New to Africans....

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Other than that I don't really know any of the other stores staff....and wouldn't trust them. I usually spend a long time inspecting fish from any store before purchasing.
 
get some neolamp. kendali...they are gorgeous and have some wicked teeth, and could move when you move your fronts...or some shellies...they are super cool.
 
torbayguy;3899210; said:
Lovelly set up mate.

You seen to be doing great at the moment.

I would completely disagree with the carbon comment above though..
Carbon takes metals and excess nutrients out of water, which is a good thing, especially in a tank with a high ph.. Carbon also polishes water for a crystal clear tank.

I my filters (i have 3 2000ltr per hour externals) I have 1 packed with just Matrix, 1 with course foam pads and ceramic tubes, and the 3rd has carbon, course and fine pads.

I have had them running like this for years, and my tank is sparkly clean!!

With regards to buffering your ph, instead of the rip-off cichlid elements and aquarium salt (you do need salts, whatever other people say)
you can use bicarb of soda and epsom salts.

The bicarb raises ph, and epsom salts provide buffering, and trace elements.

I have always used these and my fish are thriving.

Good luck mate, Im sure your going to have a lovelly tank when your finished.
Click to expand...

torbayguy;3899596; said:
Well I disagree with you on that one Im afraid.
Firstly the water comes out of my tap at 5.2ish, so I have to use all that 'crap'.
I have kept Rift at 7.4 ph and yes they are fine, however, at 8 - 8.2 they are much more vibrant, the colours are brighter, the fish are more active, and they spawn more than at lower 7's.
Tangs need a very high ph, so 7.2 is way to low.
The salts add more than buffering capacity alone. They also aid the immune system of the fish, and keep them more disease resistant.
Epsom salts also make fish poo more, which helps keep the dreaded bloat at bay, and stops the fish becoming fat and lathargic.
Bicarb is a perfect choice for raising ph for a couple of reasons.
Firstly its cheap and readily available, secondly, it doesnt matter how much you add, it will NEVER raise the ph over 8.4.

Onto purigen...
Purigen was originally intended for reef fish, where purity is essential, however, for some reason Americans it seems, like to use it in Malawi set ups (I say American, because it is only on this forum I have seem people mention they use it)
Purigen takes to much out of the water for it to be used long term.
After a month of continuous use it effectively makes the water sterile, removing most trace elements, and starving the fish of many needed vitimins. which of course is why it is ok for marines, as many suppliments must be used for a healthy tank.

Carbon is much less corse, although it still removes alot, it doesnt remove the ESSENTIAL trace elements, and the trace elements it does remove, are replaced by the epsom salts at water change time!

If what you are comfortable with, is keeping fish in the wrong conditions, then you should change your tank inhabitants to a more suitable specimen, after all, keeping fish in unsuitable conditions due to your own short comings is cruel.
Click to expand...
His ph is 8. He doesn't need to buffer.

I don't use salt. My petros and trophs don't get bloat. They're not "fat and lethargic". Fish get that way from overfeeding and all the epsom salt in the world isnt gonna fix that.

If you do a wc once a week how does purigen make the tank sterile? Also which "vitamins" does purigen remove?

I have many, many shortcomings. However my tanks ph is 8.2 and very hard without adding a bunch of crap to it. Lucky me with my awesome tap water. So thanks for the personal attack

Your way works for you.

My way works for me.
 
Hey Brandon - you could do a small group of cyps to occupy the upper water column and add some color. Just stay away from the "jumbo" varieties as your tank is too small for them. Cyps do well with just about anything, except large frontosa! Most bottom, shell, and rock dwelling tangs tend to ignore them.

As far as sourcing fish, online would be a good bet. Or look for some more tanganyikan specific forums and see if there's anyone in your area that has fry for sale. If you would the name of a few forums just shoot me a pm and I will pass them along to you
 
I finally got my 3 Black Calvus they are about 3-3.5 inches and two more Kantalamba Fronts 1 is about 3 inch and 1 is 4 inch. After some searching a found a local breeder who has wild caught parents on site and was able to get all F1. I also took off the 2 HOB filters and added an XP 3(175G) canister filter to the setup. They all seem to be settling in quite well already. I am soo happy I took in all the advice I got here because this setup looks stunning!!! Thanks guys!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom