Help setting up a perfect Zebra pleco home (L46)

Just an update , fish arrive on the 18th. I an either going to go with 2 males and 1 female or if budget allows 2 females and 3 males . Need to get my ass in gear and get the tank sorted . My wife through a spanner in the works and now says i must get my office redone before i put the new tank in lol no pressure here at all

 

awesome, what price are they going for , it you can disclose

 

@Sharan they going for about R2000 a fish. This fish has been on my bucket list for about 15 years , hoping to get a breeding colony going

 

It has begun . Let the build begin , hoping to have the hardscape done in the next week

 

I have been doing a lot of research into breeding and keeping L46 and every now and again I came across a few people talking about how dither fish will make the L46 and other plecos feel more comfortable in the tank. The reasoning behind it is that in nature a lack of other fish around would signal a predator in the area and will cause the plecos to hide more and cause stress . What are peoples thoughts on this ?

 

.

 

Life seems to be slowing things down a lot but it's getting there slowly .
@necris was kind enough to make me an light for the tank , with rgb controller , so the lighting is sorted .
The islands are still undecided as I feel my artistic skills do not match my vision . I will still do the waterfall as I want the oxygen and flow it will provide.
The good news on the islands is they float and will easily hold plants are substrate. I just don't know if I am happy with how they look and how much more time I can invest into making islands as i feel I just am not skilled enough as an artist . What I did was used white cement with stains. I put multiple layers on but each layer I used different tints. I then sanded it to bring the different layers out . Maybe once they get plants and moss on them they will look more natural

 

They actually already look really good! And the colour does looks quite natural

 

Don't be so hard on yourself @Reafer. If your floating rocks are planted and moss growing you will defnitly loose the soup bowl look. Rock effect is very narural. Over time it will take on a nice weathered look.

Sent from my SM-A305F using Tapatalk

 

@T. Guppy @pierreschoonraad thanks guys . I think once aged and covered in plants it will look a lot better . Going to get the waterfall and 2 more islands made in the next few days . Substrate will be white river sand and black river stones to add some contrast

 

Sounds good!

 

Hi everyone
So after a lot of reflection and thought I have decided to keep this build simple for now . I am putting a lot of money into these fish and I dont want or need the cement or oxides to leach and kill my fish . I havent given up on this build I just think it will take more time than i have atm and the L46 are arriving any day now . I would want to soak all the islands and waterfall for a long time before I feel it's safe for the fish .
The basic build has started and will update tomorrow again one I have the hardscape in and plants planted . My plan for the plants is to plant and see what survives

 

Did a bit of work in the tank . Found and awesome piece of spider wood to make a tree with. The spiderwood and slate is all held together with a SS screw . Still a lot of open space but theres still a lot of wood and plants to go in still.

 

So excited to watch your progress!

Sent from my LYA-L29 using Tapatalk

 

That looks stunning so far @Reafer
I think it was a good decision to hold back the cement rocks for now

 

@louwla83 @MariaS thanks , I think it was the right decision. Keep it simple

 

Where are you going to get the caves from?

 

I made some wooden caves and a friend is making some terracotta ones for me

 

Company in the USA make them out of slate. Might be a nice diy project for the tank.