# 135G African (New LED Light Fixture)



## JTang

I spent the last Friday setting down the 2x 20 gal's. On Saturday, with the help of my brother n dad, I finally had the 135 gal moved to where we want.

I was initially planning on moving it to where the 46 gal was. Therefore I drained down the 46 gal, took out majority of the rocks to get it ready for the move. Just when we were about to move it, my brother suggested that it will look much nicer with the 6 footer located in the more opening area (left side)... After half an hour of measuring n furnitures rearranging, I decided to take his idea, which I'm glad that I did.










46 gal is staying in its original spot except we moved it couple of inches away from the wall so I can set up the Aqua C Romora Pro behind the tank instead of on the side. So much for all the extra work! LOL










Tank is filled Sat. night, temperature set, prime added. Since this is a Malawi tank, the water needs to be buffed. Due to a low budget (as always), I took the salt mix home receipe (Epsom salt, baking soda, Instant Ocean salt) from a fellow BCA member, who is also my tank n fish provider! 










Equipment list:
135 Gal Glass Tank (72" x 18" x 24")
Black Wooden Stand w. Sliding Doors
Filters: XP3 x2
Heaters: 250W & 150W
Power heads x2

To be continued....


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## gklaw

=) My large angel is really disappointed 

Good for you. 

But, mark my words: one day you will turn that into a FOWLR  Haha


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## Claudia

Where r the pics of the process?


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## JTang

Claudia said:


> Where r the pics of the process?


Im at work. I will get to it... 

Here's one:


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## JTang

gklaw said:


> =) My large angel is really disappointed
> 
> Good for you.
> 
> But, mark my words: one day you will turn that into a FOWLR  Haha


Haaha! So far I'm enjoying it... Maybe in a few months!?


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## Claudia

Good spot


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## monkE

looks good man! can't wait to see this take shape, should be an amazing african tank.


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## JTang

I used old filter media from the 20gal to jump start the cycle. I tested the water parameter after half day of mixing:
pH: 7.8
GH: 21 (not sure why so high...)
KH: 12
Temp: 77.5

Sand and lace rock (from my crayfish tank 2 yrs back) were randomly placed in. I thought about using egg crate on the bottom but changed my mind. This is going to be a 90% Haps n Peacocks tank so I wouldn't be stacking too high. Haps n peacocks don't really need caves like Mbunas do. Plus I learned that more caves = more aggression!










Drift wood shouldn't be used in this high pH setup but I just love the look of them! Also i will be adding several plecos in the near future... Im sure they will love this play set! The 2 pieces combined (1 piece came with the tank, the other from my CRS tank) made it looks like some kind of animal!? Lol

Water parameter looked fine except for the high GH. I diluted it down by topping it up with roughly 10 gal of tap water (w. Prime added of course).


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## Vancitycam

Looks good I'm so in need of a six footer haha


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## JTang

Vancitycam said:


> Looks good I'm so in need of a six footer haha


Thanks man! I have tons to learn from u guys! Newbie on board! Lol.


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## Diztrbd1

Looking good John! Makes me want to get my six footer setup ..... just don't have the time right now. I wouldnt worry about the driftwood doing anything to the pH in there. It'll take a much bigger piece then that ,my experience, to lower the pH. Don't know if you've seen the big piece of my 75 gallon but its three feet long, displaces about 20 gal of water and hardly does anything to the pH in there as far as lowering it.


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## JTang

I couldn't wait any longer so I went n picked up 7 fish from my neighbor Sunday evening. . Also did some aquascaping while I was acclimating the first group of residents. These guys aren't shy at all... they were already eating NLS pellets after couple of hrs!

Here's the list of fish:
The long, slender grey one is a male Sciaenochromis fryeri - Electric Blue Cichlid
The brown, slightly larger peacock is a male Aulonocara sp. Ruby Red - Ruby Red Peacock (sometimes called a German Red Peacock)
The yellowish peacock with black blotches is a male OB Peacock.
The whitish peacock with red shoulder is a male Dragonblood Peacock. (Sometimes called a Firefish)
The three smaller Haps with orange fins are Copadichromis borleyi "Kadango" - Red Fin Borleyi

Sorry for the poor quality pictures! These guys are just too fast for my Galaxy Nexus. Lol



























The 3 little Kadangos are so cute! They always swim together.


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## JTang

Diztrbd1 said:


> Looking good John! Makes me want to get my six footer setup ..... just don't have the time right now. I wouldnt worry about the driftwood doing anything to the pH in there. It'll take a much bigger piece then that ,my experience, to lower the pH. Don't know if you've seen the big piece of my 75 gallon but its three feet long, displaces about 20 gal of water and hardly does anything to the pH in there as far as lowering it.


Oh thank you! That's nice to know.

What do u guys recommend for clean up crew? I'm thinking of getting a group of clown loaches plus a group of catfish. Oh n plecos... Maybe I should pick either the Clowns or Cats so I have more room for the Africans!?

BTW, I have already encounted the first problem after setting up this tank. Both XP3's was leaking water! Lucky that I always run canister filter inside a tray so the leaks didn't cause any damage. One was leaking from the 2 small o-rings. I replaced the hard pond hoses with a softer ones from Princess Auto. Wrapped the O-Rings with Teflon tape n that seems to do the trick. The other one was a bigger leak most likely from the big o-ring on the head piece. I just opened it up n re-clamped it n the leak stopped. Hopefully that's the end of it...


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## Vancitycam

Good thing you caught the leaks and run them in a tray. I'd say a few clown loaches to keep up the activity and keep down aggression, they also constantly stir up the corners which makes cleaning easy and then for cleaning just a few bnp should do it. Almost self cleaning at that point! that's how I have mine stocked hap/peacock/clown loaches/bnp's. 

Hope this helps its always exciting helping people with Malawi tanks


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## jbyoung00008

Your tank is coming a long nicely. I cant wait to see it with fish. Africans are addicting so get ready for some fish buying. LOL. Im on my first African tank. I learned lots on here and the internet also. Ive heard more aggression can happen from more hidding spots aswell. Ive only ever had my tank with lots of rock and hidding spots so I cant comment if thats true in my tank. Water temp also plays a factor in aggression. Ive noticed that forsure. In my year of African keeping Ive learned you can push the limits. Over filter. Bi weekly water changes are a must. Keep Melafix handy for scrapes and fin tears. Things can work that people say wont. Fish from the 3 rift lakes can live together happily if properly selected. And if you are lucky like me, live plants will survive in African water no problem. Some will thrive. Africans have been my by far favorite fish to keep and Ive had fish since I was 5. You are in for a fun ride!!!


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## JTang

OK I will get Clowns n some BNP's then. Im also thinking of attaching some java n anubias to the wood. Will they be fine in 7.8-8.0 pH water? What's your pH at? 

I still need to find some black fabric as background to cover up those ugly hoses. Lol


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## DJ-BLeeK

Do you want an auratus? Mine is maturing but still fairly small. It's terrorizing my Snow White.


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## dino

my opinion clowns dont belong in a african tank but hey some people do it but mine definitely where not happy with my water perameters. much happier in lower ph


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## jbyoung00008

I prefer Synodontis Petricolas over Clown Loaches. Petricolas are from Lake Tanganyika. The more you have the better. I have 16 in my 120g. Ive read clowns dont like African water parameters. 

I agree with the Bristle nose Plecos. They do well in African water. I have a Trio. They keep the tank spotless.

Paint the back of the tank black with a roller. Nice and easy. Fabric will get wet and smelly

My Ph is 7.8, KH 10, GH 8. Anubias will do fine in high PH. The fish might nip at it a bit. The java fern will also do okay although I havnt found it to grow as good as I hoped. It seems to get lots of brown spots that eventually take over the leaf. Jungle Vals do great. They have done the best in my tank.


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## jbyoung00008

dino said:


> my opinion clowns dont belong in a african tank but hey some people do it but mine definitely where not happy with my water perameters. much happier in lower ph


I agree. But to each their own. Some people dont keep their Africans in High ph/kh/gh water and they do fine. Whatever works.

My group of Petricolas are my favorite fish


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## dino

i guess most plecos come from softer waters also and i have lots in my african tank with no issues so whatever works for ya.


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## JTang

jbyoung00008 said:


> I agree. But to each their own. Some people dont keep their Africans in High ph/kh/gh water and they do fine. Whatever works.
> 
> My group of Petricolas are my favorite fish


I gotta look into these guys again... My wife got freaked out when I showed her a massive colony of them on YouTube. There are hundreds of them in that tank! She said they look like roaches! Lol. The breeder is actually a local guy in Rmd. I think he is selling them for $6 each.


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## jkcichlid

I vote petricolas over clowns. Will be happier in the long run in the higher ph harder water


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## JTang

jkcichlid said:


> I vote petricolas over clowns. Will be happier in the long run in the higher ph harder water


Ok I will go for 10 petricolas then. You guys know way more than I do. Lol. I will contact the seller in couple of days.


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## Vancitycam

Well when talking about tank bred and raised fish its natural parameters are less important like as some other members stated with African cichlids in softer lower ph than they "should" be and do fine. Same with plecos in the african tanks. My friend and I also have happy active healthy clowns and in my tank with water right at 8 for ph and mine look better than the ones in a "display" tank at a lfs here and they probably make it differant water params there and some people say plants "shouldnt" go in with africans in hard water and we can and I'm glad I now do(thanks to jbyoung and sidius) and I think my fish have better color with real plants on the driftwood. It's more what you want personally for tour tank.


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## MOLOTO

John, glad to see the tank setup and fishes went to a good home. There's more here if you need them.

The loaches are quite comfortable in an African tank setup. You saw how well the groups of 3 clowns, red tale , skunk and yo-yo loaches were doing in the 180 gal tank. I think it's a matter of preference. The loaches provide some nice colour contrast with the Haps in the tank.


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## Vman

I've got clowns and Petricolas in my set up and both are great to have.The clowns did get picked on by my Trophs at first though.


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## jbyoung00008

JTang said:


> I gotta look into these guys again... My wife got freaked out when I showed her a massive colony of them on YouTube. There are hundreds of them in that tank! She said they look like roaches! Lol. The breeder is actually a local guy in Rmd. I think he is selling them for $6 each.


Yup. His name is cypho on here aka Barry. I got some of mine from him. He has tons. I had only 6 they were shy. I picked up 10 more from him and now they are very active.


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## JTang

MOLOTO said:


> John, glad to see the tank setup and fishes went to a good home. There's more here if you need them.
> 
> The loaches are quite comfortable in an African tank setup. You saw how well the groups of 3 clowns, red tale , skunk and yo-yo loaches were doing in the 180 gal tank. I think it's a matter of preference. The loaches provide some nice colour contrast with the Haps in the tank.


Thanks Patrick n Brandon! Africans are quite interesting indeed... I'm kinda losing interest in my Reef now. Lol. You know I will be back for more... I better start fragging some corals or I will be in trouble! 

Personally I like the Clowns better but Petricolas are great addition too. Will 3 Clowns + 6 Petris do well? I don't mind getting more but want to save the room for Africans.


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## jbyoung00008

JTang said:


> Thanks Patrick n Brandon! Africans are quite interesting indeed... I'm kinda losing interest in my Reef now. Lol. You know I will be back for more... I better start fragging some corals or I will be in trouble!
> 
> Personally I like the Clowns better but Petricolas are great addition too. Will 3 Clowns + 6 Petris do well? I don't mind getting more but want to save the room for Africans.


You have a 6ft tank. Thats plenty of room for both Africans and Catfish/Clowns 

Clowns should be kept in a school of 5 minimum. Read up on them. They live in a hierarchy. Its pretty neat. Very few aquarium fish live this way.

Petricolas prefer to be in a big group aswell. They dont get big like Clown Loaches do. In a small number they will hide more. 6 is a good number to start. They are addictive so be prepared to buy more.


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## MOLOTO

You should drop by Lukasz's aka VMAN for some petricolas juvies. He's only 3 minutes from my house - better than driving out to Richmond and back.


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## jbyoung00008

MOLOTO said:


> You should drop by Lukasz's aka VMAN for some petricolas juvies. He's only 3 minutes from my house - better than driving out to Richmond and back.


Buy some off Vman than venture out to Richmond. Seeing Barry's fish collection is worth the drive  It took me almost a year to make it out his way. It was well worth it in the end. Fish galore


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## JTang

MOLOTO said:


> You should drop by Lukasz's aka VMAN for some petricolas juvies. He's only 3 minutes from my house - better than driving out to Richmond and back.


I'm gonna pick some up from Vman tomorrow night. I was planning on getting a group of 6 Petricolas n a group of 6 clowns but I just found out that clowns are pretty $$ ($10/inch!). I will probably just get 10 petricolas then...


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## jbyoung00008

JTang said:


> I'm gonna pick some up from Vman tomorrow night. I was planning on getting a group of 6 Petricolas n a group of 6 clowns but I just found out that clowns are pretty $$ ($10/inch!). I will probably just get 10 petricolas then...


Petricolas are $29.99 in stores for 1.5 inchers. Maybe you can find someone breeding Clown loaches on here.


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## JTang

jbyoung00008 said:


> Petricolas are $29.99 in stores for 1.5 inchers. Maybe you can find someone breeding Clown loaches on here.


Wow im getting a great deal then! 
Just went to Island Pets today to check out what they have. There were some smaller (1") clown loaches for $9 each. I was gonna to pick up a 2" Taiwan Reef and an Red Empress male. However the girl working there wasn't sure which one is which. Also she said its impossible to determine the sex of the fish unless they have matured n colored up. When i mentioned about venting, she didn't even have a clue of what I was talking about! I ended up going home without spending a penny! How sad!? I did meet up with a generous BCA member who gave me some java fern though. Well, at least I didn't go home empty handed. Lol

Pictures time....


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## jbyoung00008

Yes, its hard to tell males from females sometimes. Relying on LFS staff to tell you the difference can prove to be challenging. Also Ive found that you might buy a fish thinking its a male, you bring him home to find out later its a female. Im not sure if fish are given hormones to show color young but from what Ive seen its a possibility. When new Africans arrive to some LFS it looks like all the fish in the tank are males. If you return a month later most of the remaining fish look female now. :S This is why Ive turned to buying Africans online or from bcaquaria members. IPU has a big selection of Africans but Ive learned over the past year you need to look for the diamond in the rough. There might only be 1 real nice one amongst all of them and at a reasonable price. This is why I visited lots of different LFS when I first started collecting Africans. Good luck with the search. Any specific plans on stocking the tank?? All male?? mix of both??


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## Master wilkins

I have a 6-7" sailfin pleco that you can have if you want


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## JTang

jbyoung00008 said:


> Yes, its hard to tell males from females sometimes. Relying on LFS staff to tell you the difference, you bring him home to find out later its a female. Im not sure if fish are given hormones to show color young but from what Ive seen its a possibility. When new Africans arrive to some LFS it looks like all the fish in the tank are males. If you return a month later most of the remaining fish look female now. :S This is why Ive turned to buying Africans online or from bcaquaria members. IPU has a big selection of Africans but Ive learned over the past year you need to look for the diamond in the rough. There might only be 1 real nice one amongst all of them and at a reasonable price. This is why I visited lots of different LFS when I first started collecting Africans. Good luck with the search. Any specific plans on stocking the tank?? All male?? mix of both??


Very True! It's probably better to buy them from members but I have little patience. Haaha!
This is gonna be a Male only tank with Haps & Peacocks that's why I need to make sure that it is indeed a male, especially when they are charging the same price for male and female. I like Acei but i read it somewhere that says mixing mbunas will lead to aggression problem...

I might go back to vent some Taiwan Reef today... that's if I can identify which ones are actually Taiwan Reef! Lol


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## JTang

Master wilkins said:


> I have a 6-7" sailfin pleco that you can have if you want


Thanks for your offer but I'm gonna start all of these guys at a smaller size so nothing over 2". Im picking up 6-10 Petricolas tonight. Will be adding some albino BNP and maybe several clownloaches in a week or so.


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## MOLOTO

Piece of advice - do your research and confirm what is advertised at the LFS is actually the right species. The local LFS DO NOT always list the right species name for what is in the tank. If in doubt, google images of the juveniles to confirm the true identity of the cichlids in the tanks.


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## jobber

Way to get this tank going and stocking! Had to catch up on the journal. Going to be quite the sight when it gets settled in.


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## JTang

MOLOTO said:


> Piece of advice - do your research and confirm what is advertised at the LFS is actually the right species. The local LFS DO NOT always list the right species name for what is in the tank. If in doubt, google images of the juveniles to confirm the true identity of the cichlids in the tanks.


I did Google them at the store but before I can confirm, it was already store closing time! 

Jobber, I hope this will turn out to be a nice one too. So far I'm enjoying the journey, learning new stuff everyday!

Finally got a chance to take couple of full tank shots, without the reflection of the Bright Side, which sits directly across from it...


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## JTang

Picked up a group of 10 Petricolas from Vman last night. They were still pretty shy when I saw them this morning before leaving for work. I will take some pictures when I get home later tonight...


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## Vman

They are mostly a nocturnal species naturally but once they get used to the tank they should relax. If you feed your fish mostly in the am then you'll see them out more.


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## JTang

Vman said:


> They are mostly a nocturnal species naturally but once they get used to the tank they should relax. If you feed your fish mostly in the am then you'll see them out more.


Yeah they are more active after several days. I'm still trying to figure out a better way to feed these guys. The Africans are so fast n usually finish all the food before they get to the bottom. Currently Im using a long plastic pipe to target drop the food into the Petricolas' caves.

I will be picking up 6 clownloaches tonight. Will also be checking out a soon to be shut down tank with a tank full of Africans. I have no idea of what are in it except that there are 40+ Africans, mostly haps/peacocks, 75% males... Hopefully my tank is ready for the addition of 50 fish at once!!!


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## jbyoung00008

JTang said:


> Yeah they are more active after several days. I'm still trying to figure out a better way to feed these guys. The Africans are so fast n usually finish all the food before they get to the bottom. Currently Im using a long plastic pipe to target drop the food into the Petricolas' caves.
> 
> I will be picking up 6 clownloaches tonight. Will also be checking out a soon to be shut down tank with a tank full of Africans. I have no idea of what are in it except that there are 40+ Africans, mostly haps/peacocks, 75% males... Hopefully my tank is ready for the addition of 50 fish at once!!!


Petricolas are scavengers. They will find un eaten food on their own. I wouldnt bother trying to feed them with a tube. When your other African eat they will blow bits of food out their gills. All the waste will go to the bottom and feed the petricolas. You want them to be hungry so they will scavenge for food. I use Catfish as a clean up crew. Ive tried to feed just the petricolas it doesnt work. All the other fish eat it first and it gets worse as you collect more Africans. You will want to keep an eye on them just incase they are going hungry but from my own experience they wont starve. Africans are messy eaters. The petricolas will find food. Feed a little extra or in different spots at once. This will help some of the food get to them if you think they arnt getting enough food.

50 fish at once will be a huge load on a tank. Better start dumping stability in there to be ready for the big bio load. How much bio media do you have in your filters?


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## JTang

jbyoung00008 said:


> Petricolas are scavengers. They will find un eaten food on their own. I wouldnt bother trying to feed them with a tube. When your other African eat they will blow bits of food out their gills. All the waste will go to the bottom and feed the petricolas. You want them to be hungry so they will scavenge for food. I use Catfish as a clean up crew. Ive tried to feed just the petricolas it doesnt work. All the other fish eat it first and it gets worse as you collect more Africans. You will want to keep an eye on them just incase they are going hungry but from my own experience they wont starve. Africans are messy eaters. The petricolas will find food. Feed a little extra or in different spots at once. This will help some of the food get to them if you think they arnt getting enough food.
> 
> 50 fish at once will be a huge load on a tank. Better start dumping stability in there to be ready for the big bio load. How much bio media do you have in your filters?


OK, that's good! I shouldn't be too worry about the Petricolas then.

I have plenty of media (filter floss, sponge, ceramic rings) in the 2 XP3's. 1/4 of them were from my old CRS tank. However this tank is only 9 days old!


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## monkE

JTang said:


> OK, that's good! I shouldn't be too worry about the Petricolas then.
> 
> I have plenty of media (filter floss, sponge, ceramic rings) in the 2 XP3's. 1/4 of them were from my old CRS tank. However this tank is only 9 days old!


definitely get some stability or find a way to add the new fish very slowly. How did you cycle the tank to begin with before the first fish went in?


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## JTang

monkE said:


> definitely get some stability or find a way to add the new fish very slowly. How did you cycle the tank to begin with before the first fish went in?


I didn't cycle the tank the traditional way... The 20g was running until the day we set up this one. After I shut down the 20g, I kept filter running in a bucket of tank water until the 135g is set up n filled. The media was split up n used in the 2x XP3's.
7 Africans were added on Day 2. 10 Petricolas on Day 5. No water change yet!


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## monkE

JTang said:


> I didn't cycle the tank the traditional way... The 20g was running until the day we set up this one. After I shut down the 20g, I kept filter running in a bucket of tank water until the 135g is set up n filled. The media was split up n used in the 2x XP3's.
> 7 Africans were added on Day 2. 10 Petricolas on Day 5. No water change yet!


Ok well that's not too bad to start, using the old filter media to seed the new filter usually works just fine, but in such a short time i'd be very suprised if they can handle such a large change in bio-load. Even a fully established tank would have an ammonia spike after adding 50 fish in a day.

Have you been doing nitrate, nitrite, ammonia tests?


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## JTang

monkE said:


> Ok well that's not too bad to start, using the old filter media to seed the new filter usually works just fine, but in such a short time i'd be very suprised if they can handle such a large change in bio-load. Even a fully established tank would have an ammonia spike after adding 50 fish in a day.
> 
> Have you been doing nitrate, nitrite, ammonia tests?


Yeah probably not a good idea adding 50 at once! That's something that I have never done before&#8230; I will decide once I check out the stock later today. Too bad you aren't doing Malawi or we can split the deal. Lol.

Just did some tests:
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 3-5 (a bit off yellow but not quite 5)

Too lazy to check the rest.


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## jbyoung00008

JTang said:


> OK, that's good! I shouldn't be too worry about the Petricolas then.
> 
> I have plenty of media (filter floss, sponge, ceramic rings) in the 2 XP3's. 1/4 of them were from my old CRS tank. However this tank is only 9 days old!


These are just my observations and suggestions after having a jam packed African tank for just over a year now. Its been the most fun Ive had with a fish tank and also very addicting. You are in for a fun ride!

If you add seachem stability regularly for a few weeks the tank with cycle fast. I cycled my tank in 14 days using stability and media out of another filter. I used over a bottle of it. I was excited like you and had 30 fish in my tank 4 days after setup. We had just moved. I barely unpacked. The wife knew priority 1 was African tank setup. I also couldnt wait any longer because I bought a bunch of Africans off someone and I was keeping them in a small tank. They needed out and Im impatient  I run both my canisters as bio media only. They do have the foam inserts but nothing else. Ive stuffed them full of bio media. I use the HOB canister to polish as I found it was easier to clean that than to hall out the FX5 or XP3. I also removed 1 of the foam blocks from my Xp3. Again I want more water flow vs dirty foam blocks. I found the foam slows it down too much and 3 blocks was sufficient. As you get more fish the filter floss in the filter will really slow down its flow in a short peroid of time so keep an eye on that. From what Ive seen its common for people to run a HOB filter on African tanks for this same reason. I also clean all my foam inserts with tap water every cleaning and I bleach them every few months. I dont use the foam to house bio media. The bio balls/rings are for that IMO. My tank is spotless and has no algea. I do a water change once a week or once every 2 weeks. Canisters I clean once a month. 3 weeks is ideal.

Africans are very messy. Especially as they get bigger. I run a hang on canister filter with a polishing filter in it 24/7. It needs to be cleaned every 4-5 days. The outake is barely moving water at that point. Im feeding NLS twice a day. I have found that finding the best size pellet for your fish helps keep the tank cleaner. If the pellet is too big. The fish seem to blow lots food out there gills while eating it. Also if you plan on having lots of fish investing in a UV light has proven to be a lifesaver. Introducing 1 sick fish can wipe out an entire stock. Which is lots of $$$ and always crappy to see dead fish. The UV helps with algea aswell and overall tank cleanliness IMO. I bought a fish off a member. A few days later it had ICK. The UV saved my fish's butts. All I did was turn up the temp and after a few days it was gone. Thankfully. I actually had this happen twice.


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## JTang

Thanks for the great advice! I will hook up a HOB since I have one sitting around. As for UV, which one do u recommend for my tank? I know Charles/Patrick has some for sale. How much water do u replace when doing a water change?



jbyoung00008 said:


> These are just my observations and suggestions after having a jam packed African tank for just over a year now. Its been the most fun Ive had with a fish tank and also very addicting. You are in for a fun ride!
> 
> If you add seachem stability regularly for a few weeks the tank with cycle fast. I cycled my tank in 14 days using stability and media out of another filter. I used over a bottle of it. I was excited like you and had 30 fish in my tank 4 days after setup. We had just moved. I barely unpacked. The wife knew priority 1 was African tank setup. I also couldnt wait any longer because I bought a bunch of Africans off someone and I was keeping them in a small tank. They needed out and Im impatient  I run both my canisters as bio media only. They do have the foam inserts but nothing else. Ive stuffed them full of bio media. I use the HOB canister to polish as I found it was easier to clean that than to hall out the FX5 or XP3. I also removed 1 of the foam blocks from my Xp3. Again I want more water flow vs dirty foam blocks. I found the foam slows it down too much and 3 blocks was sufficient. As you get more fish the filter floss in the filter will really slow down its flow in a short peroid of time so keep an eye on that. From what Ive seen its common for people to run a HOB filter on African tanks for this same reason. I also clean all my foam inserts with tap water every cleaning and I bleach them every few months. I dont use the foam to house bio media. The bio balls/rings are for that IMO. My tank is spotless and has no algea. I do a water change once a week or once every 2 weeks. Canisters I clean once a month. 3 weeks is ideal.
> 
> Africans are very messy. Especially as they get bigger. I run a hang on canister filter with a polishing filter in it 24/7. It needs to be cleaned every 4-5 days. The outake is barely moving water at that point. Im feeding NLS twice a day. I have found that finding the best size pellet for your fish helps keep the tank cleaner. If the pellet is too big. The fish seem to blow lots food out there gills while eating it. Also if you plan on having lots of fish investing in a UV light has proven to be a lifesaver. Introducing 1 sick fish can wipe out an entire stock. Which is lots of $$$ and always crappy to see dead fish. The UV helps with algea aswell and overall tank cleanliness IMO. I bought a fish off a member. A few days later it had ICK. The UV saved my fish's butts. All I did was turn up the temp and after a few days it was gone. Thankfully. I actually had this happen twice.


----------



## jbyoung00008

I do 50% each water change. But I dont know if its actually 50%. If that makes sense. I dont know if its 60g of water each time is what im trying to say. With all my rock work and substrate it would be neat to figure out how much water my tank actually holds. All I did was make a mark half way up my side glass. I drain it to there each time. That way Im consistant. I have 28 fish. Thats not including my 16 petricolas. So maybe 44 fish. Ill have to do a head count today could be more LOL. 

I bought the coralife 18w UV from Kingeds. They had it the cheapest. You are looking to match your GPH flow rates between the UV and the xp3. The 18w matches perfect. A 200 to 400 gph flow rate is needed. The GPH rating on the XP3 is 175 U.S. gal to 350 U.S. gal/hr. The higher number is for an empty canister. So call it in the middle 265gph. Thats how you figure out which one you want. If the flow rate is too high the dwell time will be off and the effectiveness of the UV will be less. I havnt seen canadian aquatics UV's. It was easier for me to buy it from a LFS. Patrick and Charles are a far drive. I liked what I read about the Coralife. Im sure there are other good versions out there. IMO dont buy one that goes in the tank. Easier to buy an inline one. Ive tried the green killing machine. They dont compare to coralife.


----------



## scott tang

start fraging i got mony to spend lol


----------



## JTang

scott tang said:


> start fraging i got mony to spend lol


Yeah I want to frag some so I can spend more on the Africans. Haaha! Im just too lazy but I will get on it for sure tonight.

BTW, I didn't get a chance to check out the lot of Africans since the guy has to work OT. My girl n I were a bit disappointed so we went to Island Pets Rmd to find something to take home. Bought 2 peacocks n instantly I felt much better... Shopping does make ppl happy! 

Taiwan Reef (I never knew that Taiwan is in Africa!??? Lol)








Yellow Regal









Also added yesterday were 6 clown loaches. They are about 1.5" long. These guys are very active n love to swim around with the Africans. Quite interesting to watch!


----------



## Claudia

Tank looks really nice, I like the clowns they give a nice color to the whole setup


----------



## JTang

Claudia said:


> Tank looks really nice, I like the clowns they give a nice color to the whole setup


Thanks Claudia! I feel bad for not setting this up a month sooner... then I could house all of your Africans while u move n they wouldn't have died. 

So guess what I found sitting around, covering with dust....
Some multi-color LED strips from IKEA! It's time to put it in good use! Heehe...


----------



## Claudia

Its ok, now u do tho  so next time i move lol


----------



## MOLOTO

John,

Sorry to burst your bubble but That's not a Protomelas Steveni 'Taiwan Reef'.

Looks more like a Protomelas Taeniolatus Red Empress - (they do get aggressive towards peacocks).
The fish is missing the vertical barring - hope you didn't pay too much for it. Do a google search of the 2 and you see the differences.


----------



## MOLOTO

The vertical bars are prominent as seen in my avatar of a P. Taiwan Reef.


----------



## jbyoung00008

MOLOTO said:


> John,
> 
> Sorry to burst your bubble but That's not a Protomelas Steveni 'Taiwan Reef'.
> 
> Looks more like a Protomelas Taeniolatus Red Empress - (they do get aggressive towards peacocks).
> The fish is missing the vertical barring - hope you didn't pay too much for it. Do a google search of the 2 and you see the differences.


I agree no barring. Its a Red Empress. Ive seen them at IPU burnaby. I have a Red Empress and a Taiwan reef in my tank. I dont find the Red Empress to be aggressive with the peacocks.

Moloto. My taiwan reef still isnt showing color like your avatar. Any idea on how long it takes for him to color up fully or is he being subdominant to one of my other fish. I have a Fire blue Empress and a Red Empress?? Both have great color


----------



## MOLOTO

My Taiwan Reef didn't start colouring up until he was about 4.5". How big is yours? The fully coloured one in my avatar is at least 5" now.



jbyoung00008 said:


> I agree no barring. Its a Red Empress. Ive seen them at IPU burnaby. I have a Red Empress and a Taiwan reef in my tank. I dont find the Red Empress to be aggressive with the peacocks.
> 
> Moloto. My taiwan reef still isnt showing color like your avatar. Any idea on how long it takes for him to color up fully or is he being subdominant to one of my other fish. I have a Fire blue Empress and a Red Empress?? Both have great color


----------



## JTang

MOLOTO said:


> John,
> 
> Sorry to burst your bubble but That's not a Protomelas Steveni 'Taiwan Reef'.
> 
> Looks more like a Protomelas Taeniolatus Red Empress - (they do get aggressive towards peacocks).
> The fish is missing the vertical barring - hope you didn't pay too much for it. Do a google search of the 2 and you see the differences.


[email protected]#$%! The guy there told me it is a male Taiwan Reef that's why it has more color... No, I didn't spend too much on it. $10, or $12? I should take you guys with me next time I go fish shopping! Lol


----------



## jbyoung00008

Here's a good link. This website helped me a lot. African Cichlid Genus Gallery

If you click on one of the species. You can than choose to see males, females, juvies.


----------



## Claudia

JTang said:


> [email protected]#$%! The guy there told me it is a male Taiwan Reef that's why it has more color... No, I didn't spend too much on it. $10, or $12? I should take you guys with me next time I go fish shopping! Lol


Lol that's funny but yes Brandon and/or Patrick are so good at recognizing Africans


----------



## monkE

jbyoung00008 said:


> Here's a good link. This website helped me a lot. African Cichlid Genus Gallery
> 
> If you click on one of the species. You can than choose to see males, females, juvies.


great link! thanks for posting that


----------



## monkE

and the new fish look great JTang!


----------



## JTang

Back to the LED strips...

Picked up a piece of 8' plastic trim from Home Depot this afternoon for $3. Spent just over an hour playing with double sided tape, zap straps, clips n whatever I could find in the toolbox... It isn't that bright so it's more for toy than for anything. Well, at least now the cichlids get to have their own unique "moon light"! My kids love it! 

Gathering tools n materials








Right end... metal strap, clipped onto each end, keeps the light from falling inside the tank.








Left end... where the 4 wires exist.








Pictures showing the bottom
















This is how it normally sits. It will be moved n hidden behind the black light fixture.









Show Time!


----------



## dino

night club for fish lol cool


----------



## jbyoung00008

That works perfect. Someone recomended using those LED's from Ikea awhile back on here. I was going to buy them but I bought a fixture with them built in. That video made me wish I had bought them. You can pick the perfect color night light. I think the fish enjoy a little light at night. I have no proof but I have seen a few of my fish smiling


----------



## Claudia

Ikea is gonna see higher sales on those lights, they r gonna b wondering why lol I will start a group buy on them hahahaha Looks really nice, great for your family room


----------



## JTang

Claudia said:


> Ikea is gonna see higher sales on those lights, they r gonna b wondering why lol I will start a group buy on them hahahaha Looks really nice, great for your family room


Haaha I should ask them for commission then!

Not sure if they still carry this type since I bought them 5, or 6 yrs ago. They were half price, around $25 in the "As Is" Section.


----------



## JTang

Thanks to Bodo, I came home with 4 buckets of fish. 3 dozens to be exact!

I was totally shocked of the size of these guys! 6 of them are 6"+. The others are medium-small size. The smallest ones are almost as big as the biggest one in my original 9!!! Most are peacocks with several mbunas in the group.

Due to the sudden increase in bio load, I will be doing daily 30% WC. Hopefully they will do well under my care...

Here's a preview of the "Gang"!!!!


----------



## Vancitycam

Looks colourful


----------



## jbyoung00008

Sweet. A few look nice from the top angle. Cant wait to see them in your tank.


----------



## MOLOTO

You're pretty ambitious. Introducing 36 fish at once may overland the bio load capacity of the 2 XP3s. Watch carefully for a NEW TANK SYDROME CRASH!

What's the total count? 50+ cichlids in the 6 footer. You've got more fish in your 135g than what's in my 180g. Got to give you credit - you've got balls bigger than a bull!!! :lol:


----------



## JTang

Chris had given me such an awesome deal that I couldn't resist! .

Thanks for the advice, Patrick. There are now 45 cichlids in total! Some of them look really similar, which I might take out to thin out the stock. Are u interested in any? 

I have lowered the temperature from 78 to 76 and increased feeding on the original 9 during the last 5-6 days. Also i have been dosing products similar to "Stability" daily in order to build up the bio capacity. Now Im gonna maintain the same amount of feeding and gradually increase it after one week. Yes they will be starved for a while... 

Well at least that's the game plan. With the daily 30% WC, just hope that they will do fine.


----------



## scott tang

dam wow thats taken on something
good looken tank i want mine back lol


----------



## monkE

wow they look great man! Lots of good cichlid deals right now eh? lol I'm really impressed by the size of most of your guys, awesome that you don't have to wait for them to mature, you just have them mature already! I'm sure (and I hope because i'm in the same boat) that your daily water changes will keep your ammonia levels down. That is exactly what I'm also doing on my 125. Fun to see another tank becoming an instant cichlid wonderland almost identical to what i'm doing! keep the updates coming man!


----------



## JTang

monkE said:


> wow they look great man! Lots of good cichlid deals right now eh? lol I'm really impressed by the size of most of your guys, awesome that you don't have to wait for them to mature, you just have them mature already! I'm sure (and I hope because i'm in the same boat) that your daily water changes will keep your ammonia levels down. That is exactly what I'm also doing on my 125. Fun to see another tank becoming an instant cichlid wonderland almost identical to what i'm doing! keep the updates coming man!


Yeah man! You know the way i feel more than anyone else! Lol We are in the same boat n I'm taking the front seat!!!


----------



## JTang

Just measured the big guys, they are actually only 5", not 6". These are the biggest fish I have ever had!

The group of 1.5" clown loaches were getting chased around by some of the bigger ones. These guys look furious! I'm a bit worried that the clowns might become dinner one day, or already did since I only counted 4 of the 6. I hope the other 2 were just hidden somewhere. So far there is only minimum aggression among the cichlids. They must be too busy with the clowns!

Alright, more pics while they are still alive! Lol


----------



## Vancitycam

I bet the loaches are hiding, they like to wedge into spots you would think they would get stuck. Also very quick agile fish that are faster than the big giys and smaller ones are not much threat to them and as they grow used to each other it will be very to cool to see during a feeding. My trio of smaller loaches are more out going as they have grown with my cichlids but a rather large 5-6 inch loach I acquired, he grew in a dimmer tank with only little tetra so he hides a bit more but still comes out in early morning or evening like normal and to eat but coming around as it adjusts.


----------



## JTang

Vancitycam said:


> I bet the loaches are hiding, they like to wedge into spots you would think they would get stuck. Also very quick agile fish that are faster than the big giys and smaller ones are not much threat to them and as they grow used to each other it will be very to cool to see during a feeding. My trio of smaller loaches are more out going as they have grown with my cichlids but a rather large 5-6 inch loach I acquired, he grew in a dimmer tank with only little tetra so he hides a bit more but still comes out in early morning or evening like normal and to eat but coming around as it adjusts.


Oh great! Glad to hear that!


----------



## jbyoung00008

You can always add an ammonia sponge in your aquaclear for the time being. Also a product like prime will help keep he ammonia in check. Tank looks great. Welcome to the club!


----------



## JTang

jbyoung00008 said:


> You can always add an ammonia sponge in your aquaclear for the time being. Also a product like prime will help keep he ammonia in check. Tank looks great. Welcome to the club!


I have never used ammonia sponge before but I might need it this time. Will be doing a full water testing daily to monitor the water quality for the next 10 days. I also added a sponge to one of the XP3 intake for pre-filtering. Flow has reduced a bit but by doing so I can easily remove the sponge n clean it while performing daily WC.


----------



## Claudia

Looks awesome, nice and colourful....I miss my fish


----------



## Vancitycam

So is there a loach count for today?


----------



## JTang

Vancitycam said:


> So is there a loach count for today?


Light was on for an hour during their breakfast. I havent seen one single one!!!


----------



## JTang

http://www.bcaquaria.com/forum/fres...s-25/fs-large-african-malawians-5-20-a-42586/

Just posted a FS. 6 of them are going including 2 big 5"-5.5" Electric blue.


----------



## MOLOTO

S. fryerii (electric blue) are predatory fish in the wild. At that size, they could have had 1 of te laches for a meal.


----------



## JTang

MOLOTO said:


> S. fryerii (electric blue) are predatory fish in the wild. At that size, they could have had 1 of te laches for a meal.


Yup they are nice n fat now! After a $40 meal!


----------



## JTang

There are some survivors! . 

They have been hiding inside the caves since the gang took over! I was able to save 4 of them during the last 24 hrs. I'm not taking any chances... they are moving to my mom's tetras tank this evening. I'm sure they will be happier there.


----------



## Claudia

That's good news, keep your eyes open just in case there r some more hiding in there


----------



## JTang

Claudia said:


> That's good news, keep your eyes open just in case there r some more hiding in there


For sure! My daughter is on it! Lol


----------



## Claudia

JTang said:


> For sure! My daughter is on it! Lol


She is on fish alert duty lol


----------



## Vancitycam

uh oh that's not good to hear about the loaches, I have a single 5 inch or so Sciaenochromis fryeri also with what were smaller loaches but my fish are well fed little bits and more times through out the day than you could do with that many added at once, my tank was added few bunches at a time. I hope this doesn't discourage you from keeping clown loaches with your Africans I will have to post my pics up in jbyoungs new tank cleaning day after shots thread. I just took them today after cleaning then feeding my monster loach came out and was still for a few pics. rare haha


----------



## JTang

Vancitycam said:


> uh oh that's not good to hear about the loaches, I have a single 5 inch or so Sciaenochromis fryeri also with what were smaller loaches but my fish are well fed little bits and more times through out the day than you could do with that many added at once, my tank was added few bunches at a time. I hope this doesn't discourage you from keeping clown loaches with your Africans I will have to post my pics up in jbyoungs new tank cleaning day after shots thread. I just took them today after cleaning then feeding my monster loach came out and was still for a few pics. rare haha


Yeah that's something that I can't afford to do at the moment. These guys are as hungry as pigs now! Let me check out the pics!


----------



## JTang

.................pH....GH....KH....NH3/4....NO2....NO3....Temp.
June 8:.....7.8....14....12.........0...........0.........5........75.0
June 10:...7.8.....8.....12.........0...........0.........5........75.2

I have been following the game plan, performing daily maintenance (30% WC, dosing Brightwell Microbacter, cleaning pre-filter sponge, small meals x2) since Friday, June 7. So far all figures seem to be fine. Everyone looks happy... but Hungry!!! Lol

BTW, 4 of the 6 clownloaches have gone to a better home. They no longer need to be feared of being eaten by the 4 big Ahlis. Couple of mbunas have been taken out (Thanks, Claudia!), reducing the number of cichlids to 43.

Alright, here are some closer looks of them. Maybe you guys can verify / ID them for me so I know what I actually have in my tank. 

1. Left: Yellow lab, Right: Rusty mbuna?









2. 









3.









4.









5. Electric Blue Ahli (Hap)? This one looks different from 4.









6. Red Empress Peacock









7. Dragonblood Peacock









8. Livingstoni









9. Venustus? Look similar to 8. but these guys have a yellow shade.









10. 









11.









12.


----------



## Claudia

It was my pleasure, to bad I didn't have the pleasure of seeing u trying to catch fish with small nets


----------



## jbyoung00008

Ohhh I like this game. 4 is possibly Cop. Azureus. I will guess more when I get to work.


----------



## JTang

Claudia said:


> It was my pleasure, to bad I didn't have the pleasure of seeing u trying to catch fish with small nets


 That's it! I'm keeping them!
Lol


----------



## MOLOTO

John

Here's our best shot at IDing your new school of friends:

#2 - Young male German Red you got from us (coloured down from larger red peacock)
#3 - Young male Electric blue from us (coloured down also)
#4 - adult C. azureus (agree with Justin)
#5 - adult Electric blue
#6 - young male German Red
#7 - Dragonblood peacock
#8 - N. livingstonii 
#9 - N. venustus (more yellow/green in body) 
#10 - young male Dragonblood peacock from us (coloured down also)
#11 - young male Red Shoulder peacock (A. hansbaenschi)
#12 - adult Ruby Red peacock (possibly stock from IPU 4-5 months ago - missing blue in face)


----------



## jbyoung00008

MOLOTO said:


> John
> 
> Here's our best shot at IDing your new school of friends:
> 
> #2 - Young male German Red you got from us (coloured down from larger red peacock)
> #3 - Young male Electric blue from us (coloured down also)
> #4 - adult C. azureus (agree with Justin)
> #5 - adult Electric blue
> #6 - young male German Red
> #7 - Dragonblood peacock
> #8 - N. livingstonii
> #9 - N. venustus (more yellow/green in body)
> #10 - young male Dragonblood peacock from us (coloured down also)
> #11 - young male Red Shoulder peacock (A. hansbaenschi)
> #12 - adult Ruby Red peacock (possibly stock from IPU 4-5 months ago - missing blue in face)


I knew you would beat me to it Moloto. LOL. I didnt know all of them like you did. Although you cheated. You sold a bunch to him.


----------



## jbyoung00008

11. Going to disagree with Moloto. Possibly a bi-color peacock. I see yellow on the shoulders, blue face, white tipped top dorsal fin.

If Im right. Thats one of your nicest fish once he gets bigger. I have 1. Im patiently waiting for him to color up


----------



## Vancitycam

How'd I miss this overnight game!! lol ill bet with Justin on 11, there's no reddish tones I'd bet its either bicolor or blue neon I have one similar but it could even be a hybrid of both lol never really know for sure.


----------



## JTang

Wow thanks guys! That's awesome! Now I know what's in my tank.... Haaha!


----------



## MOLOTO

Good call Justin on #11.

You'll be needing a 180g soon with so many larger species. The 2 Nimbochromis species are pigs at feeding time - they will double in size in a few short months. My younger son bought a 1.5" venustus and grew to over 8" in less than a year. Got too big and aggressive for the 135g male tank. He was a nice fish though.

http://www.bcaquaria.com/forum/classified-archive-29/fs-malawi-haps-frontosas-updated-36173/


----------



## JTang

It has been 9 days since the group of 34 fish were added. Water parameter is looking good so far. I have increased feeding slightly n raised temperature from 75.5 to 77.5.

I had a jumper a few nights ago...
The room was totally dark n I turned my cell phone light on to check the filters before going to bed. Then i heard water splashing n something landed on the ground! I must have freaked them out. Lol

Maybe I should look into getting glass tops or at least egg crate as cover...


----------



## Vancitycam

Yes with cichlids its a whole different world when it's darker in there, a lid of any kind would be suggested.


----------



## jbyoung00008

Time for an update. I want to see a picture with the new Jungle Val.


----------



## JTang

jbyoung00008 said:


> Time for an update. I want to see a picture with the new Jungle Val.


Thanks for the val, Justin. There isn't much to show since there are only 3 leaves left.


----------



## jbyoung00008

Hopefully it will bounce back. I meant to tell you to put a Seachem Root tab beside it if you have any. If you like the look and it doesnt bounce back Kramers Pet World in guilford mall has decent size Jungle Vals and lots of them with good roots.


----------



## JTang

jbyoung00008 said:


> Hopefully it will bounce back. I meant to tell you to put a Seachem Root tab beside it if you have any. If you like the look and it doesnt bounce back Kramers Pet World in guilford mall has decent size Jungle Vals and lots of them with good roots.


Yeah I hope so too. I really like the look of your planted African tank!


----------



## scott tang

update ?!!?!?!!


----------



## JTang

Haaha Scottie, I heard u wanna set up one of these huh? 

Update.... I've been keeping up with the WC's. 30% every 4 days. Increased feedings to 2-3 times a day. The 2 XP3's have been cleaned separately at 5th & 6th week.

The plants that I got from Justin didn't last long. I will give it another shot if I can find some bigger java plants.

As for fish, I have lost 1 small one out of the batch of 36. Sold 3 of them n added 2 new ones - 1 big 5" Orange shoulder n a smaller red Jake. The red Jake got picked on by the gang n died within the first week. 
Oh n I added a small baby fontosa few days ago. I kept him in a breeder box in an attempt to grow him out. Somehow he made his way out after only several hours. Guess what happened to him... Lol

I will be picking up a 3.5" male Aulonocara stuartgranti Maleri from Patrick later on today. Hopefully this one will do well.


----------



## scott tang

ok cool ya il be doing 40% weekly with my xp 5 ps you should tank my eels of me there fish safe  

where did you get your petricolas ?


----------



## Vancitycam

Oh no! That jake was the smaller one you got from me?


----------



## JTang

Vancitycam said:


> Oh no! That jake was the smaller one you got from me?


Yeah man. Sadly he was the unfortunate one...


----------



## JTang

scott tang said:


> ok cool ya il be doing 40% weekly with my xp 5 ps you should tank my eels of me there fish safe
> 
> where did you get your petricolas ?


I wish i can but my 46G is too small for your big eels. The Petricolas were from a local breeder in PoCo. Yeah I'm lucky that I have all these great African breeders living 5 mins from me.


----------



## scott tang

you could up grade LOL no wories i found them a home


----------



## JTang

JTang said:


> As for fish, I have lost 1 small one out of the batch of 36. Sold 3 of them n added 2 new ones - 1 big 5" Orange shoulder n a smaller red Jake. The red Jake got picked on by the gang n died within the first week.
> Oh n I added a small baby fontosa few days ago. I kept him in a breeder box in an attempt to grow him out. Somehow he made his way out after only several hours. Guess what happened to him... Lol
> .


To my surprise, the baby Frontosa that I bought last week is still alive!!

The little guy (just under an inch) was hanging out near the Petricolas cave. I've decided to leave him in there. This boy must got some great survival skills in order to live until now! Or maybe he has been protected by his Petricola buddies, which came from the same Lake Tanganyika!??? . 









The new big Orange Shoulder has become my favourite.


----------



## jbyoung00008

Looking good. You have a few beauties in there. I had a Red shoulder just like that that died a few months back out of no where. He was my favorite aswell. Which fish is your tank boss?

Im not suprised the Frontosa juvie is doing okay. Ive introduced some small juvies with no problems. I find the juvies to be hardest on each other. The big fish seem to leave them alone aslong as the juvies stay down low in the rocks. If they are too small than they are dinner. I have a tiny juvie in my tank. He's managing to stay alive. Its always fun watching him dart around inbetween the rocks and at feeding time. He's the under dog


----------



## JTang

Seriously, I don't really know which is the tank boss. Lol. There isn't any chasing around in the tank n everyone gets along fine....

Btw, I just reduced the stock a bit by getting raid of 3 of the 4 Venustus last night.

The little guy is out swimming again today.  He only hangs out near the cave n retreats back into the cave when he senses danger.


















And here are 2 of the 6 Albino BNP's that were added last week. They are also the latest addition.


----------



## jbyoung00008

Good call on the Bristle Noses. They are cleaning machines and they seem to do just fine in African water. They look like Long Fin Albino's??? 

Any plans for future fish. Or are you happy with what you have now?


----------



## Dylan

wow you have a pretty stocked tank! how big is the biggest fish in there?


----------



## JTang

jbyoung00008 said:


> Good call on the Bristle Noses. They are cleaning machines and they seem to do just fine in African water. They look like Long Fin Albino's???
> 
> Any plans for future fish. Or are you happy with what you have now?


I bought them as short fin. Can probably tell better once they get a bit bigger. I'm quite happy with current stock. Everyone gets along fine. I don't mind adding a 2"-3" male blue dolphin if I can find a nice one. Heehehe...


----------



## JTang

Dylan said:


> wow you have a pretty stocked tank! how big is the biggest fish in there?


There are 5 big 5" ones, bunch of 2"-3" and some 1" plus the baby Frontosa. Due to the heavy stock, I have to keep up with the 30% WC every 4 days. Lucky that I have a python now. I can get the job done under half an hour.


----------



## Dylan

Yeah thats always good, and what will you do when everybodys full size? What are the measurements of your tank?


----------



## JTang

Dylan said:


> Yeah thats always good, and what will you do when everybodys full size? What are the measurements of your tank?


My tank is the same as yours. 72"x18"x24" I believe... Well as soon as they color up, I will decide which one is staying n which one is going. Lol


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## jbyoung00008

JTang said:


> There are 5 big 5" ones, bunch of 2"-3" and some 1" plus the baby Frontosa. Due to the heavy stock, I have to keep up with the 30% WC every 4 days. Lucky that I have a python now. I can get the job done under half an hour.


A water change every 4 days. Yikes! What made you decide on every 4 days and 30%. Did you find something wrong? Was something changing after that period of time?


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## JTang

jbyoung00008 said:


> A water change every 4 days. Yikes! What made you decide on every 4 days and 30%. Did you find something wrong? Was something changing after that period of time?


I actually find it not bad. I started with daily 30% WC after I introduced the gang of 36! Then every 2 days after 10 days. More frequent WC's allow me to feed heavier n I read that the fish grow faster with cleaner water... Correct me if I'm wrong.


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## jbyoung00008

JTang said:


> I actually find it not bad. I started with daily 30% WC after I introduced the gang of 36! Then every 2 days after 10 days. More frequent WC's allow me to feed heavier n I read that the fish grow faster with cleaner water... Correct me if I'm wrong.


Yes the fish grow faster if you change the water more freequent. Reason being...... Fish give off pheromones. The pheromones are what tells the fish to grow or not to grow. The faster you remove the Pheromones the faster the fish grow because there is less of them in the water  This is why discus breeders change the water everyday. Baby discus are hard to keep. So the faster you grow them the better. Remove the pheromones. Problem solved.

I will need to do more research but IME and readings. Feeding your fish more doesnt make them grow faster. Changing the water more freequently does. So feeding more does nothing except create more waste in the tank. I will try to find something to prove this theory. Obviously your fish need to eat. But having them all swimming around with pot bellies doesnt mean they are going to get bigger faster. Again this is my opinion. I need to find facts to back it up.

I feed my fish twice a day. Im not trying to say you are over feeding. Im just trying to bring some attention to the issue of over feeding for others. Its such a common mistake.

Im looking for a good article on Pheromones. I will post one when I find one  so far no luck.


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## JTang

Thanks for the info. I feed them twice (2 large pinches) a day. If I'm home during lunch time, they get an extra meal. I don't use UV that's why I have to keep up with water changes. Better be safe than sorry. Lol


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## MOLOTO

John,

We only do 60% weekly water changes on all our tanks. You've seen in person how large our fish can grow.


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## JTang

MOLOTO said:


> John,
> 
> We only do 60% weekly water changes on all our tanks. You've seen in person how large our fish can grow.


Hey that's easier! Good to know. Thanks guys!


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## Vancitycam

Hey how's the tank doing time for a pics update ??  would love to see that red shoulder.


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## JTang

Your red shoulder is doing good man! Don't worry! Lol. I haven't done any changes to the tank so I didn't bother updating the journal. No new fish, just nice.er now. Baby Frontosa is now little Frontosa (just about an inch). He is still very cautious and usually hangs out around the cave. I only see him in the open during feeding time.

The light (T8?) that came with the tank is kinda dim and yellowish. I have thought about changing it but not sure if it is worth it. Some 4' LED's will be nice!


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## Sidius

Nice tank JT!!! I've been dormant on these forums for a while but I still have my 90g Hap/Peacock tank. Although the plants of slowly died off/been eaten. The 180g is collecting dust in storage. Now that my gf moved in, there's no room for it.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I see a potential for WW3 with that stock list. In an all male tank, you typically don't want more than one of each species and in some cases like the Nimbochromis types, you only want one of that type. It may work in a 6ft tank but be prepared to separate them or deal with aggression (unless your plan is to grown them out until you spot a male and get rid of the rest). You've got some beauties in there. Good choice on sticking with BCA members for buying stock. The local LFS rarely bring in nice Africans. I got most of mine from Fairdeals (Harold) as did a lot of guys around these parts.


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## JTang

Thanks for the advice man! 

So far everyone is getting along fine. Honestly I can't even tell which is the boss of the tank. Lol I rarely see any chasing around. They are always hungry like pigs, always begging for food when I'm around! I only feed them twice a day but when they started splashing water onto the floor, I will give them a snack. Lucky that I have ceramic floor.


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## jbyoung00008

What works for one, doesnt always work for another. Especially when it comes to Africans. My Africans chase eack other all the time and its obvious who the tank boss is. However I can grow plants no problemo, most others cant. The weird and crazy world of African. Got to LOVE it !!!!!!! Its all part of the fun


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## JTang

Just want to post some updates on this one...

Stock is the same as months ago. I did add a beautiful 2.5" Red Jacob from IPU Rmd but it didnt make it. Couple of larger fish were bullying him and he only lasted a week. 

I'm now doing less frequent WC, 40% a week only. Oh n today I picked up a new (used) light fixture - 72W LED with 54 White &18 Blue. It's much brighter than the old T8 that came with the tank. However, it is only 48" long so the ends are a bit dim. Im going to raise it up a bit to get better coverage. For the time being...

Before:









Now:
Both white and blue LEDs ON with my DIY LED strips set to Red:


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## JTang

Have to reduce brightness on the camera for better pics. Lol


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## Otolith

It may just be the photos, but I prefer the lights dimmed in those last shots. The colour of the fish really stand out compared to the higher intensity which almost bleaches them. Either way, looks fantastic!


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## JTang

Otolith said:


> It may just be the photos, but I prefer the lights dimmed in those last shots. The colour of the fish really stand out compared to the higher intensity which almost bleaches them. Either way, looks fantastic!


Only the first picture is T8. Last 4 are LED.
It appears brighter in the pictures than actual. The blue really pops now! The white is too bright but I like it more than the old yellowish light from the T8.


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## AKAmikeross

wow nice setup... love your fish. Where they all acquired locally?


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## JTang

mikeross said:


> wow nice setup... love your fish. Where they all acquired locally?


Most of them were from a lot that I bought several weeks after setting up the tank! Check out the beginning of the journal.


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## JTang

JTang said:


> Most of them were from a lot that I bought several weeks after setting up the tank! Check out the beginning of the journal.


Actually it's on Page 8 @ 2 weeks. Lol


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## JTang

A few close up shots with the new light...


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## jbyoung00008

Looking good. Great variety of Africans. You have some nice fish in there. Is that a Rusty Mbuna in a couple of pictures?


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## Vancitycam

Nice update lights look good! Now let's see my old red shoulder under the LEDs lol I didn't have mine yet when I still had that big guy


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## randylahey

Nice tank jtang and nice light. It makes me really want to do an African tank and get one step closer to the trifecta (planted, african and reef). Aquataders does sell a suspension bracket kit for about $20 all in.

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## jbyoung00008

randylahey said:


> Nice tank jtang and nice light. It makes me really want to do an African tank and get one step closer to the trifecta (planted, african and reef). Aquataders does sell a suspension bracket kit for about $20 all in.
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


I highly recommend Africans. I know Jtang will agree they are a lot of fun and beautiful fish. If you can get plants to grow its even more fun. Its addictive collecting the different species.


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## charles

another way to use a 48" LED on top of a 6 foot tank. Put the light on one side of the tank only leaving the other side darker. Always feed on the brighter side or where the light is. Eventually, your fish will always go there to ask for food. Now you have a dimmer side for the fish to hide or rest when they want to. It is much more natural this way. Light in the middle of tank or coast to coast way to put light is only for us human, not so much for the fish.

Great looking light and fish...


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## JTang

jbyoung00008 said:


> Looking good. Great variety of Africans. You have some nice fish in there. Is that a Rusty Mbuna in a couple of pictures?


Yeah thats a Rusty. He's a mean little guy that sometimes chases others around. Lol


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## JTang

Vancitycam said:


> Nice update lights look good! Now let's see my old red shoulder under the LEDs lol I didn't have mine yet when I still had that big guy


Your old buddy is a bit shy. Maybe he doesn't like to hang out under the bright light... I will try to snap a picture of him when i get home.


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## JTang

randylahey said:


> Nice tank jtang and nice light. It makes me really want to do an African tank and get one step closer to the trifecta (planted, african and reef). Aquataders does sell a suspension bracket kit for about $20 all in.
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Hey Greg (n Charles), thanks for getting me into the LED light. I'm sure I will be getting more for my other tanks in the near future. Africans are beautiful! You should set one up too. They are easy to feed n low maintenance unlike those picky Discus. The only problem for me with Africans is that they splash water like crazy whenever they see me moving around in the room. I really have to get tops for it since it is getting really ignoring. One time I got splashed from 6' away! Not even funny!


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## JTang

Vancitycam said:


> Nice update lights look good! Now let's see my old red shoulder under the LEDs lol I didn't have mine yet when I still had that big guy


Here he is! This is the only decent shot I got. Lol


Now some actinic shots with DIY LED strip set to Red.


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## Vancitycam

Looking good man, LEDs are the way to pop your colour on your Africans I love mine and don't know why I waited to upgrade.


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## AKAmikeross

charles said:


> another way to use a 48" LED on top of a 6 foot tank. Put the light on one side of the tank only leaving the other side darker. Always feed on the brighter side or where the light is. Eventually, your fish will always go there to ask for food. Now you have a dimmer side for the fish to hide or rest when they want to. It is much more natural this way. Light in the middle of tank or coast to coast way to put light is only for us human, not so much for the fish.
> 
> Great looking light and fish...


I had a tank setup like this a couple years ago... actually preferred the look... more natural looking IMO.


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## AKAmikeross

Vancitycam said:


> Looking good man, LEDs are the way to pop your colour on your Africans I love mine and don't know why I waited to upgrade.


Whats your current LED setup.


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## AKAmikeross

Fish and light looks awesome bud. What type of fish in the top, top left/center or the tank, amber/yellowish colored one?


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## JTang

mikeross said:


> Fish and light looks awesome bud. What type of fish in the top, top left/center or the tank, amber/yellowish colored one?
> 
> View attachment 36537


That big, red one? Yeah he really stands out from the crowd! I was told that he is some hybrid... Don't know who the father n mother are! Lol


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## AKAmikeross

JTang said:


> That big, red one? Yeah he really stands out from the crowd! I was told that he is some hybrid... Don't know who the father n mother are! Lol


yeah, hes super nice.


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## AKAmikeross

Didn't realize you were local to me... I live in Cidatel area too. Any chance you went to school with justin? I swung by his place to pick up a fish and looks like we went to school together. 

Are you relying on those dual xp3's for water movement or do you have some powerheads in there... if so what size? 

What are you feeding these guys?


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## JTang

mikeross said:


> Didn't realize you were local to me... I live in Cidatel area too. Any chance you went to school with justin? I swung by his place to pick up a fish and looks like we went to school together.
> 
> Are you relying on those dual xp3's for water movement or do you have some powerheads in there... if so what size?
> 
> What are you feeding these guys?


No, i dont think so. Im new to Citadel. I used to live near Coq Center (Ranch Park). We moved here only 6 years ago. Besides, when I went to high school, you guys were probably still wearing diapers! Lol

I do have 2 Koralia 1050's (one on each end) for added flow. As for food, they get a mix of NLS (small, medium) and Hikari large pellets. Sometimes they also get a bit of mysis shrimps.... left over food for the marine folks.


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