3ofswords

I currently have a 110(I think that or 120 can't remember) that is living at my mothers house and I'm wanting to bring it home now that I have the room. My mother kept killing all of my fish by adding harmful chemicals (like bleach...yes... bleach) to clean the algae so I stopped trying. When I moved out I left my tank with the last few fish in it because I didn't have the room. I figured it wouldn't be to long before she killed the fish. 7 years later there is still one solitary silver dollar and maybe a loach or two. She does partial water changes occasionally but I'm sure the carbon filter has never been changed. There's a good deal of algae and the water has a yellowish ting. I have no idea what the levels are or how the few fish left are still living. (again, bleach!?)

I'd like to start a cichlid tank. I'm pretty sure I need to replace the heater and probably a pump or two. It's an undergravel filter and a carbon canister. I don't remember the brands off hand. I'd like to remove the gravel and decor and start with something different.

Here are the questions I have. Should I just start over from scratch? Can I save the fish that are left? If so, how do I move the tank and fish without killing them? If I need to start over what's the best way to clean the tank?

Any and all help will be greatly appreciated.

Kuli_Loach

Get fish bags from your local pet store and put the water in the tank in it and the fish. If it is a long way to your home, have a small tank like a 10 gallon at your house ready to house them as soon as you get there. Clean the tank good, ask your local fish supplier on what to do. I am sure you will have to let it run for a week or more before you place a fish in it. I would start completely over though.

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Too Many tanks!!!

ZeroSystem

If you want to start a cichlid tank, I would probably start all over again. Maybe keep the Canister filter intact (and try to transfer it quickly) so you can 'seed' the tank all over again with 'good bacteria'.

Depending on what type of cichlids you plan on keeping, Silver Dollars and most Loaches may not make the best of tank mates, so you may want to consider removing them.

I'd also recommend finding out what species of Cichlid you like the best and then finding out what else is compatible with them. Otherwise you may run into some serious aggression issues, even with a tank as large as yours.

3ofswords

It's a charcoal canister, so when transferring the canister do you mean not cleaning it out and filling up the tank with new water and attaching it then?

One of the biggest concerns I have with moving the fish is not being able to transfer enough of the water they've been living in over to the new house and fresh new water being to much of a shock for them. I'm not sure if the smaller tank is an option, I may still have one but I'm not sure if I can run out and get one. I may have to wait for awhile before moving them.

I spent several hours the otherday online researching cichlids, I think I know what I want and according to the few sites I saw they all said compatibility caution. That seemed to be the consensus with all cichlids though. Is there a site with better information on what/who would get along and what/who wouldn't? I figure I have several weeks if not a couple months before I can get everything moved, setup, and cycled before I can add fish. That's the next thing I look up - Cycling and when to add gravel/substrate/plants/fish.

Tommy Gun

Hello again 3ofswords!

Believe it or not, I have read/heard about a TON of hobbyists who have done what you are contemplating here as far as wanting to keep cichlids in a tank where community fish are the current inhabitants. In fact, I have done that myself. I think that if you do decide to bring home some cichlids and no longer want to keep the silver dollar and loach(es), you may be able to 'trade' them at an LFS for store credit. Even if the LFS wont give you store credit for the fish, that is still a better, more ethical way to go IMHO.

Moving a freshwater tank is a challenge, but certainly not impossible. When I moved into my house, I picked up a Styrofoam cooler (for soda or beer and the like) to keep my fish in while I relocated the tank. I also picked up a couple 10 gallon jugs at walmart like the kind a lot of people use when they travel in an RV or camper. Out of the approximate 55 gallons of water my tank held, I only took about 15 gallons of water with me to my new house. That said, you may not have to worry so much about taking a large quantity of the actual water with you. I think what zerosystem was getting at with the comments about not having to 're-seed' your filter(s) was just to say you should keep the same filter media you are using now, versus replacing it when you move since doing so may mean you have to cycle your tank again. Hopefully zero can elaborate on that if I am wrong.

As far as the carbon filtration goes, there is no absolute 'rule' that you ever have to use carbon at all and in fact, I cannot remember the last time I changed my carbon media. It may behoove you to keep it in the filter after the move though since that good bacteria will almost certainly reside in that media as well. I think that if you keep up with the maintenance better than your mom has been able to, you wont have the discolored water anymore, but if you do, then new carbon may help you clear that up.

Can you tell us what cichlids you are thinking about getting? There is a good possibility that someone on the forum here has kept one or more of them and could give you some better feedback than the website you saw the compatibility chart on.

3ofswords

Thank you for all the suggestions and help! I love this place!
Right now I'm still researching fish and I have my eye on a few. Zero sent me to a wonderful cichlid site so I'm reading and researching everything I can. So far my favorite is the Acei, so I know for sure I want them in there, after that I like the Pseudotropheus Saulosi and the Cockatoo's.

There are some other fish that I would love to have, but I don't see that happening in this tank so once I get this one up and going I may have to think about setting up another one for them. One day I want a Dragon Goby. I had one a long time ago but the pet store didn't know what it was and I didn't research it online or anything so I was guessing with keeping him alive.

Kuli_Loach

Read were you didn't know if it would work with the transfer, put like a rock that was in the old tank in the new a little bit before and let the fish float for 15 minutes and at every 5 minute interval there, add a little of the new tanks water. Net the fish, not pouring the water in the bag, and let the fish swim from your net, not forcing it.

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Too Many tanks!!!

Tommy Gun

Both of these cichlids are my favorites as well!!! However, keep doing research on each type, cichlids can be pretty tricky when it comes to finding a few which will co-habitate well together. For example, odds are you will have problems with keeping cockatoo cichlids in a tank with the more aggressive P. Salousi. In fact, cockatoo cichlids are so passive that I keep a pair of males in my planted tank with other community fish and have no problems with doing so. If I was to add some P. Acei to that mix though, I would probably have more problems than I could handle, without even mentioning the problems with the plants getting torn up by them.

Like I said, cichlids can be tricky, but I can say that one of my esteemed collegues, Sarah84, is working on a great article detailing information as we speak so if you have any other questions about cichlids, I am sure that Sarah would be a great person to turn to for some info.

Bobfishlover

As for compatible cichlid species there are a few ways to go. I have a 55 gallon with 11 medium sized african cichlids, all are from lake Maluai and get along pretty well. Even the Kin Ye who are somewhat aggresive behave fine.

But if that isn't in your line of thinking check out "DR. AXELROD'S MINI ATLAS OF Freshwater aquarium fish" Though it is an older book ( 1987 I believe ) the information is still relevent. It would be able to show you all the african Cichlids and their compatibility (in addition to what to feed them, what ph and hardness they need, their swimming habits, How densly to plant your aquarium for them and how much space they need.)

Hope that helped

Bob

Tommy Gun

Even though this is an older post and may not be relevant anymore, I have to say that a lot of cichlid compatability, especially when sticking to one particular african lake such as Malawi, depends heavily on the ratio of males to females, rather than solely just to types. Some hobbyists will stick to all different types of cichlids (from one lake or geographical location) but ensure that they are all males, or vice versa, all females. Otherwise, one would want to keep one male to three or four females...at least for most Malawi cichlids. Point being...researching is really the best thing to do before choosing what cichlids you will keep in an aquarium together. There are many different variables to consider, and there really is no singular rule which can cover them all.

Now that I am even more sure you are referring to 'kennyi' rather than 'Kin Ye" (which may just be how to explain its pronunciation, by the way), you are right, sort of the more aggressive mbuna, especially when they are geared up for mating.