Got my 125 up and running got a few questions

[Daniel475]

ok so i got everything running now.. i removed the carbon from the filter for now just so i can set the water with the gold fish i put in it.. i just got all the water warmed up and it went kind of merky looking.. is this normal with new tanks??? also I have a blood parrot, 2 african cichlids ... 2 gold severums.. 1 red tail shark.. 2 convicts couple cleaner fish.. i was wondering what else i could put in this tank for tropical fish... would like something nice to put in there just dont know what would go.. anyways any feed back would be nice thanks alot..

[bignose]

If you get a chance stop by some fish stores in edmonton and check out everything. The smaller local stores are the way to go.:wink:

Are you planning on putting plants in you tank?

[Daniel475]

i live in vancouver so thats not going to happen lol

[bignose]

I thought you were from Gibbons, AB. :lol:
You have way better stores there!

[jayba]

Has the tank been cycled prior to the fish going in? The cloudy water can be caused by bacteria that bloom with the new ammonia load from the new fish. It should clear up when the bacteria catches up. The cichlid will (when they get big enough) murder your goldfish, they are territorial and aggressive, the only good tank mates for cichlid are cichlid. There are a ton of different kinds and colors, there are a ton of websites that are cichlid specific and can help you find good tank mates.

I would give your tank a chance to cycle, keep an eye on your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels. Things may get buggered up fast, good luck, hope I helped:lol:

[bvlester]

Cichlid mean live eater. I had a black vale tail angle fish that lived very well with neon tetras and cardinal fish but if you put anything else in there it was gone just as fast as you put it in. he could go from one side of a 55 to the other in about 1 second mouth wide open his dorsal fin would breach the water surface and his anal fin would be on the gravel. He was about 13 years old when he died. I have had many cichlids over the years some are better with others, they are like anything else the larger the tank the better. you can aqua scape your tank with lots of rock that has alot of hole and places for smaller fish to go and hide from the bullies. THen you can have a bunch of small fish with the cichlids you will also need live plants in there make it natural. cat fish I hate them in a tank they uproot plants all the time. There is even a couple that will eat fish if they can catch them. I had one when I lived in Edmonton it went back to the LFS as every night it would uproot all the plants.

Bill

[Brent Shaver]

Agree'd cichlids can be very aggressive and tend to be more aggressive when the water isnt right. I currently have a 110 with a rock aquascape to allow for hiding although most of mine are now between 2 1/2 and 5 ". One thing you need to do is make sure your pH is right (8.0 to 8.2) is best. Also what lake are your cichlids from as the different lakes tend to create problems if mixed. As far as the cloudy water just give it time, took a week for mine to clear when was set up,, that was before fish were added and I was running Eheim Professional II pumps so it takes time.

Research your fish, where their from, water they are use too and aggression etc.