Kentaaa
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Hello!
As the title suggests, I am in the process of purchasing a new tank and will be setting it up in my office. I currently have in operation a 46g community and a 27g brackish Puffer tank. I have never owned a Cichlid tank in all of my years of fish keeping. This will be my first. I have been doing very extensive research during the past few weeks to make sure that I am well versed in the subject before taking on a tank full of fish I know nothing about. However, I feel as though that I have studied and learned just about everything that I can from articles/websites/books alone and the rest will come with time from hands on experience.
The biggest difficulty I am having is with planning out my stock. I did not realize until I conducted my research that Cichlids are grouped by region of their natural habitat. Luckily enough there are only a few different regions which makes stocking a little easier. What makes it the hardest for me personally is all of the different species, subspecies, hybrids, etc. that make up the Cichlidae family. There are so many that some don't even have "trade names" (Yellow Lab, Buffalo Head, Flowerhorn, etc.) they are just referred to by their scientific name and some have more than one trade name (Parrot, Red Parrot, Blood Parrot, Jellybean Cichlid) in which cases can be all the same or vary slightly.
Within the realm of peaceful community freshwater fish (although there are probably just as many variations of one species) one can say "Barb" for example and anyone who is semi-versed in fish keeping will know what fish you are speaking of, what they are compatible with, etc. Although there are many different types of Barbs, they all share very similar traits and care requirements. This is not the case for Cichlids however. If you were to walk into a LFS and say, "How do I care for a Cichlid" that would be as ambigious as asking "How do I care for a fish?". Yes there are many general rules of thumb that do apply for all, but for the most part each different species is going to have their own unique requirements.
This brings me to my personal tank. I have an idea of what I would like to stock, however I do not know if all of these would be compatible. For most fish, compatibility can be figured out pretty easily. For example, if you were thinking of purchasing a Gourami and a Tetra you could easily look at any compatibility chart and see that yes, they indeed are compatible. On most compatibility charts all you get, as far as Cichlids, is African and New World varities. This makes it VERY difficult due to the fact that each group has fish of different temperments, sizes, water requirements, housing requirements, etc. Because of this I feel more comfortable in posting a list of what I would like to stock and having a knowledgable and experienced Cichlid keeper take a look at my specific situation and deduce whether or not everything would work in harmony.
I am planning on purchasing a 60-75g tank. I would like to do a simple layout of a sand substrate with rocks and pots to create many caves and hiding spots. I do not plan of having any plants (unless recommended). My "wishlist" is as stated below:
*Note: All of these will be purchased as juveniles around 1"-1.5". None of them are larger than 2". I have attached pictures as well of each species (as adults) to make identifying easier. I do NOT own the rights to these pictures, they were pulled straight from the ads of each species from the seller(s).
x1 Parrot x Flowerhorn Hybrid
x2 Frontosa Burundi
x1 Red/Blue OB Peacock
x1 Lemon Jake Peacock
x1 Green Terror
x2-3 Yellow Labs
x2 Julidochromis Marlieri ("Trade" name unknown)
I do not know if this mix would be considered "over" or "under" stocked. As juveniles these would add up to 22" worth of fish (assuming each is max. size at time of purchase). I have read in a few different places when stocking Cichlid communities it is best to be on the "heavy" load side rather than understocked. Even AqAdvisor states:
"Note: You have selected mbuna species. These species in general, need to be overstocked to control aggression (over 100% stocking level). Make sure your filtration is sufficient and keep up with water changes."
I would also love to incorporate a bottom feeder into the mix as well to clean up any leftovers (If room permits). What would be the recommended scavenger for this setup? I would love a small group of juvenile Clown Loaches. I do realize they reach a very large size, however re-homing once they become too large would definitely be an option.
Please let me know if this projected stock would be suitable as far as size and compatibility. I am also open to suggestions/replacements. Like I previously stated, this is my first Cichlid tank and I would really like an approval before purchasing these fish and possibly putting them into harms way. Any other tips, tricks, and/or suggestions (whether related or not) would be GREATLY appreciated.
Thank you SO much for your time. I truly appreciate it,
Kentaaa
As the title suggests, I am in the process of purchasing a new tank and will be setting it up in my office. I currently have in operation a 46g community and a 27g brackish Puffer tank. I have never owned a Cichlid tank in all of my years of fish keeping. This will be my first. I have been doing very extensive research during the past few weeks to make sure that I am well versed in the subject before taking on a tank full of fish I know nothing about. However, I feel as though that I have studied and learned just about everything that I can from articles/websites/books alone and the rest will come with time from hands on experience.
The biggest difficulty I am having is with planning out my stock. I did not realize until I conducted my research that Cichlids are grouped by region of their natural habitat. Luckily enough there are only a few different regions which makes stocking a little easier. What makes it the hardest for me personally is all of the different species, subspecies, hybrids, etc. that make up the Cichlidae family. There are so many that some don't even have "trade names" (Yellow Lab, Buffalo Head, Flowerhorn, etc.) they are just referred to by their scientific name and some have more than one trade name (Parrot, Red Parrot, Blood Parrot, Jellybean Cichlid) in which cases can be all the same or vary slightly.
Within the realm of peaceful community freshwater fish (although there are probably just as many variations of one species) one can say "Barb" for example and anyone who is semi-versed in fish keeping will know what fish you are speaking of, what they are compatible with, etc. Although there are many different types of Barbs, they all share very similar traits and care requirements. This is not the case for Cichlids however. If you were to walk into a LFS and say, "How do I care for a Cichlid" that would be as ambigious as asking "How do I care for a fish?". Yes there are many general rules of thumb that do apply for all, but for the most part each different species is going to have their own unique requirements.
This brings me to my personal tank. I have an idea of what I would like to stock, however I do not know if all of these would be compatible. For most fish, compatibility can be figured out pretty easily. For example, if you were thinking of purchasing a Gourami and a Tetra you could easily look at any compatibility chart and see that yes, they indeed are compatible. On most compatibility charts all you get, as far as Cichlids, is African and New World varities. This makes it VERY difficult due to the fact that each group has fish of different temperments, sizes, water requirements, housing requirements, etc. Because of this I feel more comfortable in posting a list of what I would like to stock and having a knowledgable and experienced Cichlid keeper take a look at my specific situation and deduce whether or not everything would work in harmony.
I am planning on purchasing a 60-75g tank. I would like to do a simple layout of a sand substrate with rocks and pots to create many caves and hiding spots. I do not plan of having any plants (unless recommended). My "wishlist" is as stated below:
*Note: All of these will be purchased as juveniles around 1"-1.5". None of them are larger than 2". I have attached pictures as well of each species (as adults) to make identifying easier. I do NOT own the rights to these pictures, they were pulled straight from the ads of each species from the seller(s).
x1 Parrot x Flowerhorn Hybrid
x2 Frontosa Burundi
x1 Red/Blue OB Peacock
x1 Lemon Jake Peacock
x1 Green Terror
x2-3 Yellow Labs
x2 Julidochromis Marlieri ("Trade" name unknown)
I do not know if this mix would be considered "over" or "under" stocked. As juveniles these would add up to 22" worth of fish (assuming each is max. size at time of purchase). I have read in a few different places when stocking Cichlid communities it is best to be on the "heavy" load side rather than understocked. Even AqAdvisor states:
"Note: You have selected mbuna species. These species in general, need to be overstocked to control aggression (over 100% stocking level). Make sure your filtration is sufficient and keep up with water changes."
I would also love to incorporate a bottom feeder into the mix as well to clean up any leftovers (If room permits). What would be the recommended scavenger for this setup? I would love a small group of juvenile Clown Loaches. I do realize they reach a very large size, however re-homing once they become too large would definitely be an option.
Please let me know if this projected stock would be suitable as far as size and compatibility. I am also open to suggestions/replacements. Like I previously stated, this is my first Cichlid tank and I would really like an approval before purchasing these fish and possibly putting them into harms way. Any other tips, tricks, and/or suggestions (whether related or not) would be GREATLY appreciated.
Thank you SO much for your time. I truly appreciate it,
Kentaaa