- Messages
- 13
- Location
- Columbus, OH
Let me apologize for the long post... rather give too much info I guess than not enough.
I'm returning to fishkeeping for the first time in about 10 years. When I was in highschool I had a few tanks, a couple community tanks and a saltwater. I recently started a 30 gallon at home and a 10 gallon in my office. Things are going great, and both tanks have been finished cycleing a couple of weeks. I finally have my water conditions where I want them (although I had a mishap with the heater in my 30 gallon... it got stuck in the on position and the temp went to 90f before I noticed, I lost a female p. pulcher.) Temp is a fairly constant 80 degrees (sometimes drops to 79), ph is stable somewhere between 6.8 and 7.2 (is it really possible to accurately read the colors on test kits!?), and hardness has been steadily dropping to a fairly soft range by using peat in my filter.
My 30 gallon was initially going to be a community setup, but I discovered dwarf cichlids and have decided to change. Initially it had 3 tiger barbs, 3 zebra danios, 3 serpae tetras, 3 otocinclus, and 6 white clouds. It's a well planted tank, with 2 caves that I made out of slate, and a gravel substrate. I recently added a male p. pulcher and 3 yo yo loaches to put my renegade snail population in check (darn hitch-hikers!).
I'd like to make the main focus of the tank dwarf cichlids... I really like p. pulcher. Given my tank size and substrate does anyone have suggestions of another dwarf pair or 2 that might fit in well? My pet store will buy back any of my community fish if I need to part with some to make room. I plan on purchasing another female p. pulcher to replace the one I lost. My male p. pulcher is so shy now that the female is gone.
Thanks!
I'm returning to fishkeeping for the first time in about 10 years. When I was in highschool I had a few tanks, a couple community tanks and a saltwater. I recently started a 30 gallon at home and a 10 gallon in my office. Things are going great, and both tanks have been finished cycleing a couple of weeks. I finally have my water conditions where I want them (although I had a mishap with the heater in my 30 gallon... it got stuck in the on position and the temp went to 90f before I noticed, I lost a female p. pulcher.) Temp is a fairly constant 80 degrees (sometimes drops to 79), ph is stable somewhere between 6.8 and 7.2 (is it really possible to accurately read the colors on test kits!?), and hardness has been steadily dropping to a fairly soft range by using peat in my filter.
My 30 gallon was initially going to be a community setup, but I discovered dwarf cichlids and have decided to change. Initially it had 3 tiger barbs, 3 zebra danios, 3 serpae tetras, 3 otocinclus, and 6 white clouds. It's a well planted tank, with 2 caves that I made out of slate, and a gravel substrate. I recently added a male p. pulcher and 3 yo yo loaches to put my renegade snail population in check (darn hitch-hikers!).
I'd like to make the main focus of the tank dwarf cichlids... I really like p. pulcher. Given my tank size and substrate does anyone have suggestions of another dwarf pair or 2 that might fit in well? My pet store will buy back any of my community fish if I need to part with some to make room. I plan on purchasing another female p. pulcher to replace the one I lost. My male p. pulcher is so shy now that the female is gone.
Thanks!