new 65 gallon...ideas welcome

[tracygh]

I just got my hands on a 65 gallon aquarium through a freecycle organization in town, and I'm not quite sure what to do with it yet. It will go in my living room as the main feature, hubby will build a stand to suit.
Now I'm tossing up between a planted community and a cichlid tank. Any input would be awesome, pros and cons of either option, suggestions, warnings etc.
I'm so excited! I can't wait!
Tracy

 

[Guest]

cichlid!!!! Lots of rocks and a few live plants is what i have in my 55 gallon cichlid tank. I Love my African cichlid tank, its the most rewarding tank ive ever had.

 

[aquakev]

What is the shape?

 

[aquakev]

If its rectangular I would o a planted community/biotypish tank.
3 Blue rams
20 neons
7 serpae tetras
7 nice cories-sterbia, panda, julii
2-3 very select angle fish

Fully planted with easy to care for plants, driftwood, and a natural dark substrate and painted background.
Here is my 60 a long time ago, now it is way overgrown and rearanged.

 

[anglafish]

CICHLIDS!@!!!!!

Hiya Tracy,

Great meeting you and you know what Im going to say don't you??? LOL LOL CICHLIDS!!!!!!! LOL of course Im not biased as you saw! Tee hee, enjoy (the cichlids that is) Oh Im awful. I love all fish......But......awwww okay I give.

Angela.

 

[tracygh]

oh aquakev...you have my dream tank!!!! Thanks for the specs, great ideas. I do love my neons, I have schools in two of my tanks. But after the cichlid tanks I saw today, it's a toss up...still leaning to planted though...

Hey Angela, that was quick! Welcome to AA...that sounds funny, doesn't it? Good to have yuo on the board, you will love it here.

Guys, Angela is the awesome aquarist from whom I picked up my new tank (did I mention I'm excited?) She has AMAZING cichlid tanks, big and beautiful.

What a great 24 hours this has been, new puppy, new tank, and a new friend

Ciao,

Tracy

*of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most

 

[anglafish]

Cichlids....

Tracy....

Yeah, I think I need to go to fishy AA or something, Im seriously addicted! As Im sure everyone else on here is. Great site, thanks for remmending it. Love the planted tanks Ive seen here, but would like to combine plants and cichlids, as you saw Tracy, my cichlids are having Valesneria (sp?) salad for lunch!!! ARGHHHHHH!!! Anyways, if you do decide on a cichlid tank, Ill try to help you stock it, if I have anything that you want. Lemme know. Great to make a new friend and a fishy friend at that (actually two friends, you're partner in crime too) that lives so close. Please keep in touch and Im sure Ill see you around here quite a bit.

Angela

 

[Japola44]

One thing about planted tanks, the enitial cost is expensive. I'm saving up for a tank stand, filter, lightstrips, and CO2 supplies for my new 50gal tank. I'm only 16 so I don't really have a steady income, but I have $250 so far lol.
My vote is for planted tank!

 

[mr funktastic]

as much as i love planted tanks i am gonna have to go with cichlids. u can make your cichlid tank look very nice even without plants but cichlids just have sooo much more personality than tetras and cories and all the other "regular" tropical fish. my cichlids dont like anyone but me and u know this because whenever u comeover and look at my tank they hide lol. but u could get such a colourful variiety of fish (plus a bunch of free ones from angelafish) and get the same amout of beauty as a planted tank. why dont u think about converting your 25 in the living room to a planted? this would be much easier and if it is a success u could try planting the cichlid tank wth the cutoffs. wil 9 tanks in your house i am sure u could convert atleats one of your smaller ones to a planted. well thats my opinion anyway and i know u have your mind set on a planted tank but think of the cost. u will have to buy a high powered light, all the initial plants, a good substrate (eco complete), co2, fertalizers eventually and i am sorry to say but u might actually have to buy a test kit finally lol.

 

[Wizzard~Of~Ozz]

You could also look at pictures of Travis' 125G Mbuna Chichlid tank.



an inspiration to us all.

 

[anglafish]

Planted Tank....

OMG, that planted tank pic is incredible. The stuff dreams are made of!!!! WOW!!!! I must pay homage to Travis, for that tank. 8O That is about as feasable for me as converting all my tanks to saltwater!!! NOT! Id love to, but geez the cost must be ferocious??? Naw, my cichlids are pretty and sometimes they don't look at my java and anubias as a smorgasbord. At least they are well fed!!! TEE HEE HEE! I don't work as I have to stay home with my son who had a heart transplant (on the days he's not in school) and he's tube fed, so the planted tank (like that one anyways) is way out of my league. At least my cichlids breed like bunnies, and provide me with some credit at my LFS to purchase filters and stuff, and Mr. Funk, ixney on the test kit....I will never give in!!!! HAH!!!

Anglafish

 

[mr funktastic]

i finally gave in and ordered one online. it is the aquarium pharmacuticles master test kit. i am kinda looking foreard to be able to actually know whats going on with my water.

 

[aquakev]

you could do a planted tank like the one in my post easily with no high tech stuff at all. Pretty much all you would need is a $20us electronic balast shop light some 6500k bulbs from home depot and small amounts of flourish added every now and then. I have a 45g planted with 65 watts of flourescent "lights of america" lights-> $30 that is just as lush.

You need to go high tech if you want to do something like the picture in the other post.

 

[Guest]

community tank = boring (after you've tried just about every variety out there) IMO

Chiclids are awesome.. the planted tanks are great to and im in the process of slowly planting my 55 gallon (trying to find plants that won't get dug up.. lol... crypts are great) Chichlids live a loooooong time, are resistent to EVERYTHING, and they have so much personality and color.

 

[aquakev]

AshleyNicole,

I totally think the oposite of your opinion, but my brother agrees with you. I just already have a dog so I don't care about the personality of my fish that much. I am just as happy watching my cherry barbs frantically chase the female around the tank and having the female hidding ect. Actually, I just gave away my cichlid tank and dont miss it.

I guess I'm in the hobby for the buety of the life in the tank and the relaxing nature, I much rather prefer to watch a school of fish than a few big ones hidding in caves and pushing each other around. But that being said, I do have discus in all my tanks. So, I guess cichlids are cool.

BTW, Rams and angels are cichlids too, and they do have cool personalities, just not as boistrus.

 

[mr funktastic]

tracy u might want to think about turning this thread intoa poll so u can get a moe accurate reading of what epoples thoughts are on this tank. just a suggestion

 

[Guest]

AshleyNicole,

I totally think the oposite of your opinion, but my brother agrees with you. I just already have a dog so I don't care about the personality of my fish that much. I am just as happy watching my cherry barbs frantically chase the female around the tank and having the female hidding ect. Actually, I just gave away my cichlid tank and dont miss it.

I guess I'm in the hobby for the buety of the life in the tank and the relaxing nature, I much rather prefer to watch a school of fish than a few big ones hidding in caves and pushing each other around. But that being said, I do have discus in all my tanks. So, I guess cichlids are cool.

BTW, Rams and angels are cichlids too, and they do have cool personalities, just not as boistrus.

different opinions are what makes the world go around I guess i don't really think community tanks are boring, i loved having angelfish and my GBR's in my 10 gallon are pretty cool too. and i absolutely LOVE my cories and clown loaches. (clown loaches are in the 55 not the 10.. lol) and pleco's are great.

I just started with cichlids and have found it to be very rewarding.

 

[mr funktastic]

i am getting very mad at my cichlids lol i also just started a tank and all was well then i added 2 mystery fish that turned out to be a cross breed and had kenyi in them so they started acting like jerks and i returned them. then tracy was kind enough to bring me back 2 cichlids from a store that she was at and they were an amazing blue colour and turned out to be cobalts. now they are starting to be real jerks and i went away for a weekend and came back to my 2 mosobo deep half eaten. they also stressed out my male peacock to the point that he died!! i am returning them soon and getting 2 new mosobo deep a few more labs and will hopfully be getting a male and a few more female peacocks. if all goes well i will have a very nice aquarium.

 

[Guest]

i am getting very mad at my cichlids lol i also just started a tank and all was well then i added 2 mystery fish that turned out to be a cross breed and had kenyi in them so they started acting like jerks and i returned them. then tracy was kind enough to bring me back 2 cichlids from a store that she was at and they were an amazing blue colour and turned out to be cobalts. now they are starting to be real jerks and i went away for a weekend and came back to my 2 mosobo deep half eaten. they also stressed out my male peacock to the point that he died!! i am returning them soon and getting 2 new mosobo deep a few more labs and will hopfully be getting a male and a few more female peacocks. if all goes well i will have a very nice aquarium.

thats why you don't mix mbuna with peacocks!!! LOL. or at least thats what i was told.. to keep it as pure as possible. I have all mbuna in my tank... Labs, Acei, Kenyi, Johanni and hardly any aggression. I had an auratus in there and she was a mean little thing however. Just careful stocking is what you have to remember.

 

[anglafish]

65 gallon....

Tracy, as you saw in my tanks, well Im not going to mention to anyone which cichlids I have together (Mr. Funk, shhhhhhhh!!!! LOL) and it works. I have worked my way to a combination that works, and you know...every group of fish no matter what kind, is like people, there's a jerk in every crowd no matter of nationality or whatever right? Ive had some fish that people have told me that can't be kept together and they are the quietest fish in the world, again same on the other end of that extreme. I keep together what I like, not what anyone tells me can or can't go together. Yeah it may be a little more costly to figure out who's going to be a bully, but in the long run Ive had most of my fish for eons, and the bully's went back. I have some pretty unlikely (to say the least) combinations!!!!! Love the bottom dwellers too! Put whatever YOU like in the tank and wait to see how the "tank politics" go.