[The Sticker Whine Line]

I put these on my sump. They’re awesome. I need a Geophagus version. 

[What did you get done today?]

I got my 180 gallon freshwater community/Geophagus tank set up. The tank was aquascaped Wednesday night and I put everyone in this morning. I've been cycling it with my Geophagus "surinamensis" (in quotes because these supposedly aren't available in the trade). Here's a video from my post on Reddit.

 

You'll notice the planters and sponge filters come are from aquariumcoop.com. The plants all came from there too. 

[Hello fellow fish nerds!]

Well, here it is... not settled on the positioning of all the driftwood, but check it out.

 

 

[Large tank cycling]

OK, so here's my plan... I'm going to add enough ammonia to get it to 2ppm (~15 mL accounting for the sump), then add the TSS. I'll recheck in 2 days and then daily after that. I'll aim to keep it at 2 PPM until after the nitrite spike.

[Large tank cycling]

I'm in the process of setting up my 180 gallon freshwater tank from custom aquariums but I'm not quite there. I filled it to see if there were any leaks in my plumbing. One of my threaded pipes was sweating, so I emptied it enough to fix that problem and refilled it. It's not in its final place because I still have some electrical work to do. Right now, I have it set up with the heater on and the sump pumps running. I'm floating my driftwood so that I can scape it without worrying about the wood floating away. I will have to empty the tank almost completely in order to move it into its final place and scape it. 

That brings me to my question. Would you recommend I start cycling the filter now so that I can get a jump start on things, or would you wait until the substrate is in place? If I do a fish in cycle, I will have to remove the fish before I scape it. In a 180, that might be hard to do. I have a full bottle of TSS, but I'm reading on various forums that it is more meant for slow rise of ammonia like you would see with a fish in cycle. I could order some Dr. Tim's One & Only and do an ammonia cycle, or I could wait. I've been working on this project for a while and I'm starting to get antsy. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[New aquarium plants for new aquarium]

10 minutes ago, Streetwise said:

I don't run any tanks at your size

Nano tanks take a lot more attention. I respect that skill. I'm hoping for something that will do a lot of its own maintenance. Bigger volume = more room for biofiltration and cleaner water. I'm building a water change system because my municipal water supply has too much nitrates and I'll be doing water changes with RO water. I'd like to get my water changes down to only 1-2x per month if possible.

[New aquarium plants for new aquarium]

4 minutes ago, Streetwise said:

Your large tank will probably be able to hold enough beneficial bacteria to take care of itself, so your sump could be on display doing all sorts of other projects, or letting you overdrive your display tank.

My hope is to have a completely cycled aquarium (zero ammonium, zero nitrites and zero nitrates). This is the idea with the biohome. I have 15 kg of BH ultimate as well as several pounds of bioballs. I also have a media reactor sitting around collecting dust. Not sure what I'll do with it, but may try to incorporate it in some way. I may put some floating plants in the evaporation chamber in the sump and make it a refugium of sorts.

[New aquarium plants for new aquarium]

1 minute ago, Streetwise said:

It looks like you have an amazing tank, and an epic sump. Are you coming from a marine background?

No, I've always done freshwater. I was going to just get a 120 or 150 from PetSmart then I started looking into the qualities of high vis glass and ended up on the customaquariums.com website. The next thing I knew, I had spent several grand and had this awesome tank. The sump will contain mostly biofiltration (BioHome Ultimate, and bioballs). Still trying to figure out where to put the carbon pads so I don't have too much of a blackwater problem. They included a UV sterilizer in the package, so that should hopefully help keep the algae down. 

[Hello fellow fish nerds!]

1 minute ago, Jungle Fan said:

I would protect the sword plants with rocks, or roots rather than use a planter. Swords are root feeders with very large roots once they get established, especially because you will want to add root tabs because they need that extra iron and potassium. You could also add some crypts in between driftwood, and cover the driftwood with epiphyte plants going from small to large as you progress upwards like Anubias nana petite, followed by Anubias nana, Bucephalandras, Java Fern, and Anubias afzelli. That way you would have your plants either mounted on rocks, or wood, or protected by rocks, or wood and you can leave the area around the rocks and wood for your Geophagus, and Cories to dig around at their hearts content. If you are planning for an open tank then you could also ad some floating plants like Amazon frogbit, and Red Root floaters, which will help keep the nutrient levels in the water down, especially if you feed fresh, or frozen foods.  I hope this helps.

I like your ideas. Although, I think the swords may still work with the planters. They are open on the bottom and they don't need to be moved. I could also take them out of the pot. 

[Hello fellow fish nerds!]

1 minute ago, Jungle Fan said:

Welcome to the forum! Have you tried some Amazon swords? I have seen some very large Amazon sword plants in tanks with Geophagus that seemed to be thriving. Sometimes it helps to place some big river rock that can stick out of the substrate around the roots to create sort of a protective barrier, or, if you arrange several pieces of driftwood you can have the plant emerge out of strategically created holes which will keep it protected from digging.

Amazon swords are at the top of my list for the background plants. I have a large stump that will serve as a block for some of the plants, but this is also why I bought the easy planters.

[New aquarium plants for new aquarium]

I am planning out my 180 gallon tank. I am just about to get it filled and start cycling. I am hoping to add some plants, but I have fish that like digging. I bought six of the easy planters, and hope to add plants that don’t branch out too much. I was hoping you all might have some good ideas on what plants might go well. I would like some things go all the way to the top to give the tank more depth. That being said, I don’t want the plants to spread too much. I would rather have more planters and the ability to move things around without worrying about the fish digging them up. In my experience, the fish I have don’t really eat the plants too much, But since they are substrate feeders, they tend to uproot them. I plan to have a large area of sand, But a zone in the back that has some kind of planted substrate. I plan to separate them with larger decorations so the two substrates don’t mix. so, I’m open to suggestions. I was thinking about swords and other plants that will grow up from a single point and not send out runners. The only truly planted aquarium I have ever had is going strong, but also somewhat out of control. With 24 ft.³ of room in the tank, I do not need these plants to do the same. I will most likely add CO2 at some point, but need suggestions on plants that will grow without it. I am not opposed to adding some carpeting plants as the diggers won’t be in the tank right away. For these, I would need suggestions on things that will grow and root fast.

[Hello fellow fish nerds!]

Hi all!

My name is Russell, And I am a fish-a-holic! I have been in the hobby for about four years, and still feel clueless sometimes. I am branching out and planning a 180 gallon tank to transfer my current stock and add to it. Currently I have a A. heckelii, G. “surinamensis”, G. steindachneri, and small shoals of harlequin rasbora, Buenos Aires Tetras, and pepper cories. I’ll post a few pictures of my fishy friends here.

I have tried a planted tank and while it is thriving from a chemistry standpoint, it is kind of a mess. I’m hoping to add some plants to the big tank, but with the earth eaters, plants don’t last long. I bought six of the easy planters, and hope to add some simple low maintenance plants that I will not be upset about if they get demolished.

I have some questions for the forum, but I will seek out the appropriate location to ask them. Glad to be a part of the group!