20 Gallon Cichlid Tank

[Tim Wheatley]

I'm sure they'll love him. I'm growing out 9 clown loaches. They're about 9 months in my hands. I got most of them at about 1.5 inches and most are now about 3.5 inches. One of the 9 is 4 inches and hasn't grown since I got him. (I believe they grow slow until 4 inches, then slow down even more).

It is hysterical seeing all 9 out. Often some will always be hiding so I only get rare changes to quickly count and confirm all 9 are still in the tank! They'll face me and swim up and down the glass all together, then they'll all stop and while their face stays still the tail shakes like crazy. "Feed me!"

 

[McLumpy]

LOL Yeah, both of mine do that too when it's feeding time. I love it when my CL, "Louie", sifts through the gravel looking for food.

One day, when I was getting ready to do a pwc, I caught him w/ 1/2 his body submerged in the substrate, w/ his butt in the air and tail wagging. When he came up, he had 3/4 of an algae wafer in his mouth. Apparently, he was bound and determined to get that before I could get the gravel vac in there to suck it out. lol

 

[CadillacSlim]

Update..

I was feeling froggy today so I re-landscaped, installed a new Fluval 205, ditched the plastic plants and put in some real ones. The only exception was I kept 1 plastic one for now to cover up a powerhead on the right side of the tank. I really like the look of the amazon sword plants, so I'll probably get another one to cover up the powerhead.

I also swapped out my ghetto light bulb that came with the tank for a nice Coralife 50/50. I purchased a small 20 gallon C02 distributor as well, just haven't installed it yet. I'll probably do that this weekend when I have more time!

 

[Tim Wheatley]

Your tank looks really nice. I hope you're proud. If you plan to remove the HOB filter make sure you run BOTH for a while before you remove the HOB altogether. Give the bacteria time to migrate.

You probably know that, but anyway...

 

[CadillacSlim]

Your tank looks really nice. I hope you're proud. If you plan to remove the HOB filter make sure you run BOTH for a while before you remove the HOB altogether. Give the bacteria time to migrate.

You probably know that, but anyway...

Oh yea definitely a must! I was actually just going to leave the Biowheel in place. I figured it wouldn't do any harm running both. If I did take the biowheel off, what would be a good amount of time for the bacteria in the bio portion of the Fluval to take over?

This was the first time I have ever used a Fluval and I was thoroughly impressed at the design. I was always a Marineland guy from years ago, but wow I would never go back. Little tricky to get setup, but nothing too tough. The filter really reminds of a sump setup, except it's hermetically sealed of course.

 

[Tim Wheatley]

I've just switched from 2 x 70 gallon HOBs to a Fluval FX5. I ran all 3 filters for a week, removed one after a week then removed the other at the end of week two.

I'd run both for 2 weeks if I were you. Also don't do the removal near a water change. If there's any chlorine from your tap water which gets into the tank it can kill bacteria so if you do weekly, remove the filter midway through the week. Just to be extra cautious. Then obviously monitor the water.

 

[CadillacSlim]

I've just switched from 2 x 70 gallon HOBs to a Fluval FX5. I ran all 3 filters for a week, removed one after a week then removed the other at the end of week two.

I'd run both for 2 weeks if I were you. Also don't do the removal near a water change. If there's any chlorine from your tap water which gets into the tank it can kill bacteria so if you do weekly, remove the filter midway through the week. Just to be extra cautious. Then obviously monitor the water.

Great info! I will definitely take it down then after a couple of weeks, I wasn't sure when or if I ever would, but that clarifies it for me. That will leave more room for the C02 distributor. The biowheel takes up a bit too much real estate.

Thanks Chief.

 

[mandy2936]

Beautiful rescape! Looks awesome!
Lovelovelovelove it!

 

[yilduz]

Wow, that is a really cool way of setting up. I love the way you've arranged the rocks, that is very nice. I'm jealous.

 

[CadillacSlim]

Beautiful rescape! Looks awesome!
Lovelovelovelove it!

Wow, that is a really cool way of setting up. I love the way you've arranged the rocks, that is very nice. I'm jealous.

Hey thanks!

I just finished installing the C02 unit this afternoon, it was a lot easier then I expected. I'm looking forward to monitoring the plant growth!

 

[ChelseaLake]

Gorgeous tank! The rocks look sooo good. What are they? I would LOVE to have some like that.

 

[CadillacSlim]

Gorgeous tank! The rocks look sooo good. What are they? I would LOVE to have some like that.

Hey, well I've got 5-6 pieces of coral that are buried supporting the others. The larger stones on top (I think) are a type of shale. I found them all near my house near a construction site. There was a dry river bed that had been dug up, I pulled them all from there.

 

[Apstephens97]

Why do you say that?

Because they eat everything that moves

 

[yilduz]

Because they eat everything that moves

Have you had one before? If so, this would be the first issue I've heard of from anyone that has actually owned one. Lots of people say they'll eat everything, but all the owners I've talked to say they've never been an issue with any tankmates.

 

[mandy2936]

No problem, I just made sure that his tank mates were the same size or more aggressive (cichlids) then he is. I think with slower moving, docile, and smaller fish there may be more of a chance of him going for a quick meal. The only issue I've really had with him, is just getting food to him. My other fish take everything before it hits the bottom, so I've had to put them to sleep around 9pm and then put a good handful of algae wafers in there, he seems to be eating them because they're gone in the morning and he hasn't died yet.

Very entertaining little guy to say the least. Occasionally he'll cruise around during the day and he has no fear when exploring the tank.

You can try feeding with a turkey baster. Just slide the food right down the tube directly in front of the lobster, and wallah.
Worked for me when I needed to feed a fish that was too weak and little to compete for food with the big boys. (There were no aggression issues, they were just bigger and faster.) Give it a try! I your case, I'd just pull the top part (where you squeeze) off and send the food down to him that way.

 

[jinkel]

Gorgeous tank! LOVE the restructuring of the rocks. Really beautiful.

 

[Kat1103]

The rocks look geat. I need to find some like that for my tank!

 

[CadillacSlim]

Update..

I've gotten a few more plants since I initially re-structured and they seem to be doing pretty good. The mini-C02 works great and I've been very pleased with it.