Whats up everybody

[Rafa]

Hey, I'm new to the hobby and to Cichlids but I find myself becoming more facinated with them day by day. I dont have a tank yet and was hoping I can get advice on the right set up (tank, filters, heater, etc.). I'd like to start with a 75g tank. Any tips would be appreciated. :ty:

[Johnnyb76]

Welcome and good luck with everything buddy....:beerchug:
How much are you looking to spend? And research the different groups to see which ones you would like to start with...i.e. Mbuna, Aulonocara/Haps, Tangs....You will end up getting alot of good help here either way. Take it easy.

[Dylz]

hi rafa, 75 gal is a great tank that you can do a lot with. i found it best to find what types of fish appealed to me, then do some research on them and see if its something you are able to handle.
their are lots of members of this site that sell quality fish in our classifieds section and we have an auction coming up in November that you mite want to look into. good luck and remember to patient.

[Rafa]

Thanks for the welcome, I'm doing research and notice ppl usually stock fish from the same lake in a tank. Is it bad to mix fish from different lakes in a tank?

[Dylz]

eh its a preference call really. i dont think its "bad" but im not into it personally. people do it all the time but you have to worry about if fish will get along, cross bread etc. it depends on what you trying to accomplish. i try to raise a colony with a good ratio of males to females and then get them to breed. i find the best way to do that is to give each species its own tank and look after their specific needs, but thats just me and i find it easier that way.
best thing i can tell you is to have a plan, be patient, ask questions along the way, consider all information and do what works best for you. did i tell you to be patient

[twong727]

Start with the biggest possible tank which can fit into your space because when you get hooked in this hobby you will want to get a bigger tank very soon. I got a 60 gallon square tank when I was new in the hobby 2 years ago now I have 1 125g and 1 55g and counting...

Anyway 75 gallon is a good size to accomodate many kinds of fish...just my 2 cents...

[twong727]

Also get some friends who are more experienced to look for used tanks/equipments for you, you will save lots and lots of money....

[Rafa]

Thanks a lot everybody for the info, I will for sure start thinking and doing more home work and yes being very patient lol. I've been looking for a 75 gal tank with setup included. I don't mind buying used in fact I'd prefer a set up that's used so I know everything is functioning properly for this specific species. I'm willing to spend $400 on a used set up as I see that's what they've been going for (used). I'm located in Queens, if anybody is local and doesn't mind schooling me I'm up for learning.

[Dylz]

kool man, wont be long now. you will want to read up on cycling your aquarium.
http://www.bluecrayfish.com/cycle.htm
id look up a few more articles on cycling and "new tank syndrome.
after setting up ur tank this is the first big step.

[Rafa]

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f351/ligerous/6ff6f334.jpg

Just got a 75 g tank with two filters, stand, heater, lights and a couple other things. I'm going to finish setting it up and patiently think about what to going to put in it.

[misterted]

Wow that was fast. 75 is a great start because the fish have 4ft of horizontal swimming space....awesome.

Now you need to decide what you would like to keep in it.

Welcome to ECC!


Ted

[Rafa]

Wow that was fast. 75 is a great start because the fish have 4ft of horizontal swimming space....awesome.

Now you need to decide what you would like to keep in it.

Welcome to ECC!


Ted

Thanks for the welcome, im still thinking about what to put in it. So far i like the Peacoks.

[Dylz]

lets get an update bro. tell us what your up to.

[Rafa]

So I switched the setup in the 75 gallon a couple times and I am happy (for now) with how it looks. I only have a Copadichromis Azureus (male) and German Red Peacocks (1M/3F) in it.

I also bought a 45 gallon flat back hex tank and have mixed Mbuna in it.

(I will add pics soon)

[Rafa]

Any suggestions on what else to add?

[m1ke715m]

in my opinion id add more of the same to those groups

[Rafa]

Thanks for the response, so what your saying is to get another male or two of the Copadichromis Azureus and German Red and add more females?

Any suggestions on Plecos?

[m1ke715m]

thats what id do.. you can never go wrong with alot of females.. spreads the aggression and gives you tons of fry.. if you are lookin to raise babies.. having 2 or 3 males helps too with peacocks and haps.. most of my tanks i have 2 or 3 males and at least 6 females.. but thats just me.. some people have alot of success with trios.. azureus and german red breeding groups in the same tank sounds like a good combo imo

get a breeder net or 2 or a 10 gallon for fry

oh and id go with pool filter sand instead of the gravel the fish really love to move it around and dig pits when they go to spawn

[bovsbaitboxes]

Big Mike nice input that is the same thing I was saying before I read your post give me a call :beerchug:

[Rafa]

The 75 gallon
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f351/ligerous/1ba0e2b6.jpg

The 45 gallon
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f351/ligerous/58efd235.jpg

Ok so I know if I add another Peacock species (75g) there might be cross breeding but what if I add another hap group?

[Rafa]

So last week my 75gal got hit by ick. I treated it but no luck, my German red, his 3 females and my C. Azureus died. Now I want to put my Mbuna back in the 75 gal and do a species only setup in the 45gal.

I wouldn't want them to get ick so that's my main concern. A friend told me to treat the tank with copper for a week, do a partial water change and it should be safe.

My question is when can I safely put the Mbuna in the 75gal?

[dsap92]

a couple of weeks with no hosts in the tank and the ICH life cycle is broken and they will all die off. You can raise the temp to speed up the parasites life cycle so they burn themselves out at a faster pace.

[Rafa]

Thank you!