nighthawk

I have kept them since I started, essentially, They love to be in a planted tank, and some tanks are "just right" for them to go crazy breeding. I happened to do it "just right" by fluke, and even sold a few to Henry at one point (store credit, of course... never gonna make a living off this hobby!). I think they are relly pretty tetras, and can get to a good size (loonie).

It is SPECTACULAR!! I had the opportunity to go a few years ago, and I would go again in a heartbeat. Lake Malawi is pretty darn incredible too, although I am much more a fan of the Tanganyikan cichlids.

My tanganyikan tank is quite similar to your prospective one, without the tropheus or frontosa, and I am totally happy with the look and interaction of the fish. It's a little more similar to the natural environment, too; you would not find this many fish in 125 gallons in the wild.

From the photos, it appears as though the tail, dorsal and anal fins all have red and black markings on them, which would make this a triple red. Beautiful fish!

Good for you! The first exciting moment I had in this hobby was when mine bloomed; I think it may be the grandparent of your plant. Next, you need some more fishy progeny... Great way to get hooked!

So, the beautiful leopard pleco that was doing, incidentally, an awesome job of keeping the walls clean, has been brutally chomped by his tankmates. He was found at the bottom of the tank yesterday, with good sized bites in his side. Size: about 4 inches. Sad to see him go. Now the question arises: how do I get an algae-eater to clean this tank? He was significantly larger than his tankmates (compressiceps, julies, firecrackers and shellies), and an armoured cat to boot. Is it just a matter of finding a bigger yet fish? Are there more appropriate choices for the aggressive tank? Do my tangs now just have a taste for bottomdweller?? :shock: I appreciate any advice you can offer.

Welcome! I have learned immense amounts from this forum, and found some really good mentors. Bettas are wonderful fishies, and they can and will live in just about anything. That doesn't mean they'll be happy, though; my cat can live for a long time in her carry-on bag, too! My wife's setup is a corner tank, about 40gal, and the betta who lived there was king of the block. He had a lot of room to explore, and really enjoyed the plants. Putting one with rasboras or similar fish gives a nice variety to the tank, and 40 gal is a nice amount of water to keep fairly stable chemically. It's also not so large that it's super expensive or a lot of work to keep clean. Planted tanks are a little more work to start, and have different requirements for equipment than simple tanks, but they have a natural life-support mechanism, and most fish live in places where plants abound, too, making it more realistic. Definitely true for bettas... Welcome to a hobby that is a pile of fun!

I am, once again, excited about my Tang tank! The few surviving julies are having a blast around their chosen territory, and the beautiful cyps that I got from Harold are holding! This is my first experience with mouthbrooders, and I just noticed today that one of them has a bunch of little, yellow eggs in its jaw! I am not interested in stripping them or anything like that, if it were even possible for little guys like this. I am of the Darwinian school of fish breeding right now. So cool. Love this hobby! :heart:

Another nice "top" fish that I have been loving is the pencilfish (Nanostomus spp.). They require a bit more mature tank and prefer some plants, especially floating ones. Henry has had some beautiful ones in, and they are really loving the top of my SA tank!

I have had good luck with SA cichlids and tetras so far, but this is my first spawning of African cichlids! I'm not sure what, if anything, I did to make it happen, but the J. transcriptus in the Tank tank have decided it's time to grow the family. I've seen so far about 3 swimmers, guessing about 4mm in length. I'd be a proud poppa showing pictures if I thought I could get any with my crappy, non-zoom camera in a 125G tank. Very pleased!

Henry, I'm interested. I could use an expanded cleaning crew in the planted tank, and these guys' cousins are doing a bang-up job. Whenever you get them in, I'd take a half dozen or more.

Whoa! If you know the OP, this may be an inside joke, but it really sounds mean from the outside. The setup is quite sparse for a typical African tank, but the mix of colours and textures of the fish is really great to watch. A background on the tank would be a pleasant addition, and you may want to consider rearranging the rock to create more hiding places. It looks to me like the fish don't have territories to guard, and that makes for some stressed and potentially unhappy fishies.

I have had a similar problem with my FX5, and in my case, it was leaving the "polishing" filter in too long. Stopped flow by compressing the sponge, and created a vacuum in the filter. If you have spongy material in the filter, I'd recommend removing and replacing it.

I'm a big fan of apistogrammas, and they get along well with cardinals. Any kind you can find; 1 M + 2 F would be happy there, too. Take a look at the orange flash variant of A. cacatuoides online: you won't find much more colour than that! As long as you have plants, that is....

I am considering (finally) adding CO2 to the bigger planted tank. It's been doing ok with Excel for a couple years, but I think I am mentally prepared to have a high-pressure canister, all ready to explode a la Mythbusters in my house. :boxed: Any opinions on the best style to get and where to get it? I have seen the Red Sea systems around, but they seem fairly expensive for what you actually get. It's a 90 gal that I'd be putting it on, so the DIY option isn't one I've ever really considered, and I think "paintball" canisters would likely be insufficient. Any thoughts would be welcomed.