[karpomatic1]

I've been posting my journey in a thread that was originally about something else so I've decided to collect it all here for the masses. @Deeda and @Auballagh have been great sounding boards so far.

It all started when a mated pair of Uaru Amphiacanthoides successfully had fry in my 220 community tank. This was extraordinary in of itself as the aquarium is stocked with Geophagus, Severums, Oscars, plecos, and many African Synodontis cats. I wanted them to survive so I did my research. That's when I discovered that I shouldn't remove them from the parents for at least the first two weeks as, like Discus, Uaru fry eat the slime coat off the parents in the beginning.

 

[karpomatic1]

After the two weeks were up, I moved the survivors to my 20 gallon quarantine tank to grow as it was all I had. I had also purchased a baby brine shrimp hatchery. A few weeks later the Uaru Pair laid eggs again but I think the aquarium inhabitants caught on as they didn't survive the night. A ferw weeks later, I decided to rearrange my entire basement so I could set up my spare 125 for the pair. The 125 has a big air compressor running two large sponge filters and a few used heaters. They laid eggs within three days of the move!

 

[karpomatic1]

Anyway, after the 125 in the basement came a second clutch of fry then a third. I needed to expand! I'm a fish breeder now! So, I bought some used equipment from a few local guys, two 40 gallon breeders with lights, heaters, and a bunch of HOB filters. I got four 10 gallons from another hobbyist. Next I installed a utility sink installed with sump pump as I'm not carrying buckets up and down my basement stairs for water changes. I also painted the bottoms and some sides of the tanks black.

 

[karpomatic1]

Then I started working on plans to build a rack that would hold around 20 tanks of varying sizes from 10 gallons to 40 gallon breeders. It all came to a crashing halt when I went to get prices on the wood to build it. The cost of the lumber alone was about $700. Instead, I purchased a Husky rack from Home Depot for less then half the cost of the wood. I ordered cheap LED lights from Amazon and slowly added tanks until three were running. Two 20 gallons and a 40 breeder. I had air compressors from the used equipment I purchased running the sponge filters in each tank.

 

[karpomatic1]

Everything before this has been posted before. Here is where the journey continues. Yesterday, I received my order of an linear piston pump, air line tubing, & access fittings. The days of small air pumps are almost over. Also, while visiting my brother-in-law, I discover he's got a ton of metal racking at his job that is just sitting outside rusting away and I'm welcome to it for my fish room. So, my next project is getting my brother to help me cut this stuff down and weld it so I can use it as another rack. CAN"T BEAT FREE! The photo of the table is an example of what can be done.

 

[Aussieman57]

How do you like the Alita Air pump? Are they noisy?

 

[karpomatic1]

How do you like the Alita Air pump? Are they noisy?

It's supposed to be quiet. I'll let you know after I install it. I just got it yesterday and hope to install it Sunday.

 

[karpomatic1]

Air has been piped in. The metal needle valves are a pain to thread in by hand. I ended up using my drill to get them in the PVC. I ran lines to all my tanks even if they're not currently being used. The pump is very quiet, I only hear the bubbling of the sponge filters if I'm not directly below the pump. I am going to insulate the little shelf it's on as it's below my bedroom and I can hear it slightly while trying to sleep. If that doesn't work, I'll attempt to lower is a little so it's not completely boxed in.

 

[Aussieman57]

Nice work. Makes me wish I had a basement. How do you like that brine shrimp hatcher & where did you procure it?

 

[karpomatic1]

Nice work. Makes me wish I had a basement. How do you like that brine shrimp hatcher & where did you procure it?

Thanks. I got it from the Aquarium Co-op and it's great. Nothing like fresh baby brine for all the small fish.

 

[Aussieman57]

Thanks. I got it from the Aquarium Co-op and it's great. Nothing like fresh baby brine for all the small fish.

I thought I recognized it. I usually do home made ones but that one looks slick.

 

[karpomatic1]

I thought I recognized it. I usually do home made ones but that one looks slick.

It was $60 for the whole thing and was easier than me trying a DIY setup. I just got my second tin of eggs. The first is almost empty and it's lasted just short of 4 months. I did get a big tub of aquarium salt. That goes much faster than the eggs.

 

[Deeda]

Try stapling or wedging some sound dampening foam on the underside of your floor to dampen the noise in your bedroom and use an old computer mouse pad or large gel pad under the pump to help with vibration transferring to the wood shelf.

Which model Alita air pump did you get?

 

[karpomatic1]

10 gallon tanks for fry and shrimp are set up. Uaru fry are moved from the 125 to a 40 and the breeding pair are back in the 125.

 

[karpomatic1]

The Geophagus Tapajos laid another clutch of eggs late last night. The video of their dance is on my YouTube. Here's a photo from this morning. I hope these produce fry. The first set got fungus pretty quickly.

 

[karpomatic1]

The next rack is here. My brother, the welder, cut the vertical parts down to 93" tall and 24" wide so I can use them in my basement. Some cleaning and painting and they'll be ready to go.

 

[karpomatic1]

I have no idea what happened... My large common pleco, "Roberta" and my big Festivum in my 220 show tank died. I found Roberta sitting in her spot all white around 10pm. The Festivum was laying on its side but moving it's fins. I rushed it to my quarantine tank but it did not survive the night. The rest of the tank is completely normal. I did nothing different. I did my normal water change on Sunday and replaced the media in the sump as always. Roberta was about 12" and the Festivum was between 6 and 7". I'm dumbfounded.

 

[Auballagh]

Sorry that happened. Losing one of your 'long termers' is hard enough. But two?
Well......
It might be possible the Pleco died of natural causes. But, a dead fish can produce all sorts of problems for an aquarium, if it isn't promptly removed. An ammonia spike just begins to inform those problems.... so, it could be that either the spike in organic toxins or possibly that white fungus outbreak could have affected your festivum. Esp. if it nibbled on that dead pleco or something, and got a dose of something pretty toxic.

 

[karpomatic1]

Sorry that happened. Losing one of your 'long termers' is hard enough. But two?
Well......
It might be possible the Pleco died of natural causes. But, a dead fish can produce all sorts of problems for an aquarium, if it isn't promptly removed. An ammonia spike just begins to inform those problems.... so, it could be that either the spike in organic toxins or possibly that white fungus outbreak could have affected your festivum. Esp. if it nibbled on that dead pleco or something, and got a dose of something pretty toxic.

The pleco was a rescue so I have no idea how old it was. It was swimming around yesterday morning just fine. I found it white but not fuzzy or anything. The fins were shredded. I guess it's possible the Festivum took a nibble... Something odd definitely happened. The water in that tank is pristine. Those are the first deaths in that tank and the first in a few years from my show tanks. I'm most likely doing a water change tonight.

 

[Aussieman57]

That's weird and totally sucks. What other fish are in the tank?