Any other ideas...

[deli_conker]

I've read many posts with ideas about different sized tanks and thought about applying those ideas to a spare 10 gal that I have. But nothing has really been overly appealing yet.

I was considering using it as a QT tank. But why use a tank for something when I have 15 gal tubs (storage) that might work better for that. They are plastic, easily stored (stack inside each other and have closable lids), and are generally easy to deal with.

The 10 gal tank is not something I want to tear down and then rebuild when I need a QT tank. So I'm thinking about letting it run. I just don't want it to be an algae machine.

I'd like to put something in it but don't know much about non lake malawi cichlids and really don't know where to start looking for something new that also...

1) can live indefinitely in a 10 gal tank
2) is as easy or easier to take care of as my africans
3) looks good

All suggestions are welcome...

 

[TankGirl]

Shellies!! Look into N. brevis or N. multifasciatus. Some rocks, some sand, some escargot shells, no fancy lighting at all and you have a very interesting small tank. Here is a link that discusses this: http://www.cichlidrecipe.com/shellweb/

 

[deli_conker]

Interesting link. They look pretty cool but how many could you realistically put into a 10 gal? The story said that they get to about 2 inches each. I like to give my fish plenty of room, but with africans you don't want to have too fish few either. It's a fine line between overcrowding and bully control...

 

[TankGirl]

A male and three females would be perfect.

 

[Fruitbat]

Consider a nice setup with the Kribensis, Pelvicachromis pulcher, or one of their relatives. They're gorgeous fish, easy to keep, and easy to breed. A pair will do very nicely in a 10 gal aquarium. Give them a flowerpot and some plants and they'll be happy. They are African riverine cichlids so they don't need the high pH and hardness of the Rift Lake cichlids.

Check out the profile at the following site:

http://www.theaquarians.net/ArticlesandWallpapers/fish_profile_kribensis.htm

 

[TankGirl]

Kribs would be excellent. I have three in a 12-gal now and I think they are about ready to partner up, since one is frequently in the corner, at which point I will remove the extra female. They have beautiful colors and are excellent parents to their fry.

Great suggestion, Fruitbat!

P.S. Some will say that kribs need a tank larger than a 10-gal, but their natural territories are very small in the wild, so it should work fine.

 

[captainGregor]

wow that is pretty cool, TankGirl

I would like to get that going! The only problem is - what am i going to use as my QT tank should i designate it for this setup? Man, MTS is a monster.

 

[TankGirl]

Well, an extra 10-gal makes the perfect Q/Hospital tank for most community fish, so it is certainly a shame to run it, unless you have another tank. This is how MTS gets started, for sure!

Around here getting a 10-gal kit with a simple hood and filter is not too expensive, especially since for a Q-tank you don't need a fancy HOB (sponge will work fine), or gravel for that matter, so if you have a 10 with a HOB filter, you can run that as a species tank for shellies or kribs, and get another 10 gal with bare bones for the Q-tank. Look in the paper - there are tons of small tanks for sale by frustrated former fishkeepers who have forgotten how much they paid for their equipment! When you set up the brand new tank there is no need to quarrantine, of course, because they will all be new to the tank, so it becomes its own quarrantine tank.

 

[deli_conker]

Truly this is how MTS gets started.
Luckily my 55 gal is new to me and I'm not yet burning to start another tank.
I'm sure that will change in a couple of weeks ...

TankGirl: How easy is it to sex the shellies? If I go that route, I'll want to make sure I get it right the first time.

Fruitbat: The Kribs look cool too. I want to do a bit more research and make sure that it will be enough room for them.

I'll keep coming back here to see what everyone suggests and then let everybody know when I get pics up...

 

[TankGirl]

Not too easy to sex them as juveniles, so you could get about 6 and hope for a good ratio. I even had to do that with my kribs, as they were too young to show any of the typical gender markings.

 

[Fruitbat]

deli_conker

I can personally attest to the fact that a 10 gallon is adequate for a breeding pair of Kribensis. I have kept them and spawned them MANY times in tanks of that size. Others will recommend 20 gallons but with good aquarium management they'll thrive in a 10 gallon.

 

[deli_conker]

What do you do with the extras? Take them back to the lfs? Natural selection?

I'm the only person in my circle that keeps fish. Well, I do know one guy who has a single 5 inch oscar, but I don't think he would want the extras...

 

[TankGirl]

I do know one guy who has a single 5 inch oscar, but I don't think he would want the extras...

He actually might want any unwanted fry for, um, nutritious live food! But your Africans would benefit from an occasional treat of live food as well. Have you checked out the regional forum on this site for a group near you? That is a great way to get some cool fish - by trading with fellow hobbyists in your area.

 

[deli_conker]

My girlfreind won't let me feed my fish live food. I try to explain to her that if you read the ingredients on a can of fish food that one of the main ingredients is "fish meal". Last I checked, fish meal is basically, well, fish.

If I get any fish that breed like crazy, I will probably go the natural selection route. If any survive, then it is because they are more survivable than the others were.

If they start to overcrowd a tank then I'll try to pawn them off to the lfs. I just don't want to have to do this every other week...

 

[TankGirl]

I just don't want to have to do this every other week...

If you stay away from mollies or platys then you won't be there every other week, most likely. If you are talking about kribs, most LFS will be very happy to get them, and might pay you for them. Shellies are difficult to find, at least around here, and they might be another somewhat lucrative venture, as well.

I have some mollies keeping an African tank warm until I get MY shellies (they are growing as we speak..) and I just assumed I would feed the babies to my other fish. Well, the first time I went to do it I was very hesitant, and it did bother me, so I did not do it again. Now I have so many babies I have to do something with them, and I no longer have any problem feeding them to my other fish. It is very good, natural food, and is part of the (*cringe*) circle of life. You should see how the kribs color up when they get them! Many Africans are mainly herbivores, so it is not a good idea to do it a lot, but is a great occasional treat.

 

[deli_conker]

So I went to a PetSmart tonight because my lfs doesn't carry the nitrate test that I want. I'm looking around the the fish section and I see some dwarf puffers. I read an earlier post about them and decided to take a look first hand.

They seem pretty cool. I asked the lady cleaning the live plant tanks about them. She said she has some at home.

me: "what type of water do they like. you know, alkaline or acidic."
her: "ummmm. they don't like a lot of salt in the water."

On another note, I am going to try to research shellies, kribs and puffers (unless something else catches my eye).

 

[TankGirl]

Well, it so happens that I am a (unfortunately) former puffer keeper. My current kribensis tank was a puffer tank (12gal) and I adore them. I too got all of mine from PetsMart, and that is the only place I ever see them. I had 4 in there and a small school of juvenile tiger barbs, which was working out great until the barbs got larger, and I had to remove them to a larger tank. Something about the stress of catching tiger barbs (tricky!) caused the puffers to go nuts on each other, and one was actually killed and partially eaten, just like they would eat a live brine shrimp! 8O Anyway, I had to take them all back to the LFS because I did not have 3 separate tanks for them. If you get them when they are wee babies they can grow up together and be fine, as long as you do not add to the group later on. They require live food, but are completely FW and stay very small. Mine enjoyed sleeping on the plant leaves, so I can say I never had a problem keeping them in a planted tank.

 

[deli_conker]

What type of live foods do they need? Will they eat the frozen version or does it need to be wiggling? What ph do they like? Can you keep a small pleco with them? Do you have to trim thier teeth/beak? How many more questions can I ask? How many can you keep in a 10 gal without them going crazy? Is there a minimum that you would want to keep? What other fish could you keep with them if you decide to go with a smaller number of puffers? Can the Unified Theory ever be really proven? What type of terrain do they like?

Didn't think I had that many questions in me...
The sites that were shown to me earlier in this post had good information about the fish they were about, I have yet to find good info about dwarf puffers..

Thanks all for the info...

 

[freshwatergal]

What type of live foods do they need?
-I feed my puffers snails. They have to be smaller ones though, as they only eat the "meat" out of the biggers shells. They should be able to "crunch" the shells to keep their teeth down.

Will they eat the frozen version or does it need to be wiggling?
-My pack loves frozen brine shrimp.

Can you keep a small pleco with them?
-The only fish that I have heard about being kept with puffers is an otto or some Bumble Bee Gobies. I have three BBG with my 6 puffers, and everyone gers along fine.

How many can you keep in a 10 gal without them going crazy?
-Well, I have 6 in a 20 gal tank. They are messy, so I think the rule for puffers in 1 inch per 2-3 gal. Since they only get to be about 1-1.5" go from there.

Is there a minimum that you would want to keep?
-I think that the standard male:female ratio stands for these guys. 1:2. I might be wrong though...

What type of terrain do they like?
-I have my guys in a "natural" looking tank, with lots of hiding places, and plants to break up "line of sight". Take a look in my gallery.

As for websites, do a google search for dwarf puffers.

Here are a few sites that I have found...
http://puffernet.tripod.com/travancoricus.html
http://www.rr.iij4u.or.jp/~kohda/en/en-dwarfpuffer.htm

HTH and Good Luck
-Tiff

p.s. Central Ohio=Mansfield area??

 

[deli_conker]

I checked out the websites and some of thier links. Some good info, but I need more specialized info on dwarf variety (preferably from people have had them)...

Would only having one be unhealthy for it?
Is it one of the species that needs it's beak trimmed?
What if I buy only two and they are both males? Are they going to fight all the time?
Will they try to eat snails that grow bigger than they are?

A long time ago I had another 10 gal tank. I didn't research snails first and bought one to combat algae on the advice of someone at the lfs. That thing got real big, real quick. I don't want any monster snails...