Exactly. A single persons demand isn't enough to justify holding stock, especially given how much we tend to change our minds. Order one off Ebay or similar.
Awesome photo! A little off topic but that photo inspired me, can Leos be kept in a rain forest/jungle themed tanks with moss and ferns or do they require dry conditions?
Well a drop checker is the best way to test how well your diffusion method is working. If only looking at a photo of water was a sure fire way of determining CO2 levels.
Why ask us a question when you have much more reliable testing methods in front of you? If the drop checker is yellow furthest away from the diffuser then you have no issue.
Healthy plants survive a 3 day blackout but I usually trim them all right back afterwards anyway. Adding an extra oxygenator is helpful as the plants and fish will both be using oxygen without light.
As you already know, any sunlight can have huge effects on the tank. Try to reduce it to zero if possible. Otherwise a three day total blackout may be needed to kill off algae.
To help you we need the following information:
What type of lighting do you have over the tank?
How long is said lighting on for each day?
Does the tank receive any direct sunlight?
Alternately, are there any monsters that won't destroy plants? I know my tank is too small for an aro and most (if not all) of the fish I mentioned would slaughter any plants.
Thanks for the tips guys, I understand this won't be the easier tank to keep under control but that's half the fun, right? Hopefully that wood sinks within the week so I can fill the tank up and start the cycle.
I do like angels and had been wanting to grow up a group of platinum angels. I think my best course is going to be getting a bunch of little fish and letting them decide what works best for the tank.
Does anyone have any recommendations on where to buy cichlids from? I don't want to invest 4-5 years trying to grow up fish that were stunted from day 1 and will never reach monster proportions.
Good point, I'll get out the sandpaper then!
I wouldn't mind having just one large magnificent fish in the tank but it has to make jaws drop. Something like an oscar won't cut it.
What if I grew a Jag up from a baby as the main fish in the tank? What other fish can go with him/her? Smaller non threatening cichlids or schooling fish? Are there any more spectacular fish that grow to such a size? Flowerhorns or Texas?