Cichlid Set Up
- Thread starter FishDad
- Start date
He's definitely got a bacteria bloom and cycle going on since adding the fish. He should be ok as he is well advised on prime and daily water changes. He wanted ALL the fish so it was unavoidable. No sand because of the type of filtration he has. Impeller issues and all that. He's a former SA cichlid keeper so he is partial to the riverbed look. Used to keep Oscars and managuenses.
do the cichlids like to throw sand into the filter intake? what if you modded the intake to sit near the water surface? mine is kind of half way between surface and bottom and i have play sand and boisterous plecos.
My aquaclear filter has been treated with plumbers silicone grease for the past few weeks and it has sort of quieted down a little.
My aquaclear filter has been treated with plumbers silicone grease for the past few weeks and it has sort of quieted down a little.
I think its the type of sand that is the issue. I had play sand which is incredibly fine. I had my intakes very near the surface and sand still made it up there. They don't specifically place it in the intake they are just so active and rough in the tank that sand in the filter is unavoidable. I always thought one of those carib sea sands would be better.
I used a mix. one of my 30 gallons has the white and black cichlid sand. my green sunfish don't seem to kick to much inot the filter. as for my 55 cichlid tank i've got a fairly large grain black sand. my cichlids get it into the filter pretty good. i cut my intakes so they are about half way down in my tank. didn't seem to make any difference. they do like to move the sand though. every time i do a water change which in that tank is about once a month, I have to push the sand around cause they like to move all the sand from the right side of the tank to the left. I end up with 8 or so inches on the left side and bare spots on the right side of the tank lol.
It's funny...when I was a kid, we had a fish aquarium in our living room. Trying to recall, but I think it was a 29 gallon. We had giant danio, tiger barbs, and a common pleco and some pictus catfish.
I absolutely HATED the fish tank! I think it was because my parents didn't teach me how to care for them, feed them, etc. It was always "don't touch the tank, don't touch the food, don't turn the light off (or on)" etc. It was almost "don't even look at the fish!" I often wonder how I developed a desire to have them as an adult.
I absolutely HATED the fish tank! I think it was because my parents didn't teach me how to care for them, feed them, etc. It was always "don't touch the tank, don't touch the food, don't turn the light off (or on)" etc. It was almost "don't even look at the fish!" I often wonder how I developed a desire to have them as an adult.
lol well you dont want kids throwing toys at the glass that's for sure.
But when i was about 6-7 yo my grandparents let me have my first tank. i think 15 gals. that's my earliest memory of aquariums. i remember i liked them from the start, though obviously i didn't understand any maintenance about them. my sword tail fry would always die because we put them into a 3L jar to raise (as i remember). we also had plecos in that tank - really tiny guys that looked like commons (maybe 1" in size) i never was able to ID those plecs. I am especially interested in keeping plecos right now.
But when i was about 6-7 yo my grandparents let me have my first tank. i think 15 gals. that's my earliest memory of aquariums. i remember i liked them from the start, though obviously i didn't understand any maintenance about them. my sword tail fry would always die because we put them into a 3L jar to raise (as i remember). we also had plecos in that tank - really tiny guys that looked like commons (maybe 1" in size) i never was able to ID those plecs. I am especially interested in keeping plecos right now.
Came home from work the other day to find two more mystery snails in my 10g and one in my 55g. One of my darling children is moving them from tank/tank.
Of course no-one knows anything.I've also found the glass tops ajar, lights moved, water splashed and *ghasp*.... wet nets.
My two year old is quite the hand-full. I flipped out a little more than usual.
Had to make the accessibility harder for the 2yr/old.
Last edited: