# 77 gal !new additions!



## Guest (Jun 25, 2010)

L152 always hides under that leave. Love this guy/gal =)









L152 again









L152 is a fatty =)









L240









L199 + L200a high fin









L91









L239









L90


















So hard to take pics of the plecos, they're always hiding, maybe i should have less hiding places. The driftwood on the right is like a big cave. So most of them are in there.
Big props to Gary for his awesome photos.


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## pdoutaz (May 13, 2010)

Nice Tank - gorgeous plecos!


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## AWW (Apr 22, 2010)

Nice colection of plecos!


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Wow...that's a really nice L90 that you scooped.  Your L239 looks nice and chubby too. I actually think you got some nice pics of the L152. I hardly ever see mine, as it never comes out until lights out, only at night, so I can't get pics of it. I keep stalling on getting an L240, but yours looks great.


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## Guest (Jun 26, 2010)

Thanks for all the kind words guys!!! =)


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## Guest (Jun 26, 2010)

Still deciding on what else to put in there


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## Dustman (Apr 21, 2010)

Nice tank! Love that L152, their scales are always so awesome


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## clintgv (May 6, 2010)

Beautiful Plecos you have there 

Clint


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

I say a blue eye... but I always say that to Gary as well 

Too bad you don't like the panaque. Those L204 are awesome...


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## Guest (Jun 26, 2010)

charles said:


> I say a blue eye... but I always say that to Gary as well
> 
> Too bad you don't like the panaque. Those L204 are awesome...


Don't get me wrong Charles, but i like the L204 as well, but panaques are making a mess out of my driftwood or maybe i need a better filtration or extra one?


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## Guest (Jun 26, 2010)

charles, do you or Pat have anything that eats those hairy algae? I would love to add some to my tanks.


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## Guest (Jun 26, 2010)

Thanks for all the kind remarks guys. It's you that makes everyone on the forum happy =)


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

I see you already have SAE's and Amano shrimp, but you have Vals, or I would normally suggest dosing some Excel or Metricide for your algae problem. The other alternative is to cut down the light a bit more. When you say hair algae, you mean the black brush algae (the black furry clumps)? How often do you change water and how much, and what's your nitrate reading before the water change? What kind of filtration do you have in there now?

I would agree with you that if you want more panaque, you're going to have to have more filtration, as I have 3 big canisters on my 125, plus an AC70 powerhead with filtration attachment which turns on when lights are out (I'm injecting CO2). The canisters I have are the FX5, Eheim 2028 and XP3. It helps greatly to gravel vac at least once a week too, if not more often. I actually like the look that the panaque give my wood.


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## gimlid (Apr 23, 2010)

nice pleco collection, great use of the space.


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## Nat (Apr 24, 2010)

Awsome tank! love your L90, too bad i missed out on them.


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## Guest (Jun 27, 2010)

Gary - Do amanos eat BBA? Filtration i'm running Rena XP3 and Emperor 400 biowheel. Nitrate is around 20-40 ppm. I do 50% water change and gravel vac every 1-2 weeks. 
Theres so much poop in my tank due to my plecos =)


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## Guest (Jun 27, 2010)

gimlid said:


> nice pleco collection, great use of the space.


Thank you Thank you!


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## Guest (Jun 27, 2010)

Nat said:


> Awsome tank! love your L90, too bad i missed out on them.


L90 papa is an awesome pleco. I love lyre tails, but this one is really nice. I'm waiting for gold nugget and mango plecos, but i've heard they're hard to keep, any swings to the water parameters, they're goners =(


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

VR4_TT said:


> Gary - Do amanos eat BBA? Filtration i'm running Rena XP3 and Emperor 400 biowheel. Nitrate is around 20-40 ppm. I do 50% water change and gravel vac every 1-2 weeks.
> Theres so much poop in my tank due to my plecos =)


Amanos do eat BBA and so do SAE's, but unfortunately, only if there is nothing else to eat. And with a tank full of plecos that you are feeding, they're always going to have other food to eat. One thing you can try is localized Hydrogen peroxide with a syringe, after turning off your filters. Just spray it onto the affected areas in the water after assuring no critters are too close. Once it mixes with water, it quickly turns to water and O2 and escapes, but during the oxygen, it will kill the BBA, turning it red. After 2 or 3 minutes, turn the pumps back on.

Sounds like your parameters are good. One thing that I discussed with Charles, and that I've learned to do, is to use powerheads/filters to push the poop to one or 2 spots and vaccuum those areas. In my case, the poop gathers in the back corners, so they are not as visible, but yes, after a yam feeding, like last night, my tank is full of orange poop. You can also do just gravel vac with a small water change after one of those feedings to keep the detritus down. As long as your nitrates are not > 40 ppm, it's just ugly but not harmful for the fish.

If you like lyretails, you should really pick up some L204's.  They look great, and mine are already eating.



VR4_TT said:


> I'm waiting for gold nugget and mango plecos, but i've heard they're hard to keep, any swings to the water parameters, they're goners =(


The Baryancistrus appear to be tough to keep as smaller specimens. I don't know if it's the water parameters, or the inability to feed, but that's how I've lost a few L239's also. I would also like an L47 or an L177, but still not sure it's worth the trouble with already so many plecos in the tank.


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## Guest (Jun 27, 2010)

Gary - Thanks for all the tips, i will try it and hopefully it will end the BBA =)
I have a powerhead 201, but missing the air tube. It's super weak when it's submerged.

When i bought the L90, i was thinking of picking up a couple L204s, but i'm trying to limit the panaques in my tank, cause i do feed bloodworms, ken's earthworm sticks and soft & moist with krills to my plecos, now i'm only using spirulina flakes and algae wafers due to the panaques.
The L239 blue panaques = i've been told these guys are scavengers and eats anything, but they're panaques?

My L239 are the most active ones, they're always out looking for food =) I love watching my plecos during feeding time =)

Yah L47 and L177 are nice plecos, but due to so many plecos in the tank, i'm scared nitrate spike might kill them >.< ahhh! but i've been waiting for them for awhile now =(


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

I use a Koralia 1 and a Koralia 2 in my tank full time and when lights are out my AC 70 powerhead with a venturi comes on to expel excess CO2.

The L239 is called a panaque, but is actually a Baryancistrus, same as the L200a, the L47 and L177. The Baryancistrus are specialized in that they graze the biofilm on rocks and wood, from what I have read, but they are more flexible in that they are able to eat more proteins than panaque and ancistrus, so I don't worry about them too much. I feed live blackworm all the time, but my solution is to ensure I have fresh veggies in the tank when I do that so that the panaque have the veggies they need instead of going after all the meaty food. I feed raw veggies 3 times week, and blackworms about 2x a month.

I have the L226, 190, L191, L90, and now the L204's, so I have plenty of panaque in the tank. The only ones I have had a problem with are the L90's. Or the one L90 I had. I am not sure what happened, but it didn't make it, so this one I have now is a replacement of my first one.

As long as you're vacuuming the tank and not overfeeding, nitrates spikes shouldn't be a problem. But as the fish mature, you may find that they are overcrowded in that tank and that could pose a problem for you, as it does for me in the future also.


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## Guest (Jun 29, 2010)

Thanks for the tips Gary, much appreciated! Now i just need to find a vent tube for my powerhead or go buy a koralia. Which koralia would you say is good for my tank?


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## Guest (Jun 29, 2010)

added new fish and plants =)


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

VR4_TT said:


> Thanks for the tips Gary, much appreciated! Now i just need to find a vent tube for my powerhead or go buy a koralia. Which koralia would you say is good for my tank?


The Koralias don't have a venturi feature, so if you're after oxygenation it's not going to accomplish what you want. Better to get the vent tube or get yourself a Maxijet or some such. If you wanted flow down low, then Koralia is the way to go, and I would say a 1 or a 2 would be the max you'd want to go. If you're creating a direct flow at the bottom to drive the poop into a corner, then go with a Koralia 2 on one side in the corner. If you set it up so that the flow is aimed towards your filter intake (looks like from your left in the pic, then all the poop should accumulate in the right rear corner close to your AC. I find it help to help a small low small in that area too. My low is naturally created by my cichlids.


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

nice papa at the top corner  I gotta get myself more of those


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

charles said:


> nice papa at the top corner  I gotta get myself more of those


I agree.....you need to bring more in.


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## Guest (Jul 15, 2010)

UHOH!!! the amano is surrounded by vampires! hehe =)


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## Guest (Jul 15, 2010)

Here are some new additions i just bought today
silver hatchets









loreto tetras


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

Congratz your tank looks awesome, nice fish too


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

The Loretos are very cool. And did you just pick up the L240's last week? Nice additions. No more Papas?


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## Guest (Jul 15, 2010)

Claudia said:


> Congratz your tank looks awesome, nice fish too


THANKS! Always adding new additions =) It's going to be over crowded soon >.<


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## Guest (Jul 15, 2010)

2wheelsx2 said:


> The Loretos are very cool. And did you just pick up the L240's last week? Nice additions. No more Papas?


The Loretos colored up almost instantly, they almost seem like they were crossed between black neon and silver tip tetra only with red tail w/o the silver tip =)
I got the L240's awhile back, just thought i post the funny pic up of the amano being surrounded =)
I was thinking about getting a couple small L90's, but then again i won't have much room for future plecos =)
The small L90's that Charles has are really nice, but had to resist.


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

VR4_TT said:


> THANKS! Always adding new additions =) It's going to be over crowded soon >.<


When that happens u know what u have to do.....get another tank


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Claudia said:


> When that happens u know what u have to do.....get another tank


Exactly Leo...to get more fish, get another tank. Follow my lead.


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## crazy72 (Apr 22, 2010)

Gorgeous tank. And well done with the hatchet fish. When I saw the first page of your thread and you wondering what to add, I was going to suggest these guys. The tank seems to have a lid so they won't jump to their dry death.

I love these guys. The way they form a little batallion at the top of the tank.


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## Guest (Jul 15, 2010)

Claudia said:


> When that happens u know what u have to do.....get another tank


I wish i had the space. >.<
I currently have running 77gal, 40gal, 20gal, 15gal, 10gal and it adds extra heat to the house too. It was pretty brutal last week when we had the heat wave. Feels like a sauna. >.<


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## Guest (Jul 15, 2010)

2wheelsx2 said:


> Exactly Leo...to get more fish, get another tank. Follow my lead.


Yah i wish i can. Got to get a bigger house first =)
How many fish do you have in your 125gal?


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## Guest (Jul 15, 2010)

crazy72 said:


> Gorgeous tank. And well done with the hatchet fish. When I saw the first page of your thread and you wondering what to add, I was going to suggest these guys. The tank seems to have a lid so they won't jump to their dry death.
> 
> I love these guys. The way they form a little batallion at the top of the tank.


THANKS! I think i have more than enough bottom feeders, but hoping to add a few more =)
Yah i love the hatchet fish, now you see them now you don't! LOL when they turn, cause they're so thin. Now i have fishes that stays on the surface. I still cover the back because there's gaps from the filters. Hopefully they won't jump out *crossing fingers*


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

VR4_TT said:


> I wish i had the space. >.<
> I currently have running 77gal, 40gal, 20gal, 15gal, 10gal and it adds extra heat to the house too. It was pretty brutal last week when we had the heat wave. Feels like a sauna. >.<


If u dont have the space, well u can bring it here  (all the things i do to help out lol) 
I know how it is, i have 72g bowfront, 25g, 2 10g, 50g long 3 20g stacker, 29g nano, and i am setting up right now a 27g  but hey better to set them up then have them sitting in storage lol


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

VR4_TT said:


> Yah i wish i can. Got to get a bigger house first =)
> How many fish do you have in your 125gal?


Just get rid of some of the small ones. I'm going from a 20 to a 100. 

In the 125 I have too many. I think around 45 plecos or more now (I lose track as I've lost a few).


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## crazy72 (Apr 22, 2010)

VR4_TT said:


> THANKS! I think i have more than enough bottom feeders, but hoping to add a few more =)
> Yah i love the hatchet fish, now you see them now you don't! LOL when they turn, cause they're so thin. Now i have fishes that stays on the surface. I still cover the back because there's gaps from the filters. Hopefully they won't jump out *crossing fingers*


The hood on my CT is open at the back and I lost a couple of hatchet fish this way, so last week I moved the other ones into my Vicenza, which is completely covered, except for a round opening of about 2 or 3 inches in diameter on one side. Well, guess what, yesterday I found another one dry on the floor . It's like he/she had to aim really well. Like dolphins jumping through hoops...


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Yes, you gotta watch the Hatchets. I slowly lost all 8 of my hatchets mysteriously until I figured out that they were jumping out of a 1/2" gap in the glass top and landing on the floor and then flapping their way under the stand.


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## Guest (Jul 15, 2010)

Claudia said:


> If u dont have the space, well u can bring it here  (all the things i do to help out lol)
> I know how it is, i have 72g bowfront, 25g, 2 10g, 50g long 3 20g stacker, 29g nano, and i am setting up right now a 27g  but hey better to set them up then have them sitting in storage lol


Thanks for the offer, i'll keep that in mind. 
WOW how do you have time to maintain 10 tanks? I'm having trouble with 5 and a whole bunch of fish bowls of bettas, but then again, i find time to do wc. =)


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## Guest (Jul 15, 2010)

crazy72 said:


> The hood on my CT is open at the back and I lost a couple of hatchet fish this way, so last week I moved the other ones into my Vicenza, which is completely covered, except for a round opening of about 2 or 3 inches in diameter on one side. Well, guess what, yesterday I found another one dry on the floor . It's like he/she had to aim really well. Like dolphins jumping through hoops...


DAYAM, i got a few small inch gaps, got to find something to cover that up. I hope i don't find any dried up ones when i get home from work. Mine are about 3/4".


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## Guest (Jul 15, 2010)

2wheelsx2 said:


> Yes, you gotta watch the Hatchets. I slowly lost all 8 of my hatchets mysteriously until I figured out that they were jumping out of a 1/2" gap in the glass top and landing on the floor and then flapping their way under the stand.


Hmmm maybe i should put buckets of water around my tank to catch them LOL
I like these little guys, i hope they survive and not jump around.


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## neven (May 15, 2010)

cling wrap the small openings until you can figure out a more permanent solution


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## crazy72 (Apr 22, 2010)

VR4_TT said:


> DAYAM, i got a few small inch gaps, got to find something to cover that up. I hope i don't find any dried up ones when i get home from work. Mine are about 3/4".


Yup. Mine is covered now...


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## Guest (Jul 16, 2010)

*phew* all my hatchet fishes are still there =)


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