under gravel jet

[mr.cichlid]

thanks....i hope the eureka red is successful this time...

 

[Istanbul_Kop]

kop, how r u able to place rocks that tall??? did u use any glue?? are those rocks heavy?? and final question: are those real plans???

It's ocean/reef/dead coral rock so it all locks together as it is has nice, unusual, jagged shapes. Very secure. Plants are real - Java fern and some type of sword (the only two ever to survive with my Cichlids). The Java fern is superb in this stype of setup as it does not have to be planted, and simply latches on to the rocks after a while.

 

[mr.cichlid]

hey guys, just got this thought...do you think poking in a small hole (very very tiny hole) in the piping at locations where sand bed is deep could help solve the anaerobic bacteria issue? thoughts???

guys pls share your thoughts on this one???

 

[mr.cichlid]

Cheers.

If you sand bed is too deep you can get a build up of anaerobic bacteria which will eventually release a gas that is harmful to your fish. It can come out when you disturb the sand after you have left it for a while or it can even bubble out on its own. It happens where there is no oxygen in compacted, deep sand beds.

Someone who knows better will be able to tell you more (or correct me, haha). Either way, deep sand can be tricky, and it is better going for a lesser depth.

But there lies the problem, in that the one bad thing with these UGJs in a Malawi tank - ENDLESS DIGGING exposing the jets.

ps. Malaysian Trumpet Snails do a fine job of sifting through deeper sand. They are cheap, breed like rabbits, only come out at night and won't be touched by the fish.

i just read some articles about malaysian trumpet snails...they are cool..but hopefully their population remains in control...how many do you think should i add in first??? its a 120g.

 

[mr.cichlid]

hey i went to the LFS yesterday...the guy told me that these snails reproduce at a very fast rate...so now i am back to the starting point...do you think it would be better off to do regular vaccum and not add these snails to the tank??? pls advice

 

[ibr3ak]

I've never had any trumpet snails personally, but from what I've gathered, if you don't overfeed, their population will remain in control, also I hear cichlids like eating the young (or freshly hatched) snails if they can find them.

 

[mr.cichlid]

hmmm...but once we add them there is no way to get rid of 'em as i understand...cause they cud be anywhere hiding in the sand...

one time i saw petsmart guys put gold fish in one of their tanks to control snails population...do you know of any fish that can go live with cichlds and at the same time control population of the snails...and that don't grow huge (max like 4-6inches)...

 

[ibr3ak]

I would imagine loaches, but as I've never kept them I'm not sure which won't be on mbuna's target list.