They won me over!

[Nurse4u]

Hi Everyone!

I have come over to the dark side... I used to keep Africans and now have found a love for SA fish... problem? I want them all! I need some guidance from those experienced keepers.

I love German Rams... have had Bolivans but I am so incredibly drawn to Blues it isnt funny. I love Apistos... tons of variety and compact fiesty size with gorgeous colors... how could you not love them???

But... I also have discovered Geos. I have a great source for some Tapajos Orange Heads that are gorgeous.

My problem??? I dont have nearly enough tanks and my other half is not a fishy person. When we moved I had to agree that for the time being I would only have the one bigger tank (a 75g) set up... and now have it and a 10g.

The 75g is almost done with the cycle since the move. It has a decent amount of plants but not a ton in it. I had fully planned on having a group of Orange Heads and maybe some Lemon tetras for dithers but now I am having second thoughts... you see... I want ALL of them... I saw a 240g tank today and fell in love *sigh* It isnt in the near future though.

I will say this much... I could probably sneak another tank by. I have a 55g that is in storage but I also found a nice 33g 4' tank that would look wonderful on my desk. Or even the 3' 30g would work... although I love the footprint on the 33g (goes back to my African side... it would make an amazing shell dweller tank.)

My other half has fallen for Angels. They are pretty fish... but I can walk into any LFS and pick up Angels.... granted not always the strains I can find on various sites... but they are "common." I have decided that whatever I stock with more than likely will be ordered.

I need stocking suggestions for my 75g (standard dimensions)... The tank is mildly planted with driftwood... hoping some of the plants will get a little taller. There are several rock piles (mainly around the plants since I had intended for it to be a geo tank) with a light color sand substrate. My fear is that my water is going to ruin my love for SA cichlids though. When we moved we ended up on a well and I lost my wonderful neutral water. I now have a pH of about 8... but the water is very soft. GH is a 1 and KH around 110. I am leary of products to lower my pH... and wonder how successful Almond leaves would be getting it down.

The tank is in my living room so I need fish that can handle movement from people (although it isnt a super busy household we do have company over a couple days a week)... and I would like something colorful. I dont want the same thing that you see everywhere else. I would love something different... something I cant go to the LFS and pick up. Kinda like a centerpiece for the room. I guess I want a tank that I can brag about and wow people with. I dont have any fish friends but still... it would make me feel better!

I have no major desire to spawn anything at the moment... I have no extra space and remember the headaches that came from fry tanks at times with the Africans. However, I think pairs are the way that you get the true personalities and colors out of a cichlid. If I get fry that survive I will have no choice but to set up another tank ;).

Anyone got some suggestions? I am coming from overstocked tanks to avoid aggression to a world where it seems it is proper to respect a fish's territory... I am at a loss for stocking!

[nick a]

:)

I'm still stuck in the African mode 100%, but it sounds like you'd really be happy with the bigger fish in the 75 and a 'smallish' rack of 20 or 30 longs for pairs of apistos & rams & such. Even tho the other 1/2 isn't into it, you could rack up 4 20Ls in a very small footprint & run all of them off a single air pump.

[Nurse4u]

Haha... I would be happy with any tanks I could get... But he seems to be holding me to my word. I am hoping once our shed gets here and it warms up a little things will change. He wants to start woodworking and so the first project I have in mind for him is a oak rack that would hold 3-4 20L tanks that could go in the office... And then the whole 30/33g tank for the desk that he doesn't know is comin would show up shortly after...

But for the time being I have my 75g and the 10g to play with.

[Snitchols]

Hopefully someone can correct me if I'm wrong but driftwood should help get your pH closer to what SA/CA cichlids prefer.

[joe_jaskot]

Driftwood will lower the pH somewhat, but not that much. You would be better off using peat pellets in a bag to lower the pH.

As far as what fish to choose, the choice is yours. Get a good book or search on the internet. Plenty of pictures, lots of nice fish to choose from.

[Sharpfish]

The fish may depend more upon where you get them. What water conditions the breeder or distributor has them in, or if the fish are tank raised or wild caught. If they are wild caught or they are raised in a softer water you will have to adjust the conditions in your tank. Peat and Almond leaves will lower your pH but not the general hardness. To lower that, the things to do would be to cut your tap water with distilled (store bought) water or collect rain water (free) then add your Black water extract. But not all South American Cichlids are soft, black water fish. You will need to determine what fish you want, what water parameters they come from, & who you are getting them from and the water chemistry to determine your water make up. Most of the fish will be able to live in your tap water, but they may not thrive or spawn. I am sure this doesn't help you picking out new fish for your tank. I may have added more issues for you to think about.

[Pete]

You're probably better off leaving the water as it is. Fish tend to do better with consistent water parameters than with "technically correct" parameters that jump up and down because someone's trying to mess with the water.

[Nurse4u]

Most of the people I have talked to about fish I am interested in are keeping them in fairly neutral water...

The driftwood does not seem to really make a difference in the pH.

As for looking at sites, etc to try to get an idea? That is the problem! I look and the more I look the more I want!

I am back to leaning towards a geo set up and starting with 6 orange heads and maybe getting a pair or 2 out of them. They are rather small right now... About 1.5" so I may put some rams or apistos in with them until they get a little older and larger and can fill the tank out more. It should add a little color and activity to the tank. I am just not sure about upper level fish/dithers. Lemon tetras have been recommended by many but they don't do much to impress me. Any ideas from anyone?

[buntbarsch]

I am back to leaning towards a geo set up and starting with 6 orange heads and maybe getting a pair or 2 out of them. They are rather small right now... About 1.5" so I may put some rams or apistos in with them until they get a little older and larger and can fill the tank out more. It should add a little color and activity to the tank.

That is an excellent choice and you will not regret it. I too have changed some of my Tanganjika tanks to hold Geophagus. They are amazing fish.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/buntbarsch/SA-CA%20Cichlids/T-with-fry13.jpg

[YoungAquaticPhotos]

Great fry shot BuntBarsch!

[Zippo]

You're probably better off leaving the water as it is. Fish tend to do better with consistent water parameters than with "technically correct" parameters that jump up and down because someone's trying to mess with the water. Amen to that Pete. Been pushing that theory for many years myself. :bandit: