Evolution of a 140 gallon long.

I've had this tank going on 6 years now. I started out raising large cichlids, (Pike, Bass, True Feste, Jaguars) .The tank is a LONG, 7 feet long X 16" wide X 24" deep, So once these cichlids became too large I would either sell them or give them away. Here are a couple of pictures of my favorite large cichids and others I raised.
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After a couple of years of raising this and thats and trying a few themes I've decided to fully plant the tank and concentrate on small SA preditors and dwarf / small cichlids. Besides 2 Ctenopoma acutirostre I've pretty much converted the tank thus far. Having a hard time letting go of the ctenopoma, they are an awesome species...

Before:
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After:
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So far I have collected 4 different species of Apistogramma, afew checkerboard cichlids, a couple angel fish, dwarf pike, a school of armored green catfish, a school of Ottocats, and working on growing out a school of Cardinal Tetra. My plecos are bushy nosed species. I have 3 total. 2 long fin and 1 standard marbled bristlenosed.
I was pleasently suprized that my small preditors didn't gobble up my Oto "tester" fish. The Oto school is up to 9. I'll be growing out 8 more cardinals before putting them in the 140. I also have a sweet purple snail about the size of a golf ball that I have managed not to kill (no luck with snails here).

I will update this blog as my plants and fish mature.
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Tank looks awesome! Love it

That's one big tank Chad. It looks chock full of great and wonderful stuff.

I love the rams..they are beautiful and the pic of the angel with the plant reaching for the heights behind it is awesome...lovely.

Yes, keep us informed

Nice work man! You have some seriously tranquil looking tanks. Nice bass too

really loving that second batch of pictures. it looks AWESOME. wish i could get plants to work but i honestly gave up on them years ago . that angelfish is also quite a stunner as well. normally dont like em but that one.. man looks sweet!. keep the pics coming and really consider getting another angel and breeding that sucker.

Thanks everyone. I thought I would take advantage of this blog so in like a year or 18 months of posting I can look back and see where I started. Eventually if everything works out all the bog wood will be covered with African ferns, and anubias and the rest of the tank will fill out. Patients is a virtue I struggle with though. Everyday I come home and look how much the plants have grown....lol!


I'm anticipating this swap meet coming up Saturday. From this forum and the GSAS news letter it seems it will be neat event with plants and different fish brought in.

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6 weeks later, plants filling out a bit. Added a few plants picked up at the GSAS auction .Red root floaters look nice, fish love the shade it provides. photo below-right side is a nice Ludwigia sp. 'red' beautiful red plant thanks to a GSAS member. Can't wait for this plant to grow out. It's liking its new home with new 1 inch sprouts throughout the plant. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Newer Apisto's coloring up
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] King of the Apisto's is this big male. I found it as a "no name" hiding for a few weeks in the back of a tank at Bridget's pet. They didn't know it was there. I would visit the store and check on him. Finally I enquired, no one knew what it was. Picked up for $5. Think the no name is from the A. Cruzi species line.
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30 gallon underneath got a face lift with new plants from the auction and from aquarium coop. All replanted except java fern and anubias with some red root floaters.[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Close up of D. filamentosus that are growing out.
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Way Cool Tank and Blog, Chad!

fishloverRon wrote:Way Cool Tank and Blog, Chad!

Thank you Ron.

The only resident I named. Meet Zippy, picture don't really show it but he's a nice dark purple color. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Great Tank, Its basically a family member now with how much you have invest and cared for it, from the way I see it. =)

Hey chad, if you want some friends for Zippy, I can bring some when i head by cory's shop on the 18th. You just gotta promise you can save them from the big fish who'll try to eat those babies lol.

BillHN wrote:Hey chad, if you want some friends for Zippy, I can bring some when i head by cory's shop on the 18th. You just gotta promise you can save them from the big fish who'll try to eat those babies lol.

Hey BillHN,
Do you mean tomorrow the 28th? That would be okay. I'll PM you with my number, perhaps you can text me a time when you'll be there. I would like to check out Cory's plant stock. As for promises ill do my best. I believe all my fish are good with small snails. I have MTS and ram horns doing well. I would like to have a couple more large snails...

Thanks!

Nawh, I meant the 18th next month lol.

Geez, the last couple months reading these threads, GSAS airstone, pictures of new systems going up.... I thought I was cured of my MTS >: /

Anyway, In the last month I've acquired 3 new tanks. 100 gallon with future plans W African biotope, 36 gallon bowfront to try my hand at breeding apistos. New tank today; found a 20G long meta-frame tank. This would be okay for a pair of something small...

So a little update, some of the scraggly plants have filled out some. The  background plant on the right side of this tank was a complete wall.  Now there is a chunk missing where I've pulled it out to seed the other side. African fern has been filling out nicely, I've been pulling little pieces to seed the rest of the large cavernous bog wood in the center. Found a grass like plant that's been successful as a ground cover called blyxa japonica. I've been planting it sporadically hoping to eventually get a matting ground cover. Introduced star grass this week, this is a neat plant. If it does well I will keep it low and use as a forground plant as well.  Forground plants have been the biggest challenge in this 24" deep tank. Blyxa has been the only thing close to a grass that's grown in this tank with my current lighting.
I am converting to LED lighting. I will be switching my T5HO with FENNEX RAY & RAY2's.
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That looks awesome Chad.

Really nice, Chad. Wished I had a big tank like that. 

I know this is an odd thread, the author being a " guest" . However, this is my thread I started way back when. This thread starts with my 140 when I moved to Lake Stevens about 18 months ago.

Here i wanted to post my Tiger Lotus blooming. I am hoping for a full bloom. There are issues with the placement of the plant because it's under the center brace. I am hoping once the stem gets 2/3rds up I can rope it with thread and bend it over about 4" where I can open the top and let the Lotus bloom.

Any input on other methods would be appreciated.
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THAT is so cool Chad and that Madagascar Lace to the left is stunning also...more pics when that blossom opens please

Since I reactivated this thread, I'll post this picture just for comparison from where the tank started from. This picture is a few months old now, there has been many changes with the ferns and background plants but is still a good picture for progress.
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Great looking tank! You gety rarely see this size of tank. Where did you get it from. I like the dimensions a lot!

Good work!

6-7 years ago, found it on a CL ad in Bremerton.

I appreciate that Will I am. My wife has an iPhone. This picture is me playing with the panoramic setting.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]Latest picture. Tiger lotus shooting out a bud, I got the stem tied with a string to move it over to reach open water. The plant is under the center brace. I never thought it would try to bloom. Also changed a large crypt out on far right to another species called Florida Sunset. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]" />

I will add this tank is now completely converted to LED.

Lighting includes;
1X 4' Finnex Ray2
1X 3' finnex Ray2
1X 4' Finnex Fuge Ray planted +
1X aquatop 7000k 24" (just threw it on there because I had it)
3X 24" Marienland red plant growing LED strips (some of my 1st LED purchases when LED's 1st came out)

Such a beautiful tank, Chad! :)I'd love to see your tanks in person one of these days!
And congrats in successfully transitioning your lights to LEDs! Woohoo!!   

Thanks Poke, I've been changing out a lot of the background plants. The fern conversion is going well. Most pieces of new fern are now attached and growing well. Many dwarf cichlids inhabit the needle leafs. I just love peering into the plants and seeing beautiful dwarf cichlids chilling within the plants. Just picked up a beautiful A. Kelleri adult male and a male L. curviceps they both like hiding out within the need leaf. Dwarf pike like hiding under stuff so when you peer under the big Lotus there is usually action under it with pike or Coridalis.

Beautiful tank! I see that angelfish likes the left side of the tank.   

Does a tank like this require a lot of maintenance or can you sit back and enjoy it after you get it the way you like it?

Betty wrote:Beautiful tank! I see that angelfish likes the left side of the tank.   

Does a tank like this require a lot of maintenance or can you sit back and enjoy it after you get it the way you like it?

Hi Betty, all the fish prefer the shady spots. However, when take these photos on panaramic mod I am a lot closer than it seems and end on that side. The Angels think I am going to feed them so they follow me.

Maintenance for this tank consists primarily clipping plants once every other week. There is an auto water changer installed. So, once a week I turn it on for about 2 hours to change roughly 10-20%. Every once in a while ill grab a filter out of the sump and rinse it.

That Tiger Lotus is a beast!!!! I had no idea they got that big. Just wow.

dwarfpike wrote:That Tiger Lotus is a beast!!!! I had no idea they got that big. Just wow.

Me neither... The bulb that this plant originally came from I've had for about 4 years. I've never gotten it bigger than 3-4 leaves before. The bulb would sprout, die back, sprout, and so on. Like now, the original bulb has been dormant for months and is somewhere under the field of Stargrass.

Beautiful!! I hope I can get mine to bloom!

MorganEA wrote:Beautiful!! I hope I can get mine to bloom!

I hope so too MorganEA. Just an FYI this plant is about a year old, and my 1st ever lotus bloom.