Been on a few different fish boards... everyone sticks to the 'dont do this, dont do that, no thats bad, and that, just terrible!' standards for noobs.
Anyway, my name is Doug.
I have 4 tanks currently.
A 5 gallon hex w/ 3 fancy guppies and two glofish.
Currently 1/2 cycled, everyone healthy... glofish egg laden, and guppys breeding habits are showing already!
Filtration: Built in Eclipse hood
A 10 gallon (too small I know, read next tank)
with a 2.5" eastern painted turtle and a 3" Musk turtle.
Filtration: Powerhead/Undergravel and Penguin 125
A 55 gallon with a lone yellow bellied slider (7")
Had to move the other two because they were attacking him so bad he had cuts/sores all over his front claws, and took layers on layers off his tail
Filtration: Powerhead/Undergravel and Rena XP1
Finally, a 20 gallon high, the subject of all my previous websites attacks.
Running a custom fit undergravel since there were none available ('cept online, couldn't wait) with a powerhead one side, airstone/carbon cartridge other side. Once I get my Penguin 660R running again, I'll have that running on reverse with air running to feed the gravel air. Planning on JUST enough flow to keep air going under gravel, while keeping a positive flow DOWN through the gravel. That has yet to be tested!
Anyway, running a dual biowheel 330 with media baskets currently empty, but both filter medias are in place.
The stocking icludes a Green Spotted Puffer, an Auratus (golden) cichlid, and a Kenyi. Also had a Livingstoni cichlid, but he was unhealthy when I got him, and only last a about two weeks. He didn't eat well, thus his demise.
Tank fully cycled, I did 2-3 water changes a week, gradually going from 50% to 25% changes. Ammonia spiked over 5mg/l, as nitrites rose past two ammonia dropped like a rock 3.5 weeks into cycling. 4 weeks in, nitrites over 5mg/l and ammonia 0. Algae started on plants/ornaments.
5 weeks in and ammonia/nitrites dropped to 0, nitrates 0 (too many water changes, but enough to have algae!)
I have 6 caves, multiple plants including a live lucky bamboo.
PH/Ammonia alerts on side of tank. PH runs almost always 8.2, I buffer with baking soda.
Video link is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6XGGba8noc
So many people told me DO NOT KEEP a puffer PERIOD, nevermind how many times told not to with a cichlid. Kenyi/Golden being some of the most agressive there is... keeping 1 of each is absolutely assonine from what I hear! "cichlids will attack puffer till he cant take it anymore, then will take chunks out of the cichlids"
5 weeks in, not one nip on anyone, they've grown about 50% (half doubled size)
Cichlids get pellets/algae wafers, puffer blood worms/pellets. Cichlids stay nice and low eating their sinking pellets, puffer right up in his floating feeder area. Puffer also gets snacks of baby snails that the petstore gives me for free (overbreeding) to keep his teeth trimmed. Made the mistake of giving him 10 at once, ate 8 of 10 in an hour O_O DOHHHH!
Will be posting a few questions in the cichlid forum in reference to added fish... please check it to help me out!
-Doug
Anyway, my name is Doug.
I have 4 tanks currently.
A 5 gallon hex w/ 3 fancy guppies and two glofish.
Currently 1/2 cycled, everyone healthy... glofish egg laden, and guppys breeding habits are showing already!
Filtration: Built in Eclipse hood
A 10 gallon (too small I know, read next tank)
with a 2.5" eastern painted turtle and a 3" Musk turtle.
Filtration: Powerhead/Undergravel and Penguin 125
A 55 gallon with a lone yellow bellied slider (7")
Had to move the other two because they were attacking him so bad he had cuts/sores all over his front claws, and took layers on layers off his tail
Filtration: Powerhead/Undergravel and Rena XP1
Finally, a 20 gallon high, the subject of all my previous websites attacks.
Running a custom fit undergravel since there were none available ('cept online, couldn't wait) with a powerhead one side, airstone/carbon cartridge other side. Once I get my Penguin 660R running again, I'll have that running on reverse with air running to feed the gravel air. Planning on JUST enough flow to keep air going under gravel, while keeping a positive flow DOWN through the gravel. That has yet to be tested!
Anyway, running a dual biowheel 330 with media baskets currently empty, but both filter medias are in place.
The stocking icludes a Green Spotted Puffer, an Auratus (golden) cichlid, and a Kenyi. Also had a Livingstoni cichlid, but he was unhealthy when I got him, and only last a about two weeks. He didn't eat well, thus his demise.
Tank fully cycled, I did 2-3 water changes a week, gradually going from 50% to 25% changes. Ammonia spiked over 5mg/l, as nitrites rose past two ammonia dropped like a rock 3.5 weeks into cycling. 4 weeks in, nitrites over 5mg/l and ammonia 0. Algae started on plants/ornaments.
5 weeks in and ammonia/nitrites dropped to 0, nitrates 0 (too many water changes, but enough to have algae!)
I have 6 caves, multiple plants including a live lucky bamboo.
PH/Ammonia alerts on side of tank. PH runs almost always 8.2, I buffer with baking soda.
Video link is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6XGGba8noc
So many people told me DO NOT KEEP a puffer PERIOD, nevermind how many times told not to with a cichlid. Kenyi/Golden being some of the most agressive there is... keeping 1 of each is absolutely assonine from what I hear! "cichlids will attack puffer till he cant take it anymore, then will take chunks out of the cichlids"
5 weeks in, not one nip on anyone, they've grown about 50% (half doubled size)
Cichlids get pellets/algae wafers, puffer blood worms/pellets. Cichlids stay nice and low eating their sinking pellets, puffer right up in his floating feeder area. Puffer also gets snacks of baby snails that the petstore gives me for free (overbreeding) to keep his teeth trimmed. Made the mistake of giving him 10 at once, ate 8 of 10 in an hour O_O DOHHHH!
Will be posting a few questions in the cichlid forum in reference to added fish... please check it to help me out!
-Doug
to MFK!
