I'm pretty amatuer at this whole aquarium thing. I've had this 50g for 4 months now and I feel like I have been doing great. Tank cycled successfully and easily. No deaths at all, water is always clear and of good quality. Tests are in the sweet spots. Good setup with hiding spots and such for fish. It took me a while but I've gotten good at feeding the right amount. I've been doing 25% weekly water changes with a gravel vac. Anyways, things have been going fine but I would like to learn more and get more scientific in my hobby.
Let me start off by listing the facts. I have two african cichlids, both fairly large at 6 inches. One common pleco thats a little less than 6 inches and looking great. One Leporinus fasciatus thats about 3-4 inches, one pictus catfish thats about 3 inches. Like i said before, I have a 50g with a fluval 305 canister filter. The top two medias are bio max and the bottom is zeo-carb that also removes ammonia, which I just recently switched to from carbon at the suggestion of a lfs guy.
Now for the questions.
How much bigger can I expect the cichlids to grow... They were in the assorted african chiclid tank, are about 6 inches and in my opinion they are pretty thick looking At another lfs, petsmart, where I bought the Leporinus says that I will get to 6 inches but some websites say 12 inches. Both call the fish the exact same thing so its not a mixup. What should I believe?
All the plants and decorations are aquarium made stuff, none live. I don't think I'm ready for live plants and such because of the extra attention needed to address water quality. Or so I am to believe. Are there any benefits to having live plants in my situation? If so, what extra care is needed?
I've been using a test kit, but just out of curiousity, what are ALL of the various main things I should be testing for and what levels should they be at?
Is a weekly 25% water change enough? I add water conditioner every time I do a water change for the amount of water I add. Is this correct? Should I also be adding cycling stuff, because I haven't although the cycling package says I could.
The LFS where I got the Leproninus says the tank should be lightly salted, so I have done so. They have also said its good for the health of all fish. Is this true? How often should I be adding the salt and how much should I be adding? The amount I change out the water? More or less?
How often should I clean the sponges inside my filter? I have been cleaning them every so often but don't have a defined schedule yet. How often should I replace the bio max stuff? I know it can be reused for a while but I am unsure what it looks like when it goes bad. I know the carbon is once a month thing. I already know that I have to stagger the filter replacements and sponge cleaning, don't worry.
Is my equipment sufficient? Is my combination of media a good selection?
I know this is a lot to read and a lot of question to request being answered but I appreciate all the help. Anything else that I have forgot to ask and you think would be good to know I definitely wouldn't mind reading about. Sorry for the confusing layout of questions. I tried to space out the questions and group the ones related. Thanks
Let me start off by listing the facts. I have two african cichlids, both fairly large at 6 inches. One common pleco thats a little less than 6 inches and looking great. One Leporinus fasciatus thats about 3-4 inches, one pictus catfish thats about 3 inches. Like i said before, I have a 50g with a fluval 305 canister filter. The top two medias are bio max and the bottom is zeo-carb that also removes ammonia, which I just recently switched to from carbon at the suggestion of a lfs guy.
Now for the questions.
How much bigger can I expect the cichlids to grow... They were in the assorted african chiclid tank, are about 6 inches and in my opinion they are pretty thick looking At another lfs, petsmart, where I bought the Leporinus says that I will get to 6 inches but some websites say 12 inches. Both call the fish the exact same thing so its not a mixup. What should I believe?
All the plants and decorations are aquarium made stuff, none live. I don't think I'm ready for live plants and such because of the extra attention needed to address water quality. Or so I am to believe. Are there any benefits to having live plants in my situation? If so, what extra care is needed?
I've been using a test kit, but just out of curiousity, what are ALL of the various main things I should be testing for and what levels should they be at?
Is a weekly 25% water change enough? I add water conditioner every time I do a water change for the amount of water I add. Is this correct? Should I also be adding cycling stuff, because I haven't although the cycling package says I could.
The LFS where I got the Leproninus says the tank should be lightly salted, so I have done so. They have also said its good for the health of all fish. Is this true? How often should I be adding the salt and how much should I be adding? The amount I change out the water? More or less?
How often should I clean the sponges inside my filter? I have been cleaning them every so often but don't have a defined schedule yet. How often should I replace the bio max stuff? I know it can be reused for a while but I am unsure what it looks like when it goes bad. I know the carbon is once a month thing. I already know that I have to stagger the filter replacements and sponge cleaning, don't worry.
Is my equipment sufficient? Is my combination of media a good selection?
I know this is a lot to read and a lot of question to request being answered but I appreciate all the help. Anything else that I have forgot to ask and you think would be good to know I definitely wouldn't mind reading about. Sorry for the confusing layout of questions. I tried to space out the questions and group the ones related. Thanks