Author Topic: Hey all (Read 6145 times) 18 replies

danielson · « **on:** September 18, 2017, 04:37:01 PM »

Hey all , hope your all well

This will be my first time keeping fish and I am starting from scratch , I do have an end goal which is to set up and keep an Mbuna cilchid tank .

I'm still in the process of learning and researching as much and everything I can so have not made any purchases as yet although after lots of time spent on the internet decided which tank I plan on purchasing .

I have gone for the fluval roma 240 led ,one of the main reasons is that it comes with a external filter and I have found it at £375 delivered .
Is this a decent choice and would the fluval 306 be adequate for the set up im planning to keep ?

Ive alrerady had a quick scan on a few brief topics such as , how to run a fishless cycle , keeping cilchids and water management so while the tank is cycling I plan on reading as much as poss , so excuse any stupid q's I no doubt will be throwing about lol

Also if anyone can point me in the direction of what I need to be reading it will be much appreciated

Thanks in advance for any help and hello again

Danielson

Sue · « **Reply #1 on:** September 18, 2017, 06:32:54 PM »

Hi Danielson, welcome to the forum

If you have found the fishless cycling sticky on here, that is the first thing to read

The next thing is to go to your water supplier's website and do a search on there for hardness. It is much easier to keep fish that like your water than to alter your water to suit fish you like.
There are half a dozen units for hardness, but only two of those units are used in fishkeeping. So you may need to convert your water company's unit to the ones used in fishkeeping. Post the number and the unit here.

Once you know your hardness, take a look at Seriously Fish which has many more fish profiles than Thinkfish, and all the information you need to choose fish.

The Roma 240 is a good stater tank. I am so jealous as I'm only allowed a 180 litre tank - my husband seems to think we need some furniture as well

Looking at the specs of the 306 filter, it is suitable for 240 litre tank, and Fluval is highly regarded for quality and performance. Though the tank can take the next filter up - the 406 - if you wanted to upgrade.

Matt · « **Reply #2 on:** September 18, 2017, 08:21:10 PM »

Hello

There is a lot of out of date reading material out there but the Practical fishkeeping magazine have just started a fishkeeping diploma series teaching you the basics. You can get it by the issue on Amazon if you can't find it in the shops.

Sues advice below re hardness is always a good place to start.

MarquisMirage · « **Reply #3 on:** September 18, 2017, 08:53:35 PM »

Welcome to the forum! You seem to have said Mbuna cichlids, surely you mean peacocks?

Littlefish · « **Reply #4 on:** September 18, 2017, 09:07:51 PM »

Hi @danielson and welcome to the forum

I find the Fluval Roma tanks quite easy to work with, and I hope that you enjoy setting up your new tank.
Please keep us updated on your progress, preferably with lots of pictures.

danielson · « **Reply #5 on:** September 19, 2017, 01:23:03 PM »

Thanks for the welcomes everyone )

I live in Scotland and my water is very soft with and only reads at EC 0.1 so it's almost pure but my job involves taking water readings and adjusting on a daily basis so it's something I'm use to doing so I can't see it being a problem for me to keep a hard water tank .

Cilchids were the fish that made me want to start keeping fish when we visited a public aquarium and saw them swimming up against the dark rocks in the tank , the colours, decent size and attitude of them made us stay watching them for ages .

Been watching a few videos on YouTube on a channel called African Cilchids hub and he seems to know his stuff so I will follow what he does as well as reading other sources as well
He says I'm looking at around 30 fish for the tank I'm getting and listed 10 species that are compatible and good first fish by I only want 2 from his list so lots more choosing to do .
Am thinking of 5 groups of 6 , 2 male, four female in each group , does that sound about right .
I know I'm getting ahead of myself lol

Thanks again for the welcomes

Sue · « **Reply #6 on:** September 19, 2017, 03:06:36 PM »

Rift Lake cichlids will be fine as long as you keep the GH, KH and pH high by using Rift Lake salts (either bought from a shop or home made).

I'm afraid I know little about these cichlids as I have soft water and soft water fish.

MarquisMirage · « **Reply #7 on:** September 19, 2017, 11:59:07 PM »

Quote from: danielson on September 19, 2017, 01:23:03 PM

He says I'm looking at around 30 fish for the tank I'm getting and listed 10 species that are compatible and good first fish by I only want 2 from his list so lots more choosing to do .

It's going to look great. The colours of the lake Malawi types are almost sea territory and it sounds like you have a large tank planned.

I haven't kept African cichlids (yet, it's on my dream list) so won't be able to give much advice except... shiny fish!

danielson · « **Reply #8 on:** September 20, 2017, 09:19:44 AM »

Hey thanks for the words of encouragement

I do think it will look quite good when I'm finished ,
I live next to the sea so I'm hoping I can get lots of free rocks and there does appear to be lots of limestone which will help with hardness .

I'm going to the order the tank early next week and get it cycling .

Can anyone suggest any aquatic shops in Scotland that are decent ?
I'm still fairly new the area having moved here recently from Manchester because of my job and would like to go see what's what
Thanks

danielson

fcmf · « **Reply #9 on:** September 20, 2017, 06:11:34 PM »

Quote from: danielson on September 20, 2017, 09:19:44 AM

Can anyone suggest any aquatic shops in Scotland that are decent?

Whereabouts are you located in Scotland? Fishkeeper Scotland (the tartan franchise of Maidenhead Aquatics) has increasing numbers of stores and I find them very helpful. I would avoid Pets At Home although, when I last visited them a few years ago, there was considerable variation between stores. Many of the independent shops have closed down, or are a little haphazard in their opening hours, so do plenty of checking (eg to see how up-to-date their latest Facebook posts are, etc) before a wasted visit.

danielson · « **Reply #10 on:** September 21, 2017, 09:34:09 AM »

I'm living in Leven so I'm on the east coast.
I have decided to get all the fish online from Tony's African Cilchids ,
The reviews and feedback are extremely good plus he's helping with what fish to get , numbers, ratios and which should come in the first shipment to settle in before the next shipment arrives .

I just need to email across the fish I like and he will put them in order for me with regards to compatibility and I can choose from there
the fish I have gone with are

Cynotilapia Afra "jalo reef"
Pseadotropheus elongatus Mpanga
Cynotilapia hara Gallireya reef
pundamilliaNyerere Ruti Islan

Labidochromis Caeruleus
Metriaclima Aurora
Labidochromis super red Top hongi

So will take it from there once I get an email back with what can go with what .

So I think I'm pretty much done on decisions and can concentrate on more reading

Littlefish · « **Reply #11 on:** September 21, 2017, 07:46:44 PM »

I don't have any cichlids, which seems strange as I have hard water here.
I've had a look at the fish that you have listed and I have to say that they are quite beautiful, with some stunning colours and markings.
I'm looking forward to hearing more about your tank and hopefully seeing lots of pictures.

fcmf · « **Reply #12 on:** September 21, 2017, 08:03:50 PM »

We can see you, @Littlefish, measuring up where/how to squeeze in a cichlid tank along with all your other tanks...

danielson · « **Reply #13 on:** September 21, 2017, 08:49:15 PM »

Thanks for the kind words

I think I've made a good choice with the fish although I keep spotting more I want to add on to the list

Littlefish · « **Reply #14 on:** September 21, 2017, 09:52:38 PM »

Quote from: danielson on September 21, 2017, 08:49:15 PM

although I keep spotting more I want to add on to the list

That's how the chaos starts.
The list gets longer, they won't all fit into one tank, then you consider getting another tank.
The next thing you know, you're getting rid of furniture to be able to fit more tanks into the house.

@fcmf I think I really have run out of space now, but I do have 2 empty tanks in the spare room (although at least one is for when the mudskippers get bigger...and if I set up the other I'd go for some different catfish)

danielson · « **Reply #15 on:** September 30, 2017, 11:28:49 AM »

A quick update to where I am at .

After joining a malawi cichlid forum and using all their knowledge and experience a 4 ft tank is only big enough realistically to keep dwarf mbuna and around 15-20 fish .

It would be possible to keep more and bigger cichlids but the aggression would be uncontrollable .

I'm going with
Cynotilapia hara Galleria reef x7
Metriclima Msobo mgunga X 7
Psuedotropheus damasoini x6

Tank and cabinet have been ordered so once arrives I can start with the fishless cycle .
Water hardness is easily achieved by using Epsom salts and bicarbonate of soda

Will post some pics of my progress once the tank arrives .

Danielson

fcmf · « **Reply #16 on:** September 30, 2017, 11:39:16 AM »

Thanks for the update - good to read about this. Glad you have managed to get specific advice from a forum specialising in the species of fish you're interested in. All the best with the fishless cycle and your plans, and look forward to seeing pics of the tank and then ultimately the fish.

I use epsomsalts.co.uk for Epsom salts, albeit for a non-fishkeeping purpose in my case. They are excellent, with next-day delivery and a courier which delivers in an hour timeslot specified earlier in the day.

Sue · « **Reply #17 on:** September 30, 2017, 12:06:09 PM »

Specialist forums are the best place to go for specialist fish

The people on the Malawi cichlid forum should be able to help with DIY Rift Lake salt recipes.

Littlefish · « **Reply #18 on:** September 30, 2017, 06:14:02 PM »

I'm glad that you managed to find the information that you needed to be able to finalise you list of fish.
Taking the time to research the fish has helped to avoid any aggression issues in your tank, and given you a good mix of fish with great colours and markings.
I'm looking forward to seeing lots of pics of your tank set up and hearing about your progress.

Hey All

Hey All

Author Topic: Hey all (Read 6145 times) 18 replies

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