Want more tips and tricks to care for your fish? Check out these playlists! Best Fish Keeping Tips Playlist is here: ruclips.net/p/PLr8ew8o8WXoDLeItfzOiRG8DV-1W9qNX4 Lowering and Controlling Nitrates Playlist is here: ruclips.net/p/PLr8ew8o8WXoD-pzZaHgtIFqurG9HZn2zz Every Live Stream is Here: ruclips.net/p/PLr8ew8o8WXoApHjaPfc6rdr7oipfEbZ-k The Water Change Tips & Tricks Playlist is here: ruclips.net/p/PLr8ew8o8WXoCdEYkD0rQa0OWejFk5-bHD SunSun Canister Filter Playlist is here: ruclips.net/p/PLr8ew8o8WXoCiMWEpBFJFJGxTqJH_MdMg Fluval Canister Filter Playlist is here: ruclips.net/p/PLr8ew8o8WXoC8gSuqdG1c4nOzlAMFTmiD
Great tips , I drink my coffee on weekends in front of my tank and I have just juveniles in my tank, but I love watching them just play with each other
Great looking tank, beautiful cichlid dude. I have used live plants in my African cichlid tank in the past but my large fish chewed the plants up so I turned to plastic plants. I did have 45 large African cichlid in one of my tanks, but unfortunately I had a power cut while I was out of town for 5he day and I lost every single fish which broke my heart as they were awesome. Unfortunately this can happen. It would have cost me £3000 to replace all of them because they were all between 5 and 6 inches in size. I have a 6 ft American cichlid tank with a fluval fx6 filter which is doing a great job. Thanks for 5he video and tips. I’ve been keeping fish since the 1980s , but never lost so many fish in one go. I guess it is bad luck as these things can happen. I will c9me back again to watch more of your informative videos, take care.
@@BenOchart you're welcome. great videos you have. I'm started my resrach about keepign african cichlids(peacocks) and your vids are great and lot of info.
Great video Ben! As Always!. I totally agree with your tips, especially the one about stressing out. I am a firm believer in having fun and not stressing out. This hobby is supposed to be fun after all.
Excellent tips for any fishkeeper new or old .... good point on the GPH I often wonder if everyone considers that when setting up their filters ... perfect video Ben 🤗🤗
If you watch my video, "African Cichlids - An Expensive Lesson" you'll see what happened to me when I let surface aggitation slip. I'm glad you're tank is doing great now and I appreciate you watching and commenting.
A quick question on keeping the Anubias: Do you have any special substrate under the plants, use root tabs, or ever add liquid ferts to keep these as green as they are? Your tank looks amazing!
I was using Seachem Flourish liquid vit's. With anubias the substrate is not that important since the roots are pulling nutrients out of the water. I just used super glue gel to attach the rhizome (the thick part the stringy roots come out of) to rocks. From time to time I trim the roots (not the rhizome) and that promotes more growth. Since filming this video I have stopped keeping the live plants with the larger cichids since they were nipping them until they looked terrible. I only keep them with the smaller/younger cichlids now.
I really sleep better at night knowing my fish have the best. Nothing worse than waking up to tank full of dead fish. Surface agitation and optimum filtration is keen in this hobby. Also not cutting corners in food is important. All that filler food is crap. Northfin is the bomb.nice video handsome older man. Hehe soon as I cut the video on I saw nothing but your graceful face 🤔
excellent video Ben and as usual your tanks are simply beautiful , keep up the great job that you do and please keep the info coming,much love and emencly appreciated 😎😎😎😎 .
Whats the name of that plant? always amazed at the set up, where limited here in Jamaica to certain things you can get but online shopping opening doors that we can maybe reach a setup like yours.
Wow! Your tank and fish are very beautiful! I heard another guyt say that he leaves his lights off for most of the day to destress his fish. He said that the fish tank lights stress the fish so he only turns them on occasionally when he's looking at the fish otherwise he leaves them off and they only bet whatever indirect light comes into his windows. I never heard that before and wonder what you think about that?
I run lights 3 hours in the morning and 4 in the evening. I have noticed that when I've left them on all day they do get a bit more edgy with each other.
Benny boy, hi from Glasgow. Is the set up from new, the same with cichlids as my other fresh water aquarium.. we have very soft water here, I've never kept cichlids before, so any advice would be appreciated, very cool tank by the way....
Hello Ed, with soft water you're going to need to harden things up. I suggest aragonite or crushed coral as a substrate and consider using limestone rock decor. That should add a lot of minerals, calcium and magnesium in particular, to your water. I'd keep water changes at around 20% and refill slowly to avoid shocking the fish with rapid pH shifts.
Hi, I am a relatively new hobbyist (Had tanks in the past but none large or advanced). I purchased a 60 gallon tank and was wondering if you had any tips of how to set the tank up and especially how to pick colorful fish without a large amount of aggression. Thanks!
That's a huge question. I suggest that you start with my "10 Tips" video and follow the advice in there, including the watching of a lot of videos and lots of research.
Fluval makes great filters but are massively overpriced for what you get...you could get TWO Sunsun HW304Bs for $150 with media and it would perform even better than a single FX6..and you would still have active filtration in case one died...you could also daisy chain the filters to each other if desired.
I currently looking into buy a new tank for african ciclids. The best tank i can do is 60 gallons. How many can i get in that tank? How many males and females?
Thank you so much honey. Can you do a video on how many cichild to keep per foot? I have a 3 footer and i had 10 cichilds in there last time and over the course od 16months i had to upgrade to a 4footer every year they got bigger ans bigger.
Ben-at 54 seconds in to this video there is a primarily blue fish in the lower middle of the frame. It has yellow around it's gills as well as white at the top of it's dorsal fin. As the video continues it moves from the left to the back right corner of the tank. Would you be able to tell me the species of this fish? I have one that is almost exactly the same in coloration and don't know what it is. My best guess so far is Aulonocara stuartgranti (Hai Reef) or common name Blue Neon. Is that what yours is? I've posted a video of mine on some cichlid Facebook groups I belong to and have gotten a few guesses, but no one who has thought they actually know. One guy thinks it's a hybrid. I like to keep a log of what I have for my person assurance I am caring for them correctly and comparing them to other similar fish for health reasons. I also like to know what they are if I'm talking about them instead of saying "that blueish fish with yellow behind the gills and white stripe on top of the dorsal fin!" Ha ha! Any help you can give me is appreciated.
A turnover rate of 6 to 8 times is good for your 135 gal because time you sub tract the amount of rocks and substrate you really only have about 120 to 125 that's how I look at it
True Chad, but keep in mind that those two canisters hold a lot of additional water are are part of the system, so it kind of balances out. But your point is well taken, there's a lot of water displacement with the rocks and decor.
Ben, can you do a vid on how you clean the sandsubstrate , noticed you had the crushed coral/gravel on the 60.. and now you switched to an argonite / sand.
BostonIrv Good idea. Perhaps I'll include it in an upcoming SUNSUN704b maintenance video. I usually run something like my fingers or the handle of a net thru the sand. This releases any trapped gas and stirs up detritus. I then give it a half hour and let the loose particles settle on the surface of the sand. I then vacuum making sure to stay just off the surface so I don't suck up sand. I hope this helps you.
yeah, i only ask because you did an excellent video on servicing your sunsun's before and i have a 60g as i tried to replicate your tank! Now you have a 125... i'm going to have to do that eventually, just have to convince the fiance.. or wait for the tanks to go on sale!
Bought mine used and resealed it. Saved me a lot of money (but did require a lot of effort and time, it's never as easy as it looks on the DIY videos).
Regards, I have 5 of those blue ones aulonocara jacobfreibergi I think they are called but mine are kind of gray and have very few blue and orange coloration does have the strains they have about 3 months buy they are big like 7 cm and 2.5 - 3 cm height. So my question is they will get those nice colors blue and orange? how many months do I have to wait?
Hello Ivan, It can take up to a year sometimes for the fish to really blossom. Other factors such live dominance, water quality and the quality of diet all play a part. Good luck.
Well my fear is that I don't have the nice fishes two looks like this one but with less coloration www.google.com.cu/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.shopify.com%2Fs%2Ffiles%2F1%2F1078%2F7012%2Fproducts%2FBi-color_500_Peacock_2_large.jpg%3Fv%3D1495031873&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fimperialtropicals.com%2Fcollections%2Fafrican-cichlids%2Fpeacock&docid=OqL2tlHMSk3WlM&tbnid=99NGuEvw9YYOHM%3A&vet=10ahUKEwib1O_P8OTaAhUGr1kKHU5BCzcQMwhkKB8wHw..i&w=480&h=320&bih=633&biw=1280&q=peacocks%20african%20fish&ved=0ahUKEwib1O_P8OTaAhUGr1kKHU5BCzcQMwhkKB8wHw&iact=mrc&uact=8 and the other is like this one also with less colors www.google.com.cu/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.liveaquaria.com%2Fimages%2Farticles%2Fa_238_b_22674P_76.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.liveaquaria.com%2Farticle%2F207%2F%3Faid%3D207&docid=M04Q8vTG3G4KFM&tbnid=kzWvpWj0hVPQNM%3A&vet=10ahUKEwib1O_P8OTaAhUGr1kKHU5BCzcQMwh-KDkwOQ..i&w=216&h=170&bih=633&biw=1280&q=peacocks%20african%20fish&ved=0ahUKEwib1O_P8OTaAhUGr1kKHU5BCzcQMwh-KDkwOQ&iact=mrc&uact=8 Regards my acuarion is a 200 liters (53) gallons I have 15 fishes in there the filtration where I have two double sponge filter extactly like this one www.google.com.cu/search?q=filtros+de+esponja+para+acuarios&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiVv-m-8eTaAhXStVkKHVZ7Bd0Q_AUICigB&biw=1280&bih=633#imgrc=WQE3ElaRj0e2xM: Moved by a Elite 802 air bomb. That's it. How bad is that?
Regards, nice!, happens that 3 days ago I breed the Aulonocara jacobfreibergi female. I do not know her age but I think it is about 6 months old and she is still small but she had 20 babies. Also I found 2 little yellow ones in the talk from another female the Labidochromis Caeruleus. Curious it is that I didn't know that this species holds the babies on its mouth. I saw the Aulonocara and I though it was food in her mouth but later I watch a video and I knew. I put her in a small talk and she released all its babies thorough the night and put her back on the big tank in the morning.
The ones I have in there now all seem to co-exist fine. Haps seem more interested in chasing Haps and Peacocks tend to chase other Peacocks. Eventually, in around a year, the 135 will be a Hap tank and the Peas will go to the 60. Because some of the haps will get much larger than others, I might need to move some of the smaller haps as well. We'll see. Stay tuned.
Beautiful tanks as always! Question though with the live plants... I see them growing quickly so I'm wondering how long the lights are on? And if lights are on more often do you have any issues with algae etc??
Minor algae on glass and plants but not too much. Just requiring a weekly touch-up. The light are off most of the day and blue light is on early morning and late evening.
Hi could anyone give me some help. I've just purchased a 200 litre tank. I know prob not best for beginners but was a great deal I couldn't refuse. I've got a tropical tank just now but only a 60litre. What size pump and heater size will i require for this tank. Would a 200w heater do the job. Basically hoping not to spend ridiculous amounts of money to set up.
Kieran Thomas Too many things to consider for a simple answer. A 200w heater should work okay. On my 60 gal (227 liters) I run two small canister filters, SunSun 302s, and an Emperior 400 dual bio-wheel hang on back filter. Depending on how stocked you will be keeping your tank will determine how much filtration you’ll need. Go to the “Ben O’Cichlid” Facebook group. There are a lot of good folks there willing to help. Good luck.
You got me into keeping Cichlids, thanks Ben! I only have Mbunas now, next larger Haps. Nice video, I just set up a Mbuna Cichlid aquascape, view it here: ruclips.net/video/6lSVIOyqj4E/видео.html Keep your fins wet!
No...i have breeding African mumba cichlids so there are a lot of diff size cichlids and 2 clown loaches...with an Angelfish also 2 silverdollars...a molly...2 algae eaters...and a jewel cichlid in a 125 gallon setup and the cichlids dont eat any of them but...u do need to make sure they dont get too hungry lol
![African Cichlids: 3 (COMMON) Ideas that Can KILL Your Fish! [I Learned them the Hard Way!]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/nto7BQOLzPU/mqdefault.jpg)
Want more tips and tricks to care for your fish? Check out these playlists!
Best Fish Keeping Tips Playlist is here: ruclips.net/p/PLr8ew8o8WXoDLeItfzOiRG8DV-1W9qNX4
Lowering and Controlling Nitrates Playlist is here: ruclips.net/p/PLr8ew8o8WXoD-pzZaHgtIFqurG9HZn2zz
Every Live Stream is Here: ruclips.net/p/PLr8ew8o8WXoApHjaPfc6rdr7oipfEbZ-k
The Water Change Tips & Tricks Playlist is here: ruclips.net/p/PLr8ew8o8WXoCdEYkD0rQa0OWejFk5-bHD
SunSun Canister Filter Playlist is here: ruclips.net/p/PLr8ew8o8WXoCiMWEpBFJFJGxTqJH_MdMg
Fluval Canister Filter Playlist is here: ruclips.net/p/PLr8ew8o8WXoC8gSuqdG1c4nOzlAMFTmiD
where did you buy that background?
I guess it's pretty off topic but do anybody know a good site to stream new tv shows online ?
@Idris Langston Lately I have been using Flixzone. Just search on google for it :)
@Idris Langston I would suggest Flixzone. Just google for it =)
Great tips , I drink my coffee on weekends in front of my tank and I have just juveniles in my tank, but I love watching them just play with each other
Great video. Basic tips are ALWAYS good advice.
Thank you about the the “don’t stress “ comment. Needed that reminder!
Very important last tip
lovely share
Last bonus tip is very important.
Very nice video!
I've had fish tanks for 55 years...I love the hobby....
Thanks for the useful tips, Ben. I'm one month into my African Cichlid hobby, so I (and my fish) appreciate the gift of your shared experience.
For someone like me who is new to setting up cichlid tank.. this is valuable information. Thank you for the share.
Great looking tank, beautiful cichlid dude. I have used live plants in my African cichlid tank in the past but my large fish chewed the plants up so I turned to plastic plants. I did have 45 large African cichlid in one of my tanks, but unfortunately I had a power cut while I was out of town for 5he day and I lost every single fish which broke my heart as they were awesome. Unfortunately this can happen. It would have cost me £3000 to replace all of them because they were all between 5 and 6 inches in size. I have a 6 ft American cichlid tank with a fluval fx6 filter which is doing a great job. Thanks for 5he video and tips. I’ve been keeping fish since the 1980s , but never lost so many fish in one go. I guess it is bad luck as these things can happen. I will c9me back again to watch more of your informative videos, take care.
Just love your vids.
Thank you Mart!
Very nice tips!
Don’t test your water every 15mins. That made me laugh.😂😂
Yes, keep fish to relax, not to have an anxiety attack, LOL! Thank you for watching Jerome.
@@BenOchart you're welcome. great videos you have. I'm started my resrach about keepign african cichlids(peacocks) and your vids are great and lot of info.
I am a proud member of the bucket brigade, and it's a lovely aqua blue colour.
Great video!
Beautiful tank. Great tips.
What a nice person 👍
I wish you put a list of your fish collection 🥇
Current collection is very different now. Check out some of my current fish room walkthrough videos to get a feel for my current stock.
@@BenOchart
Thank you Ben 👍🥇🙏
I liked your video, friend.
Best tip ever, you are so right. Its supposed to be fun.
Not obsessing is a learned skill XDD I'm getting there.
LOL, me too!
Great video Ben! As Always!. I totally agree with your tips, especially the one about stressing out. I am a firm believer in having fun and not stressing out. This hobby is supposed to be fun after all.
Jack D. Exactly!
I always love spending my time in feeding and cleaning. I never felt stressed out. I always make sure that all my fish gets food uniformly..
Very nice video and great tips. thanks for posting . Subscribed.
Thank you for watching and for subbing!
Awesome tank and fish Ben! What type of fish is the blue one with orange highlighting?
Thank you. I believe you are referring to my German Red Peacock.
"That's how they roll" LOL!!!!! I love it!!
Well, I'm right, right?! LOL!
Thanks for watching and commenting Frank!
Excellent tips for any fishkeeper new or old .... good point on the GPH I often wonder if everyone considers that when setting up their filters ... perfect video Ben 🤗🤗
Thank you PB!
Just saw this video. Beatiful Tank Sir! Those guys look happy. I need more Cichlid resourses. I've been too busy and ignoring mine.
Looking good as usual Ben. Surface adjitation I learned the hard way but everything doing great now! The new tank looks great.
If you watch my video, "African Cichlids - An Expensive Lesson" you'll see what happened to me when I let surface aggitation slip.
I'm glad you're tank is doing great now and I appreciate you watching and commenting.
A quick question on keeping the Anubias: Do you have any special substrate under the plants, use root tabs, or ever add liquid ferts to keep these as green as they are? Your tank looks amazing!
I was using Seachem Flourish liquid vit's. With anubias the substrate is not that important since the roots are pulling nutrients out of the water. I just used super glue gel to attach the rhizome (the thick part the stringy roots come out of) to rocks. From time to time I trim the roots (not the rhizome) and that promotes more growth. Since filming this video I have stopped keeping the live plants with the larger cichids since they were nipping them until they looked terrible. I only keep them with the smaller/younger cichlids now.
I really sleep better at night knowing my fish have the best. Nothing worse than waking up to tank full of dead fish. Surface agitation and optimum filtration is keen in this hobby. Also not cutting corners in food is important. All that filler food is crap. Northfin is the bomb.nice video handsome older man. Hehe soon as I cut the video on I saw nothing but your graceful face 🤔
Thank you Deon, and you're right, we love our fish, so why cut corners? Thanks!
Beautiful tank and fish
Thank you Dana!
excellent video Ben and as usual your tanks are simply beautiful , keep up the great job that you do and please keep the info coming,much love and emencly appreciated 😎😎😎😎 .
My pleasure Jemetta and I appreciate your support of the channel.
Whats the name of that plant? always amazed at the set up, where limited here in Jamaica to certain things you can get but online shopping opening doors that we can maybe reach a setup like yours.
Absolutely beautiful tank! a pleasure to watch :)
Thank you Radagast, mush appreciated!
A Python is a must!
I agree! Thanks for watching.
Love the information and tank setup
Thanks Ben, I needed that
great tips Ben interesting comments lol I've shared ur video in my group Ben you always do a great job!💯💯
Thank you Cooper and thank you for sharing the video. I appreciate the support of the channel and your encouragement.
Wow! Your tank and fish are very beautiful! I heard another guyt say that he leaves his lights off for most of the day to destress his fish. He said that the fish tank lights stress the fish so he only turns them on occasionally when he's looking at the fish otherwise he leaves them off and they only bet whatever indirect light comes into his windows. I never heard that before and wonder what you think about that?
I run lights 3 hours in the morning and 4 in the evening. I have noticed that when I've left them on all day they do get a bit more edgy with each other.
Ben Ochart thank you!
Back to the basics! Great list!
Thanks Corey.
The water is crystal clear Ben. I bet you have low nitrate levels because of those awesome plants.
I hope so. I still doing weekly 40% water changes. I'll test this weekend.
Thanks for stopping by Paul. Much appreciated.
That is a beautiful tank Ben 👌
I miss that OB. Those live plants looked so much better than the fake plants.
“It will take you off the bucket brigade” 😂
Hi Ben.. your tank is really amazing! Nice tips!
Thanks DebTim ... you already know how much I support your long term support of my channel!
Awsome tips..
Keep calm
And
Watch your fish
Thank -you
👍 love it! Even though I've been spoiled with the pre release lol
Thanks Kevin. I liked doing that with the group members.
great video Ben, also we have the same filtration, fx6 and sunsun 704B in my 125g 👍
Keeps things looking great, right!?
How often do you service them?
Sunsun monthly fx6 every other month
tank looking great
Thank you Ruben.
''The bucket brigade'' hehe
Thank you!
AMAZING
tip 6: get a second job to support the obsession
LOL, that's truth!
Adam C lol 😂 I'm doing 16 hrs three days a week holy ish it's for fish crack
Deon 0026 LOL
Haha... Truth!!!
Good tips Ben.
Thanks Reggie!
i wish this kinda knowledge was easy to find in this form like 15 years ago lol
Benny boy, hi from Glasgow. Is the set up from new, the same with cichlids as my other fresh water aquarium.. we have very soft water here, I've never kept cichlids before, so any advice would be appreciated, very cool tank by the way....
Hello Ed, with soft water you're going to need to harden things up. I suggest aragonite or crushed coral as a substrate and consider using limestone rock decor. That should add a lot of minerals, calcium and magnesium in particular, to your water. I'd keep water changes at around 20% and refill slowly to avoid shocking the fish with rapid pH shifts.
@@BenOchart very helpful buddy thank you...
What's your opinion on moving the scape around in the tank maybe once a month? Good/bad idea? Specifically with cichlids.
Ben thanks for your tips.Your tank looks Incredible and where do you get your plants from
paulone65 Thank you. I'm lucky to have a LFS that carries a nice selection of plants.
Hey Ben, I’m getting a tank soon and getting cichlids after I’m starting off with two and am wondering what gallon size that two cichlids need
Get the biggest tank you can afford. 60 minimum. Sure you can start smaller, but in 6 months you're going to want to upgrade. It like an addiction.
Can you use regular play sand in an African Cichlids tank?
Sure, many do
great stuff !
Thank you David!
Hi, I am a relatively new hobbyist (Had tanks in the past but none large or advanced). I purchased a 60 gallon tank and was wondering if you had any tips of how to set the tank up and especially how to pick colorful fish without a large amount of aggression. Thanks!
That's a huge question. I suggest that you start with my "10 Tips" video and follow the advice in there, including the watching of a lot of videos and lots of research.
Fluval makes great filters but are massively overpriced for what you get...you could get TWO Sunsun HW304Bs for $150 with media and it would perform even better than a single FX6..and you would still have active filtration in case one died...you could also daisy chain the filters to each other if desired.
great video Ben, what do you use to fertilize your plants?
I started using some Seachem Flourish. I didn't want anything with too much nitrogen (the fish make plenty of it!).
Thanks for stopping by!
I currently looking into buy a new tank for african ciclids. The best tank i can do is 60 gallons. How many can i get in that tank? How many males and females?
What are plants planted inside tank ben, the cichlids dont eat them
Thank you so much honey. Can you do a video on how many cichild to keep per foot? I have a 3 footer and i had 10 cichilds in there last time and over the course od 16months i had to upgrade to a 4footer every year they got bigger ans bigger.
Tip 7: Dont get marry because because wife doesn't want to many fish tanks.
LOL, or find a different wife, LOL!
Bs i got three tanks she can go lol
Haha tell me about it! I have a koi pond, goldfish, tank, (2) axolotl aquariums and Betta jar thing I made haha. Next cichlids! Haha
I only have two tanks and want more! 😂
I'm The wife with all of the fish tanks. LoL
Ben-at 54 seconds in to this video there is a primarily blue fish in the lower middle of the frame. It has yellow around it's gills as well as white at the top of it's dorsal fin. As the video continues it moves from the left to the back right corner of the tank. Would you be able to tell me the species of this fish? I have one that is almost exactly the same in coloration and don't know what it is. My best guess so far is Aulonocara stuartgranti (Hai Reef) or common name Blue Neon. Is that what yours is? I've posted a video of mine on some cichlid Facebook groups I belong to and have gotten a few guesses, but no one who has thought they actually know. One guy thinks it's a hybrid. I like to keep a log of what I have for my person assurance I am caring for them correctly and comparing them to other similar fish for health reasons. I also like to know what they are if I'm talking about them instead of saying "that blueish fish with yellow behind the gills and white stripe on top of the dorsal fin!" Ha ha! Any help you can give me is appreciated.
Once again , kool video!!.
i love your sand , what its name of sand?
Cesar Cordova Thank you. Check out the notes below the video for a full tank breakdown.
A turnover rate of 6 to 8 times is good for your 135 gal because time you sub tract the amount of rocks and substrate you really only have about 120 to 125 that's how I look at it
True Chad, but keep in mind that those two canisters hold a lot of additional water are are part of the system, so it kind of balances out. But your point is well taken, there's a lot of water displacement with the rocks and decor.
You're right and I forgot about the canisters they hold about 5 gallons of water don't there
Chad Hardesty Not positive but I think in my case the FX6 is around 5 and the SunSun 704B around 3 gallons.
Chad Hardesty 135g after rock and sand = 10-12% less water
What gravel are you using. I like the blue color!
That is a caribsea aragonite.
Don't feed your peacocks bloodworms... that's one I just found out :P now working on cleaning my fish out. "Honey... Where's the epsom salt?"
I've heard peas are good for helping them clean out, and of course, you can skip a day of feeding.
Can i get a listing of all the types of cichlid in your tank
Ben, can you do a vid on how you clean the sandsubstrate , noticed you had the crushed coral/gravel on the 60.. and now you switched to an argonite / sand.
BostonIrv Good idea. Perhaps I'll include it in an upcoming SUNSUN704b maintenance video.
I usually run something like my fingers or the handle of a net thru the sand. This releases any trapped gas and stirs up detritus. I then give it a half hour and let the loose particles settle on the surface of the sand. I then vacuum making sure to stay just off the surface so I don't suck up sand. I hope this helps you.
yeah, i only ask because you did an excellent video on servicing your sunsun's before and i have a 60g as i tried to replicate your tank! Now you have a 125... i'm going to have to do that eventually, just have to convince the fiance.. or wait for the tanks to go on sale!
Bought mine used and resealed it. Saved me a lot of money (but did require a lot of effort and time, it's never as easy as it looks on the DIY videos).
Is that blue gravel?
Can you send the info on that so I can find
Hey T, It's a gray CaribSea aragonite. I'm not sure if they still make it. I found it on eBay.
Great video just sub you.
Regards, I have 5 of those blue ones aulonocara jacobfreibergi I think they are called but mine are kind of gray and have very few blue and orange coloration does have the strains they have about 3 months buy they are big like 7 cm and 2.5 - 3 cm height. So my question is they will get those nice colors blue and orange? how many months do I have to wait?
Hello Ivan, It can take up to a year sometimes for the fish to really blossom. Other factors such live dominance, water quality and the quality of diet all play a part. Good luck.
Well my fear is that I don't have the nice fishes two looks like this one but with less coloration www.google.com.cu/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.shopify.com%2Fs%2Ffiles%2F1%2F1078%2F7012%2Fproducts%2FBi-color_500_Peacock_2_large.jpg%3Fv%3D1495031873&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fimperialtropicals.com%2Fcollections%2Fafrican-cichlids%2Fpeacock&docid=OqL2tlHMSk3WlM&tbnid=99NGuEvw9YYOHM%3A&vet=10ahUKEwib1O_P8OTaAhUGr1kKHU5BCzcQMwhkKB8wHw..i&w=480&h=320&bih=633&biw=1280&q=peacocks%20african%20fish&ved=0ahUKEwib1O_P8OTaAhUGr1kKHU5BCzcQMwhkKB8wHw&iact=mrc&uact=8 and the other is like this one also with less colors www.google.com.cu/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.liveaquaria.com%2Fimages%2Farticles%2Fa_238_b_22674P_76.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.liveaquaria.com%2Farticle%2F207%2F%3Faid%3D207&docid=M04Q8vTG3G4KFM&tbnid=kzWvpWj0hVPQNM%3A&vet=10ahUKEwib1O_P8OTaAhUGr1kKHU5BCzcQMwh-KDkwOQ..i&w=216&h=170&bih=633&biw=1280&q=peacocks%20african%20fish&ved=0ahUKEwib1O_P8OTaAhUGr1kKHU5BCzcQMwh-KDkwOQ&iact=mrc&uact=8 Regards my acuarion is a 200 liters (53) gallons I have 15 fishes in there the filtration where I have two double sponge filter extactly like this one www.google.com.cu/search?q=filtros+de+esponja+para+acuarios&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiVv-m-8eTaAhXStVkKHVZ7Bd0Q_AUICigB&biw=1280&bih=633#imgrc=WQE3ElaRj0e2xM: Moved by a Elite 802 air bomb. That's it. How bad is that?
Regards, nice!, happens that 3 days ago I breed the Aulonocara jacobfreibergi female. I do not know her age but I think it is about 6 months old and she is still small but she had 20 babies. Also I found 2 little yellow ones in the talk from another female the Labidochromis Caeruleus. Curious it is that I didn't know that this species holds the babies on its mouth. I saw the Aulonocara and I though it was food in her mouth but later I watch a video and I knew. I put her in a small talk and she released all its babies thorough the night and put her back on the big tank in the morning.
Hey Ben, all variables aside, what haps have you successfully mixed with peacocks?
The ones I have in there now all seem to co-exist fine. Haps seem more interested in chasing Haps and Peacocks tend to chase other Peacocks. Eventually, in around a year, the 135 will be a Hap tank and the Peas will go to the 60.
Because some of the haps will get much larger than others, I might need to move some of the smaller haps as well. We'll see. Stay tuned.
Sounds like you need more tanks! :)
Always! ;)
10:02 what is the fish in the bottom right corner of the tank I just got 1 just like him out of a mixed hap tank at my lfs they didn't know
Tdgauthentic1 10:02 is the end of the video???
How do you keep your 3D background so clean?
+David Lips Plecos and I don’t run the lights more than 5 or 6 hours a day.
Beautiful tanks as always! Question though with the live plants... I see them growing quickly so I'm wondering how long the lights are on? And if lights are on more often do you have any issues with algae etc??
Minor algae on glass and plants but not too much. Just requiring a weekly touch-up. The light are off most of the day and blue light is on early morning and late evening.
Ben Ochart Well the plants are looking as good as the fish! Great tank sir!
Thank you JC!
I have 2 fluval fx6 4 ehime and planning to have more 4 sunsun in my 55 gal cichlid tank is that ok or i need more
what type of fish do you have in that tank?
tip #7, get clown loaches to clean substrate
I’m 14 and you say have a beer..lol
You're right. Take some LSD instead.
Hi could anyone give me some help. I've just purchased a 200 litre tank. I know prob not best for beginners but was a great deal I couldn't refuse. I've got a tropical tank just now but only a 60litre. What size pump and heater size will i require for this tank. Would a 200w heater do the job. Basically hoping not to spend ridiculous amounts of money to set up.
Kieran Thomas Too many things to consider for a simple answer.
A 200w heater should work okay.
On my 60 gal (227 liters) I run two small canister filters, SunSun 302s, and an Emperior 400 dual bio-wheel hang on back filter.
Depending on how stocked you will be keeping your tank will determine how much filtration you’ll need. Go to the “Ben O’Cichlid” Facebook group. There are a lot of good folks there willing to help.
Good luck.
Ben Ochart Thank you will do mate
I am a beginner which chiclad will be best for me
Adnan, what size tank and filtration will you be going with? That will help determine the choice.
Ben Ochart i have a 4 feet tank and a power head filter and sugar gravels
i was feeding fluval cichlids food wasn't happy with it moved to Hikari 1 or 2 weeks ago and all the fish are all coloured up is Hikariok good food ?
Wow, sounds like it's working for you. If I saw that kind of result I would stick with that food!
Royal Swift Hikari definitely is a great trusted food brand
What is that fish at 6:55 with the orange?
That is a Eureka Red Peacock I picked up from Imperial Tropicals in Florida.
Thanks..They seem to have good quality fish...I'll probably order from them when my tank is ready to stock.
whats the blue fish at 7:49 with the white blaze and yellow anal fin?
Do you have those wave makers running 24hrs/day?
No, I have one of them, the one on the right, on a timer so it gives the fish a little break when they are sleeping.
I do the same thing! I also thought it's better to have the water a bit calmer so they can rest!
are you using acrylic or glass tank?
1/2 thick glass.
Ben Ochart how often you feed your fish bro
Ali Als two times per day, NorthFin.
Redecorate haha try having a tank of butt head goldfish! Theyre the interior decorators of the fish world!
"Butt head goldfish", LOL!
Thanks for watching and commenting.
This was ok till it turned into a commercial for northfin lol
Hey, what can i say, I love the stuff. But I also use omega1, Ken's spirulina sticks and ZooMed Spirulina 20 flakes.
Hahaha “carbon monoxide “ 😂😂😂
Great video nice fish subscribed I'm new to this whole posting on youtube thing so any subscriptions welcome ☺️
You got me into keeping Cichlids, thanks Ben! I only have Mbunas now, next larger Haps.
Nice video,
I just set up a Mbuna Cichlid aquascape, view it here:
ruclips.net/video/6lSVIOyqj4E/видео.html
Keep your fins wet!
I can't believe you have clown loaches in there. The Cichlids don't eat them?
No...i have breeding African mumba cichlids so there are a lot of diff size cichlids and 2 clown loaches...with an Angelfish also 2 silverdollars...a molly...2 algae eaters...and a jewel cichlid in a 125 gallon setup and the cichlids dont eat any of them but...u do need to make sure they dont get too hungry lol