fish selections.... 10 gal, going to 55 gal soon.

[Frosty]

Don't concern yourself with your pH. Ever. Seriously. For any of the fish you're going to keep it really will never matter.

There are some fish that are very sensitive to a high ph, discus and most new world cichlids don't do well in ph this high. He should be concerned with it in that he doesn't want ph swings, those will kill his fish if it happens to fast.

 

[Caleb]

Caleb, they will be fine in your water, having to high a ph is ok, but the higher the more stable, and the less it moves the better it is for the fish, to much of a ph swing can kill your fish quick! Sorry to hear about your experience at inland, they have always be very knowledgeable and helpful, oh yeah, wear a Tshirt, it's like being at an indoor ocean I forgot that little detail.

brackish fish are fish that live in the boundary waters between fresh and salt water, usually the salt concentration is a lot lower than ocean water, but high enough to kill a freshwater fish. Mollies are one of those, they can be kept in fresh, brackish, or salt water if they are introduced slowly.

I'm not overly put off by it, just hoped to find somebody more knowledgeable to answer my noob questions... the girl was cute though.

There are some fish that are very sensitive to a high ph, discus and most new world cichlids don't do well in ph this high. He should be concerned with it in that he doesn't want ph swings, those will kill his fish if it happens to fast.

Which brings up an important question.... south american cichlids or African cichlids? I also thought about adding a clown poach later down the road.

 

[Frosty]

I'm not overly put off by it, just hoped to find somebody more knowledgeable to answer my noob questions... the girl was cute though.

hey, as long as she was cute... I need that fish ay down there...

Which brings up an important question.... south american cichlids or African cichlids? I also thought about adding a clown poach later down the road.

Africans will thrive in our liquid rock in indiana, and they live longer than South American cichlids, but they are also a lot more aggressive I think some smaller Africans in a 55 would be good, just make sure they have plenty of rock to hide in. There's another place in terre haute it's called Atlantis, it's decent, not quite the fish selection of inland but they have a lot of stuff. Clown loaches are cool, I've got one in my 30, they do get big though, him and my angel fish have a little underwater mafia going on, I think the 2 gouramis are undercover agents... Just make sure your loach has somewhere to get in to sleep and hide and it will be happy.

 

[Caleb]

Africans will thrive in our liquid rock in indiana, and they live longer than South American cichlids, but they are also a lot more aggressive I think some smaller Africans in a 55 would be good, just make sure they have plenty of rock to hide in. There's another place in terre haute it's called Atlantis, it's decent, not quite the fish selection of inland but they have a lot of stuff. Clown loaches are cool, I've got one in my 30, they do get big though, him and my angel fish have a little underwater mafia going on, I think the 2 gouramis are undercover agents... Just make sure your loach has somewhere to get in to sleep and hide and it will be happy.

I did read on another forum that made the recommendation to find cichlids that can live in the pH levels your water source provides instead of always chemically altering the water at every water change. Keep in mind that I will eventually upping to 150 gal or more, so I'm not really looking for dwarf cichlids. Between the Americans and the Africans, which provide more personalities and less likely to becoming boring down the road?

 

[Caleb]

And by:

"Africans will thrive in our liquid rock in indiana..."

...you mean our hard water?

 

[HeadlessRoland]

I did read on another forum that made the recommendation to find cichlids that can live in the pH levels your water source provides instead of always chemically altering the water at every water change. Keep in mind that I will eventually upping to 150 gal or more, so I'm not really looking for dwarf cichlids. Between the Americans and the Africans, which provide more personalities and less likely to becoming boring down the road?

If you want to eventually upgrade, just go with the upgrade from the start. Don't turn a $250 tank into a $750 tank when all you want to start with is the $500 tank. With an empty smaller tank you stare at it and think 'what could I put in here?' So you fill it with more fish. It truly becomes a disease. Since you have a final size in mind already, I highly suggest that you start out with the final size you want. If it's a money issue causing you to select an intermediate size, continue to save up. If it's a lack of space issue, a 150g standard only has a slightly bigger footprint than a 55g. It is worth the time, and gives you time to plan.

 

[Caleb]

If you want to eventually upgrade, just go with the upgrade from the start. Don't turn a $250 tank into a $750 tank when all you want to start with is the $500 tank. With an empty smaller tank you stare at it and think 'what could I put in here?' So you fill it with more fish. It truly becomes a disease. Since you have a final size in mind already, I highly suggest that you start out with the final size you want. If it's a money issue causing you to select an intermediate size, continue to save up. If it's a lack of space issue, a 150g standard only has a slightly bigger footprint than a 55g. It is worth the time, and gives you time to plan.

The 55 gal tank is free...I haven't decided if I'm going to build my big tank or buy one, most tank sellers sells the big tanks for really big premiums.

 

[HeadlessRoland]

The 55 gal tank is free...I haven't decided if I'm going to build my big tank or buy one, most tank sellers sells the big tanks for really big premiums.

PetsMart has a TopFin 150g with stand for right around $650.
(In before the TopFin bashers.)

 

[Frosty]

And by:

"Africans will thrive in our liquid rock in indiana..."

...you mean our hard water?

Yes, we have very hard water in indiana. If you have a water softner you can easily keep South Americans, as long as they aren't wild caught they won't be so sensitive to hard water, I've had and angelfish for 2-3 years that does fine in our hard water, but if they are wild caught they are very sensitive to the water.

 

[HeadlessRoland]

Yes, we have very hard water in indiana. If you have a water softner you can easily keep South Americans, as long as they aren't wild caught they won't be so sensitive to hard water, I've had and angelfish for 2-3 years that does fine in our hard water, but if they are wild caught they are very sensitive to the water.

Second on RO/DI and heavy de-chlorination.

 

[Frosty]

PetsMart has a TopFin 150g with stand for right around $650.
(In before the TopFin bashers.)

Hell, for another $350 you can buy a fully equipped salt tank... And the stand will be 100% better than any tank manufacturer's stand

 

[Caleb]

PetsMart has a TopFin 150g with stand for right around $650.
(In before the TopFin bashers.)

Interesting, I'll have to check into it...I was thinking a little more along the lines of a 150-200 gal breeder, so my bottom feeder have room to roam.

Yes, we have very hard water in indiana. If you have a water softner you can easily keep South Americans, as long as they aren't wild caught they won't be so sensitive to hard water, I've had and angelfish for 2-3 years that does fine in our hard water, but if they are wild caught they are very sensitive to the water.

Ok...african cichlids it is then. Now just to narrow down that species and from what lake...

 

[Frosty]

Second on RO/DI and heavy de-chlorination.

I was always told not to use ro/di for fresh since it takes everything out of the water, I was told the minerals are needed in the water, but +1 on heavy dechlorination.

 

[HeadlessRoland]

Hell, for another $350 you can buy a fully equipped salt tank... And the stand will be 100% better than any tank manufacturer's stand

Says the man who has no use for his current tank and is practically giving the thing away to get rid of it.
Caleb, I don't want to sound like a used-car salesman, but Frosty does have quite the deal going on, if you wanted to run it salty.

 

[Caleb]

I wouldn't mind some of these along with RTBS....

Lwanda I think it is...

cichlids.com: Aulonocara sp. "Lwanda"

I'll drag this back up again, I think that is a pretty fish.

 

[Frosty]

This is what you need Caleb

 

[Caleb]

Says the man who has no use for his current tank and is practically giving the thing away to get rid of it.
Caleb, I don't want to sound like a used-car salesman, but Frosty does have quite the deal going on, if you wanted to run it salty.

I haven't gotten to saltwater level of experience yet, I'd wait till I have my own house first. I'd probably keep the tank, hood, and stand and probably sell everything off...or keep it. Idk

 

[HeadlessRoland]

I was always told not to use ro/di for fresh since it takes everything out of the water, I was told the minerals are needed in the water, but +1 on heavy dechlorination.

I don't want anything in tap water in my tank. Not cations, not salts, not metals, not chloramine, nothing. I dose nothing. Not Ca, not Mg, nothing. So long as ammonia/nitrites/nitrates are in check - and they always are - I don't worry. I provide excellent feed, but I don't dose anything for freshwater. Salt is a different story, but I dismantled my salt after the lionfish went berserk and went after a couple of my benthic sharks and wound up costing me four figures worth of livestock went tank parameters spiralled into oblivion when they died while I was on vacation. Ever since then I've had a really sore spot in my throat and won't go back to saltwater.

 

[Frosty]

Says the man who has no use for his current tank and is practically giving the thing away to get rid of it.
Caleb, I don't want to sound like a used-car salesman, but Frosty does have quite the deal going on, if you wanted to run it salty.

Oh Roland, I'll let you buy it for $2000 if you really want to I could be used for Africans with some modifications..

 

[Caleb]

This is what you need Caleb

I'll see if the local library carries that book