"Tropical Fish Fun - The New Tank"," So we decided to reconstruct the fireplace - a typical modern affair with no real quality or style - into a 7 foot long 4 foot deep paradise for fish and eventually into an African Cichlid sanctuary.
The tank was to stand on ornamental stone blocks which a local builder fixed in place.
The first trip to the store
My excitement was extreme as we made our way to the local store to get the bits and pieces we would need to start off:
o the gravel
o the filter and aerator
o the lighting
o the heater
o the cleaner (gravel vac).
At this time there was no need to be particular as water disturbs the gravel when it is first added.
At this point I added some water purifiers and de-chlorinator to the tank.
These all remained switched off until I was finished in the tank.
Next all the equipment was turned on and left for two days.
The first fish.
Mollies, swordtails, platies or guppys are ideal to get your water up to scratch.
So only add a few fish at first or the waste will kill the fish before the bacteria gets to work.
This was just to get the water temperatures equalised, and then over a period of a couple of minutes I let some of the tank water in the bag a couple of times.
Technically the fish waste is ammonia and needs to be broken down by bacteria into nitrite, and then later on into nitrate which is what helps the plants grow.
Even then my advice would be to add fish slowly til the are all established.
My wife and I eventually decided that tanganyika cichlids and malawi cichlids were our real tropical fish hobby (with some dwarf Kribs thrown in) and we managed to breed a few different types including labidochromis caeruleus or more commonly Canary cichlids, and also neolamprologus leleupi or the tanganyika yellow.
In the evenings now we just switch the television off, cuddle up and watch the fish tank - and soothe our worries away.
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