Multiple Questions

[pwmin]

I am not sure where to start, so please excuse me if this isn’t the best laid-out post or if I put this in the wrong section. It is my first real post, after all. I have multiple questions, but I have quite a bit of background to cover. If I need to break down the questions and put them in different areas, please let me know.

Current set-up:
Tank: All-Glass 125-gallon (US) tank (72”L x 18” W x 24”? H) kit (included lighting)
Substrate: SMALL layer of organic peat moss, layer of SeaChem Fluorite (1 10Kg/22lb.), layer of CaribSea Kahuna Soil (1 20lb. bag), layer of CaribSea Sand (charcoal gray) (just replaced the gravel that was in there)
Background: cardboard (not sure how much I like this, but it sort of looks like a brown silt river bank
Fish: ~8” Black Ghost Knife
Decor: River rocks (mostly brownish, a couple black), Petsmart root decorations 1 of each Medium and Large size (http://www.petsmart.com/product/ind...av_dropdown4_link4&parentPage=family&keepsr=1) (had in another tank, thought they would be good for Amazon tank)., ~8” long piece of sinking bogwood, ~14” long piece of floating bogwood
Filtration: Emperor 400 on right side, Penguin 350 on left side
Other: 4 x 301 Powerheads (were used for UGF which is now gone)
Future fish: “oddball” pleco (?), black or silver aro, “oddball” bichir (?), etc.(?)

I was going to do a planted Amazon Clearwater? biotope aquarium, but now I’m not sure. There is about a 5-inch ornate bichir at one of the LFS’s that I really want, so I’m thinking I want to do an Amazon-like tank w/ ancient fish (I want a black or silver arowana: more information on that will come later). I had an ~ 8” Senegal bichir before that mysteriously died along w/ an ~ 6” common pleco. I say mysterious because the ammonium and nitrites were low/zero and the BGK survived (maybe the BGK killed them somehow?). Is it usual for a pleco to be hard when they die (I’m pretty sure this is the case as I’ve seen a few dead ones) and a bichir to be mushy and come apart when you try to net them? I hope I’m not sounding like too much of a newb, lol. My other concern (besides having a bichir in there) about doing to planted tank is bothering the knife with too much light. Is that something I should be really worried about?

As far as the Petsmart root decorations are concerned: what is your opinion on them? Do they look cheap and tacky or do they fit in well w/ the type of bastardized biotope aquarium I’m trying to accomplish? I will probably have to get rid of the large one as the arowana grows so it won’t take up swimming room. I have one more question about the large one. My BGK loves to swim up in the piece and chill out until it’s dark and there’s food in the water. Should I leave him have his scared resting spot or is there any way that I can plug up the holes so he doesn’t get in there and somehow get stuck?

My next set of questions is about inter-species compatibility. If I get an arowana (I am planning on getting one) and it grows up to it’s full captive growth potential, how large of a pleco will I need to have in order it to be safe from being food for the aro? Also, a full-grown BGK or Ornate Bichir should have no concerns of being prey for a 36+” or so arowana, will it? In other words, how large of a fish can fit into a large aro mouth? Does anyone know the real answer of how large a gold nugget pleco can grow? Multiple places I have read say 6 inches and even more say 14 inches. The last question is about black aro’s. I had a silver before that grew to about 12 inches or so and then died due to a nitrite spike. I blame this on the LFS who sold me the 125-gal setup as they told me the only filtration I would need would be the provided UGF, which was clearly not the case. I should have known better to just listen and to have done some research. Do I have it right that it’s about impossible to find black arowana that are less than 8 inches? I am planning on moving up to a 350+ gallon tank in a couple years and I’m not sure that I would be able to start out with an 8-inch aro as my tank might be too small for it before I can upgrade, but I would like a black because I enjoy the coloration more than the silver and they shouldn’t grow quite as large as a silver. Am I off on any of that?

In conclusion, I hope you can read through the whole thing and give me some insight. I am sorry for such a long post. I tried to keep it as short as I could, but I have so many questions as I want to do it right this time. Thank you for your time. I’m sure I have more questions that I have forgotten about, lol.

PAUL

 

[Bderick67]

Wow, lots of questions. post like this don't get alot of responses, best is to start lots of threads on individule topics(arowanas, bichers, set up & filtration) are just some of the forums you'll want to break this down into. It actually works best on your part to make lots of threads, because there are many on here that have more experience in areas and can comment better on individule questions.

 

[pwmin]

Okay, thanks for the tip. Each forum is different, so I wasnt sure how to approach it. I'll make a couple posts in more specific sections, then.

 

[vanimate]

First off, Welcome to MFK
Ill try to answer as many questions as I remember

The arowana will last for a little bit in your tank but will soon outgrow the 125, and you will have to upgrade fairly quickly.

As far as the filtration, I wouldnt even use a UGF. I would add to the HOBs that you currwntly have if your going to keep larger fish, maybe some cannisters or even better yet a wet/dry.

Bichirs come from africa, and while they would work in your setup, it wouldn't be a true "Amazon" biotope.

Sorry for the hodgepodge answers and I'm sure I'm forgetting something. but I hope that helps you out a little.

 

[Wolf3101]

Add on a Fluval 405 canister and you have the filtration covered. My 20" silver aro can fit fairly large fish in her mouth if she wanted but she's been hand fed from about 6" so she's not really intrested.

Gold nuggets are fairly slow growing plecos...I think your main problem is that your thinking of adult sized fish without concidering the individual growth rates.

The substrait you described is an alian one to me because I'm NOT a planted tank sort of guy...LOL I'll let others handle that part of your question.

We have and use what some people might concider 'tacky' decorations in some of our tanks... we either like them or they provide hiding spaces for the fish. Don't worry so much about what any of us think of it....if YOU like the looks of them then they are perfect...

I'd recomend seriously looking into some perminate supercartrages for your marineland filters. You can pick them up on Ebay and find some more information about them on my ...this old filter....blog.

 

[pwmin]

Yeah, that helps, thanks I do realize that the bichir won't fit the biotope, but I think I'll be okay with that. The bichir will be the only fish I would accept out of the biotope. I miss my senegal and the ornate is so much prettier. They're just such cool fish. I'll be happy w/ an ancient fish tank thats sorta Amazon-ish, lol.

I totally got rid of the UGF, for one because I wanted sand, and for two, because the tubes are ugly and they don't seem to work all that well. I'm thinking I may just get the bichir for now and then get a black or grow up a silver a little after i get a larger tank settled in.

I originally bought the 125 cuz the silver i had was outgrowing my 55. I'm not sure why I didnt just get a 180 at the time, but that was a few years ago, so I don't remember why. Probably because I was a poor college student at the time and couldn't afford the extra. IDK what I would've done now if I had a huge aro. Guess my credit card billl would be going back up from having to buy a big tank, lol. The silver was about 11 inches when it died probably 3 years ago. Lessons learned.

 

[Mystix212]

Is it usual for a pleco to be hard when they die ]

My other concern (besides having a bichir in there) about doing to planted tank is bothering the knife with too much light. Is that something I should be really worried about?



how large of a pleco will I need to have in order it to be safe from being food for the aro?

Also, a full-grown BGK or Ornate Bichir should have no concerns of being prey for a 36+” or so arowana, will it?

I would like a black because I enjoy the coloration more than the silver and they shouldn’t grow quite as large as a silver. Am I off on any of that?

Because pleco's have quite a strong outter body/scales they are usually stiff and strong rather then all mushy like regular fish.

BGK dislike bright tanks but will quite happily live in one so long as thier are plenty of dark hiding places and lots of shade.

Silver and Black arowana's are peaceful fish that mix with almost any monster although they are dedicted feeder beaters. A 3ft arowana is most likely going to take quite some time to get to that length. But in the meantime, just make sure the fish in the tank are a minimum of 1/4 - 1/3 of the arowanas length. Obviously pleco's can be smaller as they are strict bottom dwellers and can always hide out of sight.

A full grown BGK is roughly 2ft. No chance of being prey. Ornate Birchirs are also took big to be considered prey at thier max size.

Both get the same size.

 

[pwmin]

Cool, I wasnt sure how big of a fish a "full-size" aro could eat. I'm happy they would most likely be able to live in harmony. I'll probably just get an ornate and some sort of pleco for now, maybe a few smaller mid-strata fish and wait till I move and get a large tank to get a larger aro, even though I should be moved before it gets way too big for the 125. I think I'm going to try just a few plants in this tank to see how it goes and get some experience and make a new planted tank when I upgrade.

I've dealt with a lot of dead fish (mostly white suckers, trout, and gizzard shad), but I've never had one that just fell apart with the slightest touch (net in this case) like the bichir did, especailly after only being dead overnight.

 

[Mystix212]

All I can say for the dead fish is that it may of had an opening somewhere(Through the eyes)/or mouth, that allowed a flow of water inside the body and made it mushy or soft?

 

[pwmin]

All I can say for the dead fish is that it may of had an opening somewhere(Through the eyes)/or mouth, that allowed a flow of water inside the body and made it mushy or soft?

yeah, i dont know, maybe. by the time i got it out, it was pretty much unrecognizable so i couldnt tell if anything was wrong with it.