Upgraded my salt water aquarium (1 Viewer)

[antipop]

how do they package a live fish for mail order?? seems like a rough ride for a little fish

 

[Taurus]

The ones I've received were in plastic bags filled with water with an oxygenating tablet dissolved inside. They're packed like frozen food in an insulated box.

Often, they're shipped air freight same-day arrival so you have to go to the airport to pick 'em up.

They can hang suprisingly well for a day or two in a plastic bag, as long as the temperature doesn't get too extreme.

 

[Optimusaint]

ive got a 55 gallon setup in my living room, with a double metal halide, double 48" actinic, and moon LED all in one fixture. running a few powerhead pumps and a backpack filter/skimmer with in tank heater in the backpack. it makes the view inside the tank a lot less cluttered.

ive got about 50lbs of live rock and a 2 inch deep layer of live sand on the bottom. my live rock is all in the middle of the tank with none leaning on the glass since my setup is positioned in an opening between my living room and dining room, and the backpack is setup on one of the narrow sides of the tank for maximum view.

right now i only have 1 clownfish and numerous snails and hermit crabs, but my live rock is completely in bloom with pink algae, tube worms, and small anemones. i havent had much time to upgrade or stay on top of things like cleaning the pink algae off the glass, but its been running pretty clean for over a year. i think i developed a leak on a seam though, as i lost 2 inches of water in a week. though i havent noticed any water on the floor, theres salt building up on one corner. i guess its time for a teardown to fix my leak.

 

[Severum]

hey severum or anyone else who knows,

in a few months i am gonna set my 55 gallon....i want to get some nice looking cichlids but i don't want any that get too big...4"-5" so i can have a few in there...what do you reccomend??

I have to mail order about anything beyond a guppy or water sprite here. I've received pretty sensitive fish from San Francisco and Denver and had no losses. My most recent order was from Rocky Mountain Cichlids, they have great service and prices, Malawi selection isn't as large as some, but they can get most other species from the local club. Insulated box+oxygen+tranquilizers+heat packs make it easy, shipping to New Orleans should be $40-$55, with 10+ fish mail order is generally cheaper than local. Most mail order merchants can offer advice on fish selection also. Highly suggest Bio Spira for a first time tank setup and mail order.

Agree with Taurus, Malawi mbuna will give lots of color in a 55g and let you go with a couple different species. Probably too small for haps, could work with some peacocks. You have the right idea with size limits, also avoid species that can interbreed or have similar coloration. Ps. saulosi is one of my favorite dwarf mbuna.

Male and female in breeding dress:

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/ has articles, reviews of mail order merchants, species profiles (mbuna) with male/female/juv pics, and forums. http://www.malawimayhem.com/ is another good Malawi only site/forum.

You'll want lots of rock work, landscape supply or rock yards are good sources, give the fish a lot of caves to hide in. Limestone/slate/river rocks can all be good, stay away from driftwood. I'd go with an aragonite (coral) sand or silica (play/pool) sand substrate, can also get black sand if you want but it's pricey. Put a sheet of eggcrate (light diffuser) on the bottom of the tank, add the rocks, then add the sand.

Java fern, anubias, vallisneria, and crypts are hardy plants that can be tried with some mbuna. All are low light so a 4ft shop light or ~80w alternative would be fine. The plants might be turned into salad though so start small and see how the fish take to them. http://www.aquaticplantdepot.com/ have good prices if you get into plants. Do a bleach dip for any mail order plants to avoid introducing snails and bad algae. Regular green algae is a good food source for mbuna so don't worry about scrubbing the rocks. I'd keep a couple bristlenose plecos for glass duty, get a male and female and youll be trading in babies for store credit.