Input on my tank?

[Morticia]

I added these rocks in and I'm in the market for drift wood as we speak. But for the time being what do you guys think? My main concern is Majora will be happy. I don't have canister filters yet, but the two filters he has are for 100 gallon tanks. I'm also pretty anal about keeping the tank clean. I have a couple of small algae blooms, but I have moved his tank so they should clear up.

 

[Achilles1763]

It looks great... a bit sparse on decor maybe? Is the right side of the tank in darkness for a reason? Bogwood is always a great choice for fahaka as it gives them something to explore and hunt around. Also if you break up the sight lines he may feel more secure, as at the moment he must feel a little exposed? Just an idea based on my own experiences. As he is the sole occupant I cannot imagine the waste is a massive issue for water quality... I am
Assuming the Internal filters you are using keep the ammonia etc in check? But like you say maybe worth upgrading when he gets bigger as they are proper messy little monsters! I have recently had to dredge all the left over mussel, cockle and clam shells out of my tank as they were making the water smell! It was bit of a mission but the water quality is massively better as a result. What size/how old is the little fellow now?

 

[Morticia]

He is 8 months old roughly now. He's in between 6-7in. That's a 55 and the bulb blew on me. it's alright though that side had an algae bloom and it's helping to kill it off. I had him in a room that had way too much natural light. Ever since I bought seed for the tank I haven't had any issues with ammonia. I cycled that tank for months before putting him in it just never built up a good enough bio net for whatever reason. But once I added in the seed the parameters have stayed right. He's doing well after being a sickly troublesome little guy those first few months, but once he got over the parasites and I got him well fed he bounced back. He's gotten a lot more comfortable with me as you can see in the pics he loves to come up to the front of the glass to ask for food now. But I think you're right about him feeling exposed. He's been burrowing a lot more lately.

 

[Achilles1763]

Yep he is clearly still a baby as he has yet to grow into his eyes! Funny how they all bury themselves, mine still does and she is huge. Seeding is the best thing for cycling any tank, aside from avoiding the months of waiting it means you the bacteria that you actually want. Fahakas, like most predators, feel more comfortable if they have a cave to withdraw to if they need to feel secure... It also makes them more active. Mine loiters in her ravine most times but in the evening (normally feeding time) she is up doing lengths of the tank as the surface demanding food. It's hilarious to see the other fish try and intimidate her when she swims into there territory but she is total oblivious to them.

 

[Morticia]

Well...those rocks prooved to be a bit much for my tank. I sprung a leak from the bottom today. It's along a seal, but now I need a tank to store him in while I reseal this one. Just awesome never a dull moment in this hobby. I added two more which proved to be two too many. I now know the limits of my tank I guess.

 

[Achilles1763]

Ahhh that sucks! Sorry the hear about that as it's never going to be a fun or easy job. Are you going to have to totally drain and strip the tank to get it fixed?

 

[Morticia]

Ahhh that sucks! Sorry the hear about that as it's never going to be a fun or easy job. Are you going to have to totally drain and strip the tank to get it fixed?

No upon further inspection it was leaking around a plastic edge. Removed the plastic added some silicone 1 and then put the plastic back down. Yay...but now I'm looking for a bigger tank. Once I get that one set up I'm going to empty this one completely strip it and reseal it and possibly use it for saltwater. Ive been wanting to make the jump to saltwater for a while.

 

[Morticia]

I actually stand corrected. I attempted to patch it and it basically redirected the leak. He's in my quarantine tank for the moment which isn't big enough for him. He can turn and swim, but he won't be ok in there for too long. I finished emptying the tank out tonight I'm off tomorrow so my day will consist of striping, cleaning, and applying the new silicone. It should be up and running before this weekend. At least after this that tank will be good for another 10 years or so.

 

[Morticia]

By the way...what do you have in the tank with your Fahaka? Since I'm going to have to reset this tank and seed it again it may be a good opportunity to try to add somethings since to Majora it will be a new tank anyways.

 

[Achilles1763]

Ahh yes major overhaul then! Below are a few pictures of what I have I mine. The ravine is where the fahaka hangs out and rests it's not a cave exactly but it seems to make her feel secure enough. Then the centre piece of bogwood is fairly large about 4 feet wide and 2 feet high... and a tangle of spider roots on the far right for the other smaller fish to hide in if required. Tank mate wise I have had a bit of a tinker and gone with larger CA/SA cichlids and a few catfish and oddballs. The stock is fluid as it al depends on how they get on with each other and I am not troubled by the idea of moving fish in and out as required. So hope you like the tank and any questions just fire away.