Here's a couple of videos of the two largest tanks, the 150 and the 125. I have moved out some of the angels from the 125, leaving one singleton behind, and put the rest in the 150. I removed 4 angels from that tank, since I had too many angels and wanted to consolidate them all into the 150.
The 125 is heading towards being an Asian setup, with pearl gouramis and Botia striata (zebra loaches), along with the Denison barbs as the primary inhabitants. I'm considering a trio of clown loaches, but they get so big and 3 might not be enough of a group for them to be happy. I think I just need more zebra loaches. The tank looks so empty!
The 150 is doing great with all the angels and the geophagus. This arrangement is working out great and I see this as being successful long-term, which is rare for me! I don't generally keep the same setup for more than a couple of years, when some tragedy occurs or I get bored and change things up. I can see me keeping the 150 as-is for a good long time, *knocks wood.*
Here's the 125. Gouramis high up at the top, barbs and loaches at the bottom, and the angel all over. The loaches are still pretty shy (there are 5 of them) and I think another 4-5 will help matters. Going on vacation next week (how nervous I am to leave my aquariums for a week is another post entirely!) so I will wait until I get back to look into adding to the group of loaches.
I was able to obtain 5 small Botia striata, or zebra loaches, yesterday. They look very good and had been in the dealer's tank for about three weeks, so that is encouraging. They have disappeared into the rockwork and wood piles of the 125-gallon and are out and about after lights out, even schooling with the barbs in the dark. I also obtained 6 T. leerii, or pearl gouramis. I got a male and 5 females, to go with the male and 2 females I already have. They will replace the angels I removed and sold from the 125 today. I still have angels in the 150 and plan to keep them there. I may not be able to keep all the gouramis in the 125 but they pretty much have the place to themselves, so it might work out. The barbs and loaches all keep to the bottom and the gouramis to the top, and there's plenty of room. I'm soaking some driftwood I found in my attic from a previous setup (don't throw anything away - you will want it someday) and will add that to the 125 to create more structure in the upper areas through creative stacking. I have some valisneria and similar plants but they are taking their time growing, but I hope to create a tall stand of this plant for these gouramis. I'll get some pics and video up soon. Many consider gouramis and loaches to be incompatible, since gouramis appreciate calm waters and loaches do best in fast moving waters. This tank gives me the unique opportunity to have both. There is a lot of filtration on this tank, with two Rena (now API) Filstar XP3 filters. Yes, two. When there is nothing in the tank with the filters on, and the outflow pipes, without spray bars, are pointed in the same direction, and you add fish food, or even colored water, you can see how much current is in this tank! I'm able to aim the current in a particular direction, or break it up by pointing the two outflows in different directions. However, I also have the ability to create current breaks, or baffles, with the use of rocks and driftwood, stacked here and there all the way to the top of the tank. Beside and behind these structures the water is calm and undisturbed, and these are the areas the gouramis like to go to when they want a break. Otherwise, the gouramis are all over the tank and do not seem to mind the current much. They travel in groups or singly and explore all areas of the tank. I am also considering adding 3 clown loaches to the tank, as well as two or three more zebra loaches. We'll have to see about that, but it is something I'm considering.
Everything is status quo with Liz's Aquariums these days. I'm very happy with all my setups, and they're all doing great. The 150 has several pairs of angels, and they're getting some size on them (there are 5 domestic/wild crosses and one wild P. leopoldi), so I suspect peace will not continue forever, but so far, so good. There is bickering and a lip lock here and there, but there seems to be room for everyone. The geophagus seem to be doing fine as well. I have excess females, and they seem to have topped out size-wise at only 2.5-3", with the dominant male being closer to 4. The subdominant males are somewhere in between. I really thought these fish would get bigger, but it does not seem that they will, considering how long I've had them. Ultimately it is better for the tank if they don't, though I would not mind having fewer but larger specimens. The 120 also has two pairs of angels that spawn regularly (there are 7 domestic/wild crosses from the same spawning as the ones in the 150) and, again, they bicker but there seems to be enough room for everyone. I know I have had plans to remove them in favor of loaches, but currently I am loath to get rid of them. They are so pretty! I don't think I need all 7, but I would like to keep some if I can. This means it won't be the Asian setup that I promised, but I'm enjoying the angels currently. What I ought to do is swap out the angels for pearl gouramis. I have a trio in the 150 that I put there when I took down my 45-gal one day when I'd decided to downsize. I should have put them in the 125 but I did not feel comfortable at the time doing that, since it lacked appropriate cover in the upper strata of the tank, and it still does, and I was not confident about the cycle. Those fish are stunners. True stunners. It took them months to feel comfortable to come out in the open, but now that they do, they are gorgeous. There is a nice male with amazing color, mainly a coral throat/belly, and the iridescent spangling that they are known for. The females are very similarly colored, so you don't miss out on color keeping both sexes. They would make a nice replacement for angels in the 125, especially with their long feelers, similar to angels, and with them I could maintain the Asian theme. The loaches that I plan would be on the middle to bottom, with the Denison's barbs, and the gouramis would be up at the top. As for the loaches, I am ready for the zebra loaches, or Botia striata. I have a trip planned to Skoolz of Fish, a local shop that usually carries them.
There's been some non-fishy drama around the house, beginning just before Thanksgiving and not winding down until after the New Year, which I touched on in my last post, and I decided I needed to cut back a bit, which is part of my usual cycle. I'll set up new tanks for quarantine or to separate a troublemaker, or when I just get bored, then I'll like the tank so much I leave it up and turn it into a display. This can add up around the house, and it makes maintenance and feeding a bit of a chore, depending on how many tanks I have up and running at one time.
For Christmas we really had no practical place to put a Christmas tree, since any unused space is going to get a tank, right? Well, that's not a huge issue but I started to think about rearranging the furniture, and taking down the 45-gallon planted tank was really key in a more functional flow of household traffic, and a better utilization of space.
I have a friend who was looking for a tank makeover ("Make my tank look like your tanks!") and the timing was right, so I moved the fish, 3 pearl gouramis, a pair of Bolivian rams, 5 Bentosi tetras, a single surviving cardinal from a batch that I lost right after purchase, and a small female bristlenose pleco. The rams, gouramis and 2 of the tetras went into the 150, where I already have rams and more of these tetras (3 of the tetras went to my sister's tank) and the BN went into the 125 where its attention was sorely needed. I used the majority of the wood, rocks and plants in my friend's tank, which was close in size to this one, and took it down. I took everything outside, since with temps in the 60's you'd never know it was January, and hosed everything out, and sun-dried it; sand, filter media, filters, hoses, tank and all.
As an aside: I don't recommend putting these shy gouramis in a bustling, busy tank like the 150. The 125 is a better choice, especially since I'm converting that tank over to an Asian "biotope" (ha), but that tank has a lot of strife right now with 2 breeding angel pairs, and much less hiding spots for top dwellers. The 150 has quite a bit of wood and rock structures that go all the way to the top, where gouramis like to hang out, so they have shelter there until I move them to the 125 later. Fortunately, they do come out to eat in the 150, and I target feed them where they hide so they're getting what they need. This is not a good long-term solution, though.
My attic eaves have times when they are empty, and times when they are full, and right now they're full! I have a 37-gal, a 40-gal breeder, and now the 45-gal in dry storage currently. I also have an assortment of small tanks, 2-15 gallons waiting for their next use.
I used to think I would sell tanks when I took them down, but now I don't consider it. There have been so many times when I was glad to have these tanks and stands ready and waiting. My husband has already found a temporary use for the 40-gal breeder. He asked me to go "bin shopping" with him one day. I asked him what kind of bin he was looking for, and he described a large tub that would hold two 5-gallon water jugs submerged in water for a project he was working on. He was thinking Rubbermaid, but commented that the sides would likely bow out filled with water. I suggested a glass box designed to hold water, and, lo and behold, a 40-gal breeder fits two 5-gallon water jugs perfectly! Now our hobbies are coming together, finally!
All of the fish are doing great in their new homes. Here's a couple of videos, one of the 150 and one of the 125 as they are currently.
