flymike

I'm trying to track down the source of some red Alunocara peacocks I've acquired recently, :fshi: Apparently the parents came via trademe from someone with the handle "gigibaba", from west Auckland (possibly back of Henderson?). But of course, I cannot find any trace of anyone by that name or any of its variances, or the trade. Apparently this guy had "lots of good quality cichlids". Just trying to track abit of history for my own piece of mind. Thanks in advance. Mike

This my post from a wile back, bit of info here. Has pics from when I got the sump, up until how It is now http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=65660

Everyone says "bigger is better :sage: " and there right

Right, Si I put coral in to one of the canister trays last weekend. Set added buffer and stabilized it at a ph of 8, re tested last Monday, still around a ph of 8. Tested the ph before I did a water change, had dropped to around ph7.2-7.5. That's way more stable than it was. After %50 water change, it took 2 tsp buffer to get it up and stable at around ph8 again. Has definitely made a difference in regards to the stability of the ph over the first week. Will get a kh test kit this week and check on that. Thanks Guys Mike

Black grit with dark gray rock work, with a blue light, the fish (and anything with color) light up against the backdrop. Looks nice. Havent got a kit to test hardness yet (need to though), just been using the seachem buffer as per instructions

We got 5 tanks and there all concrete. I cleaned up my filter on sunday, added about 2 cups of small coral peices in a bag to the top tray, will be interested to test this weekend and see if it made a difference over 7days set the ph using buffer on Saturday at around 8, Will be stoked if its only dropped to around 7 in the week Will keep you posted Mike

Im on tank water hear, ph is below my high range API test kit. I have a Black grit substrate and am using large blue rocks (like roading chip) for my aquascaping Being that I have to service the canister, I might get some coral or small bags of aragonite in to it, It may evan things out a little. I dont mind adding buffer, I just dont like the massive fall in ph happening so quickly. I have aragonite in my other larger tank (sump filtered) and don't have the same issue, but its only been going about a year. Thanks Guys, Ill keep you posted on how I go. Mike

12 juvi dems 4 adult electric yellows 5 juvi yellows 3 otter point jacobs Test today was Nitrate 20ppm, Nitrite 0

Haven't, just have to check and add 2 or so more times a week Hadn't thought of that, I do add a cap of seachem stability and prime when I do water changes. I am due to do a check on the canister.

Hi Guys, I have AR980 which im now having huge issues with the ph, it has been a lot more stable in the past. (I dont have any coral in this tanks landscaping, and would rather not add it if I can) But now it seams to lower considerably over a week, getting down to 6.5-7 some times, in the past i've added 1tsp Malawi buffer each week with my %50 water change, and this has kept it pretty stable at 7.5-8Ph. Will adding coral to one tray in the CF1200 or a layer in the overhead filter help with stability? or will I need to add larger amounts to the tank to help with this problem. Just keen to see what others have done in similar cases Thanks Mike

Yes :bggrn: But unless your greatly restricting the output at the spray bar ,you wont see a huge increase in lph flow, maybe 5-10lph, maybe not evan a measurable amount. Depends on the set up Larger holes->Less restriction->greater flow capability Cant guaranty a large increase in flow (lph) in to the tank Ira, Dont take offense :slfg: Just putting my thoughts forward. Mike

Flow is the volume of water i.e. lph, the speed that water is moving (fast or slow) is the velocity The flow may increase a little dependent on the "working pressure" (basically, letting out pressure the pump puts in that the output cant let out, small holes for instance) there is , which will be low. Think of it like this. 5000lph pump pushing through a 20mm pipe, the water will spray out the end, pushing water up about 1.5m in the the air Same pump, pumping the same volume through a 50mm pipe, pushing the water up about .3m in to the air Roughly same flow and same output, but slower velocity. Hope everyone can understand this When this water enters the tank from the flow bar/duckbill, its not only moving the water coming out through the output, but starts to pull the water in the tank with it. The overflow or filter intake, is only taking in what the out put is putting back in to the tank, so the extra water movement caused by the velocity of the incoming water cycles around the tank. There will be a little lost in speed due to friction against the tank walls and corners, and obstructions i.e. rocks and plants I guess in a perfectly round tank this flow of water, caused by the incoming water at a set velocity from the filter output, would build up to the same speed as the incoming water. like stirring a cup of tea, or making a whirl pool in a swimming pool I work in sports irrigation, deal with pumps, flows and velocities in pipe networks all day long. Just my two cents to help with the better good Mike

I have found drilling out the spray bar to be very effective at lessening water speed (velocity) around the tank. With larger holes in the spray bar the flow (e.g 750lph) stays roughly the same but the velocity decreases I have three tanks I've done this in 130l,200l,275l. The two smaller have cf1200s on them, with a single length of spray bar, drilled out to 4.5mm. The larger 4' tank has a 1m PVC spray bar with 7mm holes, at the back flowing forward and 2x 300lph "wave makers" at one end, I've found this setup quite good. The bar pushes the particles around, up the back and down the front, and the wave makers don't push as well as that pull the particles towards them, which is at the end the overflow is. This tank holds 275l, and has 1800lph flow through the sump (measured) and 600lph through the wave makers, in this four footer the fish don't evan notice the flow, and I would like to go higher, but the small overflow cant handle it. Best mesure the out put of the spray bar to, 7500lph in to the tank would be 125lpm, 2l per second, thats a lot IMO.

Thanks Likoma I wouldn't call it "Nice", but it gave me plenty of options for experimenting/upgrading and moving things around. Before with baffles, it was quite restricting when it came to experimenting with different bio medias and layouts. One of my first ideas was to use foam to separate my different medias, I thought this way I would easily be able to change media types,amounts and the layout of the sump. But it doesn't need to be overly complicated to work great. One thing I did notice when the baffles were in, was the velocity of the water was quite quick moving up and down past the baffles (@ 1800lph), with the current set up you would hardly notice the water moving. I'm pretty sure a slower velocity through the media is better and gives the bacteria a better chance to settle and work on the water as it goes past.

I'm running a basic setup like David R suggested Pic i took a wile back Have about 30 juvi african cichlids in a 1200x500x500 tank Flowing a measured 1800lph 7" 200micron sock 30ppi foam 40mm bio balls (for spacing) 45ppi foam noodles heater pump I haven't "had" to clean the sock out, but did after the first 6 weeks running. I added the foam as like a buffer between the incoming water and noodles, I had a bit lot of small particles coming off the noodles with the in rushing water. The foam smooths the flow out out and fixed the soup like water out in a few hours. Weather the foam is catching what is being squeezed through the sock and not letting it settle around the noodles, I don't know yet, but it made a difference You can see the particles that have been pushed through the sock in the bottom of the tank though. It started life as a baffled sump, but as I found better ways to do things the baffles just got in the way. But I was constantly changing the system to achieve what I wanted, When I do it again, all will be sorted 100% before I add fish I got very technical about it all, and all this did was complicate things. After David R made a few suggestions, the old KISS theory kicked in and away I went, sock-noodles-pump

Heres a pic for you rcon021 This was taken about 6 weeks back, his colors are much brighter now. Would love your input about if it is Stuartgranti Maleri or not? I have asked myself quite a few times Thanks Mike

Hi rcon021 They were sold to me as Stuartgranti Maleri Yellows, but im never 100% when buying. I have an older male from the same parents, will put a pic up tonight. Im planning to thin out the juvi males to make some more space as they all get bigger. I've vented bigger fish before with no issues. but with these, I had the magnifying glass out and still couldn't be 100%, But like I said, not very experienced Thanks Mike

I have a dozen stuartgranti maleri juvies that iv been growing out, they are about 2.5 inches long now. I wasn't able to tell 100% M or F when I vented them all awhile back, I'm not very experienced at venting and couldn't see alot of variation on such a small fish. I now have one definite female fish holding. All the fish look the same, brown stripy body with a yellow anal fin apart from some have egg spots starting to show, the holding female doesn't. In your Guys experience... Are the fish with the egg spots more than likely males? Thanks Mike

when I first got in to cichlids, there were some interesting posts floating around on this subject. Having people tell me to "kill all hybrids", I was a bit shocked really. But I know a little more now, and have changed my view slightly, amazing how a little experience can focus the mind on something you enjoy. Unknown community breedings, being sold off isn't really on (just troll trademe for instance), and is having an adverse effect on the readily available stock in NZ I now no longer bother with breeders or fish that Im not sure of. I don't mind paying for quality fish from more experienced breeders However..... I do feel there is a place for a planed, line bred hybrid, and there are some nice specimens around i.e. ob peacocks and dragonsblood etc Wether these started off as accidents or not, I don't know. Inbreeding is also causeing issues in the small gene pool of NZ, the same as breading through the good traits in a species, you will also bring some bad, and some of these don't show until several years down the track. Just my 2c (for today)

I've been feeding my 20 or so mbuna/peacocks once daily for almost a year now. Usually about 6 pinches of NLS/Hikari & im trying fluval cichlid pallets at the moment, 6 pinches is about how much it takes for the first left overs to touch the bottom, (not picked up on the way down) around 1-2mins. I have noticed growth has slowed, most are at the point of almost adult (colors starting to come through) and have been wondering if im under feeding Iv been reading a couple of articles (opinions really) about feeding schedules Seems as though a few people are feeding 2 times per day with 1 fasting day a week. So I'm looking at splitting my feeding in to two (one morning, one night) at 3-4 pinches each , and maybe alternating foods I would be interested to know how people are approaching feeding scheduals and what benefits or negatives are being seen here in NZ? Both in growth and water perimeters (no point in over feeding and having to increase water changes) Thanks Mike

So, I've now got a tank to use for breeding, its the 900l x 600w x 300h mentioned above, got a heavy coffee table the exact same size (still working on where to place it). Will probably filter it with 2x sponge filters and a 2000lph internal filter. Have some spare black grit ill use as a substrate In your opinion, for best results with breeding.... should my rock formation be centralized, with open areas all around or Should I build my structures from the back forward, with clear open area in front only or As I've seen in a few videos, put down layers of smaller rocks across almost all of the bottom with the substrate filling the gaps, allowing fish to swim over and around and dig in all the gaps or As I've seen others do, leave the tank empty except for a for a few terracotta pots Im thinking a more natural substrate/rock work will be better. Just after some opinions and experiences Thanks Mike

Basically any of the small-med species of peacock and mbuna, I don't have the room currently to run any big haps (Nimbochromis etc) I have a few good lines with me at the moment, just plan on working them up. I have 3 mixed tanks running currently, with 7 species. Im hoping to start with small breeding groups of say 2m-6/7f, with the addition of good genes and color as I find them of course Plan is to dump all community breed fry, and move fish to the species only breeding tank when I want fry of that species, nothing like a planed pregnancy :thup: I think I will try with a 3" tank to start with, may get Greg to build me a 90x45x38, or something along those lines, if I cant find a cheap one with a good footprint Thanks

Im watching that to mate, just being so wide it would end up on my floor. which would be another thing for the wife to go on about.

Hi Guys, I'm looking to put together a species breeding tank, I have a couple of larger mixed tanks fry tanks and a grow out tank at the moment. My plan is, when I want fry from a specific species or specific traits from a male or female, I will shift my chosen male and females in to there own tank and let the magic happen. Questions. Is the footprint of the tank important (Length X Width) with only one male? Or the depth of water? Ive seen some cheep wide tanks, but with low heights I can't have another 4'+ tank, simply don't have the room. But I could fit in a 2-3 footer if it would work. Just after some opinions from members experiences. Thanks Mike

Hi Guys, Bit of an update. biologically the sump is working perfect! Mechanically, not so well.. The weter flowing through the nylon 100 micron sock was forcing small particles through, these have been building up on the noodles. The noodles reached there "load holding capacity" and these particles started flowing back through the tank. Not to pretty, unless you like fish in soup! Version 2.1 Got a 250mm longer tank for $5 Switched to a nylon 200 micron sock, layer of 50mm 30ppi blue foam layer of 40mm bio balls layer of 50mm 45ppi black foam Then through the noodles and on to the pump You can see the particles building in the 200micron sock already, only been 12hrs. I did lightly rinse the bags of noodles in tank water, so im keeping an eye on things All seams ok for now