Hopefully, if you’re reading this, it’s because you’re doing some research before embarking on a cichlid keeping journey. Also, I hope you’re not just now beginning with fish keeping. If you’ve SUCCESSFULLY kept tropical freshwater fish before, keep reading. If you’re brand new to fish keeping, you know very little about them, and you’ve already purchased some cichlids, keep reading and you’ll understand why you’ve made your first mistake.
I have posted about this before. Tank cloudiness due to high particulate concentrations is common when changing substrates or adding substrate for the first time. It is also an easy problem to solve. To do so you have a few options, listed below in no certain order. NOTE: It’s worth mentioning that cloudiness due to bacterial blooms and such require a different solution. That’s a post for another day.
Back in 2016, I posted about shells for shell dwellers. In that post, I showed a variety of shells that are readily available and in which your shell dwelling fish would take up residence. Since that post, I have discovered a few other things that might help your shell selection decision.
I have posted a couple of times about using nerite snails in cichlid tanks (search the site for those posts). If you aren’t familiar with them, let me add something that I didn’t mention previously. Though you may upright some snails that you find upside down, don’t expect them to always start moving immediately. In fact, sometimes you’ll see an upside down snail and the aperture will look empty. Neither means the snail is dead.
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I’m looking for some Apistogramma and eartheater (Geophagus/Satanoperca) experts/enthusiasts to interview. Know anyone? Drop me a line if you do along with their contact information, if you have it.
For the pike cichlid enthusiasts out there, Oliver Lucanus has posted a new video on YouTube. Titled “Pike cichlids, Crenicichla: guide to all the species from the Rio Xingu in nature and the aquarium,” the video discusses the 13 pike species found in the Rio Xingu. It’s a must see for you pike lovers!
This is the first of a two-part video, so stay tuned for the next one.
One of the most detrimental aspects to good fish health is constant swings in water parameters. Once your tank is established, maintaining stable water conditions should be one of your first priorities. I consistently see cichlid keepers, typically newer ones in the hobby, struggling to understand why sudden changes occur in their water parameters. How does this happen and how can it be prevented?
Thanks to the fine folks at Aquarium Life Support Systems and OASE Living Waters, I recently received one of OASE’s BioPlus Thermo 200 internal canister filters to review. I am really anxious to unpack this thing and get it going. I have used internal filters before, but never one this large. Recommended for aquariums up to 55g , the 200 is the largest of the three sizes in the BioPlus Thermo line.
Whether you’re familiar with OASE or are just now learning about them, they make solid aquarium products. If you’re interested in an external canister filter, see my review of their BioMaster Thermo 350.
Stay tuned!
I can’t tell you how many times I come across fish keepers whose water parameters have suddenly degraded and they don’t know why. There are lots of things that can cause ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate spikes or even pH crashes and changes. However, there is one pretty simple solution to minimizing the probability of it happening – routine tank maintenance and consistency.
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