So, finally I have decorated my tank, I tried and tried different backgrounds, from making my own with Styrofoam and concrete to making caves and such from other aquarium safe materials, but none satisfied me, until this summer and a trip to B.C., where we happened on a camp site on the Kicking horse River, where the water runs a natural green, and the shore of the river is covered in a soft green slate, natural jade, and quartz. Well the long and short of it being that a motor home full of slate and some natural 100% silicone and the tank has a natural look to it and the fish couldn't be happier. I have stocked the tank with 2 King Kong B.P.'s, 3 nicolosi males, 3 male firemouths, a dozen electric yellow labs, 6 jewels, a gold severum, some black and pink convicts, all males,(home grown and to pretty to feed to the Oscars or crayfish), 3 orange and 3 green tiger barbs for a little activity, and 3 male Kadangos. I know that when they all arrive at maturity I will be overstocked, way overstocked, but this winter we are finishing the rec room and a 250g tank and this one will be moving downstairs, and a smaller 72g will be in the living room, hopefully that one will be a marine tank, but we will see. The African and S.A. cichlids will be separated then, but currently I keep the ph at 7 which seems to please everyone involved. They are feed a diet of home made green food, (ground head on shrimp, peas, spirlina powder, multivitamins, gelatin), both floating and sinking pellets, spirlina flakes, blood worm and brine shrimp and the occasional smelt or washed and chopped earthworms. Boy are they growing fast and their colours are remarkable. Thanks to this forum, I am a reformed fish killer and a quasi-knowledgeable fish keeper.
stocking my 120g
- Thread starter samsmom
- Start date
Sounds like you're right on track. The sooner the better on separating the africans from the SAs. The yellow labs will appreciate a higher pH and harder water. The jewels should really have their own tank with pH between 6.5-7.5. West africans have different requirements than the cichilds in the different lakes.