Hello all,
This is the first time I join a forum, as I am fairly new to the hobby and after spending several days browsing online, this one definitely caught my eye.
I'm about to set my second tank, my first one being the recipient of all my inexperienced mistakes. It was a 29 gal tank with Tiger Barbs, and after 9 months I have ended up with 3 TBs and my Siamese Algae Eater, who seems to be the only one that has grown and strived. Originally I had 17 TBs, but over the summer they all started to die, one by one. Water testing was fine, until one of the pet shops I visited decided to do a hardness test and it turned out my water was too hard. They recommended I do a 50% water change with Spring Water, and apparently that was the solution, but couldn't prevent the successive deaths over the summer. I also noticed that the thermometer was stuck at 85 deg, as there were several weeks when it got very hot inside the house. I'm not sure if that was also a contributing factor.
Anyway, after this experience I got tired of the Tiger Barbs and realized that I really wanted fish I could relate more to and a bigger tank. Several months of talking to the wife have resulted in an order for a 90 gal Aqueon glass tank with the corresponding stand and canopy (the wife will always relent if it looks nice in the living room) and am in the process of waiting for it to be delivered.
I have also decided to get Malawi cichlids, and will probably do Mbunas only or Mbunas and Haps, as I've read that in a larger tank, as long as there is enough height and there is an area in the middle with just sand with the rocks on both ends, the two can coexist fairly well.
I have bought an Eheim Wet/Dry canister filter and am in the process of getting the other stuff I will need. The stand should arrive in the shop next week, but the tank is on back-order so I don't know how long it will take. I don't mind waiting, as I've learned this is a patience hobby!
I'm sure I will be asking a lot of questions once I read all the posts related to African cichlids and Mbunas and Haps in particular.
And to think that this all started because my son received a Betta as a birthday party gift that lasted 8 months, and that I had absolutely no idea how to care for...
Well, here I am and thanks for having me.
Orthie
This is the first time I join a forum, as I am fairly new to the hobby and after spending several days browsing online, this one definitely caught my eye.
I'm about to set my second tank, my first one being the recipient of all my inexperienced mistakes. It was a 29 gal tank with Tiger Barbs, and after 9 months I have ended up with 3 TBs and my Siamese Algae Eater, who seems to be the only one that has grown and strived. Originally I had 17 TBs, but over the summer they all started to die, one by one. Water testing was fine, until one of the pet shops I visited decided to do a hardness test and it turned out my water was too hard. They recommended I do a 50% water change with Spring Water, and apparently that was the solution, but couldn't prevent the successive deaths over the summer. I also noticed that the thermometer was stuck at 85 deg, as there were several weeks when it got very hot inside the house. I'm not sure if that was also a contributing factor.
Anyway, after this experience I got tired of the Tiger Barbs and realized that I really wanted fish I could relate more to and a bigger tank. Several months of talking to the wife have resulted in an order for a 90 gal Aqueon glass tank with the corresponding stand and canopy (the wife will always relent if it looks nice in the living room) and am in the process of waiting for it to be delivered.
I have also decided to get Malawi cichlids, and will probably do Mbunas only or Mbunas and Haps, as I've read that in a larger tank, as long as there is enough height and there is an area in the middle with just sand with the rocks on both ends, the two can coexist fairly well.
I have bought an Eheim Wet/Dry canister filter and am in the process of getting the other stuff I will need. The stand should arrive in the shop next week, but the tank is on back-order so I don't know how long it will take. I don't mind waiting, as I've learned this is a patience hobby!
I'm sure I will be asking a lot of questions once I read all the posts related to African cichlids and Mbunas and Haps in particular.
And to think that this all started because my son received a Betta as a birthday party gift that lasted 8 months, and that I had absolutely no idea how to care for...
Well, here I am and thanks for having me.
Orthie
