# newb



## jar (Aug 18, 2008)

ok so i got a 55g with an asst bunch of africans and 1 lab for sure idk wat type or nething like that cuz i am a newb but basically i've been seeing sand insted of gravel . so wat kind and how much is that gonna cost me now and i know they like the rocks and there was these 2 things at pet smart with like holes and natual looking but that will run me abt 100 bucks and i figure im gonna eventually have to upgrade because i have i think 12 tiny ones now and they love all the room they have but obvousily they dont stay tiny lol. so sand and rock and plants ? basically im not gonna lie i need some help lol. sry for the botherence. i jsut want to do it right the first time. and i did do research so plz no harping on that.

<333


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## fishwolfe (Mar 27, 2005)

go to a rock quarry.you can get sand or small gravel really cheap.they will have rocks there allot cheaper than anywhere else.i like the mexican lace rock.or you can use pool filter sand or play sand from home depot,thats another cheap source.skip the **** they sell at petsmart/petco,don't waste your money.if your not sure of the fish you have,take pics and post them,then we can give you a better idea of which direction you should go.


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## jar (Aug 18, 2008)

so play sand from home depot i can do that. idk abt a rock quarry lol but um i got a few pics they stink tho and i jsut noticed my orange one looks to have some white film over his one eye. do u know wat that could be , should i isolate him?

ok fish[ready?]










thats blurp the whole reason y i started this. he is purple blue-ish with black stripes










light tan with light brown stripes










ok so im pretty sure this guy is an albino he is white with red eyes but has sum light striping










yellow lab im asuming










black with white spots all over like an reverse dalmation










light purple light stripes










idk best way to describe is dark brown with diffrent hues of brown sripes all over like idklike a tiger or sumthing lol










my little orange guy i was talking abt b4, he has light stripes










this guy is light brown with dark stripes with orangy clear fins with one orange streak across his top fin kinda like a lab

haha sry lots of pic but thats most i got a few others but they look like sum of those i already posted  <3


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## fishwolfe (Mar 27, 2005)

post these in the http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewforum.php?f=14
more people will help.when i say rock quarry i really meant a landscape rock dealer.or you could always get some wild caught rocks and boil them before use.the one you think is a yellow lab, is.
the first one looks like a Pseudotropheus demasoni male and the 2nd one looks like a female.those are a guess but i think are right.the one with the white spots i cant remember.
usually white film is from an injury.if you have a hospital tank you could move it.or just watch it and keep the water changes up.if it looks like the eye is starting to bulge then its pop eye and you'll have to treat it.i have a hospital tank and i move anyone that im concerned for to it.i actually have a kenyi in it right now.


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## jar (Aug 18, 2008)

kk. the tank has been up for abt a week so i havent done a water change yet but i will soon  ty


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## Dewdrop (Nov 20, 2007)

So the tank probably wasn't cycled when you added the fish? I'd say the first thing to get would be a test kit and watch the ammonia and nitrites. Daily water changes will help keep them under control.


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## jar (Aug 18, 2008)

no actually it cycled for a week and then i put them in a week ago. my water lvls are perfect just got them tested day b4 yesterday


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## Hoosier Tank (May 8, 2007)

As far as your black fish with the white spots goes it is probably a Tropheus duboisi. Not a good mix with the othes that seem to be mbuna.
And a week of the water in the tank is not cycleing. But you've learned that from your other posts already. :wink:


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## jar (Aug 18, 2008)

i cycled it for a week and then put the fish in a week ago. the store suggested 3 days and i did a week of cycling so ?


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## Hoosier Tank (May 8, 2007)

jar said:


> *i cycled it for a week *and then put the fish in a week ago. the store suggested 3 days and i did a week of cycling so ?


I do appologise! I must have gotten you confused with another new member. I thought in one of your other threads there was discusion on cycling a tank.
(GREAT now I am imagining stuff!  )
How did you go about cycling it in a week? Did you use established media from a tank that was already running? Sounds like you may have gotten some bad advise from your LFS.
There is some great reading on the Nitrogen cycle in our Library. *HERE*. So to keep from having trouble I would get a test kit or at least some dip strips to monitor the Amonia, Nitrite, Nitrate levels. You may need to keep up on the water changes like you did to clear the cloudy water after the gravel incident... but this time to keep the amonia levels in check.

If I am way off base, again, I am sorry for all the confusion.


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## bac3492 (Jul 25, 2008)

Well the first pic is a female kenyi and i think the second might be a male. . The 3rd could be an snow white (albino socolofi i think). The spotted one is a tropheos and shouldnt be kept in there.

The one you think is a lab is definitely a lab


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## jar (Aug 18, 2008)

k ty ya im trying to figure wat to do abt the black and white guy. if i bring him back to the store i A. lose 30 bucks and B. he could die C. the next shmuck who gets it might not know abt them either.


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## fishwolfe (Mar 27, 2005)

maybe you can talk to the store manager, maybe they will give store credit?or put him on craigslist.


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## Hoosier Tank (May 8, 2007)

jar said:


> k ty ya im trying to figure wat to do abt the black and white guy.


I just gotta ask, are you texting this on your phone? :lol:


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## jar (Aug 18, 2008)

no i type like that


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## ashilli48 (May 14, 2006)

The Tropheus (dalmation as you put it  ) is fish that thrives in a structured colony with numerous fish of the same species. He also requires more of a vegetarian diet than the rest. I have kept a single Tropheus in a tank full of Mbuna like yours with no problems but that was definitely not the norm.

They are definitely nice fish but a singular specimen may be hard to get rid of. I would definitely push back on the knucklehead (3 day cycle?) that sold it to you.

You may not like it when it matures anyway, it loses it's cool spots and becomes, IMO, the less attractive of the Tropheus species. But that is my opinion. http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/s ... hp?id=1864


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## jar (Aug 18, 2008)

oh i didnt get it cuz the spot i got it because he was traveling around the store tank with the others. like in my tank they love traveling in like a school which is weird for them right? but i did go out and buy 2 big rocks with holes in them so they have more places. since u had one what kind of diet did u feed him ? oh and i went and said something to the store manager and he said i should had known everything b4 i started the tank


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## ashilli48 (May 14, 2006)

Like I said, they are into colonies, . I fed mine what I fed the others, whatever, LOL. Typically your basic fish food out there is heavy on protein, not a good staple for your average Tropheus. Mine worked out, but I would not take that as gold and tell you "go ahead man, keep 'em with whatever, it'll be ok".

Since your "stuck" with him, enjoy him and do your best to take care of him. Get some good quality spirulina, it's expensive, but good for him. It definitely won't hurt any of his tank mates.

As for the manager and LFS you got them from, I would suggest NEVER giving him ANY of your future business if that is his attitude.


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## jar (Aug 18, 2008)

ok quick question when i drop in a frozen blood worm cube in the spotted guy eats it up is it bad for him cuz i only give it once in a while for a treat and when u say good quality wat do u think that would be lol


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## Dewdrop (Nov 20, 2007)

The frozen blood worm cube would be very bad for the Tropheus. It's very high in protein. Like ashilli48 said...spirulina would be good for him.


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## jar (Aug 18, 2008)

ok would the others like the spirulina? cuz i'll just make tht their treat then


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## ashilli48 (May 14, 2006)

Everybody loves spirulina!


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## jar (Aug 18, 2008)

alrighty i'll get that then thanx


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## Hoosier Tank (May 8, 2007)

jar said:


> but i did go out and buy 2 big rocks with holes in them so they have more places.


Saw your tank in the "rate the tank above you" thread. Lookin better aleady! =D>



> oh and i went and said something to the store manager and he said i should had known everything b4 i started the tank


What a jerk... and an idiot for a manager! IMO when you confronted him with the info you learned here, you showed him you already know more about the hobby than his salesman does. The bad part is he will continue telling his "untruths" to others. Hope you have other choices of stores... Not only would I not buy anything there again, I would tell him I am not buying anything there again because of the salesmans misinformation and his attitude.


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## fishwolfe (Mar 27, 2005)

also mention your gonna tell everyone you can not to shop at his place.


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## jar (Aug 18, 2008)

im 17 they are like old no offence but i can never be right when it comes to that lol


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## ashilli48 (May 14, 2006)

Money has no age, gender, sex, etc.


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## jar (Aug 18, 2008)

i know but what i say wont effect him . it will go in one ear out the other. lol but its all good now lol my fishes seem content and thats all that matters 










even the cat thinks they are cool lol


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## ashilli48 (May 14, 2006)

Just keep the lid on tight! :drooling:


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