Hey guys, I just set up my 75g tank. Need some advice as this is my first “real” tank(other is a 3.5g betta tank). I am a total amature to tanks like this. How does the decor look? Thinking to cycle fish less with stability. I want a mostly peacock tank with few haps sprinkles in. How many? How many Plecos/cats? Do I need bubbler or can I use power head to break surface and bring oxygen. Should I use nitrate remover in filter after cycled?which one?
As long as you like your scape, it's fine When you cycle, you'll need an ammonia source alongside the stability. When you say peacock are you referring to cichlids, bass or gudgeons?
your tank looks suitable for African cichlids, tie some Anubis to your wood or rocks if you feel you need some green. if your powerhead is good it can take the place of bubblers. ive never used nitrate removers but you still need to cycle. what catfish are you planning on ive had success with cuckoos and bristlenose with Africans. good luck
I do like my scape. But I am open to opinions and suggestions to improve/change it? This is the first one I have done so.... I have no idea what species of cars or pleco. I should get. Have any idea of how many of each I should put in this tank. Cichlids cats and pleco? Don’t cuckoos eat the eggs of other fish?
that may be your rule but not mine had bristlenose, goldspot and albino sailfins thrive with africans, the africans wont harm them and are all hardy plecos. you can even try red tailed black sharks or rainbow sharks they are just as aggressive as the africans. as for cuckoos, yes they eat mouthbrooding cichlid eggs while laying their own eggs to be picked up and raised by the cichlids.
well in my experience they do well together. I keep them all at about 7.8 ph. have you kept them together and had problems? I would like to know more about your experiences.
Last year I helped a friend with their African cichlid community. I was helping a LOT, and I learned loads. He had been using pH up to get his pH up, because some fish were becoming stressed (pH-7.2). Obviously it wasn't working so we added boiled seashells and eventually got it up. We had little problems after that. I've been keeping my pleco in pH 7.4 for a while, it's been working alright but it would be better lower, to simulate its natural habitat. Those are my experiences
well thanks. I don't agree with ph up or down, the ph swings to much. 7.8 is what my water sits at with tap water and limestone or dead live rock in the tank so I don't change it. you have to remember im talking about hardy plecos that thrive in a variety or water conditions. some people worry more about ph than keeping good consistent water.
Seashells help to naturally raise the pH, it has the same affect as crushed coral. I would not recommend a pleco or cory cats in this tank, and not just because of the parameter issues. Cory cats like to shift through sand, and are often digging through substrates, etc. I would fear for the barbells being torn off due to the rocks in this tank that look rather pointy or sharp. (At least that's how it looks at the photos from my point of view... They also don't do well with salt, so if you are planning on adding any salt to the water to help the chilcids it could harm both the pleco and the cory cats. Because they are scaleless fish, the salt actually burns them.
I know many many people who keep Plecos with Africans, it’s certainly doable. In fact, the Plecos that we get in my store are from Florida, where the water is neutral/slightly above. The most important thing is a stable PH, don’t play with it. However, Plecos are extremely messy, and will start to depend on the food you feed them and will stop cleaning the tank. Not to mention many of them will outgrow a 75. Smaller species that could fit in a 75 might get killed. I’d honestly just do an African Cichlid only tank. If those are Marineland filters, what kind? Are they Penguin 200’s?
They are penguin 350s and I used Texas base rock in the tank. It is what my lfs has in their 300g along with lace rock. I really liked their set up so I tried to emulate that and add my own touch with spider wood and mop Ami drift wood. Also check out my updated tank. I took out the slate and added base rock. I also going to get some black poster board for the back. I am so so much happier with the look. I am going to avoid the pleco but I would like to get one or 2 cats. How many peacocks/haps should I put in? I plan on adding them all as juveniles and letting them grow into the tank.
I do see many folks adding plecos in with their african cichlids. I do have a small one in mine. No issues except one...he outcompetes them for algae on the rocks and glass. I knew they could coexist together, but wasn't aware how much africans truly love to graze on algae!
