Ex SIL left her tank here and need help

[edenprincess]

My not too responsible ex sister in law left her tank here and since she has since disappeared I guess it has now become my responsibility. There are 5 cichlids in it including a large oscar two jack demsys (I know the spelling is probably off) a pleco and a fish I don't know the true name of but it was called maggi for short of her species name.

My questions are what size filter do I need to clean the nasty water that is in this tank I don't know how many gallons the tank holds but you may be able to tell by the following pics and you'll also see how much help these poor things need with their water.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/ ... htank2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/ ... htank1.jpg

I'm thinking my best bet would be to find these fish a better home with someone who will know how to give them the care they deserve, but for now I want to at least try to make it better for them so any suggestions will be appreciated!

Oh also here's Maggi in case you can tell me what she is.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/ ... maggi2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/ ... /maggi.jpg

[syclone]

Maggie is a jaguar cichlid, Parachromis managuensis. I would be doing some water changes, and as far as filters go, do you have anything on hand? If you plan on keeping these fish you are going to need a bigger tank, something like a 150 or so.

[MatsP]

I agree with syclone. Water changes would be a start. 25% at a time, with a few days inbetween. Once you've got reasonably clear water, do around 20-25% at least every other week, preferrably every week.

As to what filter you need, you need one that can cope with the large amount of waste these fishes are creating - a decent external canister filter would be the ideal solution - Eheim 2026 or 2028 comes to mind [it's hard for me to determine the size of the tank from the pictures, so I'm not sure how large a filter you need]. There are other filters that are reasonable for the task, including less advanced models of Eheim filters, that are still up for the job - just less practical and harder work to maintain for the life of them.

A bigger tank is definitely needed for all occupants [except perhaps the pleco, if it's NOT a common variety - if it is a common, it will probably be the biggest fish in the tank in short time...]

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Mats