Shots from the new 90

[Inka4040]

A couple shots from the 90. The wood finally got most of the way sunk yesterday, so I was able to work out a preliminary scape. That's basically the only halfway decent configuration I could work out with the driftwood, not sure if it should be moved a bit more towards or away from the center though. Any input on that would be great. Greatly greatly overestimated how much moving around I would be able to do with the stumps. They're so big that there's only a few ways they will even fit in the tank. Got more use out of the rocks than expected. Between these and the ones in the 55, there should be more than enough to flesh out the scape. Last pic is the view from my bed :headbang2:

[PaulJ69]

awesome

[Slappy*McFish]

Fantastic!

[mellowvision]

fantastic shots. I like the wood. It's especially nice from the bed angle, and I can imagine it becoming a congregation area on that end. give it some time, you might grow to love it, or your head might give you another idea. The additional rocks will also make it feel a lot different... can't wait for the next round.

[Bart G]

Love it! Great composition. Where did you get the wood? Hand picked or bought? What are the fish in there? What do you plan to add? Stoked to see more pics.

[67chevelle]

Looks great.

Where did you get your big rocks?

[J double R]

NICE setup, bro.

[Inka4040]

Thanks for the kind words everyone! Bart, currently there are a few pairs of stiphodon percnopterygionus, and some stiphodon atropurpureus males. 10 meteor minnows and 1 sae better known as the constant gardener round out the rest of the stock. The wood came from the incomparable Manzanitadude, and Chevelle, the rocks are courtesy of my parents' back yard. The stiphs always come in a bit on the thin side, so once these guys are fully used to prepared food and nicely plumped up, the stock of this tank:http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=189174&highlight=stiphodon&page=10 will be joining them. I plan on beefing up the school of meteors, omitting the cherries, and adding akysis vespa, some more hillies, and possibly some schistura type loaches later on down the road.

[Mgamer20o0]

sweet.... will look way better with a good light over it lol

[Rbishop]

Sharp looking!

[rich311k]

Looks super. Nice job.

[jaekwon01]

Its setup nice. I was gonna suggest moving the two front tips of the wood away from the front of the glass in case it cracks it, keep a small gap.
Another was to move the steup to the side of the tank as if was the egde/bank with a tree stump which leads in to the openness of the river etc.
If your viewing it from the bed the it gives you a full view of the tank setup from both the front and side if you arrange it on the left.
I'm full of ideas except when it comes to my own tank !!
I love those stiphodons, I saw some in a petstore the other week, they were lovely hanging about the rocks with all their fry covering the rock

[Inka4040]

Thanks for the kind words and suggestions everyone. Jaekwon, none of the wood tips touch the glass, and I can't actually move them back and forth in the tank, only side to side. I tried pushing the dw all the way to the left, but it looked really unbalanced. Definitely want it justified left as you suggested, but thought it might look better a bit more towards the middle. The right side of the tank just seems really empty right now, but that may change after the rest of the rocks and plants go in. About the gobies you saw in the store, I seriously doubt they were stiphodons based on your description. Their babies hatch out as extremely small larvae, and are swept out to develop in salt water. They only seek out fresh water again once they're past the larval stage and have their juvenile/adult body shapes.

[Lab_Rat]

Awesome looking tank! Love that wood.

[msjinkzd]

man that is looking nice and those fish are mega smexy

[CaliLifeStyle]

Looks nice! I can't wait to get a bigger tank!

[myswtsins]

Looking good!! Manzanitadude has awesome wood! I love every single piece I have ever gotten from him & he is a great guy on top of it!

[jm1212]

sweet tank

[Inka4040]

Thanks for the kind words everyone. Myswtsins, I couldn't agree more. All of the dw for my past 6 or 7 tanks have all been from him, and I've never been disappointed!

[dtd87]

That is amazing!

[stephcps]

I love it! You did a really awesome job. I love the rocks.

[Inka4040]

Thanks Dt and Steph, I appreciate y'all checking it out.

[msjinkzd]

i am really digging teh "island" look. I think its just off center enough to work without bisecting the tank dimensions. I look forward to seeing how it progresses. I think you have a really nice hand with rock/wood placement to give it a dynamic impression while still showcasing the fish.

[JAY973]

Very nice setup! Awesome fish too...

[Inka4040]

Aww thanks Rach, that means a lot coming from you. Like Mellow suggested I'm just letting it sit for a while before contemplating any changes, and the setup is definitely growing on me. Also, the piece further right is not entirely sunk yet, so not sure how its final resting position will look. Thanks Jay!

[Inka4040]

This guy is easily the most shy out of all the males, so it was nice to see him out and about last night. Sucks how much the cameras wash out his blues though. Also, a shot of an akysis for good measure.

[countrychick]

very nice

[Hollygirl]

That is a very nice set-up. You managed to find some interesting driftwood. I went through three bins of driftwood recently and could only find very thick "blocky" pieces. I can't wait to see it when it is finished.

Great looking fish too!

[Hollygirl]

Who is this person you received the driftwood from? Is it someone online or here at AC - if you don't mind me asking. :)

[jpappy789]

Love the 'scape ricky...but the stiphs steal the show

[Inka4040]

Thanks Holly! I have the same problems with the local stores around here. Lots of overpriced mediocre stuff that can be difficult to scape with. Apparently Manzanitadude hasn't been around the forums in a while, but I did find him through here. He's got lots of great pieces, but I unfortunately deleted his email address. Couldn't hurt to send him an on site pm though...

Thanks Josh. They're a really interesting group of fish to watch, and their eyes are really expressive.

[Dangerdoll]

awesome, Inka... love love love it!

[myswtsins]

I just love this tank! I sent Hollygirl Manzanitadude's email address, I have it saved! :D

[mellowvision]

wow sweet shots. I hope mine color up like that, they're still a bit on the brown side most of the time. they show blue, but not as much.

[Inka4040]

Wow CC. Didn't even see your comment there! Thanks for checking this out CC and DD. Mys, I appreciate you forwarding that over for me. I've regretted deleting his addy a few times now since I did it. Mellow, they'll definitely get there. Maybe the lights in the new tank will bring more iridescence out. I think you were right about the light being more important than the venturi though. I pulled mine out last night, and didn't notice any serious drop in color this morning.

[Vicious_Fish]

Love it Ricky. I wouldn't change a thing about it. Those fish are so cool to watch.

[Inka4040]

Wow Seth, thanks!!! Well, any time you're in NYC, you're more than welcome to stop by again and check them out!

[bluerat]

inky give me that tank for my gobies to live in;)
its awesome hun

[Inka4040]

Thanks bluey! Yeah, your gobies can totally live in that tank, but I think it'll be a bit cheaper to ship them to me than it'd be for me to ship the whole tank to you.



So... When can I expect that box, huh?

[excuzzzeme]

I wouldn't change anything as I feel the very simplicity of it leads itself to be artistic and relaxing at the same time.

[MadAboutCichlid]

Sweet setup and fishes.

[Inka4040]

Thanks Jeff, MAC. Actually, the tank already looks different lol. I added a large clump of needle leaf behind the driftwood on the right side, and will be adding more rocks to the right side of the tank. As much as the island is really growing on me, the rockwork is definitely more functional when it comes to these fish. The males are extremely territorial, and like to excavate caves within the rockwork. Additionally, the extra surface area for algae and biofilms to colonize are really helpful in keeping these fish fed.

[mellowvision]

time for some updates!

[Inka4040]

Meh... There's still errant driftwood for other projects soaking in this tank... Maybe later.

[DakotaSpirit]

Great looking tank, well done..

[Inka4040]

Thanks Dakota!

[Inka4040]

Not much change in the past few months. Needle leaf seems to like this tank though, it's really going crazy. Got a couple new shots of the fish as well.

[Chrisinator]

:jaw: OMG.

[Inka4040]

Lol. Thanks, I think...

[WeedCali]

Thats a sweet setup Ink!

Looks like you missed a spot though :laugh:

[PaulJ69]

Another nice tank!

[captaincaveman9]

Looking great

[Inka4040]

Thanks guys!

[saram521]

Beautiful scape! What mid/top surface dwelling fish do you have in this setup?

[Inka4040]

Beautiful scape! What mid/top surface dwelling fish do you have in this setup?

Thanks Saram! The midlevel interest is provided by a group of meteor minnows, long fin cherry barbs, and 3 saes.

[Inka4040]

Not really much change in the past few months. Aside from a minor incident with gas supersaturation that cost me 6 wcmm a few weeks ago, things have been going well. Did a minor rescape, removed a good amount of java fern, and redid the rockwork underneath the driftwood. Kind of liking how you can peer through it and check out what's happening in the back areas. Also filled in with a lot more medium sized pebbles, for increased territory and grazing areas. The black rocks don't really blend in now, but they turn bright green once the gsa covers them. Would love to add a few more pairs of stiphodon percnopterygionus to the tank, and still have room for some more gobyage at the bottom. Hoping for some cool rhinogobius or lentipes species to show up on the market at some point, but other than that, this tank is essentially stocked. In any case, thanks for looking.

[Ninja Pigs Rock]

cools

[msjinkzd]

sparkley :D

[JAY973]

Awesome!

[Slappy*McFish]

:bowing:

[happypoet]

That's a wonderful tank. I love those gobies. How did you get all that GSA to grow? Lots of light and few plants?

[aXio]

Very lovely!

[GuppyGirl1230]

WOW, how gorgeous!!! I love it!!!

[Inka4040]

Thanks for the kind words and for looking everyone!


That's a wonderful tank. I love those gobies. How did you get all that GSA to grow? Lots of light and few plants?

Happy, I don't have to do much to get the gsa to grow. The tank is pretty brightly lit because these guys do feed on algae and aufwuchs, and the gsa just happens to be the thing that is most able to withstand their rasping. It's actually a complete pain getting it off the front glass.

[Mgamer20o0]

very green lol

[mellowvision]

looking great

[finsNfur]

Sweet! I love how you grouped everything in the center.

[Inka4040]

Thanks, y'all!

[Inka4040]

Feeding time update.

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[msjinkzd]

the akysis sp with his whirling and twirling was cracking me up

[Inka4040]

LOL, Rach. They are a bunch of psychos. I love how they are never anywhere to be seen, but within 2 seconds of food hitting the water, they all come torpedoing out. It's funny, they actually have such a determined way of swimming up until they come across food, then they go nuts with the whirlygigging. If anyone hasn't had the pleasure of keeping these engrossing little guys, you have to see them in action. They swim the same way I imagine red tailed cats must swim when given enough space. There is something so predatory and menacing about their movements, even though they are essentially blind bumbling idiots of fish.

[saram521]

Nice vid! A lot of activity from some gorgeous fish :)

I love the audio in the background, kinda fits what's going on in your tank lmao! "Only a privileged few......will become beach masters." :laugh:

[lookit]

Great vid, Inka. What was the really red fish with the long, seriously forked tail? Also, what were the other fish with red fins? Beautiful tank and great fish.

[NoiR11]

:confused: This is really strange! I just got a new 53gal tank yesterday. I was planning the aquascape in my mind today and now I see this thread... this is exactly what I had in mind! Well, the idea is the same at least. Multi-branched dritwood, java fern and a natural rock pile underneath! All placed little to the side (golden ratio?) and free swimming space to the other side of the tank. The only difference my plan had was that I'd use fine white sand beneath the rocks for the eartheaters. :)

Anyway, your tank looks fantastic! I love the green algae growth! That looks so natural. Very good job Inka! :thm:

[PaulJ69]

very colorful!

[Inka4040]

Nice vid! A lot of activity from some gorgeous fish :)

I love the audio in the background, kinda fits what's going on in your tank lmao! "Only a privileged few......will become beach masters." :laugh:

Thanks, Saram! Haha, I thought the soundtrack was fitting too. More importantly, no obnoxious screaming about fantasy sports or cursing in the background, so I could let it be. Not too often that I catch a video without profanity floating around, lol.



Great vid, Inka. What was the really red fish with the long, seriously forked tail? Also, what were the other fish with red fins? Beautiful tank and great fish.

Thanks, Lookit. The bright red fish is a male veil tail cherry barb. I sent all of my broodstock to MsJinkzd, as they are a bit too fecund for me, and the males are downright brutal to one another. The other fish you are interested in are meteor minnows: long finned strain of the original white cloud.


This is really strange! I just got a new 53gal tank yesterday. I was planning the aquascape in my mind today and now I see this thread... this is exactly what I had in mind! Well, the idea is the same at least. Multi-branched dritwood, java fern and a natural rock pile underneath! All placed little to the side (golden ratio?) and free swimming space to the other side of the tank. The only difference my plan had was that I'd use fine white sand beneath the rocks for the eartheaters.

Hahaha, good stuff Noir! When you finish the setup, I expect to see royalty checks showing up in the mail ;)

As far as the golden ratio goes, this is as far left as I could justify the whole mass in the tank. I bought the pieces purely on aesthetic issues, and may have overestimated how much space I'd have for them. The way the two stumps are positioned together, is literally the only way they can be fit together within the constraints of the tank. White sand sounds like it'd go with such a setup beautifully. I was in the position of breaking down a smaller tank to put this one together, so that severely limited my choices when it came to substrate. I would have preferred a darker substrate originally, but over time, have really come to enjoy the gray color of the flourite. Definitely post pics of your geo setup when your done. Your red head Tapajos are absolutely stunning!


Thanks, Paul!

[Inka4040]

Dominant male atropurpureus doing his thing.
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And some jostling for position around the feeding trough. The real atropurpureus are real hams, and also little piggies. It's sad that so many people sell Stiphodon semoni as atropurpureus, because I've personally found them to be much more difficult to feed, and far less attractive.

-R_ssrPvO_U

Probably best if you folks watch in HD. Even then, the vids do no justice to their actual color IRL.

[tonergirl]

That tank is GORGEOUS...good job :thumbsup::thumbsup: and those little fish are really cute!! I am absolutely green with envy ;)

[rufioman]

Dude that's a sick tank/camera work!

[Inka4040]

That tank is GORGEOUS...good job :thumbsup::thumbsup: and those little fish are really cute!! I am absolutely green with envy ;)

Thanks, Toner! Don't they have the best little faces? They remind me of super grumpy muppets, and their eyes are so expressive.


Dude that's a sick tank/camera work!
Lol, thanks rufio! Not much camera work involved, can't really take any credit on that front. :D

[lookit]

Great vid and fish, Inky! Come do my tanks with fish like yours -- all of them! Gee, now when I look at my docile swimmers, I feed the need for speed and action on a grand scale like you have. Good job -- keep it up.

[Rbishop]

Great tank and vids!

[RNeiswander]

Did i catch some peacock gudgeons in that first video? how do they do in the current?

[j_hab]

I'm jealous, that tank is amazing!

[Inka4040]

Thanks folks! Lol, Look :D. If you're willing to supply beer and noms, we might be able to work something out. RN, they've only been out of qt for a couple days. So far, they don't seem stressed by it. Granted, there isn't a huge amount of flow blasting away at the lower levels, and there are lots of more sheltered areas. I'll definitely let you know if any issues arise.

[Slappy*McFish]

Awesome looking fish, man. They're looking healthy.

[Inka4040]

Thanks, Slappy! Out of all the ones I've kept, the atros are the easiest to feed, as well as the most colorful. Too bad it's almost impossible to find them properly labeled in the states.

[mellowvision]

It's true, my atro is so easy

[Inka4040]

A couple head shots of various inhabitants. In a tank with so many brightly colored fish, the zhoui are still easily the most conspicuous members. Really awesome little fish. Hope to be able to get some females eventually.

[Mgamer20o0]

looking amazing.

[mellowvision]

I'm sold.

[Inka4040]

Thanks, mg! Mellow, once I get my hands on females, you can have first dibs on fry :)

[Inka4040]

Also, this!

As usual, the higher definition, the better.
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[Digital]

Awesome tank!

[Rbishop]

Spastic little suckers...

[jm1212]

beautiful tank!!!

[Inka4040]

Thanks for looking, folks!

[Inka4040]

Sicyopterus lagocephalus in breeding dress. Only had to wait 2 years to see this.
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[Slappy*McFish]

That's pretty interesting! I can see why you like these little guys. Very cool, Inka. :)

[Inka4040]

Thanks a lot, Slappy! They seem to go nuts every time the barometric pressure drops. I've never seen those guys get this colored up before though. It's ridiculous, they can turn the whole thing off an on in the blink of an eye. Also, these particular guys aren't that small. I'd estimate the one in the video at around 5".

[lookit]

As always, Inky, your fish and tanks are simply amazing. Mr. Sicyopterus lagocephalus is quite the stud!!! Really struttin' his stuff.

[Inka4040]

Thanks, looky! I'm holding those veil cherry barbs for you if you're still interested. It's great to see Mr. Lago put it on so thick. Hopefully it'll pay off and he'll get some fishy nookie.

[steffish]

I think I just drooled on my keyboard. Your tank is outstanding! The gobies are amazing, Love them & their antics. Nice combination of tankmates. What kind of shrimp was that wandering through the feeding vid? And what was in the bowls?
I'm about to set up a new tank and this is giving me ideas...
Thank you for sharing!

[Inka4040]

Thanks so much Steff! The shrimp in the vids are just amanos, and the food you see in the bowls is a slightly tweaked version of Mazuri's herbivore gel food. If you're looking to start a goby tank, now is most certainly the time to do it. The availability of a lot of species has never been better.

[mellowvision]

awesome video

[Inka4040]

Thanks, dude.

[jm1212]

looking good!

[GuppyMan]

this tank is amazing, i'm completely fascinated!

[Inka4040]

Thanks, JM, Guppyman. This might be my favorite setup of all the ones I've ever had. The gobies are endlessly entertaining, and have so much personality for such small fish.

[Aaron89]

niceeee

[Big Mike]

Great tank and fish!! I love the natural look with the algae on the rocks.

[Inka4040]

Thanks a lot, Aaron and Mike!

[happypoet]

Just rereading this thread for pleasure. When I get my 20 long build thread up (Monday, maybe?), I need you to advise! :)

[mel_20_20]

OMG!! INKA! Your tank is just fabulous! Everything about it. I'm just stunned. Beautiful fish. I see what you mean, too, about the expressiveness of their eyes. They are just adorable, and the colors are amazing.

[Inka4040]

Thanks for the bump, Poet! Feel free to shoot me any questions you have. I'll do my best to answer them, and am more than happy to share experiences. Always glad to see another budding gobiophile.


Thanks so much for the complement, Mel! If you're ever in the neighborhood, you can check em out in person!

[Inka4040]

Another quick update. Pay attention around the 1:50 mark, because one of the atros gives the camera a mean stink eye. Fast forward to 4:01 for a FTS, and there's not much worth seeing after that. I apologize for my lack of video editing ability.

wHZSvJJknM8

[The Zigman]

Nice tank Man!
And some fat & happy little feesh!

[jpappy789]

Awesome setup Ricky!

[Inka4040]

Thanks, guys!

[Slappy*McFish]

Doesn't get much more interesting than that. Too cool!

[Inka4040]

Thanks, dude! I know it's kind of absurd to post so many videos of basically the same thing, but my enthusiasm for this tank never wanes, and I am a bit obsessed with documenting why. Thanks again for looking, folks!

[Death Pony]

That many gobies in one tank makes me smile. Incredible tank!

[mellowvision]

golf clap! always cool

[Inka4040]

Golf clap? Thanks for the kind words, guys!

[jpappy789]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmjHT5GpAYQ

[mellowvision]

totally winning

[stoneyredneck]

Very cool and unique little setup you got there. Great Job.

[wesleydnunder]

Wow! ...though from you I expect nothing less. What are you feeding them in the little bowls?

Mark

[GuppyMan]

Amazed agian.

Oh....

And....

Can I have those cherries?
Kthanksbye. :P

[Inka4040]

Wow, thanks for all the kind words, guys!

Mark, the food in the dish is a mix of Mazuri's herbivore gel (5JZ3), spirulina powder, chlorella powder, and some liquid algae supplement I got off the back of a truck.

Gup, that particular group of cherries has a bit of history to them, so they won't be going any where. All of their siblings/children have been shipped to one MsJinkzd though, if you wanna try and convince her to part with some.

[happypoet]

Looking great, Ricky! If you ever get any fry out of those Zhoui... :)

[Inka4040]

Thanks, Aaron! I'll deff hit you up if I ever get fry in appreciable amounts.

[Inka4040]

I get the feeling this guy is pretty psyched about Irene. This is the first time he's colored up since the summer really got going. God, I love his big stupid face. Another courting vid will be uploaded shortly.
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[Inka4040]

And a twofer. As usual, these are best watched in HD.
_-ulDzhl1ZY

pfT1KFKAX9I

[Inka4040]

Seems everyone is feeling a bit frisky tonight.
182661182662182663182664

[Slappy*McFish]

Wow! That's frickin' awesome, Ink!

[Inka4040]

Thanks, dude! Just wanna point out that the male lagocephalus in the earlier pics and videos is the same male that is in the background of the last photo I posted. The shots were taken only a few hours apart.

[happypoet]

Awesome, as usual. My favorite tank on AC.

[Inka4040]

Wow, thanks Aaron. I'm truly flattered!

[Inka4040]

Mas goby!

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[happypoet]

So how is the Sicyopterus different behavior-wise from the Stiphs? Also, I assume they also need saltwater to breed. Is this true?

[Inka4040]

They are exceedingly similar, just a sized up version. Easy to feed, they'll even go for algae pellets, but the increased size fosters a correspondingly increased territorial need. I have 2 dominant males in the tank, and they split it basically down the middle. The smaller males all have to camp out on the driftwood, or move around furtively. Their fights don't seem as sustained or as vicious as the way the atros fight though, and they never have split fins.

[happypoet]

Very cool. I wish I had a big enough tank to try them (not that I'd be able to find them for sale!). They're really stunning fish in a cartoony way.

[Inka4040]

All of mine are lagocephalus, and I got some from Frank, and the rest from Invertzfactory a couple years ago, so definitely on the market. You just gotta convince someone to bring them in. Frank's were labeled just as "blue goby" and Invertz had them listed as "indo rock goby," I believe. Never lost a single one, and they've made it through 2 moves at this point. Really hardy and endlessly entertaining fish. Also, yeah. They also need salt water to complete their life cycle.

[Inka4040]

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[Inka4040]

-yk-iOXAScU

[mellowvision]

Bladow!

[Bk718]

Its amazing how colorful they are. Any updates on tank??