# ** Mixed Pygocentrus Planted 125-Gal Tank **



## Mattias19 (Mar 17, 2003)

Whew!

Lots of new photos of the tank tonight. About the only fish that were hard to get pictures of were the wild Nattereri, since they're prone to hiding in the upper right corner of the tank in the canopy between the driftwood and the watersprites near the waterline. Those guys and the three 4" Piraya -- the Piraya just move *constantly*, and are hard to get stationary pictures of. I tried to focus on the new fish (one 6" Piraya, thre Cariba at 4", 5" and 6", and three Wild Nattereri ranging from 3-4") mostly.

(Hopefully I can get some video during feeding time later this week.)

Anyway, on the the pictures!

__________________

*Various shots of the 125 Gallon Tank*

Full "Day" Lighting










Full "Day" Lighting Angle shot










Right Side Driftwood 1










Right Side Driftwood 2










Left Side Driftwood 1










Pygo Trifecta: Ternetzi, Cariba, Piraya










Tank Shot w/"Day" Lighting & Room Lights










"Dusk" Lighting w/Right Side Driftwood










Full Tank shot w/"Dusk" Lightning


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## Mattias19 (Mar 17, 2003)

*On to the Fish: *

Smallest New Cariba in the background (4")










Another shot of the 4" Cariba, on top of the right side driftwood










Left: New Cariba (6"), Center: New Cariba (5") w/Flash










New 5" Cariba in right-side driftwood










New (5") Cariba again










New 6" Cariba










Incumbant 7" Cariba & new 6" Piraya (bottom)










New 3-4" Wild Nattereri in Right-side driftwood










New 3-4" Wild Nattereri (was a little banged up when I got him)










Side view of 125 tank (left) w/4" Piraya (center)










Another 4" Piraya cruising the tank










All 3 4" Piraya "stalking" feeders in the driftwood & watersprites










Another shot of the 3 4" Piraya, hunting Feeders


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## Mattias19 (Mar 17, 2003)

New 6" Piraya w/Flash (what flames!) -- flanked by Ternetzi & Cariba










New 6" Piraya










New 6" Piraya (other side)










"Rear" shot of 6" Piraya










Incumbant 7" Cariba, 6" Piraya










8" Ternetzi & New 6" Piraya










7" Cariba & 6" Piraya










6" Piraya in the "Dusk" lighting










5" Ternetzi










Another 5" Ternetzi










8" Ternetzi










Boo! 8" Ternetzi under the driftwood in "Dusk" Lighting


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## Xenon (Nov 15, 2002)

OMFG this makes me wanna set up my 125 so bad!


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## LarryMoeCurly (Feb 19, 2003)

(Couldn't find the right words so I did it in icons)
AWESOME setup and great pics. No wonder it took soooo long for them to get posted.









WOW! You really added some NICE fish, that piraya rules.


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## SERRAPYGO (Feb 4, 2003)

Stunning! Doesn't get much nicer than that.

I'm picking up my 125g this weekend. I can't wait to get to work on it.


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## Mr. Hannibal (Feb 21, 2003)

Speechless...BRAVO!


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## x-J-x (Nov 28, 2002)

WOW...one of the nicest tank i've ever seen......how much $$$ u did you spend on that tank and fish ?


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## rosecityrhom (Feb 3, 2003)

Very nice set up man...congratulations.


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## Croz (Jan 29, 2003)

daaaaaamn thats a nice setup with some amazing fish. hope i can get a collection like that someday.


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## Raptor (Jan 3, 2003)

Very very nice matt. Those piraya are sweet.







You have a very nice setup too! Have you fed them any big feeders? Good job on th pics too. It must have took along time to get those good of shots.


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## Mattias19 (Mar 17, 2003)

Thanks for the comments, guys! If I had the time I would've posted 100 photos of this tank, but then it'd get repitious and boring, lol! I can't stop just staring at it now. I've finally got that "mission accomplished" feeling with the tank that's taken over three years (almost four) to get there.

x-J-x -- You don't want to know. I think I've spent around $1000 at SharkAquarium alone in the past 6 weeks. Outside of fish I've had pretty much everything. The plants in there are all ones that have grown out from just 2-3 original "bunches" and the big chunks of driftwood on the left side I got at an LFS (the ones on the right I got myself).

Some of the old fogies around here that are from P-Fish would recognize this tank (maybe, it's changed a lot), but this was the same tank that I had 12 Nattereri and four pairs spawning at one time about 3 1/2 years ago -- when it wasn't all that common to have *one* spawning pair, let alone four at once. I created a daily journal and handed out tank info (temp, parameters, water changes, etc.) that really helped a ton of ther hobbyists help their Nattereri spawn.

Then the tank had minimal driftwood and a virtual forest of hygrophilia. A lot has changed since then!!


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## Nethius (Feb 23, 2003)

very very nice!!!


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## x-J-x (Nov 28, 2002)

Mattias19.....don't worry...I'm catching up...well...by a long shot anyway


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## Sir Nathan XXI (Jan 29, 2003)

I like the decor


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## thePACK (Jan 3, 2003)

very,very,very nice.....i love it ..especially your pirays..*drool*


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## Judazzz (Jan 13, 2003)

Wha can I say about a tank like that....? Not much, except for: that's probably the best piranha tank I've ever seen!!!















In one word: AWESOME


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## Xenon (Nov 15, 2002)

What type of plant is that on the top to filter the lights?


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## Mattias19 (Mar 17, 2003)

Raptor -- Forgot to answer your big feeder question: Nope, not yet. Not in a while, anyway. With the little fellas in the tank I'm kind of apprehensive, since they could get a little overzealous and want a piece of the action only to fall victim to "friendly fire" when my bigger pygos zoom in for a morsel.

Xenon -- Those are watersprites. They grow *incredibly* fast. I've got to thin it out constantly (actually, I thinned a good portion out a couple of days before these pictures). The effect is best when the left side is completely covered and just a few rays of light sneak through. The piranhas love it.

The best part about it is that the feeders hide in it (they eat some of the algae on them, the roots, etc.). The biggest Ternetzi (and now the small Piraya have taken a cue from him) will actually go vertical (nose up, tail down) and his eyes will dart back and forth looking up at the watersprites looking for a feeder, then -- BAM!! -- he explodes on the feeder and comes away with a little "salad" with his meal.









Hell, you want some??? Damn near everyone that's gotten fish from me or been over to my place I've given a few bunches to. (I think I should start pawning them off the the LFS around here.)


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## Grosse Gurke (Jan 3, 2003)

Xenon said:


> What type of plant is that on the top to filter the lights?


 I believe it is water sprite...as stated somewhere in the post.

That tank is amazing......I got mass amounts of work to do on my tank now


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## RhomZilla (Feb 12, 2003)

You have one of the best and nicest looking tank set up, indeed!!







Love the Pygo combo shoal thats also housed in there!!! Cant imagine I have the same size tank which doesnt look close to that!!


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## Raptor (Jan 3, 2003)

What ar the plants at the bottom? The small leafed ones. Yeah i dont blame ya for not wanting casualties. Snatching food is common for the bigger ones.


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## Petzl88 (Feb 5, 2003)

Great looking tank! Great looking fish as well.

Bravo.









Please inform us on your "daylight" lighting, and your "dusk" lighting.

Do you have several lights that you turn on and off at the different times of day?

I would like to know more about that. Thanks!


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## nitrofish (Jan 14, 2003)

very nice


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## Winkyee (Feb 17, 2003)

Mr. Hannibal said:


> Speechless


 Bastard.lol








That's what what I was going to say.
I'll just call the tank captivating








If I can decorate even one of my tanks that well, 
I'll be a very happy person.








Very Nice !!
Pete


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## Death in #'s (Apr 29, 2003)

love that drift wood setup anice tank.looks like u put alot of work into it









nick.............


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## Jonas (Mar 14, 2003)

U N B E I L E I V A B L E !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

those are some fantastic shots of some very beautiful fish.


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## Mattias19 (Mar 17, 2003)

Raptor -- Hmm, the "small leafed" ones I think you're referring to are hygrophilia (there are short ones in there for when I prune them -- I want to carpet certain areas of the tank if I can). Both the normal and "rosenvig" versions (which have a red tone at the top). Other plants consist of sword plants and a few reeds, which the name escapes me for the moment.

Some of these plants I got on eBay cheap from "tycom". Others you should be able to find locally. There's some java moss in there, but it's in recessed areas of the driftwood that are hard to see from the pictures.

Petzl88 -- The "Dusk/Dawn" and "Day" lighting isn't really anything special. I actually just set it up just prior to taking the pictures last night. All it is are different types of bulbs set to turn on and off at different times of the day. There's two 24" hoods on the front middle of the tank that are the "dawn/dusk" lighting -- they're the first to turn on and last to turn off. About 90 minutes after those turn on, the big 36" dual strips turn on, where the bulk of the plant lighting is. (Actually, you can see some of the taller hygrophilia plants "bending" toward the dusk lights in some of the above photos.) In the evening, those big ones turn off, followed by the dusk lighting 90 minutes later.

I think today I'm going to get a 3rd 24" hood to go in the middle and use that as another stage lighting. (That one on first, followed by the two 24"s, then the two 36".)

I just prefer the staged lightning sooo much better than just a bright-as-hell ON to a dark-as-hell OFF in an instant. The fish seem to dig it. No wigging out when the lights turn on and off. Plus, it's nice to see the fish in a different light setting, moving in and out of shadows, etc...

It's a great effect. (The staged lighting also use different light spectrums for each stage.)


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## hays98 (Mar 8, 2003)

i wish i had that set up





























NICE


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## GARGOYLE (Feb 12, 2003)

the best I have ever seen.


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## dead golfish (Apr 24, 2003)

man that is the most amazing tank I have ever seen in my life I wish I could have a tank like that sweet tank


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## JReezelle (May 18, 2003)

That's one badass tank







I hope I could own one like that someday.


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## nyquil (Mar 29, 2003)

nice. where'd you get that "beware of attack fish" sign?


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## Ducklake (Jun 1, 2003)

AWESOME!!! :smile:


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## Mattias19 (Mar 17, 2003)

I got the sign at an LFS near me. Wasn't really looking for it, as a matter of fact. They had a bunch of them, but with other things: "Beware of attack girlfriend, beware of attack boss, beware of attack hamster, etc., etc., "


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## Kain (Mar 13, 2003)

that tank is amazing mattias







Its perfect in every way from the decorations to the inhabitants. Quick question, what kind of driftwood are those and what is the greyish brown stuff growing on them?? they look really nice and add to the natural look really well. Again Great tank


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## Mattias19 (Mar 17, 2003)

It's a form of algae, and it's actually a deep olive color. I actually love that kind of algae, and hope it carpets the rest of the driftwood eventually.


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## Kain (Mar 13, 2003)

yea that's what I figured, I love that look. I wish I can get that to grow on my tank too.


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## oldnavycb (Aug 27, 2003)

that is all i can say


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## LaZy (Jun 17, 2003)

NIce shoal and Tank setUp!


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## Death in #'s (Apr 29, 2003)

stop bringing up old topics


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## Guest (Oct 21, 2003)

Wow, how do you get their color so good. Ive never seen a cariba with orange on it(2nd post, i think 3rd or 4th one down, says, "Left: New Cariba (6"), Center: New Cariba (5") w/Flash")


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## Genin (Feb 4, 2003)

Wow that is absolutely amazing. I can't believe that set-up. I wish I had a tank remotely that nice. Your fish are amazing to.

Joe


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## DAZZA (Mar 7, 2003)

It's all been said, but really nice. What an addition to any room !!! Those piraya are lovely !!!
Ta.


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## thePACK (Jan 3, 2003)

damnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn..*drool*.................


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## DiXoN (Jan 31, 2003)

very nice set up that must have took a lot of TLC.
i remember you from the original pfish on ezboard were have you been lately do you still get on pfish (i dont get on there that much these days) mostly on here
dixon


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## french toast (May 2, 2003)

That's the kind of tank every1'd like to own !

Congrats


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## bigb1 (Jul 8, 2003)

One of the nicest set ups around!!!!!!!


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## BoSox65 (Sep 3, 2003)

Awesome Pics!!

Very natural look. If I were a piranha I would hope you would buy me and drop my ass in that tank!


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## camotekid (Sep 21, 2003)

I wish i could be a fish in your tank too. I would really love the experience to be in there. I like the depth effects man!


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## Mattias19 (Mar 17, 2003)

Wow, this got dug up.









The tank still looks pretty much how it does in the pictures, except the piraya and cariba (especially the cariba) have grown a lot since then. I've pulled back on the water sprites a bit (there's an abundance of duckweed on the waterline now) and there's a lot of hygrophilia around the back of the center portion of the tank and I added a few more pieces of driftwood along the left side.

Thanks for the comments!


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## vanz (Sep 11, 2003)

my goal is to have something like that someday

Any new pics of the tank now?


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## Skeelo (Sep 23, 2003)

Judazzz said:


> Wha can I say about a tank like that....? Not much, except for: that's probably the best piranha tank I've ever seen!!!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 I agree.


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## boxer (Sep 11, 2003)

best tank i've ever seen in my hobby career even tho its only been like 2 months..

what camera are you using? the quality is great and the pixels are very sharp. also since it's a digital camera most likely, what mode is it on? auto, moving, landscape, close-up etc. i love how your tank gives the greenish pond look with all the decor. i'm bout to go add some more driftwood and plants just because i saw how your tank looks with it. keep it up


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## Mattias19 (Mar 17, 2003)

Don't have the digital camera handy, but when I do get it I'll be sure to snap a few. (It's a Konica KD-400HD. The only special "mode" is not using the flash, lol!)


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## Xenon (Nov 15, 2002)

Im using this as inspiration for my 125


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## Liquid Snake (Jun 12, 2003)

Kickass!! You have to move the front light to open the top?


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## siclids (Mar 16, 2003)

Do you have any problems with plant debris getting into the filtration system and causing a big mess? I'm just wondering but nevertheless, that tank kicks ass man


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## fluidnyc (Oct 15, 2003)

thats a Beautiful setup and the fish look great









How many P's are in that 125 total?


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## Atlanta Braves Baby! (Mar 12, 2003)




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## mantis (May 16, 2003)

Xenon said:


> Im using this as inspiration for my 125


 I'm glad this got dug up, I missed this post in May.









Definately inpirational.


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