Returning to the Aquarium Hobby

[TS45]

Hi,
I'm interested in returning to the Aquarium Hobby after not owning one for about 14 years. When I left off I found Dwarf cichlids most interesting, Apistogramma Agassizii was one specie I had and loved!

What is the best way equipment wise to accomodate Dwarf Cichlids, I'm seeing alot of "all in one" systems. Any recomendations???

Tom

 

[Scooter]

Hey Tom.

Welcome back to the hobby and welcome to the forum. Your post is sure to generate a variety of responses because of its subjective nature. While I'm no expert compared to some on this forum, I'll be glad to give you my thoughts. But let me ask you a question or two first.

Do you know for sure what type of dwarf cichlid(s) you want to keep? You mention the A. Agassizi, so are Apistos what you're primarily interested in. How many are you interested in keeping?

 

[aspen]

hi tom, i have never seen a system, with all of the things i like in aqarium components, all sold in one package. ie, aquaclear filters, ebo jager heaters, and enough light to grow plants among other things. i like good quality heaters, as i hate to lose fish to a bad heater. and i like ac filters with extra sponges, so i can start another tank anytime i want.

really, it depends on what you want to get out of the hobby. would you like to become a fish breeder, or just have a nice community tank, featuring some nice dwarfs? imo, anything under a 35 gal, is suitable for only a single pair of dwarfs or maybe 2 less agressive species, in a community. after that, you need another tank to accomodate beaten up tankmates. also, a quarentine tank is a necessity. there are lots of diseases out there, and not quarentining new fish can lead to having all of your fish wiped out. i use a 5 gal, 10 or 20, depending on how many fish (or plants- yes i also quarentine new plants) i get. i have lots of spare tanks and always have extra media to start a tank. i also store all of my change water. this is an asset in my city, where the water is loaded with dissolved gasses, and need to be off-gassed.

why not give us an idea on what kind of set-up you would like. (planted or not, community, or species, etc) remember, there are likely lots more species of fish available now, as there was then. simply reading this forum will give you an idea, there are some pretty serious 'little cichlid nuts' around here.

rick

 

[Randall]

Welcome Back!

Dear Tom,

Welcome!

If you're interested in keeping and or breeding dwarf cichlids, much has changed--hopefully, for the better--in the hobby over the past 14 years. May I suggest that you start by investing in a good reference or two? The most comprehensive English language dwarf cichlid book is probably the Cichlid Atlas by Dr. Uwe Romer, published by Mergus Verlag. At $45-$50, it's a little pricey, but well worth it. Although a little dated, two other good sources are South American Dwarf Cichlids by Hans Mayland and Dieter Bork, published by Verlag A.C.S., and American Cichlids I - Dwarf Cichlids by Horst Linke and Dr. Wolfgang Staeck, published by Tetra-Press.

Any of these three would prove quite helpful in your set up and selection.

Good luck!

Randall Kohn

 

[TS45]

Wow, thanks for the reply's. All great info. I will try to touch on what my goal is. Keep in mind I was not a real well informed Aquarist, just enjoyed keeping fish. My goal is to:

1. Have a nice set-up with proper size to accomodate 2-or 3 diff. specis of Dwarf's along with a nice school of Tetra's, 2 Cory's Plants and? A Community tank.

2. I would like to have a live plants aquarium, is there an extreme amount of light needed to grow plants, would this effect the fish.

3. I would think that technology has come along far enough to make proper maintenace easy, mainly for the health of the tank. This is why I ask if an all in one Reef Ready type combo would be a good idea or ? Is there a list of the proper set-up equipment wise?

4. I'm willing to have 2 or 3 small tanks or 1-large set-up. I just would like to "Do it right" the first time, at least start off in the best direction. Is there a 2 or 3 tank stand?

5. Not sure which species of Dwarf's to choose, I live in the NW suburbs of Chicago, any good resources, stores etc. one could recommend within a decent driving distance.

6. I will look for the books listed, they sound quite detailed.

Thanks again for all your input, Tom

 

[Neil]

TS45,

WELCOME TO THE FORUM

There are many ways to go. If you don't want to be limited by the sizes that are available in the all-in-one systems, all you really need is a tank, sponge filter, heater and tank decor. Light is optional because most Dwarf Cichlids prefer a lower light situation anyway. This is managed by ambient (the window or room light) light in some tanks or alot of cover (like a heavily planted aquascape) in a high-light tank.
The last thing that you really have to have is a way to keep up with keeping the water changed. Python, buckets, etc. are critical for the well-being of your fish.
So, you can just as easily go low tech as high tech and have good results. Up to you which way you choose.
Neil

 

[TS45]

Thank you Neil,

So keep alot of buckets (5 gallon) on hand to age the water correct?

What are Python's?

A Sponge filter is common to many manufacturers, correct?

What is the best medium for Gravel? Pebbles, Sand or?


Tom

 

[aspen]

a python is a hose with a syphon on the tank end, and a connection to the tap, at the other. this will provide suction, to clean the tank (even if it is above the tank, by running water pressure) and will allow you to re-fill directly from the tap, if aging your water is not required.

i age my water in spare fishtanks. i use to use buckets, but i now use a lot of water. w/c's are real important, and doing them correctly, equally so. a pump from the reservoir, is a real time saver.

sponge filters are made by many manufacturers.

i like sand, and the fish do too. i use 'decorative sand' from home depot. wash thoroughly. (very dusty) 5 bucks cdn/ 20 kg- cheap.

rick

 

[TS45]

Well, just added water to our new set-up last night. We have decided to focus on a well planted aquarium, possibly 2 pairs of Dwarf Cichlids, Discus, Corydoras, and at least one school of Tetra's.

Any recomendations on compatible species, plants and fish.

This is a 90 gallon Acrylic set-up with Wet/Dry filtration. I'm a little concerned of small Tetra's trickling over....

We have used pure Florite gravel hopefully to stimulate plant growth.

Tom

 

[Randall]

Your New Setup

Dear Tom,

Congrats on your new setup!

What type of lighting were you planning on using? This is important for your selection of plants.

It might be a good idea to hold off on the discus at first, at least until the tank is established and completely cycled. Discus are extremely sensitive to water quality and are intolerent of ammonia and nitrite.

Good luck!

Randall Kohn

 

[Ron]

I have rummy noses in my tank and they are great. A big swarm of neons would work as well.

 

[aspen]

i would urge you to consider your choice of discus in a planted aquarium and let things go along for a while till you do this. imo, discus in a planted aquarium is a neat trick if you have the exp in planted tanks, discus raised bb, and are willing to spend some time making all work well with adult discus. besides, buying 4 discus and having 2 pairs happen is a real long shot, unless you can find someone trustworthy to sell you a mated pair. i know of one person who bought a 'mated pair' for 400 bucks that laid eggs on either end of the tank!

rick

 

[TS45]

Hi all,

Thanks for thr replies once again. The lighting we choose is an All Glass Triple tube 36" fixture using 3 30watt T-8 bulbs.

I will hold off on the Discus for awhile, ideally until the plantings have taken hold, and the tank has cycled. Originally I wanted to have:

1. A well planted Aquarium with a good school of Cardinal Tetra's

2. Then I thought it would be great to add Dwarf Cichlids, a good fit, right? And they really are interesting while compatible with plants and Tetra's.

3. Then the Discus have come into play which would dominate the "Matrix" of the tank and possibly eat all the Card's. So the Discus will be added at a later date (much to the shigrin of my wife) if at all.

4. We have 10 corydoras Julii added to the tank now, any issues with Dwarf Cichlids?

Tom

 

[aspen]

if you want to eventually end up with discus, rummynose or congo tetras are a better choice than cards. i've never heard of a problem with rummy's but some discus like to eat cards, glowlight, and neons. ymmv on that one. the other fish are a good choice.

there is nothing wrong with having one discus in that tank. many say this is not a good idea, but i've done it to good effect. when you add more, you may have behavioural problems. ie fighting. ime, 6 or more discus is much better than 2-5.

for a well planted 90 gal aquarium, you will need to upgrade your lighting.

i kept a 20 gal with a single discus, 2 rams 8 rummy's and some oto's and shrimp. it worked really well, and was a beautiful tank. fully planted, with a sand substrate. rams bred often, till i took them out to a breeding tank.

rick

 

[TS45]

Aspen,

What type of lighting upgrade would you recommend?

 

[aspen]

if this is your first planted tank, i wouldn't plant a 90 gal. there is more chance it will turn into an algae-fied mess. i would start on a 20 or a 35 gal. you can buy the plants for 10 bucks and rip it out in an evening if necessary. i have torn my tanks down many times before i got a system i was happy with. my first successful tank was a 15 gal, with 2x 20 qwatts on top, with diy co2. it took a few tries, before i avoided the algae-fied mess.

but, a 90 gal would do real well with 6 4' t-8 lamps in a custom hood, or with a nice combination of compact flourescent. consider 2- 3 watts per gallon, and a co2 set-up. you will be able to grow almost anything. and that is what you want, at least later.

there is nothing wrong with getting set up with 6 lamps, and only installing 4. at least you will have the option later.

rick

 

[TS45]

Aspen,

I'm hearing that Algae is really hard to control. What do you recommend to prevent this?

 

[aspen]

read, read read, and try things, till you get it right for yourself. everyone has their theories, and methods they like. i like using high light, co2, low fish load and fast growing plants to start. light fert to start. add algae eaters slowly, and when ready add the nice fish. BUT, it itook me a few tries to be half successful. (maybe i'm a slow learner...) now i just follow the method, have patience and enjoy things. i don't try to fix things too hard (if that makes any sense), and keep my plants away from the surface for a while. (seems to help avoid heavy cyano outbreaks.)

we have a planted tank section, here btw. it seems a few others think it takes enough of a knack, that it can't be learned in 100 words or less. drop by.

rick