Rebel county Rebel tank ..

Hello everyone,
i was gifted a 200l jewel tank in the spring, thats when the fun and games began..
Im totally new to all this .
left it to cycle which broke my heart looking at an empty tank when it was ready i put in 4 mollies just to be certain before getting anything expensive..then i went and discovered that it is really hard to get nice species of cichilds in Cork.. shops have mixtures so i got half a dozen, and 2 angels cause i couldnt resist,, a friend gave me a large pleco and i also got a bumblebee cat..
all above were added in stages..and then the games began...
none of the above should in theory live together ..the tank has a few nice bits of proper bog oak and slate a few silly ornaments and has gravel base.
the cichilds only one is identifiable she is a excuse my spellings a livingstronni? camoflage coloured, eats from my hand as do all bar one ! the other cichlids are definatly crossbreds of some kind about 3-4"
the mollies who i got at the end of the cycling were ( and still will if in trouble) to go back to pet shop they have grown to about 3" 3 sailfin males and a female , so i had to get another female because they had the single female almost fornicated to death !! i set up a 5gallon tank and thats the maternity ward,, i always use water from the main tank in the maternity and dump what comes out of it so if i do need to move a bigger fish its the same as what they came out of ,,
the angels were very little but there bodies are close to 2" round not counting there tails n fins one is deffo male according to my fishy friend the other more than likely is female..
the bumblebee tends to live in the shade or hangs unpside down under the filter, and the pleco is a 15" lazy non cleaning gravel disturbing decor rearranging giant one of the cichlids pretty much follows him and when he parks she backs in behind his side fin..
I know in theory they shouldnt all be together but for now it works if they appear to be in trouble i'll have to move some.
i do part water changes weekly, they get feed a mix of wafers, cichlid sticks, flakes and the odd pea is real fun watching them play football with it, they adore blood worms but i heard they werent the best for cichlids. Ive enough in there for now , i do need to get a new filter at some point the one that came with tank is an internal and is just about copeing..trying to figure out what to get is a nightmare,,a fluval 205 external or is there an alternative brand suitable for a 200l tank?
they are fascinating to watch what the cichlids lack in colour they make up for in personality.

Welcome to the forum sounds like an interesting mix of fish you have and sounds like the mix works too.
YOu will have to post some pics of the tank when you get a chance. WOuld love to see the cichlid and Pleco sitting together too.

Cheers,

Bill.

now theres a challenge loading pics onto a forum !! ive never killed a fish but laptops have been murdered ! haha just as i went to take pic they assumed cause i was near food was on the way and all arrived upto the top ,, i'll get some

I hope ive added this right,, this is the big pleco with his cichlid buddy..she ( im assuming she) is devout to him..i'll try and get one of her under his fin but everytime i go close they come up for grub,,
rest of pics arent great the water is clean and clear its the pics make it look cloudy and blue, any tips ?
one is of the male angel he id bigger now and more bulky in his face..
corporal commando is the camoflage guy but i think its a female about 4" now and id love an id on the other one,
i know they shouldnt be together but they seem ok and im watching them like a hawk..

Amazing to see that kind of relationship form between 2 fish that would never encounter each other in the wild All your fish in the pics look in good health so you are obviously doing something right. Definitely interested in your progress, so please keep us posted with developments and any new additions.

Cheers,

Bill.

Hey welcome along hope you enjoy ur stay

thanks jeff,, think ive learnt more in the past few hours on here than months trying to educate myself on internet x

Welcome along Fiona

Sean

Hi Fiona and welcome from Ballincollig

great to have a fellow corky on here,

Hello and welcome to the forum



Mark

Hi Mark, thanks have only been here a few days and already Im after an education !! epileptic looking cichlids are infact just strutting there stuff like john travolta !!! pure novice at keeping fishys.. is that your tank in the pic? whats the base moss growing over the gravel looks smashing

good to see another fish keeper in the cork area

Hi Fiona no that's not mine just one i like, id say the plant in the pic is HC Cuba " Hemianthus Callitrichoides "

Your tank is looking great some really nice fish keep us updated with more pic's


Mark

tis a bit of an asylum in my big one at the moment,and i have 30 or so baby mollys and neons in a little tank as well,time to move stuff round again,, how do u get the clear pics of your tank? my tank is clear but it always looks cloudy in pics?

You should go for something like a JBL Cristal Profi External Filter the E900 model is rated for a 300 liter tank so would be great on your tank they go for around 90 euro
And then stick in some filter floss which is great for polishing the water

Happy days



Mark

yes i am upgrading to an external filter in next couple of weeks , water is clear it just dosent photograph .. Whats filter floss??

It's a synthetic filter floss that traps dirt inside your external filter really cheap and works great!
Some people use the floss out of pillows but for the price you can't go wrong with the JBL stuff





Mark

learn something new everyday on here ! thanks Mark

Welcome indeed,another Cork person here ! The Real Capital is alive and well I see

Gavin

Hi and welcome to the forums.

Stuart.

Hi And Welcome!!

Stephen M