my tanks..

[xbit]

just made a quick web page to show my current 55gal and my new 220 that
I'm setting up. sorry, no thumbnails yet.

http://x-bit.org/aqua

the buffalo head cichlid (steatocranus casuarius) on the front page is
not mine. but, it's one of my favorite fish of all time so I had to use
it :)

[Victor Martinez]

xbit wrote:
> the buffalo head cichlid (steatocranus casuarius) on the front page is
> not mine. but, it's one of my favorite fish of all time so I had to use
> it :)

That is one ugly fish.

--
Victor M. Martinez
Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM)
Send your spam here:
Email me here:

[Jamie Drilling]

WOW! That 220 looks beautiful. What are you going to keep in it? Or
will it be a bigger, better oscar home?

The bamboo is neat, too.

Jamie

[xbit]

LOL :) yes, but I'm sure his mom loves him.

I did have one buffalo head back in the 80s. His name was BAMF.

I've done some reading on the steatocranus casuarius.. they seem to be
rather mellow so I might just get one again.

> Victor Martinez wrote:
> xbit wrote:
>
>> the buffalo head cichlid (steatocranus casuarius) on the front page is
>> not mine. but, it's one of my favorite fish of all time so I had to
>> use it :)
>
>
> That is one ugly fish.
>

[xbit]

thank you.. I can't wait to get it going! the tank stand was very
weathered and old looking when I bought it. but just a little sanding, a
little wood stain and some polyurethane spray and it started to look ok.

my oscar will be moving into that tank. so, I think I'll have the following:

1) oscar
2) firemouth
3) clownknife
4) sucker_mouth
5) 2 tinfoil barbs

i got the bamboo from a friend at work. as it turns out, bamboo is a
GREAT fish tank plant.

> Jamie Drilling wrote:
> WOW! That 220 looks beautiful. What are you going to keep in it? Or
> will it be a bigger, better oscar home?
>
> The bamboo is neat, too.
>
> Jamie
>

[fish lover]

On Mon, 17 Oct 2005 15:13:13 -0700, xbit <" "> wrote:

>just made a quick web page to show my current 55gal and my new 220 that
>I'm setting up. sorry, no thumbnails yet.
>
>http://x-bit.org/aqua
>
>the buffalo head cichlid (steatocranus casuarius) on the front page is
>not mine. but, it's one of my favorite fish of all time so I had to use
>it :)
Wow, I like the 220 G tank. Wish I could have one. I have a 125 g tank
and it is big enough for my living room. I don't think I have a floor
can support 220 g.

Please tell me you are not really going to use UGF! You will have to
really clena them up in 2 years. They are really good for the first
few years. After that, you will have to make sure you can clean it up.

[Daniel Morrow]

Bottom posted.


"xbit" <" "> wrote in message ...
> just made a quick web page to show my current 55gal and my new 220 that
> I'm setting up. sorry, no thumbnails yet.
>
> http://x-bit.org/aqua
>
> the buffalo head cichlid (steatocranus casuarius) on the front page is
> not mine. but, it's one of my favorite fish of all time so I had to use
> it :)

Thanks for sharing your pictures! I really enjoyed looking at them
especially the oscar - he/she looks beautiful! I want to get a ~250 gallon
aquarium one of these days and put 3 oscars in it and keep some anti-hole in
the head (I have heard it is common with oscars unfortunately) medication
safe in storage. That would be so cool! Of course I would reinforce the
floor if it isn't solid ( in my case at the very least). Good luck and
later!

[xbit]

The filtration I plan on using is:

1) 2 AquaClear 110's
2) 1 magnum 350 pro w/ two bio-wheels
3) UGF w/ 6 sponged penguin powerheads

I've always had really good luck w/ the UGF. All I've ever really needed
to do is gravel vac it once or twice a month.

Your thoughts on the UGF would be helpfull. I've yet to "add water" :)
so now is the time.



> fish lover wrote:
> On Mon, 17 Oct 2005 15:13:13 -0700, xbit <" "> wrote:
>
>
>>just made a quick web page to show my current 55gal and my new 220 that
>>I'm setting up. sorry, no thumbnails yet.
>>
>>http://x-bit.org/aqua
>>
>>the buffalo head cichlid (steatocranus casuarius) on the front page is
>>not mine. but, it's one of my favorite fish of all time so I had to use
>>it :)
>
> Wow, I like the 220 G tank. Wish I could have one. I have a 125 g tank
> and it is big enough for my living room. I don't think I have a floor
> can support 220 g.
>
> Please tell me you are not really going to use UGF! You will have to
> really clena them up in 2 years. They are really good for the first
> few years. After that, you will have to make sure you can clean it up.

[xbit]

Hmm, I might have just answered my own question on why not use a UGF. I
just ran into an article that has quite a few interesting thoughts on
filtration including the UGF. I was google'ing "trickle filter" and
found the following:

http://www.akca.org/library/trickle.htm




> xbit wrote:
> The filtration I plan on using is:
>
> 1) 2 AquaClear 110's
> 2) 1 magnum 350 pro w/ two bio-wheels
> 3) UGF w/ 6 sponged penguin powerheads
>
> I've always had really good luck w/ the UGF. All I've ever really needed
> to do is gravel vac it once or twice a month.
>
> Your thoughts on the UGF would be helpfull. I've yet to "add water" :)
> so now is the time.
>
>
>

>>
>> Please tell me you are not really going to use UGF! You will have to
>> really clena them up in 2 years. They are really good for the first
>> few years. After that, you will have to make sure you can clean it up.

[Dr.]

"xbit" <" "> wrote in message ...
> Hmm, I might have just answered my own question on why not use a UGF.

I've read more than once that UGF systems can do more to support "bad"
bacteria than nitrifying bacteria. I had one in my 72 gallon tank that I
converted to reverse flow, then removed when changing to a plant substrate.
I didn't have it in the tank long enough to say how well it worked in the
long term though.

I like a quiet filtration system, so I try to stay away from stuff that
splashes. If I ever get the chance to get something that big, I'll put a
couple Eheim 2128's on it with Eheim prefilters.

Great tank. Post back with more pics when you have it set up.

Gary

[xbit]

Good call Gary..

I think I'll hold off on installing the UGF before its to late. and then
later on replace the Magnum 350 pro w/ a Eheim 2128. I love how easy it
is to clean:

--cut--
And when it does come time to clean, you simply open it up, remove the
media trays and rinse clean, replace the filter pads, and stack it all
back into the filter. Your aquarium should be a joy to watch, not a
burden to maintain
--paste--

So, it looks like the finial filtration setup will be 2 AquaClear 110's
and 1 magnum 350 pro (later to be replaced w/ 1 Eheim 2128).

> Dr. wrote:
> "xbit" <" "> wrote in message ...
>
>>Hmm, I might have just answered my own question on why not use a UGF.
>
>
> I've read more than once that UGF systems can do more to support "bad"
> bacteria than nitrifying bacteria. I had one in my 72 gallon tank that I
> converted to reverse flow, then removed when changing to a plant substrate.
> I didn't have it in the tank long enough to say how well it worked in the
> long term though.
>
> I like a quiet filtration system, so I try to stay away from stuff that
> splashes. If I ever get the chance to get something that big, I'll put a
> couple Eheim 2128's on it with Eheim prefilters.
>
> Great tank. Post back with more pics when you have it set up.
>
> Gary
>
>

[fish lover]

On Mon, 17 Oct 2005 19:15:50 -0700, xbit <" "> wrote:
Don't ditch your power heads. You may still need then to create water
movement.

I have a 125 g tank and 2 fluva cannister filters, 304 and 404. I
still need one power head to move the water around. One thing I find
out is that they do make noise, not much but you can hear them.
Another is that there are some fine particles in the water that
floating around all the time. I added some fine moss and it is getting
better.

I think the best filter I had was magnum 350. It is very quite and
easy to replace the filters too. I would suggest you have 3 or 4 of
them and nothing else. Maybe few power heads to move the water around.
You will be really happy about the amost nothing noise level and easy
to care set up. I would use smaller power heads (designed to 10 to 20
g through put) because the bigger ones create noise.

I wish I did check with the group before I set up mine tank. It is too
late now because the tank is too close to the wall to have the magnum
350!

>Hmm, I might have just answered my own question on why not use a UGF. I
>just ran into an article that has quite a few interesting thoughts on
>filtration including the UGF. I was google'ing "trickle filter" and
>found the following:
>
>http://www.akca.org/library/trickle.htm
>
>
>
>
> > xbit wrote:
>> The filtration I plan on using is:
>>
>> 1) 2 AquaClear 110's
>> 2) 1 magnum 350 pro w/ two bio-wheels
>> 3) UGF w/ 6 sponged penguin powerheads
>>
>> I've always had really good luck w/ the UGF. All I've ever really needed
>> to do is gravel vac it once or twice a month.
>>
>> Your thoughts on the UGF would be helpfull. I've yet to "add water" :)
>> so now is the time.
>>
>>
>>
>
>>>
>>> Please tell me you are not really going to use UGF! You will have to
>>> really clena them up in 2 years. They are really good for the first
>>> few years. After that, you will have to make sure you can clean it up.

[Dr.]

"fish lover" > wrote in message
...
> I think the best filter I had was magnum 350. It is very quite and
> easy to replace the filters too.

Did you use bio wheels with your Magnum? Without a bio wheel, the magnum
doesn't look like it's capable of much biological filtration, unless you
fill the can with something else besides carbon.

Gary

[fish lover]

On Wed, 19 Oct 2005 03:49:42 -0400, "Dr." >
wrote:

>
>"fish lover" > wrote in message
...
>> I think the best filter I had was magnum 350. It is very quite and
>> easy to replace the filters too.
>
>Did you use bio wheels with your Magnum? Without a bio wheel, the magnum
>doesn't look like it's capable of much biological filtration, unless you
>fill the can with something else besides carbon.
>
>Gary
>
Yes, I used two bio wheels. They some times stuck and would not move.
I have to replace them from time to time. Other than that, everything
was perfect. Especially the almost nothing noise level compare to the
Fluva cannisters.