new chiclid tank soon

[o.jonathan.o]

Yes we are indeed talking about the same fish, Neolamprologus tretocephalus aka 5 bar Neolamp.

From what I have read they can be fairly aggressive when spawning. If that is the fish you are set on keeping I would go with like 5 fish, 1 male and 4 females and school of smaller Syno. cats.

Could I possibly go with a couple of bigger different species of chiclids along with the 5 bar neolamps

 

[Mogurako]

Personally I wouldn't just because they grow to be 6" long in length and the claims of their aggressive nature. They will probably be better suited to a species tank, just my .02 cents.

 

[o.jonathan.o]

Yeah I agree. So then why would it be safe to put some cats in there

 

[Mogurako]

From my experience the cichlids don't normally bother the cats, just provide lots of caves. My dominate peacock male decided to mess with one of my Snyo Eruptus but this only happened once because my cat messed him up, they got along fine after that.

 

[o.jonathan.o]

Okay cool. Do you know any other cats that would work

 

[Mogurako]

My top 3 Snyodontis would be:

-Petricola
-Eruptus
-Multipunctatus

 

[o.jonathan.o]

My top 3 Snyodontis would be:

-Petricola
-Eruptus
-Multipunctatus

I like the eruptus the most. Would those work with the cichlids

 

[Mogurako]

I like the eruptus the most. Would those work with the cichlids

They should yes, that's what I had with my peacocks.

 

[o.jonathan.o]

By the way. How much do you think a 200 g tank would cost

 

[Mogurako]

A brand new 210 with stand will cost around $900-1200 depending on where you go. If you can manage to find a used one you are looking at $500-800 depending on the market in your area.

 

[o.jonathan.o]

As far as I know. There is hardly anyone here who keeps fish tanks that big

 

[Mogurako]

Pretty much any mom and pop local fish store should be able to special order you any size tank. I know all I have to do is ask the guys in the fish room at mine and they will order anything I need and will arrive in 3-5 days.

 

[o.jonathan.o]

The Mom and pops I had here quit selling fish so I'm stuck with Petsmart now

 

[Mogurako]

The biggest I have ever seen at a Petsmart is a 75, sounds like you may have to do a bit of driving to get a bigger tank.

 

[o.jonathan.o]

Yeah well I live on the coast so finding a big tank shouldn't be hard. The hardest part would be waiting for a tank that big to cycle

 

[Mogurako]

Size of the tank doesn't dictate how fast or how slow a tank cycles, they all cycle at the same speed. It will cycle pretty fast if you use the filters from your 55 to seed the new filters when you upgrade.

 

[o.jonathan.o]

Danger. I was told it would take like 2 months

 

[Mogurako]

No fishless cycle is the exact same, sometimes it can take 2-3 weeks or it can take up to 8 weeks. Using a combination of seeded filter media and ammonia/raw shrimp you could be cycled in just a few weeks.