Month: September 2018

Are Red Peacock Cichlids Right For You

Aquarium admin

Like their land dwelling counterpart, Red Peacock Cichlids are brilliant and beautiful. Also like the bird, it is the mature male that displays this beauty, while the females and young males remain plain. They are as mild as they are attractive and very easy to breed, making the Red Peacock Cichlid a very popular choice for pets.

The biology of the Red Peacock Cichlid gives them the ability to sense prey without seeing it. This is important since it hunts in the dark, relying only on its senses for food. As the fish senses food it will bite into the sand and then filter the sand out of its mouth while retaining the microbes for sustenance. It really is a rather remarkable design and is intriguing to witness.

Unfortunately, most Red Peacock Cichlid owners will not have the opportunity to witness their hunting as they do not hunt this way in most aquariums. The reason is that they are given their food a set times during the day and it is much easier to just eat the food your given as opposed to hunting for it when you are hungry. Occasionally, it may go sand diving for wayward food particles, but that will be rarity if you are feeding regularly. These cichlids are not particularly choosy about their food and can be sustained on a diet of mostly flakes and pellets, though it is a good idea to occasionally offer fresh foods as well.

You can encourage the Red Peacock cichlid to breed and spawn in your aquarium, but must provide plenty of rocks in its environment to help it feel safe. You may also use clay pots, but be sure to provide ample hiding spaces. To encourage spawning to the highest degree you will want to replicate the Red Peacock cichlids nature environment as closely as possible in your aquarium. They do not eat plants, but may uproot them, so be sure to secure any tank vegetation.

In closing, I am going to share my number one tip for raising happy Red Peacock cichlids: replicate their natural environment. In fact, this tip will work for any fish you place in your aquarium. If you can reproduce their natural habitat in your aquarium including decorations, water chemistry and food, then you will have some very happy fish on your hands. It can be tricky to get this right, but as long as you do your research and mimic the natural conditions as best you can you will be alright.

Information To Know About A 125 Gallon Fish Tank

Aquarium admin

If you are looking for a 125 gallon fish tank, you will be pleasantly surprised to know that there are many options available to you. If you check out companies such as Aquarium-Design, which is a company that offers an incredibly wide and varied selection of aquariums, and at which you can easily find a 125 gallon fish tank to fit your needs.

Having a 125 gallon fish tank in either your office or home can be a great way to bring a welcoming and warm feeling to your location. However, there are certain considerations in regards to a 125 gallon fish tank, which should be taken fully and thoroughly into consideration. Such as the fact of where the best place would be to place the 125 gallon fish tank in order to have the best view of the aquarium.

Basically, the best place that you can put the 125 gallon fish tank aquarium is in a centralized location where everyone can see it, and so that it is visible from as many areas in the home as possible. You should remember about the support that is needed for such an aquarium however, as a 125 gallon fish tank, when full, can in fact weigh thousands of pounds as well as exert a great deal of pressure onto the underlying floor.

Therefore, the best idea is to look at the available blueprints and construction diagrams of your home, in order to find a proper location which will distribute the weight of the fish tank evenly across the floor, and usually the best location for this kind of tank is to place it on a ground floor on a major support beam, so that the weight will then be distributed as evenly as possible.

Health, Safety and A Power Supply

It is also important to remember to have your tank near to a power supply, as the simple fact is that you do not want a mess of cords surrounding the tank in your house; not only is this a bad decorating decision but this can also be a dangerous matter. As well, on the slim but still possible chance that the tank could break, having a number of cords on the ground could lead to an electrocution hazard. For all of these reasons, you should make sure that all of the wiring is set up properly and hidden as best as possible.

Setting Up An African Cichlid Aquarium

Aquarium admin

An African Cichlid aquarium must be set up to best accommodate the fish. If a tank is set up improperly, it can not only cause stress to the fish, the error could result in death for the fish. The best way to make an African cichlid happy is to design its aquarium with their natural habitat in mind.

The following paragraphs will briefly discuss the best environment for an African Cichlid.

Aquarium Size

An aquarium being set up for an African Cichlid should be at least 35 gallons, but ideally 55 gallons. The bigger the aquarium size, the more the fish will enjoy his new home. An African Cichlid likes to have a spacious aquarium, with plenty of aquarium decorations and swimming space. Having a smaller tank can ultimately cause a fish to become aggressive, since he will unlikely be able to stake claim on any territory.

Water pH Levels

Water in an African cichlid aquarium should be monitored and kept at pH levels of 7.0 to 9.0. The reason the range can be so wide is because the water chemistry in African Rift Lakes constantly fluctuate. They never stay the same. The only time problems may arise for the fish is if there is a rapid change in pH levels. The African cichlids are able to easily adapt to many water conditions. They can even survive in sub-optimal conditions, but they will be stressed and aggressive.

Water Hardness

African Cichlids prefer hard water over water treated with softeners. If no hard water is available, calcium and phosphate should be added. Water conditioner and salt are also necessary. The African Rift Lakes contain hard water and that is water want to replicate in this aquarium.

Replicating an African Cichlid’s Natural Environment

This can be tricky to do. African cichlids are found in all of the three African Rift Lakes: Lake Tanganyika, Lake Victoria and Lake Malawi. The environments in these three lakes are slightly different from each other. So the first step will be to find out which lake your cichlid is native to. The second step is to research that lake’s water chemistry, substrate and plants. The final step is try replicating the major components in your own aquarium.

African cichlids are beautiful fish and make a wonderful addition to any home. However, great care must be given when setting up an African cichlids aquarium. It is important to know about the natural habitat of the fish, and replicate it as closely as possible.