Starting My New African Cichlid Tank

[riogal_11]

Cool! I was hoping you wouldn't say I needed to take him back! He's replaced Lola as my favorite! Vampire Diaries is freakin' awesome! Definitely interested to see how the whole original family is going to play out! Those dark females do look similar to him, but they aren't peacocks, right?

 

[Malawi MaD]

Cool! I was hoping you wouldn't say I needed to take him back! He's replaced Lola as my favorite! Vampire Diaries is freakin' awesome! Definitely interested to see how the whole original family is going to play out! Those dark females do look similar to him, but they aren't peacocks, right?

Naa He will be good so you can keep him .. Isn't it i love it, i hate having to wait week after week .
Yeah they are peacock's just not sure what species of peacocks they are as nearly all the females look pretty similar to one another. If you can try and get some pics of each individual fish, might be able to tell a little more

 

[riogal_11]

What do I need to do about food? Will they be okay just eating the pellets and occasional veggie?

These fish are growing like crazy! There is a noticeable difference in size in the mediums in only a week and a half!

 

[Malawi MaD]

What do I need to do about food? Will they be okay just eating the pellets and occasional veggie?

What pellet's you feeding? Some cucumber, peas and spinach every now and then goes down well. For their main diet a good quality flake or pellet is fine.

 

[riogal_11]

New Life Spectrum Cichlid Formula 1mm pellets. I gave them a little bit of Romaine lettuce the other day (boiled and put in ice bath) and a few nibbled a bit, but none paid particular attention. I'm going to try peas next time, as I know my bettas used to go crazy over that.

 

[Malawi MaD]

Good food is NLS, You wouldn't have to feed them veggies if you didn't want to as the NLS has everything they need for a balanced diet. I still feed mine veggies though, mixes it up a little. Should see their colour's enhance a bit to

 

[riogal_11]

You're right about that food, it must be good! I have never witnessed fish grow like this! They are getting so big and their colors are so wonderful.
I looked back and saw that you told me I could do 20-30 if my filtration was good enough, so I think I'm going to add 4-6 more fish today (if I find any I like) and be finished. Right now, I have 22, so I am at the lower limit of the 20-30 and everything is working fabulously.

I am going to replace one of the filters today with one that is more powerful. Do I put the old floss and filter cartridge in the new one, and then just leave the new one in the other side (it has double output). Do you foresee this causing any problems with the filtration?

I'm going to use the filter that I have on there now as a filter for a 10 gallon for the fry I talked about earlier in the thread.
My plan is to run the new filter in one side, and the old in one side. In about two weeks, I'll take the oldest filter cartridge out, and put it in the 10 gallon, and add the other new one that will come with the filter today to the 75.

I hope that made sense, it all made sense in my head, lol! My main question is, how long will it take for the half-new filter cartridge to build up the good bacteria in my 75?

Oh, and VD was to die for this week!!

 

[Malawi MaD]

You're right about that food, it must be good! I have never witnessed fish grow like this! They are getting so big and their colors are so wonderful.
I looked back and saw that you told me I could do 20-30 if my filtration was good enough, so I think I'm going to add 4-6 more fish today (if I find any I like) and be finished. Right now, I have 22, so I am at the lower limit of the 20-30 and everything is working fabulously.

I am going to replace one of the filters today with one that is more powerful. Do I put the old floss and filter cartridge in the new one, and then just leave the new one in the other side (it has double output). Do you foresee this causing any problems with the filtration?

I'm going to use the filter that I have on there now as a filter for a 10 gallon for the fry I talked about earlier in the thread.
My plan is to run the new filter in one side, and the old in one side. In about two weeks, I'll take the oldest filter cartridge out, and put it in the 10 gallon, and add the other new one that will come with the filter today to the 75.

I hope that made sense, it all made sense in my head, lol! My main question is, how long will it take for the half-new filter cartridge to build up the good bacteria in my 75?

Oh, and VD was to die for this week!!

Yep the food is brilliant .. What new fishes you got in mind ??

So have you got 2 filters running atm? If so yes adding some old media from one of the filter's into the new filter will be fine and the new media will pick up the bacteria fairly quick. As long as there is another 'original' filter along side the new one it will be fine, plus the old media inside the new filter will make it easier for the bacteria to spread/seed through onto the new media. Sounds a good idea with the fry, can sell them on too! for store credit etc..

Wasnt it i was like all the way through lol. Really wish Stefan and elena would get back together, they do suit really well i think (would in reality to).

 

[riogal_11]

You're right about that food, it must be good! I have never witnessed fish grow like this! They are getting so big and their colors are so wonderful.
I looked back and saw that you told me I could do 20-30 if my filtration was good enough, so I think I'm going to add 4-6 more fish today (if I find any I like) and be finished. Right now, I have 22, so I am at the lower limit of the 20-30 and everything is working fabulously.

I am going to replace one of the filters today with one that is more powerful. Do I put the old floss and filter cartridge in the new one, and then just leave the new one in the other side (it has double output). Do you foresee this causing any problems with the filtration?

I'm going to use the filter that I have on there now as a filter for a 10 gallon for the fry I talked about earlier in the thread.
My plan is to run the new filter in one side, and the old in one side. In about two weeks, I'll take the oldest filter cartridge out, and put it in the 10 gallon, and add the other new one that will come with the filter today to the 75.

I hope that made sense, it all made sense in my head, lol! My main question is, how long will it take for the half-new filter cartridge to build up the good bacteria in my 75?

Oh, and VD was to die for this week!!

Yep the food is brilliant .. What new fishes you got in mind ??

So have you got 2 filters running atm? If so yes adding some old media from one of the filter's into the new filter will be fine and the new media will pick up the bacteria fairly quick. As long as there is another 'original' filter along side the new one it will be fine, plus the old media inside the new filter will make it easier for the bacteria to spread/seed through onto the new media. Sounds a good idea with the fry, can sell them on too! for store credit etc..

Wasnt it i was like all the way through lol. Really wish Stefan and elena would get back together, they do suit really well i think (would in reality to).

Yeah I have two filters running at the moment. Might be getting a 36 gallon bow front if it hasn't sold yet. Not sure what I have in mind, but I'm going to stop at the shop tomorrow to see if they got any in on Thursday that tickle my fancy.

See, actually I am Team Damon all the way, haha! My favorite moment EVER on the show is Season 3 Episode 10 - The KISS!

 

[Malawi MaD]

You're right about that food, it must be good! I have never witnessed fish grow like this! They are getting so big and their colors are so wonderful.
I looked back and saw that you told me I could do 20-30 if my filtration was good enough, so I think I'm going to add 4-6 more fish today (if I find any I like) and be finished. Right now, I have 22, so I am at the lower limit of the 20-30 and everything is working fabulously.

I am going to replace one of the filters today with one that is more powerful. Do I put the old floss and filter cartridge in the new one, and then just leave the new one in the other side (it has double output). Do you foresee this causing any problems with the filtration?

I'm going to use the filter that I have on there now as a filter for a 10 gallon for the fry I talked about earlier in the thread.
My plan is to run the new filter in one side, and the old in one side. In about two weeks, I'll take the oldest filter cartridge out, and put it in the 10 gallon, and add the other new one that will come with the filter today to the 75.

I hope that made sense, it all made sense in my head, lol! My main question is, how long will it take for the half-new filter cartridge to build up the good bacteria in my 75?

Oh, and VD was to die for this week!!

Yep the food is brilliant .. What new fishes you got in mind ??

So have you got 2 filters running atm? If so yes adding some old media from one of the filter's into the new filter will be fine and the new media will pick up the bacteria fairly quick. As long as there is another 'original' filter along side the new one it will be fine, plus the old media inside the new filter will make it easier for the bacteria to spread/seed through onto the new media. Sounds a good idea with the fry, can sell them on too! for store credit etc..

Wasnt it i was like all the way through lol. Really wish Stefan and elena would get back together, they do suit really well i think (would in reality to).

Yeah I have two filters running at the moment. Might be getting a 36 gallon bow front if it hasn't sold yet. Not sure what I have in mind, but I'm going to stop at the shop tomorrow to see if they got any in on Thursday that tickle my fancy.

See, actually I am Team Damon all the way, haha! My favorite moment EVER on the show is Season 3 Episode 10 - The KISS!

Ok that's good, well the new filter with old media will be fine .. Ooo another malawi tank maybe ??

Well that's no surprise nearly all the girls go crazy over him lol ..Do you not think they suit more than damon and elena??

 

[riogal_11]

You're right about that food, it must be good! I have never witnessed fish grow like this! They are getting so big and their colors are so wonderful.
I looked back and saw that you told me I could do 20-30 if my filtration was good enough, so I think I'm going to add 4-6 more fish today (if I find any I like) and be finished. Right now, I have 22, so I am at the lower limit of the 20-30 and everything is working fabulously.

I am going to replace one of the filters today with one that is more powerful. Do I put the old floss and filter cartridge in the new one, and then just leave the new one in the other side (it has double output). Do you foresee this causing any problems with the filtration?

I'm going to use the filter that I have on there now as a filter for a 10 gallon for the fry I talked about earlier in the thread.
My plan is to run the new filter in one side, and the old in one side. In about two weeks, I'll take the oldest filter cartridge out, and put it in the 10 gallon, and add the other new one that will come with the filter today to the 75.

I hope that made sense, it all made sense in my head, lol! My main question is, how long will it take for the half-new filter cartridge to build up the good bacteria in my 75?

Oh, and VD was to die for this week!!

Yep the food is brilliant .. What new fishes you got in mind ??

So have you got 2 filters running atm? If so yes adding some old media from one of the filter's into the new filter will be fine and the new media will pick up the bacteria fairly quick. As long as there is another 'original' filter along side the new one it will be fine, plus the old media inside the new filter will make it easier for the bacteria to spread/seed through onto the new media. Sounds a good idea with the fry, can sell them on too! for store credit etc..

Wasnt it i was like all the way through lol. Really wish Stefan and elena would get back together, they do suit really well i think (would in reality to).

Yeah I have two filters running at the moment. Might be getting a 36 gallon bow front if it hasn't sold yet. Not sure what I have in mind, but I'm going to stop at the shop tomorrow to see if they got any in on Thursday that tickle my fancy.

See, actually I am Team Damon all the way, haha! My favorite moment EVER on the show is Season 3 Episode 10 - The KISS!

Ok that's good, well the new filter with old media will be fine .. Ooo another malawi tank maybe ??

Well that's no surprise nearly all the girls go crazy over him lol ..Do you not think they suit more than damon and elena??

Nothing new at the shop today. Now that I know what the peacocks look like, I notice that they have a pretty fair amount of them in there with this batch, not so much when I took my original pics. I did get another filter today, so I'm going to get it going during tonights water change/gravel vac.
I haven't got a reply on the 36 gallon bowfront, so I'm not counting on it. I hate when people list things and then don't respond to e-mails. I'm sure something else will come along, and tax time is here, so hmmmm... the possibilities. I think it's going to be a planted tank, but I'm not sure yet. I've never had much luck with keeping plants (aquatic or not) alive, but am thinking of giving it another go. I'm wanting something very natural looking with wood and plants.

As for VD, they probably are better suited for one another, but everyone likes a little "bad boy" in their life at one point or another, no? Stefan is a little wimpy for my tastes, and I like rooting for the underdog. I was just dying over this week's episode. I really thought that Elena was going to stop Elijah from drinking the champagne. I quite like him, and he's going to feel super betrayed when he learns of this. I am thinking that the champagne connecting thing will kill ALL vampires. I think that's why the witches let their mother out of the coffin, to rid the town of all supernatural beings, which means that Elena will be responsible for the pending demise of those she loves.

 

[Malawi MaD]

Probably best waiting then till you find something you really like. Are you wanting more haps/peacocks? Ok good well get the filter going and it shouldnt take long for the bacteria to grow.I know what you mean, when you really want something to and they dont reply its like eurghhh pleasee just reply.

Ive just ordered my malawis for my tank and then im going for a discus set-up, think you should give these a try with a Co2 system and everything, they can look amazing i think.

Think that's why the girls go mad over him lol they really do like the bad boy attitude. So it will kill them all but how will the show continue then? Unless that's the twist and they have to do something to brake the chain maybe? I dont know i just want to see it now!!I hate having to wait lol

 

[riogal_11]

Probably best waiting then till you find something you really like. Are you wanting more haps/peacocks? Ok good well get the filter going and it shouldnt take long for the bacteria to grow.I know what you mean, when you really want something to and they dont reply its like eurghhh pleasee just reply.

Ive just ordered my malawis for my tank and then im going for a discus set-up, think you should give these a try with a Co2 system and everything, they can look amazing i think.

Think that's why the girls go mad over him lol they really do like the bad boy attitude. So it will kill them all but how will the show continue then? Unless that's the twist and they have to do something to brake the chain maybe? I dont know i just want to see it now!!I hate having to wait lol

My problem is going to be getting a tank that is big enough for something interesting, but doesn't take up a ton of wall space. I'd really like some kind of hex or corner tank, and their footprint isn't huge, which is going to limit me. I just don't have the room for a another 4 foot or 6 foot tank at this point. I'd love to keep discus though, they are gorgeous!

As for the peacocks, if I could find some that are different colors, I'd totally go for it. Though I am a bit scared that all of them wouldn't do as well as my current ones, and I probably shouldn't press my luck seeing as most people say not to mix the two. The ones at the LFS right now are pretty drab (obviously females). I'm contemplating ordering some online, if I can find some without outrageous shipping.

I think that will be the twist, and then everyone will be fighting against Esther, on the same team.

I got this decent pic today, so I thought I'd share. I really love this fish!

 

[Malawi MaD]

Yeah i know what you mean, although you will be surprised at what you can have in smaller set-up's. What about a Tanganyikan set-up, they are nice fish and can get some really interesting species. I only have 240L to play with for discus but i think id be able to have a few.

Yeah try and get some online maybe? You maybe able to find specifically what you want then too.

That could be a good story line actually but i just want Stephan and Elena to get back together lol.. The thing is though where will the story go from there? If all the vampire's turn against the original witch. Ahhh i just want to watch it now!! Takes to long lol.

Hes nice isn't he Looks like Johanni i think, should try and get him some females.

 

[riogal_11]

Lost a yellow lab today. He's been acting strange for about 5 days or so. He started hanging around the heater and was barely eating. I came home last night after being away all day, and he is nowhere to be found. I inspected him closely while he was acting funny, and there were no signs of anything on him, he looked totally normal. So, fingers crossed that it was just something wrong with him, and not something contagious.