Maybe new Cichlid owner, advice?

R

robbob2112

AC Members
Jul 10, 2008
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Black Hawk, Colorado
Howdy,

I currently have a 46g bowfront slightly brackish heavily planted tank with Mollies and Swordtails in it... and like all live bearers do they breed... A LOT... (20~60 new babies a month)... Up until now I have been hauling them in to work and sending them home with a friend who has an Oscar. Obviously this is a hassle, so I am considering buying a new tank and setting up my own disposal method :eek: .

That said, I have room for about a 30 gallon tank but everything I have read says an Oscar needs a 50 gallon or so. Anybody good a good suggestion for me a new "disposal" fish(s) that can live in a 30g tank?

P.S. anybody in the Denver area is welcome to as many baby mollies as I have on hand at the time.
 
well, you could go with a single angelfish and 5-6 larger tetras. they'd enjoy the babies and look nice.
i'd say convicts or a similar smaller cichlid like that, but the you'd be hauling in convict babies instead of molly babies, bad idea.
you could plant the tank a little and get 4-5 female bettas.
you could buy a baby black ghost knife or a handful of baby senegal bichirs. they love eating fry, and when they get a little bigger (reaching 6 inches) you could sell them at a decent profit. a 30g is VERY BAD long term, but it's fine as a grow out tank for either of those kinds of fish. it shouldn't be hard to find a buyer for a 6 inch healthy black ghost.
 
Perhaps I should also mention I am on well water and basically have liquid rock out of the tap, so any softwater fish would not be happy at all.
 
aha ! perfect for tanganyikans...a compressiceps as a centre piece and then some smaller guys...there are some good threads on 30G tang tanks that worked out really nice...I will try and find them.
 
if you cant find the right cichlid, and good idea wold be buck tooth tetra they love eatting my convicts and look amazing
 
This is an evil hobby and craigs list is an evil thing... The issue is decided... 75gallon tank with stand, gravel, HOB filter, heater, light ... 4 tiny baby(1/4 inch long) Jack Dempseys and 3 tiny (3/8" long) firemouth ... He had a tank full of each of these along with probably 20 other tanks with Angels and other Chichlids in them... hate to be around his house on water change day...

If there is some attrition before they all grow up I am good, if not I will probably have to give away at least a few of them...

For now they are all tiny and in the QT tank while I setup the 75 gallon... so much research, so little time... Since they are so small a 10 gallon ought to be fine for a week or so while I sort out the big tank

I already have a spare Fluval 405 sitting around, so that will go on it...
The heater is unknown and I will probably get an inline for canister and not use it...
Lighting - 2 x 40watt T12 bulbs..

The gravel is BB to pea sized stuff, but not enough to do the whole tank, have to see what sort of substrate they like ...

I like plants, but from reading they dig/destroy most plants in with them.... Depending on that answer either the lighting stays, or gets upgraded to something brighter.... substrate matters too for this..

SEE, this hobby is evil, get a new tank and start thinking about new stuff for it...
 
Coler said:
aha ! perfect for tanganyikans...a compressiceps as a centre piece and then some smaller guys...there are some good threads on 30G tang tanks that worked out really nice...I will try and find them.
Click to expand...

:grinyes::grinyes::grinyes:

30 gallons offers a lot of options:

shelldwellers
julidochromis
calvus
leleupi

all these fish, minus the calvus, will breed easily in the aquarium. So if you do not want any more fry I wouldn't suggest these guys. On the other hand, cicihlid juvies (especially tangs) are much more coveted in LFS's than livebearers.

edit: nevermind then. you will probably run into problems with space and aggression when the cichlids are adults.
 
It's Cichlid ;)


you will need to move and or rehome some of the JD's as they mature.. you may also wind up with a pair..in which case you may need to rehome all other inhabitants ;)
 
star_rider said:
It's Cichlid ;)


you will need to move and or rehome some of the JD's as they mature.. you may also wind up with a pair..in which case you may need to rehome all other inhabitants ;)
Click to expand...

Yeah, Cichlid... stupid fingers type faster than the brain follows... No more breeding.. that is what started this whole larger tank thing in the first place...

With my luck, they will all survive and all start breeding...
 
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