Cichlids and other Tropical Fish

[fatbloke]

cichlidsman

at the moment the arowana is around 6" it still has a long way to grow yet but a lot of them dont make it to adult hood so ive been told

moricollins

the tank they are in isnt that large at the moment due to the size of them the arowana is around 6" at the moment growing to around 36" at adulthood and the polypterus is around 7" at present reaching around 14" when adult

but when the arowana gets to big for any home aquarium it will be coming down to my work which is the local aquarium

john

 

[Socrates]

for decor, i strongly recommend sand as a substrate (you can also use peat, it lowers the pH and hardness of the water, but makes your water yellow, hence the yellowness in my picture of the A. cacatuiodes), use driftwood (same principle as peat, lower pH and Hardness) and rocks to provide a lot of hiding places (and egg deposit places too), i haven't used the heater in their tank (or any of my other tanks) since may... it gets warm enough in my bedroom (heat lamps from reptiles).

Mori, what type of sand? I've heard using peat, but even that I can't picture. When you do waterchanges, doesn't the sand syphon up? Now I feel like a complete idiot, especially since I don't recall seeing sand (except for salt water set-ups). I have driftwood still, but probably not enough, and additionally I have to soak it in water for several weeks so that it stays down and doesn't float upwards.
Do you use live plants in your aquarium?

Sorry for all those questioins.

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Wendy
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[moricollins]

I have had NO success with live plants, even java moss dies on me. For sand i use play sand (the type you can buy at hardware/home depot style stores for sand boxes),

siphoning is easy, as the sand is denser and heavier than the Poop, the poop stays on top of the sand, so siphon it simply swirl the siphon hose 1/2" above the sand, you will usually siphon a little sand too, but not a whole lot. I haven't used peat moss as a substrate, but i suppose it would sink to the bottom (you can presoak it, and skim off the top junk, and use that for t's...)

 

[Michael Jacobi]

@ Mori

The link in your post to apistogramma.com is broken [you duplicated http:// in the tag].

@ all

I do have some gravel in my tank, only because I like use live plants in addition to the java moss that is an important part of reproduction. However, many Apisto breeders use absolutely no substrate with only clay flower pots as hides, java moss, and maybe some rock piles. I enjoy my one pair so much that I am thinking of building a rack of nine 10 gal tanks that use a sump system from a larger tank of filtered water below and breeding more. They don't have much value, but they are beautiful and fascinating.

Finally, my attempts to photograph my A. cacatuoides yesterday resulted in massive aneurysm-causing frustration. Can't get a pose... can't get good focus, can't get good light... I have decided that I don't have the mental stability for photographing aquarium fish!

 

[Socrates]

I do have some gravel in my tank, only because I like use live plants in addition to the java moss that is an important part of reproduction. However, many Apisto breeders use absolutely no substrate with only clay flower pots as hides, java moss, and maybe some rock piles. I enjoy my one pair so much that I am thinking of building a rack of nine 10 gal tanks that use a sump system from a larger tank of filtered water below and breeding more. They don't have much value, but they are beautiful and fascinating.

Finally, my attempts to photograph my A. cacatuoides yesterday resulted in massive aneurysm-causing frustration. Can't get a pose... can't get good focus, can't get good light... I have decided that I don't have the mental stability for photographing aquarium fish![/B][/FONT]

Michael,

How big of a tank do you keep your A. Cacatuioides in right now, and do you have more than one breeding pair? You said you were planning on making a sump system for filtration, what sort of filtration are you using currently?

I can already see myself going totally overboard, especially since I've never "specialized" in Dwarf Cichlids alone. I used to have a few very common ones like the Kribensis and Blue Rams in a community set-up in which they did wonderfully, however, I believe it's a brand new ball game if I'm planning on keeping only Dwarfs in 1 set-up. Isn't the depth of the tank also more important than the height since they tend to roam in the lower portions of the tank?

I do apologize for all the questions.

Thanks in advance.

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Wendy
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[moricollins]

Here's a very bad picture of the tank that i currently have my Cacautiodes in.

I believe Michael said he had his in a 10 gallon tank by his desk.

A standard 10 gallon tank works well for one pair (plus a couple dither fish, if the tank is meant for viewing).

 

[Brian S]

I haven't kept an Oscar in several years so I picked this one up. Like most Oscars I have seen it has loads of personality

 

[dtknow]

Another aquarist. I keep, as of now, Xiphophorus montezumae 'Ivory mottled', Heterandria formosa, Enneacanthus gloriosus(well, I hope so...they are snoozing in the pond), noturus gyrinus(tadpole madtom-think 2 inch channel cat)and am currently incubating a few different nothobranchius eggs.

Nice aggi pick! I've seen them mixed into wild cauc imports but only males...

 

[Crotalus]

Here´s my darlings, wolf fish, Hoplias malabaricus (most likely H. lacerdae):

/Lelle

 

[Rourke]

Here´s my darlings, wolf fish, Hoplias malabaricus (most likely H. lacerdae)

Very nice, Lelle! :clap:

 

[Scylla]

I purchased a male first, and then a female from a different source. Within 2 months I had to get another tank because they were multiplying SO fast. I purchased a 10 gallon JUST for my Kribs, and each time the babies were big enough where they would scatter, I'd catch them and put them in my bigger tank. They were the BEST parents.
Wendy
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I had the same experience with my Kribbies! A pair in a community tank just took off and kept breeding. The same thing happened with a pair of Rams. I was thinking of getting another couple of pairs again, but wouldn't ya know it, those 2 species are awfully scarce around here. I very rarely see them in shops. I found a cacatua in a Petland one day and inquired about it. The manager had no idea what it was or what it was doing in the tank. clueless. It was the first one I'd ever seen, and I thought it was just gorgeous. Right now, I breed bettas (I have a gorgeous triple banded crowntail male coming from Thailand), but maybe just one cichlid tank couldn't hurt? right???

 

[Socrates]

I had the same experience with my Kribbies! A pair in a community tank just took off and kept breeding. The same thing happened with a pair of Rams. I was thinking of getting another couple of pairs again, but wouldn't ya know it, those 2 species are awefully scarce around here. I very rarely see them in shops. I found a cacatua in a Petland one day and inquired about it. The manager had no idea what it was or what it was doing in the tank. clueless. It was the first one I'd ever seen, and I thought it was just gorgeous. Right now, I breed bettas (I have a gorgeous triple banded crowntail male coming from Thailand), but maybe just one cichlid tank couldn't hurt? right???

Ahem...Kathy????

I just now noticed your response here with the Cichlids. :8o

What else are we gonna find out we have in common?

This is too cool.

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Wendy
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[Scylla]

Yeah, it is!! It's nice to find someone you have so much in common with. How about lizards? Plants? I have some nice African Violets, and a Bougainvillea bonsai that is absolutely gorgeous.

 

[Deliverme314]

heres a bad pic of my ground cover (Marsilla quadrifolia) and a corydoras paleatus from one of my planted tanks.

 

[Archangel]

@ Mori

The link in your post to apistogramma.com is broken [you duplicated http:// in the tag].

@ all

I do have some gravel in my tank, only because I like use live plants in addition to the java moss that is an important part of reproduction. However, many Apisto breeders use absolutely no substrate with only clay flower pots as hides, java moss, and maybe some rock piles. I enjoy my one pair so much that I am thinking of building a rack of nine 10 gal tanks that use a sump system from a larger tank of filtered water below and breeding more. They don't have much value, but they are beautiful and fascinating.

Finally, my attempts to photograph my A. cacatuoides yesterday resulted in massive aneurysm-causing frustration. Can't get a pose... can't get good focus, can't get good light... I have decided that I don't have the mental stability for photographing aquarium fish!

Hey Michael,

I ran a 250 gal tank with a dry sump. How would (or by now did) you end up doing your 10 gal tank connection?

Allen

 

[Socrates]

Yeah, it is!! It's nice to find someone you have so much in common with. How about lizards? Plants? I have some nice African Violets, and a Bougainvillea bonsai that is absolutely gorgeous.

No lizards (yet).

Plants? Are you kidding me? Plants, shrubs, flowers, and trees is another hobby of mine. We've got a big variety of outdoor plants, and indoors I keep 3 different Orchids, an ancient plant (which I can't think of the name right now), cacti (which multiply on me all the time), and a boxwood which I purchased when it was tiny and continually trimmed it to resemble a Bonsai.


I might as well take a picture of my "plant window" and post it.

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Wendy
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[Freddie]

Few fish i have and which i hope to die soon (very soon)...

... or then some day when im pissed enough i just kill them.

 

[WhyTeDraGon]

Those are all AWESOME fish!

I was thinking of getting some fish, although, ive never kept anything but Bettas and Goldfish.

So im curious...is there anything that I can get that can be kept in groups, and easy to keep alive? Will I need a filter of some sort, or one of those bubblers?
:?

My son really likes Clown Fish (Nemo), I was thinking of those...but I know nothing of them, or any fish for that matter...so I want something that's easy to care for.

 

[Brian S]

I like cichlids myself. You can keep African Cichlids together.
As far as real easy to keep community fish, swordtails, gouramis and mollies are probably the easiest to keep.
If you want something that will interact with you go with cichlids

As for filter, go with an under gravel filter. They work well.

 

[WhyTeDraGon]

Ill have to get me a book on them first, I suppose. Mostly on how to set up the tank, lol. Ill probably do a 10-20 gallon for my livingroom, something that will look nice.
I guess id better not get into live plants just yet though, lol....more than likely they'll die.