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Ok..garyroland..thanks. i've been doing a little reading, and this is what i've come up with so far.
even thought i originally was moving away from cichlids, i may be changing my mind. i found the angelfish is a cichlid..american, though..can i mix them with african?
also, the orange chromide is gorgeous..i want some.
and a couple of different plecos...leapord sailfin, mango, and zebra...
is this do-able?

i did dose with cycle..are you saying i should do it again..after i take out the dempseys/convicts, and before i add any new?

thanks for answering..you are the only one i can solicit advise from.

also, and sorry if this sounds stupid...but if i leave the bag open..how do i keep the fish from getting out? i've always let the bag float for a while..but thought it was just for the temp adjustment.

[span class="edited"][Edited by fishfan13 2004-08-02 18:42][/span]

[span class="edited"][Edited by fishfan13 2004-08-02 18:43][/span]

thanks garyroland. will do. i'll be going this weekend to find my new fish.

one more question...since i've started using NIC, do i still need to add the aquasafe when i do water changes to remove the chlorine/chloramines..or is the NIC good by itself?
fishfan

[span class="edited"][Edited by fishfan13 2004-08-05 11:20][/span]

Many of the same species are happy together in captivity and tend to thrive when in groups.

I prefer to add as many as possible at once to prevent a territorial squabble.

A tank as large as yours will accommodate many fish. Make sure the NIC is dosed to control the increase in ammonia and do your water tests frequently to help stay out of trouble.

Tall thick plants should be available for places to escape aggressors.

Read my articles that will appear in parts perhaps over three or more days in this Forum.

--garyroland.



[span class="edited"][Edited by garyroland 2004-08-03 21:10][/span]

Thanks garyroland. I just want to verify a couple of things.
Is the # of each fish right (i've read some need a minimum amount to be 'happy')?
Is the amount I want to add at once ok?

fishfan13

You'll have to trust the store on providing healthy fish...

Some hobbyists will park themselves in front of a tank and watch the fish for activity.

Blue rams (violet actually) are peaceful Dwarf Cichlids that you should enjoy.

Angels can be scrappy, depending on any one personality.

Interaction between species can happen at any time, hard to determine.

--garyroland.

so i can add all of these at one time? they're compatible? Any are the minimum numbers right for each kind?
3 balas
1-2 pair of angels
4-6 blue rams

also, you said to dose the NIC right after I add them, correct?
Is there anything specific in these fish (since I'm not REAL familiar with them, to look for at the store, to aid me in not picking a fish that may be sick?

Do you have any other suggestions for 'pretty' fish that I could add later?

thanks garyroland

I was always told that cycle does not help at all, but maybe this 'New Impoved' cycle does the trick.
-Just my 2 cents

You can add the number of fish you mentioned. Your tank is large enough to accommodate them all and more.

The "old" Cycle was also a bacteria starter but the bacteria were preserved differently and were totally dormant taking at least 24 hours to activate and start multiplying, if indeed all of them were still alive.

The "New Improved" is truly an instantly activated bacteria that, once added to tank water, begins to come alive, multiply and thrive thus beginning the instant cycling process.

You cannot add fish immediately to a new tank when dosing the "old" stuff but you can add fish immediately after dosing the "New Improved".

--garyroland.

i'm not sure. i just know that EVERYONE that has told me about it, always says 'new improved' cycle. might want to ask garyroland.

is NIC the same as old CYCLE that i have?

i mean i have a small bottle of CYCLE biological something i forgot what it says, anyways its not the new and improved just wondering if its the same thing

ok...so how many do you think i could add at one time??
i've been thinking (and posting)
3 balas
1-2 pair of angels
4-6 blue rams

what do you think? get them all at once..same size..and see what happens?

The trick I like to use when mixing species is to purchsae them all at the same time and place them in the tank all at once. That way no one fish can stake out a territory and start to defend it to the death.

Same size fish should always be purchased to prevent the bigger from picking on the smaller.

Hobbyists tend to add new fish to an established tank and discover that the inhabitants are not too happy with the new guys. The resident fish will fight to protect their territory that they've staked out.

There are some species that are downright crabby, Golden Gouramies being one of them. They'll pick a fight just for the sake of fighting and believe me, they can fight.

--garyroland.

ok...thanks again.
do you know about mixing african with american?

No questions are "stupid"...

I'm glad you ask. It may save a lot of fish from disaster.

The glass of the tank hood is closed down on the bag top, or at least a corner of it, to keep the bag in place or some type of clip could be used.

Read up on the species of fish you wish to have or ask questions of the store help. You may not be able to find the species you like.

NIC is dosed again after several new fish are added. Follow the bottle directions and read the enclosed leaflet.

--garyroland.

OK, you can talk to me like I'm stupid, cuz compared to others, when it comes to the fish, I am..having said that, can someone break it down for me, step by step? I love doing this, I just need help in getting it right...I've now lost the shark..my eel..my african cichlid...I cut this from another post i had, cuz no one was replying . I'm losing fish by the day now..none of them looked sick until they were dead...

I started my tank, with the fish, on about 11 July.
How much longer until cycling is complete? How will I know?

2 fish are dead..the shark is gone...the eel is dead
Do I get rid of the fish now? Will they become sick like the others? Do I medicate? Someone suggested putting ammonia in my tank..should I? With the fish in it??

My ammonia levels are still at '0' and my nitrites are still sky high...
Do I just let it fix itself naturally?

Thanks for being patient with a newbie to the hobby.
fishfan13

"Aging" water is a process of filling a container with tap water and leaving the top off for perhaps eight hours to allow chlorine to escape as a gas...

Today's water treatment plants, in an effort to kill pathogens especially during the summer months, will add tiny amounts of ammonia and chlorine to form a combination called "chloramines".

The chlorine will escape as a gas but unfortunately the ammonia remains for a much longer time causing hobbyists to refrain from aging their water. Modern chlorine tabs render the ammonia and chlorine harmless, a quicker way to make tap water safe for tropicals.

What fish you wish to remove is of course your choice. You'll need an ammonia source as soon as you remove the present fish so your new choice of fish should be immediate.

Many fish can be added to your large tank, especially if you dose the New Improved Cycle or Bio Spira to handle the increased ammonia.

Acclimating fish to pH is an easy process. Since pH shock is always a danger, the new fish must be acclimated to your pH before placing in the tank. When fish are rapidly introduced from one pH value to another their metabolism reacts violently causing them to lose orientation, stress out, and in many cases die.

The process is simply floating the fish bag open in the tank and over an hour's time slowly adding, one at a time, shotglass's full of tank water to the bag until the bag water pH matches that of the tank pH.

Testing for pH levels should be frequent over the hour's time. Some hobbyists may take two hours to complete the process.

--garyroland.

What do you mean by 'aged' water?

Also, I don't plan on keeping the dempsey's...not my kind of fish. Like I said, I like the 'pretty' fish. The convicts are going, too.

So, having said that...once I get rid of them, how many do you suggest I add at one time? You said I need to beef up my stock..for ammonia producing purposes..so can I add several at time, every few days?

Also, can you tell me about the acclimating process??

That's a good question...

Many have wondered if filters harbored parasites and reinfected the tank after treating for disease.

My answer would be if the med used to cure the disease did its job, there's little chance that the bacteria survived in the filter.

If you're concerned, you can rinse the sponges in the 404 and the ceramic media with dechlorinated/aged water.

You have a large enough tank for the Dempsey, a tropical with appeal to many hobbyists. I'm sorry I can't say I favor Convicts. I never cared for them.

The fish store should guide you on what fish are compatible together but make sure, no matter how many you purchase, you take the time to acclimate them for at least an hour or more, a process you can ask about if you're not familiar with it.

--garyroland.

Since i think the other fish simply got sick from the shark, do i need to replace any of the media from my fluval 404s?
Can I get rid of the dempsey's and convicts and just get new fish? what should be my max # at a time for adding,considering my tank size?

Now it looks like you have a more normal type of reading...

Old test kits should be discarded as you've probably discovered.

Now you do not need to dose ammonia as it looks like you have the final segment of the cycle underway.

You can purchase the "New Improved Cycle" and dose according to directions to improve, bacterially, your water quality and reduce the ammonia and nitrites to zero.

You'll be able to add new fish after dosing the "Cycle" product.

Nitrates show up when a cycle is almost complete but for now there will be no danger from them.

Eels are really no different when it comes to good water quality. The Eel Catfish, the Eel Knifefish and the Eel Loach should be available in some larger stores as freshwater species.

--garyroland.