arg's ABSOLUTELY LAST tank

[arg]

I have been trying for weeks to get a good shot of this fellow. Its a lousy picture but the best shot I could capture so far of this very shy fellow.

My extremely difficult to photograph African Pygmy angelfish (Centropyge acanthops).

[arg]

My 34th resident is my Tomini Tang or Yellow-tip Bristletooth (Ctenochaetus tominiensis)

[shootsimon]

Very very nice tank and angels. How did u manage so many angel fish? Won't they fight? Care to share how u introduce them into the tank. Thanks

[arg]

I finally managed to get a decent shot of my very shy African Pygmy Angelfish

[arg]

Another decent shot of the African Pygmy Angelfish

[arg]

Thought I would share with my fellow reefers this amazing maintenance tool to make water change and gravel cleaning mess free.

Got this Python Aquarium Maintenance system from the US. I got the:

1) 48" Extended gravel tube,

2) 20 feet extension hose,

3) Python Faucet Pump,

4) Python On/Off Switch,

5) Python Brass Snap Connector

[arg]

The Python Aquarium Maintenance Products is a complete ready to use system that allows "No Spill Clean and Fill".

Cuts aquarium maintenance time with no need for buckets, siphons and absolutely no mess!

It has an on/off valve near the gravel tube to give convenient flow control. It not only removes water but u can also refill water from the tap with the same fittings. i have not done this as my water change supply is from my RO wtar n salt mixing tank.

Here is a pic of the parts fitted together.

[arg]

The amazing thing is the attachment to the tap, the "Python Faucet Pump" that uses water from the tap to create a suction flow to even suck up water from the floor.

Here I am demostrating how it sucks up water from my sump up to my sink. It can suck water up against gravity !

[arg]

As I said earlier, it can even refill the tank with water from the tap after u have removed the old water from the tank.

I got a brass adapter for the tap as I dont want to wear out the screw grooves of the plastic faucet pump. It makes the faucet pump more duarble if u have to attach and remove the faucet pump repeatedly.

The hose is very high quality clear pvc. It wont kink up and the clear hose makes it easier to see the water flow.

If the end of the gravel tube is higher than the tap outlet, u only have to leave the tap running to create a suction. Once the old tank water flows into the sink u can turn off the tap.

If u are ###### up water below the tap height such as on the floor or sump, u have to leave the tap running to create suction to fight gravity.

Here is a closer look at the faucet pump in action.

[arg]

My 4 feet long Python gravel tube allows me to do gravel cleaning in my 3.5 feet deep tank without getting wet.

The gravel tubes comes in lengths from 20 inches to 72 inches long.

When I clean my sand bed, I only have to leave the tap on until the old tank water reaches the sink and I can turn off the tap as the tank is higher than my sink.

Here is a pic of the 48 inch gravel tube in my tank.

[pingpong]

thanks for the write-up on this very interesting pdt, looks like it will make cleaning/changing water more fun leh....

http://www.marinedepot.com/aquarium_mainte...cts.asp?CartId=

no LFS in S'pore sells this?

[arg]

Where the water comes out, u can change the faucet pump from removing water to pushing water into the tank.

If u pull the bottom piece out and turn on the tap, the tap water creates a suction. This enables tank water to be sucked out from the gravel tube through the hose and out the faucet pump .

If u push the bottom piece in, it stops water from coming out the bottom. This changes the Python system to passing tap water through the hose to the gravel tube and into the tank.

So the Python faucet pump is an all in one suction water removal and a water refill tool.

A closer pic of the Python Faucet Pump

[shootsimon]

Very very nice tank and angels. How did u manage so many angel fish? Won't they fight? Care to share how u introduce them into the tank. Thanks

Can share your method?

[arg]

Can share your method?

Sorry for not posting earlier but I have been preoccupied with an ich outbreak in my main tank.

If u want to have a lot of angels, u have to have a very big main tank. U also have to have a few quarantine tanks.

I guess it starts with choosing a HEALTHY specimen that is FEEDING preferably on pellets. I may take a chance on a desirable angel even if it feeds on brine shrimp as I have now had some success in training angels to feed.

I freshwater dip all fish for 5 min before putting them in a quarantine tank. U have to watch the fish and if it looks very distressed, remove it earlier than the 5 min. Angels are tough and can take the fresh water dips.

I keep the fish in the quarantine tank for between 2-6 weeks. This the time that I get the angels to eat various pellet food, brine shrimp, blood worms, krill, macro algae, nori etc. I use saeachem Entice to make the food smell inviting to the fish. I also use kent Marine Garlic additive as well as Selcon on the food.

In the quarantine period is also the time I get the fish to get use to COMPETING with other fish for food, territory etc. Just like kids, u have to let them fight a bit and just be a bit zen about it. If things get too bad u can still separate them in the Quarantine Tank.

I have almost 30 large angels and about 12 pygmy angels in the same tank. The trick is to add the less aggressive fish of the smaller size first. At a certain point u will not be able to add 1 angel at a time as all of them will gang up on the newcomer.

U will then have to add 3 or more newcomers at a time to ensure not one angel is targeted. This is where having multiple quarantine tanks make it easier to get the angels to be in a community of 3 or 4 first before they are introduced to the general population.

In the main tank u have to provide lots of caves for the angels to call home. Angels need their private space. The more space u give them the less likely they will fight. The more space u have, there is space to run and hide if there is conflict. After a while the angels will lose interest in fighting.

Making sure that every angel has enough to eat is another way to reduce territorial aggression.

There are no guarantees that the angels wont fight with each other in the long run but if u have enough space it will always work itself out.

Disease and parasites is another story and the main risk in my opinion to keeping large numbers of angels. I am battling a ich outbreak in my main tank and so far I have 4 fatalities.

[WaNeR]

for sharing the info

[BFG]

Actually, there is not a need to purchase the Python. I am currently using another method without the use of a Python but with a hose. Here's how I do water change for my planted tank.

1st, I connect one end of the hose to the tap at the toilet. The other end is placed into the tank below the water level. I then switch on the tap letting the hose filled with water. When the hose is completely filled with water, I switch off the tap and immediately pull off the hose from the tap. The water coming out of the hose where it was connected to the tap earlier will flow out and instantly suck out the water from the tank also.

Hope this helps!

[kueytoc]

Another pic of the same Watanabe in mid transformation from male to female.

Wow, seemed like u have a no of potential 'transexual' she-males.

[arg]

Actually, there is not a need to purchase the Python. I am currently using another method without the use of a Python but with a hose. Here's how I do water change for my planted tank.

1st, I connect one end of the hose to the tap at the toilet. The other end is placed into the tank below the water level. I then switch on the tap letting the hose filled with water. When the hose is completely filled with water, I switch off the tap and immediately pull off the hose from the tap. The water coming out of the hose where it was connected to the tap earlier will flow out and instantly suck out the water from the tank also.

Hope this helps!

Yep, u can do that. There are lots of ways to suck water out of a tank.

What I like about a Python is that it can suck water up against gravity. That means u can syphon water from the floor up to the sink if u want. This is useful to me as it allows me to suck water up from my sump to my sink which is a good 3 feet higher.

The Python has a valve that allows u to stop suction and then continue syphoning water just by turning the valve.

Although I have never used the refill capability of the Python system, it would be a convenient way to hose down and area.

I actually bought the Python system because it had a 48 inch gravel tube and I needed a Gravel tube that was long enough for my 3.5 feet deep tank.

I love the quality of the components, the flexibility of the various adapters, the non kinking transparent hoses and additional extenseion hoses,, the variety of different length gravel tubes.

For me, the Python system is just what I needed to complete my "easy maintenance and water change" tank.

[arg]

Here is apic of the Gravel tube in action.

As u can see the sand does not reach the top of the 4 feet long tube but the destritus will rise to the top.

There is a valve at the top that also allows u to adjust the flow or stop the flow completely.

[arg]

Another fish keeper equipment to share.

Its a trap to catch unwanted inhabitants safely and easily such as fish, shrimp, crabs. It is made of 100% clear acrylic providing durability and is virtually invisible to the inhabitants of the aquarium.

[arg]

I have not actually used it yet but I loaned it to a LFS customer to catch a fish that was misbehaving. It worked well and the guilty fish was caught.

U tie the supplied fishing line to the square door. U place food in the trap and place the trap in the water. The acrylic tube is invisible to the fish.

U wait for the the guilty livestock to enter to feed on the tasty morsel and u release the fishing line go to close the door.

U can use it to catch not just misbehaving fish but crabs, prawns, eels, etc.

The trap that I have has a 4" diameter and is 9" long.

I will probably post a pic of the trap actually in use later.

[arg]

After 18 days of battling the parasite outbreak, I have lost the war. All my treasured residents except my earspot angel have gone to fish heaven.

I tried very hard to break the reproductive lifecycle by

1) attacking the free swimming dinospores stage of the oodinium parasite with ozone and uv,

2) using hyposalinity to make the trophonts to drop from the fish to encyst,

3) daily multiple sand sifting and water change to reduce the cysts or tormonts that are in the sand,

4) raising temperature to 30.5 C to speed up the reproductive cycle,

5) increase feeding with garlic soaked foods to help build up the fishes strength and immunity to fight the disease,

6) Dosing immunovital to help the fish with their protective mucous layer

In the end I did not succeed to break the life cycle and only managed to delay the outcome. I was reluctant to nuke the tank with copper.

I managed to catch the earspot and it is being treated in the hospital tank which is dosed with chelated copper. The earspot is being freashwater bathe daily. the earspot will remain in the hospital tank for the next 60 days.

As for my main tank, it will be "going fallow" for two months at 31 degrees Celcius to eliminate the parasite from my tank.

Having a large tank makes it very difficult to catch infected lifestock and limits the treatment options.

The main lesson is never allow any corals, rocks, macroalgae or invetebrates into the tank that has not been quarantined as velvet can get into your system via any wet surface.

I guess I now have two months to focus on converting my old FOWLR tank to my new sps tank.

[big_ben102000]

sorry to hear that bro...

[arg]

Yeah bro. I am absolutely devastated.

It took a lot of time and effort to accumulate and acclimatise all those beautiful angels to live peacefully together.

I am glad I did not move all my tangs and surgeons from the coral tank to the new tank. I now truly regret moving my fat achilles tang to the new tank.

[shootsimon]

So sad to hear about your lost