Bala Sharks
- Thread starter Shap33
- Start date
I do 20% water changes once every other week, my tank is pretty heavily stocked but I have an overflow system that I've modified to being very efficient at keeping the tank clean, I also have a lot of loaches that churn up the sand. I just remove the poop that I can before it starts to foul up the water and stuff
20% water changes every other week? And you have a heavily stocked tank? And your nitrates are 30ppm? I'm intrigued. Can you give us full details of your set up, tank size, filtration, stock etc etc.
it's a biocube 29, I have 13 kuhli loaches, 3 dojo loaches, a green phantom and gold nugget pleco, 1 betta, 3 red eyed tetras, 1 albino red tail shark and 2 albino cherry barbs. I do a 5 gallon water change every other week, but when I see waste and stuff accumulate I siphon it out through a coffee filter. I have an overflow that has bioballs and a bunch of sponges that I put into it to increase surface area (also to prevent my kuhli loaches from going into the sump for the heater/protein skimmer). When I do the water changes I remove the sponges and rinse them in some tank water to remove waste. I also have duckweed, a banana plant and some cardinal plants in there. I feed one cube of frozen food every other day with a pinch of crushed freeze dried krill and 2 slices of repashy morning wood for my plecos (I pour it into a container and let it settle, then I use a potato peeler and slice off a piece to give my plecos).
I think the key to your success then lies in the fact that you syphon out gunk as it appears, that factor alone will help keep your nitrates low. Most gunk in most people's tanks (myself included) gets sucked into the filtration system and remains there to decompose until maintainance time.
Well my parents hate me doing water changes because "it costs so much money", I'm lucky in that the flow makes the waste accumulate in one area
Do you guys think one Gold Severum would work in the new 220? I saw this one at the LFS today and bought to hold until the big move Monday. Looks like he’s maybe 4-5 inches now and someone traded him in. Looks really nice, and hes in tank with rainbows at the LFS.
I tried to add 3 small Severums at once last week figuring I was moving them soon anyway, and they were gorgeous but my EB Acara Has basically claimed the 75 gallon as her tank and within mins she wouldn’t leave them alone. I’ve basically given up trying to add other SA cichlids to the tank besides her, but I figure if I’m going to try one more time, it would make the best sense to add the new Severum in at the same time I add all my current stock back into the new 220.
Overall it’s a very peaceful community tank. I do have live plants and I will in the 220 as well, I know there’s a good chance the Severum will eat them, so I’ll keep an eye on that.
Stock is
1 EB Acara female, only 3-4 inches but hates other cilcids for the most part. Wasn’t always this way, actually used to have two and had to give the other away. Leaves every other fish alone.
5 Bala Sharks, currently 2-3 inches
7 Roseline Sharks/Denison barbs abiut 4 inches
14 rainbow fish, mostly bosmani. Few yellow rainbow and lake K.
5 Roses Barbs-2/3 inches
3 lyretail swordtail fish, 2/3 inches or so.
I guess my question is it worth one more shot to incorporate what most consider a less aggressive cichlid with the new setup and see if my current EB Acara in the bigger and new tank can accept it? I can always take the Severum back if it doesn’t work. If figure this is my best chance in a move like this to a new tank to introduce them at the same time, so my EBA can’t claim the whole tank first. I also like that this Severum is slightly bigger already than the EBA. The only cichlid I was able to keep with my current EBA in 2 years was a Juarpi who was 7-8 inches, and she left him alon, he died from HILH.
Sorry for the long winded post. Thx all!
I tried to add 3 small Severums at once last week figuring I was moving them soon anyway, and they were gorgeous but my EB Acara Has basically claimed the 75 gallon as her tank and within mins she wouldn’t leave them alone. I’ve basically given up trying to add other SA cichlids to the tank besides her, but I figure if I’m going to try one more time, it would make the best sense to add the new Severum in at the same time I add all my current stock back into the new 220.
Overall it’s a very peaceful community tank. I do have live plants and I will in the 220 as well, I know there’s a good chance the Severum will eat them, so I’ll keep an eye on that.
Stock is
1 EB Acara female, only 3-4 inches but hates other cilcids for the most part. Wasn’t always this way, actually used to have two and had to give the other away. Leaves every other fish alone.
5 Bala Sharks, currently 2-3 inches
7 Roseline Sharks/Denison barbs abiut 4 inches
14 rainbow fish, mostly bosmani. Few yellow rainbow and lake K.
5 Roses Barbs-2/3 inches
3 lyretail swordtail fish, 2/3 inches or so.
I guess my question is it worth one more shot to incorporate what most consider a less aggressive cichlid with the new setup and see if my current EB Acara in the bigger and new tank can accept it? I can always take the Severum back if it doesn’t work. If figure this is my best chance in a move like this to a new tank to introduce them at the same time, so my EBA can’t claim the whole tank first. I also like that this Severum is slightly bigger already than the EBA. The only cichlid I was able to keep with my current EBA in 2 years was a Juarpi who was 7-8 inches, and she left him alon, he died from HILH.
Sorry for the long winded post. Thx all!
