My African Tank

[Jess1ca]

A little background on my tank:

- 55g
- Very freshly cycled, still religiously checking parameters and doing wc's as
needed.
- My crew is a crazy mix, and I'm aware of it

 

[Jess1ca]

My Mutt is one of my favorite dudes

 

[Jess1ca]

 

[Jess1ca]

My Syno annoys my Peacock at times lol

 

[Convict2161]

Love the albino. How is the pleco holding up?

 

[Jess1ca]

I call these 2 Bonnie and Clyde. They are Rowdy And then a FTS to wrap it up

 

[Jess1ca]

Love the albino. How is the pleco holding up?

Surprisingly great lol, Its grown some so it must be coming out to eat at night, I been putting 3 wafers in at night. I try to distract the little guys with 2 of them and try to get the 3rd behind the rock work.

 

[Convict2161]

Love the FTS looks really good. Nice work with the scape! Now we gotta work on the lighting!!

Love the 2 AC 110's. Wanna here a trick? You can paint the intakes black to blend into the background. Use Krylon fusion.

 

[Jess1ca]

Love the FTS looks really good. Nice work with the scape! Now we gotta work on the lighting!!

I looked at that glass under the hoods and it is ridiculously dirty and I cannot get it off :/ Idk how it got like that so fast? So I can just take em off right? How do I get them off? The light is having a hard time coming through the glass... I almost covered them in black pantyhose (the intakes) when I put the sand in to try to mask them... Painting will be next on my agenda! Thanks for the tip!

 

[Convict2161]

I looked at that glass under the hoods and it is ridiculously dirty and I cannot get it off :/ Idk how it got like that so fast? So I can just take em off right? How do I get them off? The light is having a hard time coming through the glass... I almost covered them in black pantyhose (the intakes) when I put the sand in to try to mask them... Painting will be next on my agenda! Thanks for the tip!

Just make sure you use Krylon fusion. The AC 110's should have came with extra intakes. So paint those two. Just do steady sweeps with the can so you don't get any drips. Well... I went topless. BUT I do have a canopy and a HUGE light fixture so I'm no really worried a out jumpers. I hate the glass tops!! They get a grimy and stuff. You can try taking them off BUT your light setup won't allow for it. Your fixtures rest on the glass right?

 

[Jess1ca]

Just make sure you use Krylon fusion. The AC 110's should have came with extra intakes. So paint those two. Just do steady sweeps with the can so you don't get any drips. Well... I went topless. BUT I do have a canopy and a HUGE light fixture so I'm no really worried a out jumpers. I hate the glass tops!! They get a grimy and stuff. You can try taking them off BUT your light setup won't allow for it. Your fixtures rest on the glass right?

Well they do, but there are little like notches where it fits, like the fixture fits over them, just little cheesey pieces if plastic, i can get a pic for ya if u wanna see.

Maybe I should just razor blade whatever that white stuff is off because my catfish is a jumper, Je actually jumps a lot at night.

 

[Convict2161]

Maybe I should just razor blade whatever that white stuff is off because my catfish is a jumper, Je actually jumps a lot at night.

Yeah you wanna be careful. I haven't had any issues though. Your new light your getting is gonna be sweet too!! Your gonna see a huge difference. And yeah post of pic of what your talking about. My glass always for dirty I got tired of cleaning it and it held back light.

BUT three important things with going topless.

1.) jumpers

2.) heat escapes

3.) increased evaporation.

I top off almost every other day like a gallon.

 

[Jess1ca]

Yeah you wanna be careful. I haven't had any issues though. Your new light your getting is gonna be sweet too!! Your gonna see a huge difference. And yeah post of pic of what your talking about. My glass always for dirty I got tired of cleaning it and it held back light.

BUT three important things with going topless.

1.) jumpers

2.) heat escapes

3.) increased evaporation.

I top off almost every other day like a gallon.

I'm way geeked about the lights I probably won't take the glass out, I'd hate for anyone to get hurt! I need to find something to break up the middle of the tank up some, like a branchy piece of wood or something. Just to give everyone a chance to get out of the Peacocks line of fire.

 

[Jess1ca]

I think he is scaring his girlfriend, he is a little out of hand. Is mating rough, I ask because he is anything but gentle on the old girl.

Hood...

 

[Convict2161]

Hood...

With the new light of toss the glass tops.

 

[Jess1ca]

Ammonia, ph and Trites.

Now, this makes me nervous.... These are my TRATES.... What is going on?????? I spent over a month wishing and hoping for an orange tube... NOT RED!!!

 

[Convict2161]

I don't see anything of real concern. Do a water change. When was your last change and vac? You moved stuff around right? So you probably stirred poo and debris up.

Also you added more fish and some are BIG so your gonna have a heavier bio load. Just do a water change. And test in a few hours.

 

[Jess1ca]

I don't see anything of real concern. Do a water change. When was your last change and vac? You moved stuff around right? So you probably stirred poo and debris up.

Ummm, Sunday I think? Yea I had to move it, came tumbling down. So start with a wc? The pics do not do them justice I think the flash is washing out the color. I was shocked to see that tube turn red almost instantly. Holy smokes.

 

[Convict2161]

You have to shake the heck out of the trate bottle 2 an read it right away. Also your trites don't look bad they look blue.

Do a water change.

 

[toddnbecka]

Peacocks and mbuna are best kept in groups (1m/3-4f) rather than pairs so one female doesn't get stressed out by the male. I keep fast-growing live plants (duckweed and Najas) in most of my tanks to help with water quality. Mbuna and SA or CA cichlids will eat them though, so those tanks need more frequent partial water changes.