Y
yogini
Guest
Hello everyone!
I've been lurking for a while and thought I'd join in the fun...
I just set up a new aquarium after not having had one for over 10 years and have recently stumbled upon the wonderful world of dwarf cichlids. I have a pretty small tank (my tiny apartment won't allow for a big one) and wanted to get some advice on adding a few apistos. I also have some other general questions, and I'll organize them a bit to make it easier...
Questions/doubts:
1) First of all, my tap water here seems to be on the hard/alkaline side. I've had my tank running for a little over a month (I'm pretty sure it's fully cycled but I'm watching it closely to make sure) and my water specs are:
pH: 7.0 - 7.5 (somewhere in between but I'm not sure how to make it read more specifically, I'd say closer to 7.5)
GH: 14 dH
nitrites: >0.1 mg/L
temp: 26 C
I know the water is pretty hard...I ran a test on a sample out of the tap and it read 13 dH. I know there are ways to reduce GH and pH and all, but since I'm just getting back into this and don't want to get in over my head too soon, I was wondering.....are there any apistos that could tolerate these conditions? IF not, would it be possible to lower the pH and GH by mixing tap with distilled water? (I wouldn't even know how to go about getting an RO system here in Barcelona and I don't really have extra room for keeping things, I barely have enough room as it is for the bucket I use for the aquarium and the water containers I keep to store tap water for water changes.) Is this a reliable method that is easy to control so there are no sharp water value changes? Or should I at this point just stick to what can survive and thrive in my water?
2) aquarium specs:
50 L with quite a bit of plants, gravel type substrate (the typical small colored gravel type), 3 large rocks that form a bridge/cave, and a current population of 6 harlequin rasboras, 2 panda cories, and an ancistrus. Aside from the water requirements mentioned above, what could go into this tank? I really like Rams, and the brightly colored type apistos in general.
3) filtration issues:
I currently have a Hailida Apolo I power head (it came with the aquarium in a package deal) but in general don't have much knowledge or experience with filters. Is this a good or decent filter? I've heard great stuff about the Marineland biowheel filters but they are (or seem to be) unavailable here in Spain. We do have Eheims, AquaClears, Fluvals, and some others but I was wondering what type of filter available here in Europe would be the best for my aquarium. Any help on this one would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!!
yogini
I've been lurking for a while and thought I'd join in the fun...
I just set up a new aquarium after not having had one for over 10 years and have recently stumbled upon the wonderful world of dwarf cichlids. I have a pretty small tank (my tiny apartment won't allow for a big one) and wanted to get some advice on adding a few apistos. I also have some other general questions, and I'll organize them a bit to make it easier...
Questions/doubts:
1) First of all, my tap water here seems to be on the hard/alkaline side. I've had my tank running for a little over a month (I'm pretty sure it's fully cycled but I'm watching it closely to make sure) and my water specs are:
pH: 7.0 - 7.5 (somewhere in between but I'm not sure how to make it read more specifically, I'd say closer to 7.5)
GH: 14 dH
nitrites: >0.1 mg/L
temp: 26 C
I know the water is pretty hard...I ran a test on a sample out of the tap and it read 13 dH. I know there are ways to reduce GH and pH and all, but since I'm just getting back into this and don't want to get in over my head too soon, I was wondering.....are there any apistos that could tolerate these conditions? IF not, would it be possible to lower the pH and GH by mixing tap with distilled water? (I wouldn't even know how to go about getting an RO system here in Barcelona and I don't really have extra room for keeping things, I barely have enough room as it is for the bucket I use for the aquarium and the water containers I keep to store tap water for water changes.) Is this a reliable method that is easy to control so there are no sharp water value changes? Or should I at this point just stick to what can survive and thrive in my water?
2) aquarium specs:
50 L with quite a bit of plants, gravel type substrate (the typical small colored gravel type), 3 large rocks that form a bridge/cave, and a current population of 6 harlequin rasboras, 2 panda cories, and an ancistrus. Aside from the water requirements mentioned above, what could go into this tank? I really like Rams, and the brightly colored type apistos in general.
3) filtration issues:
I currently have a Hailida Apolo I power head (it came with the aquarium in a package deal) but in general don't have much knowledge or experience with filters. Is this a good or decent filter? I've heard great stuff about the Marineland biowheel filters but they are (or seem to be) unavailable here in Spain. We do have Eheims, AquaClears, Fluvals, and some others but I was wondering what type of filter available here in Europe would be the best for my aquarium. Any help on this one would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!!
yogini