Fahaka -- Temporary House

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jnheinz
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Fahaka -- Temporary House

Post by jnheinz »

Hi guys, I was wondering.. I have read that Fahaka's will grow about an inch a month for the first year or so of their life.

This was going to be my final tank in the house, working on getting a new 125g/stand by April or so... I have never seen any Fahaka's at the local fish stores where I live...I see 2 on Aquabid, and I asked both of them if they ever get them in on a regular basis, they said no.. Possibly false advertising but :)

I have a 30gal Long sitting around.. do you think a Fahaka would be ok for 2 months in a 30 long? It's only 12 inches wide.. so I realize that I will need a bigger tank... I have every intent of getting a 125gal, but I just have no transportation for the monster yet.

They have a 5inch one and 2-3 inch one on Aquabid.. One is obviously more reasonable than the other... Has anyone ever dealt with one of those guys... i.e. healthy fish??

I have never bought fish online, because I worry they will die.

Let me know what you guys think.

Thanks.
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Myaj
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Post by Myaj »

There are Fahakas on Aquabid pretty regularly I think...

BTW, think about your tank size.. the footprint of 125's really isn't wide enough for a fahaka to turn comfortably once they are full grown. A 120 would be much better (deeper front to back).

I don't know why people always insist on a 125 being the best for fahakas...
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Post by Puffernut »

I have purchased from Aquatictreasure which i beleive is selling the smaller one, the puffer i got from them was pretty healthy. Personally I would just wait till you get the bigger tank. Iv'e noticed Fahakas tend to show up on aquabid every few mounths.
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Post by Boxermom »

Apparently my palembang came from AquaticTreasure and I know others who have bought puffers from him as well. He's very reputable as far as I understand and has very healthy stock.

I would also recommend waiting. The growth rate really is that fast, and while mine is still under 4 inches, he does swim around the entire length he's got and is very active, so having a single small fish in a large tank doesn't seem empty.
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jnheinz
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Post by jnheinz »

Correct me if I'm wrong... 125 gal is 72x24x17

120gal is 48x24x24

Same turnaround space? More height on a 120gal.
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Post by jnheinz »

Wait, I was looking incorrectly I think.
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Post by jnheinz »

72x24x24 would be 180gal...I think.

That was the footprint I was looking for, but I'm not sure I want to put 2000lbs on a 3rd story apartment... The maintenance guy said 1300lbs laid out over 6x2ft would not be a problem at all...as long as the stand is evenly distributing weight.

Well this may change everything.. I did not want a 18" front-to-back tank for a Fahaka.. I was originally looking at a 120gal, but 125gal is much easier to get and very reasonable.
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Myaj
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Post by Myaj »

Right, the standard 125 is only 18" front to back.

You'd be better off with the 120 or upgrading to a 150 (not sure on the footprint of those) a 180 or 210 (wouldnt' that be wonderful).

There are always "other" sizes out there different from the standard, so look around and see what you find. I found a 110 tank for half the price of a 120, with the same footprint, just 2" shorter. I feel that would have been just fine for a Fahaka, with standard 50% weekly water changes and no tankmates of course.
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CoreyK
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Post by CoreyK »

What about a large corner tank? Turnaround space would not be an issue there.
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Post by jnheinz »

corner tank is the same concept I used for my Turgidus.. sure he will get 6 inches, no big deal in a bigger hex tank.. all the turnaround room in the world.. just not the "zooming back and forth" room.
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Post by jnheinz »

I didn't have the room for another 55g.. so I improvised.. however I wanted to go all out for this Fahaka.. 180 is way out of reach. So is 150.. Too big. I need to keep the whole weight of this under 1500 lbs.. so 130gal is about the biggest... 125gal+stand is always cheap at the LFS... I bet they will try and gouge me if I ask for a weird footprint by Perfecto or the former, Oceanic.
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jnheinz
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Post by jnheinz »

a 120gal footprint is about right.. Although what gal would a 72x24x17 be? That is a good footprint for what I am looking for... not really high but wide and long.
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Post by jnheinz »

I think a 72x24x17 is what you might call a "125gal wide" .. substituting a normal 125gal's 24 inches high for 24 inches wide.

That would be a good footprint..Boy getting that sucker in the door will be interesting.
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Post by jnheinz »

Maybe someone who knows more about aquariums can explain this... There is a small company near me who makes acrylic aquariums... They make alot of them with all the overflows, sumps, refugiums, for reef tanks... I am very inexperienced in this area.

Now, if I wanted them to make a standard 120gal 48x24x24 .. Would any of these "reef-ready" features help filter the Fahaka's tank...or are they totally useless.
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Post by Myaj »

They could be and they might not be.

Having a sump is a great thing, it adds water volume, gives you a place to put your heater (so the fish doesn't break it and its out of sight) and you can even grow live plants in there on a lighting schedule opposite from the main tank so there are constantly plants pulling nutrients from the water (called a veggie filter, articles in the library about them).

But of course, it will add weight to have another tank full of water. And any overflow/return pump type of setup has a little risk of something going wrong and flooding. Of course, you don't HAVE to have a huge sump, but if you are going to do it, IMO, go nice and big hehe.

You're already concerned about weight though, so a sump might not be the best plan for you. In that case, I'd just go for a regular old tank and not get any of the overflows, etc added on.
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