DigityDog70
New Member
- Messages
- 2
- Location
- U.S.
Hi All,
I have been keeping fish for several decades and have always liked the South American Dwarf Cichlids but am "just" starting to actually keep them after lurking in the forums, reading and doing homework. I started off with a pair of Apistogramma cacatuoides Triple Reds and (a non-Apistogramma pair of Bolivian Rams). Apistogrammas in a 29 Gal and the Bolivians in a 20Tall both with Celestial Pearl Danios as the dither species in both tanks. The colors of the CPD's and the AC's red fins are so close it is uncanny. I have a few full-grown CDP males that are 1" and they're about 3/4 the size of my male AC. I am going to make a video of the fish as they compliment each other so well. I noticed how close the colors were on the fins of these two different species but now that the fish are in the tank, it's really something. I am going to take a video today, more than happy to share if anyone wants to check it out.
Both of my South American Dwarf Cichlid tanks are medium to heavily planted with a variety of hiding spots and I have provided each tank with a little Cichlid cave made out of terra cotta with the rounded shapes and holes, I personally think they are cool looking. I ordered two more for each tank just to provide privacy in case I decide to get another female of each species, although I have been told by my breeder "not" to as the female could easily be hurt or killed if the other female and "one" male in the tank breed.
I have a fish room (have now for a few years, almost too much but I am always figuring out better and more efficient ways to keep everyone happy and my takes in excellent shape in terms of water quality, fish and plant health. I'm a fish keep first, followed by "Aquascaper". I have a mix of low and high tech planted tanks.
My current project is a 180Gal that I had a custom built with the following dimensions 72"L x 30H x 18" D made of out of low iron, 5/8" Ultra Clear Non-Tempered glass, I'm working on my sump design and that's another story altogether.
I spend a lot of time focusing on healthy ways to polish my water and keep my fish in prime health as well as my plants. There's always something change, but I try to keep my biological filter media in the tank for years without touching it and that has seemed to help as the beneficial bacteria makes a substantial difference in my opinion. I try to keep a close eye on my tanks with HOB filters and make sure the motors don't burn out, impellers are very clean or swapped out if there's not turning "true" to avoid dryness and the rapid buildup of toxins that could potentially kill my fish. That's just me though. Everyone does things differently but this is working for me.
My contribution to the forum as a new member: If you can, in your filtration solution, whether you have a sump, HOB filter or cannister, "use filter fiber" and if you can make bags of it, without too much trouble, they're great "almost like your own custom cartridges". I've noticed that this has kept my water much clearer.
I also leverage a UV sterilizer and run it when I need to in most tanks and in one tank I have one that's always running. If you can shop around, I've found some good deals on the JAP-23 and the 13W replacement bulb (from two different vendors). I know some people are against UV sterilizers, but I have one tank in particular where, because of its physical location and the exposure to natural sunlight, I wouldn't have a gaming chance controlling algae if I didn't run it. Because the tanks I have are small and I'm using a HOB filter, I didn't want to install inline UV sterilizers.
I also use and really like the RO Buddie and think it gives fishkeepers & "Aquascapers" more of an advantage when it comes to controlling your water parameters. With the Apistogramma's I've heard mixed things, that they're very hardy and tolerable and other's say that they're sensitive to water conditions but that just goes to show you how little I know about the Apistoramma and one of the reasons why I joined the forum.
Any feedback is appreciated if you see anything in my tank or my introduction that I can improve. I'm aiming to keep my AC's tank going for a long time to come.
Cheers,
DD
I have been keeping fish for several decades and have always liked the South American Dwarf Cichlids but am "just" starting to actually keep them after lurking in the forums, reading and doing homework. I started off with a pair of Apistogramma cacatuoides Triple Reds and (a non-Apistogramma pair of Bolivian Rams). Apistogrammas in a 29 Gal and the Bolivians in a 20Tall both with Celestial Pearl Danios as the dither species in both tanks. The colors of the CPD's and the AC's red fins are so close it is uncanny. I have a few full-grown CDP males that are 1" and they're about 3/4 the size of my male AC. I am going to make a video of the fish as they compliment each other so well. I noticed how close the colors were on the fins of these two different species but now that the fish are in the tank, it's really something. I am going to take a video today, more than happy to share if anyone wants to check it out.
Both of my South American Dwarf Cichlid tanks are medium to heavily planted with a variety of hiding spots and I have provided each tank with a little Cichlid cave made out of terra cotta with the rounded shapes and holes, I personally think they are cool looking. I ordered two more for each tank just to provide privacy in case I decide to get another female of each species, although I have been told by my breeder "not" to as the female could easily be hurt or killed if the other female and "one" male in the tank breed.
I have a fish room (have now for a few years, almost too much but I am always figuring out better and more efficient ways to keep everyone happy and my takes in excellent shape in terms of water quality, fish and plant health. I'm a fish keep first, followed by "Aquascaper". I have a mix of low and high tech planted tanks.
My current project is a 180Gal that I had a custom built with the following dimensions 72"L x 30H x 18" D made of out of low iron, 5/8" Ultra Clear Non-Tempered glass, I'm working on my sump design and that's another story altogether.
I spend a lot of time focusing on healthy ways to polish my water and keep my fish in prime health as well as my plants. There's always something change, but I try to keep my biological filter media in the tank for years without touching it and that has seemed to help as the beneficial bacteria makes a substantial difference in my opinion. I try to keep a close eye on my tanks with HOB filters and make sure the motors don't burn out, impellers are very clean or swapped out if there's not turning "true" to avoid dryness and the rapid buildup of toxins that could potentially kill my fish. That's just me though. Everyone does things differently but this is working for me.
My contribution to the forum as a new member: If you can, in your filtration solution, whether you have a sump, HOB filter or cannister, "use filter fiber" and if you can make bags of it, without too much trouble, they're great "almost like your own custom cartridges". I've noticed that this has kept my water much clearer.
I also leverage a UV sterilizer and run it when I need to in most tanks and in one tank I have one that's always running. If you can shop around, I've found some good deals on the JAP-23 and the 13W replacement bulb (from two different vendors). I know some people are against UV sterilizers, but I have one tank in particular where, because of its physical location and the exposure to natural sunlight, I wouldn't have a gaming chance controlling algae if I didn't run it. Because the tanks I have are small and I'm using a HOB filter, I didn't want to install inline UV sterilizers.
I also use and really like the RO Buddie and think it gives fishkeepers & "Aquascapers" more of an advantage when it comes to controlling your water parameters. With the Apistogramma's I've heard mixed things, that they're very hardy and tolerable and other's say that they're sensitive to water conditions but that just goes to show you how little I know about the Apistoramma and one of the reasons why I joined the forum.
Any feedback is appreciated if you see anything in my tank or my introduction that I can improve. I'm aiming to keep my AC's tank going for a long time to come.
Cheers,
DD
