New fish! - Tanganyika Shoreline 50G Riparium

[speedie408]

hydro,

You made a wise decision going with the petricolas. I've kept them in the past. Now I'm keeping 4 Synadontis luccipinis in my 40B and they are one of my all time fav. fish. These fish act just like the petricolas but stay a little smaller and have a slightly darker appearance and different spot patterns, otherwise they're pretty hard to tell apart. For some reason, mine only come out when feeding and when it's recess time. They have some sort of schedule and are not always active all day long. They love caves. They have characteristics of a shark Just watch them swim, you'll see what I mean. Here's a not so good shot at one of them:


Post lots of pics once you get em.

[hydrophyte]

I'm really stoked to get them. They will ship from Chicago on Monday and I should get the box on Tuesday or Wednesday.

That's a fun picture in your sig J.B..

[demonbreedr16]

OOOOOOoooooOOOO!!! I've wanted some S. Petricola for a few months now, but haven't really been too interested in looking for them. LOL

I've gotten more and more feed up with fish and am starting to go all plants.

Still, I really hope this goes good & I can't wait to see it complete [or even started]!

[hydrophyte]

Here's the sales thread where I found the S. petricola.

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums...d.php?t=209775

It sounds like a good seller who is offering the fish.

I have been pondering this setup some more. One variable that I have wondered about is additional fish selection. A few other ideas came to mind for fish to swim around in the mid-level/top-level of the tank. I wondered about rainbows, or West African tetras or some kind of barb. The best solution was right under my nose. I have colonies of several different livebearer species that originated from fish that I collected in Jalisco, Mexico during two different trips in 2007 and 2008. These are really great fish, but I have had them in these colony tanks for so long that I don't really think of them as display fish. However, they have beautiful appearances. I am likely to use this one, Poecilia chica as the main shoaling fish in addition to the group of S. petricola.



What a gorgeous fish! It doesn't have super bright colors, but it has that turquoise iridescence on its flanks as well as patches of metallic gold. The breeding males develop more vibrant turquoise coloration as well as dark black on their fin margins. I got that picture above at the same location where I collected beginnings of my colony in the Río Purificación near the town of La Huerta (GPS: N 19°30'22.8" W 104°39'28.6"). I currently have about 40 of these--most are fry--in a 40 breeder. I think that I will pick out a group of about a dozen medium-sized individuals to form the school in this new tank.

[hydrophyte]

This one, Poecilia butleri, is a second possibility, although I think that I am more inclined to use the P. chica.



P. butleri is also an appealing fish, but it is somewhat less colorful than P. chica. They grow larger, to about 4" long and have little flecks of iridescence of different colors. I shot that picture at an access point (GPS: N 19°42'43.2" W 104°09'11.2") on the Río Ayquila near the town of Aguacate, although I collected my colony fish at another point further upstream

[dxiong5]

I just sold my Syno. Petricolas and now I want them back. The fella who bought them said they were actually Syno Luccinpinis. Maybe I'll find some other ones down the road.

PS. Devin, I'll be ready for that riparium package this week, just picked up 20H setup!

[demonbreedr16]

Thanks for the link to the sales thread, if I had more money, I'd buy some for my 55 to keep the lone S. Nigriventris company, but I don't right now.

[hydrophyte]

I just got some setup pictures--no fish yet, or plants--and I'm going to edit them and post right now. I want to ask for opinions on a few different details of set up.

[hydrophyte]

Last night I stayed up late making some room for the fish and to grow out the plants that I'm using. This setup is temporary, but it should be good enough while I pull together the tank, cabinet and other items for the more permanent display.



This is an Aqueon 50-gallon aquarium. Having a second look at it I am beginning to wonder about my choice for the display tank. I had the 40 breeder in mind before, but now consider using the 50 instead. The 50 has thicker glass (3/8" or so) than the 40 breeder (1/4" or so), so it should be somewhat stronger after removal of the top plastic rim. I wouldn't trust either of these tanks without the top rim and filled to the top with water. With the waterline at several inches below the top, the 40 should hold about 30 gallons of water, while the 50 should hold 40 or so. The 40 might be better for reinforcing my original idea of a setup emphasizing depth and width over deepness of water--like an indoor pond--but the 50 might be stronger and will hold a little water and fish. I don't really want to purchase another tank, so if I use the 50 I will have to transfer the fish and everything two times so that I can yank that plastic rim. What do you all think I should do?

I also set the tank up with a light, a heater and a sponge filter w/air. That ought to be good enough for now

[hydrophyte]

...and here's the light that I'm using, temporarily.



This is just a single 39-watt T5 HO lamp with ballast and reflector, but it produces surprisingly bright light. I could probably get along with a light like this (without the rustic hanging job) with the right plant selection. However, I think that I do want somewhat brighter light. I am considering investing in this fixture when I get closer to a permanent setup:

Aqua Medic Sunbeam 36"







*

[londonloco]

Hydro, would you consider using a Catalina lighting system. I really like mine. They are comparable in price as the Aqua Medic. They come with legs, or for 10$ they will add hooks to it so you can hang it from the ceiling w/simple chains. I've only had mine a short time, but I've heard they last years. Just a thought....

[hydrophyte]

Thanks for that suggestion. That Aqua Medic interested for the looks, and the price.

How many lamps does your Catalina have, and can you switch them independently? I understand that the Aqua Medic just has one switch, so you can only choose between both lamps on or both lamps off. I might just consider rigging together two hydroponics strip lights for this setup because that way I can better control light. Depending upon my plant selection I might just make this a low-light setup, so that the plants will grow more slowly and also to limit algae.

[londonloco]

My Catalina 48" three light has two switches, two outer lights on one switch, the middle light is on the second switch. I have two lights come on for three hours, then all three lights on for three hours, then two lights on for the next three hours. So yes, you can turn them on independently. I'm looking for a light for the soon to be purchased 29g. I'm thinking their 2 light, but from what I gather from their website, it has one switch also. I've heard they will customize any lighting system they make, I'm calling them tomorrow. Hoping customizing doesn't = bunches of $$$. All I want to do is add a switch...... I really like the 48" Catalina I have now, I'll let ya know in 3 years if I still like it. I've had other lighting systems crap out on me after just a year or two, won't buy those again!

[hydrophyte]

That's interesting that they make that 3-lamp fixture--I remember noticing that in your journal thread--and it would handy to have that switch configuration too. It's also good to know about their customization options. I should look into that. I really like being able to dim down the lights for most of the day. SO long as the plants get enough light it makes everything else easier.

[Hoppy]

I think I would use the 50 gallon, taking the time to remove the rim first. It has such great dimensions, 36 x 18 x 18 that it has to be an ideal "high water" riparium. But, if the rim is still there it would look awful, in my opinion. Just handling that size tank to remove the rim would scare me away from even trying. It looks like several hours of work, plus the time to thoroughly clean away the silicone deposits. (However, I'm just getting too old to tackle that kind of project.)