30 gallon stocking ideas

[fwiffo]

well, i am looking at buying a 30 gallon aquarium soon. i like the breeder size best as it is wider compared to the standard 30 gallon long. landlord is up on fish and will not allow anything heavier like a 40 or 55 on the second story. so its like dang! anyway, what fully grown fish could i stock in there? i want cichlids, not schools of tetras or something.

the dimensions of the two tanks are as follows:
30 long: 3' long x 1' wide x 16" high.
30 breeder: 3' long x 1.5 wide x 1' high.

i guess another question i have is how can i gauge before i buy the fish how its adult size will fit inside my tank? i mean, is there a generalized rule like inches per gallon what the max size of a fish can live happily inside an aquarium?

[jm1212]

the inch per gallon rule isnt worth the trouble. it causes more headaches in reality that its worth.

do you have any ideas of what you like?

[fwiffo]

hmmm, well i lover the looks of the electric yellow labs but im not sure if i could house 4 adults (5" each) in a 30 breeder. or am i wrong?

i like the south american and africans. the electric yellows are really very pretty and seem to recognize people. other than them, i know most africans getbigger and hence need a bigge tank than i can give.

the central and south americans are great fish too. i had a firemouth before for a long time. would a severum be too big? or could i get one of those geophagus earthdiggers for my tank. lfs has 1 that's like 6-7" and is really beautiful. could i swing him in the tank? or would it get too big. i think its of the larger one of the geophagus types. jurapari methinks off hand.

[jm1212]

4 adults would be crowded in a 30 gallon. shell dwellers or calvus would probably be better choices. it may not be a good idea to keep them together though, because calvus are piscovorus and shellies are pretty little.

a firemouth would be ok, but sevs and geos will get to big. you may also want to look at rams and festivum.

[fwiffo]

cool thanks!

[jm1212]

glad to help!

[Dwarf Puffers]

Don't forget apistos. They look great. I like the idea of shelldwellers as well. If you went with rams or apistos, unless you had as many as possible, you could add some other things in there too. Kribs and keyholes are also an option.

[Ctenopoma]

you could also try the common convicts,angellfish and rams. you might be able to keep a dwarf pike or something in that manner.

[jpappy789]

shellies and either a calvus pair or julidochromis pair would work nicely

[fwiffo]

hmm cool ideas everyone! alot of possibilities to consider i see!
i went to the lfs today for a few supplies and saw that a 33 long is the same price as a 30 breeder or 30 long. i could swing that without trouble from the landlord i think. a 33 long is like 4' long by 1' wide by 1' high.

what could work in that really long tank? something fast moving like sharks or a biotope resembling a stream with maybe some fast moving fish? im just throwing out some ideas here.

[fwiffo]

would a rainbow cichlid work for a centerpeice fish with soem smaller quick moving tankmates in any of the three tanks?

[jpappy789]

I have no experience with them and no very little about rainbow cichlids but here is a good article. Sounds like a pair would be fine in a 30 gal as they usually max out at 3" according to this:

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

[fwiffo]

any other ideas?

[elementkid65]

the yellow labs would work in a 4 foot long tank
just add heaps of caves
i have 40lbs of slate in my 75 which i just got yesterday
maybe 5-6 yellow labs and a bristlenose
then youd be fine

yellow labs=electric yellows

[fwiffo]

wow. so having such a long tank really opens up some options i guess. thanks for the tip element! well, thats the african cihclid tank contender.

on the other hand, if i wanted to do a south american cichlid setup in the 33 long (dimensions so you don't have to scroll around hunting :) is 4' long by 1' wide by 1' high). what is the biggest south american i could house in there? im guessing like 6 maybe 8" max but i could be wrong in either direction. im pretty certain that i couldn't house my dream fish, a tiger oscar, in there, but what other options are there?

thanks for the replies all!

[jpappy789]

I would keep something at or under 4" long. A six inch long fish would not have a whole lot of turn around room in a 12" deep tank, only twice its body size. But JMO

Angels, GBRs, convicts, all are SA cichlids and could work

[elementkid65]

I would keep something at or under 4" long. A six inch long fish would not have a whole lot of turn around room in a 12" deep tank, only twice its body size. But JMO

Angels, GBRs, convicts, all are SA cichlids and could work

i have had convicts a 5-6" 15cm well the male anyway
nice fish

[dvd_wightman]

A pair of convicts, firemouths, or rainbows should be fine. You can also have some apistos or shell-dwellers. German Blue or Bolivian Rams could work as well. Good luck!

[fwiffo]

well im set on a 30 gallon long. its perfect for me. im really excited! i plan on transferring some of my plants into it. what cichlids could i put in there that would not eat the vegetation?

[jpappy789]

As far as I know most Tangs dont really eat plants. I have seen my julies nibble on my vals but they would never be able to take an entire plant out...too big of a plant.

Some shelldwellers dig, especially multies, so I am glad the val is on the other side of the tank or they might bury it :)

I know some plants can survive malawis but a lot is hit or miss. I think hardier plants such as java fern, anubias, vals, ect. are good to at least try.