Tank Setups • Fluval 306 OK for 36 gal with 9 or 10 Africans?

[EvvyThomas]

Taking your advice and going strictly peacock with the 36. The Mbunas will go into the new tank when I get it. I took the Obliqudens back to the store and got an even trade for another G. Red female. I also added an OB peacock juvenile that I'm pretty sure is male.

New questions..

If I decide to go with the curent triad of G. Reds and a triad of OB's, will I be able to tell if they crossbreed by the looks of the fry? And if so, is it a horrible idea to put the 'mutt fry' into the mbuna tank as treats rather than just culling them? I ask because I evidentally got a prego Platy from the store (I have two mollys and two platys cycling my quarantine tank) and she had her fry. The peacocks and mollys made no haste in gobbling them up so I figure it's kind of a natural thing.. (?)

[Deeda]

Aulonocara will crossbreed with each other and there is no way to determine the parentage of the fry.

I have no problem with culling the fry in the way you suggest though I'm not sure they are appropriate meals for all Mbuna cichlids.

[EvvyThomas]

sigh. I think I'm going to end up with a lot of tanks. :/

[little_jimmy1994]

Everyone does

[EvvyThomas]

So I found a used Fluval 405 for $50 and have it up and running. I have what I assume to be a bacteria bloom going on in my tank ever since it finished cycling; a milky look to the water, especially when viewed from end to end.. After running the Fluval for 24 hours it cleared up about 50% but there's still some haze that's driving me nuts. I had about a two week span of crystal clear water while treating for Ich with heat/salt, but after treatment (which coincided with the tank cycling) the haze returned. Dont know if it's coincedence or if the heat maybe had something to do with my 'moment of clarity'.

Regardless, I wanted to share my Fluval's media chain and get some feedback on what I could change or improve on. I bought new sponge filters for the side basket and kept the Fluval Pre-Filter media that came with the filter and have that in the lower basket. The second basket has two layers of Acurel plain floss beneath two layers of Acurel Phosphate removing Pads (I have some rust colored algae growing.) The 3rd basket is Bio media and the fourth is bio media topped off with two layers of Fluval Finishing pads. One thing I noticed about the Acurel plain floss is that it has a different texture on either side of the pad. I don't know if I put them in the right way as there is no indication on the package.. I put the more porous feeling side facing down.. Also, my tap puts out 8.0 pH according to API. Hoping to breed my German Reds. Should I try to buffer it up some with crushed coral or just leave it be?

Any ways, In my quest to obtain 'floating in air' fish, is there anything I can improve on?

Thanks,
Evvy

[hawkkerw]

I have not had it long but, I realy like my 406. It works very well, it's good and quiet I think the differances are as follows, with 406 Im pretty sure you get a extra media tray, the motor is suppose to be upgraded for better flow and for the big addon a better primer. I'll tell you what Fluval sure does believe in using plenty of sponges and you can buy whats called polishing pads in addition. For the money get the bigger filter you wont be sorry it always will give you better options when you upgrade. I've also noticed the africans seem to like the extra flow mine like to play in the outflow.

I too hate the white ends on the input and output on the 06's series been eyeballing other canisters with same dia. tubing to replace the fluval tubes. (My Marineland in/out tubes are all black its great, but wrong size tubing ). It seems to me after allot of reading most people can find a fault with just about any filter out there. My big thing when I started was getting that perfect filter which I don't think you will find all I can say is I am slowly upgrading and its on my list to get a second 406.

[EvvyThomas]

The used 405 and my choice of media-stack is doing a killer job for me. Water is back to pristine condition/clarity and I even have a holding female (lab) but I don't know if her brood was fertilized; don't really care either way but it's good to know that she felt comfortable enough to lay eggs. For now, I am a Fluval fanboy. I can't wait to take this noisy Aqueon HOB off line.. few more weeks.