View Full Version : Need some help choosing a stock list
RESET
08-17-2010, 11:23 AM
Hello,
I have another opertunity for you guys to do some bench racing. I have a 40g breeder with plants and river rock substrate.
http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac312/0RESET0/FISH/Crispy-03.jpg
It currently houses 4 WCMM and some pond snails. I was going to get an Arowana but have decided against it. I like smaller fish, I have been keeping a large school of WCMM for about 10 years. What Cichlids would work in this tank? I also have two penguin 350 OTB filters so there is some current in the tank. I can probably remove one if needed though. I kinda like the look of shellies but I think they prefer sand bottom. I like plants so the rock has to stay. It also gets alot of natural light during the day, as you can see in the pic.
user_name
08-17-2010, 11:39 AM
nice looking tank, you could try rams or apistos. Angels would also be a good tankmate for the white clouds.
If I was you, I would up the white cloud school to 6, add a pair of bolivian rams, and then add a school of corys.
nano cichlids
08-17-2010, 12:12 PM
Find a small pair of Archocentrus nanoluteus they amazing cichlids, then add a few bottom dwellers, corys or something small, and just because this is a 40 gallon breeder I'd throw in a few ram or german blue ram. Nanos stay under 5in so I think it'd be a good match.
RESET
08-17-2010, 12:18 PM
Forgot to mention that I have some drift wood that I took out in preperation for the Aro. Could I put that back in there? I also used to have an RTBS and would love to get another one. Would that be ok with Cichlids?
So no go on the shellies?
verbal
08-17-2010, 12:25 PM
Forgot to mention that I have some drift wood that I took out in preperation for the Aro. Could I put that back in there? I also used to have an RTBS and would love to get another one. Would that be ok with Cichlids?
So no go on the shellies?
What is your water like in terms of pH and hardness?
You might be able to do shellies with just a sandy area(10x18 would be about the footprint of a 10 gallon tank). If you go this route you might want to do brevis because they have the reputation as the most peaceful.
If you so the shelldweller route, I would leave out the driftwood.
RESET
08-17-2010, 12:50 PM
I could probably do a small area of sand. I wonder what I would use to keep it out of the rock though. I know shellies like to move it around. I have seen pics of them in barnacles. That might be cool in the corner. Actually, 10x18 would be one whole end of the tank, it is 18 wide. I might be able to come up with something there. It wouldn't look very natural though. I will do some research on the species listed so far and see which ones I like best. I just thought the shellies would be fun. How many could I keep if I converted the whole tank to their liking?
verbal
08-17-2010, 12:56 PM
I could probably do a small area of sand. I wonder what I would use to keep it out of the rock though. I know shellies like to move it around. I have seen pics of them in barnacles. That might be cool in the corner. Actually, 10x18 would be one whole end of the tank, it is 18 wide. I might be able to come up with something there. It wouldn't look very natural though. I will do some research on the species listed so far and see which ones I like best. I just thought the shellies would be fun. How many could I keep if I converted the whole tank to their liking?
I think it may depend on the species. I think most shellies a group of 6 would be fine in the tank. You probably could do a dozen if the species is small and has small territories.
The WCMM should help draw out the shellies. I am not sure if the a red tailed shark would be a good mix with the shellies.
verbal
08-17-2010, 12:57 PM
If you keep the plants you might want to keep the river rocks in the planted areas(so the shellies don't dig up your plants).
OK, How many different types of shellies are there? I could probably stay away from the RTBS if I could get a few different types to look at. Wow, only 6 - 12 of them in this tank? They keep that big of a territory? Looks like I have some research to do. I have always steered away from cichlids because I thought they were too much of a "me too" fish, as in everyone had them. I think the shellies are interesting but I would a nice sized group. I loved watching my WCMM school around in the tank. I assume shellies don't do that but are they active? I already have a flounder in a different tank. I don't want another fish that I am only going to see eyes 95% of the time.
One last quick question. My river rock is from a local river. When I got it I sifted it thru a colander and tossed out the smaller bits. Could I do the opposite for my "sand"? I like having realistic substrates. Maybe I should look into these fish more and see what their natural habitat is.
O, I have been doing some research, mostly just looking at what others have put in similar size tanks. I am really interested in doing a rock/shell dweller combo tank. I think I can do a 60/40 split in the tank and put a nice pile of rocks on the small side. I am still considering using local river sand for the sand area. I will have to source the rocks and shells but that shouldn't be a problem. I may even try to figure out a way to wedge some plants in the rocks. I have been trying to look into Tanganyika biotopes but they look a little short on plants. Maybe I will just grow some algae.
I tested my water today before my weekly water change. I only have test strips but here are my numbers.
GH=120
KH=120
PH=6.0
If these numbers seem off, I can try to take a sample somewhere to have it tested.
I am still gathering ideas as to what to put in this tank. Could I possibly do a pair of Angels and a pair of Discus then maybe some of the smaller cichlids such as rams?
Nevermind on the Discus and angels, apparently my tank is too small.
I think I have found a variety/species that I would like to try. 'Lamprologus' stappersii. I have latched on to the species profile page on cichlid-forum. I like how you can select the group and subgroup and then view the species in your selection. Anyway, what do you think of my selection? After spending some time at the LFS watching a convict cichlid pair guarding their fry, I am even more interested in trying cichlids. My WCMM had plenty of fry for me but they rarely did anything with them after depositing the eggs.
That site says a PH of 8.6 I found a Dr. Wellfish ph tester in my supplies and tested my water again. The kit tops out at 7.6 and the water was off the chart. Do these test kits expire? Now I really need to get it properly tested. My tap water tested about the same color. The water in my 20 long tested right around 7. That tank has sand and a single fresh water flounder in it. I keep the salt in there somewhere between anti stress and brackish with freshwater aquarium salt. Does this lower the PH?
OK, one last question. I have been trying to find a used 90 gallon without any luck. The LFS has a 75 gallon kit for $175 with lids and a light. Another store has a 90, just the tank, for 235 and a 75, just the tank, for 135. Is the extra 3 inches in height worth it? I want to make a rock/shell dweller combo tank but I don't know how high the rock piles need to be.
I will be going to the river this weekend to collect my sand. It will actually be river rock with a max diameter of about 1/16 inch, everything that fits thru the holes in the colander. I am probably going to find some larger flat rocks while I am there too. Should look just like Lake Tanganyika except a little more colorful with the agates and granites that are in the river. I don't live too far from an ancient ocean bed should I try for some of that sandstone instead? You can look up the history of Coralville, Ia if you are interested.
verbal
08-25-2010, 9:24 AM
OK, one last question. I have been trying to find a used 90 gallon without any luck. The LFS has a 75 gallon kit for $175 with lids and a light. Another store has a 90, just the tank, for 235 and a 75, just the tank, for 135.
It sounds like the 75 gallon kit is the best deal. It sounds like the price for the 90 gallon is pretty high. It should not be that much more than a 75 gallon tank.
RESET
08-25-2010, 11:27 AM
I agree that the 75 kit is the better deal. I just don't know if 21 vs 24 in height is going to make or break my plans. They said that the 90 had thicker glass as well but I couldn't verify because they were still in boxes. Anyone have experience with Marineland tanks?
OK, I have decided to get the 75 instead of the 90. I went to the river this weekend and got 3-2 gallon buckets of small river rock/sand. The largest particle is about 4mm most of it is under 2mm. I went to the pet store and asked them to find 10 stappersii for me. So, I have the bottom dwellers for the tank. Now I need to find something for the rock pile. What rock dweller doesn't get too big and would go well with the staps?
RESET
09-01-2010, 12:57 PM
I recently saw a picture of a fish while trolling the internet. I posted the pic here and found out that it was an Apistogramma cacatuoides. I am in love with this fish. 1-3" and awesome colors. Someone suggested apistos for my tank. I don't know why I didn't look into them. I think I had African blinders on or something. Strange thin is that every cichlid I have been drawn to in the fish stores have been South American. I am now leaning toward getting a nice sized group of these to put into my new 75g. As said before, I like to do biotope tanks. All my current plants are Asian, my driftwood is even Malaysian. I will have to find homes for my plants and WCMM but I really like the looks of these apistos. Can I get some suggestions on SA plants that the cacatuoides will like? Would a setup similar to an Angel or discus tank be appropriate for these guys? I read about them using coconut huts to spawn in. Is this natural or just easy?
OK, I went over to freshwateraquariumplants.com to look at plants. I bought from them in the past and they sent me some nice plants. Apparently biotopes are getting popular, they now have two biotope plans to give inspiration. One of them is a South American/ Amazon biotope. I like the plants that they picked. They also have some suggestions for fish and one of them is the Cockatoo cichlid that I have chosen. I am not too sure about the other fish on their list. Here is their suggestion.
Greenfire Tetra's 9-12; Marbled Hatchet Fish 7-9; Pencil Fish 9-12; or Cardinal Tetras 9-12; Ancistrus Teminiki 5-7; Otocinclus 5-7
I have always thought that the hatchet fish were funny looking. I am cool with the Greenfire and the Pencilfish. I have kept Otos in the past and love them for algae removal. The Bristle nose, I have not kept. Would these cause any problems with the Apistos when they start breeding? Could I swap them out for a bottom feeder like a cory? What do you guys think of their numbers for this tank? If I did the Greenfires and the Pencils and not the hatchets, could I get 15 of each and be good on those in a 75g? I want to get 6-8 of the Apistos.
I brought the 75g home yesterday and transfered the water, plants and fish from the 40. I am also running the two filters from the 40 for now as well. I don't have the substrate in there so most of my snails are gone. I hope that the four WCMM are enough to mini cycle the tank after the change. My next step is to get the fluorite or Eco-Complete to go under the substrate for the plants. I sifted the sand that I collected again. This time I put it thru a wire strainer. It is now small gravel with no sand. Smallest particle is about 1mm and largest is about 4mm. Once I get the substrate, I will let is sit for a week or so and then order my plants.
I saw some hatchet fish at the LFS and I have to admit that they may be kinda cool in this tall tank. I may have to consider them for the tank after all. After the substrate and plants are in, which fish should I add first? I plan to put them in one species at a time with a week in between.
No suggestion on stocking order? Should I get the Apistos first to let them establish themselves or should I have them last? I still don't even have substrate in there. I am soaking my drift wood right now and it should be ready in a couple weeks. I have time but I like to have everything figured out.
I think I would like to get a group of Black Peru Corydoras for the tank. Anyone ever kept these?