I'm going to get lynched !

[Lmgculley]

ok, first of all let me start of by saying that I am totally aware I've been a bit of an idiot. I'm coming here looking for advice but if you feel the need to remind me I'm an idiot.... we I can take that on the chin.

Ok, so I've never owned any fish before, recently I was browsing Ebay and a tank popped up, it was the full set up Inc. Fish and advertised as a 'plug and play' just job.
It looked pretty so I bought it. It's a 4ftx2ftx2ft, has come with more spare parts/food than I know what to do with......

Here's the thing...

It came with:

4 x Frontosa's
1 x Pleco
1 x Pimelodus Pictus

the largest is 10'' 2 of them are at 6-8" and the runt at about 5".

The 2 medium and the runt are kigoma's and the large is mpimbwe blue. All advertised as healthy and eating well.

Now, I've read a few posts on this forum and have realised that I should have research this first and that frontosa's shouldn't really be for newbies that never even heard words such as frontosa or pimelodus or pleco..... I literally have no idea what I am doing.......

The thing is I want to learn and I want to learn fast, I don't want these guys suffering for my negligence.....

So.... is anyone able to help me here? Advice would be really appreciated. Thank you

 

[**sarahp**]

WOW!!

It really does look pretty - I can see why you bought it!

Sorry - I know bog all about cichlids (if that's what they are?!?!? ) I' sure someone will help soon.

to the forum!!

 

[luca1980]

My first advice would be to not add any other fish to that tank. Your frontosas are pretty big and the pleco will turn into a tank buster too.

The pictus catfish is a south American species and therefore not compatible with the frontosas as their requirements in terms of pH etc are completely different. I would rehome the pictus (if you can) and keep the frontosas and pleco together without adding anything else.

 

[luca1980]

Also - what filter are you running on this tank? African cichlids require really efficient filtration and high water flow as they are messy fish. I would recommend a good quality canister such as a fluval FX6.

You will also need to do large, regular water changes - 60% minimum each week.

Can you provide more info regarding the water that comes from your tap? Is it hard or soft? What is the pH? You can get this info from your water company. Africans need hard water with a pH of at least 8 to be happy.

 

[flchamp89]

The fish came with tank? Tank is new?

Nowhere near a big enough tank.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

 

[thrujenseyes]

wow, that's quite a find.
The tank and the fish are gorgeous!
Yes, you might get lynched as they're going to bust out of that space quite soon.
Hopefully you get some helpful tips on how to go forward from here from those that have experience with your type of situation....I do not as I have a 6 gallon with endlers and shrimp! haha
I look forward to seeing your progression as it's a great looking tank!

 

[Demeter32]

First of all, how much did you pay for that? Adult frontosas are insanely expensive, and need at least a 90 gallon tank. And with four of them, I would shoot for a 120. I found you a good link for frontosas.
http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/cichlid/frontosa.php

If you are set on keeping the frontosas, then get a new tank and have fun cycling and filtering that monster
In all honestly I would start searching around for a good local pet store or someone with a proper set up to house them in. Perhaps put them up on ebay or craigs list, you could definitly get a good price for 4 healthy adults. I would rehome the pleco too. After you are rid of the fish not suitable to your tank size, you could go for the smaller species of Africans or go straight for tropical fish. Your're better off stocking the tank with fish that are compatible with the pictus though.

As for the pleco, I would bet it's a common pleco which get equally as massive as the Frontosas and need the same space. The pictus catfish should not be kept with Africans.

Now if I was in your shoes and had the money, I would totally be getting that 120 (more likely a 200) and breeding those fish. There's money to be made all while keeping lovely behemoths to look at

As a side note, if you just set that tank up it probably hasn't completed the Nitrogen Cycle. This means your fish are in danger of being poisoned by their own waste products so I would definitely look into that.