the tank looks realy fittin for pygos.
pluss it looks sweet. good job!


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## piranha_guy_dan (Oct 4, 2004)

thanks man


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## Kyle2154 (May 12, 2006)

Looks tight man...a 4 dollar investment in a background would look cool too.
I wouldn't take any of those piranhas out, if there isn't enough room for them...well...they'll figure it out and you'll end up with the most dominant and aggresive piranhas
Two thumbs up!


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## JustinRice (Feb 24, 2005)

I voted looks great and needs nothing. But Most Certainly you will need a bigger tank down the road! But everything is looking awesome. I like the sand Rocks plants and wood just the way they are!

Good luck


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## brutusbeefcake (Dec 8, 2004)

white sand sucks imo! and you say your too lazy for fake plants?? but yet your not lazy enough to take care of 15 reds in a 125g?? get some anubias...


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## bisk25 (Feb 25, 2006)

nice tank


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## 0lymp1csmoker (Mar 10, 2006)

replacing the fake plants with real ones would do wonders. Nice tank man.


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## piranha_guy_dan (Oct 4, 2004)

for the last time im not doing real plants LOL



brutusbeefcake said:


> Looks tight man...a 4 dollar investment in a background would look cool too.
> I wouldn't take any of those piranhas out, if there isn't enough room for them...well...they'll figure it out and you'll end up with the most dominant and aggresive piranhas
> Two thumbs up!


the back is pained black so its impossible for a background. besides most LFS backgrounds are


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## Dr. Giggles (Oct 18, 2003)

Daily 25% water changes (Python drain and fill) until stock downsizes itself.







to Tank and Equipment


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## piranha_guy_dan (Oct 4, 2004)

now that this is moved i wont get anymore views


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## AKSkirmish (Jun 24, 2005)

So have you made n e changes yet?Or are you going to keep it the way it is?


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## Fresh2salt (Jul 16, 2004)

It looks good


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## piranha_guy_dan (Oct 4, 2004)

AKSkirmish said:


> So have you made n e changes yet?Or are you going to keep it the way it is?


ive added plants since i first started this thread. look at the old pics and then you should be able to notice more plants were added


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