Who Gives A Fish Forums

I recently picked up a 55 gallon tank and stand for $100 - what a steal. I'm currently cycling it and I've had my heart set on Mbuna/African cichlids. Given their reputation for being overstocked to reduce aggression, I've invested in a filter with a 10x turnover - about 2000 l/h - to handle the ...

I think Mbuna might be too aggressive for a 55-gallon tank, but I don't have much experience with them. Smaller species like Shell Dwellers and some other Lake Tanganyika fish seem more suitable.

African cichlids do prefer hard water, so you might not need a reverse osmosis machine. To determine ...

I'm after some advice on my tank setup.
I recently switched from a power filter to a sponge filter after deciding to get a betta for my 24 litre tank.
The issue I'm facing is that the water doesn't seem to be staying as clean as I'd like - it looks fine at first glance, but when I do my water ...

If you don't want to use the old sponge, you can buy a new sponge pad - just get the smallest one you can find, unless you're planning on setting up more tanks and filters. You'll need to run the new filter for a few weeks, about 3-4 weeks, to get enough beneficial bacteria on the sponge.

By the ...

As sSjey suggested, cutting the sponge from the old filter to fit the new one seems like the way to go, so you don't lose all the beneficial bacteria.

Sponge filters aren't great at removing debris, if you want a super clear tank you'll need something like a hang on filter, canister filter, or internal filter.

I'd recommend a small hang on filter, about 100-150 liters per hour, it should be suitable for your tank. Just make sure to cover the ...

I've got a crawcoastrl today and was thinking of adding a crawfish to my 75 gallon tank. It's currently home to 3 clown loaches, and I'm curious to know if this would be a good idea.


I recall a time when I was at this one fish store, and I overheard this interesting conversation between the ...

By the way, you've got the Mexican Dwarf Crayfish which is a smaller species. But even with these, I wouldn't recommend keeping them with fish as they'll still strike whenever they get the chance. Some top level fish might come down to the bottom at night to sleep and become easy targets for the ...

No way, definitely not with clown loaches, they're bottom dwellers and will be the crayfish's next meal.

Most fish and crayfish don't mix well. Crayfish are nocturnal, so they're active at night when most fish are resting. This makes them an easy target, especially for bottom-dwellers that sleep near the substrate.

That being said, if you pair crayfish with large aggressive fish, the tables might turn ...