BTG - FAO Tropical Fishkeepers

[This Time Next Year]

Are there any tropical fish keepers out there?

After 15+ years of having a tropical fish tank, with nice friendly community fish inhabiting it, I'm comptemplating the idea of 'upgrading' to a cichlid tank.

I'll need to check a few more things before I make the leap, but assuming I go for it, I have a handful of tropical fish that would no longer be especially happy with the new tank mates.

Long story short, is there anyone out there who would be interested in re-homing the handful of tropical fish that I have left in their tank...

From memory, I have:
4/5 x Zebra Danios
1 x Platy (male it think - can check when home if important)
2 x Black neon tetra
1 x Hillstream loach

[Pompey Dave]

They sound like a house warming meal for the new inhabitants.

[Locky_McLockface]

Are there any tropical fish keepers out there?

After 15+ years of having a tropical fish tank, with nice friendly community fish inhabiting it, I'm comptemplating the idea of 'upgrading' to a cichlid tank.

I'll need to check a few more things before I make the leap, but assuming I go for it, I have a handful of tropical fish that would no longer be especially happy with the new tank mates.

Long story short, is there anyone out there who would be interested in re-homing the handful of tropical fish that I have left in their tank...

From memory, I have:
4/5 x Zebra Danios
1 x Platy (male it think - can check when home if important)
2 x Black neon tetra
1 x Hillstream loach

What species is the Hillstream Loach (or can you post a photo of it)? Some are nice species, some can be a little boisterous.

[This Time Next Year]

Not a pic of mine, but looks a lot like... http://i769.photobucket.com/albums/xx34 ... 4fdc30.jpg

He's never been too aggressive to others, more just 'grumpy' when other fish are trying to eat his food. Keeps himself to himself mostly.

[Locky_McLockface]

Not a pic of mine, but looks a lot like... http://i769.photobucket.com/albums/xx34 ... 4fdc30.jpg

He's never been too aggressive to others, more just 'grumpy' when other fish are trying to eat his food. Keeps himself to himself mostly.

They all look very similar, but that looks like a Sewellia Lineolata, the Sewellia species are the grumpy ones. I used to have a couple of Gastromyzin, which were docile as anything.

Thing is, if what you've got is a Gastro, I'd be happy to take it. Any chance you could take a piccy and PM me it?

[This Time Next Year]

...Any chance you could take a piccy and PM me it?

I will try my best. No doubt he will now spend the entire evening hiding behing a log...

[Locky_McLockface]

...Any chance you could take a piccy and PM me it?

I will try my best. No doubt he will now spend the entire evening hiding behing a log...

Probably. You going for African Cichlids, then? We've certainly got the right water chemistry round here for them.

[This Time Next Year]

Turns out he was a little star and sat chilled out for me to take photos.

IMAG0149 (258x300) (2).jpg (101.89 KiB) Viewed 4089 times

Yes, looking at African Cichlids, just trying to work out which ones and how many etc. Suspect I may be wandering up to Maidenhead Aquatics at some point during the weekend for a chat and some advice.

[rumourmonger]

Well what an amazing coincidence. I too have had a community tank for some time and we have just in the last fortnight moved house down to Copnor. I ran my tank down before the move and took what fish I had left at the end back to Maidenhead Aquatics in Havant. Now having settled in , I am going to be starting my tank back up again with , yes you guessed - African Cichlids !. How spooky is that !!!

[This Time Next Year]

That is spooky!

Let me know how you get on with it. What size tank are you using? I've got a 110l which I'm concerned may be on the small side...

[rumourmonger]

I have a Juwel Rio 125. So far I just know that I'm going to have a sand substrata and make lots of caves etc with the rocks and that you have to get the water ph exactly right.

[Locky_McLockface]

I strongly suggest that you head on over to http://www.fishforums.net. With the greatest of respect to the staff at MA (and certainly the ones at Havant are decent), they are salespeople first and foremost.

African Cichlids are not my area of expertise, but I would say that 110l and 125l is a little small, but since you overstock, you would probably be OK having a decent display, but with careful selection of species.

that you have to get the water ph exactly right.

Our local pH water is perfect for African Cichlids, they need nice hard water with a high pH, and we have both. You don't need to get it EXACTLY right, but anything over a pH of 7.4 - 7.6 should work fine.

Oh, and Rumourmonger, before you buy fish, fill your tank up, get it heated, and then add some household ammonia to wake up the bacteria in the filter. This thread

http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?/to ... his-first/

gives details about how much and when. It may only take a couple of days or so, it depends on how long the bacteria have been dormant. Household ammonia can be bought at Homebase.

[This Time Next Year]

Sorry for reviving an old thread, but in case rumourmonger or lockman are interested...

(I got a bigger tank off ebay in the end)

[youtube][/youtube]

[Number 1 Jasper]

I have a Juwel Rio 125. So far I just know that I'm going to have a sand substrata and make lots of caves etc with the rocks and that you have to get the water ph exactly right.

Hello RM .

Have you kept the original Juwel filter ?

Best thing I ever did was bin mine for an EHEIM external filter . Filters the water far better and throws up quite a bit of spare space .

http://www.allpondsolutions.co.uk/aquar ... oCfgHw_wcB

[This Time Next Year]

I have a Juwel Rio 125. So far I just know that I'm going to have a sand substrata and make lots of caves etc with the rocks and that you have to get the water ph exactly right.

Hello RM .

Have you kept the original Juwel filter ?

Best thing I ever did was bin mine for an EHEIM external filter . Filters the water far better and throws up quite a bit of spare space .

http://www.allpondsolutions.co.uk/aquar ... oCfgHw_wcB

Don't know if you can see in the vid, but I have the Juwel 180 vision. I have kept the internal filter in there for two reasons...
1 - The tank came with that rock effect cladding covering the back and filter, seemed a shame to rip it out and ruin the effect.
2 - I have an external Fluval 305 that I am running in parallel with it, due to the overstocking required for cichlids, I'm running both to keep up a higher turnover.

I do agree though, its a bit of a pants filter.