questions????

[aone4u2luv@yahoo.com]

ok once again im back this time ill just make a list of all the cichlid related question that i have concerning my 55 set up here it goes .....

1. how many pounds of rock can my 55 hold inside before its toooo much, also how much can be held up on sides?

2.with two HOB filters how many fish can be held in the tank?

3.where can i find a super blue actinic light in or close to southwest houston?

4. should drift wood be place in the tank with alot of rocks and sand level at the bottom ,how much is tooo mch?

5. going to remodle the tank should i take the fish out or can moving the stuff sround the fish hurt them?

6. do cichlids care for alot of plant

basicly im wan to remodel soi where i can see all the fish they stay in hiding a lot the tank with the stuff i already own but make it more cichlid like enviroment
here are current photos of whats inside to get idea of what i have , also have a box full of smaller ,different colored rock of all shapes and sizes that i would like to incorperate into the tank... ireally like the fish and want them to be more visable any help please pictures would help a lot thanks

[TaTeR ToT]

1 depends on the thickness of glass, different brands use different glass thickness.

2 what brand/model of hob filter, different brands/models have different flow rates/capacities.

3 what brand of light bulb?

4 what type of driftwood? I wouldn't use a lot as they leach tannins into the water that lower ph.

5 just be careful and. Don't crush them and it should be fine.

6 depends on the species, doesn't really matter.for malawies.

[aone4u2luv@yahoo.com]

ok i have a penguin marineland 200 and the other not sure but made for a 30-60 gallon.....the glass is probly bout 1/8 inch thick standred.....cheap bright blue foe the buck......not sure about driftwood one peice is in the picture above mounted on slate.....i have in the tank two jewel 1 kenyi, 1 acei,3 colbalts, 3 parrots , 1 synoditis ocellifer, 2 yellow labs, 1 red zebra, 1 pleco i think thats all of them... malawiis right??? they are all very very healthy and parrots have breed twice so conditions are probly right, right? between 2-3" roughly

[Zebvance]

1. how many pounds of rock can my 55 hold inside before its toooo much, also how much can be held up on sides?
depends If the tank is also fush with a flat surface or if the bottom is rasied.

2.with two HOB filters how many fish can be held in the tank?

filters only do so much. YOu should really be asking how many water changes you should be doing a week.

3.where can i find a super blue actinic light in or close to southwest houston?
what kind of light. I have a 36in coralife t5 that ill sell you for 5 bucks. Never been used.

4. should drift wood be place in the tank with alot of rocks and sand level at the bottom ,how much is tooo mch?
Not sure I understand what your asking. To much drift wood? as much as you want I guess.. Rocks? same sand ? max of about 1-1 1/2 inchs so you dont trap waste.

5. going to remodle the tank should i take the fish out or can moving the stuff sround the fish hurt them?
depends on how drastic of a change your doing. If you changing the substrate, I would say take them out.

6. do cichlids care for alot of plant

The unroot them and tear them up. So they hate them and its a waste of money.

[aone4u2luv@yahoo.com]

well thanks pretty helpful i think my sand is about 3 inches deep 4 in some places.... i dont have a fixture for 36 inches only 2 18 inch fixtures.....i still have alot of plastic plants as you casn see in the picture above so keep or dont keep em??/?....also just noticed today i have my sand layered with natural and white to get a effect on the outside view looks pretty cool but notice a layer of black stuff forming in between the layer what is this stuff growing? and is it harmful to the fish how to get rid of it...... also thanks to all helping me out withthis never had cichlids before and theyare actually pretty cool fish hve had other aquariums but its been about 7 years since ive had one nut ive always kept bettas now with the cichlids i cant take care of the bettas too well....well reguarding the question about water changes i really only did them if something went wrong with amonia levels guess i shuld start doing them more often but i hate cloudy water seems when i do small water changes the water gets cloudy

[Zebvance]

well it is getting cloudy because you dont have enough bio. I would deff take out around 2 inches of sand. That is to much. The black stuff it waste trapped in the sand. It can start to decompose and break down causing toxins to be released in the water and gas pockets need to sift through ur sand regularly to get rid of any pockets forming. you also need to be doing around 30 percent water changes once a week or more depending on the stock.

[aone4u2luv@yahoo.com]

well theres about 16 fish at 2 to 3 inches each in there!