OUCH! I got bit by the Tropheus Bug

[mark razmandi]

well i want to do this right....i think i might save up for a 210 or maybe even 300 and then put my 90 upstairs

[Mzungu]

First things first - before you do ANYTHING, buy a couple of Tropheus books and research all you can for at least 2 weeks. :)

[Nickintex]

First things first - before you do ANYTHING, buy a couple of Tropheus books and research all you can for at least 2 weeks. :)

Or he can hang with your other half for a week and get a crash course from him.

[Mzungu]

Or he can hang with your other half for a week and get a crash course from him.

Hmm...Tropheus Tutoring...side job...

Kidding.

[aggrofishkeeper]

I agree, these fish aren't your typical Firemouth. I would do some research. And for a tank of that size (210-300g) you would need a sump no less than MASSIVE.

[supadave]

So, supadave you know fresh tap water can damage or destroy bacteria established in a filter right?

I'm sorry Aggrofishkeeper.... I'm pretty sure that Mark understands that he will have to dechlorinate the new water first. If he dechlorinates the water first then he will not destroy the bacteria established in the filter. We have a member here that use to do 100% water changes on his Ilangi. I myself have setup countless tanks using 100% new (dechlorinated) water and a seasoned established filter.

[mark razmandi]

well of course i plan on doing tons of research and i realize ill have to get a large sump but my next tank will be my last for a long time so i think i need to GO BIG OR GO HOME....but how come everyone stresses research so much with these fish??? just curious

[aggrofishkeeper]

Unless you treat the water prior to putting it into your tank tap water touches beneficial bacteria. Or if you have a carbon filter. If your fish didn't die, it caused a tremendous amount of stress.

That is why people don't do 100% water changes in their establish tanks. Or else I would do it.

[Matt in Houston]

Unless you treat the water prior to putting it into your tank tap water touches beneficial bacteria. Or if you have a carbon filter. If your fish didn't die, it caused a tremendous amount of stress.

That is why people don't do 100% water changes in their establish tanks. Or else I would do it.

People dont do 100% water changes because its unnecessary. And besides, you cant really change 100% of the water unless you have a barebottom tank with no fish in it. While it is beneficial to keep some water in the tank when you do a water change, its certainly not a requirement if you are moving a tank somewhere. Very little bacteria is actually in the water...its in the filter, substrate, plants, etc...

Also when he fills the tank back up and treats the water, the filters will not be running. Once the filters are turned on the water will have already been treated. I do recommend treating the first 1/3 of the tank or so prior to pouring it in as to not kill off good bacteria that may be in the substrate. But after that just pour in some prime and fill it up.

In addition, there should be no stress (due to lack of biofiltration) if you do large water changes. The fresh water is clean. I've read there are some people who keep Discus with NO biofilters at all and use only an air stone in the tank. They strictly rely on very large daily water changes to keep the water clean and fresh.

[supadave]

Thank you Matt In Houston !! You saved me alot of typing. You typed exactly what I wanted to say.

I try to explain to people that alot of the so called "rules" to fishkeeping that people pass on to one another.. don't make sense.

I'm not trying to hi-jack Mark's thread... I was only trying to keep him from spending money on unnecessary products.

BTW... for those that are interested.... here's a link to the thread started by EK, where he shows pictures of him draining his tank and the fish are almost on their sides.

http://www.houstonfishbox.com/vforums/showthread.php?t=24622

[myjohnson]

Link not working....

But yeah, I with Dave on this one.

[Matt in Houston]

The "rules" of fish keeping...lol.

My favorite is the WPG "rule"...my tank has 1.13 wpg and look at it. There is much more to a planted tank then simply watts per gallon.

Anyway, Mark I hope your new tank is a huge success!

[aggrofishkeeper]

EK states he is using a carbon bottle.


I got to get me one of those, this would save me a lot of time instead of doing 2x 50% a week.

[myjohnson]

well of course i plan on doing tons of research and i realize ill have to get a large sump but my next tank will be my last for a long time so i think i need to GO BIG OR GO HOME....but how come everyone stresses research so much with these fish??? just curious

Hey Mark,

First, a wet/dry is not really needed. I know a few people that don't use wet/drys on their tropheus tanks and do fine without. Personally, I would get an over rated sump on all my tanks. More importantly, you want to target about 10x turnover rate with filtration. Less turnover rate is okay if you are going to use a wet/dry.

Second, great idea on a big tank! Nothing wrong about a big tank in the tropheus world. Gives you a lot of room to work with. You can add petros later on too.

Finally, research is needed to avoid some of the pitfalls that can pop-up with keeping these fishes. Keep in mind that these are the general rules and many have exceptions.

Here is a good place to start reading for some general information. http://www.cichlid-forum.com/article...eus_corner.php

-thai

[newb]

yes a sump is not manditory...it is a very good filtration system...but not manditory. I have a 210gallon with 44 chimbas and they do just fine and breed every month without one. A lot of what your gonna read on the internet will try and scare you away from these fish, but also look at the date on these articles before processing their info...a lot has changed in the filtration world in the past 5-10yrs to my understanding. Also, a carbon bottle or "snake" is an awesome thing to have...but once again...not manditory. As long as you have seeded filters and add your dechlorinator to the new water, you will be fine. Over filtration, lots of oxygen in the tank, and at least weekly water changes are the only "rules" I go by. I personaly prefer to do 2x 50% water changes compared to the one big water change each week. I learned like this...fish live in a toilet basically...now if you lived in a toilet would you want fresh water twice a week or wait until it stinks and there is poo everywhere and get an overhaul once a week? Both ways work for people on this site, but you can decide for yourself on that one. read up on them as a basic fish, such things as where they come from, their natural habitat, what diet they need, how to get more oxygen in the tank, the main problems people have with them, the main remedy for fixing those problems, and things such as that. Good Luck with them...eventually your gonna just have to get your hands wet with them.