New 125g tank

[AmyRebekah]

Hi! I’m new here. I’ve been setting up my new 125g Central American tank. I have fx6 and UV filter. I have started with all juvenile stock in hopes growing them out together they can cohabitate more easily. I have to use RO system water because I live out in the country on bad well water and have a culligan water softener and house filtration system. But that filtration only puts out small amount of gallons daily. So I’ve recently purchased RO that puts out 100 GPD. Do y’all suggest cichlid lake salt to replenish the filtered water? I’ve purchased it but kinda nervous using it. I know many of these fish are born and raised in tanks and not actually from Central America but I’m sure they’re still deprived of nutrients in the water due to filtration. Any suggestions? My tank is crystal clear. I feed my fish only good food:
Xtreme cichlid pellets and Xtreme spiruluna flakes along with frozen bloodworms as treats. I know they will grow and become more aggressive with injuries I’m sure will occur, so looking to have to the water in tip top condition ahead of time. Thank you.
my tank dimensions: 72.5x18.5x23.5

my stock is listed below!
Thanks so much Amy


•Jack Dempsey/Rocio octofasciata

•Electric Blue Jack Dempsey/Rocio Octofasciata

•Pair Nicaraguan/Hypsophrys nicaraguensis

•Pair Convicts/Amatitlania nigrofasciata

•Firemouth/Thorichthys meeki (4)

•Oaxaca/Vieja zonata

•Tamasopo/Herichthys tamasopoensis

 

[kno4te]

Welcome!

 

[AmyRebekah]

Welcome!

Thank you so much for having me!

 

[Cal Amari]

Welcome! Great looking tank. What do you mean by "bad well water"? just curious because much of what we find distasteful in well water is apreciated by fish, especially hard water natives like central americans. I don't know about cichlid salt, but using nuetral water and trying to match it for every water change can be a nightmare.

I started with a very similar goal, but didn't put them all in the tank because I came here first. You'll be lucky if 3 or 4 of those can live in the same tank, even growing up together. Many cichlids school as juveniles but as they mature they become solitary, raising them together won't change that. And some of the fish you listed can reach 10 or 12 inches. You might do ok with the firemouths, convicts, and 1 of the bigger fish... or the bigger fish might decide he wants the whole tank to himself. Nothing wrong with waiting and watching but I'd have a spare tank or 2 handy to dump some in as they grow.

 

[Cal Amari]

Another thought, if you're using RO water anyway would be to go south american instead of central, many of them are more peaceful and can coeist better, and most are soft water species. Severums, Geophagus, angels, discus, uaru, chocolate cichlids, but again not all in the same tank, pick a couple and see what works, ask questions, and do research.

 

[AmyRebekah]

Hey, thanks for the good reply! My well water had extremely high nitrates from local farmers and spraying their fields. I was warned to especially not give it to children and elderly it’ll cause learning disorders and possibly Parkinson’s, bizarre!! Yes the hard water I know is perfect for them but unfortunately I couldn’t use it. I did buy seachem American ciclid salt to add back in but I’ve yet to use it. Says to add it only during water changes and only the amount replacing, to not dose for the entire 125g at once. My water tests rn are excellent. But my hardness I’m unsure if it’s okay or not. My KH is about 8.0 but my GH is close to nothing? Im unsure about understanding the difference of the two .

yes I’ll have to see how they do growing out. I do have spare tanks ready.

 

[AmyRebekah]

Hey, thanks for the good reply! My well water had extremely high nitrates from local farmers and spraying their fields. I was warned to especially not give it to children and elderly it’ll cause learning disorders and possibly Parkinson’s, bizarre!! Yes the hard water I know is perfect for them but unfortunately I couldn’t use it. I did buy seachem American ciclid salt to add back in but I’ve yet to use it. Says to add it only during water changes and only the amount replacing, to not dose for the entire 125g at once. My water tests rn are excellent. But my hardness I’m unsure if it’s okay or not. My KH is about 8.0 but my GH is close to nothing? Im unsure about understanding the difference of the two .

yes I’ll have to see how they do growing out. I do have spare tanks ready.

Sorry meant my KH is in between 80-120 my PH is 8

 

[AmyRebekah]

Another thought, if you're using RO water anyway would be to go south american instead of central, many of them are more peaceful and can coeist better, and most are soft water species. Severums, Geophagus, angels, discus, uaru, chocolate cichlids, but again not all in the same tank, pick a couple and see what works, ask questions, and do research.

yes I probably should have. But now I’m already set with these fish and spent good money on them. I went with Central American to remind me of my travels to like Costa Rica and such, because I love it. But to be honest I didn’t even consider myRO water when setting up even after I thought I had everything listed and in order.

 

[Cal Amari]

Well you're absolutely right, if it's high nitrates, no good for fish either. there's others on here who can speak more about ph gh and kh than me. As far as I can understand keeping fish in mineral dficient water that are evolved to live in mineral rich waters won't in itself hurt the fish. But it is another stressor that is unnatural to it, as is living in a glass box, and having a bunch of roommates. These things all lead to deteriorated mood/tempers, but also immune systems. So when they do get sick, it is much harder to fight off.

 

[AmyRebekah]

Yes I agree. Thank you for all your replies and help. I truly appreciate it!