Mesoheros Festae - Tank Journal 180g

[detto]

Hey all,

Thought I'd start a tank journal because why not! Plus I'm sure all the Festae lovers will enjoy and appreciate

Names Detto, I'm from Australia and have been keeping cichlids for over 15 years now. I have a soft spot for two fish in particular. Parachromis Dovii and Mesoheros Festae.

Unfortunately I had to shut my old Dovii tank down due to a move interstate however now my circumstances have changed and I managed to purchase my first property.

And of course the first thing I did was set up a fish tank dedicated to Festae.

I'll be posting photos of the beginning of my Festae journey up until now so bare with me because there's a lot to catch up on.

Hope you all enjoy!

Cheers,

Detto

 

[detto]

Latest FTS:
02/Jun/21



6x2x2ft 180g
Stock:
10" Male Festae

4x1.2x1.5ft 55g
Stock:
5 x 3.5" Festae Juveniles
15 x Buenos Aires Tetras

 

[detto]

I forgot to add in my equipment list and it won't let me edit my previous post so here it is for those of you who are interested:

180g:
Eheim Professional 3 XL 2080 + Eheim Suface Skimmer and DIY Dual Outlet
Dual Bio Reactor - Activated Charcoal & Seachem Purigen
Jebao Gyre Wave Maker CP-55
Eheim 300w Heater
Kessil A360
Eheim Auto Fish Feeder

55g:
Eheim 2217
Jade 300w Heater
Aqua One Auto Fish Feeder

 

[detto]

How it began...

I don't think there's ever been a point in my life since I started keeping fish that I didn't have a fish tank laying around somewhere.

I knew I wanted to give Festae a go so I started actively searching and set up a spare 4ft 55 gallon in the mean time.

Remarkably I came across a Male for sale and quickly jumped on him. He wasn't in the best condition, nor had the best colouration but atleast it was a start.

Here's a photo of him from the add:



And here's the 55g I set up:





As you can see I like neat and hidden hoses and cords. I ran two Eheim 2217's for a total of 2000lph. I kept the tank bare so I could quarantine and monitor him.

Luckily I did because he was in poor condition from the previous owner. Sunken belly, poor colouration and refusing to eat. He's poop was also white and stringy, all signs of hex and worms. I medicated him with Metronidazole, Praziquantel and Levamisole.

 

[Jexnell]

I love me some Festae as well, watching this thread to see how he develops.
Best of luck to you and him.

 

[Daniel36]

That is a neat set up you got, I hope one day to get my large tank set up with a big ol cichlid. I live in a town house at the moment and don’t think my floor could support more than my current set up for my flowerhorn. Keep us posted on updates ?

 

[esoxlucius]

Festae in full dress are arguably as close to marine fish colours as we can get with freshwater. They are stunning.

Yes, your guy is a bit washed out at the minute. However, I should think all that could possibly change if you could grow out a female from your juveniles and introduce her to him, if they get on, lol, but that's cichlids for you.

So, no pressure, over the next couple of years we want to see some pictures like the one below, lol.

 

[detto]

Ok time to add more to the journal! Here he is finally home. Pretty stressed out but atleast he's in good hands now.

11 Jan 21


He refused to eat for the first month so I was forced to feed him NLS Thera A gut loaded live fish. Then I had to wean him off that and onto pellets though the only thing he would touch was Hikari pellets. I then would crush it up, mix the medicine in, make it a paste, roll little pellets balls and bake it.

12 Feb 21




He started getting a lot better, more active and filling out. I would put a mirror up for a few minutes a day so he could spar and condition. His colors would really show and his confidence was coming back.

22 Mar 21

 

[Deadeye]

Love festaes! Following! Glad to see you are getting him back to good health!

 

[detto]

So I found a 180g in ok condition for sale on Gumtree (Craigslist equivalent). Got it for an absolute bargain and it came with alot of free extras. Right place, right time I guess.



Next step was to clean and scrub the glass with a sponge and vinegar/baking soda solution. It was used as a reef tank so there was alot of calcium deposit and limescale build up.



After abit of elbow grease it surprisingly came up very good and revealed minimal scratches, in fact I'd go so far to say almost new!





Next step was to modify the stand. It was sitting to high for my liking so I shortened it and made adjustments for clearance around an outlet. Talk about over engineered!







Now I know alot of you guys with monster tanks probably think a 180g isn't that big, but when you're the only person to move it around it sure does feel bloody big.

The objective was to get that tank up on that stand... Single handedly without breaking it or my back. This is how I did it and I definently would not recommend it to no one!





After much sweat and swearing I managed to push and slide it up on the stand, then I had to lift it up high enough to wiggle the foam under. I'm not gonna lie, it wasn't easy but I got the job done!