Johnny Tuttle
Aquarium Advice Freak
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2008
- Messages
- 298
Hi, folks. I currently have the community set up in my signature....
I'm thinking seriously about buying a used tank to do something fun with cichlids in a second set up. My water is hard, and it goes through a softener, and so I'm thinking my most coveted fish--the German Blue Ram--is likely out although I may still try it. Two options I consider similarly attractive are kribs and convicts.
With kribs, I know I could and should add in some dither fish like zebras, dwarf rainbows, or white clouds and that the set up can be in a 21 g. Are kribs hard to find? There seems to be some debate about their need for brackish; does anyone know something from first hand experience? The concensus online seems to be that their needs for brackish is overstated; it's more that they can survive it than they actually need/want it. Am I right?
With convicts, can a single pair be kept in a 21 g? Do you need dither fish for convicts, or are they just too bullyish for that? And I keep seeing convict fry & juveniles for free from other fish keepers....will I just be looking for trouble dealing with the fry? The look of them is great--I'd go with earth eaters or Jack Dempseys for a similar effect, but I would much prefer to be looking for a 21-30 g tank instead of the 40+ for a JD. Could I keep a few females together to try to avoid having the convicts breeding?
The last option isn't really cichlids at all, but it could be fun: figure 8 puffers. Even here, people debate online whether or not they are true brackish. I just expect finding these to be hard, and I like live plants.
For both the kribs and the convicts, I would plan on 3 viralis spiralis in the middle & 3 in each corner. I would go with as dark a gravel as I can find without going to pure black, and I would add in rock & root structures in the middle. For both, I would either get a cave structure (opening facing sideways, not the front of the tank) or maybe a halved coconut shell (I assume you buy the ones for lizards at a LFS over just buying a coconut). I would prefer to not go with half clay flower pots if I didn't have to.
Thanks very much.
I'm thinking seriously about buying a used tank to do something fun with cichlids in a second set up. My water is hard, and it goes through a softener, and so I'm thinking my most coveted fish--the German Blue Ram--is likely out although I may still try it. Two options I consider similarly attractive are kribs and convicts.
With kribs, I know I could and should add in some dither fish like zebras, dwarf rainbows, or white clouds and that the set up can be in a 21 g. Are kribs hard to find? There seems to be some debate about their need for brackish; does anyone know something from first hand experience? The concensus online seems to be that their needs for brackish is overstated; it's more that they can survive it than they actually need/want it. Am I right?
With convicts, can a single pair be kept in a 21 g? Do you need dither fish for convicts, or are they just too bullyish for that? And I keep seeing convict fry & juveniles for free from other fish keepers....will I just be looking for trouble dealing with the fry? The look of them is great--I'd go with earth eaters or Jack Dempseys for a similar effect, but I would much prefer to be looking for a 21-30 g tank instead of the 40+ for a JD. Could I keep a few females together to try to avoid having the convicts breeding?
The last option isn't really cichlids at all, but it could be fun: figure 8 puffers. Even here, people debate online whether or not they are true brackish. I just expect finding these to be hard, and I like live plants.
For both the kribs and the convicts, I would plan on 3 viralis spiralis in the middle & 3 in each corner. I would go with as dark a gravel as I can find without going to pure black, and I would add in rock & root structures in the middle. For both, I would either get a cave structure (opening facing sideways, not the front of the tank) or maybe a halved coconut shell (I assume you buy the ones for lizards at a LFS over just buying a coconut). I would prefer to not go with half clay flower pots if I didn't have to.
Thanks very much.
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