nice deal!!!

nice setup!!

Very nice Ted. I keep moorii and placidos together too. Your stand is knotty pine - I have a used one too and didn't think it could be so beautiful. You've inspired me!

now that my friend is a nice setup and good price too. I just bought a 125 and i have a 90 also. i so want a 210 or a 265............

WOW!----Way to clean it up---I used to works at Jack's when I lived in Columbus,Ohio---Brent was my manager--he really taught me alot about the fish hobby!--Do you know him by any chance?

hello

oh, now it works........

I'm a relatively new cichlid tank owner. I have a 265 gallon tank with a full canopy, and those high powered lights that attach to the bottom of the canopy, and a 50 gallon wet/dry system, and a UV light system. I'm still trying to figure out the proper water PH and temperature. Some of my fish die from time to time, and I'm struggling to understand why. My favorite fish is the frontosa, and I have two of them. Is it normal for a fish to die every once in awhile, or am I doing something wrong. One thing that I have noticed, once the fish stop eating that is usually the first sign of impending doom. I really like my tank, and I have spent a lot of money setting it up. Perhaps some of you people know what I am doing wrong, or have some suggestions on what I could do better.

Monte, Frontosa are a very touchy fish. They dont react well to large changes of water, and changes in temperature and chemistry. I do a 10-15% water change every 5-7 Days. It keeps the water clean and smelling clean, which is a big indicator.
I keep my PH at 7.6-7.8. Anything higher is expensive to maintain with frequent water changes. The fish dont seem to mind as long it is that high (7.6+) and is consistant. Tap water has a PH of 7.2-7.4. I very occassionally use stress coat. I use the directed amount of aquarium salt. Thats all the water preparation I do.
I keep my 2 200W heater turned all the way up and the water has stayed (75-79F) during this winter.. This summer when its warmer in my apartment, I expect the temp to be 78-84F, which is also ok.. Its all about conistancy. Thats the number one rule when dealing with fronts, especially juviniles.
If you have any other questions, hust let me know..

Ted, thanks for replying. I have been told so many rules and regulations, and advice by so many. It's like who should the Miami Dolphins pick first in the NFL draft. One thing I have heard that is universal, be consistent with what you do. Once I got my UV light system, my fish stopped dying. Since I live in Miami, and Miami used to be a tropical reef, My water PH from my tap is about 7.8. I have been told by most of the experts to keep the PH in my tank at 8.0. So my PH is really not a factor anymore. One thing I could do a little better is, cleaning the tank. In order for me to vacuum my tank I have to take off the canopy, and in order to take off the canopy, I have to disconnect all of the power cords to the light system, all 4 of them. Then I have to remove about 250 pounds of rocks, one by one. All of this while standing on a ladder. It takes me a couple of hours just to prep the tank so I can start to vacuum. My wet/dry system does a great job of filtering the main body of water clean, but it can not get into the gravel and clean. Since it is so time consuming to clean my tank I usually do it in increments. Which means I can not clean under the rocks which is where the fish like to hang out, and consequently, produce most of their waste. So I save the main tank cleaning for once every 6 months or so. Perhaps, you may have a good idea as to how to clean fish debris out of the gravel.

Monte, that's really great that your tap water has that high of PH. You are very fortunate. It’s all the dissolved calcium-carbonate. I would consider making my own substrate with the beach around by baking and boiling crushed sea shells.
I don’t vacuum the gravel but once every 2-3 months. I find I don’t need to because of the type and amount of substrate that I use. If you don’t have an undergravel filter, you should have no more than 3/4" of substrate. I have .5" or less throughout my tank. Any more than that, waste and toxic substances can get trapped. I actually have the same amount of substrate in my 150G (with undergravel) as in my 75G (without undergravel). I just transferred all of it when I bought my bigger tank. Also, another good idea so waste doesn’t get trapped and moves freely into your filter is bigger substrate. I use bigger rounded stones and crushed coral. Sand tends to trap everything… The fish really don’t seem to mind having a bigger substrate.
I vacuum/siphon water with a hose attached to my kitchen sink. I found this to me the easiest way. I hope this info helps… If you have any other questions or things you want to discuss, I’m all ears and really like the feedback.

LOOKs fantastic