Who Gives A Fish Forums

Been searching for a decent shop in Stevenage for ages, always end up going to St Albans or Enfield. Just found out there's a specialist aquatics in Stevenage that's moved to Crewes Hill, gutted I only just found out.

I'm definitely not a fan of using RO for my Mbuna setup, no way. I do use it for my Zorchzon community tank, but that's a different story altogether. My Mbuna tank is up and running now, and the guys seem to be loving it.

My tap water's GH is sitting between 16 and 18, which is perfect, and the KH ...

I've finally managed to send off a plea for help to Nurglespuss, fingers crossed someone with a chemistry background can shed some light on my water woes.

can water be too hard for Mbuna? i'm in a hard water area and my kettle's got a serious chalk build-up - is this water too harsh for them? i've got the salts to simulate their natural water composition but using tap water seems like a gamble, or should i just add a hint of trace elements to it ...

I keep reading that GH should be above 7 and KH above 10, but what's the deal when both are around 18?

I'm in a super hard water area - my kettle's basically a chalk factory. I'm worried this water might be too harsh for Mbuna.

I've got the salts and all to recreate the right water composition ...

Too bad it didn't work out. I'm still on the lookout for a sand sifter that can handle the conditions in my African cichlid tank. Are there any other fish or even invertebrates that might be suitable, or would they just become a snack for my cichlids?

Planning to introduce Corydoras to my tank, just wondering which cichlids would be suitable. Pandas aren't typically known for their hard water tolerance, I've always thought of Peppered, Bronze/Albino forms as being more adaptable, Emeflaked Brochis and Hoplo Catfish also come to mind.


I've ...

I've been told some corydoras species, like pandas and peppermints, can adapt to hard water if introduced slowly. I'm really interested in adding cories or a similar sand-sifting fish to my cichlid setup.

Has anyone here successfully kept cories with their cichlids, or maybe another type of sand ...

It's a huge relief that the scales are no longer raised.

My feeding regime is pretty straightforward - I feed the fish once a day during the week, and twice a day on weekends when I do the water change and clean up. Mondays are starve days, so they get a break from food.

I alternate between ...

He's still on the mend, so I'll hold off on moving him for now. If I need to bring in the big guns with a more targeted med, I'll do just that. Melafix is all I'm using at the moment.

I've been careful with the protein levels, but I have had some unexpected additions to the menu - the fish have ...