Setting Up A 125 Gallon Malawi W/pics-going To 75 Usg Now

[kj23502]

My ammonia is 0 this morning!! A good thing! Nitrites were still 0. Nitrates were still about 20ppm. I would think that the nitrates would start going up and that there would've been some nitrite at some point(if just a little tiny bit). Hopefully all holds steady. I'm thinking of filling the huge tank and hooking up the other eheim and letting it run for a few days. Basically make sure the other eheim works and letting the chlorine and chloramine remover get its thing done! If the 29 holds steady then I'll probably move the two filters and fish over to the large tank later in the week!!

 

[Ferris]

My ammonia is 0 this morning!!

 

[kj23502]

Since my ammonia was 0 this morning, I wanted to see how it would go if I didn't do a water change. I just checked it and it's still 0!! I'll probably do a water change tomorrow. I did a head count again and ALL of fish appear to be there!! Maybe I am just lucky? We'll see.

 

[kj23502]

I just filled my 125 gallon tonight! It was fun adding the sand and then the water. it took about 1.5 hours. Heres some various pics of stuff:

just started filling in this pic! My hubby says, "I hope peewee can swim" (my cat's sitting on the back of the lazy boy) LOL!

A pretty good look at that special sand that I ordered.

This is my buffer mixture. I try to dissolve most, if not all of it, before it gets added to any tank.

What I feed them! My main food that I've been using is the spirulina and cichlid staple. Once a week I give Microcrabs and the omega one. SOMEONE, ANYONE please let me know if this is a good mixture or not!!! THANK YOU!!!

It's getting there. And peewee is still watching!

It's full!

Here's the heaters. Two 300 watt marineland visi-therm deluxe.

 

[dthoffsett]

Your feeding looks fine, what I like to do is mix my different flakes/granules together in one container and my different pellets in another, then I just alternate what I feed them. For example, in container 1 I have spirulina flakes, microcrabs, and African Cichlid Attack granules; in container 2 I have two different kinds of Cichlid pellets. That way they get a good mixture of foods, and I don't have to remember which food gets fed when, just pick between flakes and pellets. I'm kind of lazy and forgetful, anything that makes my life easier is well appreciated.

 

[wslinky]

Looking good!!!

Hopefully your cat isn't like mine, mine keeps jumping on top of the tank. I keep telling her she doesn't want to do that, she jumped up there sat while I was working on the tank so the hood was open, I had to grab her before she tried to walk across the glass top. Maybe I need to let her go swimming before she will learn.

I like the look of the cichlid sand, I just couldn't justify spending $1/lb when playsand was $0.10/lb at 100lbs that is a big difference.

I am excited for you, I want fish!!!

 

[darrel69]

Great pics !! But i think you've got the wrong Hikari Cichlid pellets. You need the one in the white packet for Rift Lake cichlids. The one's you have look like they're for American cichlids.

THESE

 

[kj23502]

Great pics !! But i think you've got the wrong Hikari Cichlid pellets. You need the one in the white packet for Rift Lake cichlids. The one's you have look like they're for American cichlids.

THESE

Ok, thanks. I looked it up and compared the two and there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of difference. Does anyone know if it'd be alright if I went ahead and finished my bag?

This is the cichlic staple:
Crude Protein Crude Fat Crude Fiber Moisture Crude Ash

35% min. 4% max. 5% max. 9% max. 10%

This is the Cichlid Excel:
Crude Protein Crude Fat Crude Fiber Moisture Crude Ash
min. 35% min. 4% max. 3% max. 10% max. 10%

 

[darrel69]

I dont think so, especially if they're part of a varied diet. I did the same thing when i first started with hikari, i got the red bag. About a 6 weeks later, a breeder near were i live told me i was using the American cichlid sort, and that im to use the white packet. He said it wont do any harm in the short term, but for long term use the white packet.

 

[kj23502]

He said it wont do any harm in the short term, but for long term use the white packet.

Thank you so much!!! I'll switch after it's gone! I didn't want to throw it away if I didn't have to !

 

[kj23502]

One thing that I didn't take into consideration is the amount of energy needed. I'll need to get at least 1 if not 2 power strips.

I'll have at least 2 lights, 2 filters, 2 heaters, one air pump(for my back up sponge filter to have ready at moments notice) and 1 digital thermometer that will need to be plugged in. I'm trying to learn about circuits now to determine if all of them can go off of one outlet or if I should divide between outlets somehow??? I'll ask my hubby when he gets home to. I just don't want a house fire or to keep resetting the circuit breaker every 5 min. I really don't know much about this stuff, except how to fix a tripped circuit!

edit---

I was just paranoid . My hubby says it'll be fine!

 

[kj23502]

I'm going to add a cost list for people to see. Keep in mind that I bought quite a few things second hand and was given some items for free. Second thought....I'll post what it cost me and then actual costs from internet. I'll be averaging actual cost from a few different places.

125 Gallon tank and stand off ebay$300-----Actual about $292 for just the tank
(went and picked it up)
2 eheim pro II 2028 $310 for both filters an all media below----about $530 for both filters
4 ehfimech 5 l--------------------------------------------------------------$120
4 ehfisubstrate 5l----------------------------------------------------------$280
6 eheim pro II filter material----------------------------------------------$54
(box w/2 white and 1 blue pad)
2 marineland 300 visitherm deluxe heaters Free------------------------$40
60 lbs eco complete cichlid substrate $60---------------------------------$60
digital thermometer $6-----------------------------------------------------$6
2 sponge filters $12----------------------------------------------------$12
one extra air pump $10----------------------------------------------------$10
8ft airline tubing $2-----------------------------------------------------$2
fish so far $100--------------------------------------------------$100
food $15-20-----------------------------------------------$15-20
__________________________________________________________________________-
$820------------------------------------------------$1526
i'll add more later

 

[kj23502]

OK. We're having problems with the second filter. We can't get it to stop leaking. It runs just fine(it seems), but the top won't seal tight. My bro in-law had given us a second top just in case one didn't work, but both of them leak. I called him and left a message about it and if he can give us any pointers. I don't want to move the fish w/out the second filter working! We'll see.
I need to move them fast though. It looks like one of my c. afra's have a small chunk taken out of the side of him! I'm guessing fighting since it's a pretty clean chunk! Doesn't look like disease! Any idea....is that what they do when they fight? pick eachother to death? I think it'd be impossilbe to get a pic of it!

----edit----
Or could I move the fish with the other two filters and then get the second one working ASAP?

 

[Ferris]

I'd wait until both filters are working - it's not worth risking it with filtration.

 

[darrel69]

Is it the O-ring thats broke ? Dryed out or something ?