Tank Selection,Growth, and Sand

[hman2853]

I am about to be a first time aquarium owner, and I am going to start a Rift Lake environment in either an Eclipse 12 or a Nano Cube 12 tank. Any advice on which tank to get?
Also, I am wondering if fish (such as an Oscar, or a Firemouth Cichlid) will grow out of the tank, or if they will stop growing because they are in a smaller tank.
Finally, any advice on whether or not to use black sand on the bottom? I like the way it looks, but waste might be more visible on it. Any help is greatly appreciated! Thanks!
-John

 

[Hoovercat]

Fish not outgrowing a tank is a myth. Welcome to AA, sit back and study up because a 12 gal. Rift Lake environment is a challenge if not an impossibility.

 

[talloulou]

hmmm will an oscar out grow a 12 gallon nano cube? I think its time for me to turn off the computer and go to bed.

 

[hman2853]

Well that's that, can anyone help me with the tank question? Thanks.
-John

 

[jafoca]

from my recent studies (pondering an african tank) i have found that there are very few cichlids that would fit in a tank smaller than 20g. From what I have seen, there are a few dwarf species that can live in a 10g, but only two can be kept in such a small tank. Lots of people seem to like the "blue rams" for small aquaria. This is a dwarf central(south?) american chichlid, but it seems to be dificult to keep.

Hop over to www.cichlid-forum.com and look around for their "cookie cutter" setups for some ideas.

Oscars will not work, and are not african.

 

[fearlessfisch]

Last post I remember about a single oscar in a tank, someone was saying that the owner had better upgrade from a 55 to a 75 gallon.

So that explains the incredulous replies you are getting.

Please don't take them the wrong way. It's good that you are posting here and trying to learn more before building your aquarium. I think people are just trying to be emphatic that a 12 won't do it for an oscar. You would be stunting your fish's growth and endangering its health by keeping it in a tank that is much too small--it is definitely not a road you want to take. Your goal of creating a certain type of environment is a good one, but you want to make sure that you create a healthy space for your fish, where they can thrive.

Keep asking questions. You can build a fantastic setup with the right planning. People here have tremendous experience and advice to offer if you are willing to listen.

I don't use black substrate, but a lot of people here do. You might want to clarify that you don't want to abuse your oscar, and you will probably get more responses. Welcome to AA.

 

[greenmaji]

75+ gallons is what is required for oscars.. to answer the question..
Black substrate is very popular for live planted tanks.. It looks nice..
Lake Tan. shell dwellers might work for a smaller tank but I am very uneasy recommending them for a 12 gallon.. I would wait for someone that has more experiance with them to comment..and if you get the shelldwellers I would recommend sand..
You might want to ask about the shelldwellers in the Lake Tan. area of the Cichlid-Forum.. you would get very experienced advise on the fish there!!

 

[hman2853]

Thank you for your honest replies. I am limited to a 12 gallon tank as it will be in my dorm room, so I won't be doing any Cichlids, much less Oscars. I came across dwarfpuffers.com and am wondering if that is a viable fish for a 12 gallon tank. An article over there suggests 1 male and 2 or 3 females per 10-20 gallon tank, so I think this might be what I need to look into. And unlike other puffers, the Dwarf Puffer is truly a freshwater fish. Thanks!
-John

 

[greenmaji]

Dwarf puffers would be fine in the 12..
If your intrested in ciclids as I said shelldwellers would be your best bet if you can actually do it.. try and find out how big the tank needs to be for them, they might be another option..

 

[gheitman]

There are a lot of different fish you could fit in a 12 gallon tank. I have three 10 gallon tanks right now. You can definitely consider dwarf puffers.

There are also a number of dwarf cichlids that can do well in a tank that size. Check out this web site for more information on cichlid tanks.

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/quick_reference_list.php

There are other fish as well including some of the smaller gouramis and corydoras that you could consider.

 

[TankGirl]

Welcome to Aquarium Advice!

For a rift Lake setup you are definitely limited to shellies. You can certainly get a trio of multies or brevis for a 12gal, but they will do best in very hard, alkaline water, and they need shells and sand substrate. You may have just been using them as examples, but for any others reading this thread who might be confused, Oscars and Firemouth cichlids do not come from the rift lakes of Africa.

If this is your very first tank then I'd hesitate to start off with aggressive little African cichlids.

I'd strongly recommend a community setup of smaller tetras/barbs/rasboras and a trio of corydoras for the bottom. I would avoid cichlids other than shelldwellers, as even kribensis and convicts need more space than a 12 gal - I tried kribs in mine and it was not a successful setup. You could consider Bolivan rams, though, as a pair might work in that tank. There are many tetras and barbs that also get too large for a 12 gal, so stick with the ones that stay about 1.5" or so.

You could also keep livebearers in this tank, like swordtails, platys, guppies or Endler's. They will reproduce for you and provide a very active, busy tank, but you will need to have some plans for the inevitable overpopulation, unless you stick with all one gender. You could have a tank of male guppies with no females and you will have color and there should be no problems with aggression.

Black sand looks very cool, but waste shows up very clearly on it. What I have done to compromise, but may create a look does not appeal to you, is to mix the black sand with white play sand and you get a "salt and pepper" effect, which hides waste very effectively.

Good luck and post back with your thoughts!

 

[hman2853]

Thanks everyone for your advice! I have set up my tank now with a greyish gravel substrate, and have planted it densely. I am almost 100% sure that I will add Dwarf Puffers to it (3) along with an otocinclus catfish and maybe a ghost shrimp or two. I have heard that the puffers may or may not go after the shrimp, but it is a gamble I am willing to take. I am extremely excited to see how this tank turns out! Thanks for the help, and I'll keep you guys updated!
Sincerely,
John

 

[TankGirl]

The puffers might go after the otocinclus and I would hesitate to put them together. I would wait until the tank is established and you have some algae before adding an algae eater. A rubberlip pleco or bristlenose might be a better choice, and one would work in a 12gal. I used to keep 4 dwarf puffers in a 12gal with a rubberlip and they did not bother the pleco at all. I got ghost shrimp for mine as feeders and they sometimes ate them, sometimes not, so there is nothing wrong with keeping them in there as possible food.

Good luck and I am sure you will enjoy your puffers! Get yourself a source for baby snails, because the need them to keep their teeth trimmed down.

 

[BillD]

People seem to gorget the Pelvicachromis species for smaller tanks, and they are easier to keep than rams or apistos (at least they are less fussy about water requirements.)

 

[greenmaji]

Pelvicachromis species? bolivians or something? too tired to go serching..LOL I would think it would be good information to share.. Any common names for these?

 

[TankGirl]

Pelvicachromis species? bolivians or something? too tired to go serching..LOL I would think it would be good information to share.. Any common names for these?

Any of the kribensis types of African riverine cichlids are probably what is being referred to. There are more than just typical kribs, though I don't often see them offered locally. I'll reiterate that my kribs fought constantly in the confines of the 12gal, even though they were a mated pair. This might have had to do with the female not being ready when the male was, individual quirks of my particular fish, but I decided I'd provide a slightly larger footprint for kribs in the future. The 12gal is taller rather than wider, and height matters very little for most cichlids - it is floor space that they claim for territory.