Amberjade

Majestic Aquariums ship tanks - not sure what they have as far as complete setups, but worth a look. They are based in Sydney. I was planning on getting a custom build through them, and it was going to be $100 shipping - pretty darn good for a 5' x 18 " x 18".

B1 and B2! Love it! Yeah, my 150 is going to be huge alright - 5 x 2 x 2. Big tank for my big fishes (when they grow up). I have severums, angels, acaras, bala sharks and a gibby, so they NEED a huge tank. Worked that one well! Means I can get my axie. lol

I am so jealous! I want to get an axie so bad, but have to wait till I get my 150gal so I can put one in my 40. Haven't told hubby what I plan to do yet. LOL

There are just too many fish and not enough space, really. :)

Have a look at landscape supplies - they can be treasure troves! It's amazing what types of rock they can stock or even get in. And sometimes you can even get pieces of rock - say from a broken slab of slate or something like that - for next to nothing. One hint - never buy stuff already bagged. It's much cheaper when you take your own bag! (I used to do landscaping) Buffering your water is always a good idea, IMO, whether it's soft or hard. I actually buffer mine with a little crushed coral, even though I have soft water. Buffering stops big PH swings. The coral also adds minerals that fish need. So you could always use crushed coral in your filter. Do a search for texas holey rocks - they are designed for hard water fish like rift lake cichlids, and from what I can gather, they aren't too heavy. To be honest, I wouldn't be overly concerned with the weight as long as you don't go overboard and try to fill the entire tank with rock! LOL And if you have the right stand, and the right foam beneath the tank, you should be alright. With all this planning and research, it's going to be one heck of a tank! Can't wait to see it all set up! :)

Africans are perfect for your water! Watch out with tiger barbs, plecos and cories tho - they like it soft. Do a search for mbuna set-ups. If you like labs (which I completely get!) then a mbuna biotope would be perfect! Use the 4ft for that. With the 3ft, maybe African butterfly fish....or you could get away wiyh central American cichlids like convicts - they can acclimatize to harder water much better than south Americans. . Good luck!

If you have a large shoal of tiger barbs - 8 plus - they are much more interested in chasing each other than other tankmates. LOL But yes, you would need other fish that will hold their own with tigers. I actually have juvi tigers and angels in my 3 ft tank (moving them to a 5ft soon) and there aren't any probs. Both fish need to be in decent groups, IME. Perhaps a larger gourami - but it all really depends on the individual fish. Some will get along, some won't. Fickle devils! Angels are actually quite hardy, as long as the water is soft and slightly acidic. But they really do need to be in a group of 5-6, unless you have a breeding pair. Angels are cichlids, so they can get aggressive. They are also territorial. For bottom feeders, cory's are great - they are entertaining, sweet and funny! BUT, your tank MUST be well established. They will not cope with a new tank. They can be really sensitive to nitrates, so keep them down. You need to keep 4-5 of them - they are shoaling fish as well. Bristlenose, on the other hand, are quite happy on their own. For a centrepiece fish, have you looked into south american cichlids? A lot of them are beautiful (look at angels!) but peaceful - compared to their african cousins, anyway! Blue Acara's are beautiful - and hardy. They get to about 8in. And they can hold their own against tiger barbs. Or even convicts (which are actually central american) could work well. Sorry for the long post! I get a bit carried away. LOL Good luck!!! Carls

Hey all. I'm Carley. I am an animal addict - dogs, birds, fish....... whatever I can fit. LOL I've been keeping fish on an off over the years since I was a kid. Right now I have 5 tanks, more in the planning. I just love so many fish, and since they can't all live together, just means more tanks, right? I currently have bettas (ct), livebearers, SA cichlids, corys, ancistrus, barbs, tetras, fantails.... I'll give more details in another post Oh, and I've had the pleasure of buying some RCS from a fellow member recently Cheers!!