which cichlid w/ questions!

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moonstream

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Nov 5, 2007
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Jayne
I will be experimenting on feeding and growth rates of fish, and I plan to start with babies. this is a school science experiment, but I want to use fish that after the experiment ends, will still hold my interest.

I want something unique and pretty, and can dedicate 2 20g long tanks. each tank will be bare except for some PVC tubes to hide in and some fake plants to add a touch of greenery.

I will be keeping 2-3 babies in each tank, and have decided to do cichlids because of their interesting behavior and color, as well as their general hardiness. I am extremly intriged by both discus and angels, and my past experience with discus proved them to be fairly resistant to scattered feeding and few water changes.

with these fish, I would be happy to do 50% water changes daily, or 50% changes every other day. I am planning to feed one group of fish only very good quality flakes, and the other group will be fed frozen blood worms, beef heart, brine shrimp, live brine shrimp, as well as a good quality flake. I was wondering what would be good choices? the ideas I have so far are

kribensis
angels
discus
1 to each tank electric blue jack demphsy
panda dwarf cichlid
firemouth
convicts

so far my top pics are angels, discus and the dwarfs, but I would much rather do discus or angels. in the spring I would be able to upgrade to a 75g tank tops, eventually I would like a single mated pair.
 
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Beowulff83

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Wellington Oh,
Discus are expensive, sensitive to water conditions, and usualy only the adults are sold in store's. Angels are the better choice imo out of your 3. Have you considered Pseudotropheus saulosi?
 

moonstream

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I have had great luck ordreing young discus form online, and so a source isnt a problem. like I said before I find that discus are fine as long as water quality is to their liking and their tank is kept clean. I did keep 4 babies before that did well until my lack of QT introduced fungus into the tank and they died before I could cure them.

if I can convince my parents to go with discus I will probably get them, if I cant then Ill get angels. would having a trio of the smallest babies I can find in each tank be okay? I plan to do a 50% water change every 5 days. they will be fed every day, once a day in as much as they will eat and all food will be removed as soon as they are done. until they all reach 4-5" they will be kept in the 2 20g.

what filters are good? I was thinking 2 large sponge filters would be good.
 

Beowulff83

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Wellington Oh,
sponge filters would be good for them. Have you thought of keeping them in the same tank only with a divider so your water wouldnt be a variable since the conditions would be exact?
 

moonstream

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I have found a reliable source called somethings phishy, that I have bought discus from before and they were happy and very healthy. they also sell them for very little. the only thing that is being experimented with is food, and I kept my previous discus alive with flake food, water quality will be kept very good, and they will be in a low stress situation.

is 20g enough to keep 4-6 babies that are 1.5-4" in? if it is then I would be happy to do a divided tank. I pretty much have my heart set on discus or angels.
 

moonstream

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my dad has agreeded as long as I keep the price on the low side, I would say at MOST 100 bucks for everything (this is what high school looks at, so they are willing to spend more then they normally would).

for the tank(s) I am planning to have
3 2" babies in each one
1 large sponge filter
1 power filter
1 piece of wood for them to hide behind and some PVC tubes
1 smallish pot of live plants

I will be setting up the tanks ASAP and placing a raw prawn in each one so that they are cycled by the time I intro the fish, they will be kept in a pantyhose so that I can remove them after the cycle has finished. I will most likely be using separate tanks. anyone have good links to cheap DIY sponge filters?
 

Bnoble

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:topic:mad Props on the Avitar! Beowulff83..love VOLTRON!..heheh:bowing:
 
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