several posts in one...ACF, goldfish and new GOLDFISH, and live plants

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beabroca

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Feb 25, 2009
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have a couple problems, questions, comments and just going to make one post instead of several.

I added large gravel to my ACF's tank and now she cant find her food?? do i let her get used to it or take it out?? its black and white rocks. pics below
PLus do frogs eat krill or anything other than shrimp pellets...she wont eat the frog food we bought her. tried several times

got a new fish and his name is Firenz. not sure the type but hes fire red with black...hes stunning! not a good aquarium photographer but here he/she is. below.

Also i rescaped the tank since i had the money to redo it. wondering if theres a thing as too many plants? i bought the really soft silk thats very easily moved throughout but notice the fish are swimming around rather than through like i had hoped. Firenz swims thru but not the others. Maybe they have to get used to it ?? PIC BELOW

also we talked to the LFS lady [marine biologist] and she suggested chiclids for the 20g. We are setting up for them. Since they are agressive thats all they will be with and we will be feeding a high meat diet. We are scaping to match the aggressivness , A deco air volcano that has a erd beam of light and some other things to match the theme plant wise. My question is do chiclids eat plants? i personally wouldnt think they would because of there meat needs. no pic yet...lol


and lastley we bought a bundle of plant for the goldfish to eat and they wont eat it...do some goldfish NOT eat plants? or maybe they havent noticed it yet either.


now pics.



^^^^Jamies tank now has balck and white stones and she cant find her food.







^^^^^Firenz^^^^^^





^^^^^the new look^^^^^^^


okay thats all....sorry for the long post....thought itd be easier than several


bea
 

kyryah

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Feb 3, 2009
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First off - Those stones are WAY to large for an ACF tank. They are messy poopers and messy eaters. Also - those stones, if accidentily swallowed, which can easily happen, will cause impaction and death. ACFs are best on a bare bottom or sand, I do not recommend gravel at all.

Plants do not usually do well with cichlids because they like to rescape your tank. What cichlids did she recommend? Not many are suitable for a 20g, due to aggressiveness and size.

Kristina
 

beabroca

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she did not recommend any one type since we werent getting them at that time.

she is the one who told me those rocks where large enough NOT to be ate. and how are they 2 large for the tank and 2 small that they will get eaten?
 

kyryah

Getting my mojo back....
Feb 3, 2009
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Frogs will eat anything that can fit into their rather large mouths. Judging by the pic, they are small enough to be eaten, and large enough to kill a frog with impaction. They are "too" big because they will trap sediment and filth, and trust me, will be hard to clean and it will lead to a big mess. I had rocks that size with my axolotls (also amphibians) and I regretted greatly.

There are a few shell dwellers that might be okay for a 20g, but you aren't going to find much else. I am really doubting the validity of the marine biologist's claims. She made some pretty loaded statements.

Kristina
 

jpappy789

Plants need meat too
Feb 18, 2007
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There are several small lamprologines that will work in a 20 gallon setup, including shelldwellers. Otherwise there are dwarf cichlids such as rams or apistos from SA which actually do best in planted tanks.

African cichlids need should NOT be fed a meat based diet. Too much protein leads to internal problems such as bloat. I would stick to a spirulina flake/pellet as a staple.

I too think the lady at the LFS has no idea what she was talking about...
 

beabroca

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Feb 25, 2009
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i looked up those lamprologines and i think thats what she showd me, the large ones werent really large [as compared to a big goldfish] so i think thats what she was talking about. they were really pretty. we spent 100 more bucks on some decorations for that tank and hoping to soon put something in it.

question is, im redoing the cycle since there were goldies in there before, and im wondering how to jumpstart it without a fish in it???
 
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