# Please Help Me Decide..



## Fadil13 (Jan 15, 2014)

My situation:

1st 75g - 5" Oscar, 2 4-5" pictus cats, and a 4" Melanochromis Auratus (SaltyTank - Auratus, Melanochromis Auratus Profile, facts & care information - had 2 but they had a duel, and the loser had to be moved to the community tank, he didn't realize it was a death duel. 
2nd 75g 1 3" Auratus - 5 2-3" Buenos Aires Tetras, 7 3-4" Aust Rainbows, 5 2-3" GloFish, 3 2-3" Mollies, 3 2-3" Swordtails, 2 2" Corys, 3 1" glass cleaners, 3 2-3" platys and about 20 male guppies that I put there temporary to separate them from the females
55g Guppies mostly females, frys, a few males I haven't caught yet - 2 2" Corys and a 8" pleco
29g a 6" pleco - and 3-1/2-4" Jewel cichlid
10g - guppie frys that are almost big enough to put back with the main population

I just got the 29g with the 2 fish included, they're quarantine until I'm sure their disease free. The previous owner totally negelected these guys for about a year. 
My intentions was to put all the male guppies in the 29g tank, but I'm having second thoughts on using all these resources on guppies. I'm going to take the advice given to another member by putting my swordfish, mollies and platys with the guppies to keep the fry population down, as well as ease the heavy stocking of the 2nd 75g. Can you guys give me some suggestions how I should manage these tanks and fish? Can the Jewel survive against the bigger meaner Auratus and Oscar? 

Even though I haven't made up my mind if I want to go down the guppy feeder path, but I'm not totally ruling it out.. I'm going to look at a 180g this weekend which I plan on using to house the Oscar and a few other large TBD fish. 
Thanks as always


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## dalfed (Apr 8, 2012)

First off get that Auratus out of your community tank before he kills everything in there and he will. It is not maybe just when!!
The jewel may be able to survive but I don't know how you can feed an auratus in a tank with an Oscar. The Auratus needs strict veggie diet while the Oscar heavy protein.


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## Fadil13 (Jan 15, 2014)

*c/p*7


dalfed said:


> First off get that Auratus out of your community tank before he kills everything in there and he will. It is not maybe just when!!
> The jewel may be able to survive but I don't know how you can feed an auratus in a tank with an Oscar. The Auratus needs strict veggie diet while the Oscar heavy protein.


I thought that too the Auratus started bullying a few tetra to carved out a spot, but they started ganging up on him, these guys move in swarms moving way to fast for him. For now they got a truce. Everybody seems pretty happy. He's playing on side of the tank, not paying anybody any attention. He stay on the bottom other guys in middle and up top. If anything the tetra seem to be harassing him more than the other way around, but I'll keep an eye on them. Only spot I can move him to is in with the jewel and the plec once they have been cleared - he would have definitely been in danger if I left him with the Oscar (Debo) and his boy that wants him dead. I think he realizes that and is just trying glad he can breath normally. 

The other Auratus does fine - I feed the Oscar a block of bloodworms and while he's trying to wolf it all down, I feed everybody else flakes and cichlid chips. I also got some veggie flakes for him - Oscar not interested in flakes he gulps down 5 pellets without stopping - greedy little guy. 

Thanks for the feedback - think the jewel and Auratus will play nice? They're about the same size. Jewel nips at the plec tail trying to muscle him out the log, but he smack him with, and says go away little man. Fun to watch these guys.. 

Tell me what you feel - I can always get another 40 or 55 if that's what it takes.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

It is not recommended to mix cichlids.South American and Africans can seem to get along for a bit of time but eventually will end up killing each other.Besides they have totally different water and feeding preferences.
Even if you get a huge tank you still have low odds of mixing all th different fish you have.
I would re home both your Africans and the plecos,then get the jewel in with the oscar if possible.
Live food(your fry) is not the best choice nutritionally for your oscar and eventually can causse health issues.


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## Fadil13 (Jan 15, 2014)

coralbandit said:


> It is not recommended to mix cichlids.South American and Africans can seem to get along for a bit of time but eventually will end up killing each other.Besides they have totally different water and feeding preferences.
> Even if you get a huge tank you still have low odds of mixing all th different fish you have.
> I would re home both your Africans and the plecos,then get the jewel in with the oscar if possible.
> Live food(your fry) is not the best choice nutritionally for your oscar and eventually can causse health issues.


I could make the 29g a African tank, even though the two Africans do not get along right now, maybe a couple more tank mates can bring enough distraction that the larger one will stop hunting the smaller guy. I plan on putting in sand, and a few cichlids blocks, and making it all Africans.. 

The Jewel and the pleco should be ok with the Oscar? Eventually the Oscar will go to a bigger tank. Might have to get rid of the pictus cats though.. If not, I'll move them to the 29g. Think I'm going take all the guppies, and one of the Africans back to LFS, and use the 55g as a cichlids tank.

Are we talking about the same fish, or did I get that mixed up too.


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## Botiadancer (Dec 30, 2013)

Question for Mr. Bandit: (well... for everyone really)

If you gut load the guppies (which in Fadil's case are not your normal feeders, but healthy fish), would that not be a good diet (or at least a supplement) for an Oscar or other large carnivorous fish?

I have no personal experience with feeder fish - I've always kept smaller fish or used pellets.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Actually in the live food scenarios Fadil is best suited.He could/does raise his own so disease or poor quality is not as great of a chance.That being said,a quality prepared food would still be more nutritous.Even in the wild variety is still key and even a carnivore such as an oscar(who eats alot of small fish) also eats insects and possibly fruits and vegatables.
Store bought feeders are notorious for poor quality and diseases.Some health /nutritional issues have been linked to live food.I believe some links question HLLE(but this issue seems to bring almost anything into question)


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## Buerkletucson (Apr 8, 2014)

Fadil13 said:


> My situation:
> 
> 1st 75g - 5" Oscar, 2 4-5" pictus cats, and a 4" Melanochromis Auratus (SaltyTank - Auratus, Melanochromis Auratus Profile, facts & care information - had 2 but they had a duel, and the loser had to be moved to the community tank, he didn't realize it was a death duel.
> 2nd 75g 1 3" Auratus - 5 2-3" Buenos Aires Tetras, 7 3-4" Aust Rainbows, 5 2-3" GloFish, 3 2-3" Mollies, 3 2-3" Swordtails, 2 2" Corys, 3 1" glass cleaners, 3 2-3" platys and about 20 male guppies that I put there temporary to separate them from the females
> ...


Holy smokes....
First off you need a bigger house.
*i/a*


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## Fadil13 (Jan 15, 2014)

lol - I've made my man-cave a fish room - but obviously I need direction - I'm going to hook up with JMan, and let him guide me on how to manage these tanks - everything I see I want. I still got room for a 180g, and a 300g as soon as I get rid of this useless pool table that's been taken up room for years.. Now that I've found a way to do bucketless WCs I'm in heaven. I do love my fish tho.. - My wife loves them too - It keeps me out of her way.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

29 is way to small to try to keep africans.They need to be overstocked to avoid constant aggression due to territories.This could not work in a 29.Kind of think a 55 is even pushing it a little,but if you packed it with rocks(I mean pack it) and added some circulation pumps it might work.You need to know what the africans eat also as some are like Dale said strict veggie eaters while others need high protien.Feeding africans improperly leads to bloat and a few other usaully fatal diseases.
Fish in your pic is an Auratus.
You shouldn't mix africans from the different lakes(malawi/Tanganyka/Victoria) either.


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## Fadil13 (Jan 15, 2014)

coralbandit said:


> 29 is way to small to try to keep africans.They need to be overstocked to avoid constant aggression due to territories.This could not work in a 29.Kind of think a 55 is even pushing it a little,but if you packed it with rocks(I mean pack it) and added some circulation pumps it might work.You need to know what the africans eat also as some are like Dale said strict veggie eaters while others need high protien.Feeding africans improperly leads to bloat and a few other usaully fatal diseases.
> Fish in your pic is an Auratus.
> You shouldn't mix africans from the different lakes(malawi/Tanganyka/Victoria) either.


Everything is temporary right now - I removed the Malawi golden cichlid just before he was ready to ice a guppy that came to close. I put him with the Jewel - right now they're are just checking each other out - the jewel is the bigger of the 2. I have rocks, logs, trees etc hoping to keep them at peace until I can make proper arrangements. Push come to shove, I'll put the Jewel with the Oscar and the bigger MGC - hopefully the Oscar will keep them both in line.. He's the alpha of the tank being only 2 mos old..

I have every type of cichlid food needed - veggie wafer, pellets, bloodworms, chips etc. Also lake salt other water supplement (is this necessary?) - I'm going to do my best to get it right - The 75g will be the cichlid tank - the 180 will be for the Oscar, and compatible tank mates. I'm going to take my time setting that these tanks up - it's going be the last tank I buy for at least a month..lol 

I just seen a video for a nitrate filter that suppose to eliminate WC - Filter is mad expensive, but you could save in the long run - what do you guys think: Large Aquaripure Nitrate Filter 

I'm aware nothing is better than a WC, but was wondering what you thought of this filter.


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## Buerkletucson (Apr 8, 2014)

Fadil13 said:


> I just seen a video for a nitrate filter that suppose to eliminate WC - Filter is mad expensive, but you could save in the long run - what do you guys think: Large Aquaripure Nitrate Filter
> 
> I'm aware nothing is better than a WC, but was wondering what you thought of this filter.


Basically, "Nitrate filters" use anaerobic bacteria (no oxygen) to convert Nitrate into Nitrogen gas. They are notoriously touchy to operate and get to work properly, normally requiring constant attention. 
They can be extremely dangerous to fish life if proper flow rates are not achieved.......if not adjusted properly, you will end up dumping Hydrogen Sulfide back into the tank (deathly to aquatic life). 
I've tried them in the past and gave up due to a PIA to keep them operating properly. 


I personally would stick with water changes....there is no substitute. 
You are doing much more than getting rid of Nitrates in the process.


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