New to Cichlids. Advice? Point me in the right direction?

[mistahoo]

No problem! Correct me if I'm wrong, but it's instant cycling.

[mistahoo]

What did the guy say about your water?

[Crazyjeep]

In an airplane now. Flying to Galveston via the I-10 corridor. Look up. The percolate guy said my ph was neutral. Water soft and nominal ammonia. No nitrates or nitrites.

Filter in place. I do have dusty looking water now. I'll look into it when I get home. Taking off in about 1 min. Life as a fligh instructor.

[mistahoo]

In an airplane now. Flying to Galveston via the I-10 corridor. Look up. The percolate guy said my ph was neutral. Water soft and nominal ammonia. No nitrates or nitrites.

Filter in place. I do have dusty looking water now. I'll look into it when I get home. Taking off in about 1 min. Life as a fligh instructor.

The water will get dirty looking at first... that's the bacteria falling off. You'd want to wring it a bit inside the tank to get some bacteria off. Then just let it settle for a while and your filters will take in the bacteria. After the tank clears up, you can remove the filter padding or leave it for few more hours if you want.

That's crazy! You're on-call as a flight instructor?

[Airjammer]

Johnsbra123 that's not completely true. Water parameters are very important, and ich meds are not a cure all!

[mistahoo]

Johnsbra123 that's not completely true. Water parameters are very important, and ich meds are not a cure all!

+1 While it may not be necessary to check them all the time, they are very important. You wouldn't add fish to your tank if the ammonia is like 5ppm. They'd just die. Some people swear by ich meds, but I think of them as a gimmick to make you spend money. Heat and salt have always done the job for me. Not only that, but ich meds don't heal injured fish. Salt does though and for me it's readily available 24/7 either at my house or if we run out, there are Wal-Marts close by. It's only $1 and some change for a box.

[Airjammer]

^ +1