# NEW AQUARIUM ENTHUSIAST, QUESTIONS!!



## community_cichlids (Aug 22, 2014)

ok guys, so heres my situation. i just bought a 75 gallon tank from my friend, and something happened with the water during the move and all the fish died.  everything expect the 2 plecos and the 4 crayfish, 2 white, 2 blue. so that was about 3 weeks ago... i took the water tested at my LFS and they said my ammonia levels were way high and to let the water sit and try to clear its self out since the crayfish and plecos seemed to be doing alright. since then i got my water tested again and everything is good with it. i also took out the crappy old sponge filter and bought a 60 gallon one and a 30 gallon smaller one. i have also restocked the tank with an oblique, yellow lab, jewel, firemouth, 2 danios, 2 albino sharks, 2 rainbow sharks, some blue cichlid, an all black cichlid, an orange discus, 2 small dinosaur eels and a silver catfish! i have added up the estimated total lengths to be about 67 inches. so that gives me room for 1 maybe 2 more fish. i would like a Bright RED one if you guys could offer me some suggestions that would be great! so now that you know my story here come the questions lol...

-do cichlids need a certain filter? the ones i bought are the same brand and use the same materials. it has blue filter then a black filter and that is it.
-how come my jewel cichlid is an ugly gray color but the pictures of them online are bright red?
-how many crayfish can fit in a 75 gallon, since i already have 2 blue and 2 white i would like to get 2 red since 'MURICA is the greatest country
-is it true that if you have a filtration system that exceeds the needs of your tank you can break the 1" fish per 1 gallon rule a little bit and overstock some?

im sure i will think of some more questions once i start talking with someone about the tank. but until then thanks to anyone who reads this and gives me some feed back!!


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## linda521dawn (Aug 12, 2014)

Thats quite combination of fish. I do not think you should have discus in with cichlids though. Cichlids require A HIGH PH Discus 
like a very low ph. Im not a professional, just my opinion. Hopefully someone with more knowledge can help you out. Good Luck


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## community_cichlids (Aug 22, 2014)

well thanks for replying at least! *** been rigorously checking to see if i get any replies but so far people only like to read my story get a few laughs and then leave my page lol..

but i will look into what you said about the ph levels, LFS had them together with some africans and said they would be fine with them but the more research i do and the more i learn the more he seems to be a tool who is just interested in selling as much as he can.


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## pfoster74 (May 13, 2012)

I don't like your fish mix and I don't even know where to begin with it. Jewels colors change when they are getting ready to breed also their mood may effect their look. I noticed mine would really color up during water changes.I personally do not mix african cichlids with south american cichlids, so I don't know what works together etc... I wanted to talk to you about Fish tank maintenance. I read that you threw away your old filters and sponges. What you should do is cut the carbon out of your filters if possible and or if they have carbon built into them remove it. You should aim for a 50% water change weekly and rinse out your filters and sponges in the old fish water that you just syphoned out of the tank.Always reuse the same cartridges until they completely fall apart. You should never need to change your filters or sponges if you follow this advice. If you ever do need to change a filter or a sponge never change them all at one time that will put your tank into a new cycle and will be hard on your fish. good luck


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## joescaper1 (Feb 14, 2013)

Not laughing, smiling, because we have all been there, in the beginning. We have all had the "That fish is so cool, tank". My suggestion would be to visit the Library Section of this site. Under the Quick Reference section, read the Cookie Cutter articles. Then look them up in the Species Profile section so you can see a picture along with some additional insight.

The type of filter doesn't matter as much as proper maintenance of the filter setup you use.
The Jewel Cichlid is probably stress, Did it look like a Jewel when you bought it? If it was gray when you bought it, maybe it is not a Jewel.
Don't really know much about crayfish.
If you overcrowd your tank and circumstances arise that do not allow you to perform water changes for an extended time, the results may not be good.
"Google" Aquarium L.E.D. Lighting; a lot of options will be presented.

Best part about being new to the hobby, you can always blame the "tool" 

Joe


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## rennsport2011 (Oct 21, 2013)

community_cichlids said:


> ok guys, so heres my situation. i just bought a 75 gallon tank from my friend, and something happened with the water during the move and all the fish died.  everything expect the 2 plecos and the 4 crayfish, 2 white, 2 blue. so that was about 3 weeks ago... i took the water tested at my LFS and they said my ammonia levels were way high and to let the water sit and try to clear its self out since the crayfish and plecos seemed to be doing alright. since then i got my water tested again and everything is good with it. i also took out the crappy old sponge filter and bought a 60 gallon one and a 30 gallon smaller one. i have also restocked the tank with an oblique, yellow lab, jewel, firemouth, 2 danios, 2 albino sharks, 2 rainbow sharks, some blue cichlid, an all black cichlid, an orange discus, 2 small dinosaur eels and a silver catfish! i have added up the estimated total lengths to be about 67 inches. so that gives me room for 1 maybe 2 more fish. i would like a Bright RED one if you guys could offer me some suggestions that would be great! so now that you know my story here come the questions lol...
> 
> -do cichlids need a certain filter? the ones i bought are the same brand and use the same materials. it has blue filter then a black filter and that is it.
> -how come my jewel cichlid is an ugly gray color but the pictures of them online are bright red?
> ...


1. A discus is a cichlid.
2. Discus require low ph, while Central American and Rift African cichilds require a high ph.
3. Discus will get killed by the aggression of the Africans in time.
4. Crayfish molt. When they do, the cichlids will kill them. Crayfish eat sleeping fish... so the question is... do the crayfish eat their tankmates first, or do the molt and get killed?
5. The 1" per gallon rule does not apply to cichlids in the least... it is about territorial management. 
6. The silver catfish may or may not make it with these cichlids.
7. Bright red jewelfish are typically adult fish, in breeding dress. 
8. You might want to figure out what your black cichlid, and blue cichlid are to determine if they are compatible.
9. Don't listen to the LFS again, to find out what is compatible.


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## linda521dawn (Aug 12, 2014)

Its so sad your LFS did not tell you any of this  Im really sorry but some fish will get killed in this mixture. Most people just keep african cichlids in their tank although some do mix in south american. personally I do not. That discus is a cichlid but a different type, very fragile and i would hate to see your other fish kill it. ( not a cheap fish to buy either). another thing is if you stick with african cichlids they do much better in a crowded or "overstocked" environment in my opinion. seems to be way less aggression that way. Im fairly new at this also, we all have trial and error. just keep researching. as for not getting comments on this forum, I know that can be frustrating also. I have had questions thinking i would get a lot of feedback and have been mildly disappointed. Although there are a few people on here that do answer and Thanks to all of you that do


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## community_cichlids (Aug 22, 2014)

pfoster74 said:


> I don't like your fish mix and I don't even know where to begin with it. Jewels colors change when they are getting ready to breed also their mood may effect their look. I noticed mine would really color up during water changes.I personally do not mix african cichlids with south american cichlids, so I don't know what works together etc... I wanted to talk to you about Fish tank maintenance. I read that you threw away your old filters and sponges. What you should do is cut the carbon out of your filters if possible and or if they have carbon built into them remove it. You should aim for a 50% water change weekly and rinse out your filters and sponges in the old fish water that you just syphoned out of the tank.Always reuse the same cartridges until they completely fall apart. You should never need to change your filters or sponges if you follow this advice. If you ever do need to change a filter or a sponge never change them all at one time that will put your tank into a new cycle and will be hard on your fish. good luck


well the thing with the old filter it was just a sponge and then it had a bag of little rock type things that was for ammonia removal. and the filter seemed to be shot or something because the water was always cloudy and within a few days of a water change the fish were at the top gasping for air. will see how the new filters fare with it but so far the new ones seem to have the water a lot clearer and im just sticking to my once a week change and the fish seem a lot better. the new ones are just a carbon filter followed by another kind of filter its just a 2 stage.


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## pfoster74 (May 13, 2012)

yes keep doing your once a week water change but make sure you aren't changing things like cartridges and sponges.


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## hisplaceresort1 (Mar 10, 2014)

Enjoyed reading your post, and no one is laughing at you!

The little bag of rock things _may _have been media that housed some of the bacteria you need in your tank... they come in many shapes and forms, from ceramic looking rings like Fluval makes, to gravel looking things that Seachem makes, to a kind of almost brick-like substance that Biohome makes. They all do more or less the same thing; over time, they will house the growing bacteria that you need.

I don't mean to be presumptious, but if you have the money for everything you say you purchased, you have the money to get a proper water test kit... 

You've got so much going on with your tank right now, you need to be checking your water _daily_. Buy some Seachem Prime, because it will help you keep your fish alive as you go through cycling, which I'm guessing your tank is going to at least go through a mini cycle... (I did the same thing when I got my tank and had to ride it out.) As was already stated, you probably needed the filter media you threw away.

Water Clarity Does Not Equal Good Water Conditions. Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate are colorless.

New tanks often become cloudy for a time... like a month. It's an algae bloom, and is common. It will resolve itself if you are patient.

Don't consider an occasional water quality reading from your local fish store as due diligence, or you're highly likely to wind up with another tank of dead fish.

And shame on your local fish store for selling you fish that will likely not be able to be housed together in the long run, as others have mentioned...

By no means do I want to dampen your enthusiam, but you need to slow down a little bit, and think out your next step(s).

The only thing I personally feel strongly you need to do very soon is get your own test kit (Not Strips) like the API Master Test Kit you can probably get anywhere, test your water every day for awhile until you're sure your tank is cycled... Also, you may want to consider Seachem Stability, or any of the Quick Start products to get your biological filter going in this tank.

I hope this helps. I sure have appreciated it when people took the time to answer my questions.

And I LOVE the Red White and Blue because 'Murica IS the greatest Country! God Bless America, my friend! opcorn: Please let us know... Good Luck!


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## hisplaceresort1 (Mar 10, 2014)

Haven't heard from you... how are things going?


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