So i have a fish..

[ARIX]

I have your exact tank and it is a mo to clean that deep! But I love the dimension of the tank it fits everywhere. You can count on drenching your arm pits if you have to reach for anything in the bottom. I use 2 Magnum 350 canister filters. I have some nice big chunks of Congo root that I stack to give a reef feeling. For your cichlids you will find they don't like plants and will tear up your bulbs eventually. Your convicts are very prolific and will breed like roaches which should keep your red devil happy with fresh bait. They will also tear anything up that gets close to their fry ball when the fish are young. Good luck!

[YALE]

I have your exact tank and it is a mo to clean that deep! But I love the dimension of the tank it fits everywhere. You can count on drenching your arm pits if you have to reach for anything in the bottom. I use 2 Magnum 350 canister filters. I have some nice big chunks of Congo root that I stack to give a reef feeling. For your cichlids you will find they don't like plants and will tear up your bulbs eventually. Your convicts are very prolific and will breed like roaches which should keep your red devil happy with fresh bait. They will also tear anything up that gets close to their fry ball when the fish are young. Good luck!

Go to a dairy or vet supply and buy some of the arm-length gloves they use to palpate cows.

[JNH2010SS]

#1 unless you live where lots of chlorine is in your water you can use regular HARD tap water. Me I have to buy my water as my city clorinates it way to much.
Chiclids like hard water which means they are pretty easy to take care of.

With one fish don't get to heavy on the food as keep in mind the more u throw in the more collects at the bottom.

Besure to get a syphon hose for cleaning tanks and clean the tank once every 3 weeks.
Most say do it more than that but with 1 fish u can get away with 3 weeks.

As for the filteration system the square filter that was posted earlier in this thread that's a biological filter for a salt tank. Kind of over kill for a chiclid type tank.
You can google for a filter system that works For a 150 gal tank or u can add one along with what u have.
Marineland has a canister filter it's called the marineland magnum pro 350 it's awesome , reliable and won't set u back a whole lot and will work great with what u already have.

Last but not least u need two power heads to keep the water moving which also keeps it clear.

Fish are cool but they can also be a pia lol

Good luck and enjoy

[Stunter Bob]

LOL @ the training session above. Ive had these tanks for 7 months now and they have been just fine the way they are. One day Ill fork out money for a nice canister filter but til then my cheap top mounts work.

[JNH2010SS]

Your tank set up will work it will just get dirtier faster and the water won't be as clear.

When u have excess food and waste in your tank it throws off ph levels and nitrates. U did a great job using older water and rocks/gravel that's where the bacteria is.

Down the road I would add another filtration and some power heads on it.

However with one fish just give him a pinch of food at feeding time and u should be ok.

I have a 250 gallon African chiclid tank as well all I have is one power filtration system and two power heads with live rock and live sand

Your fine just watch how much u feed.
That's a nice tank I have to say.

[Stunter Bob]

Again, I know how to care for my fish. But thanks for your input.

[ozzeran]

That's it!

I had a 40 gallon for a long time with BOB (oscar) he was awesome. Once he bit the bullet I tried salt water, but that was when I was young as shit and drooled over the wet/dry filters I couldn't afford. Reading this thread makes me want one again, I may get another Oscar, I just know Cichlids are VERY aggressive so sometimes it was stressful watching them. I really want a salt tank, but the oscar was so fun.

[The Sarge]

Pretty cool man, I wouldnt mind having a tank.

Keep slo3gt away from your property.

Everyone wants a Tank sir.

[built2layframe]

I have some big fancy goldfish that I have had for years, and I'm about 3 week into my 1st salt tank. Your tank looks good.

[ozzeran]

Where is a good local place to get a 75-100 gallon acrylic aquarium? Looked online but rather shop locally if I can.

I could do glass if need be, but prefer acrylic. I am going to True Percula this Saturday.

[Stunter Bob]

I would stay away from the acrylic tanks, they wont shatter like glass but they will scratch and look like shit. My large Red Devil alone would scratch up an acrylic tank with his teeth when he snaps at something. Glass might be heavier but its alot better for keeping it clear.

[ozzeran]

Ok, didn't think of that. May have to go with glass again.

[Stunter Bob]

I would hunt around on craigslist myself. I found my large tank for 150 dollars on craigslist and it came with the big red devil cichild. A new 125 gallon tank and stand would run you a good 1600-2000 depending on how you set it up.

[ozzeran]

Man look at this idiot:

http://dallas.craigslist.org/ndf/for/2384929379.html