WaRn00b
11-03-2011, 10:19
Hi all,
Since I've bought my big tank, I've had mixed emotions about where it's at at the moment.
It boils down to the fact that I didn't take my time shopping around and doing some research and bought a batch of mixed Lake Malawi Cichlids, which are doing fine and growing nicely, but I don't get "excited" when I look at my tank due to having a whole bunch of "common" species.
I also initially thought that my water's pH is too high, yet after buffering with coral through the sump, it sits at around 7.9, so under normal conditions it would be perfect for "normal" tropical fish, as the pH drops a huge amount in the tank setup compared to straight out the tap.
So either way, my tank is up for a major overhaul, the main decision I have to make is whether I want to keep Lake Malawi Cichlids or break down my entire tank and start afresh with a "normal" tropical setup with lots of plants, rocks and driftwood.
If I do keep my malawi setup, I will be getting rid of the more common species and start getting some more scarce fish in, as well as rescaping my tank and planting some plants, adding one or 2 more T5 lights, etc, etc.
If I go the route of completely breaking down my tank and removing all the substrate rocks fish, etc, etc, etc and start from scratch, I'll be leaning towards something similar like Zoom's 4ft.. black substrate, nice unique driftwood rocks and LOTS of plants.
The main concern is plant growth.. how much is a CO2 system going to set me back, I all ready have one nice big 1.2m T5 (rating I'm not sure of), but I'll add another 1 or 2 T5 tubes then.
Anyhow, I have to cut this long story short as I have to go to a meeting quickly, but your input so long would be appreciated and I'll come back a bit later and add what I forgot to add and read your comments as well.
Cheers.
Since I've bought my big tank, I've had mixed emotions about where it's at at the moment.
It boils down to the fact that I didn't take my time shopping around and doing some research and bought a batch of mixed Lake Malawi Cichlids, which are doing fine and growing nicely, but I don't get "excited" when I look at my tank due to having a whole bunch of "common" species.
I also initially thought that my water's pH is too high, yet after buffering with coral through the sump, it sits at around 7.9, so under normal conditions it would be perfect for "normal" tropical fish, as the pH drops a huge amount in the tank setup compared to straight out the tap.
So either way, my tank is up for a major overhaul, the main decision I have to make is whether I want to keep Lake Malawi Cichlids or break down my entire tank and start afresh with a "normal" tropical setup with lots of plants, rocks and driftwood.
If I do keep my malawi setup, I will be getting rid of the more common species and start getting some more scarce fish in, as well as rescaping my tank and planting some plants, adding one or 2 more T5 lights, etc, etc.
If I go the route of completely breaking down my tank and removing all the substrate rocks fish, etc, etc, etc and start from scratch, I'll be leaning towards something similar like Zoom's 4ft.. black substrate, nice unique driftwood rocks and LOTS of plants.
The main concern is plant growth.. how much is a CO2 system going to set me back, I all ready have one nice big 1.2m T5 (rating I'm not sure of), but I'll add another 1 or 2 T5 tubes then.
Anyhow, I have to cut this long story short as I have to go to a meeting quickly, but your input so long would be appreciated and I'll come back a bit later and add what I forgot to add and read your comments as well.
Cheers.