[Eddy]

Cross-posting from the give away thread since it might interest some folks here

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shift...ml#post4379574 (The Giveaway Thread: Post up anything you want to give away FREE to a fellow BHPian)

[ptaneja]

Guys, my Oscar's color has faded away, earlier it was dark black with orange spots, but now all grey. Otherwise its all healthy, active and eating food. Food is bloodworms + tetra bits + pellets mixed.

Any pointers to what could be done ?

[manikjeet]

Originally Posted by ptaneja

Guys, my Oscar's color has faded away, earlier it was dark black with orange spots, but now all grey. Otherwise its all healthy, active and eating food. Food is bloodworms + tetra bits + pellets mixed.

Any pointers to what could be done ?

Hello ptaneja,

Have you recently changed the water of the Tank or shifted the fish. Fish usually loose color due to shock.

And what is the tank Size.

Regards

[ptaneja]

Been adding water to refill the tank, about 20% every 10 days or so.
Dont have much fishes considering the size of tank - 6 Feet.

[deathwalkr]

Originally Posted by ptaneja

Guys, my Oscar's color has faded away, earlier it was dark black with orange spots, but now all grey. Otherwise its all healthy, active and eating food. Food is bloodworms + tetra bits + pellets mixed.

Any pointers to what could be done ?

Post a before and present pic to compare.

Details of tank, tankmates, water changes, filtration, lighting etc.

Usually it is a sign of stress. Or just plain genetics.

[v_2rahjo]

Originally Posted by ptaneja

Guys, my Oscar's color has faded away, earlier it was dark black with orange spots, but now all grey. Otherwise its all healthy, active and eating food. Food is bloodworms + tetra bits + pellets mixed.

Any pointers to what could be done ?

Check your water temperature. The color change is a sign of stress. With temperatures touching 40s your aquarium water will also become a little warmer. Ensure you have good ventilation. Add an air pump to see if that helps. Air pumps agitates the water and helps in cooling it a little.

[ptaneja]

Originally Posted by v_2rahjo

Check your water temperature. The color change is a sign of stress. With temperatures touching 40s your aquarium water will also become a little warmer. Ensure you have good ventilation. Add an air pump to see if that helps. Air pumps agitates the water and helps in cooling it a little.

Yes, have an opening in top cover, have dual air pumps along with external filter. Lets see how it copes ...

[deathwalkr]

Originally Posted by ptaneja

Yes, have an opening in top cover, have dual air pumps along with external filter. Lets see how it copes ...

What is your water change schedule? Also please reply to my earlier queries

[wildsdi5530]

My cichlid journey started about 1 year back when I bought 3 unknown fish at a raffle. They were bluish and came in a 7 liter tank. 2 died and the last one surviving is the bluish silver one in the pics. Then I moved the survivor to a large cement tank and added 8 fishes. 2 yellow colored ones, 4 convicts, 2 albinos. All were happy in the tank and are growing well except for the albinos. Then one of the albinos died. 2 weeks back I purchased a glass tank of 100 x 40 x 60 cm and have added all the fish to this tank. I also got 2 green terrors at this time. One of which keeps chasing the other. Not sure about the sex. Please help in identifying the fish I have. Suggestions are welcome.
I also have 10 tetras and 5 shrimps in another tank, a lily pond with a variety of mollies and a couple of guppies and many plants, and a tank with 2 RES.
The green terror


The first one














The albino refuses to grow.

[deathwalkr]

Nice setup. Would advice you to take out the convict and Terrors. Don't belong with Africans.

You seem to have Mbunas. Cave dwellers. Aggressive.

[wildsdi5530]

Other than the convicts and the Terror, I have a couple of yellow, one blueish silver and an albino only. Do you know their names??

Originally Posted by deathwalkr

Nice setup. Would advice you to take out the convict and Terrors. Don't belong with Africans.

You seem to have Mbunas. Cave dwellers. Aggressive.

[deathwalkr]

Originally Posted by wildsdi5530

Other than the convicts and the Terror, I have a couple of yellow, one blueish silver and an albino only. Do you know their names??

African Cichlid names are tough to remember. Just go through types of Mbunas and see which ones are yours.

[wildsdi5530]

So I've provisionally identified the fish as
2 Green terrors - No idea about sex
2 male Kenyi
4 female Kenyi
2 convicts
1 albino socolifi
1 powder blue socolifi
Does it seem right? Unfortunately I don't have another tank to separate the Americans from the africans. They seem fine for now, except for one green terror chasing the other. There are a lot of hiding places though.

[deathwalkr]

Please remember that, both African and American cichlids vary in their requirements of water parameters and are completely different in their behaviour patterns as well.

Seldom do they mix well and ideally should not be attempted.

Green Terrors get very big and require large tanks to reach their potential.

Convicts are a pair? If so then they will breed like crazy and when that happens god save your other fishes!

American cichlids are aggressive to others and to similar species and require constant monitoring if attempted.

I have always stuck with single specimens.

Hope you have bio filtration to ensure your water is healthy.

[anoop.u]

After months of pondering, I have finally decided to take the plunge and go for a planted aquarium. Before I go ahead and purchase all the stuff, I would be grateful if the experts here would review my setup and suggest changes, if any.

I.Tank:

I will be getting the tank assembled from a local glass vendor. The dimensions I am thinking of going for are: 40cm high, 60cm wide and 40cm deep. The glass will be 6mm toughened.
Questions:
1. Will this size be enough? I don’t want a large tank as I still learning all there is to about fishkeeping.
2. Any issues in going for a locally assembled tank? Or should I look out for a pre-assembled / ready-made acrylic one?
3. If I go for the locally assembled tank, can I use a removable glass sheet of 50cm x40cm with drilled holes as the top covering?
4. Any issues if I stick a vinyl covering at the rear panel of the tank? For visual purposes only.

II.Fish:

Goldfish, mollies and neon tetra / tetra based on availability. No more than 10 in total.
Questions:
1. Are the selected fish easy to maintain? Any special care required?
2. Any aggressive behavior to look out for? Are the selected fish compatible?

III. Lighting:

I have shortlisted the following from Aliexpress:
LED Light with Extendable Brackets (link): LED300 - US$ 30.77
Questions:
1. Suggestions and better options based on the size of the tank are welcome.

IV. Air Pump vs Water Pump vs Filter Pump:

Now, this is a section that has left me totally confused. The more I research on this topic, the more it adds to the confusion.

I have shortlisted 3 options below :
1. Filter pump: link
2. Water Pump: link
3. Air Pump: link

Please suggest what all I will be needing, better options are welcome.

V.Temperature Control / Heater:

Shortlisted this product here : link
Should I go for the 100W, 200W or 300W version? Any better options based on the size of tank mentioned above?
PS: The tank will be placed in a space with no direct access to sunlight and will be covered from 3 sides. The room is air conditioned and we do not get any chilly winters here (Cochin).

VI.Automatic Feeder:

Is it advisable to keep an automatic feeder connected 24x7? Or should I use it only when we are on vacation?
How long does the battery usually last for one of these?
PS: If there are no issues in leaving this running 24x7, I would prefer to have it as such.

VII. Plants:

I haven’t decided which plants to go for as of now. Strictly no artificial plants.


All suggestions are welcome.


Thank you,
Anoop