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M . Y . . A . Q . U . A . R . I . U . M

My Aquariums
My current freshwater setup for my Lake Malawi African Mbuna cichlid community tank is 38g, UGF, Fluval 103 and UV sterilizer. I keep an eye on my water chemistry, fish behavior...and weekly or bimonthly water changes! I'm considering upgrading my current setup to replace or improve my UGF since my pesky Mbunas enjoy digging little homesteads for themselves in the gravel which impair the effectiveness of the UGF. There are many posts on this subject on the internet.

38g African Malawi Cichlid Community Tank


38g FW Livestock:
Pseudotropheus Estheridae
Pseudotropheus Socolofi "Snowhite" albino
Melanochromis Exasperatus "Pearl of Likoma"
Electric Yellow
Gold Nugget Pleco
Pictus Cat
6 Buenos Aires Tetras

Tank Decorations:
2" layer natural gravel
10+ lava rocks
6 plastic plants
2 pottery amphoras
Penn-Plax aquarium background

Hardware:
UGF
Fluval 103 canister filter
Ebojager 150 Heater
8W UV sterilizer
coralife flourescent light

Supplies:
SeaTest test kit
Charcoal
Magnets for cleaning glass
Fish net
Stupid looking veggie clip

Water change supplies:
Instant Dechlor
Plastic syphon
5g plastic bucket
Lots of old towels!

Decoration cleaning supplies:
Gold Nugget Pleco algae removal service
plastic washtub
toothbrush
plastic vegetable brush
Lots of old towels!

Fish Food:
Hakari Cichlid Complete
Hakari Algae Wafers
Sally's Emerald Entree for Freshwater & Marine Omnivores
Frozen brineshrimp
Raw sliced zucchini
Flake food by Tetra

Pictus catfish


10g Quarantine tank
10g FW Livestock:

Firemouth

Quarantine date: June 21

Reason:
Fin rot brought on by stress from fighting with my African Mbunas. This was a bad combo; he will not be going back in with my Africans!

Treatment being used:
Maracyn II

Result:
Stay tuned!

Hardware:
heater
Air pump & airstone
hang-on filter without charcoal


New Aquarium Project
I will be starting a new aquarium with living plants and small schooling "glowy fish" soon such as neon tetras, etc. Stay tuned for details.

Buenos Aires Tetras


Chemical Test Kit
A test kit is an absolute must-have item for me. If I see a problem that's not outwardly obvious with my fish, I can test temp, ph, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate to get some clues. I use the FasTest (formerly SeaTest) kit by Aquarium Systems.

Some of their test chemicals are interchangeable with both fresh and saltwater. I emailed them that question and here's the direct quote from Aquarium Systems:

Use in fresh water:

Ammonia - you can use it in fresh, but the reading may not be exact, it will produce yellow color with zero ammonia and will produce green colors with ammonia present so it will tell you what you need to know

Nitrite - will work in fresh water

Nitrate - if using in fresh water divide the reading in half

pH - will not work in fresh

You can use the FasTesT reagents with your old SeaTesT vials/chips.

My Gold Nugget Plecostomus in his cave.
Surprisingly, this guy loves to eat raw zucchini.


UV Sterilizer
The UV works very well for me. Be aware it can only kill parasites & bacteria in the free-floating stage, so you shouldn't skip the usual precautions. After going through a serious bout with ich in my main tank, I'll never have another tank without one!

The UV only kills what passes thru the tube and is exposed to the light, so the attached “good” bacteria in the tank isn't harmed. It also kills free-swimming parasites without stressing my fish. I run it constantly.

A couple of cautions:

Wait until the tank has finished cycling before hooking up your UV!

Don't run a UV when medicating; the light can change the composition.

To maintain effectiveness, replace the bulb every 8 months.


Saltwater

Freshwater

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