Help me correct my mistakes please

[hsojkrieger]

With my tank I did one whole bag and then the next bag a week later, it needs to be rinsed out extremely well in my opinion it's very dusty and will cloud your tank at first so don't freak out. Use a cup or a bowl or something and fill it up with the aragonite and let it sink to the bottom and gently mix it all in, basically to try and keep from stirring it up so much. Mine doesn't suck up too much when I vacuum just gotta watch it

 

[patria]

Ok great!


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[hsojkrieger]

I hope this helps you let me know if you have any other questions, I just bought 4 more fish. Just got home still trying to deal with aggression issues, I need a time out tank lol

 

[patria]

Haha! I was considering the time out tank myself! You have been a huge help!!! I'm sure I'll keep trying to bug ya for more info soon. Lol

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[hsojkrieger]

Haha it's all good I'm glad I could be of some use lol

 

[SonicsDC25]

IMO if you only have 4 fish left and they happen to be from the assorted tank, but you don't know their gender, I'd just sell or rehome the remaining 4 and try to research compatible tank mates. Not only will this let you plan out what fish you like and could get, but it'll also allow you to buffer your water before introducing new fish. If you were to buffer that pH now, you should only raise it 0.1 per day or two, otherwise you risk sending them into shock and worst case scenario death.

 

[patria]

IMO if you only have 4 fish left and they happen to be from the assorted tank, but you don't know their gender, I'd just sell or rehome the remaining 4 and try to research compatible tank mates. Not only will this let you plan out what fish you like and could get, but it'll also allow you to buffer your water before introducing new fish. If you were to buffer that pH now, you should only raise it 0.1 per day or two, otherwise you risk sending them into shock and worst case scenario death.

I hadn't thought about the possibility of starting over completely. That's definitely something to consider. I was worried about raising the pH so quickly. I'll hate to see these guys go, but if I can find another home for them it may be a good option...thanks for the suggestion.


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[sadaas]

I'm with hsojkrieger, try shy away from the chemicals cos not only will it stress the fish out unnecessarily in the interim but it's a far better way of managing the water conditions in the long term, to go the argonite route that is. Depending in the size tank I'd def say look at adding more to the mix. I know a lot of people might disagree with me but I think with Malawis it's a great help for a beginner if you follow the overstocking idea. It just gives you that extra bit of leeway when you starting. So if I was you I'd look to get those water conditions sorted as soon as possible in the next few days and then put some more of them little guys in there to share the load.

 

[hsojkrieger]

I agree, about 2 years ago I bought a Victorian Hap because i loved his colors and threw him in with all my mbuna, it's been ok but he is definantly the biggest and most agressive. For the most part you can put whatever you want as far a cichlids and it will be ok but when they grow and the water is just right you will really see who's more dominant. I have considered selling my Victorian if I can find a good home

 

[SonicsDC25]

I hadn't thought about the possibility of starting over completely. That's definitely something to consider. I was worried about raising the pH so quickly. I'll hate to see these guys go, but if I can find another home for them it may be a good option...thanks for the suggestion.


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Forgot to mention that if they're a hybrid, their temper is really questionable and if you decide to get more fish in the future, who knows how they'll react. Plus like I said you'll be able to get the right male:female ratio and choose tank mate compatibility to help lower your chances at aggression when they're all adult age.

Also an alternative to raising pH is baking soda, I use it to buffer my pH and KH and it works fine. The pH remains high & stable the entire week due to the high KH, so I just keep adding the same amount every water change. Depending on your substrate choice, it's something to consider

 

[patria]

Thanks again everybody! I'm thinking I'd like to try the whole starting over thing now that I know a little more about them. I just don't have a clue how to rehome the guys I have. I figure maybe I can't rehome them, I could temporarily put these guys in a spare 10 gal tank I have...put one of the filters, some of the current substrate and decorations in and fill it with water from my current tank. Then in the meantime I can redo the substrate in my 55, adding the Aragonite and some better suited caves. Then slowly acclimate my current guys to the new higher pH just as if I've just brought them home from the LFS again. Maybe use the baking soda tip in the 10gal to slowly increase the pH while they're in there. (?) What do you guys think? Or do you know how I could rehome these guys? Ohhhhh grrrrr! My head hurts! Lol.

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[SonicsDC25]

You could see if your LFS will take them for store credit, but depending on whether they think they'll be able to sell them or not, you probably won't get much, if any. You could try giving them away on Craigslist or getting a few bucks for them as an alternative. A 10g is way too small and would cause a lot of mayhem

 

[patria]

I'll check with my LFS but I don't believe they will. I know the 10 would be waaaayyyy too small, but thought maybe only for a few days they might be ok. Long enough to make the changes and then slowly acclimate them. At the moment they aren't really fighting...the one who was being a bully is the one I lost yesterday.

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[hsojkrieger]

My tank is all male tell me more about male female ratio?

 

[SonicsDC25]

My tank is all male tell me more about male female ratio?

Well first I'd recommend either going all peacock or all mbuna if you're going this route since mixing the two isn't something a beginner should tackle. Definitely mixing lakes is something that shouldn't be considered unless you've done enough research and have the right water parameters, but even then I'd always recommend having separate tanks for each lake; easier to keep the water stable and of course the fish will thrive in parameters more suited for them .

If you have a mix of mbuna/peacocks, having an all male tank is better since any females would cause more aggression. Typically if you go with only mbuna or peacock, a male:female ratio of 1M:3-4F is the desired way to go since a sub-dominant male won't be beaten to death. There will also be enough females to prevent over aggression from the male whenever he wants to breed. If you go with males and females for peacocks, there is always a chance that there will be cross-breeding if you have multiple species since all the females look really similar.

 

[patria]

So I've listed my Fishies on craigslist to see if I have any luck finding new homes. Made sure to mention a few facts I've learned about them here so hopefully someone else won't make the mistakes I have. While I'm waiting with my fingers crossed, I'm going to go ahead with my aquarium readjustments...mainly the addition of the aragonite. I really believe the safest way to go about this is to set them up in the smaller aquarium for a couple days like I mentioned before. I'm hoping this won't pose too much of a problem...after all, they were together in a much smaller tank at the LFS when I bought them, AND it will be a very short time period.
If I'm unsuccessful in finding new homes for these guys, at least I'll know I've given them a safer, more stable environment with the aragonite addition. If I can only find a new home for the auratus, then I plan to expand my stock with more of the other three types. If I'm lucky enough to find homes for them all, I'll be able to start over and focus on the best types for my setup and preference, as well as getting the proper male/female ratios.
I know for a fact I don't want to "breed" any. If I'm lucky enough to be able to start over, should I plan to stock only males or females? I've heard of an all male tank, but not an all female...

 

[SonicsDC25]

You don't see many all female tanks is because the males usually have more vibrant colors, with a few species as an exception. If you don't want to breed, but still want both males and females, it's good to shoot for the M:F ratio. If they happen to breed, just leave them in the tank and when the fry are released, they'll likely get eaten by the bigger fish. I too don't plan on breeding in my mbuna tank, but hey if they do then okay. If I get 1-2 survivors per batch, I'll just rehome them for a few bucks for future fish expenses *cough* more fish *cough*

 

[patria]

You don't see many all female tanks is because the males usually have more vibrant colors, with a few species as an exception. If you don't want to breed, but still want both males and females, it's good to shoot for the M:F ratio. If they happen to breed, just leave them in the tank and when the fry are released, they'll likely get eaten by the bigger fish. I too don't plan on breeding in my mbuna tank, but hey if they do then okay. If I get 1-2 survivors per batch, I'll just rehome them for a few bucks for future fish expenses *cough* more fish *cough*

Haha! I gotcha! That does make perfect sense. Of course I'm more likely to end up with a couple survivors, fall in love with them, and set up more aquariums! :sly:


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[SonicsDC25]

Haha! I gotcha! That does make perfect sense. Of course I'm more likely to end up with a couple survivors, fall in love with them, and set up more aquariums! :sly:


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