My 3 foot semi planted tank

[Mongbean]

Hey guys,

Thought i would share some pictures of my 3 foot tank..
Its currently maturing or growing out but i am very happy with the way things are going.
Feel free to make comments and/or suggestions.
My main goal is to make sure my fish are all happy and healthy.
Sorry for the quality i am taking the pictures on my phone.
I currently have java moss, hairgrass, crypts and two anubius growing. All with DIY CO2
I have also had troubles with foreground plants but my hairgrass has just taken off...very happy man here lol.

i have also made some changes along the way with the layout as you can see below the yellow rock really stuck out so i flipped it.

 

[slimbolen99]

The tank looks like a great start to a really nice planted tank. However...

Your choice of tankmates is cause for concern. Mixing Lake Malawi cichlids (the vesuvituts, acei, melanochromis, etc) with South American fish (neon tetras, angelfish, etc) is asking for trouble. Lake Malawi cichlids prefer hard water with high pHand will dig, and can be very aggressive. Angelfish like softer water with low pH and can be rather timid / fragile. The rainbow shark could eventually cause problems with the angelfish, as the sharks tend to be terrtitorial and like to nip at fins.

I'd recommend removing the africans and the rainbow shark and adding more neon tetras, maybe some corydoras or something like that. The danios would be ok with the angelfish and neons though.

Good luck.

 

[Linus_Cello]

Also, do you know what type of rock you have? Does it contain limestone that will increase hardness? If so, it would be great for the Malawi cichlids (and not so good for the angelfish and neon tetras). That's a nice piece of driftwood/manzanita (which may help soften the water).

 

[Mongbean]

Hey mate, the Malawi Cichlids are no longer in my tank. I was aware of the PH and they were only in there for a day.
They have their own tank now. A friend of mine was going to flush them and I did not want that to happen so I put them in the tank and rushed out and purchased a smaller temp tank.

Now I am starting my next hobby of a cichlid tank hence why I joined the forum.
I am looking into a bigger tank but I am going square and tall with lava rock piled high in the centre.
Should have clarified that when I posted.
As for the rock it is not lime stone I am unsure what it is. it's to hard to be lime stone.
Due to the nature of my tank The PH is far to low to have the Malawi anyway.

Good pick up though and it's great to see someone else have the welfare of fish at heart.

 

[Mongbean]

Red fins can be aggressive but most of their aggression is towards other red fins.

I have had him for at least 7 months now and he has displayed no aggression towards other fish.
the balance of the tank mates at the moment is very good and all fish have their own corner, rock or driftwood.
My red fin spends most of the day hiding in the cave behind the rock and then comes out at night and eats.

I am in the grow out phase and I am just willing my hairgrass to grow.
I am lookinf to get some more crypts for the right back corner behind the drift wood.

I will also be purchasing another 2 more peacock's for the second larger tank.

Substrate is a hard one for me as the options many.
I was thinking since I am using the red lava rock I want the substrate to buffer the water. Place sand with crushed coral?

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

Substrate is a hard one for me as the options many. I was thinking since I am using the red lava rock I want the substrate to buffer the water. Place sand with crushed coral?

You don't need to buffer the water (for Apistogramma or Pelvichromis), they mainly come from water with very few salts of any kind, and virtually no carbonate hardness.

You need to stick with sand, silica pool filter sand should be easy to get in Brisbane and is ideal. Have a look at Bob Wiltshire's site for some details of cichlid care <http://www.dwarfcichlid.com/Aquarium_care.php>.

cheers Darrel