What’s your favorite way to spruce up your tank? Let us know!

Your 180 gallon tank looks amazing. Great job. The fish fit it perfectly.

@CichlidCharmer

10 күн бұрын

Thanks!

Very solid advice!

@CichlidCharmer

2 ай бұрын

Thank you!

I love the look of your tanks. Some tanks are so full of tangled plants (sorry to those of you that love that look) it is like yard clippings in water. I like the scape to accent the fish, not the other way around

@CichlidCharmer

3 ай бұрын

I appreciate that! I can’t keep plants alive, so you can expect more of the same 😂

Your videos are great, very educational with some good humor as well. I love the cinematography too! Keep up the great work, I can see your channel going big very soon!

@CichlidCharmer

3 ай бұрын

Such encouragement - thank you very much! I appreciate it 🥰

Just verifying, are you sure that plate with half eaten sandwich doesn't belong on top of my tank? Asking for a friend. Not sure how I have never came across your channel until now. Glad I did. Excellent video.

@CichlidCharmer

3 ай бұрын

If it’s a pb&j it does 😂. Thanks!

Agree with everything, but I love my bubbles! Bubbles everywhere! I think they’re relaxing and pretty 😊 How are your geos together? Mine are psychopaths together or apart 👹

@CichlidCharmer

3 ай бұрын

Then enjoy your bubbles for sure. My geos are fine, but they are young and no breeding yet, so that might be why. Thank you for the comment!

Good advice

You could also add some Congo tetras or Denison barbs to the angel tank beautiful fish and no nipping from what I can tell. They would add color and movement in the tank.

@CichlidCharmer

3 ай бұрын

I think I would always be on edge, waiting for them to nip

@The_Mothzz

3 ай бұрын

@@CichlidCharmer i have them with angels , around 6 never nip at any fish

Should add rummy nose tetras too the angel tank :) I have angels and a heckelii with a bunch of rummy noses

@CichlidCharmer

3 ай бұрын

Sounds beautiful

I have been watching for just a short while, but your videos are what inspired me to finally take the leap into cichlids. I do want to ask if you really use Magic Eraser pads? That might not be a great option. When they break down they are just creating micro plastics from what I hear.

@CichlidCharmer

3 ай бұрын

Oh that’s awesome! I hope it’s a fun adventure! Regarding the magic erasers - my fish are surrounded by microplastics from my filters, filter hoses, coarse sponge media, pot scrubbers inside the filter, parts of the heaters, my ultra fake plants, and even the water comes out of the tap with microplastics from what I’ve read. Even the air if you can believe that has microplastics in it. However, I only use a pad twice before I toss it, so it doesn’t break down much. 🥰

I’m always looking for ways to improve looks, flow and give hiding spots. I likely will go broke buying rocks lol

@CichlidCharmer

3 ай бұрын

What better things are there to spend our money on - food? bills? - FISH! 😂

@brianmizway9324

3 ай бұрын

​do you know where we can find better decor than basic local stores? I would like to find those nice fake rocks that look real. If I got real rocks I would feel like they are easier to brake the tank glass if the fish moved them or if I wasn't careful cleaning with them one day.

@CichlidCharmer

3 ай бұрын

@@brianmizway9324 Aquadecor and Universal Rocks are the two main online producers of high quality fake rocks. They are pricey though. You can also find some DIY videos on how to make your own.

Another great educational video, OK I break 2 of your rules my bubbles and stupid decor like my Star Wars thingy, I like to use sponge filters and they make bubbles also some tanks have air stones, sigh hanging my head in shame, but you know me I'm always changing how my tanks look I will have to keep in mind about the air bubbles.....Thanks again for your info.

@CichlidCharmer

3 ай бұрын

Just keep em, Polly! They make you happy. Good to see you here 🤘

Where did you get your tanks from I really like the all glass no trim look. Thanks

@CichlidCharmer

3 ай бұрын

Thanks. They are acrylics from fish tanks direct

CC, I recently did this with my 55 gal community tank and my 98 gal CA tank. I took out some decor real rocks to be exact and moved the plants back and other decor back to give more open room. I did this because I noticed some of my fish were getting injured on the real rocks and decided to move the rocks out to make more room. I liked the look already and giving them more room to swim at the bottom. I am going to be switching out my gravel substrate in my 98 gal from rocks to sand. To match all my other tanks. Going g to be replacing my black gravel with some colored rocks to a black sand that sparkles under the light. Sand just looks more natural and since I got 4 new fish a Firemouth. A geophagus steindachi and a geophagus ac hecklai and a salvini. I want the sand for the geos to be able to sand shift. Rocks I heard can get stuck in there gills and they can die. So don’t want that.

@CichlidCharmer

3 ай бұрын

Yeah that’s cool, Jeremy. Are you like me and after you make a change like that, you keep peeking at it every 20 minutes? That black sand sounds killer. I love the sand sifters 🥰

Couldn't find the link for the film you used on the back of the tank. Anyone point me in the right direction???

@CichlidCharmer

3 ай бұрын

rabbitgoo Total Blackout Window... www.amazon.com/dp/B09WMBHD3T?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

How do you get algae spots off the glass without scratching the tank? Unfortunately, I got super ocd about them one week and scrubbed too hard and now there are scratches on my glass. Thanks!

@CichlidCharmer

3 ай бұрын

If it’s acrylic, then you have to be very careful about what you use to clean the panels. Test it out on a scrap sheet of acrylic and just lightly press on it. It doesn’t matter how good the scrubber is if you press hard on acrylic, it will scratch a matter what you use. if it’s glass, then just make sure you are using a good scrubbing tool, and don’t get any gravel or sand stuck between the pad and the glass. Usually that’s what causes the scratches. When I get down to where the sand line is, I just switch to use my fingers instead.

is there a way i can increase the ph without doing a waterchange?

@CichlidCharmer

3 ай бұрын

Good question! A water change won’t really increase your pH unless your tap is higher than your tank water - like if you have driftwood in the tank that is lowering your pH. You can use things like baking soda or Malawi Buffer and Cichlid Lake Salt, but the best way that keeps it nice and steady is to add bags of crushed coral your filters or better yet - use aragonite for your substrate.

@The_Mothzz

3 ай бұрын

@@CichlidCharmer thank you, its probably my driftwood which is lowering my ph because the pure tapwater is 7.4 and it drops to 6.5 in the worst case

@CichlidCharmer

3 ай бұрын

@@The_Mothzz that would do it. If you don’t want the tannins, you could put some purigen in your filter and it’ll remove them. You probably know the tannins are what reduces the pH

@The_Mothzz

3 ай бұрын

@@CichlidCharmer already use purigen, could also be that my test strips are just not correct

My easiest is to just turn off or down the lights. Just make sure they are on the lowest setting so when you do turn them on your fish don't go bananas 😂

@CichlidCharmer

3 ай бұрын

That’s a good one. I am always careful to gradually turn on the lights if the lights aren’t set to ramp up. They spook easily

Truly a balancing act by adding and then removing fake rocks whenever a cichlid claims it and becomes a psychopath!!! lol

@CichlidCharmer

3 ай бұрын

If that ain’t the truth! 🤪

I do everything in my power to provide a nice aquascape but my cichlids have other ideas!😩😩

@CichlidCharmer

3 ай бұрын

And that’s just ONE reason I love cichlids 🥰

Can’t stand those cheesy no fishing signs, or fish store decor either. I’m a basic setup, just a few rocks that raise ph and some small 1-2mm sand so there’s little territories for fish to fight over and just have the African cichlids as the decor and main attraction. Also easy to sand vac if required as wave maker pushes everything to intake strainers for my 2x fx6 . Low maintenance and lots of colours from fish and plenty of swimming space . And no plants just beautiful active swimming fish

@CichlidCharmer

3 ай бұрын

Exactly! I knew you would understand, Stefanos 🤩