# 180g African Cichlid Tank



## Sidius (Mar 25, 2012)

Some of you may know that a little over a year ago I purchased my dream tank from Rogers Aquatics. After a year in storage and toying with the idea of selling it due to having no space for it (long story), we finally bought our first townhouse and it had an awesome spot for the 180 in the living room!

The plan is to house my current African cichlids plus a bunch more and attempt to grow low light plants like anubias + java fern and possibly some vals, hygro and an amazon sword. I won't be using co2 and I'm trying to avoid heavy dosing of ferts for them. We'll see how they do and adjust accordingly.

Here are the first pics of it with my new lighting, dry with sand (Don't mind the grainy pics, I'll take better photos with my DSLR soon). I'm heading out this weekend to buy some new rocks and I still have a nice piece of manzanita wood to add that I ordered in from Tom Barr back when I first got the tank. Once I've picked up the rocks, I'll be filling it with water and going to pick up the Africans in my 90g from it's temp home @ the mother-in-law-to-be's house.







Equipment list:

Tank:
Aqueon tank 72x24x24 180 gallon tank and stand

Lighting:
Current USA 36" (x2) Freshwater+ LED's
Current USA LED Lunar moonlights (not shown in pic)
Current USA Dual ramp timer/controller
Hagen GLO T5HO fixture with 2 x 54W Giesemann bulbs (Aquaflora + Pure Actinic)

Filtration/Circulation:
Eheim 2080 Canister
Eheim 2075 Canister
2 x AC110 HOB filters
2 x Hydor 1500 gph powerheads
TMC Vecton 6 25watt UV (not installed yet)

Heaters:
2 x Eheim 300watt

Current stock list:
Nimbochromis venustus
Nimbochromis fuscotaeniatus
Cyrtocara moorii
Cyphotilapia Frontosa Burundi
Dimidiochromis compressiceps
Copadichromis borleyi
Protomelas fenestratus
Protomelas sp. "Steveni Taiwan" (Taiwan Reef)
Placidochromis sp. "Phenochilus Tanzania"
Placidochromis electra
Aulonocara jacobfreibergi "Eureka"
Aulonocara jacobfreibergi (Undu Reef)
Aulonocara maulana "Bi-color 500"
Aulonocara stuartgranti (Usisya)
Aulonocara sp. "Stuartgranti Maleri"
Aulonocara sp. "Lwanda"
Dragon's blood peacock
Metriaclima sp. "Dolphin Manda"
Cynotilapia sp. "hara" - this could also be Cynotilapia zebroides (Jalo Reef)
Pseudotropheus socolofi (Albino)
Pseudotropheus sp. "Acei" (White tail) x 4
Pseudotropheus sp. "Acei" (Yellow tail)
Labidochromis caeruleus x 4
Synodontis petricola x 8
Pictus Catfish x 3
Bristlenose pleco x2
L200a High Fin Green Phantom
L204 Flash panaque
L191 Dull eyed panaque


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

that is a lot of filters... with the two eheim, you can skip the ac110. I would put a couple more circulation powerheads.


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## Sidius (Mar 25, 2012)

I will have a pretty heavy bioload with my complete stock list so I'm aiming for way over filtered.. Once I see the flow in the tank filled, I may add more powerheads and drop one of the AC110's


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## jbyoung00008 (May 16, 2011)

Looking good buddy. I have a bunch of plants to start you off with out my tank. I have lots of Jungle Vals. That hygro you gave me as well. We also got in a bunch of XL Java ferns at work I could grab a few for you. 

I cant wait to see the tank come together. You better not think yours will be nicer than mine LOL 

Lights look good to me. You can always try a par meter and see how much light those are giving off. Than Ill check mine and see what my lights give off. Id love to make the switch to the lights you bought. What a great idea to buy the US Current fixtures


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## Sidius (Mar 25, 2012)

jbyoung00008 said:


> Looking good buddy. I have a bunch of plants to start you off with out my tank. I have lots of Jungle Vals. That hygro you gave me as well. We also got in a bunch of XL Java ferns at work I could grab a few for you.
> 
> I cant wait to see the tank come together. You better not think yours will be nicer than mine LOL
> 
> Lights look good to me. You can always try a par meter and see how much light those are giving off. Than Ill check mine and see what my lights give off. Id love to make the switch to the lights you bought. What a great idea to buy the US Current fixtures


LOL I wonder who gave me the idea of the Current USA fixtures... It's a 6ft tank so I win by default


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## Vman (Jan 20, 2011)

Nice set up.What Africans are you keeping?Perfect tank for tropheus.


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## Sidius (Mar 25, 2012)

Vman said:


> Nice set up.What Africans are you keeping?Perfect tank for tropheus.


Haps/Peacocks and a few Mbuna

Here's my current stocklist from my 90g:
Nimbochromis venustus, Nimbochromis fuscotaeniatus, Cyrtocara moorii, Copadichromis borleyi, Placidochromis electra, Aulonocara maulana (Bi-color 500), Aulonocara sp. "Lwanda", Aulonocara sp. "Stuartgranti Maleri", Dragon's blood peacock, Frontosa, Metriaclima sp. "Dolphin Manda", Synodontis petricola x 8, Pictus Catfish x 3, Bristlenose pleco x2

I plan on adding a bunch more down the road as well...


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## Just-Koi (Oct 29, 2012)

Very nice set-up. Can't wait to see some fish in it.


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## onefishtwofish (Apr 21, 2010)

I think you picked that house cause it has the perfect spot for the tank. what a nice feature wall. looks good! is that aragonite sand?


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## Sidius (Mar 25, 2012)

onefishtwofish said:


> I think you picked that house cause it has the perfect spot for the tank. what a nice feature wall. looks good! is that aragonite sand?


Haha thanks! The first thing we said about this place was that it had the perfect wall for this tank. When we painted after moving in, we decided to make that a feature wall with the dark brown colour.

It's actually pool filter sand from Langley By-Water. Cheap sand and it looks great.


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## indreamx (Dec 5, 2013)

Wow man it look really nice


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## Vancitycam (Oct 23, 2012)

Looks so nice there, can't wait to see it with the fish. Very jealous, I love my tank but a couple more feet would be pretty sweet too.


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## Sidius (Mar 25, 2012)

Thanks guys!

I filled it with water last night so I could adjust the heaters to the right temp and establish the PH/GH/KH a couple days prior to grabbing my fish from their temp home (my old 90g at the mother-in-law-to-be's house). I'm having troubles accessing photobucket today from work or I would post a couple pics of it being filled.


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## skabooya (Jun 15, 2010)

That is a gorgeous tank..... I want it.


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## AKAmikeross (Nov 5, 2012)

Tanks coming along nicely... looking forward to updates and fish pics.

I thought you planned to sell this setup? Bet your stoked its coming together and finally setting it up.

How are you liking the lighting? I want to sell my dual 36" double brights for either a single 48"current usa + or dual 36". I assume you got a controller and additional moon lights to create a sun rise/set? Whats you plan on the lighting cycle? Where did you buy the gear from... online?


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## AKAmikeross (Nov 5, 2012)

What is your goal km/gh? Are you planning to mix your own or are you using seachem products?


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## Sidius (Mar 25, 2012)

It's finally up and running with fish!

jbyoung0008 and I did a tour through some LFS and picked up some rocks from Northwest landscape this weekend. Here is my first tankscape attempt with this tank so let me know your thoughts!

I picked up the following fish (all in the 1.5-2" range)

White tail acei x 4
Albino socolofi x 4
Yellow lab x 4

I'm aiming for 1m/2-3f in each group of Mbuna and if they cause problems down the road, I'll get rid of them


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## Sidius (Mar 25, 2012)

AKAmikeross said:


> Tanks coming along nicely... looking forward to updates and fish pics.
> 
> I thought you planned to sell this setup? Bet your stoked its coming together and finally setting it up.
> 
> How are you liking the lighting? I want to sell my dual 36" double brights for either a single 48"current usa + or dual 36". I assume you got a controller and additional moon lights to create a sun rise/set? Whats you plan on the lighting cycle? Where did you buy the gear from... online?


Yes I did almost sell this tank. Well I put it up for sale at least. I never did get any offers even close to what it was worth so I decided to keep it.

I like the lighting so far. It's not quite as bright as I had hoped but I think I might add my 48" GLO T5HO fixture to it as well. My only real complaint is that the controller that Current USA sells can have issues with this fixture. I've followed their instructions but it blinks off/on randomly and it does it quite a bit. I've put in a ticket with them to try and figure out where I might have gone wrong with the settings. Oh and yes I'm using their dual ramp timer for sunrise/sunset and I still have to install some of their lunar LED's to run on the second channel for moonlights. I bought it all online from Ken's fish in the US.



AKAmikeross said:


> What is your goal km/gh? Are you planning to mix your own or are you using seachem products?


I use seachem products pretty much exclusively. There are sources to get it for fairly cheap online and it is reliable. Because I'm planning on keeping plants in this tank, I'm not positive on what kh/gh I'm going to aim for but I think in the end I'll aim for a PH of around 7.8-8.0.


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## jbyoung00008 (May 16, 2011)

Looks awesome Jamie. Very natural looking. I might be a little bias LOL. I cant wait to see it once you add all your other fish.


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## Sidius (Mar 25, 2012)

jbyoung00008 said:


> Looks awesome Jamie. Very natural looking. I might be a little bias LOL. I cant wait to see it once you add all your other fish.


Thanks Justin! I still have some more rocks that we picked out to use, if I want to build up my rock pile a bit more.

If all goes as planned, I should be adding my other fish tonight. I've sent Charles a PM about picking up a high fin green phantom pleco as well.


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## Steve (Mar 27, 2013)

Looks great! What plant is on the right hand side?


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## Vancitycam (Oct 23, 2012)

Liking the scape especially the left with that branchy part.


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## Sidius (Mar 25, 2012)

Steve said:


> Looks great! What plant is on the right hand side?


It's a couple bunches of anubias wedged between 2 rocks


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## Sidius (Mar 25, 2012)

Vancitycam said:


> Liking the scape especially the left with that branchy part.


Thanks Cam! I wanted to leave the right side a little more open but I may add some more rocks and wood to that side as well, we'll see.


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## Sidius (Mar 25, 2012)

So just a note to anyone that's reading my journal and curious about the lighting... They have been randomly blinking quite frequently since I bought them and hooked them up to the dual ramp timer/controller. I put in a ticket today and found out that because I'm running 2 x 36" fixtures, the power adapter that they sent (the controller didn't come with an adapter at all) with the fixtures does not have the amperage/wattage to power both fixtures and the controller. They also don't make one (seriously they don't make a power adapter to run more than one fixture plugged into a dual channel controller). I have to find an after market adapter that is 12v and 50+ watts with a 5.5mm diameter jack in order to use these fixtures with their controller. If anyone can suggest one, please let me know. Otherwise.... I'll be digging through the web to find one...


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## AKAmikeross (Nov 5, 2012)

Lee's Electronics

4522 Main Street,
Vancouver, B.C.,
V5V 3R5
Canada

Monday-Friday: 8:30AM - 5:30PM
Saturday: 8:30AM - 4:30PM
Tel: (604) 875-1993
Fax: (604) 872-7728


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## Sidius (Mar 25, 2012)

So just an update, I moved all the old residents of my 90g into this tank last night. The fish seem to be loving all the extra space. It's nice to finally see them in a home that actually fits them. With all the additions of my old cycled filters as well, the tank was pretty cloudy last night. I'll take some photos tonight and post them in here.


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## AKAmikeross (Nov 5, 2012)

Looking forward to the pics.

Sounds like you moved your fish/cycled gear from your in-laws to your current place. How long did the move take?

I also use PFS from langley by-water...Its pretty dusty stuff but looks awesome. I saw this youtube technique that allows you to add PFS right out of the bag without any cloudiness, and still clean the sand very well. It took me less then 10 min to clean 100lbs of sand. Within an hour the tank was very clear. I was skeptical at first but this method really works,

Any updated on a fairdeals group buy?

I am certain I am going to do my first online purchase this year. I am currently looking at these breeders, they all ship to canada. Shipping fish into canada and going to the airport to pick them up is something I have no experience doing.

Fish
Quinn's Fins - Live African Cichlids to you
Boesters Cichlids - Malawi Price List
Cichlaholic.com - Fish Lists
Captain Cichlids


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## Sidius (Mar 25, 2012)

All in all it took about 3 hours including driving time to move them all over to their new home...

No updates from Harold yet.. I've sent him about 5 emails, none of them have been answered and I haven't heard from him in almost a month now. No idea what his problem is but his customer service never used to be like this.

It's pretty easy to deal with online purchases. Mind you I've only ever done it from Fairdeals (Harold). You show up to the airport, usually wait an hour or two because there is some kind of delay, then they bring out the fish. In some cases you might need to actually go to the airport to sign for the package but I never had to with Harold. If you're buying from a good source, the quality of fish will be light years better than any LFS you could buy from. Let me know if you're thinking of organizing an order and I'll probably join in.

FYI - Wet Spot won't deliver to Canada, at least not in my experience.


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## Vancitycam (Oct 23, 2012)

From those posted by mike I have only dealt with spencer jack, so I can't speak for American suppliers but spencer jack was very quick explained everything all cost included and p/u was no wait for me from yvr. Quality was superior to any lfs and if they do order these guys it's twice the price. I haven't dealt with Harold but got his fish off other members they are very nice as well for this reason id stay with a Canadian source for shipping ease and cost, if they have what you want.


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## AKAmikeross (Nov 5, 2012)

Yeah still doing my research on who I want to go with. I really would like to get my hands on a confirmed male insignus, rhodesi, nototaenia, maybe a christyi and champsochromis. Looks like quinns fish is leading the pack for what i'm looking for. He's prices are cheap for medium fish which are confirmed sex and he has shipped to canada so should be able to help out with the process. Shipping to BC is 100 but unsure how many fish fit in one box.

Any idea how many fish per box, based on your group order experience


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## Steve (Mar 27, 2013)

I've done an America to Canada order which involves having to pass the fish through customs. It's a fairly straightforward process as long as you don't bring in any CITES species or anything illegal and what not. I also do not believe wetspot ships to Canada which is unfortaunte because they're supposedly one of the best.


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## AKAmikeross (Nov 5, 2012)

I was thinking of visiting a friend in portland, its about a 5 hour drive one way. I also have a mailbox in Bellingham which will hold any package for me. 

Did you contact lee's electronics. I would just go there and explain your lighting issue and he should be able to have what you need in stock ore tell you where to get it if they dont stock it. He's got pretty decent prices for everything too.


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

Easy enough to drive it back from the border if you can get it delivered to a receiving place there. 

Sent from my gigantic Samsung Note 2


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## jbyoung00008 (May 16, 2011)

I spoke to the online sales guy at the wet spot a few months back. He said they can ship to Blaine using FedEx. He gave me a 3hr window of when it would arrive. Seems easy enough to me


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## Sidius (Mar 25, 2012)

Vancitycam said:


> From those posted by mike I have only dealt with spencer jack, so I can't speak for American suppliers but spencer jack was very quick explained everything all cost included and p/u was no wait for me from yvr. Quality was superior to any lfs and if they do order these guys it's twice the price. I haven't dealt with Harold but got his fish off other members they are very nice as well for this reason id stay with a Canadian source for shipping ease and cost, if they have what you want.


Ya I'd probably order from Spencer Jack. His latest list didn't have that many I was interested in and I'm also not into a massive order of fish right now. I already picked up 3 groups of mbuna and I just want the fish I have to get used to their new home. If Harold does get back to me, I will still start the group order and if someone else is starting one for somewhere else, I'd likely order a few fish though.


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## Sidius (Mar 25, 2012)

Here's a video I shot last night with my Canon T3i. Sorry if it's a little out of focus at times, I'm still learning how to use this camera after a year.


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## Steve (Mar 27, 2013)

Looks really good man! You aren't worried the mbuna are going to get eaten by the peacocks?


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## Sidius (Mar 25, 2012)

Steve said:


> Looks really good man! You aren't worried the mbuna are going to get eaten by the peacocks?


LOL a little because they're so small but I've added fish that size before and they did just fine. The yellow labs are brave little buggers. They're out swimming around with the big boys and the white tail acei will come out a bit but the albino socolofi's are pretty timid. They've basically dug themselves a cave under some rocks and stay in there most of the time.


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## Sidius (Mar 25, 2012)

I added the following from Petland Poco over the weekend... all 1.5-2" males

Cynotilapia zebroides (Jalo Reef) - This one could also end up being a White top afra. They had both in the same tank...
Aulonocara jacobfreibergi (Undu Reef) - Lemon Jake
Aulonocara jacobfreibergi "Eureka"


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## Vancitycam (Oct 23, 2012)

Looking good man, I'm kinda missing my all male group now but without a six foot it wasn't happening. Atleas knowing the owner of my old fish I still see them from time to time. Still have to see this tank with all the fish sometime im curious about the lighting control.


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## Sidius (Mar 25, 2012)

I should have the proper rated power adapter this week and then I'll update you on how it's all working. I'm hoping with the proper watts/amps running to the fixtures, they're a bit brighter. Once it's all running, I might add my 48" T5HO fixture to come on for 4-6 hours per day as well, on a different timer.


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## BaoBeiZhu (Apr 24, 2010)

what kind of rocks are those big boulders?


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## AKAmikeross (Nov 5, 2012)

Sidius said:


> I added the following from Petland Poco over the weekend... all 1.5-2" males
> 
> Cynotilapia zebroides (Jalo Reef) - This one could also end up being a White top afra. They had both in the same tank...
> Aulonocara jacobfreibergi (Undu Reef) - Lemon Jake
> Aulonocara jacobfreibergi "Eureka"


they must have just gotten a new order of africans. I was there last week and did not see any lemon jakes. I have been looking for a male. Do you think they might have a male or two left?


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## Sidius (Mar 25, 2012)

It's possible. They're pretty small though.

I talked with Kim and they're about to put in an order the first week of April. She said it's been about a month since they ordered any Africans.


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## Sidius (Mar 25, 2012)

BaoBeiZhu said:


> what kind of rocks are those big boulders?


They're basalt boulders


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## Sidius (Mar 25, 2012)

I added the following fish from IPU yesterday...

Protomelas sp. steveni taiwan reef
Dimidiochromis compressiceps
Aulonocara stuartgranti (Usisya)

And the following 2 from Charles @ Canadian Aquatics

Placidochromis sp. "Phenochilus Tanzania"
L200a High Fin Green phantom pleco


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## kim86 (Sep 5, 2012)

Thanks for stopping by Petland  was great to meet you! Hope the fish you got color up real nice


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## Steve (Mar 27, 2013)

Ohhh I was thinknig of getting a L200A phantom! Hows it doing in the tank so far?


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## Sidius (Mar 25, 2012)

kim86 said:


> Thanks for stopping by Petland  was great to meet you! Hope the fish you got color up real nice


Thanks Kim! Let me know before you put in your next order for Spencer Jack



Steve said:


> Ohhh I was thinknig of getting a L200A phantom! Hows it doing in the tank so far?


So far it seems to be doing great.. He's pretty active and moves around a lot. I think he's kind of annoyed with the africans to be honest, but I've never seen any of the other fish bug him at all. He just doesn't seem to like it when they swim too close.


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## Sidius (Mar 25, 2012)

For those that are following my journal.. The power supply for my lights finally arrived and it's all working perfectly.. I decided to add my old GLO T5HO fixture with 2 x 54W Giesemann bulbs (Aquaflora + Pure Actinic) on a separate timer to come on for 6 hours a day as well (I might increase it to 8).. The plants get a little more light and my fish's colours really pop now. I'll update with some pictures soon!


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## Sidius (Mar 25, 2012)

I just added the following fish over the weekend..

4" Yellow tail acei
3.5-4" Blue peacock (unsure what species at this time)
L191 dull eyed panaque

I'm planning a photo shoot tonight, when I get home from work.


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## Reckon (Jul 25, 2012)

Can't wait to see the pics!


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## AKAmikeross (Nov 5, 2012)

Looking forward to the pics.

Not sure if you mentioned in the journal but what are you using to maintain your GH and KH?


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## Sidius (Mar 25, 2012)

AKAmikeross said:


> Looking forward to the pics.
> 
> Not sure if you mentioned in the journal but what are you using to maintain your GH and KH?


I use Seachem cichlid lake salts and Malawi/Victoria buffer and I think I'm going to pick up some Equilibrium as well. I've been told it might help my success rate with plants and it helps bring up the GH, which apparently the others I'm using do not.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Sidius said:


> I use Seachem cichlid lake salts and Malawi/Victoria buffer and I think I'm going to pick up some Equilibrium as well. I've been told it might help my success rate with plants and it helps bring up the GH, which apparently the others I'm using do not.


This is in err. The cichlid salts contain plenty of Mg and Ca which will bring up the GH. What they lack is sufficient K, which Equilibrium has plenty of. If you want to bump up the K, jut buy some K2SO4 and dose that. It will also boost your GH some more also.


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## Sidius (Mar 25, 2012)

2wheelsx2 said:


> This is in err. The cichlid salts contain plenty of Mg and Ca which will bring up the GH. What they lack is sufficient K, which Equilibrium has plenty of. If you want to bump up the K, jut buy some K2SO4 and dose that. It will also boost your GH some more also.


Is that all I'm missing, by not dosing Equilibrium? I never seem to have any success with plants, aside from some Hygro and Anubias. I see Justin's tank (jbyoung0008) with thriving plants and I wonder what he's doing different. I could try root tabs again, although I didn't have much success last time. He doesn't dose any fertilizers that I know of in his African tank. Every val I've ever tried just melts away, including ones that Justin has given me from his tank lol.


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## jbyoung00008 (May 16, 2011)

Sidius said:


> I use Seachem cichlid lake salts and Malawi/Victoria buffer and I think I'm going to pick up some Equilibrium as well. I've been told it might help my success rate with plants and it helps bring up the GH, which apparently the others I'm using do not.


Test the Gh of your tap water, than test the Gh of your tank water. Im curious on your numbers.

I dose Flourish Comprehensive for fertz and occasionally add root tabs.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

It's pretty tough to tell without analyzing all your tank parameters. I have not done plants with Africans so I can't tell you. My planted tanks are all low ph/GH/KH tanks with/without CO2 injection and various amounts of lighting and I keep plants which will survive based on the types of fish in there (ie, no carpet plants in gravel with plecos etc.). Since Justin is having success with his tanks with Africans and plants, he's probably the best person to give you advice on the plant types you can use and the lighting/planting.


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## jbyoung00008 (May 16, 2011)

I was thinking about what 2wheelsx2 said. Im using caribsea African substrate. Which has aragonite and shells in it so that is possibly helping keep my GH get a little higher than yours and it gives the plants some of th eelements they need???? Maybe us having totally different substrate is part of the issue. Ive never tried growing plants in sand before and from what Ive gathered sand can collapse on roots which isn't a good thing. Just a thought  We will get plants growing in there.


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## Sidius (Mar 25, 2012)

Ya now that you bring that up.. I have thought it might be related to the substrate. If nothing else, it's been difficult to get plants to stay in the substrate when using sand. The sand isn't heavy enough so the fish can pull them out a lot easier (just a theory). At this point though, I'm not changing out all my substrate so I'll have to work with it (plus I love the look of the PFS). I'm sure I can get some plants to grow in there


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## Sidius (Mar 25, 2012)

Here's an updated video that I just filmed tonight with my Galaxy


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## AKAmikeross (Nov 5, 2012)

Tanks looking good.

I asked about your KH and GH because I am dosing seachem products per instructions on the back and my GH, and especially my KH are still low. 

That blue dolphin looks huge. Any idea how old he is? Did you raise him up to that size or acquire him large like that.


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## Sidius (Mar 25, 2012)

Thanks man.

What's your gh/kh sitting at and how's your ph?

Ya he is getting pretty big! I bought him from a BCA member that used to breed them. He was about 2-2.5" when I got him.


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## jbyoung00008 (May 16, 2011)

The tank looks awesome and the fish seem happy. They have lots of room to swim. Im jealous!!!


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## Sidius (Mar 25, 2012)

jbyoung00008 said:


> The tank looks awesome and the fish seem happy. They have lots of room to swim. Im jealous!!!


Thanks Justin!!

I'm still seeing a lot of aggression between some of the fish (fish that were fine in the 90g together, only a month ago) but for the most part they do seem happy. I actually think the new aggression is because they're happier.


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## AKAmikeross (Nov 5, 2012)

Sidius said:


> Thanks man.
> 
> What's your gh/kh sitting at and how's your ph?
> 
> Pseudotropheus cyaneorhabdos


I am using seachem's buffer @ 7g and their salt @5g per 10gallons. This gets me a GH around 9 drops and a KH 6 drops... PH always around 8.2

My wife had a bag of epson salt so I decided to try and raise my GH. I ended up adding 1tbsp per 5g and it had brought my GH to around 18 drops which might be a little high, not sure.

The epson salt worked great and I am thinking of picking up some baking soda and trying out a home brew to buffer the water. I have about 500G each of the seachem products so going to use that up first.

I guess I need to add more buffer to reach the levels I want, but with my current tank + another big tank soon, it makes sense to try these cheaper homemade buffer.


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## AKAmikeross (Nov 5, 2012)

Tomorrow is my water change day and I am thinking of adding some baking soda to bring my KH up.

I know espon is for GH and baking soda is for KH but many people are also adding marine salt. Any idea what the marine salt does to the water chemistry and fish


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## Sidius (Mar 25, 2012)

No clue what marine salt would do.. I've never used it.

I've thought about trying out a home made buffer but in the end, it seems like a lot of work and a lot of potential variables that could change from batch to batch (unless you're exact with your measurements I guess).. For me, the seachem salt and malawi buffer has always done an awesome job and my fish are always happy. You can also get it for super cheap out of the US from Ken's fish. I bought 4kg buckets of both from him for less than $100, shipping incl.


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## Steve (Mar 27, 2013)

I use this homemade buffer mixture: Rift Lake Buffer Recipe - Cichlid Salt with crushed coral/aragonite substrate and both of my tanks are breeding and fish have pretty good growth. pH is a little high at around 9.0 though (good for my tangs, maybe not as great for my mbuna)!


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## AKAmikeross (Nov 5, 2012)

Sidius said:


> No clue what marine salt would do.. I've never used it.
> 
> I've thought about trying out a home made buffer but in the end, it seems like a lot of work and a lot of potential variables that could change from batch to batch (unless you're exact with your measurements I guess).. For me, the seachem salt and malawi buffer has always done an awesome job and my fish are always happy. You can also get it for super cheap out of the US from Ken's fish. I bought 4kg buckets of both from him for less than $100, shipping incl.


So how much of each seachem product are you using? I assume your measuring out by the tbs? Would love to know how much your measuring out per 10 or 5 gallons and compare it to what I'm doing? I have a small digital scale that I use to measure out in grams how much buffer I need. I estimate my weekly water changed at about 60 gallon, I whip out the scale and weight up 30g of the buffer and 45g of the salt all in the same cup, give it a stir with tank water and slowly add it back into the tank as its filling up.

Go get a scale for 10 bucks and you will have the exact amounts added every time.

I buy most of my gear off bigalsonline and pick it up in the states. I thought I bought the biggest bottles of the seachem buffers but looks like a 4kg container is available.


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## Sidius (Mar 25, 2012)

AKAmikeross said:


> So how much of each seachem product are you using? I assume your measuring out by the tbs? Would love to know how much your measuring out per 10 or 5 gallons and compare it to what I'm doing? I have a small digital scale that I use to measure out in grams how much buffer I need. I estimate my weekly water changed at about 60 gallon, I whip out the scale and weight up 30g of the buffer and 45g of the salt all in the same cup, give it a stir with tank water and slowly add it back into the tank as its filling up.
> 
> Go get a scale for 10 bucks and you will have the exact amounts added every time.
> 
> I buy most of my gear off bigalsonline and pick it up in the states. I thought I bought the biggest bottles of the seachem buffers but looks like a 4kg container is available.


I use approximately 1 heaping tsp of salt and 1 close to level tsp (a bit more than level) of the buffer per 10g of water and I've been changing 100+ gallons per week (usually around 60-70%). That mixture seemed to work well in the 90g but I was using the API liquid testers and I always found them hard to read. I've picked up a new digital PH reader for this tank and I'm finding I need to add more buffer/salt the next day now. That scale you have sounds like a good idea to get the mixture right. I might look into it.

What brand/model scale are you using?


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## AKAmikeross (Nov 5, 2012)

Any small digital scale will do. You can find them at most grocery stores or canadian tire. 

What is your KH and GH at now?


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## Sidius (Mar 25, 2012)

Swapped my big Nimbochromis fuscotaeniatus with AKAmikeross for his really nice OB peacock on the weekend. The fusco was getting picked on by my venustus, dragon's blood and blue dolphin.


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## pandamom (Jul 16, 2013)

That looks awesome - can I say that I love the whole 'look' what with the carpet and the bamboo and plants - perfect spot I agree….


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## Sidius (Mar 25, 2012)

Carpet and bamboo? lol


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## Sidius (Mar 25, 2012)

ohhh you mean my whole man cave corner including the stuff around the tank... thanks!


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## Sidius (Mar 25, 2012)

It's been a while, so I thought an update is due.. I've added the following species since my last update..

Chilotilapia rhoadesii
Aulonocara Rubescens
Aulonocara stuartgranti (Ngara)

They're all pretty small (1.5-2") but they seem to be holding their own and doing fine with all the bigger fish.

I'm also heading to Portland this week and I've put in a decent size order at Wet Spot Tropical fish. I'll be bringing home about 10 different species of fish for my growout tank, so that I can move 1 male of each into this tank.


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## jhj0112 (Jul 30, 2013)

very nice!! any pictures?? wetspot is awesome place to go!


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## Sidius (Mar 25, 2012)

jhj0112 said:


> very nice!! any pictures?? wetspot is awesome place to go!


I'll post some pics soon!

Yeah I go to Portland 2-3 times per year to visit family so when I'm there I usually try to hit Wet Spot on the way home. This is the first time I've put in an order this large ahead of time though. Their African Cichlid selection is pretty insane.


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## jbyoung00008 (May 16, 2011)

I can hardly wait to see all the fish! I dream of the day of visiting there.


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## AKAmikeross (Nov 5, 2012)

Great update... looking forward to pics. I would love to hear your experience at the border. I am planning a trip out there to visit my wife's friends in Portland. For sure going to check out Wet Spot when I'm out there. Hopefully bring back some fish.

I think a couple members are on their way out there this coming weekend.


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## jbyoung00008 (May 16, 2011)

AKAmikeross said:


> Great update... looking forward to pics. I would love to hear your experience at the border. I am planning a trip out there to visit my wife's friends in Portland. For sure going to check out Wet Spot when I'm out there. Hopefully bring back some fish.
> 
> I think a couple members are on their way out there this coming weekend.


The way I see it. The more members that visit there and bring back fish. The better the African selection out here gets.  Hopefully everyone will be growing out a bunch of fish that will become available to everyone after. We are in need of some high quality Africans out here


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## Sidius (Mar 25, 2012)

AKAmikeross said:


> Great update... looking forward to pics. I would love to hear your experience at the border. I am planning a trip out there to visit my wife's friends in Portland. For sure going to check out Wet Spot when I'm out there. Hopefully bring back some fish.
> 
> I think a couple members are on their way out there this coming weekend.


I've brought fish back from Wet Spot a few times in the past and never had a problem. You get a funny look and once I was asked if they were endangered species but never an issue. Just make sure you have your receipt to show the border you bought them from a pet store. This will be the biggest order I've ever brought back so hopefully there's no issues but it should be the same. I've also researched it and as long as they're going in your personal aquarium, you don't need any permits or anything.


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## Steve (Mar 27, 2013)

^ Some species do require permits even for personal use although I don't think any African cichlids need permits but just thought I'd post so people aren't trying to bring koi and various other subtropical fish over the border under the assumption that they can!


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## Vancitycam (Oct 23, 2012)

Sounds like its coming along ill have to see it when it's all done, maybe ill deliver those lwanda....


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## Sidius (Mar 25, 2012)

Vancitycam said:


> Sounds like its coming along ill have to see it when it's all done, maybe ill deliver those lwanda....


Please do! I have the grow-out tank now setup and my friend wants an Lwanda as well. If you get a bunch that make it to around 1" and need a home for them, let me know. Also, come by anytime and check out the 180!


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## Sidius (Mar 25, 2012)

I added a couple fish from my wet spot order when I got home last night..

Aulonocara jacobfreibergi (Undu Reef) · Mamela, Lemon Jake
Protomelas sp. "Spilonotus Tanzania" insignus


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## Sidius (Mar 25, 2012)

I can't edit the front page anymore so here's my current stocklist...

Current stock list:
Nimbochromis venustus
Cyrtocara moorii
Cyphotilapia Frontosa Burundi
Dimidiochromis compressiceps
Copadichromis borleyi
Protomelas fenestratus
Protomelas sp. "Steveni Taiwan" (Taiwan Reef)
Protomelas sp. "Spilonotus Tanzania" insignus
Placidochromis sp. "Phenochilus Tanzania"
Placidochromis electra
Aulonocara jacobfreibergi "Eureka"
Aulonocara jacobfreibergi (Undu Reef)
Aulonocara maulana "Bi-color 500"
Aulonocara rubescens
Aulonocara stuartgranti "Ngara"
Aulonocara stuartgranti (Usisya)
Aulonocara sp. "Stuartgranti Maleri"
OB Peacock
Dragon's blood peacock
Hybrid Yellow/Pink peacock
Metriaclima sp. "Dolphin Manda"
Cynotilapia sp. "hara" - this could also be Cynotilapia zebroides (Jalo Reef)
Pseudotropheus socolofi (Albino)
Pseudotropheus sp. "Acei" (White tail) x 4
Pseudotropheus sp. "Acei" (Yellow tail)
Labidochromis caeruleus x 4
Synodontis petricola x 8
Pictus Catfish x 3
Bristlenose pleco x2
L200a High Fin Green Phantom
L204 Flash panaque
L191 Dull eyed panaque


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## jbyoung00008 (May 16, 2011)

Looks like I have some competition for "Who has the most jam packed African tank"

Your quality of fish will return. You are the one that showed me the way to nice African's

Too bad Fairdeals isn't around anymore. He had such nice fish for a good price and they were easy to get shipped here.


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## Sidius (Mar 25, 2012)

jbyoung00008 said:


> Looks like I have some competition for "Who has the most jam packed African tank"
> 
> Your quality of fish will return. You are the one that showed me the way to nice African's
> 
> Too bad Fairdeals isn't around anymore. He had such nice fish for a good price and they were easy to get shipped here.


Ya it is too bad.. The quality of his fish were amazing. Almost every single fish I got from him was show quality, with vibrant colours. I wonder what happened to him.


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## Sidius (Mar 25, 2012)

I finally found one of the fish that's been on my list for a couple years... added the following yesterday...

Fossorochromis rostratus


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## Plumberboy (Jun 2, 2014)

Great fish Sidius. Thats a potential big boy! Musta been a local find then? Get a pic up for us envious african keepers please.


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## Sidius (Mar 25, 2012)

Plumberboy said:


> Great fish Sidius. Thats a potential big boy! Musta been a local find then? Get a pic up for us envious african keepers please.


Thanks! I've been waiting for the day that I'd add a rostratus to my tank. He was a local find. I picked him up from King Ed's.

I've been meaning to get some new pictures up but just can't find the time. I need to dust off the DSLR to get some good quality pictures too.


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