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So, two nights ago, I came home to find my RTS had died. He measured out at just over 7" long and was 3.5 years old, so I'm pretty confident he died of old age. Males have a maximum life expectancy of up to 5 years, so I think it's a safe bet since all the other tank mambers are perfectly fine and he was feeling well enough that his tail was even still bright red...

This leaves me in an interesting situation. I have my 55 gallon FW tank that I now have a BGK, 2 SAE's, and a few ottos (They are nearly impossible to locate all of at the same time, so anywhere from 2-6 of these) in. The question is, should I restock this tank, or add these fish to my 62 gallon tank that contains only 2 Parrotfish and an Albino Rainbow Shark and is beginning to develop a slight algae problem, and turn my 55 into a FOWLR SW tank (which will take quite awhile for the funds to become available) or an African Cichlid tank?

The 55 has a pH of 7.0, a sick GH (approx 18 degrees, though nothing seems affected by it...and it's been that high or higher for over 18 months), and a temp of 78 F consistently...

For any further info to be requested, let me know. I will save you all the trouble of recommending tiger barbs, ruby barbs, cherry barbs, tetras, danios, or gourami. I'm just not that interested in those...

PM/email/msg me if you have any questions/comments regarding me or my knowledge or if you want me to read a thread.

Well i dont know to much about fish keeping, being new to the hobby, but a buddy had a awesome chiclid tank. Personally i want 3 tanks a plant/community tank, a chiclid tank, and a coral reef tank. I say go for the chiclids.

I think you need some good centrepiece fish. Go for a nice looking cichlid.

How about a Sevrum, or a Blue Acara?

Cichlids are great. Mine love their new 55g. I'd be careful with the ottos though, they might become lunch if you get aggressive cichlids.

You'd also want to find some that do well in 7.0 pH, as most like a higher range. Mine do perfectly fine in 7.4, but I don't have any outrageously beautiful species either. Some of the more common ones will have a better tolerance for a 7.0 pH.

You may want to hit Petsmart.com [link=http://www.petsmart.com/global/article_main.jsp?change_category=change_category]http://www.petsmart.com/global/article_main.jsp?change_category=change_category" style="COLOR: #800080[/link] and look at the breed guides to find the most commonly available species. I trust the FP profiles more than that site, but it gives you a great idea of what most LFS' stock.

Okay, apparently I was a little unclear. If I change it to a FOWLR or cichlid tank, the current residents will move to my 62 gallon tank...

PM/email/msg me if you have any questions/comments regarding me or my knowledge or if you want me to read a thread.

Go for the cichlids, Billy. A FOWLR would be sweet, but let's keep a couple things in mind: you're hardly ever home, and you don't have the funds for SW ATM. *hopes she's not being harsh* SW tanks require a little more care and attention than FW, in general. If you'll recall the[link=poll about water changes]http://fishprofiles.com/files/forums/Water%20Quality/54357_2.html" style="COLOR: #FFFFFF[/link], your answer was:

Well, hopefully all know me well enough not to get overly angry, but I basically change my water (besides adding 5-10 gallons every other week to replace evaporation) about whenever I get around to it...which comes out to about once every 3-9 months...

So far I've had no issues with this pattern, so I'm not too inclined to change it just yet...

Besides that, I say (and I say this to Jorge and myself all the time) why do SW now when you don't really have the funds for it? To me, SW should be done when you have both the time and money for it. It's just one of those things that needs to be done the right way from the beginning. I'd hate for you to set up a FOWLR then have something happen to it while you're not there. It'd be a waste I'm not trying to say I think you personally are incapable of keeping a SW tank, I just don't think your job will allow for it. Make sense?

BTW, what ever happened to the brackish tank?

HTH

><>Dani<><

The brackish tank's still only got two scat in there. Still waiting for Monos to become available...

Interesting rationalization as to why to go with cichlids. Any other thoughts?

PM/email/msg me if you have any questions/comments regarding me or my knowledge or if you want me to read a thread.