Some starting questions

[Nevrast]

Hi all,
i'll start by introducing: my names Pedro, i live in Portugal-Lisbon and i'm a student of environmental engenearing.

In this stage i'm gathering info on what to set up my aquarium, it has 205 liters (i think about 55 gallons).

i'm having some doubts on the lighting, i have read several sites and must state that i'm a bit confused , i'd like to make the aquarium with a great deal of plants and am thinking to get 120 watts of lighting (fluorescent and full spectrum) is this enough? (for the majority of plants i mean).

Nother doubt the substrate: a shop dealer told me that it would be nice to put peat and then covering with sand, i'm kind of afraid that the peat starts to wander off if the fish start to excavate or when planting\moving things on to new places. on the other hand, my water is ph 7,5 (tapwater) with the adition of peat would it become more acidic? (this should be nice to the dwarf cichilds right?)
Another thing , will the water become yellow due to the tannins? is it possible to acidify\soften the water trough peat and remove the coloration with activated carbon or is this conterproducent?
Another thing that i read is that if placed in a cannister filter (i have one of those by the way) it will acidify\soften the water rapidly, the question is: is it too rapidly if there are fish in it? anyway if i do this it's in the first weeks when the aquarium is cycling, so it would be any problem right?

I was thinking to put in this aquarium (100cm \45 cm \45cm - 3,3ft\18 in\18 in) 2 maybe 3 pairs of dwarf cichlids, choosing from these species(agassiz, cacatuoides, nannacara anomala, kribensis, A. macmasteri, A. trifasciatum) plus a shoal of cardinals or black neons and some danio zebras or hatchetfish, maybe some corys. is this a viable choice? too many cichlids? any incompatibilities (regarding agression, ph, temp, dh)?

Thank's for Ure time
Pedro

 

[Neil]

Nevrast,

WELCOME TO THE FORUM

Pedro - Sounds like you have a good start on things. However, you asked quite a few questions and I would like to answer them more fully than I have time for right now. I was away for the weekend and have too much to take care of to give this the attention it deserves. So, I will get back to it tomorrow. Until then, maybe some others can give you some insights.
Neil

 

[farm41]

Hi Nevrast,

120 watts is adaquate for a multitude of low light plants, cryptocryne, Java fern, java moss, anubias, and sagitaria just to name a few.

I just set up a 20g with 4 handfuls of peat underneath 3-4" onyx sand yesterday, so I can't tell you much about what will happen when some digging or uprooting happens. You can't go wrong with flourite if it is available to you, simply the best stuff around.

For the fish, I like the cacs and the nannies(I have these in my 60g), and then 10-12 cardinals to top things off. I think mixing the kribs(africans) with apisto's(south americans) is trouble. Get 8-10 otocinclus, and an ancistrus too.

If you plant this tank fairly heavily from the start and have 120 watts of light, you can add the otto's and ancistrus on day 2 or 3. Wait for the tank to be all settled and stable for the apisto's in 3-4 weeks.

 

[Randall]

New tank start up

Dear Pedro,

It looks like you've got some good advise here to get started. I'd like to answer some of your questions as well.

Yes, peat moss will give your water a tinge of tea color, and this can be removed by adding activated carbon to your canister filter. Although the slight tea color may not be so good for your plants because some of the light will be blocked, the tannins and humic acid released from the peat will, most likely, have a positive effect on your selection of fish. It's important to note, however, that peat does not continually bleach into the water. Once it's spent, it's spent, so if you want to maintain consistent water chemistry, you need to condition your water with peat with each partial water change.

It is not a good idea to place peat in your canister filter because it will acidify and soften your water too quickly, possibly compromising your fish. It's better to administer the peat in a holding recepticle, let it sit for a few days and then use the aged water to perform your partial water changes. This way, your fish will benefit from consistancy, where water chemistry is concerned.

Good luck!

Randall Kohn

 

[Nevrast]

Hi ,
thanks to all of U for the wonderful info that U've just shared with me.

My tank arrived today from the glass shop and its a beaut , however im getting some problems on the lighting, i found the lamps (got a Solar natur 30w 6000K from JBL and a Sylvania Gro lux 30w) but the budget ran low and i got to stay, at least for now, with only 60w on lighting; i'm hoping (hopping?) that it will be enough for the plants not to die, maybe if i put less plants for now and then add up later with the addition of more light fixtures, what do U think?

About the peat, reading your advice and seeing this wonderful site http://fp.marksfish.f9.co.uk/ made me think twice and maybe i do the peat extract and add it to the water on changes. Another doubt on peat: here in Portugal the only peat i have seen so far is sold on gardening shops, its brown,very fluffy-like and it looks very much like the pot mixes that are sold for plants (poetical description :lol: ), is this the apropriate stuff? In Marks site there is a pic there and the peat is white, i've never seen that here...could i use this brown peat?

Bout the fishes, Ok no Kribs , and about how many dwarfs? is the space enough for 3 couples? or just only 2 of them?
I'm not very fond of the Ancistrus (gives me the creeps 8O) , what do U think about a Peckoltia?
What about the Corys? i read somewhere that they could eat the eggs of apistos, is this true?

Thank U all once more, i greatly apreciate your patience and kindness in clarifying these noob questions

 

[Bissot_J]

In Marks site there is a pic there and the peat is white, i've never seen that here...could i use this brown peat?

hi ,

in mark site what is white is not peat , but "Filter floss"
peat is brown

Jason

 

[Neil]

Nevrast,
Here is a few other things to add to the mix.

Another thing that i read is that if placed in a cannister filter (i have one of those by the way) it will acidify\soften the water rapidly, the question is: is it too rapidly if there are fish in it? anyway if i do this it's in the first weeks when the aquarium is cycling, so it would be any problem right?

The best solution to the pH, Hardness issue is to have the appropriate water in the tank before you add the fish. Then, as Randall suggests, continue with adjusted water via water changes. Apistos seem to be very tolerant of pH and hardness swings, but there is no sense in pressing your luck.

Bout the fishes, Ok no Kribs , and about how many dwarfs? is the space enough for 3 couples? or just only 2 of them?

In a 55g aquarium, it is not unreasonable to maintain 3 pairs of apistos, but individual personalities must be monitored and action taken, if things get a little too rough for anybody. Breeding is the wild card and can add an entirely different social arrangement to the tank. If a sub-ordinate pair, that occupies a small piece of the corner of the tank, decides to breed first, the geography of territories might radically change.
Most of the fish that you listed are fine, probably even the Kribs, who are more likely to be aggressive with other West African species (cichlids) than apistos.

What about the Corys? i read somewhere that they could eat the eggs of apistos, is this true?

Any other fish in the tank can present a problem for a spawning pair of Dwarf Cichlids. And corys are a good example. They can eat eggs and other fish (like tetras, etc.) can eat new fry. Just as large of a problem will be the other cichlids in the tank. They can eat eggs and fry and may be smarter about doing it. The less fish that are in the tank with a breeding pair, the more likely it will be that they can defend their fry to a point where they can survive on their own.

Good luck and have fun,
Neil