Oblio
Fish Herder
With the exception of hardness/pH, I see MTS coming to the rescue of the OP 
My sons new 6ft aquarium. Thoughts?
- Thread starter Andyhaigh85
- Start date
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ClownLurch
Fish Gatherer
Absolute rubbish. We know which fish are likely to upset others. A bit like we know which humans are.
Let the addiction begin!
foxgirl158
Fishaholic
What’s MTS?With the exception of hardness/pH, I see MTS coming to the rescue of the OP
multiple tank syndrome
malaysian trumpet snails
Multiple tank syndrome. Basically addiction to fish keeping
more like a drug
not really like that
you have to take in mind if something is compatible or not.
following your example
id rather put 2 friends in the same room rather than 2 enemies so they have less conflict
Hi and welcome to the forum 
The pet shop selling you these fish has not done you any favors. You have a really bad mixture of fish. Some come from soft acid water, others from water with more minerals in. But the real concern is the fish. @Wills has mentioned the Datnioides (tiger fish) and Leporinus. These are not community fish and the Datnioides is a full on predator that will eat most of the fish in the tank. The Leporinus grow to 12 inches long and will probably jump out when it gets bigger and it will probably help the Datnioides eat a few of the fish in the mean time. Jack Dempsey cichlids grow to 10-12 inches long and are pretty nasty but not as mean as the Datnioides. They will probably fight when mature and the biggest fish will win.
What is an "amarillo louisinna"?
At the very least I would look at getting rid of the Datnioides, Leporinus and Jack Dempsey to start with. The shop you got them from should take them back and if they don't, I would contact consumer protection because those fish are not community fish and the shop has sold you a bunch of fish that are not compatible.
The discus might be ok with the others, however there are a few other cichlids and it will probably stress and die over the next few months. Having said that, the discus actually looks pretty healthy considering who it is sharing the tank with.
The red parrot cichlid could probably go too because it will get big but they aren't that aggressive.
If the water chemistry (GH, KH & pH) is suitable, you could get an electric blue acara, which is similar colour to the electric blue Jack Dempsey but much more peaceful and only grows to about 5 inches.
Then you can find out what the GH, KH & pH is and go from there.
-------------------
GH, KH & pH
The GH (general hardness), KH (carbonate hardness) and pH of your water supply can usually be obtained from your water supply company's website or by telephoning them. If they can't help you, take a glass full of tap water to the local pet shop and get them to test it for you. Write the results down (in numbers) when they do the tests. And ask them what the results are in (eg: ppm, dGH, or something else).
Depending on what the GH of your water is, will determine what fish you should keep.
Angelfish, most tetras, barbs, Bettas, gouramis, rasbora, Corydoras and small species of suckermouth catfish all occur in soft water (GH below 150ppm) and a pH below 7.0.
Livebearers (guppies, platies, swordtails, mollies), rainbowfish and goldfish occur in medium hard water with a GH around 200-250ppm and a pH above 7.0.
If you have very hard water (GH above 300ppm) then look at African Rift Lake cichlids, or use distilled or reverse osmosis (R/O) water to reduce the GH and keep fishes from softer water.
-------------------
As for the tank, a picture on the back might make it look more natural, although the blue wall behind it doesn't look too bad.
Make sure you have a coverglass on top of the tank to reduce heat loss, evaporation and to stop fish jumping out. Get coverglass that is 4, 5 or 6mm thick so it is less likely to chip and crack compared to thinner (3mm) glass. You can also get Perspex covers instead of glass.
Putting some more live plants in the corners would help but wait until you get rid of the Leporinus because they eat plants. A clump of Ambulia or Hygrophila polysperma would be nice in the back corners and you could try to grow some narrow Vallis along the back. However, there probably won't be enough light for them in the middle of the tank.
Some floating plants like Water Sprite (Ceratopteris thalictroides/ cornuta) will help keep the water cleaner and provide shelter to the black phantom tetras, gouramis, discus and angelfish.
-------------------
Did the shop tell you how to clean the filter?
How often are you doing water changes and how much water do you change?
Do you use a gravel cleaner when doing water changes?
Do you add a water conditioner (dechlorinator) to the new water when doing water changes?
The pet shop selling you these fish has not done you any favors. You have a really bad mixture of fish. Some come from soft acid water, others from water with more minerals in. But the real concern is the fish. @Wills has mentioned the Datnioides (tiger fish) and Leporinus. These are not community fish and the Datnioides is a full on predator that will eat most of the fish in the tank. The Leporinus grow to 12 inches long and will probably jump out when it gets bigger and it will probably help the Datnioides eat a few of the fish in the mean time. Jack Dempsey cichlids grow to 10-12 inches long and are pretty nasty but not as mean as the Datnioides. They will probably fight when mature and the biggest fish will win.
What is an "amarillo louisinna"?
At the very least I would look at getting rid of the Datnioides, Leporinus and Jack Dempsey to start with. The shop you got them from should take them back and if they don't, I would contact consumer protection because those fish are not community fish and the shop has sold you a bunch of fish that are not compatible.
The discus might be ok with the others, however there are a few other cichlids and it will probably stress and die over the next few months. Having said that, the discus actually looks pretty healthy considering who it is sharing the tank with.
The red parrot cichlid could probably go too because it will get big but they aren't that aggressive.
If the water chemistry (GH, KH & pH) is suitable, you could get an electric blue acara, which is similar colour to the electric blue Jack Dempsey but much more peaceful and only grows to about 5 inches.
Then you can find out what the GH, KH & pH is and go from there.
-------------------
GH, KH & pH
The GH (general hardness), KH (carbonate hardness) and pH of your water supply can usually be obtained from your water supply company's website or by telephoning them. If they can't help you, take a glass full of tap water to the local pet shop and get them to test it for you. Write the results down (in numbers) when they do the tests. And ask them what the results are in (eg: ppm, dGH, or something else).
Depending on what the GH of your water is, will determine what fish you should keep.
Angelfish, most tetras, barbs, Bettas, gouramis, rasbora, Corydoras and small species of suckermouth catfish all occur in soft water (GH below 150ppm) and a pH below 7.0.
Livebearers (guppies, platies, swordtails, mollies), rainbowfish and goldfish occur in medium hard water with a GH around 200-250ppm and a pH above 7.0.
If you have very hard water (GH above 300ppm) then look at African Rift Lake cichlids, or use distilled or reverse osmosis (R/O) water to reduce the GH and keep fishes from softer water.
-------------------
As for the tank, a picture on the back might make it look more natural, although the blue wall behind it doesn't look too bad.
Make sure you have a coverglass on top of the tank to reduce heat loss, evaporation and to stop fish jumping out. Get coverglass that is 4, 5 or 6mm thick so it is less likely to chip and crack compared to thinner (3mm) glass. You can also get Perspex covers instead of glass.
Putting some more live plants in the corners would help but wait until you get rid of the Leporinus because they eat plants. A clump of Ambulia or Hygrophila polysperma would be nice in the back corners and you could try to grow some narrow Vallis along the back. However, there probably won't be enough light for them in the middle of the tank.
Some floating plants like Water Sprite (Ceratopteris thalictroides/ cornuta) will help keep the water cleaner and provide shelter to the black phantom tetras, gouramis, discus and angelfish.
-------------------
Did the shop tell you how to clean the filter?
How often are you doing water changes and how much water do you change?
Do you use a gravel cleaner when doing water changes?
Do you add a water conditioner (dechlorinator) to the new water when doing water changes?
What I would do, is pick your favorite fish in the tank and keep that one... The rest, give to a local pet store... It will be the best decision to make most likely unless you are actually able to handle all the aggression to come later on... Which I wouldn't even attempt handling
If you add MTS with PMS you get you get Mss Tmp (The Mrs blowing her stack).
OP
OP
Andyhaigh85
New Member
I had a quick google and I think you will have softwater but if you can put your postcode in here https://www.yorkshirewater.com/your-water/water-hardness/
Dont tell us your postcode but share the results you get and we will know what we are working with
No probs at for the help we all started somewhere and we all make mistakes its a tough hobby and there are so many views and opinions but IMO this is one of the best places because its a big melting pot of all these views and we are all products of each others experience and we are lucky to have members like @Byron and others that are certified experts and published.
Wills
OP
OP
Andyhaigh85
New Member
Yes to tap safe. Yes to gravel cleaner and I've been doing x2 water changes a week minimum. I don't like seeing the glass mucky and also don't like seeing the tritus. I've also got 3 sachets of purigen in one of the canister filters. Temp 27 degrees.Hi and welcome to the forum
The pet shop selling you these fish has not done you any favors. You have a really bad mixture of fish. Some come from soft acid water, others from water with more minerals in. But the real concern is the fish. @Wills has mentioned the Datnioides (tiger fish) and Leporinus. These are not community fish and the Datnioides is a full on predator that will eat most of the fish in the tank. The Leporinus grow to 12 inches long and will probably jump out when it gets bigger and it will probably help the Datnioides eat a few of the fish in the mean time. Jack Dempsey cichlids grow to 10-12 inches long and are pretty nasty but not as mean as the Datnioides. They will probably fight when mature and the biggest fish will win.
What is an "amarillo louisinna"?
At the very least I would look at getting rid of the Datnioides, Leporinus and Jack Dempsey to start with. The shop you got them from should take them back and if they don't, I would contact consumer protection because those fish are not community fish and the shop has sold you a bunch of fish that are not compatible.
The discus might be ok with the others, however there are a few other cichlids and it will probably stress and die over the next few months. Having said that, the discus actually looks pretty healthy considering who it is sharing the tank with.
The red parrot cichlid could probably go too because it will get big but they aren't that aggressive.
If the water chemistry (GH, KH & pH) is suitable, you could get an electric blue acara, which is similar colour to the electric blue Jack Dempsey but much more peaceful and only grows to about 5 inches.
Then you can find out what the GH, KH & pH is and go from there.
-------------------
GH, KH & pH
The GH (general hardness), KH (carbonate hardness) and pH of your water supply can usually be obtained from your water supply company's website or by telephoning them. If they can't help you, take a glass full of tap water to the local pet shop and get them to test it for you. Write the results down (in numbers) when they do the tests. And ask them what the results are in (eg: ppm, dGH, or something else).
Depending on what the GH of your water is, will determine what fish you should keep.
Angelfish, most tetras, barbs, Bettas, gouramis, rasbora, Corydoras and small species of suckermouth catfish all occur in soft water (GH below 150ppm) and a pH below 7.0.
Livebearers (guppies, platies, swordtails, mollies), rainbowfish and goldfish occur in medium hard water with a GH around 200-250ppm and a pH above 7.0.
If you have very hard water (GH above 300ppm) then look at African Rift Lake cichlids, or use distilled or reverse osmosis (R/O) water to reduce the GH and keep fishes from softer water.
-------------------
As for the tank, a picture on the back might make it look more natural, although the blue wall behind it doesn't look too bad.
Make sure you have a coverglass on top of the tank to reduce heat loss, evaporation and to stop fish jumping out. Get coverglass that is 4, 5 or 6mm thick so it is less likely to chip and crack compared to thinner (3mm) glass. You can also get Perspex covers instead of glass.
Putting some more live plants in the corners would help but wait until you get rid of the Leporinus because they eat plants. A clump of Ambulia or Hygrophila polysperma would be nice in the back corners and you could try to grow some narrow Vallis along the back. However, there probably won't be enough light for them in the middle of the tank.
Some floating plants like Water Sprite (Ceratopteris thalictroides/ cornuta) will help keep the water cleaner and provide shelter to the black phantom tetras, gouramis, discus and angelfish.
-------------------
Did the shop tell you how to clean the filter?
How often are you doing water changes and how much water do you change?
Do you use a gravel cleaner when doing water changes?
Do you add a water conditioner (dechlorinator) to the new water when doing water changes?
I don't want to loose the dat and love all my new world cichlids. Would be probably wise to loose the angel fish and discuss. Love discuss thoe.
Looking at a new tank with at least 500 litres volume?
Also thinking about swapping out a canister for an oase bio 850?
OP
OP
Andyhaigh85
New Member
Forgot to mention I do a least a 50% change per time. Twice a week. Can't seem to keep the tritus to an acceptable amount. Possibly me over feeding?
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