First tank upgrade

[Karmachica]

Ok so I recently moved my rescued cichlids to a larger tank. It's a 29gallon with sand. Their old tank was a 20 gallon with gravel. The only ones living in the 29g is one male peacock cichlid and two female peacock cichlids. I'm pretty sure both females are carrying eggs in their mouth since they have a big throat and haven't been eating. I moved them all into the larger tank on Thursday and everything seems good except the male seems to hide a lot more now. He used to hide in the cave to the left and always came out to patrol but now I feel like he doesn't come out much at all and watches me as he hides in his new log .. Does he not like his new home? Also, any feedback on my tank or suggestions for the females? I've been learning as much as possible but I feel like I have a long way to go

 

[Taiken5968]

Ok so I recently moved my rescued cichlids to a larger tank. It's a 29gallon with sand. Their old tank was a 20 gallon with gravel. The only ones living in the 29g is one male peacock cichlid and two female peacock cichlids. I'm pretty sure both females are carrying eggs in their mouth since they have a big throat and haven't been eating. I moved them all into the larger tank on Thursday and everything seems good except the male seems to hide a lot more now. He used to hide in the cave to the left and always came out to patrol but now I feel like he doesn't come out much at all and watches me as he hides in his new log .. Does he not like his new home? Also, any feedback on my tank or suggestions for the females? I've been learning as much as possible but I feel like I have a long way to go

I am no cichlid expert, but I hope to own some one day. They are beautiful. I think the ones you added have claimed some territory of their own. If he use to have the whole tank he now is a bit limited.

I hope someone else comments with more suggestions. Because I could easily be wrong.
Btw you have the same log I have. Haha

 

[bmarine]

The females look pregnant to me. Are you planning on keeping the fry? If so you should probably move the females back into the 20 gal, so they can have the fry there.

 

[Karmachica]

@taiken - All 3 cichlids have been tank mates for years but I recently moved them all to the bigger tank. I think I may need just better landscaping with more rocks and hiding spots and maybe the male will feel more secure or maybe he just needs time to adapt I guess

 

[Karmachica]

@bmarine - I've only had them a few months & I'm not sure what to do if I want to keep the fry.. I mean, in terms of my tank size, the 29g seems big for just the 3 of them but I keep reading on here that cichlids need more like a 55g... Would my 29g be too small if I kept the fry? And is there another option for the females besides moving them back to the 20g until they release the fry?

 

[Karmachica]

Also!..lol How many babies on average do u think I'd end up with between both females? I don't want to end up with an orphanage of cichlids if u think my 29g is too small

 

[bmarine]

@bmarine - I've only had them a few months & I'm not sure what to do if I want to keep the fry.. I mean, in terms of my tank size, the 29g seems big for just the 3 of them but I keep reading on here that cichlids need more like a 55g... Would my 29g be too small if I kept the fry? And is there another option for the females besides moving them back to the 20g until they release the fry?

Yes, i think that a 29 is too small for those, especially because they look pretty big, and they do need quite a bit of swimming room, so i would probably suggest a 55. And if you are keeping the fry, if you keep them in the 29 gal. Its always possible that they will be eaten by one of the adults (personal experience) and i would probably suggest moving the females to the 20 to release the fry and then probably move them back out after a week or so. There may be other options, but I always move my females to my 20 when they are pregnant. Other people might have other ideas.

 

[bmarine]

Also!..lol How many babies on average do u think I'd end up with between both females? I don't want to end up with an orphanage of cichlids if u think my 29g is too small

And i'm not sure how many. I had one cichlid who had 5 her first time, then a little later she had 29, so it varies greatly. I think that with how big your fish look, its easily possible for you to get 20 out of each and even more, but like I said, it varies. You can always try to sell the fry. I sell mine to my LFS and then get store credit there.

 

[Taiken5968]

@taiken - All 3 cichlids have been tank mates for years but I recently moved them all to the bigger tank. I think I may need just better landscaping with more rocks and hiding spots and maybe the male will feel more secure or maybe he just needs time to adapt I guess

Sorry for the misunderstanding. I was about half asleep when I was reading that.

 

[Karmachica]

No worries taiken, I was half asleep when replying lol and bmarine wow 20-40 babies sounds pretty intense especially when u say my 29g is already too small for the 3 total that I have... My tank looks empty as it is, I can't imagine how ridiculous a 55g would look with still just the 3 of them in it...
If I re-landscaped it with more rocks and built the hiding areas up higher, do u think I would see more activity? Or any ideas why they aren't utilizing their new space?

 

[bmarine]

No worries taiken, I was half asleep when replying lol and bmarine wow 20-40 babies sounds pretty intense especially when u say my 29g is already too small for the 3 total that I have... My tank looks empty as it is, I can't imagine how ridiculous a 55g would look with still just the 3 of them in it...
If I re-landscaped it with more rocks and built the hiding areas up higher, do u think I would see more activity? Or any ideas why they aren't utilizing their new space?

Haha yeah, but its possible you might only get 10 (unlikely, but possible) or she might just end up eating the eggs after awhile, but i think its most likely you'll get in the higher range. And i'm not sure, how big are they?

 

[bmarine]

Also, you could probably try to push the hiding spots backwards, then they have the whole front of the tank to swim. Is he still hiding a lot?

 

[Karmachica]

Both females are about 3 1/2 inches and the male is maybe 4 1/2 inches. And yes he's still hiding a lot. He was always in his cave and then came out all the time to patrol his tank quick and now that I put the new log in addition to all their other items in the bigger tank, he is like -this is mine and I'm never leaving- lol. The females stay close by him and they hang out underneath their new shelf ( I haven't moved the females yet but still strongly considering it) they seem super chill though and he doesn't bug them as much since the move.

 

[Karmachica]

I definitely going to rescape the tank again, ill push everything back more and then I also got a few cement blocks I was thinking I could stack and give them a more natural home- are cement blocks and regular rocks safe for them? I can do my own research on it but thought I'd add that question in for opinions and advice from all you pros

 

[bmarine]

Both females are about 3 1/2 inches and the male is maybe 4 1/2 inches. And yes he's still hiding a lot. He was always in his cave and then came out all the time to patrol his tank quick and now that I put the new log in addition to all their other items in the bigger tank, he is like -this is mine and I'm never leaving- lol. The females stay close by him and they hang out underneath their new shelf ( I haven't moved the females yet but still strongly considering it) they seem super chill though and he doesn't bug them as much since the move.

K well, those are some pretty decent sized cichlids, IMO you should get a bigger tank so they can swim back and forth more, and then you can add some more cichlids. And if you would like to try to raise/ sell the fry, i would definitely move the females.

 

[bmarine]

I definitely going to rescape the tank again, ill push everything back more and then I also got a few cement blocks I was thinking I could stack and give them a more natural home- are cement blocks and regular rocks safe for them? I can do my own research on it but thought I'd add that question in for opinions and advice from all you pros

Sounds good and I'm not too sure. You could do the vinegar test on them. (There are many forums about this if you don't know what it is.) but definitely do a lot of research.

 

[FishCr8zy]

I definitely going to rescape the tank again, ill push everything back more and then I also got a few cement blocks I was thinking I could stack and give them a more natural home- are cement blocks and regular rocks safe for them? I can do my own research on it but thought I'd add that question in for opinions and advice from all you pros

Not sure about the cement blocks. I agree about doing the vinegar test. What kind of natural rocks r u planning to use? ( from a river, from backyard, etc)
If u use a rock from outdoors, I would boil it in boiling water for around 5 mins to kill any unwanted germs/ parasites. I do that to any rock I get from a stream/ river. If it is store bought, u don't need to.

 

[Karmachica]

I'm gna work on getting another bigger tank - this time I'm going at least 55g - my boyfriend will surely disown me since I already have 3 tanks and 3 little monster cats but hey it's only one more tank right lol and yea I'm gna do tons of research first before adding the rocks since I'm already this invested I wouldn't want to lose them due to silly rocks. Thanks for the help! I love this place!

 

[FishCr8zy]

K well, those are some pretty decent sized cichlids, IMO you should get a bigger tank so they can swim back and forth more, and then you can add some more cichlids. And if you would like to try to raise/ sell the fry, i would definitely move the females.

Yes
If u r looking to keep/sell the fry, u should move the females to the 20 gal because the females and the male will try to eat the babies most of the time. Only some fish r good parents and raise/protect the fry.
U also need smaller food sources for the fry. ( if u plan to keep them)

 

[FishCr8zy]

I'm gna work on getting another bigger tank - this time I'm going at least 55g - my boyfriend will surely disown me since I already have 3 tanks and 3 little monster cats but hey it's only one more tank right lol and yea I'm gna do tons of research first before adding the rocks since I'm already this invested I wouldn't want to lose them due to silly rocks. Thanks for the help! I love this place!

No prob with the help.