Yeobster,

May I know what's the name of your "made in China" brand?
I'm going to list down all the silent type pumps and compare.


I'm still deciding between river sand and purchased sand.

River sand pros:

1. Free
2. Makes the water look really nice (perhaps its due to the microbes).
3. Natural looking floor bed

Cons:

Does not have any cons.


Purchased sand pros:

I'm planning to get white sand

1. Uniform substrate
2. Floor bed looks clean and neat
3. White sand makes the tank look brighter
4. Better contrast between substrate and flat stones (decor)

Cons:
1. Needs a lot of rinsing to remove foreign derbis
2. Money has to exit the wallet


Your 6 foot tank, that's bad news. Where did you put the aligator gars then?
Do you put polystyrene as padding under your tank? Or what can be used?

I realize there are a lot of things to plan when getting a huge tank... =_=

But still, I can't wait.


Aimank,

Janda Baik.... Pahang, right? I'm planning to go to Ulu Yam and a few other rivers/dams to scout for flat stones and sand. And maybe scooping for small fishes in the streams.



Regarding the noise from the pump and from the outlet pipe, Ggming told me to make a dursa system to reduce the water sound. Does anyone here have any experience in making / using the dursa system?

But the last time I collected sand from the river, I only rinsed it twice as the river water was really clean. So far, no problems with the fishes.

I don't know if the river water is still as clean as it was a year ago.

But what you said is really making me think.

Where is you place? I'm looking for fine white sand, almost like sea sand.

Okay, you guys are scaring me with your experience. I shall take note to rinse the river sand with boiling water before using it.


Yeobster, how is the Atman's performance? Is there any motor sound?

My 8 ft tank is being delivered tomorrow evening.

:B

Cannot wait, cannot wait.

(This is somehow more exciting then when I first got my PS2)

Aba aba knifefish. I want it to grow up to its full potential, which would be 5 feet plus. And then, I can feed it bigger live foods, like one huge tilapia. Or perhaps many ping pong ball sized gold fish. Would be really fun to watch.

I was planning on having grass planted at the bottom of the tank, but I am afraid that the fish might uproot it.

What do you think? Plant, or do not plant?

I like that idea: plants attached to rock or wood. Why didn't I think of that?
My fish likes to play around, rescaping the sand in its tank. I think that idea would be best.
I plan to put in one huge driftwood too, so the little prey fishes can hide.

Hardscaping is easy, but not having any green is like ... a double cheese burger without any pickles. It's not complete.


The tank is 8 ft x 2.5 ft x 2. 5 ft, 15mm thickness. Comes with a solid wooden cabinet and cover, a 4 ft x 2 ft x 1.5 ft sump tank. No pump or lights. Price including delivery to PJ = RM 2,200. It was used for six months to house arowanas.

As the location of the seller was nearby my house (and I was so kiasu/ excited), I would drive past the shop every day to see the works progress. The boss did fill it with water to test for leakage, and he did shellac it as promised.

I'm thinking of strengthen the cabinet with internal steel structures. A cabinet made just out of wood doesn't feel safe to me.

Now, the only problem is the renovation of the PJ house.

My mom was like "Why is the tank coming so soon? The house will only be ready in October."

Me: =_= ....But you said .... June..
Dad: We need to break off this and restructure that..bla bla bla..
Me: =_= ........ Just let the tank be there first....

Turning negatives to positives, I'll more time to seach for sand, driftwood, pump head, lights, plants (that are attached to rocks), and a huge plastic bag to transfer the fish.

Plastic bag or polysterene container? The fish is 2.4 ft in length now. And it has a mean, mean bite.

Hahahahahah! Now you see my hand, now you don't.


By the way, those paddlefish are a pain in the *ss to keep. I was really tempted, but after doing thorough research: feeding them, housing them (they and their round aquarium needs)...no, no...I'd go for a sturgeon.

Hmmm... I dunno about that. We'll have to wait for the experts to have their say on this.
But there are locally bred paddlefish and sturgeons in Malaysia now. So, maybe they don't require lower temperature water.

This post has been edited by beer8bottles: May 29 2012, 12:13 AM

Hey, thank you so much for the offer. Waiting for your pictures. Hopefully it's not too big, later no space for my fish to swim around.




Ladies and gentlemen,

I present to you, the tank:



It's under the porch. Will have to wait till October when the house is done being renovated

Time to go searching for all the other stuffs.

To the batmobile!

Nope. It has braces on the top.

It'd be pretty scary if it were braceless for that size. @_@

:B

2.2K including delivery.

I calculated the weight of the tank, it's roughly 300 kg. It took 5 skinny people to move the tank. I was surprised that they could even lift it.

The cabinet finishing is pretty decent as the owner touched it up a bit before delivering. I'm gonna waterproof the interior of the cabinet with liquid rubber or other waterproofing agents.

My dad is also going to add internal steel structures to further strengthen the cabinet. Wood alone doesn't seem sturdy enough.


Can you advise me about lighting?
As it's for an aba aba knifefish, it can't be too bright. And I'm planning to put in moss (that doesn't require high amounts of light).

---

Added on May 30, 2012, 9:44 amAnd when can I collect the driftwood? Where is you location?
I feel like I need to give you something in return.

Do you want aquarium gravel? I have a bag of black/grey gravel, about 0.5cm in diameter. I'll post pictures later.

This post has been edited by beer8bottles: May 30 2012, 09:44 AM

The previous owner said it was lasak wood, which is stronger than Nyatoh.
It's been dry for a month or two but the silicone still looks really good.
He refilled the tank about 5 days ago to test for leaking. It was drained on the 28th of May.


Jules and Yeobster,

Thank you for the advise.
I'll fill it up as soon as possible. Do I need to fill it up to the top, or is half filled good enough?

---

Added on May 30, 2012, 11:03 amLED with brightness controller. Okay, will read up on that.
What's the price range for it?

This post has been edited by beer8bottles: May 30 2012, 11:03 AM

Okay. Noted. I could breed the longkang fishes for the next few months while waiting. I'll have an endless supply of feeders.


A spotlight sounds better than LED tubes. I'll read up on that too.


As for the metal structure, this is the first time we're having a giant tank in the house so everyone is a bit paraniod about the cabinet giving way, the glass not being able to withstand the water pressure...etc...etc. So for the peace of mind of everyone and for himself, my dad said the metal structures MUST be fixed in, additional support added to the glass tank...etc. So, yeah...

How often do you clean your sump?


Aimank, the gravel:


It's been in the store for almost 2 years now. It's about 4 - 5kg, washed, dried, all cleaned.

Hmmm.. I'm coming from Puchong. Would PJ be okay to meet up?

This post has been edited by beer8bottles: May 30 2012, 07:00 PM

That tiger is NICE!
But why no substrate?

Does anyone know where I can buuy Black Aquarium Silicone Sealant, industrial grade?

@_@ Really?
Okay...I'll have to do more research. But what about the properties of the silicone.
Black silicone is said to be better in terms of that it doesn't dry up, doesn't shrink.

Maybe you can explain more?

This post has been edited by beer8bottles: Jun 2 2012, 02:00 PM

I usually feed mine feeder catfish. They are about 6 inches long and I only feed my aba aba once a week. Seluangs and baby carps are more like snacks. Feeder shrimp are like chips.

PS: There is an LFS in Puchong Perdana (in front of Hero Supermarket) that sells good feeder catfish (4-5 inches long) for only RM 0. 50 each. So far, it's the cheapest price around Puchong or PJ that I know.

I'll remember to write down the name of the shop the next time I go there.

This post has been edited by beer8bottles: Jun 3 2012, 09:31 PM

Errr... the shop does sell fishing lures. It has an arowana picture on it's shop sign.

I've been trying to upload the photo but my internet line is a bit bad these past days.
The driftwood was much, much heavier that I expected it to be, which is goood, because no way the fish is going to move it. Hahaha..
I'm now sunning it. I'm going to leave it out in open till the end of July. Then in August, I'll soak it in the tank for another 2 months. That should get all the tanins out nicely.

True. My lungfish's poo is like a cat's poo. It's that big. And I've to scoop it out the moment it poos or else it'll clog up the filter head.




Does anyone know where I can get black laminate? The one you stick to the back of the tank as a background?
Also where can I go to get stainless steel/ alumimun/ brass braces for the side of the tank? Is there any guideline for the thickness it should be?

My pair of polypterus senegulus are showing signs of aging. They are already 12 years old and black markings are developing on one side of their cheek.

Does anyone know how old fishes die? Would they die without any warning? Or will they have problems swimming?