Need Some Expert advice on my tank im considering!

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d9hp

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Oct 27, 2002
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I just want to start out and state my humbleness to all comments or any info. given to me. I am about to purchase the 55 gal. tank kit and stand from the Wal-Mart. I am going to put gravel in the bottom, and i need some more help on whether live plants are a good or bad thing...

Now for the fish...

One or Two Rubber Eels
A large quantity of neon tetras
Red Fin Sharks
Mulitple Algae eaters

And i need to know if Convict Cichlids and Electric Blue Haps would be compatible with the above, i have done extensive research and can take all new info.

Please help in any way poss.

Thank you, Dustin
 
I forgot to mention my many dwarf frogs i already have! Any ways here are some pictures of the fishies and whatnot that i am looking to purchase here they are...
 
In my opinion, live plants will be a constant battle in the tank you are proposing. Between those that will eat them and those that will want to constantly uproot them. Plecos can be rather a pain when it comes to live plants.
 
blue haps are an african cichlid , and if you have done your research you know that they don't come from the same type of water that convicts do, so there is your first incompatibility--neons like softer , somewhat acidic water if i remember correctly, which would probably be ok with the connies, but not the haps...also if you have done any reading about convicts and their behaviors as well as africans and their behaviors, they are different and they have different body language, both are aggressive fish, which can cause communication problems when there is a confrontation--and with these fish you will have confrontations....convicts are rather aggressive, and absolute terrors when they spawn, and seeing as how they as well as the haps get fairly large, i wouldnt think you would fare well with some of both in a 55 regardless of the other differences...you are asking for an all out war in my opinion...from the sounds of it, you would do well to do much more extensive research before attempting your tank...
 
and as i am infamous for, i gotta add something :eek: --i seriously doubt you will be able to keep any kind of live plants with convicts once they are bigger than babies....plastic ones are questionable, because you will constantly have to rebury them--cichlids for the most part love to dig, and my connie can move a mountain of gravel in one night, and he's not nearly fully grown yet...
 
new tank

OK, here's the deal. The convict and/or the hap, although they won't like their water much, will be most grateful to you for the fine meal of neons you are providing them with. The plants and the neons are a good idea as long as you either add some light or stick with plants that do well in very low light. For this, you will want soft, acidic water with a PH of 6.5 - 7.0. The neons will adapt to 7.0 water, but will not show their best colors. You can also put in other small gentle fish with them; Rummynose Tetras, Cory cats, Harlequin Rasboras, ect... Now, if it was me 8) , I would set up an African Cichlid tank. Your Hap will be right at home here in hard, alkaline water with a PH of 8.0-8.5. You can even use a marine substrate to help keep up the hardness and PH. No plants in here if you want to mimic their natural habitat though...lots of rock with caves for them to hide in. www.vatoelvis.com for more info on Af Cich. It's best to stick with cichlids that are endemic to one of the lakes (Malawi, Tanganyika, Victoria) as they tend not to get along will if you mix them up. Put in some Giant Danios as target fish to bring the cichlids out and you'll have a fine community. Things to look for when you're deciding on fish: Water requirements such as hardness, PH, and temp. Are the fish good community fish or are they agressive? Size...big ones, in most cases, will eat little ones. Are they schooling fish? Schooling fish tend not to do well if you have less than 4. One further note on Af Cich: Many of them are herbivores and need lots of vegetable content in their diet.
Logan J
 
Wow! You have changed my mind. I think I am going to skip out on the tetras, and go with the cichlids! No live plats though. Does anyone have a nice picture of a cichlid tank. I really have my heart set on that eel, so will the cichlids be compatable with it, will cichlids be OK with zebra plecos or will they go crazy and kill them all. Ive got a while before I buy anything, so for now its an empty tank.
 
lol logan! snacktime :D

depends, do some research on the eels and their aggressiveness and water requirements, etc. and see how compatible they will be...pleco situation is iffy, if it's huge it may be ok for awhile, but probably not in the long run--works for some ppl, but i just had to remove a13 inch plec because the 4 inch convict pestered him constantly and would not let him even eat in peace, his tail was all messed up, and he is absolutely huge next to this one convict...
 
Af Cichlid/Pleco

Synodontis multipunctatus or the Cuckoo Catfish is endemic to Lake Tanganyika, described as peaceful and nocturnal, omnivorous and especially fond of snails, and gets along with others of it's own kind. The bad news is they grow to 10-11" in length so you may have to upgrade to a larger tank to keep him and some cichlids when they get large. I believe you mentioned a "Zebra Pleco" or (and make sure this is what it is) Hypancistrus zebra. These are not herbivorous. They require lots of protien in their diet so plan on feeding tubifex, bloodworms, sinking carnivore wafers, ect... to keep it alive. They grow to about 5". They, much to my surprise since they are endemic to Brazil, prefer hard, alkaline water like the Af Cich. They are VERY nocturnal and need lots of places to hide. Failure to provide this may stress the fish enough to cause it's demise. The regular old "Pleco", hypostomus plecostomus, also prefers hard, alkaline water. I have kept them for years and did not know this so you have taught me something :D . They can get up to 2 feet long. They need lots of vegetable matter as well as some protien in the form of wafers or worms. They do better with a piece of driftwood in the tank so they can rasp away at the wood. Driftwood is not usually used in a Af Cich tank since it leaches tannins in to the water which tends to soften and lower PH. Unlike the Cuckoo Cat, they really can't defend themselves against a bully. I wouldn't recommend one in a Cichlid tank. Some Cichlids are just downright mean. One more thing, I believe the Pleco has been reclassified as Hypostomus multiradius. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.
Logan J
 
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