Tanganykian 220

  • Get the NEW AquariaCentral iOS app --> http://itunes.apple.com/app/id1227181058 // Android version will be out soon!

toddnbecka

AC Members
Dec 17, 2004
2,808
3
38
Cumberland, MD 21502
Picked it up about a month ago, have it up and running now. Couldn't pass up the deal, $550 for the tank, stand/canopy, glass tops, 3' and 4' strip lights (tank is 7'x2'x2') and an FX5 less than a year old. Cost me another $150 for gas and help moving the beast, 25 square feet of 3/4" glass is heavy.
Substrate is 50 lbs of find-grade gravel similar to pool filter sand and 100 lbs of Black Diamond sandblasting grit. Actually coal slag but looks and acts like sand, except no silica content so no there's diatoms in the new setup.
Currently running 3 aquaclear 110's and an air-driven hydrosponge to establish the tank. I'll take off 2 of the hob's after the FX5 is running/established. Currently there are only a dozen 2" O. ventralis orange caps in there, and a few BN fry that hitchiked inside a resin tree stuump ornament. Scape is pretty bare, though I did collect some new rocks today, will have them cleaned and in the tank tomorrow.
I will be moving a group of juvie Synodontis lucipinnis over shortly, and looking to pick up a group of Neolamp buescheri Zaire gold fry next month. Will be getting a pair of plagiostoma spiney eels early next week, and waiting to hear back from someone about M. parva rainbows. If those won't work out in the high pH I'll look into some Cyp's, but I love the color of the M. parva. Also have 6 Phyllonemus typus and a pair of Lophiobagrus cyclurus catfish hanging out in other tanks, might move some of those over too. The P. typus are fry control for 2 constantly spawning pairs of cutteri, and they do an excellent job there.
Filling the tank to male sure nothing happened while moving it:

Left-to-right photo sequence:

Resin ornaments that the BN fry came along in:

Few cichlid stones in the tank, more on hand and coming next week:

Few Val's starting out, will add more later:

The dozen featherfins mainly hang out around the available cover, school pretty tightly too:
 

Big Mike

Large Member
Sep 8, 2009
1,254
0
36
51
IL
Real Name
Huge Mike
SWEET!!!! I can't wait to get a huge tank!!
 

jmedic25

AC Members
Sep 17, 2011
58
0
0
awesome!!! Are you worried about iron content using the black diamond? I did a bunch of research and I couldnt find anything conclusive. I ended up getting black gravel. I like yours better.
 

toddnbecka

AC Members
Dec 17, 2004
2,808
3
38
Cumberland, MD 21502
Someone pointed me to a thread on the planted tank forum, some folks have been using it for quite a while w/out any problems. I did a google search and found this link, which convinced me it was safe for aquarium use: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=16&ved=0CHAQFjAFOAo&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ensioresources.com%2FLearning_Center%2Fcoal_slag.html&ei=5DCbTsACwebRAYqwoIkD&usg=AFQjCNFmtqfmkFHi3ZDy-r2ixigQCTi9Uw&sig2=WIPsbkQBEMklwBLCqJAO1Q
Stuff looks great, shiny rather than dull, and the smaller particle size should keep most of it on top of the lower layer of fine grade gravel when I siphon the substrate.
Not to mention the PetCo black sand is $18/20 lbs, and the black diamond is $8/50 lbs. I got 100 lbs of it for less than the price of 20 lbs of sand, so more $$ for stocking.
 

jmedic25

AC Members
Sep 17, 2011
58
0
0
Thats cool, I read that article before. I wish I would have gotten some of it now. The gravel I have is about pea sized and being black shows detritus. Im wondering if the fish are as happy with the gravel as they would be with sand. I may scoop some gravel out and put in some white sand...Mix it up a bit. I may make them a white sandy beach LOL!
 
Last edited:

toddnbecka

AC Members
Dec 17, 2004
2,808
3
38
Cumberland, MD 21502
Sand is easier than gravel to keep clean, and with some mts to mine for leftover food and stir/aerate the bed it's pretty low-maintenance IME. I collected some more rocks yesterday, will get around to putting them in later tonight. Ironically, I left a big area of sand open for the ventralis, and they hang out around the cover on the left end when they aren't cruising back-and-forth across the back. I figure that will change as they settle in and more fish are stocked, and the open end will be the breeding site for the dominant male. I didn't have too much material on hand to scape the tank, will add more gradually.
 

spencerguy1

I dont do Tuesdays.
Jul 19, 2010
1,619
0
0
25
Illinois
Real Name
Spencer
it looks great!
 
zoomed.com
hikariusa.com
aqaimports.com
Store