New 90 Gallon Brackish Archer Species Tank

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T

trpower7

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Nov 10, 2010
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Omaha, Nebraska
Three years ago, I had to shut down my mixed 125g brackish aquarium due to law school and the potential for moving soon. Now that I've settled back down, I've decided to kick my old habit back off again, and start a 90g archer species tank.

I've gotten then tank and stand, and now I'm trying to figure out just how to aquascape it to show off the archer's shooting skills! Before, I would just stick some krill to the glass tops and watch them shoot, but that was rather boring.

I've seen pictures on here of people with plants somehow suspended above the water. Right now I plan to leave 8 inches of "free space" without water at the top of the tank. So, now that i've bored you to death - here are my questions:

1. What's the easiest way to leave places above the water level, be it by plants or rocks or wood?

2. Do you think a school of 5 archers is too much in a 90 with excellent filtration (likely a canister)?

3. How can I go about this with the least number of tools and space - I live in an 8th floor loft apartment in a downtown area, so I don't exactly have a workshop or many tools.

Thanks for all your help. This is my first post on this site, and I'm hoping to get a serious education!
 
hi there you asked about my tank sorry for not getting back to you but have been away i have posted a reply on that link.
 
I hope I can help, because I had an archer setup not too long ago...

1) Lower the water level and get some wood to stick out the water. While some people make shelves and silicone them in place to put plants on, this is a rather permanent setup, and if you want to change the layout, it just becomes a nuisance. I had large pieces of driftwood stick out the water. In this way, I had a mangrove-like effect below the water and something for the archers to shoot off above the water.

2) 5 is pushing it... but they do like to be in groups of roughly this size. However, they do get pretty big, and I've seen archers pick at each other when they're cramped. Perhaps try a smaller group? 3?

3) As I mentioned in number 1.

Also, whatever way you go about creating the area for the archers to spit at, make sure it's at least 5cm (2 inches) above the water. If the 'target' is too close to the water, the archers will simply jump and grab the food. As cool as that is, it has nothing on their archery stunts.

Regards
 
Just wanted to keep everyone updated - I'm a good way towards getting the archer fish to fill the aquarium. Here's a rough outline of what I've done so far:

1. I built a background out of natural slate (tiles from home depot) that I smashed up and then siliconed (GE I) to the back of the aquarium and each other. After letting that cure for awhile I....

2. I used two cans of GreatStuff foam to create some shelves and "tree root" looking structures, and then covered them in several coats of brown-colored concrete. There are three shelves, one of which forms a waterfall in the right corner.

3. For filtration, I went with a Reaction 4-stage canister filter, EFU-45, rated up to 175 gallons. I figure with the water only 2/3rds of the way up, I'm looking 60-70 gallons in the actual tank, so I think I'm covered in the filter department. I've also put in an inline heater, to keep as much as possible out of the tank.

4. I've split the canister return into the waterfall and a spray bar turned vertically in the center area of the tank. The heater is placed before any split.

5. For decoration, at the moment it's just the background and a lot of fake "bamboo" plants that I've strung up over the surface, and some down in the tank itself. Let me know what you think!

Right now the tank is cycling, and I figure that after new years it'll be safe for my squad of five archer fish! Thanks again for all your help, and I'll keep posting pics as things progress.

IMG_0922.JPG

IMG_0925.JPG
 
Looking awesome sir. I love archers. Makes me sad I had to get rid of mine.
 
Thanks for the compliments! My substrate is pool filter sand - I've used it before with good results.

About the mudskippers - the concrete I used over the foam is pretty rough to the touch - the shelf on the right has a "beach" of sorts built where the waterfall goes. I'm sure one could sit there, but would the rough concrete in other places and/or the constant water movement bother him?

Any suggestions are helpful - I'd love to add a mudskipper or two!
 
I did try mudskippers once. I didn't get as far as ordering the fish though...

The water depth is too deep, and at the moment, I can't imagine a platform resting on top of the water to give the skippers some room. Also, if there was a platform, it would block the plants, and disrupt the archer's "hunting" which you have so carefully laid out.


I know this post is a month late almost, but I just wanted to give the help I could. :D

Good luck!
 
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