# Must be mental



## mike515 (Sep 12, 2006)

As some of you know I have a massive tank. 24x12x4 feet. But since I aquired a red tail catfish. I've been wondering what to do. Since he will get eaten by the bigger rays at his current size. But once he gets a bit bigger he will take out the rays, bass, pikes and probably the dovii as well.

Anyways, it's been bugging me what I should do. Red tail in the big tank and everything else out or new tank for the red tail.

Anywho, what with the extension on the house due to be finished in the next month or so theres going to be a very nice empty room next to the current fish room. You can probably see where this is going.

right well the current fish room is half the basement. the other half is a lounge/office/games room lol. So without the dividing wall the entire space is 26x40 feet. The plan will be to have the current tank as the bass/ray tank. But on the opposite wall there is a spare 26x20 space. So the plan is to have that as the new big predator tank. So the red tail, possibly some big gars, arowana etc. Maybe pacu as well.

What do you guys think? Too big? Too mental? Obviously will be incredible but I don't know if I should do it. the cash isn't an issue, I got past that now. Accepting the cost was the hard bit. Its just whether or not I should do it.


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## declanjr (Aug 8, 2007)

oh my god that is huge you have to post pictures lol


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## mike515 (Sep 12, 2006)

same deal as the other one though. Once its finished then we have pictures. Nothing till im happy with it


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## Berber King (Dec 29, 2007)

Its a no brainer really,if you have the space and money-go for it! I used to work in an aquatics shop as a teenager,the highlight of my days would be hand feeding the huge red-tail trout fillets,fantastic fish.Maybe some arapaima too!


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## Mujician (Mar 7, 2007)

It certainly is mental, but if you can afford to have it all set up - GO FOR IT! Can I just ask - wil you build it yourself, or will you get a specialist in to do it?


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## mike515 (Sep 12, 2006)

self built. what with the fact im a brickie of 25 years. Oh and before you lot get confused. This user name is used by mike he's 18 and knows his cichlids etc very well. he uses this more than me. and by me (john). He's my best mates son and maintains my fish for me and generally looks after the major stuff. I just feed, watch and pay the bill lol.

But yeah i'll build the basic structure myself, basic brick box, but re-enforced with a steel frame stucture supporting the bricks and then cladded in something. then get mikes dad in to fibreglass it and then line the whole lot. Got the acrilic already. the window on this will be 18 foot long by 2 feet. Getting it fitted by a friend who does major glazing projects. the rest is all pretty easy.

Mikes on the look out for a decent arapaima at the moment lol. and a tigrinis catfish. He used to have one and has wanted one for a while


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## carisma02uk (Sep 14, 2006)

do you have pics of the current set ups? or are they still in the proccess' also, it certainly sounds like a good set up matey, stocking sound nice too. i miss my arowanas.. what about wikkii cat fish? spelling may be wrong i havent done anything with fish for years lol... but did have the grace of a crenichicula venzuala sp?? good luck Jon


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## mike515 (Sep 12, 2006)

got a few crenicichla. No C. venezuala anymore, sold my last pair a couple of years ago.

Wicki would kill anything and everything. Or get killed by a big red tail.


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## carisma02uk (Sep 14, 2006)

hmm yeah i guess so but would be awsome to own one.. r even have the space to think about owning one lol, well my vinnie practically put a t.butterkofferii through a 12mm tank... silly error on my part... but both survived just...

im still wanting pics asap matey ....


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## treeboa (May 4, 2005)

thats not a tank its a bloody pond : victory:, go on bite the bullet and go marine, all you will need to do is sell your beloved and your body to pay for the salt :lol2:

look forward to seeing the pics if you will post them, sounds seriously impressive


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## mike515 (Sep 12, 2006)

Would go marine, but for that size, the cost would be astronomical. Would have to be reef if anything but i dont have that much cash. That would easily clear the 100000 price tag.

Currently with everything needed (construction stuff, liner, lighting, pumps etc) its at 14K. Ordering the stuff late next week for a hopeful start at the begining of june. The builders doing the extension have given me a guaranteed finish date of May 24th or I get 20% off lol. Hopefully finished before as there's not a whole lot left to do. Just the plastering, and then decorating (I don't do decorating so I paid them to do it for me lol). Spoke to an estate agent to see how much this will ruin my resale value on the house. They don't think it will be that bad as it is possible to remove it with a bit of work.

But yeah the gear should be here around the 3rd of june hopefully. I intend to have it built by mid june. Fibreglassed and lined by the 25th ish of june. Then filled in the first fortnight of July. Fish by August . Red tail in first, then the gourami will also move in there. Keep the american tank american.

So when working in american gallons I will have the following tanks (aprox capacity)
8600 gallon tank (the 24x12x4)
14000 gallon (24x20x4)
8x4x3 (feet, and theres 3 of these)
6x3x3 (feet and theres 5 of these)
plus a load of 3x2x2's as fry tanks.
Plus a new 12x12x4 sump for the bigger tank and the 8x6x4 foot sump already on the smaller big tank lol.

A fair old bit of water . Will get pics once it's all done. Gonna get the whole lot finished, cleaned up and stocked then lots and lots of pics


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## MattiBee (Mar 7, 2008)

you, sir, are a crazy person. That sounds like the biggest personal project going, please post some/any pics you have so far! You should open to the public when your done!


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## MattiBee (Mar 7, 2008)

mike515 said:


> Gonna get the whole lot finished, cleaned up and stocked then lots and lots of pics


ok


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## -matty-b- (Dec 13, 2007)

have a massive red belly piranha schoal and threaten to throw people in lol jk

thats what you call a project though: victory:


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## carisma02uk (Sep 14, 2006)

-matty-b- said:


> have a massive red belly piranha schoal and threaten to throw people in lol jk
> 
> thats what you call a project though: victory:


ha i think in fact in thatb size enclousre that would be a good idea...

you could even have the space to mix pygocenturs and serrasalmus...

oooh just think..... 20 carbie and priaya living with rhoms and spilos awsome set i think!!!!!!
Jon


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## mike515 (Sep 12, 2006)

Right got some good news and some bad news.

The good news is that Im getting married (as in its John, NOT mike lol he's a bit young). yeah proposed 2 days ago and she actually said yes.

this means that no new big tank. She has put her foot down lol. 2 days engaged and whipped beyond belief. also gonna cut down on the fish room. Keeping the big tank but losing most of the other stuff. Would rather spend more time with the wife to be.

So that means a lot of stuff will be up for rehoming. Not gonna charge much for them, as I've had more than my fair share of pleasure out of them. Probably just a small cost for my time etc. So basically apart from the dovii, my cobra pikes, the peacock bass and rays. Most stuff will be going. Ill let you know the list when Ive decided and Ive got a few mates that are interested in a lot of the stuff. If your interested in anything drop me a PM


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## mike515 (Sep 12, 2006)

Right I've spoken to a few friends and everything is accounted for, to go to new homes in the next few weeks.

The big concrete tank will also be going I think. Sarah's mentioned the worlds 'tiny little feet'. The house we are in is not big enough for us and kids with the basement as a fish room. So it's either the tank goes and we stay here. Or the tank goes and we move. It sucks, but you gotta make sacrifices.

gonna keep an 8 footer for the dovii. An 8 footer for a few of the bass and some of the cobra pikes. Everything else is on the way to new homes in the next few weeks. If anyone does want anything let me know and I will keep you as a fallback if anyone else pulls out.


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## -matty-b- (Dec 13, 2007)

mike515 said:


> Right I've spoken to a few friends and everything is accounted for, to go to new homes in the next few weeks.
> 
> The big concrete tank will also be going I think. Sarah's mentioned the worlds 'tiny little feet'. The house we are in is not big enough for us and kids with the basement as a fish room. So it's either the tank goes and we stay here. Or the tank goes and we move. It sucks, but you gotta make sacrifices.
> 
> gonna keep an 8 footer for the dovii. An 8 footer for a few of the bass and some of the cobra pikes. Everything else is on the way to new homes in the next few weeks. If anyone does want anything let me know and I will keep you as a fallback if anyone else pulls out.


damn was looking forward to seeing it as you went along. oh well good lick with miss :whip: lol jk


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## mike515 (Sep 12, 2006)

No I really am whipped. It's pathetic really. But it was get whipped, be happy with the women I love and so on. And still be allowed down the pub (with a permission slip of course), or keep my big tank, and lots of fish and not be half as happy.

This way though I can finally work more hours in a day and therefor less days a week because I don't have to get home to play with the fish all the time lol


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## mike515 (Sep 12, 2006)

Good news guys. The big tank is staying 

been looking at the costs of removing it and its alot. Plus a real pain in the arse so the missus has agreed to keep it if I tidy up round it and brighten the lighting up a bit. Plus add some 'pretty fish'. Well chuffed lol. Just basically got permission to get me some very nice fish with no risk of a tongue lashing


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## Esfa (Apr 15, 2007)

as long as all your fish are under 12" then i'm very happy for you! : victory:

anything over 12" and you're cruel for keeping it in such a small tank! :censor::censor:




:Na_Na_Na_Na:


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