91Zman

I just moved my fish from a 10 gallon to a 30 gallon tank...that was a morning project *sigh*

Anyone else have fish?

HybridS130

I've got several aquariums currently setup, all of which are freshwater. I've been keeping tropical fish for over six years now so if there is anything you need help with Im sure I can provide it for you. What type of fish do you keep? filtration? lighting? any live plants? what is your maintenance schedule like?

91Zman

I have some (2) african chiclids that are babies right now (about an inch in length), and one tiger barb (my 10 gal fish died off over time, now making a nice 30gal tank). I just got it set up this morning they seem alot happier in the new tank, although they are afraid to stray to far from their rock. No live plants. I'll try an get some pictures of my set up sometime or another. Nothing special about it. Filter isn't anything worth mentioning nor is lighting. I don't even have a hood (AKA: top, for those of you who don't do fish.) that fits the 30 gal right now. I'm planning to take a trip to the petstore tomorrow because i need to pick up some more plants and rock formations because i have alot of "dead" space in the 30 gal now.

HybridS130

Sweet, you've made a good choice by starting out with african cichlids. They are among the most interesting fish to keep as well as some of the best looking IMO. Depending on the species a 30G should should be fine but, one thing you have to keep in mind is that cichlids become very aggressive as they grow. Recently I had to remove two of mine because my Pseudotropheus Socolofi was beating them to near death. If you could, get some pictures of the fish and I can help identify them if you haven't already. Oh I've gone off topic, what I was getting at is a 30G should be fine, and in actuality you should probably pick up two or three more fish so that the aggression can be spread around a bit. You could do what I did to decorate your tank for free. I found a location where they use that grey rock (I don't know what kind it is) to fill in ditches and pick up some, it's free, it looks good, and so long as you make sure there isn't any rust residue or anything that it will be perfectly fine to use. good luck with it all

91Zman

This is my second time having Chiclids. I had 2 in a 10 gal tank before and they were doing fine, they both had their own spot to chill in and left each other alone. They were actually doing really well until some ******* decided to pour 1/2 a bottle of aftershave into my tank when i was out of town...my aunt was house-sitting and had people over...i was pissed. For the 30 gal i want to get another chiclid and a few more barbs. Any other ideas on compatable fish that would be tough enough for this tank?

91Zman

this isn't my fish but i found one that looks like them:



and

Rahtastik

LOL the guy I brought the Z off of, my mates step dad is a fish nut! He has like 20 tanks in the shed and a massive one in the lounge. He sells them apparently it’s good money… Still I think he’s just a creepy basted.

91Zman

bahahahaha

Barry'Z(NJ)

72 Gallon Bow Front

91Zman

Those fish look interesting

Barry'Z(NJ)

Discus (fresh water). For scale, tank is 48" across and 18" tall

91Zman

I love the tank but those fish aren't my taste, they do look colorful though, just their shape isn't appealing.

Barry'Z(NJ)

Consider yourself lucky you don't find them attractive, they're very expensive.

91Zman

i like the one in the second picture on the far right.

Barry'Z(NJ)

Scribbled Red, I don't have a better pic at the moment. Also in top pic, top right.

SHADY280

i got a 10 gallon, 18" tall and hexagonal shaped, got some general fish, swordtail, neons, rasboras, flying fox, nothing too fancy, im going to buy a house soon, so i got to move it, then i can get a 55 gallon too. bad part is i got high nitrates, and cant get them down all the way, been trying for a long time, tried averything, any ideas?

91Zman

55 gals are nice.

Barry please PM me about the decals.

jfairladyz

Changing water at 20% twice a week helps. Also, if you're using gravel or any rocks, make sure they're intended for aquariums. Those can cause high nitrate levels.

HybridS130

91Zman- You have what looks like a Blue Cobalt and Yellow Lab. I highly reccomend joining www.cichlid-forum.com for some of the best information you could hope to find. When it comes to cichlids you really can't keep any other type of fish with them because they're so highly aggressive. Your barbs won't last long in a tank with them, I had a 25G with Black Convicts (cichlasoma nigrofasciatum) that were only 2'' in size, they would hide all the time so I bought six Tiger Barbs to go with them, they're a schooling fish so they would encourage the cichlids to come out. Well they encouraged alright, I woke up and found three remaining tiger barbs, the shy convicts had killed three fish of similar size in only one night. So, in conclusion haha, don't buy anymore community fish for that tank.

Shady280-You nitrates are high because that tank is highly overstocked especially with that flying fox. If I were you'd I'd be sure not to exceed the 1'' of fish per 1 gallon of tank size rule. Also, it wouldn't hurt to purchase a few easy to keep live plants (ie anacharis, swords, java moss, java fern). I wouldn't exceed 25% water change per week though unless it's an emergency. Post detailed specs of your tank and any equipment and I will be able to help further more

BarryZ(NJ)-Im originally from stratford, new jersey . BEAUTIFUL discus tank, I've always loved them but the $50 price tag really does hurt a bit, that and i can't afford to keep their minimal tank size requirements haha but, I definitely give you props for your setup, very impressive.

I have a piece of crap fujifilm finepix camera so I apologize for the picture quality.

HybridS130

Here are some more I dug up

A photoshopped group shot

poor shot but, the Dempsey if actually in view for this one

Female Black Convict protecting her brood

Pseudotropheus Socolofi, notice the Kenyi in the backround at the top of the tank, I had to remove him because the P. Socolofi was bullying him so badly

Barry'Z(NJ)

Hey Drifter, nice Africans!

91Zman

I've always had barbs with my Chiclids, i had 3 in my 10 gal with the 2 africans that i had before (they are the same kind i have now, but larger), and all of them survived (until the poisoning incident.) My dad used to keep barbs with his Jack Dempsey (Sp?), and had no issues. The "logic" behind it is that the barbs tend to school together and they are "semi agressive" as well and their deffense is being fast enough. My Barb and chiclids have actually been swimming around the 30 gal in a group.

SHADY280

i have about 11" of fish in the tank, i bought it as a kit from petsmart and bought proper gravel from the same store and washed it fully before use. my tank has had fish for 9 months now. its a power filter 10 if your familiar with petsmarts brand. i feed them once every morning, and just enough to keep them alive, i had an easy keep plant but the stupid swordtail likes its veggies. i do about 10% everyweek religiosly with purified water and add a bit of aqua salt, and treatment just in case. i vacuum it about once a month with 25% water change. i change the charcoal filter when it starts flowing poorly, about every 3-4 weeks. hope that helps. you guys got great tanks by the way.

HybridS130

Barry- Thank you but, I still kneel to your discus tank haha.

91Zman- Whelp, I suppose ever fish is different but, it's funny that you mention your dad's dempsey (and yes you spelled it correctly) because I have two right now and eventhough they were named after a boxer they're one of my more friendly fish, they are beautiful fish though.

Shady280- Actually it doesn't sound like that tank is over stocked at all, and it seems like your maintenance is very up to par. Typically maintenance is where most aquarist slack off but, you seem to be doing fine. The only thing I'd like to add is that you don't need to replace the filter cartridge as often as the box says. It's best to simply rinse it off under cool water in the sink as your clean it with your hand. I usually clean it until the water passes through clear. By doing it this way you save all that beneficial bacteria and get rid of all the bad stuff, hope this helps. Oh and I reccomend Swords, they're a very hardy plant and swordtails won't harm them.

91Zman

How many Chichlids do you think its safe to have in my 30gal? do you think i could get another or maybe a Dempsey?