bigfishhead Posted March 25, 2011 Report Share Posted March 25, 2011 Hi everyone, Nice to meet you all. My first post + lots of questions :bounce: Currently I have a 180L Cichlids tank. Runs well. Malawi + tang Cichlids. 4 electric yellow 4 baby frontosa 3 Metriaclima Aurora Yellow 2 Neolamprologus brichardi 1 baby demasoni 2 big peacock 1 GAE A pair of bristal nose 2 albino catfish （suffering now :facepalm: , one lost half tail... I think big cichlids try to eat them...) I know it is probably too many for this small tank... Thats why I got a bigger tank now :happy1: I just bought a 760L tank and would like to set it up. Move some of the current fish into the new tank and then stock up the tank as well. question: 1. My 180L using a internal filter as tank is small. What external filter I can use for my 760L tank? 2 lower power external filter? or one really powerfull one. any suggestion on the filter brand and model? 2. I would like to make the bigger tank becomes a mainly frontosa tank at the end. I will stock up around 10+ frontosa later. grow them from baby size to adult. So what other cichlids I can put in there and just make the tank looks nicer? and they dont get eaten when frontosa gets bigger later on during the night hunting......I know when baby frontosa gets big enough we may talking about one or two years later.... Red jewel and electric yellow get on with frontosa ok?...I kind like their colors, probably get some of them into the big tank. Please..Any advice? many thanks, Jack. Some photos UPDATE for my new tanks http://i51.tinypic.com/2m287f8.jpg http://i55.tinypic.com/29ptdso.jpg http://i52.tinypic.com/2e188qu.jpg 760L http://img857.imageshack.us/i/760l.jpg 760L + 200L http://img576.imageshack.us/i/760l200l.jpg some fishy in my tank - I will try to put more up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R32GOTMLK Posted March 25, 2011 Report Share Posted March 25, 2011 hi id run 2 FX5 external filters Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted March 25, 2011 Report Share Posted March 25, 2011 I'd go either the 2 fx5 or a sump! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
si_sphinx Posted March 25, 2011 Report Share Posted March 25, 2011 An FX5 would be a good choice for a big filter. You could also consider seting up a sump. this way you could get all the heaters out of the tank and have plenty of room for more filter media etc. Red jewels are not african cichlids so shouldn't realy be with the others. And I can't say I have ever seen my frontosa hunt at night. They always sleep, in my tank, when the lights go out. I have 1cm fry surviving in the tank easily. It has took 2 years for my fronts to get to 15-18cm. Other fish you could add: Neolamprologus Leleupi more Neolamprologus brichardi Julidochromis marlieri Some sort or synodontis, synodontis multipunctatus possibly All these fish go well with fronts IMO and are all from the same lake. What part of the country are you from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hovmoller Posted March 25, 2011 Report Share Posted March 25, 2011 Red jewels are not african cichlids Yes they are.. just not from the big lakes... I'd make a sump for that size tank as well... good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted March 25, 2011 Report Share Posted March 25, 2011 I would definitely add more fish, go for at least 10 fronts more is always better.. You have the tank space to do bigger colonies of your existing fish too. The fronts are supposed to be great nocturnal hunters, I have seen photos on overseas websites of half adult male electric yellows that have been bitten in half my adult frontosa.. However my mate has probably the biggest/oldest fronts in NZ (the original breeding colony probably 10-15yrs+ old) and he has them in with all sorts including 4-5cm peacocks and none of them get eaten. I am unsure if it is just his fish that don't munch everything up, or he is feeding them well enough that they don't but they certainly don't seem as predatory as they are supposed to be. FX5 or 2 would be awesome for filtration or a sump, sump is usually better but can be harder to setup and harder to make quiet. You could also try 2 aqua one CF2400s which you could probably source for the same price as 1 FX5 that would give you some redundancy and slightly more combined turn over than the FX5. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfishhead Posted March 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2011 Thanks guys Nice advices! :bounce: I probably go with the FX5 option...Im a lazy boy, sump sounds too hard for me.... BTW, I am from Auckland Hmmm now the question is where I can buy Fluval FX5 cheap....I look up on trademe but nothing at moment... hollywoodfishfarm sale them $609 bucks!!!.... :facepalm: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted March 26, 2011 Report Share Posted March 26, 2011 Can usually get them second hand for around $3-400 have seen one go for that price on here recently and also one went $1res on trademe too.. Just keep an eye out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueether Posted March 26, 2011 Report Share Posted March 26, 2011 That is why ryanjury mentioned 2 CF2400, about the sane all up cost and if (god forbid) something went wrong with your filter there is alway the second one still running. For a tank that size I think I would consider a sump. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfishhead Posted March 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2011 hmm...CF2400, $385 :facepalm: ...I will keep eyes on both ~finger cross..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted March 26, 2011 Report Share Posted March 26, 2011 http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/SearchR ... uggested=0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfishhead Posted March 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2011 :-? Thanks ryan ~ It looks like this UF2400 is better than CF2400. It can hold up to 800L tank. So do I just need one of this? Or I need two.... My first tank that require an external tank...... :facepalm: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted March 26, 2011 Report Share Posted March 26, 2011 Don't believe what the manufacturer recommends as a tank size for a filter, just go on flow and aim for min 3-4 times per hour for a nice clean tank more is best and you can certainly get away with less.. FX5s are rated for upto 1500L but if you only ran one on a tank that size with big fish it would be pretty manky. What is a UF2400? Is it a CF2400 with a UV filter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
si_sphinx Posted March 27, 2011 Report Share Posted March 27, 2011 Yes they are.. just not from the big lakes... :oops: Yes, thats what I ment, I wasn't thinking straight that day, used the wrong words :oops: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfishhead Posted March 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2011 I read a few post about the red jewel....It appears that they are quit aggressive?!... Are they ok with my peacocks, frontoa and electric yellow? Still looking for to buy a FX5...... :facepalm: Anyone got one to sell? send me a message or reply on below post. viewtopic.php?f=11&t=51757 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfishhead Posted March 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2011 Just see someone's post says the Red Jewel are the one of the most aggrestive cichlid.....Is that true? Is it ok to keep it with other cichlid? ie, frontosa, electric yellow and peacocks? TA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted March 28, 2011 Report Share Posted March 28, 2011 Jewels are a different sort of aggressive than the mbuna and stuff like that, jewels tend to stake out a section of the tank and guard it.. I have never kept them together but I have seen them in the same tank with no issues in the past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfishhead Posted April 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2011 some updates. I got a FX5 working with the tank for just more than a week. Everything is cool. I got a large pleco 25cm and a few other cichlids in the tank. I got two question here. My coral sand is so pure white.... the fish (waste) every where looks so urgly on top of them... I try to DIY the output of my FX5 to create better water circulation. But it does not seems to work. A single FX5 is just wont do the work for such a big size tank.... So my question is if you have similar setups as coral sand with big tank. Do you clean the tank every two days or everyweek to suck out those waste? Or you have a better plan to create perfect water circulation in the tank? Thanks for the help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the-obstacle Posted April 20, 2011 Report Share Posted April 20, 2011 I have pure white silica in one of my tanks and I just got used to it looking like crap for a few days between vacuuming it up. Either that or giving it a quick once over every day but I quickly got tired of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted April 20, 2011 Report Share Posted April 20, 2011 Yeah I couldn't get my silica sand clean either even with quite a bit of flow.. Maybe you could try a wave maker or a power head to increase flow? FX5 should be pretty good for that sized tank unless you have it very heavily stocked.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfishhead Posted April 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 21, 2011 Don...... Pick the wrong color of substrate.... too late :facepalm: I was thinking white coral sand boost the PH KH, and good looking under light effect... But miss out one thing.... dark fish waste on white sand gona be very obvious..... Sh*t balls............... I am gona have 10~15 electric yellow, 10 ~15 frontosa and 10 ~15 demasoni as main group. may stock some other cichlid like pecocks and giraffe... How is this cichlids tank combination looks? They will BE OK TOGETHER? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anthony law Posted April 24, 2011 Report Share Posted April 24, 2011 love to see some pics :happy1: :happy1: ... one day ill love set up a malawi ciclid setup...i was go to that to my 720L tank but put it into a cold water marine setup...i do have a tank stand that i can put a 1800x700x700 L tank on...look like i may have a winter project..come up... :bounce: :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfishhead Posted April 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2011 I just got some frontosa and demonis yesterday. Demonis are too small I have to put in my other 200L tank to wait them grow big enough.... The tank now stocks about 40 fishes and 10 more demonis will be put in later on. most the cichlids are still babies... It will be about 50 in total at final stage. So looking forward when they all grow to the adult size.... I still need working on to get second external filter... cheap CF2400....or something cheaper than that... http://i51.tinypic.com/2m287f8.jpg http://i55.tinypic.com/29ptdso.jpg http://i52.tinypic.com/2e188qu.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted April 25, 2011 Report Share Posted April 25, 2011 nice effort. I'm not sure how the dems will be when the haps & fronts get big. the dems don't get very big fully grown & I amagine an adult front or giraffe will swallow one no problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfishhead Posted April 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2011 Hmmm...I currently have dems in my 200L tank...Coz they are too small only 1.5 ~ 2cm. I will see by the time they grow big enough and how my main tank looks like. There are 40 fish in there already without dems. Probably not enough space... So I might end up try a breeding clony in 200L tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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