Proposed River Tank

andyj · Post by **andyj** » 10 May 2005, 10:52

Hi guys,

I've just moved house, and am going to set my 54" x 12" x 18" tank back up as a river tank.

The main inhabitants of the tank will be a colony of 5 x L134 (Leopard Frog Plec).

I've seen a couple of really good threads onhere, with photo's etc of river tank set-ups. Got loads of good ideas from them.

I'm going to use 22mm pvc pipe and connectors to run along the bottom of the tank from one end, where I will have the inlets, to the other where I am going to have 2 power heads about 6" above the bottom of the tank.

My main filtration will be via a Fluval 304 external canister filter, with the flow in the same direction as the power heads.

Has anyone got any suggestions/ideas how I can manage the inlets for the pipework?

I have seen Shane's thread where he used sponge filters, but I'm not keen on having the sponges visible in the tank. I have thought about using an UGF plate attached to the pipe work.

What rating powerheads should I use to give an adequate flow for the L134's ???

Cheers for any comments,

Andy

WhitePine · Post by **WhitePine** » 10 May 2005, 18:07

Check this link

http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8819

I would also run the largest heads you can find like 802's. It seems like once the tank has had some time to get established... the heads lose a little power. If you put a hose adaptor on the end of the pipe with some flexable hose right before the powerhead... it makes it a lot easier to clean the tank. You can just slide the powerhead over and it will stay connected. similar to pleco farmers set up but on the input of the power head not the output.

Cheers, Whitepine

WhitePine · Post by **WhitePine** » 11 May 2005, 03:39

You could always use a in-line pump for circulation the water via a return manifold. You could plumb it like my river tank and with the pump in the very back of the tank... and place some wood or large rock in front of the pump to hide it. Then just run a out put on the other end. Or you could plumb the pump on the outside of the tank... so you would not have to hide it inside the tank. you would just have some plumbing going up the back of the tank and some coming back in on the other end.
I was looking at using eheim hobby pumps for this
http://www.marinedepot.com/aquarium_pum ... ?ast=&key=

I like the 1260. I am sure you could find cheaper pumps but I really like the eheim stuff I have! I was considering doing this with my river tank. I am sure you could talk to a bunch of reef addicts and they could tell you which pumps are good and which to avoid.

Cheers, Whitepine

bronzefry · Post by **bronzefry** » 11 May 2005, 14:51

Whitepine,
I'm going to be switching over my 29 gallon to a small river tank.

Have you noticed any heat transfer with the Eheim pumps? (The powerhead has very little heat transfer. I'm very pleased with it.) Does one pump tee'd do the job? Or do you still need multiples? Also, what did you use for the manifold plate? Thanks.

andyj · Post by **andyj** » 11 May 2005, 15:29

Cheers for the info WhitePine ;)

It was your thread that was one of the ones that inspired me to do a river tank

I like the pump idea.....

Will probably stay internal, as everything is still hidden, no pipes running up the back of the tank etc.

Have found a powerhead on Ebay for Â£30, that does 1,400 l/h ;)

Cheers,

Andy

WhitePine · Post by **WhitePine** » 11 May 2005, 17:28

Keep us posted on your tank. I am not sure on how much heat transfers... but I know it is there. Most of my river tanks are warm water tanks...80 degrees or so. I don't notice the heat. I know Shane was having problems with this.

Cheers, Whitepine

sojapat · Post by **sojapat** » 11 May 2005, 23:14

Dont provide the L134 with too much turbulance they dont live in a vigorous water flow ,

Warm water lg rocks ..Steady ph ..

sojapat · Post by **sojapat** » 11 May 2005, 23:39

Here are some we collected [URL=http://img128.echo.cx/my.php?image ... cho :razz:

andyj · Post by **andyj** » 12 May 2005, 16:22

Nice looking Fish

What current do you think they would prefer?

I'm currently looking at using 2 powerheads, rated at 1100 l/h each. Giving a total of 2200 l/h.

The tank has a usable volume of about 180 l. Giving a turnover of about 11 times an hour.

There will also be a Fluval 304 giving filtration.

andyj · Post by **andyj** » 12 May 2005, 16:23

As for heat transfer, it'll be a bonus in fact, as room temerature in the Uk very rarely gets above tank temperature anyway !!! ;)

sojapat · Post by **sojapat** » 12 May 2005, 22:19

Hi Andy , the fish live in by waters off the main river , the water is around 3 feet deep and almost still
82-84 temp
neutral ph
low conductivityn 50 mi/ses
they live among rocks 15-30cm odd shapes
their diet is a bit of everything , the only thing
you wont replicate is a plant called podomostcea and
freshwater sponges which I am trying to get at the mo
I think that the two powerheads may be excesive for these fish , but all the other tapajos fish do like fast water ,
The only other species we collected along with the 134s were Cochliodon and hypostomus .
Hope this helps

andyj · Post by **andyj** » 13 May 2005, 10:09

Hi sojopat,

That is superb information, much appreciated

May look at using just the one powerhead (which I already have!), saves a bit of money to !!

Are there any Characins that live in the same water as the L134's?

Cheers,

Andy

sojapat · Post by **sojapat** » 13 May 2005, 12:32

Here are a few tetras that live by the L134
Penguins ,Lemon tets, trifas pencils ,characidium
If you like dwarf cichlids dicrossus itaiatuba,
Easy to get ehhh

andyj · Post by **andyj** » 20 May 2005, 09:42

Finally got round to assembling the PVC piping that I'm using at the return for the powerhead.

I've got a grid of piping at one end of the tank, drilled with lots of small holes, and then that 'grid' feeds along the back of the tank to the powerhead at the opposite end.

The powerhead I'll be using is a Maxijet PH 1200 - 1100 l/h.

Need to wait for the silicone to dry properly before I can put it all into the tank, and test with water.

Need to test that I've drilled enough holes in the grid, to allow the powerhead to run at maximum capacity.

Will try and get some pictures over the weekend, but haven't got a digi cam at the moment !!!

Durlänger · Post by **Durlänger** » 21 May 2005, 17:29

andyj wrote:Finally got round to assembling the PVC piping that I'm using at the return for the powerhead.

I've got a grid of piping at one end of the tank, drilled with lots of small holes, and then that 'grid' feeds along the back of the tank to the powerhead at the opposite end.

The powerhead I'll be using is a Maxijet PH 1200 - 1100 l/h.

Need to wait for the silicone to dry properly before I can put it all into the tank, and test with water.

Need to test that I've drilled enough holes in the grid, to allow the powerhead to run at maximum capacity.

Will try and get some pictures over the weekend, but haven't got a digi cam at the moment !!!

Then go and get one

Like to see the resoult`s

Star-flog · Post by **Star-flog** » 25 May 2005, 06:51

Me too plan to get this lovely L134 soonest when it becomes available in LFS.

Just thinking whether L134 can live with a school of 50 Cardinal Tetra in 2ft cube planted tank? Would L134 eat Cardinal tetra?

And the water parameter likely to low PH6, softwater, dark soil substrate and slow water movement.

Any comments?

MatsP · Post by **MatsP** » 25 May 2005, 10:43

L134, or any other pleco, shouldn't eat any tetra that is healthy. Obviously, being oppurtunistic feeders and liking a bit of protein, they will most likely try to eat a dying tetra... But that fish would be either near dead or completely dead by the time L134 gets it's mouth onto it.

--
Mats

Star-flog · Post by **Star-flog** » 25 May 2005, 15:17

MatsP wrote:L134, or any other pl*co, shouldn't eat any tetra that is healthy. Obviously, being oppurtunistic feeders and liking a bit of protein, they will most likely try to eat a dying tetra... But that fish would be either near dead or completely dead by the time L134 gets it's mouth onto it.

--
Mats

Hi MatsP, thanks for the comment.
Isn't it true that L134 eats meaty food and therefore it should suit planted tank very well as they're not going to eats the plants?

Unlike L204 that eats wood and some veg foods too.

MatsP · Post by **MatsP** » 25 May 2005, 15:24

Star-flog wrote:Hi MatsP, thanks for the comment.
Isn't it true that L134 eats meaty food and therefore it should suit planted tank very well as they're not going to eats the plants?
Unlike L204 that eats wood and some veg foods too.

Both L204 and L134 will work well in planted tanks. Neither will touch your plants (well, they may "touch" them, but they will not eat plants in general). As long as you don't have cucumbers or similar growing in the tank, that is...

L134 will want more bloodworms, mussles, prawn/shrimp etc, and not too much of the veggie stuff, if any.

--
Mats

Star-flog · Post by **Star-flog** » 26 May 2005, 01:46

MatsP wrote:
Star-flog wrote:Hi MatsP, thanks for the comment.
Isn't it true that L134 eats meaty food and therefore it should suit planted tank very well as they're not going to eats the plants?
Unlike L204 that eats wood and some veg foods too.
Both L204 and L134 will work well in planted tanks. Neither will touch your plants (well, they may "touch" them, but they will not eat plants in general). As long as you don't have cucumbers or similar growing in the tank, that is...

L134 will want more bloodworms, mussles, prawn/shrimp etc, and not too much of the veggie stuff, if any.

--
Mats

Thanks & Great to know

and now I'm sure that I can put either L204 or L134 in my planted tank. Certainly, they're driftwood in there but not as many as they'll prefer....

andyj · Post by **andyj** » 26 May 2005, 10:24

I'm planning on a shoal of about 20 Lemon Tetra's in with 5 x L134's

All from the same biotype ;)

Star-flog · Post by **Star-flog** » 26 May 2005, 10:32

andyj wrote:I'm planning on a shoal of about 20 Lemon Tetra's in with 5 x L134's

All from the same biotype ;)

Wow, 20 Lemon Tetra and 5 L134, very interesting combination! I suppose you're in the planted tank as well and how big is yours?

andyj · Post by **andyj** » 26 May 2005, 10:41

I've got a 4'6" x 12" x 18" tank, about 200l useable volume

Going to go for a low/medium maintenance planted tank, nothing too complicated !! ;)

Star-flog · Post by **Star-flog** » 27 May 2005, 02:23

andyj wrote:I've got a 4'6" x 12" x 18" tank, about 200l useable volume

Going to go for a low/medium maintenance planted tank, nothing too complicated !! ;)

I got one 3ft fully planted tank with Riccia covers the entire substrate. Lot of maintenance but I love to do it!

And 1 ft cube tank mainly planting variety of moss and to breed shrimps.

Last, the 2ft cube tank. Custom Made and would be delivered next month.

andyj · Post by **andyj** » 09 Jun 2005, 08:43

Have eventually (due to a lack off Â£Â£Â£) managed to get all of the plumbing into the tank, and painted the back, and also added the grvael to the tank.

Next job is to purchase a 25kg bag of 5-10cm round pebbles.... to simulate the natural habitat of the L134's.

I've also found a source of Lemon Tetra's, Â£11 for 12 fish

The only thing I'm now missing, is a supplier of L134's. The two LFS that I've contacted that have had recent batches in, have said that the fish are not in very good conditiojn, and have poor patterning and colours

The hunt continues.....

Pics to come, as soon as I can afford to buy a Digi Cam !!!;)

WhitePine · Post by **WhitePine** » 10 Jun 2005, 00:14

Hope to see some pictures soon. You could always just shoot regualar film and when you get it processed have a cd made of your prints(cheaper than buying a digital camera for now).

Cheers, Whitepine

andyj · Post by **andyj** » 10 Jun 2005, 11:28

Good thinking White Pine...

I've got half a roll of 35mm film that need using up !!! ;)

Will have a go over the weekend, although now I've got the gravel in the tank, it's a bit tricky to see the plumbing.... But, I do have some pics on my phone... will get them up as soon as I can get them onto my PC !!! ;)

Proposed River Tank

Proposed River Tank

L 134

L134

L134

Characins