[DirtyBlackSocks]

Excuse the **** quality on these, I need to invest in a decent camera one of these days...anyway this is a 75 gallon tall that I've built to house some Tapajos "Red Head" in the future.

Not sure on all the plants names, java fern, narrow java fern, anubias nana, anubias narrow leaf and various crypts.

Stock list - don't have a heart attack:
6 corydoras aenus
6 corydoras palateus
1 corydoras "panda"
3 Mesonauta Insignis
20 or so lamp eye tetra
8 congo tetra
4 otocinclus
3 1" bushynose albino plecos

Ultimately I plan on having a trio of the red heads in here as well, but I've got 40 coming in on Wednesday that are only at around 2", so I'm probably going to add 12 or so to the tank and see where things go from there.

I'm not sure how the plants are going to work out - and will just hope for the best, please excuse the rubber bands and scratches on the acrylic.

Videos:
http://s85.photobucket.com/albums/k45/D ... eos009.flv
http://s85.photobucket.com/albums/k45/D ... eos007.flv

Also picked these guys up recently, but have no idea on what they are - was thinking Gymnogeophagus rhabdotus...notice the one without the stripe over the eye is beginning to develope a hump:

Sponge filter in the large tank is also just there to seed a QT tank for the geo's I've got coming in....

Comments, threats, ect are welcome.

EDIT: This is the first tank I've put together in close to 5 years now, so it's definitely a work in progress, any suggestions are more than welcome - good or bad.

 

[cichlidaholic]

No heart attack here, but I think I'm immune! :lol:

The tank looks great, I think you're off to a good start.

Really like the substrate with the plants...What is it?

And I know what you mean about the camera...If I could stop buying tanks and fish, I could buy a decent camera!

Kim

 

[DirtyBlackSocks]

It's Tahitian Moon Sand - all of the plants that are actually in the substrate have 1/2" gravel around the root structure, I'm hoping it'll keep the geo's from digging them up in the future - but who knows.

Those Insignis are actually a mated pair, and the third one spends most of his time defending the other side of the tank and harassing them whenever he sees them doing a mating dance - I'm thinking about removing him, but they hvaen't done any physical damage yet so we'll see.

Nitrates are sitting at 20 ppm after 5 days of no water changes, with 50%+ water changes done once weekly.

 

[edburress]

Hey DirtyBlackSocks,

The tank looks good :thumb:

The Gymnos are definitely from the rhabdotus group, the specific population would be a complete guess. I suppose there is a small chance they are Geophagus brasiliensis, but I do think they are more likely Gymnogeophagus rhabdotus. All the different populations look very much the same and may indeed all be one species.

So you decided you could provide the cool period for the Gymnos?

Ed

 

[DirtyBlackSocks]

Ed, the gymno's are in their own 30 gallon tank and show little to no aggression towards one another, their vents are also completely different - with the one that has the hump being much more pointed.

They've been doing little mating dances at eachother for quite a while now, but I have yet to see any eggs - which leads me to believe they're gymno's, as I'm told the others are highly aggressive and would have killed one another in a 29 gallon tank by now.

So yeah, living in California I'd say their cool down period shouldn't be an issue, in fact I shouldn't even need to use a heater as our weather pretty much never gets below 60 degrees or so indoors.

I'll post pictures of the red heads when they arrive and get put into the tank.

Any other suggestions or insights are more than welcome - one of the insignis is being highly aggressive and seeking out the others in the tank to harass, so I may have to remove him, but all of this decor was just added yesterday so I'm going to wait and see how things develope as the fish set up their own little territory's.

I've never known festivum to be highly aggressive.

 

[dwarfpike]

*heart attack*

*stroke*

j/k ... looking good! Those festivums have a nice green sheen to them at times, don't they? Almost like green tinfoil. :thumb:

 

[cichlidaholic]

That must be a larger grain than the Tahitian moon sand we have around here!

It looks really nice! You'll have to post updated pics as the plants fill in more.

Kim

 

[DirtyBlackSocks]

Ha! As of right nwo they're all melting away, stupid crypts...will probably be some time before they adjust.

 

[Joefish]

When i used to keep Insignis in my 240gal planted tank they ripped apart $300 + worth of live plants to shreds , i didnt think they would but well they did and i watched them, if anything im sure they were just picking at them for the food that was on them, but needless to say i gave them to Eric and now there the size of your hand

ps Eric i want a few back :lol:

 

[DirtyBlackSocks]

Well that's no bueno!

I'd heard they're plant friendly, and most of the stuff I have in there is anubias and java ferns, which most fish don't bother with even if they aren't plant friendly so we'll see how it goes.

If they show any aggression towards the geo's they're gone either way!

 

[DirtyBlackSocks]

*heart attack*

*stroke*

j/k ... looking good! Those festivums have a nice green sheen to them at times, don't they? Almost like green tinfoil. :thumb:

Yeah it's strange! The aggressor of the 3 is always darkened up showing a stress pattern while the other two that are mated show a bluish/green tint to them - but the second I try to net the lone aggressor he shows the same pattern too.

I'm wondering if their stress pattern actually shows up a nicer than their regular pattern...or what's going on...these fish are being funny. :fish:

 

[bernie comeau]

This article, about Gymnogeophagus and "G." brasiliensis, may be of some interest to you, Dirty Black Socks:http://www.aquariumfish.com/aquariumfish/detail.aspx?aid=3210&cid=3780&search=

To me, your fish really does look like "G." brasiliensis, though I am not absolutely certain. At least from your pictures, the blue spots do not seem to be organized into definate stripes, as one would expect for Gymnogeophagus rhabdotus. Nor does your fish seem to have the fin pattern/coloration of Gymnogeophagus rhabdotus, although it is a juvie, and that might account for it (?).

 

[DirtyBlackSocks]

bernie, somthing those pictures don't show that I've recently seen showing up are black lining along the pectoral and anal fin of the male - I believe that's standard in male rhabdotus from what I've read - to be honest all of them look so much alike that only time will tell, but their level of aggression is pretty low, so I'm leaning more towards gymno.

 

[bernie comeau]

Yeah, your right, they are very similar looking species, and like you said time will tell, as they will change, and eventually adult coloration will tell you for sure. Though I am not sure that aggression levels will really tell you much as that can be very different at different points in time, in the life of a fish. And as well there is always quite a range in aggression level with in any species. IME, brasiliensis was aggressive compared to an "earth eater", but not aggressive like many CA cichlids are.

Very nice looking tank, by the way :thumb:

 

[Dutch Dude]

Nice tank DBS :thumb: I think the unknown cichlids are from the Brasiliensis complex and no Gymnogeophagus. If it comes to aggression the Gymnogeophagus Rhabdotus group (contains exMeridionalis) are peaceful cichlids that live in small groups. Some others are harem builders and show some more "aggression". The coloration of your fish and the appearance make me think they are Brasiliensis. Those can be aggressive when the reach maturity and can grow to 12 inch or even more!