Setting up an Indian Tank

[Tighe]

I am returning to the aquarium hobby after an 18-year hiatus.
I am an experienced fish keeper.

However, this will be my first Indian tank, and I have a few questions.
I will be getting a 36 gallon bow front aquarium this Spring (2024).

My plan is to keep one Etroplus Canarensis and several Haludaria Fasciata, as well as one Hillstream Loach.

I have researched Etroplus Canarensis and although it is suggested to keep a shoal in a much larger tank due to the fact they are shy & timid, it is my plan to keep one fish as a community fish. I have toyed with the idea of also adding one Etroplus Maculatus as well.

It will be a 36 gallon (I know this is kind of small for Etroplus), with AC70 filter, a AC powerhead, and a bubble wall along with weekly 50% water changes. Wondering whether this set-up can work and wondering if I should to add the Etroplus Maculatus. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Andy Sager]

I have kept Etroplus Maculatus in the past and found that they did not do very well in pure freshwater. They did MUCH better in brackish water. Etroplus Canarensis ( a new fish to me) on the other hand appear to be totally freshwater fish based on my research so I would not mix the two species. With that, it appears this fish is best kept in schools vs alone and is a rather shy fish so keeping them with the Barbs ( even tho they come from the same river system) may also not be the best combination if you decide to try it. Considering that the fish apparently can get to 6"-8", a 36 gallon tank is not really large enough for one let alone a school of these fish.

 

[Tighe]

Thank You

Andy,

Thank You for the info. I will not add Maculatus.
However, it was suggested the Melon Barbs (Haludaria Fasciatus) would be ideal tankmates for Etroplus Canarensis. My thinking was the barbs would make the Canarensis more comfortable and less shy. BTW: The Canarensis will only grow to slightly more than 4", however there are museum records that would suggest 6" in the wild. My plan B tank would be an African set-up with an Astatotilapia Latifasciata (zebra Obliquidens), several epiplatys sexfasciatus, a few Madagascar rainbows, one clown pleco & one Lophiobagrus Cyclurus (African Bullhead catfish). All of these fish hypothetically should be ok together.

I have kept Etroplus Maculatus in the past and found that they did not do very well in pure freshwater. They did MUCH better in brackish water. Etroplus Canarensis ( a new fish to me) on the other hand appear to be totally freshwater fish based on my research so I would not mix the two species. With that, it appears this fish is best kept in schools vs alone and is a rather shy fish so keeping them with the Barbs ( even tho they come from the same river system) may also not be the best combination if you decide to try it. Considering that the fish apparently can get to 6"-8", a 36 gallon tank is not really large enough for one let alone a school of these fish.

 

[Tighe]

Andy,
After much consideration, I have decided to back away from the 36 gallon Indian tank idea.
Although I am experienced, and I like to experiment, I don't think it would be fair to keep a fish (Etroplus Canarensis) by itself. Even if I was able to acclimate a maculatus to co-exist with it, they are both skittish fish by nature without the shoal and difficult to feed around other gregarious fish (barbs). My thought process was if there was a tankmate to make the canarensis feel more comfortable, it would be a similar fish like maculatus. The other downside is the cost for the etroplus canarensis. The cheapest I could find them were 1.5" to 2" for $45/ea. (when they're in stock.

This all being said, let me bounce this scenario off of you; African Tank
36 gallon bowfront, with AquaClear 70 Power filter, along with an AquaClear powerhead, just to move water and oxygenate, in addition to a 12" bubble stone. My fish plan is 1 Astatotilapia Latifasciata, 6 One Line African Tetras, and 1 clown pleco (cleaner fish). My question to you is do you think this is too many fish (bio-load)? My plan is a 10 gallon water change weekly. Secondly, do you think I could add 6 barbs to the mix (after tank is biologically established)?

 

[Andy Sager]

IMO, the tank is too small for a Astatotilapia Latifasciata. ( at only 30" long, it's really not that much larger than a 20 long footprint. Height only adds gallonage, not footprint or bottom space. ) I'd consider a smaller species like the Shell dwellers, Pseudocrenilabrus or similar.
Although clown plecos are from S. America so that ruins your totally African tank theme, I don't know of any other African algae eater that stays small enough for your tank. There are African Sharks and Catfish that will eat algae but they get way too large for your tank. Just remember to have some wood in the tank for that pleco. Unlike bristlenose plecos, clowns ( or any panaque) needs wood as part of their diet.
As for the barbs, it all depends on what kind of barbs you are talking about and what you decide on for the bottom cichlid.

Hope this helps.

 

[Tighe]

Andy,
Thank you for your reply. I was looking for a sanity check.
My rationale for this 36 gallon tank was it is only going to be the one cichlid, astatotilapia Latifasciata, (5" max), 1 clown pleco (3" max), and the six African tetras (2.3" each max). With overboard filtration and water movement. I am not breeding, or keeping more than one cichlid. Thinking, I might upgrade to a 60 gallon tank with an AquaClear 110 filter. This would give the astatotilapia latifasciata more swimming room/territory and I can also add a pitch black Fulu to the mix.

 

[Andy Sager]

Andy,
Thank you for your reply. I was looking for a sanity check.
My rationale for this 36 gallon tank was it is only going to be the one cichlid, astatotilapia Latifasciata, (5" max), 1 clown pleco (3" max), and the six African tetras (2.3" each max). With overboard filtration and water movement. I am not breeding, or keeping more than one cichlid. Thinking, I might upgrade to a 60 gallon tank with an AquaClear 110 filter. This would give the astatotilapia latifasciata more swimming room/territory and I can also add a pitch black Fulu to the mix.

There are so many " fancy" tanks on the market now that people forget that fish need swimming space from left to right and right to left more than up and down so they think that gallonage is the key. Gallons help but floor space is more important, especially if the tank will be a mixed bag of fish. I have a 40 gallon long which is the same measurements as a 55 only not as tall. I can't keep any more fish in the 55 than I can in the 40 even though there is 15 more gallons in the 55. But now there is a 40 gallon breeder tank on the market and that tank can't hold the same fish as my 40 long can because it's a foot shorter than my 40. So you see, it's all about footprint over gallons.

 

[Tighe]

Andy,
Thanks again.
When I first started in the hobby back in the mid 80's, I started out with a 36 gallon long tank.
My first fish a 3" Hemichromis Elongatus (African 5 Spot Jewel), a 3" Pulvacachromis Pulche (Kribensis), a 5" Mosaic Gar, a 4" non-synodontis African catfish, and a 4" common pleco. Ironically everybody got along!
Especially the 5 spot and the krib, they became best buddies if you can imagine that (beginner's luck!).
So not common for the 5 spot to be friendly with any other fish from what I read and heard! One year after that, I had 9 aquariums in the house, (1) 75 gallon, (3) 36 gallon, (2) 20 gallon, (3) 10 gallon tanks. I was hooked! I experimented over the years with different fish, mostly cichlids and learned a lot. I upgraded to a 125 gallon tank and kept sunfish, perch, large mouth bass, small mouth bass, crappie, sturgeon, bullhead cats, and chain pickerel. Also, I always had my head buried in Dr. Axelrod's Atlas of Fish. The one thing I never did, and never had an interest in, was breeding my fish. Still not interested in breeding. I have been away from the hobby for 18years since I met my wife. She has agreed to let me have a 36 gallon aquarium as we now live in an apartment in an older home, so I don't want to push my luck with anything larger for the moment anyway. I am not into shell dwellers, dwarfs, or any South American cichlids for that matter. Trying to stick with African cichlids for the most part. And since I have kept many, many, different species of cichlids in general, I am bored with the offerings out there. All of the high-end tropical fish retailers I was hooked up with in the past have either closed or went out of business. The ones that still exist no longer carry the variety of fish they used to ever since the covid pandemic. They all carry the "bread & butter" fish like mollies, platties, tetras, barbs, bettas, and the like. For cichlids, they all seem to carry Frontosa, Mbunas, some SA cichlids and not much more. Can't say I blame them as people don't have the money they used to and nothing is cheap anymore. I think I paid $2.99 for my first African 5 spot and a $1.99 for the krib. I am looking for one cichlid for my 36 gallon tank. In this tank there will also be either 6 One-line African Tetras OR 6 African 6 banded barbs, and a Clown pleco (as a cleaner fish). The African cichlids I am considering are the following: Pitch Black Fulu (Yssichromis Piceatus), Sulpher Headed Hap (Otopharynx lithobates), African 5 Spot Jewel (Hemichromis Elongatus), or Astatotilapia Latifasciata. It will definitely be one of these fish. And your mission, if you should choose to accept it, will be to advise me of the best choice (out of these 4 fish) for a 36 gallon aquarium. I look forward to hearing back from you Andy!

 

[Andy Sager]

Andy,
Thanks again.
When I first started in the hobby back in the mid 80's, I started out with a 36 gallon long tank.
My first fish a 3" Hemichromis Elongatus (African 5 Spot Jewel), a 3" Pulvacachromis Pulche (Kribensis), a 5" Mosaic Gar, a 4" non-synodontis African catfish, and a 4" common pleco. Ironically everybody got along!
Especially the 5 spot and the krib, they became best buddies if you can imagine that (beginner's luck!).
So not common for the 5 spot to be friendly with any other fish from what I read and heard! One year after that, I had 9 aquariums in the house, (1) 75 gallon, (3) 36 gallon, (2) 20 gallon, (3) 10 gallon tanks. I was hooked! I experimented over the years with different fish, mostly cichlids and learned a lot. I upgraded to a 125 gallon tank and kept sunfish, perch, large mouth bass, small mouth bass, crappie, sturgeon, bullhead cats, and chain pickerel. Also, I always had my head buried in Dr. Axelrod's Atlas of Fish. The one thing I never did, and never had an interest in, was breeding my fish. Still not interested in breeding. I have been away from the hobby for 18years since I met my wife. She has agreed to let me have a 36 gallon aquarium as we now live in an apartment in an older home, so I don't want to push my luck with anything larger for the moment anyway. I am not into shell dwellers, dwarfs, or any South American cichlids for that matter. Trying to stick with African cichlids for the most part. And since I have kept many, many, different species of cichlids in general, I am bored with the offerings out there. All of the high-end tropical fish retailers I was hooked up with in the past have either closed or went out of business. The ones that still exist no longer carry the variety of fish they used to ever since the covid pandemic. They all carry the "bread & butter" fish like mollies, platties, tetras, barbs, bettas, and the like. For cichlids, they all seem to carry Frontosa, Mbunas, some SA cichlids and not much more. Can't say I blame them as people don't have the money they used to and nothing is cheap anymore. I think I paid $2.99 for my first African 5 spot and a $1.99 for the krib. I am looking for one cichlid for my 36 gallon tank. In this tank there will also be either 6 One-line African Tetras OR 6 African 6 banded barbs, and a Clown pleco (as a cleaner fish). The African cichlids I am considering are the following: Pitch Black Fulu (Yssichromis Piceatus), Sulpher Headed Hap (Otopharynx lithobates), African 5 Spot Jewel (Hemichromis Elongatus), or Astatotilapia Latifasciata. It will definitely be one of these fish. And your mission, if you should choose to accept it, will be to advise me of the best choice (out of these 4 fish) for a 36 gallon aquarium. I look forward to hearing back from you Andy!

Yeah, for me, fish keeping is quite addictive and worse than drugs. Fish keeping can get expensive if you go too far while drugs, while also expensive, eventually kill you so the expense stops. LOL
Of the 4 cichlids you chose, the Fulu would be the best choice because of it's smaller size but I have no personal experience as to how aggressive they are so if they are too aggressive, you would be better off with the Tetras as they will most likely stay closer to the surface and out of it's way while the barbs will wan to go to the bottom sometimes which puts them in harm's way. You just have to make sure they are not small enough to get eaten.