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Pet Forum / Aquaria / Cichlids / July 2004New owner (almost)
My wife is wanting to get a south american cichlid from PetCo. They are like $5.99 for the small ones. We have never owned a fish, so we're trying to research as much as we can online. Does anyone have any good recommendations for tank decorations, size, gravel, additives, websites to order from, etc? We have a 20 gallon tank and just purchased a pump/filter and vacuum. We're planning on only having one cichlid for a long time, but if we get another we will get a bigger tank. We're also planning on putting an Algae eater in there with him of the same size. We figured we might find all the other stuff online cheaper. Any good sites that are cheap anyone can recommend? Thanks! > My wife is wanting to get a south american cichlid from PetCo. They > are like $5.99 for the small ones. [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > Thanks! If you have your heart set on the cichlid you saw at PetCo, I'd find out it's Latin name and do as much research on it as possible. This being your first tank, along with the research, you want to check out some of the African Riverine species. A pair of Kribensis (Pelvicachromis pulcher) or Anomalochromis thomasi make excellent starter fish. They're not as sensitive to the nitrate cycle as some other fish and can endure changes in pH better than many fish. Check out Dr Foster's and Smith's online, Petco online, Big Al's online for equipment. For fish, it'll depend on the species you settle with. Prior to deciding on any variety of fish, I'd get your water tested for pH and general hardness. It's much easier to match the fish to your water rather than mess with water quality. Check out the articles at my site, http://www.amateurcichlids.com/index.php as well as some of the species profiles. Many are African cichlids but there's some others mixed in there. You can also post questions at http://www.fishaholics.org and usually get some quick responses. Amateur > My wife is wanting to get a south american cichlid from PetCo. They > are like $5.99 for the small ones. [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > Thanks! Some people are very intense about everything they do. I sometimes envy them. I've had fish for over 40 years, and usually just picked them out, and plopped them in the tank! Everything I learned was by asking questions, and making mistakes.  SignatureJK Sinrod Sinrod Stained Glass Studios www.sinrodstudios.com Coney Island Memories www.sinrodstudios.com/coneymemories > > My wife is wanting to get a south american cichlid from PetCo. They > > are like $5.99 for the small ones. [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > plopped them in the tank! Everything I learned was by asking questions, and > making mistakes. I feel like I'm doing something wrong when I here about how High Intensity people do things. There is always someone who does it just like the experts suggest. But, I get some comfort out of the fact that my blood pressure is lower. Also, I seem to learn much more by making my own mistakes, than by being told how to do things the right way. I guess it's not the same for everyone. Joe Hi, I'm new to the group, and have been in the hobby for about a year. I have learned that the most important thing is to research the species you wish to keep. Mistakes happen, of course, and you can learn from them, but behind each of those mistakes, a living creature gets killed or irreparably(sp) damaged...so for me, I feel that I owe it to the animals to minimize the possibility of hurting them, and that means learning as much as I can before committing to take care of them. I did a tank when I was starting out, and I was very impulsive (and stupid). Check this out: I actually put a Koi, a 4" comet goldfish, three or four other goldfish, two african cichlids (a yellow lab and a livingstoni), two plecos, and a juvenile Oscar in a 55 gallon tank. I used store-bought distilled water because I thought that was "better" than treating tap water since it was "pure". Absolutely idiotic. Knowing nothing about water chemistry, I didn't keep the buffering capacity high enough to absorb pH swings, and when I went on a 2-day hunting trip, the tank had crashed, and everything was dead or dying. The only fish to survive was the Oscar which I still have today(his growth was stunted, though, I'm certain). My point is, I learned a lot from that blunder, but if I had spent just a day or two on the net or in the library researching those fish, getting the test kits, etc., I could have saved 7 animals from dying from a toxic, burning, ammonia-and-nitrate death cocktail. Please note, I am not preaching(certainly not qualified to), I am just speaking from *my* point of view, which is my own, and is only a perfect fit for me and how I approach things. -- Kerry Thomas -- Please remove .NOSPAM from my email to reply. >>>My wife is wanting to get a south american cichlid from PetCo. They >>>are like $5.99 for the small ones. [quoted text clipped - 31 lines] > > Joe Hi, I replied to Joe earlier, but never directly to your post. If that *small* South American cichlid is an Oscar (astronotus ocellatus), it will grow to become a *huge* South American cichlid. It is not uncommon for those critters to get to 14".<grin> I would get a minimum of a 75 gallon for one oscar. Use rocks to provide ledges and hiding places. I keep my oscars at: ph 7.0 Carbonate hardness 4-5dKH General hardness 5-6 dGH Temp 78-80 deg F These params really worked out well, because I also have a community tank that is also South American Amazon. So, when I make my Oscar water, I am also making water for the other tank. However...my water (North Texas) is horribly hard and alkaline. Were talking 270ppm dissolved solids, and pH 8.5 out of the tap. Every morning, I half-expect to see gravel pouring out of the tap. I have to use a Reverse Osmosis/ DeIonization (RO/DI) unit to strip everything out of the water, then build it back again. With chemicals, I try to use just enough to get the job done well, but no more than that. I have had great success with the Kent Marine line of products. I feed my O's a varied dient of Hikari cichlid staple pellets, Tetra JumboMin food sticks, and FishGumDrops BeefHeart. At 8in each, I give them one beefheart chunk each. As with any fish, feed no more than they will eat in a few minutes. Keep your lids secure, these babies *will* jump. Get a good, really good filter. Oscars are horribly messy. Literally half of what they eat washes out of their gills. What comes in those aquarium packages will probably not be sufficient. You'll want to turn that tank over 8-12 times per hour if you're using hang-on power filters, so if you have a 55 gal tank, I would get two 330gph power filters. Yeah. They're *that* messy. Also, since they're so messy, the bio-cycle in your tank really gets going, producing a good bit of nitrate. Be prepared to do a 15-25% water change weekly. Hop on http://www.theoscarpot.com. Great folks there. I think you should be okay with a plecostomus, especially if they grow up together. I might buy the pleco a good bit bigger than the Oscar, because the oscar will grow much faster, and might be tempted to snack on (or attack) the pleco. If I can throw one thing out, please, Please, PLEASE don't cycle your tank with live fish. The ammonia and nitrite spikes can be deadly and crippling to them. It would be like airing out someone's new apartment with raw sewage and nerve gas. I would use household ammonia. I've used Wal-Mart Sam's Choice brand(purple label) with great success. I cycled a 55g saltwater tank in 3 wks with 2 tsp of that ammonia per day, along with 2 tsp of stress-zyme every few days. Gawd... I've written a novel. Please note, I am speaking from my own experience and learning, which is...well...my own, and is only a perfect fit for me. Best of luck to you. -- Kerry Thomas -- Please remove .NOSPAM from my email to reply. > My wife is wanting to get a south american cichlid from PetCo. They > are like $5.99 for the small ones. [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > Thanks! |
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