Building My 50,000 Gallon Monster Mega Tank

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
arapaimag;4673086; said:
I've owned the Lates niloticus (bought in 1997 at Pet's Plus in Lockport NY) and killed at 22" by my infamous 26" black shark in 1999)

and Hydrocinus goliath (bought in 2000 at Big Al's Aquarium Services in Hamilton Ontario on Centenial Parkway) it died in 2003 by jumping out of the small opening while I was feeding it......getting injured and not recovering. It was 18". It was not in either of the 2 big tanks at the time.

I also owned Hydrocynus vittatus (bought in 2000 at Pet's Plus in Lockport NY) it grew to about 17" and died in 2005 in the 15,000.

The Hydrocynus are very good predators but very delicate and can be injured by rough tanks mates of similar size.

I'm getting a baby H. goliath and H. vittatus on Saturday about 2" long from Oliver Lucanus in Montreal. They are delicate to ship also so I hope they make it OK.

As far as hunting and catching 2" to 8" african cichlids the Tigers are just fair. My big Brycons (heleri and Guatemalensis) are far tougher and faster.

The cichlids breed because of all the rock cover and big time since the gooch and salton passed on.
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I had me a Vittatus, i grew it to around a foot. was a lovely fish but i lost my job at the time and had to sell up. bad times.

Definatley sounds like you need some sort of Pred to sort out the Cichlid overbreeding. got things going through my head to come up with an answer but its seeming difficult!

Clown Knife fish?? (Can not think of latin name at this specific time)

Tiger Shovelnose?? (Pseudoplatystoma Fasciatum)

Gar Fish?? of some sort. I don't know a lot about Gar's if i'm honest. although i wouldn't mind trying one of the shorter nosed variety, Alligator?

a Snakehead might do the trick, but obvious regulations in your area may apply. (Channa Micropeltes to be specific)

Would a Clarius be of any use??

Unless you starve some of the bigger fish like the Cats and Arowanas then they may turn to the cichlids as food??
 
Dear Mr. Arapaimag,

How much did it totally cost for building this wonderful work???
You are mind blowing.......
 
Crotalus Scutulatus;4680420; said:
I hate rich people.....by the way do you need a son to will everything to?
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I promise you won't get much of anything in life until you learn how to act respectfully towards ppl.
 
This is really sweet... I told my gf about it and she said no right away. She went on to say it would be cheaper to get a job at the local aqaurium.
 
sje106;4674867; said:
I had me a Vittatus, i grew it to around a foot. was a lovely fish but i lost my job at the time and had to sell up. bad times.

Definatley sounds like you need some sort of Pred to sort out the Cichlid overbreeding. got things going through my head to come up with an answer but its seeming difficult!

Clown Knife fish?? (Can not think of latin name at this specific time)



Tiger Shovelnose?? (Pseudoplatystoma Fasciatum)


Gar Fish?? of some sort. I don't know a lot about Gar's if i'm honest. although i wouldn't mind trying one of the shorter nosed variety, Alligator?



a Snakehead might do the trick, but obvious regulations in your area may apply. (Channa Micropeltes to be specific)



Would a Clarius be of any use??



Unless you starve some of the bigger fish like the Cats and Arowanas then they may turn to the cichlids as food??
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You said Clown Knife fish??

Several species out there.
I have 2 Notopterus chitala in the tank but they can only eat so many per day while trying not to get eaten by the Wallago. They are between 26" and 30".


You said Tiger Shovelnose?? (Pseudoplatystoma Fasciatum)

I do have a small one in the tank about 30" and his diet is strictly african cichlids with the odd central american thrown in.

You said Gar Fish?? of some sort. I don't know a lot about Gar's if i'm honest. although i wouldn't mind trying one of the shorter nosed variety, Alligator?

I have both an Atractosteus spatula and a Lepisosteus osseus in the big tank the long nose is the better hunter.


You said a Snakehead might do the trick, but obvious regulations in your area may apply. (Channa Micropeltes to be specific)

illegal here but only the largest species growing over 30" would have a chance of not getting eaten themselves. I've owned a couple of Channa micropeltes that got over 30" in the past (when they were legal) but kept them in smaller tanks (400 to 600 gallons) and never tried them in the big tanks. I have a small one about 20" mounted near my front door. I've seen some keep in Hippo pools at zoos which exceeded 36".

You said Would a Clarius be of any use??

Most are too small. I've owned some Clarias batrachus over the years but mine never got too big and I actually had to pull one out of the alligator gars mouth where he had gotten his pectoral fins stuck while the gar was snaking on him.

You said Unless you starve some of the bigger fish like the Cats and Arowanas then they may turn to the cichlids as food??

My big cats do eat them and that really is the purpose of the cichlids in the tank but this is the AGE of Pisces and they seem to be celebrating it.

Looks like I will live with the explosion of cichlids for a while till the cycle changes. Getting the Cichlas as someone else had suggested might do the trick if they are smart enough not to get eaten themselves.
 
sn1per9000;4680643; said:
This is really sweet... I told my gf about it and she said no right away. She went on to say it would be cheaper to get a job at the local aqaurium.
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Not only will you not have to spend any money on your fish then but you will be able to make money working.

You have a smart wife.......she is a keeper
 
arapaimag;4673110; said:
Great idea.

I've owned many over the years and I actually was thinking they might be a good fit again.

My last 2 were a C. piquiti and a C. temensis I got from my good friend Neoprodigy in 2006. No luck with the piquiti but I got the temensis up to 24" when he picked up a bacterial infection and medication did not help. It was a sad day when he died.
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o to bad but you could have some monster temensis in those tanks
 
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