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150 Gallon Bichir Tank (Upgrade from 75)

70K views 579 replies 26 participants last post by  Sanguinefox 
#1 · (Edited)
I spoke about it in my other thread and it has happened. The 75 gallon tank is now gone (went to a new home) and in it's place I have a 150 gallon tank. I do have progress pictures.

I started out the day getting up really early. A friend of mine showed up and helped with moving the animals and getting everything ready to get cleaned. Afterwards another friend arrived and together we were able to muscle the tank out and clean it. It was a several hour wait for my brother to show up with his company van. We made the switch and then tore apart the living room to choose the best spot for the new tank.



Here it is before anything was put down.

After that I put my pipes in that will serve as hide spots for the bichirs. Later on I removed one and relocated Queen's old hide spot as I figured I may as well use that instead of a pipe. There are still three separate hide spots.



Here you see us getting into putting the sand down. My friend there was helping sculpt and level the bottom:



This is a close up shot of the royal retreat (Queen's pipe)



We added water by threading a garden hose through a window we opened up and now we are waiting for the silt to settle or get rinsed into the polyfilled bio bags in the filters. The other person you see is a friend who helped a lot with the moving of things.



That's all I have for now. I cannot take any good photography or video until the tank clears up. I sure picked a bad day to do this (100 degree weather) but it's done.

Now that's the good news. There is some bad news. Apparently while the fish were waiting in their tubs two of my yoyo loach discovered a hole in their cave (I didn't know it was there). They swam in and got stuck and died. I didn't find out till later when we were netting them and they were missing. I searched all over but it didn't strike me until too late that maybe they found a way inside the cave. I'm a big softie. I cried...it breaks my heart because I could have prevented this if I had thought things through.

The other two are doing fine...but I know they won't be happy by themselves. So I'll have to at some point increase their shoal. I will see if I cannot bring four home so they have a group of 6. I will update things as the tank clears and I continue/finish any tweaks. RIP two Yoyo Loaches...it breaks my heart for this to happen. I really wanted to see all four of you cavorting around the tank and enjoying all that space. :C
 
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#4 ·
The stand...I like it to some point. There are some things that should have been done with a different material. There are plants to further reinforce the stand.


That must have taken ALL day to break down your tank, move it, help break down the other ladies tank, move that, and then set this thing up! What work. I like the stand on that tank.

Did the sand you put over the PVCs stay there? I was thinking you could always try putting MORE sand there lol. IF that doesn't work just find some nice rock!

I can't wait to see it once it has settled.
Well the ladies tank was already broken down when we got there. It was still an all day affair getting everything done and the room put back together. I still need to tweak the layout (will do that when I have better visibility). I can shore the sand up better though...it's going to be a WIP for a bit.

That said all three bichirs are definitely very happy with the new bigger tank. :3
 
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#3 ·
That must have taken ALL day to break down your tank, move it, help break down the other ladies tank, move that, and then set this thing up! What work. I like the stand on that tank.

Did the sand you put over the PVCs stay there? I was thinking you could always try putting MORE sand there lol. IF that doesn't work just find some nice rock!

I can't wait to see it once it has settled.
 
#7 ·
I will probably find some cloth to put over the ugly plywood. That said the tank has cleared up enough to take some progress shots and get some input on the current layout.







And video:



I hope to have better video soon. Tank seems a bit bare but so far all the fish like it. Queen has found her retreat and stays in there where she feels safe. The two senegals are no longer bickering/nipping. In fact there has been no aggression at all between the three bichirs and they are a lot more relaxed and less likely to spook when you come near the tank.

The two loaches seem to be okay so far. They act a bit silly as usual.
 
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#8 · (Edited)
Well a bit of really good news. I talked to the pet store I originally got my Yoyo Loaches from and they do have a separate tank with older Yoyo's that they can sell. This pleases me to no end that I can increase the shoal size with similar sized fish.

Yay first good photo:



Eventually that ugly log is going to go. I will find something much nicer to replace it.
 
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#10 ·
Fox! I've been waiting for this post since Sunday morning - you snuck it in and made me track it down!!!

First of all, *whew* Took a lot of work to get it where it is, neh? Thank God for friends and family willing to lend a helping hand on a project as huge as this one - even so, you must have been exhausted by the time the day was done. I can't imagine moving and setting up a tank that huge!

That said, BRILLIANT!!! This tank is off to a great start, it looks like everything and every creature is settling in nicely very quickly - It is very obvious that the bichir are super happy with their new digs. I'm so happy for them, and for you. I can't wait to see how you tweak things, and how everything goes as it grows in.

I'm really so so sorry to hear that you lost two of the loaches. I would have cried, too - they were wonderful little guys, and I know how you loved them. However. . . it makes me glad to hear that you were able to find more bigger ones to bump up the size of their shoal. They'll be so very happy with their new friends, and with so much space to be silly in all together :)

I AM relieved to hear that everyone else made it through without a hitch. I think you all had a stressful day - but it was so worth it in the end :) Everything is looking good, and I can't WAIT for a shot of the elusive Queen. . . what must she be thinking about all of this hullabaloo!??
 
#12 ·
Haha I'm sorry. I figured a new tank deserved a new thread.

Oh I was definitely exhausted. I think everyone was. What made it worse is this all happened during a bad heat-wave. Yes the Senegalus are definitely more content. The nipping between the two has stopped. Their behavior has gone back to tolerating each other peacefully. The male seems to be engaging in courting behavior again. Who knows maybe one day I'll wake up to eggs again.

I'm excited to start filling this tank out and getting it into a really nice set up and I've have a few ideas. First step is to get a good centerpiece and one of the things Knuggs has up would fit that nicely if I manage to get it. I'm looking forward to getting the shoal size up.

Well, Queen has found her retreat. She now owns the two foot long pipe as far as she is concerned and won't tolerate the other bichirs being inside it. Beyond that though she's content to hide so I have not seen her much. After all that stress though she deserves a good lie in.
 
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#13 ·
Wow, looks GREAT! Makes me want a monster tank! I'm glad the bichirs are doing well in it!
Your friends are awesome helping you out so much. I don't think any of mine would have been too into leveling sand! xD
 
#15 ·
Monster tanks come with a lot of extra effort. It is a good thing my friend didn't mind because I'm not tall enough even standing on a chair to be able to reach and smooth out the back.

That is such good news that they carry the bigger Yoyo Loaches because yours are HUGE! Were you thinking maybe 4-8 more?

I'm liking it so far, good full shot of the tank, you go swimming in it yet? hahah.

How's queen doing, didn't see her in the videos? The grays are looking beautiful as always.
Loaches don't mature as fast as other fishes which makes it a double shame to lose any members. I hope to get 4 more. The individuals are quite expensive. As for Queen she came out a bit today if only to chase one of the Senegalus out of the entrance to her hole. Other than that she's been hiding but she'll come out when she's hungry enough.

I hope to pick up some frozen silversides some time and start Queen on bigger food items. Hopefully this will tempt her to come out more often so that I can get her on camera.
 
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#16 ·
Well this is kind of cute:



Also the best video I could record:

This is how much my loaches care about the bigger fish. They sleep wherever...even if it's occupied by a fish several times their size. :3
 
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#19 ·
Part of me wonders if this is a way for them to try to deal with their school being smaller. They've been following the Senegalus around and keeping somewhat close to them.

Daaaawwww! All snuggled up for bedtime stories!!? I love how such random species get along so well, makes me go all warm and fuzzy inside! ;)
Perhaps. This isn't an isolated incident now. I looked in today and they were doing it again. I got some slightly better video and a better photo too:




 
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#20 ·
Yea, I think they are making up for their small school.
Either that or they're all still stressed from their move, are there more caves with bichir?
Posted via Mobile Device
 
#22 ·
Well... I know all loaches are more prone to hiding if there aren't enough of them, though *technically* you never had enough of them, right? Shouldn't even the yoyo's be in shoals of 6+? Either way, I'm glad that they've found a way to feel a bit more comfortable, and that the bichir doesn't seem to mind - is it the same one that they tend to stick close to?
Do these babies have NAMES? I know Queen does, but do the others?
When are you going to get the new additions? I'm assuming you're waiting for things to establish a bit in this tank? And how is that going? I know you don't generally test, but have you checked the water to see what the water parameters are like in there? SOooooo curious!!! Sorry!
 
#23 · (Edited)
In response to all the questions out of order:

Yoyo Loaches are prone to hiding when they are A: not in a big enough shoal or B: In the presence of predators (meaning there are aggressive tank mates).

Mine have never really been that prone to hiding. When Queen comes out they tend to stay out of her way (then again all the fish do). It is true though that they should be a shoal of at least 6 (which is why I plan to bring at least four home).

As for when that will happen. I don't know yet. I hope to be able to do it either Sun, or next week. It just depends when the money is free because it's not just the cost of the fish. We also have to drive out to the pet store that has them (that's a fair drive out of the way).

Now when it comes to hiding spots there is the 2 foot long pipe that Queen claimed. There is a shorter pipe, a half log, and the ugly beige log that is currently in the middle of the tank. Queen uses her retreat. The half log gets used. The other two hiding spots tend to be go in periods of use/disuse. For some reason the fish really really like the half log. Though in the past my Loaches showed a preference for the beige log in the middle of the tank. I have seen my bichirs use the smaller pvc pipe.

The two Senegalus technically have names. "Zorn and Thorn" were the original names I gave them based on some FF characters. However for the longest time I couldn't tell them apart and when I finally saw sexual dimorphism I started calling one "Male" and the other "Female". The two loaches have recently been dubbed "Wheeler" and "Joey". One is Wheeler because of the way at night he likes to derp and spin up and down in circles for a reason I don't know. My friend came up with the name Joey.

EDIT: Also as for testing I have not done any testing yet. I may get something to test with when I get my loaches so I can keep an eye on what the load does to the tank. Plus I have to work out a good water change schedule.
 
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#24 ·
You know I'm going to rename the Senegalus. The shorter fat one is going to be Fee (for female) and I'll call the longer thinner Male "Mal".
 
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#26 ·
Queen came out last night for a bit but I didn't have the camera handy.

I noticed today she was poking her head out looking around and so I put some shrimp pellets in and grabbed the camera. At first she just stuck her head out a few times to grab a few pellets. Then she came out completely. I've got footage uploading right now of her after she left the log entirely because she wanted to forage for food. Expect and update soon.
 
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#30 ·
She's the Queen , you don't get in the way of a Queen.

I'm hoping to see her come out more and more.
 
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#32 · (Edited)
Oh the Red Queen. Ten times more demented in the Alice game I watched a play through of.

Well I have some good and bad news! The good news is I brought more fish home. The bad news is that it's not likely I will be able to get my hands on any Yoyo Loach at the size I want. When I went up to there I kind of got the run around but was told I may be able to custom order the size I want. When I get a little extra money and the tank is a little better planted/established I will look into that. For now I"m dealing with my family being a little disgruntled at how "Empty" the tank looks when the bottom dwellers are doing what they do best.

So after some looking around at their stock my friend and I decided to get four Gourami. We got Moonlight and two Pearl. So far they seem to be appreciating their new tank and they gobbled up some Mysis Shrimp I thawed for them as a treat for putting up with such a stress period. We also got another plant to help fill the tank in a bit. I did a bit of rescaping too. Stand by for pictures and video.









Video

 
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#34 ·
Gorgeous Gourami! I was actually wondering what your family thought of your choice in fishes, lol! *I* think they're lovely, but I can see how they might not be appreciated by non aquarists who have them in their living room, lol! I hope the gourami fare well!

Bummer about the loaches. . .How old are your current two? How long would it take babies to catch up in size? Or. . . would the bichir see them as dinner before they got that big? It will be worth the money to do a custom order, but what a bummer, considering they said they had them in stock! *growls*
 
#36 ·
Well one doesn't like the fact that my "monsters" eat little fish. The other really likes everything.

So far the Gourami doesn't bother the bichir and vice versa. They are very happy eaters though. As for the loaches, yeah the ornate would eat babies. Once the tank is fully planted I'm going to definitely see about the cost to do a special order.
 
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