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June 21st, 2008
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Fish Addict
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Thank you MrsM3197
Update: Installed one Aquaclear 110 (former 500) in the 29gal -without the charcoal media (i'll put it in when installed in the 145gal), to allow bacteria to grow for the up-comming 145gal.
Moon is still shy. But eating well and swimming around. Seems to like the strong current! (I might put a DIY water-outpot-diffusor if necessary).
Pepe
Santo Domingo
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June 23rd, 2008
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Fish Addict
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Update: Two events to report.
1) Mistaken purchase? I went to the LFS last Saturday (June 21st), looking for a few suitable tankmates for Moon. I brought home what they said were jade blue-eyed cichlids (3 young guys). Upon careful inspection, these fellows look like African Cichlids (Kenyi, Mnbuna... not sure about the spelling). They are doing ok so far. But I need to ID these guys. I took some pics with a very bad digital camera (a toy actually). A friend borrowed me a high tech one, but let the USB cable (she will bring it on today).
2) I Had a nitrite reading in 0.24ppm, did a 25% water change, didn't work. Upon further inspection found a dead Apple snail (shell cracked upon Moon's attack, -I was here when it happened last evening; left it there to see if it would make it but... didn't). So I performed a 50% water change, and nitrites are not zero yet (>0.01, but less than 0.24). I slightly rinsed the filter media (carefully) in tank water, removed solid debris inside the filter walls (without cleaning interior surfaces) and placed the filter media back in (AquaClear has a media receptacle that facilitates removal without disrupting much). Ammonia is 0, Nitrates were at 25-50ppm before water change. Ammonia remains 0 -as expected, nitrates now at 10-25ppm. I might have overfed them yesterday.
Pepe
Santo Domingo
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June 23rd, 2008
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Fish Keeper
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Glad to hear your Oscar revived! Just curious...how did you acclimate before putting him in the tank?
Moving to a new tank can be extremely stressful for the more intelligent fish species. THe rule is that the more hiding places they have, the more secure they feel and will stop hiding. After he gets to know you and the feeding schedule, I"m sure he'll be eating out of your hand. 
Where did you put these suspected African cichlids? Be very careful about buying cichlids without researching them first. I"m sure you know some species are highly aggressive, and some, like Africans, need very hard water. |
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June 23rd, 2008
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Fish Addict
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Update:
The crazy kids are with the Oscar. I borrowed Edda's new bridge (cave) from the 5.5gal and gave her a section of gravel with anacharis and two anubias barteri instead, so far she settled for it.
They -the three young cichlids- respect him/her but show no fear at all. At feeding time Moon displays hunting-like behavior (e.g. position him/herself behind a targeted floating pellet, stays suspended for a while and in a quick, sudden move, reaches it -with a splash- and goes down to one of his/her spots), the crazy cichlids -yet to be IDd -not sure if jade blue-eyed or not-, just go by their own business. I have found one of them, the smallest one by the way, resting near Moon at night. I am afraid that given some time, Moon might eat them.
The 145gal is comming this week (probably Saturday) so I'm kind of crossing my fingers. Once I ID these guys, I would be able to set a tank for them. Since I intend to use the 29g bow for Convict cichlids. Fortunately, I have budget flexibility -no debts- and I purchase equipment mostly on a lay-away basis. And, very important, my wife is developing a fascination of her own for this (Moon got her heart already) and the effect fishkeeping has on me.
As for the acclimation (thanks for spelling it right for me, English is my second language) of Moon. It took me almost 2 hours to match -or near match- the water ph (the bag had 6.5, my tank is 7.6-7.8) by putting in 15-20ml of tank water into the bag every 12min or so. It is possible, and likely, that ammonia built up in the bag -at the time it crossed the ph 7.0 point-, since he lasted there a long time from the LFS to the tank (2+ hours).
If you have any ideas of how to prevent mistakes I probably made, please reply to me. You have been very helpful and friendly here for me and my fishes.
Ammonia at 0, but Nitrites still not at zero (>0.01, but definetely going down with respect to last reading). Nitrates at 10-25ppm.
Pepe
Santo Domingo
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June 23rd, 2008
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Fish Addict
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Here are some pics of Moon and the yet-to-ID cichlids sold to me as jade blue-eyed.
Pepe
Santo Domingo
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June 23rd, 2008
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Fish Bum
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Moon is beautiful, and you have made a lovely tank for him.
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June 23rd, 2008
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Fish Keeper
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Quote:
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English is my second language
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You certainly write it well!
Just keep an eye on the parameters in the Oscar's tank. Ammonia and nitrites can build up quickly with an oscar and 3 other cichlids in a small tank.
The others look like Africans (Mbunas?) and I'm sure someone here can ID them for you. They are usually best kept slightly crowded in bigger tanks, with many rocks/caves, which greatly reduces aggression.
Have you planned ahead for the Convicts? They breed worse than rabbits and you'll be overrun with them soon. Also, they are one of the most aggressive of all cichlids, beating the daylights out of each other (and most tankmates) regularly and moreso when in breeding mode. If you already know all this, please ignore! 
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my wife is developing a fascination of her own for this
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Great! Nothing to hold you back now! |
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June 24th, 2008
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Fish Keeper
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Nice looking tank and beautiful fish!
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June 27th, 2008
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Fish Addict
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Update and Lessons (take 2).
Since the last post vanished, I'll try to reconstruct the essentials of it.
Still having a hard time identifying the three young cichlids. Moon is quite a character, spends a lot of time taking it easy, then out of the sudden, swims around everywhere. Likes to go upstream the current of the water flow output of the AquaClear 110. For the first time since the LFS days (when I visited and fed him/her daily, except Sundays), Moon reached to me as I was feeding with pellets.
Lesson 1: Don't mix Apple Snails with a young Tiguer Oscar
A few days ago, I reported a casualty on one of the Apple Snails that Moon grabbed and cracked against the gravel. A couple of days ago, around midnite, I was working at my home's office (where Moon's temporary tank is) and took a brake, from my seat, I stared at the tank. Moon was resting still in one of his/her favourite spots, flanked by a bundle of tall (not-yet-ID'd) plants. The Apple Snail was moving down the bundle, and reached Moon's body. In a sudden move, Moon grabbed the poor thing and smashed it against the gravel. This time, the shell resisted the impact. Took the snail and placed it temporarely in an improv "hospital bucket". Next day, it was OK, and reassigned for duties in the 10gal tank.
Lesson 2: There's a nitirite reason for respecting minimun tank size requirements
Nitrite levels at the 29g bow tank (Moon, 5", three young who-knows-which cichlids, summing up to 5") ranges from >0.01 to >0.24ppm (but <0.48ppm) in about 36 to 48 hours. So I have at least a mini-cycle going on. I have been testing twice a day, and performing 30% partial water changes every other day, since first of reading of nitrites back (June 22nd). Ammonia still 0, Nitrates remain at 10-25ppm, pH at 7.75, Temp ranges 27-29C.
Lesson 3: I still learn more from my own mistakes than I'm willing to admit
The three young not identified cichlids, have given me a hard time to figure them out. I'm expecting a call from the owner of the LFS that sold them to me. The young employee apparently heard me talking over the phone about jade blue-eyed cichlids, and played the wise guy with me. I wanted them so hard to be, that my reality testing got compromised, I do remember having doubts since these ones didn't look like the pics I saw on previous days of research on Oscar tank mates, but overlooked everything I read in this forum and went for it. Now I need to play by ear until I learn about their biotypes, tank setting requirements, etc.
Lesson 4: There are plenty excuses for MTS so.. Why not using them?
I heard about a 72g bow tank (3 months of use) that the lady owner is selling at a good price (she got a job in another Country), so I'm going after it. That would probably be the home for a school of eight beautiful salmon red rainbows (2.5-3.5") that one of the LFS is holding for me (although the ratio of male:female is not ideal: 5males, 3females, they are rare around here). It's possible, although not for sure, that the 145gal is coming home tomorrow (the styrofoam and stand were not available/ready yet, as for today).
Thank you all.
PS. Barbrella. I guess I would have free Convicts for others, as well as live fry food for the big guys.
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June 28th, 2008
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Fish Keeper
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Quote:
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There are plenty excuses for MTS so.. Why not using them?
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Yes, I'm finding a few myself lately! 
I hope you get the nitrites under control. Putting all those fish that have high waste output in that tank at once can certainly cause a mini-cycle and poor water conditions.
The Red Rainbow fish are gorgeous! Not familiar with this type, but if they're like my rainbows, keeping 5M/3F shouldn't be a problem. Rainbows are very peaceful and should be kept only with other peaceful fish.
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Moon reached to me as I was feeding with pellets.
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How cute! |
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June 28th, 2008
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Fish Addict
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Thank you Barbrella. That Oscar is something special.
Update: Not useful info at all from the LFS owner where I got the three cichlids. "Those were cichlids" that's all the info I got.
I checked (and double-checked) all Central and South American cichlids profiles with pics I could find on the web (not as much as African, but still a lot), these guys are not from America.
I guess I will have to play this by ear (see what they look like as they develop). So I will set a 55gal tank for them, using guidelines for Kenyi (I joined a couple of cichlid forums).
I decided to go with three AquaClear 110 for the 145gal, and I will set it up in my office, at floor level (my wife and I will start looking for a new appartment tomorrow, so it looks like we will be moving in a few months, and since I live now in a second floor and my office is nearby the LFS were my tank is... I'll keep things as simple as possible, I go there six days a week, Mon-Sat).
The nitrite readings in the 29g bow still >0.01-0.24ppm, but <0.24-0.48ppm. Nitrates are in check (10-25ppm) and Ammonia in zero. Keeping the partial water changes. I do have a question though. When nitrite remains around 0.24ppm (not zero), as my tank is now, are the fish in it suffering in any way? I ask since some test kits rate this range not as "ideal" but as "safe", so I wonder if "safe" really means safe, or not really.
Rinsed the filter media (two sponges) of one of the filters in the 10gal in just-removed tank water (from the partial water change), it got DIRTY as it can be. I mean, it clouded the water in the bucket, it looked all brown, like mud-brown. I will clean the other filter media in two weeks. Water parameters in check (Ammonia 0, nitrites 0, nitrates 10). I usually rinse filter media (one type at time) every other week. Should I do this differently?
Tomorrow I will do the partial water change in the 5.5gal (I didn't today just in case something happened in the 10gal and I needed a safeheaven for the fish in there).
Moon is getting more and more confident. He moved last night (from the rear to the front) a sword plant (medium size) that I planted a couple of days ago, and, tear down half of "The Sword" (a large one) by "trimming" one side. Well it's his/her tank, at least for now.... so most posts I have read are telling me (in my mind) "told ya!". LOL.
Pepe
Santo Domingo
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June 28th, 2008
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Fish Keeper
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There is no safe level of nitrItes. While not immediately as poisonous as ammonia, even very low levels of nitrites are damaging if they persist and will cause stress to the fish, lowering their immunity and leaving them open to bacterial infections, ich and stunting of their growth. The only safe level is zero.
Keep doing the water changes and watch for any signs of serious distress, like gasping at the surface.
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June 29th, 2008
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Fish Mentor
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Barbrella
There is no safe level of nitrItes.
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There is 1 safe level of NitrItes - 0! |
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June 29th, 2008
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Fish Keeper
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Quote:
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The only safe level is zero.
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I did say that, but it bears repeating! |
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June 29th, 2008
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Fish Addict
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Update:
"You can't take Moon out of this house", "Moon's part of this family", "set up the tank home".
Some of the phrases my wife said when I told her I would set the 145gal at the office. So... I'm bringing that 145gal home!
Pepe
Santo Domingo
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June 29th, 2008
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Fish Bum
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pepetj
Update:
"You can't take Moon out of this house", "Moon's part of this family", "set up the tank home".
Some of the phrases my wife said when I told her I would set the 145gal at the office. So... I'm bringing that 145gal home!
Pepe
Santo Domingo
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WoooHoooo! Sounds like a lovely idea to me!!! |
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June 29th, 2008
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Fish Mentor
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pepetj
Update:
"You can't take Moon out of this house", "Moon's part of this family", "set up the tank home".
Some of the phrases my wife said when I told her I would set the 145gal at the office. So... I'm bringing that 145gal home!
Pepe
Santo Domingo
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Wow, lucky you, your family has MTS!  |
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June 29th, 2008
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Fish Master
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pepetj
Update:
"You can't take Moon out of this house", "Moon's part of this family", "set up the tank home".
Some of the phrases my wife said when I told her I would set the 145gal at the office. So... I'm bringing that 145gal home!
Pepe
Santo Domingo
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I AGREE!!! oscars are about as close to puppies as you can get...they really get a part of your heart thats hard to explain ...whahoooo on the new tank at home! |
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