New 90 Gallon Cypress

[geometryteacher]

Good Evening,

I have been out of the hobby for 13 months now, sold my 125 and my reef, but recently picked up a 90 gallon drilled topless tank from a member here. I plan on doing freshwater again.

I'll be running an Eheim 2260 on it. The substrate will be sand, and the decorations are quite a bit of rock.

I am up in Cypress now though and was wondering a few things. Is anyone else up in Cypress and wouldn't mind parting or selling some substrate/filter media to help seed the aquarium and speed things along?

Second, I can't make up my mind between lake malawi or south americans. My daughter is 4 months old and loves the movement and colors, but our tank does NOT have a cover so I'd prefer species that don't jump for fun.

If you have a recommendation for the setup, where is the best (healthiest) place to get them that isn't 50 miles away and won't break the bank.

Thanks for all your help!

Jack

[beto]

shellie tangayikan tank

[morpheus]

really any fish has the ability to jump out...i have seen people keep rope fish in open top tanks (notorious jumpers), but they had so much plant cover the fish never tried to escape. its always hit or miss and you just do your best

my africans (mbuna and peacocks) do swim at all levels and not uncommon to splash. but the shell dwellers beto suggested would work. they tend to stay at the bottom.

the SA varieties i would say are "less likely" to jump than malawis. the geos tend to be slower movers and stay in the mid-low range in regards to swim level. the earth eaters stay at the substrate sifting sand. my surinemisis only come to the top for pellets, but probably would prefer sinking food. there are many mid level tetras too that are largers and work well with geos.

angels also dont tend to jump really. or severums as well

i live in the cypress area too. i usually go to fishland or fish gallery. aqua aquarium on jones rd is nice. that aquarium place in spring too. other places like ADG have really nice decor, but are a hike. i also went to champion stone for the my recent tank and they had a variety of choices for rocks.

[ptran]

Welcome back!

[ptran]

I agree with Morpheus that any fish will jump. It's better to have a cover to reduce this risk and also help with evaporation.
As for fish, since you want color and lots of movement, it's probably best to go with Malawi peacocks. Fishland might have some at good price. I would probably add a wave maker or power head to agitate the water surface at the opposite corner of the 2260. Get the aragonite sand if you can to help buffer the pH.

[geometryteacher]

Would I be able to mix the Shellie's and peacocks? The tank is rimless and the light fixture attaches to the rims, I'd have to make a custom cover out of screen or something. Is there anyone around that makes custom covers?

[ptran]

You can try but I don't think it's a good idea to mix them. I think the peacocks will kill them due to big size difference.

For cover, you can try the egg grate at lighting section in Lowes or Home Depot. It won't help with evaporation but will help with jumping issue.

[morpheus]

agreed that i wouldnt mix the peacocks and shellies. the shellies top out at 2 inches max, but many are smaller than that. your typical peacock gets into the 5 inch range. i think they would become expensive feeder fish.

people who keep shellies generally keep them in smaller tanks, like 10-20gal range since they dont need much space. just allowing for enough space for each male.

you can maybe look in the DIY section for solutions to covers, but i dont know of anyone who makes them.

[ptran]

Would I be able to mix the Shellie's and peacocks? The tank is rimless and the light fixture attaches to the rims, I'd have to make a custom cover out of screen or something. Is there anyone around that makes custom covers?

Might work with a lot of rocks, shells, and caves for cover.

[geometryteacher]

Thank you for the replies. I'm filling the tank tonight, attaching filtrations and starting the cycling process, if anyone near Cypress has some seeding material it'd be greatly appreciated. I'll be testing the PH that comes out of the tap too to see what kind of water I am working with.

[jgldsh]

I am in Longwood and should have filter material from a canister tomorrow.

[geometryteacher]

I am in Longwood and should have filter material from a canister tomorrow.

That would be awesome. I'll get done with work around 5:30, I haven't had to cycle a tank from scratch in awhile and I don't know any tank keepers up here

[morpheus]

i am up around the 529 and hwy 6 area and my pH out of the tap is around 8.0...KH is around 9 i think. i forget the GH.

sorry i dont have any seeded media since i primarily use HOBs with purigen bags. i want to shift those to canisters. only one canister running, buts only been up for a few weeks and isnt established yet.

i have yellow lab juvies if you go the african route (about 2" range). usually sell them for $2-$3 each depending on size

[funsize_jav]

Welcome to the box,

[TattedUpFishGuy]

Welcome back!