I Have Some Fish Tank Questions

[RichardR]

I really picked some gems didn't I?

It's really not your fault, most pet stores & their employees have no idea & will often sell them as "community" or "semi-aggressive".

Man, I really hate to get rid of them, but it's looking like I'll have to...At least I'll get a full refund on the yellow one, but I have no idea what I'm going to do with the other 4. They are in a 20 gallon tank right now and I'm sure they will end up killing eachother as they mature.

Yea the older they get the more aggressive they get, especially when they start breeding & brooding.

You sound like you know a little bit about cichlids(); do you have any idea what other species of cichlids I could put in with Flametail peacocks?

I have kept a few South American & Lake Malawi cichlid tanks in my time, these days I am more into community tanks though, I have three aquariums up and running at the moment, none of which contain any aggressive or semi-aggressive fish of any type though.

Anyway Peacocks are less territorial & aggressive than some of the other ones that you have but still we are talking about degrees here

I'd really like to have a variety.

Then you'd probably be better off going the community tank route, aggressive & semi-aggressive tanks can be a lot of aggravation for both beginner & advanced aquarium owners alike.

 

[RichardR]

I just read this from an article on cichlid-forum DOT com:

True for the most part, when they are breeding & brooding they can become aggressive/territorial though.

 

[Benny]

True for the most part, when they are breeding & brooding they can become aggressive/territorial though.

So should I just get rid of the females and maybe pick up a few more males?

 

[RichardR]

So should I just get rid of the females and maybe pick up a few more males?

Nope, the males are the worst offenders, a tank full of females would be more peaceful.

 

[Benny]

Nope, the males are the worst offenders, a tank full of females would be more peaceful.

Well dang it...There are more males than females in the tank I'm looking at.

I think I'm going going to say the hell with it and buy it and let nature play it's course...The tank comes with a nice stand and accessories for $150.00, so if the fish kill eachother, so be it, I'll just start over.

How much water will I be able to drain out of it and still keep the fish alive(I don't think I asked that yet)?

She when she bought it, it had water in it and her husband and the seller emptied 50% out and carried it up a flight of stairs...I'm a big guy and have friends who are pretty big and I just have a hard time believing just two people could carry it.

How much would that weigh?

 

[RichardR]

How much water will I be able to drain out of it and still keep the fish alive(I don't think I asked that yet)?

She when she bought it, it had water in it and her husband and the seller emptied 50% out and carried it up a flight of stairs...I'm a big guy and have friends who are pretty big and I just have a hard time believing just two people could carry it.

How much would that weigh?

I wouldn't carry it with any water in it, the added weight of the water, rocks & gravel & stuff raises the risk of causing a crack in the glass &/or breaking the seal on the seals, best advice I can give is to just temporarily put the fish, rocks & gravel in other containers like 5 gallon buckets or rubbermaid tubs or something.

 

[Benny]

I wouldn't carry it with any water in it, the added weight of the water, rocks & gravel & stuff raises the risk of causing a crack in the glass &/or breaking the seal on the seals, best advice I can give is to just temporarily put the fish, rocks & gravel in other containers like 5 gallon buckets or rubbermaid tubs or something.

OK, so say I went out and bought 10-11, of those white, 5 gallon buckets...What would I need to do to ensure nothing in them will harm the fish?

I've always just rinsed stuff with hot water.

Dang, 10-5 gallon buckets full of water? This is sounding like a pain the the ass and I don't think I could make it all in one trip.

 

[RichardR]

OK, so say I went out and bought 10-11, of those white, 5 gallon buckets...What would I need to do to ensure nothing in them will harm the fish?

I've always just rinsed stuff with hot water.

Dang, 10-5 gallon buckets full of water? This is sounding like a pain the the ass and I don't think I could make it all in one trip.

Rinsing them out real good should be fine & you shouldn't need that many buckets, just one for the fish, one for the gravel & maybe another one for any extra gravel & the rocks.

 

[Benny]

Rinsing them out real good should be fine & you shouldn't need that many buckets, just one for the fish, one for the gravel & maybe another one for any extra gravel & the rocks.

But if I put brand new water in there, don't I need to wait several weeks for the bacteria to build up?

 

[RichardR]

But if I put brand new water in there, don't I need to wait several weeks for the bacteria to build up?

No.

The bacteria should be in the gravel, rocks & on the filter pads & it will quickly reestablish itself.

 

[Benny]

No.

The bacteria should be in the gravel, rocks & on the filter pads & it will quickly reestablish itself.

How quickly?(ie, how soon can I add the fish back?)

When I add the dechlorinator/water conditioner, should I add it before adding the water to the tank?

 

[tyler34]

But if I put brand new water in there, don't I need to wait several weeks for the bacteria to build up?

to cycle the tank quicker don't rinse out the filter, throw a few goldfish or other cheap fish in there and you can get some live bacteria tank cycling whatever in a bottle and that will cut down on the cycle time.

 

[RichardR]

How quickly?(ie, how soon can I add the fish back?)

Immediately, what kills fish is a build up of ammonia from the fish excrement & uneaten, decaying food, the bacteria eats the ammonia & converts to nitrates, another bacteria eats the nitrates & converts to nitrites.

Since the filter, rocks & gravel are already "alive" with the two different bacteria they will reestablish themselves before the fish excrete enough ammonia to harm your fish.

When I add the dechlorinator/water conditioner, should I add it before adding the water to the tank?

Add it at when you add the water, then after you have added the water add your filter, gravel & then by the time you finish setting up your rock structures your tank should be safe to add your fish.

Dechlorinators are fast acting & will neutralize the chlorine in the water within a few minutes.

 

[Benny]

Add it at when you add the water, then after you have added the water add your filter, gravel & then by the time you finish setting up your rock structures your tank should be safe to add your fish.

Dechlorinators are fast acting & will neutralize the chlorine in the water within a few minutes.

That is awesome to know.

One more issue I may have is how hard the water is here...It hasn't been an issue with the fish I own(I also have heard cichlids like hard water), because I'm only adding one or two at a time, so I can just take my already cycled water and slowly acclimate them in the bag they were bought in by pouring in an ounce or two of my water every 5 minutes.

On a scale this large(with no old water), what should I do?



(BTW, I owe you several reps for all of the great info you've been giving me...You'll get one when I'm recharged here shortly)

 

[Benny]

to cycle the tank quicker don't rinse out the filter, throw a few goldfish or other cheap fish in there and you can get some live bacteria tank cycling whatever in a bottle and that will cut down on the cycle time.

How well to those bottles of live bacteria work? I saw that at the store the other day, but I can't say I'd trust it enough for anything but test-dummy fish...Since "test dummy" fish are usually nasty, little feeder gold fish and dirty the tank, I'm also scared to throw my fish in after I get rid of them(who knows what kinds of diseases they brought to the tank).

 

[RichardR]

That is awesome to know.

One more issue I may have is how hard the water is here...It hasn't been an issue with the fish I own(I also have heard cichlids like hard water), because I'm only adding one or two at a time, so I can just take my already cycled water and slowly acclimate them in the bag they were bought in by pouring in an ounce or two of my water every 5 minutes.

On a scale this large(with no old water), what should I do?

Do you already have the testing equipment? if you do you'll want your PH to be around 8 & your hardness to be around 200ppm.

If you don't have any testing equipment I wouldn't worry about it, most tap water is fine even if it isn't "ideal" for Lake Malawi cichlids.



(BTW, I owe you several reps for all of the great info you've been giving me...You'll get one when I'm recharged here shortly)

No problem man I am happy to help.

 

[RichardR]

How well to those bottles of live bacteria work? I saw that at the store the other day, but I can't say I'd trust it enough for anything but test-dummy fish...Since "test dummy" fish are usually nasty, little feeder gold fish and dirty the tank, I'm also scared to throw my fish in after I get rid of them(who knows what kinds of diseases they brought to the tank).

I wouldn't bother, you should already have plenty of live bacteria to work with, they multiply extremely quick & with "live" filter pads, rocks & gravel they will completely recolonize your tank in a day or two.

 

[Benny]

I wouldn't bother, you should already have plenty of live bacteria to work with, they multiply extremely quick & with "live" filter pads, rocks & gravel they will completely recolonize your tank in a day or two.

Does it matter if I use water in the tub that is going to hold the rocks and sand?

It's only going to be a ~25-30 minute drive + the time it takes to set everything up(probably an hour or so).

If you answer yes, should I put all of the filter media in with the submerged rocks and sand?



The deal is in motion, so either tomorrow night or Friday I will have a new tank!

 

[RichardR]

Does it matter if I use water in the tub that is going to hold the rocks and sand?

You'll want to keep everything moist, but it doesn't have to be completely submerged or anything.

It's only going to be a ~25-30 minute drive + the time it takes to set everything up(probably an hour or so).

If you answer yes, should I put all of the filter media in with the submerged rocks and sand?

Should be fine placed in a plastic bag, you just don't want it to dry out completely.



The deal is in motion, so either tomorrow night or Friday I will have a new tank!

Congrats, I am looking forward to seeing it when you get it up & running.

 

[Benny]

Congrats, I am looking forward to seeing it when you get it up & running.

Thanks...

Since I'll already be buying 2 large tubs, should I put as much of the previous water I can carry or are you saying it really doesn't matter either way?

Also, I'm not a huge fan of the light-colored sand in the tank...When I get around to replacing it with a darker or brighter color, will the bacteria on the rocks and filter media be enough to maintain the balance?

Dang, I had another question, but I had to do something and lost my train of thought...I'll have it in a second.