I've decided I'm getting a new (additional) fish tank, and I'm looking for ideas. It will either be a 55gal or a 75gal, hopefully a 75g. I think I'm going to stick to freshwater, but beyond that I'm still deciding. (lol... I don't even have the tank yet!)
Some ideas I have:
I'd like to have an African cichlid setup... But, I have very soft water and pH is about 6.8 from the tap. I know I can raise this with argonite sand or crushed coral substrate and additives, but I don't want the pH to swing every time I do a water change, and I'm a little bit leary of chasing the pH around with chemicals. Do African cichlids really *need* to be in hard/high pH water to be happy and maybe breed?
Possibly a tropical community, but I've got a 29gal planted community and was looking for something different. If I do decide on a tropical community, I'd go all out.. planted, sump with wet/dry and reverse daylight cycle plants, ect.. just to say I've done it. I'll probably go with a sump and wet/dry anyway. (DIY)
Perhaps an amazon river oriented tank? I'm pretty sure the amazon is soft water, should be easier to do than africans with my tap water. Maybe discus? A little pricey to get the fish, but maybe I could breed them. (lol.. think big!)
Any ideas anyone? I know I don't *need* to have the pH and hardness match the fishes natural habitat, but I think it would be great to have healthy, happy, breeding fish, and from what I've seen and heard hardness and pH play a larger role in breeding fish. Breeding isn't a huge deal, but would be nice. It would also depend on finding a place to sell/trade the juvenile fish to in my area. I don't care about profiting from breeding fish, but I won't breed fish if I can't find homes for em.
Some ideas I have:
I'd like to have an African cichlid setup... But, I have very soft water and pH is about 6.8 from the tap. I know I can raise this with argonite sand or crushed coral substrate and additives, but I don't want the pH to swing every time I do a water change, and I'm a little bit leary of chasing the pH around with chemicals. Do African cichlids really *need* to be in hard/high pH water to be happy and maybe breed?
Possibly a tropical community, but I've got a 29gal planted community and was looking for something different. If I do decide on a tropical community, I'd go all out.. planted, sump with wet/dry and reverse daylight cycle plants, ect.. just to say I've done it. I'll probably go with a sump and wet/dry anyway. (DIY)
Perhaps an amazon river oriented tank? I'm pretty sure the amazon is soft water, should be easier to do than africans with my tap water. Maybe discus? A little pricey to get the fish, but maybe I could breed them. (lol.. think big!)
Any ideas anyone? I know I don't *need* to have the pH and hardness match the fishes natural habitat, but I think it would be great to have healthy, happy, breeding fish, and from what I've seen and heard hardness and pH play a larger role in breeding fish. Breeding isn't a huge deal, but would be nice. It would also depend on finding a place to sell/trade the juvenile fish to in my area. I don't care about profiting from breeding fish, but I won't breed fish if I can't find homes for em.
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