135 L (34 US gallons I think?!) tank...what can I have!?

[Krissy]

Hi all

Just asked on here about what maintenance requirements etc I would need to consider if I changed to a Cichlid tank and was advised my tank is probably too small for most cichlids. Obviously quite disappointed as I was advised I could have a max 3 blue zebras in this tank by a few specialised aquatic shops. I feel like I can't trust any Aquatics shops these days!

Anyway, it was suggested that I get some shell dwellers but these don't appear to be overly exciting as I was looking at the more vibrant coloured breeds of cichlids.

Any suggestions?!

Thanks in advance!

Krissy

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[WendiDell]

Hi all

Just asked on here about what maintenance requirements etc I would need to consider if I changed to a Cichlid tank and was advised my tank is probably too small for most cichlids. Obviously quite disappointed as I was advised I could have a max 3 blue zebras in this tank by a few specialised aquatic shops. I feel like I can't trust any Aquatics shops these days!

Anyway, it was suggested that I get some shell dwellers but these don't appear to be overly exciting as I was looking at the more vibrant coloured breeds of cichlids.

Any suggestions?!

Thanks in advance!

Krissy

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Hi Krissy,
There are a few Dwarf Cichlids you could look into, but even they need room to both move in and to section off their own territories.
I have a 55 gallon (sorry, no idea what that is in litres) Cichlid tank, 48"L x 13"W x 21"D. Which leaves a lot of space on the bottom to make caves and hiding places and it's barely big enough for them. A 75 gallon would have been a better choice. I found that out after I had purchased 2 55g tanks.
I agree with you about the colors you can get with the African Cichlids. But, before you buy any fish do some research on what kind you want. Which ones get along with each other. How easy are they to care for, in the beginning you want hardy, easy to care for fish. Make sure the fish you want need similar water parameters. Find out how big they get and what is the min tank size the fish need.
Try looking at www.liveaquaria.com ,they have pictures of what the fish look like and each picture comes with a list of what they require. They even have a section for FW Beginners. It has a list of easy care Fresh Water tropicals to start out with. You can get a lot of information so you don't get duped into getting in over your head by the LFS.
The more you know before you start the less money you'll end up spending and the fewer fish you'll kill by accident.

 

[Krissy]

Hi WendiDell

Thank you for the info! Very grateful! I've had FW tropical fish since April last year -and they have all been relatively easy to care for. I didn't choose any high maintenance breeds. I've so far had a paradise fish, dwarf gourami, neon tetras, Rasboras, zebra danios, mollies (had 15 babies!) They are all lovely BUT I just fancied a change.

I'm quite keen on the convict cichlid. I will have a good look on the site you have recommended.

Many thanks!

Krissy

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[mfdrookie516]

Convicts you could keep... as well as angels, rams, apistos, or keyholes... not all of them together of course.

 

[Krissy]

Convicts you could keep... as well as angels, rams, apistos, or keyholes... not all of them together of course.

Oh great! How many convicts would you suggest to keep at once?

How about Kribs? And also these were suggested on another site for a 30 gallon tank - Archocentrus sajica - never heard of them but have noticed they are more aggressive than Kribs? Can you shine any light on these?

Thanks again for your help

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[Jason7894561230]

The convicts can have maybe 4, but you should get 3 females and 1 male then they will breed, but if you want something different the Kribs are awesome i love them and are really colourful. Also Rams are a great choice for a species tank (a tank with only one type of fish) because they are mostly docile and love to hide in caves and plants around the tank.

 

[Krissy]

I'm finding it really difficult to choose and some suggest one breed and say ok for 30 gallons and then other websites suggest min of 55gallons!

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[Krissy]

I'm guessing the Kribs can't mix with the convicts?! Due to size and aggression from the convicts?!

Is there anything relatively colourful I could put in with the Kribs? If not, how many Kribs would you suggest?

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[Krissy]

Hmmm just been doing some more homework on the Kribs.

Would they possibly live quite happily in my already established community?!

I have neon tetras, zebra danios, mollies and rasboras. I presumed that if I bought some Kribs then I would have to have a Cichlid only tank?!

I just read some info that suggested giving the Kribs some dithering fish such as tetras or danios to keep them entertained and active.

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[WendiDell]

Hmmm just been doing some more homework on the Kribs.

Would they possibly live quite happily in my already established community?!

I have neon tetras, zebra danios, mollies and rasboras. I presumed that if I bought some Kribs then I would have to have a Cichlid only tank?!

I just read some info that suggested giving the Kribs some dithering fish such as tetras or danios to keep them entertained and active.

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The Kribs are considered dwarf and are suppose to be peaceful. And they have a wide range of water parameters. Like a Ph of 6.0 to 8.0 and same with the water temp. So you won't need to worry getting them to acclimate to something different.
There is still the issue of having enough room. They should have 50g. You could try getting the Kribs but as they mature, they may get aggressive due to lack of territory space or they may be fine.
The other problem is that you can't get just 1 or 2. Cichlids like their harems, you need to get 3-4 females minimum to 1 male. With your other fish it makes it a bit full. And your back at possible aggression again.
Aggression with a Cichlid is shockingly violent and they do serious damage in the blink of an eye.
I'm going to attach a picture for you, to get an idea what I mean
Those teeth can take out another fish in one quick yank.
Don't get me wrong, I love my cichlids, they are beautiful and very entertaining. But with that comes some death to.

 

[Homedog98]

Hey, what about rams??? They're colorful, and you could get a pair or two in that size. Only thing to watch is their sensitivity to water parameters, and they can be shy.

 

[toddnbecka]

I have a few mated pairs of cichlids suitable for that size tank available. First up are Cryptoheros cutteri, a mellow CA fish related to the more common and much more troublesome convicts. Males grow to about 5-6", females a bit smaller. Breed like rabbits, so you'll want a good catfish in the tank to eat the fry.
Pic of a bunch in a 55 before I thinned them out:

Female in breeding dress:

Eggs:

Eggs hatching several days later:

Fry:

Next up are a rare SA fish in the hobby, Australoheros oblongum. Size is about the same as the cutteri, but they're even more peaceful. These fish form a very solid pair-bond and seem to mate for life. No worries about breaking them up when moving to a different tank, and even when they aren't spawning there's no conflict between them.
Adult male, looks tough but he's really not:

Female looks similar, smaller with rounded fins:

Different tank and lighting, shows of the blue spangles on the male better:

 

[Krissy]

Hi all!

I've been having a look around and have found a Fluval 240 for sale very locally! This is apparently equivalent to 63 US gallons! Would this be more suitable for Cichlds?! I don't have room in my apartment for both tanks so my beautiful 135L would have to go.

Does anyone have any feedback on a Fluval 240? Going to view it tonight. Sadly it comes with shed loads of community fish so I would have to find new homes for approx 100 fish including guppies, mollies, tetras and lyre tail red swords. Seems a lot to have in one tank!! Not sure how hard it's going to be to rehome them!

Any advice on what to do?

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[WendiDell]

Hi all!

I've been having a look around and have found a Fluval 240 for sale very locally! This is apparently equivalent to 63 US gallons! Would this be more suitable for Cichlds?! I don't have room in my apartment for both tanks so my beautiful 135L would have to go.

Does anyone have any feedback on a Fluval 240? Going to view it tonight. Sadly it comes with shed loads of community fish so I would have to find new homes for approx 100 fish including guppies, mollies, tetras and lyre tail red swords. Seems a lot to have in one tank!! Not sure how hard it's going to be to rehome them!

Any advice on what to do?

I don't know about the Fluval 240. But before you commit to buying it with all those fish you have to find a home, make some calls. Contact every LFS and not so LFS and ask if they will take some free stock off your hands.
You don't want to get stuck with 100 or even 50 fish you don't want and can't give away.
I know a good buy on a larger tank is really hard to resist. But all those fish are going to be a real PITA if you don't have a place to take them. That really is a lot of fish to re-home.
I'm lucky that the FS I use will take any fish I need to have re-homed.
Just yesterday they took in my killer male Red Zebra and gave me a discount on 3 Electric Yellow labs and Cobalt Blue all female Cichlids. But as great as they are I don't think they would be able to help with 100 fish to re-home.
Not to be a buzz kill, but check on homes first, it may not be as good a deal as it looks on the surface.

 

[Krissy]

Thanks for the advice! I'm going to speak to one of my friends who owns an aquatic store and see if he can re-home any or if can do any networking and find them new homes for me.

I'm going to look at it tonight so we will see! Do you think it's fair to make an offer on the tank purely because of how much effort it's going to take to re-home them instead of offering full asking price?! X

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[WendiDell]

Thanks for the advice! I'm going to speak to one of my friends who owns an aquatic store and see if he can re-home any or if can do any networking and find them new homes for me.

I'm going to look at it tonight so we will see! Do you think it's fair to make an offer on the tank purely because of how much effort it's going to take to re-home them instead of offering full asking price?! X

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Might as well try, the worst that can happen is they will say no. And it is a @#$% load of fish to re-home, before you can even start your new set up.
I would at least try it. But they also may really need the asking price and not be able to go any lower.