Please bear in mind I am new to fishkeeping.
About 3 months ago I bought a 55 gallon from a friend, who lost a colony of 25 cichlids to Ich.
Also lost were 2 catfish, don't know what type, but he said they were compatible with African cichlids. *insert your guess here*
The tank included all the goodies, stand, heater, two filters (an Emporer 400 and a Penguin 350), lots of lava rock (some really nice pieces, with holes), and lots of fake plants.
The rocks were removed and we drained the tank. Upon arriving home I put the tank in the basement, where it sat unattended for 5 days. The lava rock was left in the backyard.
On the 5th day, I rejoiced. My first tank. And it's a big one. I had been reading about fishless cycling. I jumped in the car and two hardware stores later I had 99% Ammonia. A quick jaunt to my local Big Al's Fish Emporium for a liquid test kit, And I was ready to go.
First off, I thoroughly clean both filters. I replace the bio wheels with new ones (another noob mistake I later find out) and new carbon.
As I began to fill the tank, I quickly realized I would probably have to fill it and empty it again several times. After adding the first 5 gallon bucket the water literally turned black. It seems my friend was a little lax when it came to cleaning the gravel, which there was plenty of.
Imagine my suprise when on my 3rd drain and fill of the tank, I spot a catfish dart from a darkened corner of the tank. I look again to make sure my tired eyes don't decieve me. He's hard to spot, but sure enough I see him again. For 5 days he has lived in not enough water to fill a thimble. We had drained the tank as best we could, but admitedly the gravel, of which there was at least 3-4 inches of, was quite soggy. I did not see any pools of water.
I quickly fill the tank and turn on both filters. The catfish disappears into a large skull decoration in the tank, and in about 45 minutes the water in the tank in quite clear. I stare at the particulate being drawn into the filters like a day dreaming idiot, the same way one might stare into a campfire.
I drop cichlid food my friend has given me around the skull in an effort to draw him out. Not too much. The fish doesn't bite, so to speak, but with my flashlight I can see him moving in there. He's pretty fat. About 3 inches long, maybe 4. I decide to call him Moby.
My plan to "fishless cycle" goes to the wayside, as I'm sure adding loads of almost pure ammonia isn't going to help Moby be all he can be. I find out Moby is a "upside down" catfish.
Fast forward 3 months. A combination of two wonderful filters, weekly water changes, and a lonely resident has insured crystal clean water. I have yet use the test kit aside from the first day I filled the tank.
I decided not to use the lava rock as I liked the look of the tank without it, and there are plenty of fake plants to provide cover. It has stayed outside, where it has been rained on, dryed out, rained on again, etc, etc, for 3 months.
I have decided to have a species tank, and ultimately want to have 60-70 neons or cardinals. I also would like to add more "upsidedown" catfish.
I have 3 questions:
1. How many cardinals or neons should I add at once, and at what intervals would I add the remainder???
2. Should I add more catfish, or would Moby be a less than gracious host???
3. How would I clean the lava rocks should I decide to add them at a later date
About 3 months ago I bought a 55 gallon from a friend, who lost a colony of 25 cichlids to Ich.
Also lost were 2 catfish, don't know what type, but he said they were compatible with African cichlids. *insert your guess here*
The tank included all the goodies, stand, heater, two filters (an Emporer 400 and a Penguin 350), lots of lava rock (some really nice pieces, with holes), and lots of fake plants.
The rocks were removed and we drained the tank. Upon arriving home I put the tank in the basement, where it sat unattended for 5 days. The lava rock was left in the backyard.
On the 5th day, I rejoiced. My first tank. And it's a big one. I had been reading about fishless cycling. I jumped in the car and two hardware stores later I had 99% Ammonia. A quick jaunt to my local Big Al's Fish Emporium for a liquid test kit, And I was ready to go.
First off, I thoroughly clean both filters. I replace the bio wheels with new ones (another noob mistake I later find out) and new carbon.
As I began to fill the tank, I quickly realized I would probably have to fill it and empty it again several times. After adding the first 5 gallon bucket the water literally turned black. It seems my friend was a little lax when it came to cleaning the gravel, which there was plenty of.
Imagine my suprise when on my 3rd drain and fill of the tank, I spot a catfish dart from a darkened corner of the tank. I look again to make sure my tired eyes don't decieve me. He's hard to spot, but sure enough I see him again. For 5 days he has lived in not enough water to fill a thimble. We had drained the tank as best we could, but admitedly the gravel, of which there was at least 3-4 inches of, was quite soggy. I did not see any pools of water.
I quickly fill the tank and turn on both filters. The catfish disappears into a large skull decoration in the tank, and in about 45 minutes the water in the tank in quite clear. I stare at the particulate being drawn into the filters like a day dreaming idiot, the same way one might stare into a campfire.
I drop cichlid food my friend has given me around the skull in an effort to draw him out. Not too much. The fish doesn't bite, so to speak, but with my flashlight I can see him moving in there. He's pretty fat. About 3 inches long, maybe 4. I decide to call him Moby.
My plan to "fishless cycle" goes to the wayside, as I'm sure adding loads of almost pure ammonia isn't going to help Moby be all he can be. I find out Moby is a "upside down" catfish.
Fast forward 3 months. A combination of two wonderful filters, weekly water changes, and a lonely resident has insured crystal clean water. I have yet use the test kit aside from the first day I filled the tank.
I decided not to use the lava rock as I liked the look of the tank without it, and there are plenty of fake plants to provide cover. It has stayed outside, where it has been rained on, dryed out, rained on again, etc, etc, for 3 months.
I have decided to have a species tank, and ultimately want to have 60-70 neons or cardinals. I also would like to add more "upsidedown" catfish.
I have 3 questions:
1. How many cardinals or neons should I add at once, and at what intervals would I add the remainder???
2. Should I add more catfish, or would Moby be a less than gracious host???
3. How would I clean the lava rocks should I decide to add them at a later date
