Aquariums and Terrariums

[Roms]

I just bought two Managuense cichlids (South American). Very cool fish, I've been wanting one for awhile. The only problem is they are only one inch long so I put them in with my Africans... So far so good since they're hiding in the plants. When they get bigger I'll put them in with my South Americans...

The two little guys are already fighting each other over territory so I had to move one to the other side of the tank... LOL

We'll see I guess, I'm taking a chance but I guess that's how it goes.

[richTV]

keep an eye on those Managuense fish, Rom.

in general, it isn't good to mix cichlids of different regions since S.A. and Africans each take diff pH, diet, salinity, and water hardness....and of course, temperment.

i only got a 55gal setup now...just don't have the time.

African Cichlids.....
5-stripe Frontosa male
Rusty Cichlid [Iodotropheus Sprengerae]
a few yellow Labs [Labidochromis Caeruleus]
female Hap Comressiceps
pair of Regal Peacocks
white top afra [don't get big but nasty lil' guys.....had 2 but had to give up on 1 of them cuz they each owned half of the 55]
Lamp. Tretocephalus
Syn. Decorus [one of my prized fish cuz i've had it for over 15yrs...about 14in]
Syn Lace [aka Syn. Budgeti]....sentimental to it cuz it is my oldest fish....about 12 inches....enjoys inverting himself in some african bogroot.]

odd fish include,
a striped raphael which hides alot....probably the most noctural catfish u can get next to it's cousin, the spotted raphael.
also have some dither fish....a large group of Giant Danios work really well as darter fish for an African setup]
got 2 Rhino Plecos in it too and hold their own quite well.....i've also used Gibbiceps, Rusty, Royal in the past with great results.

plenty of filtration/circulation too....1 powerhead, (2) 403 Fluvals, (1) 303 Fluval

sorry, don't have a camera

btw, i think u mentioned plants with ur african cichlids or S.A.....hard to keep plants with Africans since they either dig, or eat them like mbuna's do, or just don't thrive in a high pH with such a salinity and water hardness....the only real indigeneous variety would be a Val species, eg corkscrew.....the plant i stay with when it comes to Africans is Java Fern....hearty plant and grows on bog root....the plant is actually poisonious but won't hurt the fish cuz they simply spit it out and learn.

for S.A. cichlids, it is hard to keep plants because of the digging....i tend to recommend to people something like Amazon Swords simply because they have a broad leaf and thick stem....also try planting them outta harms way like the corners....otherwise, like with an African tank, plastic plants is the most cost-efficient way to go.

regarding Stingrays, keep an eye on ur aggressive fish with them....a rays vulnerable spot is the eyes so i tend to tell people not to mix them with S.A.'s....Arowana make good tank mates with them though cuz of the 2 different levels at which they swim [blue arowana is the prettiest but most expensive...gold arowana is nice too but endangered so off the market for quite some time now........also used Clown Knifes [Royal Clown Knifes are the prettiest].....black ghosts work well too since they love soft acidic water also....black worms and grass shrimp are a nice treat for Rays.

ur buddy probably has a Motoro Stingray judging from the size u mentioned.....Hysterix is the next size down....and T-Cup is the smaller of the 3 species u tend to find in stores.

btw, i've worked at a pet store parttime since '91

[Roms]

Originally Posted by richTV

keep an eye on those Managuense fish, Rom.

in general, it isn't good to mix cichlids of different regions since S.A. and Africans each take diff pH, diet, salinity, and water hardness....and of course, temperment.

I agree, generally I never mix Africans with SA's but I figured they were so small I could get away with it for a few days. But, it only lasted for about an hour until my Dimidiochromis decided they looked tastey... LOL so, it was a bad idea.

I have a 10gal tank full of Peacock Benga fry (about 13) so I caught them all so they weren't dinner and put them in a breeding net. I'll keep the Jaguar's in that tank until they are big enough to survive with my other SA's... My female Auratus has a mouth full of eggs so I should have a good fry from her soon too.

(Here is a list for anyone who wants to know the fish we are talking about: List)

I love Frontosa, they are one of my favs. Sounds like you have a great tank going!

[richTV]

yes, Dimidiochromis.

i'm sometimes ol' school so i still call them Hap Compressiceps.....similar with Hap Ahli aka sciaenochromis ahli. lol

to alleviate u from having to catch the fry in the first place, a good way is to "milk" the eggs from her mouth.

after ur sure they're fertilized as much as they're gonna be [usually a few days] then catch the female and gently grab her lower lip with ur left index finger and gently squeeze and release with ur right hand near her gill area...keep doing this whilst all the while only having her mouth in the water....it'll cause her to spit out the eggs....should only take at best 30sec so it won't hurt her.

i usually use a big net and just rest at the top of tank so i can collect them.....or u can do it using a small container of ur main tank's water.....whatever's easier for ya.....do it nearer to ground on ur knees though so she doesn't otherwise slip away and hit ur floor from that high up if u were standing.

once collected, put them in a small tank [using ur main tank's water] along with ample aeration but not too turbulent and add some Methylene Blue to that tank....it'll keep fungus down.

i like to milk the eggs because if she constantly holds them in her mouth as mouthbrooders do, she will not eat and become emaciated.....but also, since they're as fertilized as they're gonna be....she is not needed anymore in terms of protection......this is also a good way to quickly induce spawning again.

[Roms]

Originally Posted by richTV

yes, Dimidiochromis.

i'm sometimes ol' school so i still call them Hap Compressiceps.....similar with Hap Ahli aka sciaenochromis ahli. lol

to alleviate u from having to catch the fry in the first place, a good way is to "milk" the eggs from her mouth.

after ur sure they're fertilized as much as they're gonna be [usually a few days] then catch the female and gently grab her lower lip with ur left index finger and gently squeeze and release with ur right hand near her gill area...keep doing this whilst all the while only having her mouth in the water....it'll cause her to spit out the eggs....should only take at best 30sec so it won't hurt her.

i usually use a big net and just rest at the top of tank so i can collect them.....or u can do it using a small container of ur main tank's water.....whatever's easier for ya.....do it nearer to ground on ur knees though so she doesn't otherwise slip away and hit ur floor from that high up if u were standing.

once collected, put them in a small tank [using ur main tank's water] along with ample aeration but not too turbulent and add some Methylene Blue to that tank....it'll keep fungus down.

i like to milk the eggs because if she constantly holds them in her mouth as mouthbrooders do, she will not eat and become emaciated.....but also, since they're as fertilized as they're gonna be....she is not needed anymore in terms of protection......this is also a good way to quickly induce spawning again.

Yeah, I let my female keep her eggs in her mouth for about 3 weeks until I knew the eggs had hatched and then I caught her and dumped the fry into the 10gal tank... I perfer to let the eggs hatch in the females mouth so I don't have to use a tumbler or incubation.

So I think you misunderstood, since I had the 10gal full of fry I had to catch them and move them to a breeding net in the tank to use the tank for the two jaguars, to save them from being eaten.

Methylene Blue and many other fugus/ick medications will kill many species of Cichlid fry and eggs...

This the same way I strip the fry

[Ocean-Wonders]

I've got a marine tank (had to downsize recently )

I find fish fascinating and very relaxing ! My kids love them too
My forum is for fish keepers if you fancy popping over for a chat at you'd be more than welcome.

Here's a pic of my tank

[richTV]

Originally Posted by Roms

Yeah, I let my female keep her eggs in her mouth for about 3 weeks until I knew the eggs had hatched and then I caught her and dumped the fry into the 10gal tank... I perfer to let the eggs hatch in the females mouth so I don't have to use a tumbler or incubation.

So I think you misunderstood, since I had the 10gal full of fry I had to catch them and move them to a breeding net in the tank to use the tank for the two jaguars, to save them from being eaten.

Methylene Blue and many other fugus/ick medications will kill many species of Cichlid fry and eggs...

This the same way I strip the fry

one thing i tell my customers, is that if it ain't broke, don't fix it! lol ...so by all means go with what works for you.

in my situations, i prefer not to have her keep them in her mouth for that long cuz her stomach becomes too concave over time.....over course a tank is different and instinct will tell her to keep them in her mouth more often and alot longer than in a wild situation.

i can tell you that i never had any problems with Methylene Blue in all of the times i've used it.

obviously, in ur case there would be no need to use it......my example was meant in terms of fertilzed eggs....not hatched and/or free-swimming fry!

and if u ever used or had to use an Ick medicine on said fry, then u'd want to drop the dosage in half.....similar to certain Tetras or scaleless fish like Synodontis or Loaches, and so on.

yes, ur link to milking fry is basically as i described.

--------------- Added [DATE]1234438445[/DATE] at [TIME]1234438445[/TIME] ---------------

Originally Posted by Ocean-Wonders

I've got a marine tank (had to downsize recently )

I find fish fascinating and very relaxing ! My kids love them too
My forum is for fish keepers if you fancy popping over for a chat at you'd be more than welcome.

Here's a pic of my tank

looks like a nice efficient setup.

those powerheads like u have are handy too because they are attached via magnet.

hard to tell from that pic as they look like torch or frogspawn or hammer coral....a nice house for ur Ocellaris Clowns in ur case for a small tank would be a Pacific bubble anemone, else Ritteri would work great but they get rather big over time.

u should check out the Oceanic BioCubes.....they come in 8, 14, and 29gal.....include PC lighting and mini wet/dry filter.....also they offer a protein skimmer sold separately which fits near the filter....not a great skimmer, but not too shabby.

[Roms]

Originally Posted by richTV

one thing i tell my customers, is that if it ain't broke, don't fix it! lol ...so by all means go with what works for you.

in my situations, i prefer not to have her keep them in her mouth for that long cuz her stomach becomes too concave over time.....over course a tank is different and instinct will tell her to keep them in her mouth more often and alot longer than in a wild situation.

i can tell you that i never had any problems with Methylene Blue in all of the times i've used it.

obviously, in ur case there would be no need to use it......my example was meant in terms of fertilzed eggs....not hatched and/or free-swimming fry!

and if u ever used or had to use an Ick medicine on said fry, then u'd want to drop the dosage in half.....similar to certain Tetras or scaleless fish like Synodontis or Loaches, and so on.

yes, ur link to milking fry is basically as i described.

Sounds good. Yeah my female Benga was still looking perty healthy but I can definitely see your point.

I was checking out Youtube last night and caught this Eel video. Makes me want another eel. Years ago I had a Purple Spaghetti Eel, he was interesting to watch. He ended up getting out of his tank and we found him dead a week later. He had "woven himself" in and out of the holes at the end of my knit bedspread... I've also had Peacock and Zig Zag Eels which aren't really eels but I think they are a lot cooler. The only problem is I know my Africans would pick on him, my SA's would leave him alone for the most part but he would stay hidden because they are aggressive. I would have to put him in his own tank if I wanted to get him very big (not as big as that Fire Eel) and active all the time...

[richTV]

never heard of Purple Spaghetti Eel, i'll see if my store can get some....i read ur link and it mentions the rarity of them so usually rarity and price go hand in hand lol./

if ur into eels or eel-like animals, check out tire track, fire, and FW moray too.

other odd creatures which seem prehistoric looking include lungfish and varieties of polypterus

i usually tell my customers however not to attempt such snake-like creatures in SA cuz they might look like one big tasty worm to the majority of SA and their bass-like mouths.

on occassion i suppose it might work if ur fish are well-fed and a big tank......the shape of eels are so dissimiliar to SA that they might not take notice and leave it alone...ie not a rival...., assuming ur a betting man and willing to take the chance. lol....the other approach is to buy them all young and let them grow up together......another is to not feed the SA live food cuz it otherwise makes them more aggressive vs. just feeding pellets or food sticks.

[Roms]

Originally Posted by richTV

never heard of Purple Spaghetti Eel, i'll see if my store can get some....i read ur link and it mentions the rarity of them so usually rarity and price go hand in hand lol./

if ur into eels or eel-like animals, check out tire track, fire, and FW moray too.

other odd creatures which seem prehistoric looking include lungfish and varieties of polypterus

i usually tell my customers however not to attempt such snake-like creatures in SA cuz they might look like one big tasty worm to the majority of SA and their bass-like mouths.

on occassion i suppose it might work if ur fish are well-fed and a big tank......the shape of eels are so dissimiliar to SA that they might not take notice and leave it alone...ie not a rival...., assuming ur a betting man and willing to take the chance. lol....the other approach is to buy them all young and let them grow up together......another is to not feed the SA live food cuz it otherwise makes them more aggressive vs. just feeding pellets or food sticks.

The city north of where I live has a great store with lots of exotics. Yeah, if I were to do it I wouldn't get another Eel, just an "eel like" fish and keep it in it's own tank (with a tight lid.. LOL). I found a picture and decription of the Purple Spaghetti Eel (I've also heard it called an Elephant Eel... but you know how pet shops are).

My friends father owns a petstore so I've had fish tanks with all kinds of fun creatures since I was a kid.