new tank idea what do you say Eh?

[biggisteve]

I'm thinkin bout turning my 55 into a catfish loach tank. right now i have 5 clown loaches, a large about 8 inch sydontis eruptis, anodther sydontis i duno what kind thast like 5 inches and two cichlids that i'm gonan try and move to another tank when i take care of a killer blue zebra.

If i do make the tank i duno what i should get, maybe a bunch of cories i want some more eruptis, but i duno about the whole compatibility with catfish with other catfish and loaches, like say i got a bunch of small loaches likea khuli or a horseface would the larger clowns have a problem, or the catfish, or the large catfish havin problems with coris i'm not very sure about all that, any ideas or comments would be great thanks

[optix]

What kind of cichlids?? The cories if im correct will probably get bullied by the clowns

[ChilDawg]

You're probably at the limit for the number of bottom-dwellers in that tank...if not past the limit. I'd think about some mid-water swimming cats, or maybe some UDCs (Synodontis nigriventis).

[slipknottin]

hahaha, the 'eh' thing is really catching on, eh? :D

[biggisteve]

how do you decide what too many bottom dwellers are. i've heard of tanks with like huge schools of c ories and clown loaches.

is it just that the bottom gets to crowded and they'll wind up competing for space, or maybe just there might be a ruccus to get the shrimp pellets or whatever i'm feedin

[optix]

Usually competition for food, im pretty sure thats the only reason cats fight

[ChilDawg]

Steve, the reasons in your second part are why I am thinking that there are too many. Also, territoriality comes into play if you add too many more bottom-dwellers. Clowns and Cories are peaceful, but I've seen Cories get bullied for food and for prime spots. (In my tank, "Albee" wasn't really welcomed until a couple weeks in when the other Cories realized that the choice food always seemed to be dropped near him!)

[Botiadancer]

If you want lots and lots of clowns and cories, there are a few tricks.

You do need lots of bottom area - the trick is to increase it. Have lots of large horizontal (or near horizontal) surfaces (4"x4") around the tank at different levels. Cories just want a place to sit. Having one near the outflow of a filter is a favorite basking spot. Whether you use rocks or bogwood or get really fancy and glue little shelves in the corners is up to you.

As for the clowns, I use the cichlid breeding huts, (I call them Clown Condos) several to a tank, to give them places to call home. If you don't like the look of clay pottery, get fancy again and glue gravel to the outsides and it will look like a mound on the floor. Halved coconut shelves with an entry hole work wonders too.

I find the cories do more sitting in plain view than the clowns, which like to swim around and through things (like tangles of bogwood) and then hide in their in their little houses.

In my limited Synodontis experience, I find they really like to have their own, and I mean their very own, place to hide. At 8 inches, that going to mean a lot of real estate.

What about the bumblebee cat? They stay small 3.5", and will hide in the smallest crevice available. I've only kept them singly though.

[biggisteve]

very good suggestions botia.
i already have two sydontis so i'm stuck on them, I wound up gettin my eruptis for like 3 bux 3 years ago as my first fish and he's still going strong so i'm attached.

I really like your shelf idea, that might be easy to do also because i have almost sand like cichlid coral as my substrate. i duno what the huts look like i'll try and find some pictures somewhere

[Botiadancer]

These are not the ones I have, but similiar - actually, these are more realistic looking in shape. And their natural ones look pretty cool too. Mine were about $3.50.

http://www.rosenthalpottery.com/