29g planted with Cichlid's questions

L

LoresonDE

AC Members
Jun 17, 2009
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Here is what i have, i will ask questions at the bottom...

(3) Labidochromis caeruleus (Kakusa) - Yellow Lab (2) <1.5" (1) 2"
(1) Pseudotropheus crabro - Bumble Bee 2"
(1) Macrotocinclus affinis - Golden dwarf sucker <1"
(1) Hypostomus plecostomus <3"
(1) Cichlid, i'm not sure which species, looks like the bumble bee but is bright blue and less than 1.5", just got him 2 weeks ago.

(1) large amazon sword plant
(1) I can't remember what it was and it is rebounding from being choked out by the sword plant.
(1) mondo grass (not sure if i really like this stuff)

All in sand with a rock like structure in the back about 20"x8"x4", takes up the back side of the tank and gives the fish places to hide.

My questions are...

Good quality heater?
Good quality filter?
Could use some suggestions on some low ground cover plants that i can plant around the sword and maybe some others to start some kind of scape. (low-medium light)

Anything other that you would like to suggest feel free to say or ask, i'm probably forgetting some kind of information.
 
1.) Overstocked. Lose the cichlids. The pleco will end up around 1' long if you gave him the right sized tank, filtration, quality foods, etc.

2.) Mondo Grass is not an aquatic plant. Get rid of that too, its going to die anyway. Plant it in your yard.

3.) The amazon sword is going to need more room, they get pretty huge.

Do you not have a filter or heater on the tank yet? How are you keeping those fish in there without the basics? No filter means no cycle yet, which means you probably shouldn't get too attached to your cichlilds, they won't be staying long.

Plants are a bit of a challenge with cichlids too, as they like to dig. I've kept large jungle vals with no issues with my cichlids, but I grew the plants in well before adding fish.

Loreson, you need to do some hard researching before you actually dig in to this hobby. You'll take quite a few less casualties along the way. Start with this forum, www.cichlidforums.com and www.cichlid-forum.com are both great assets if you are interested in keeping cichlids.
 
You need a 55 minimum for any of those cichlids, and they'll most likely eat any live plants sooner or later.
 
mikeb210 said:
1.) Overstocked. Lose the cichlids. The pleco will end up around 1' long if you gave him the right sized tank, filtration, quality foods, etc.

2.) Mondo Grass is not an aquatic plant. Get rid of that too, its going to die anyway. Plant it in your yard.

3.) The amazon sword is going to need more room, they get pretty huge.

Do you not have a filter or heater on the tank yet? How are you keeping those fish in there without the basics? No filter means no cycle yet, which means you probably shouldn't get too attached to your cichlilds, they won't be staying long.

Plants are a bit of a challenge with cichlids too, as they like to dig. I've kept large jungle vals with no issues with my cichlids, but I grew the plants in well before adding fish.

Loreson, you need to do some hard researching before you actually dig in to this hobby. You'll take quite a few less casualties along the way. Start with this forum, www.cichlidforums.com and www.cichlid-forum.com are both great assets if you are interested in keeping cichlids.
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1. ok, when i get home i'll send them on their way to the septic tank.
2. Kinda figured this, it isnt growing well, not sure why it was even labeled like such.
3. How much more room? It's filling up about half the tank.

You are probably right. I wonder if i could sell the cichlids somewhere. The bumble bee is getting quite large.

I have a heater and filter, just asking what would be good quality.
 
Don't flush them...I'm sure a local fish store would be willing to take them. You might even be able to get store credit to buy more appropriate fish. :)

Most people seem to suggest Stealth heaters. I am a huge fan of canister filters. Personally I have 3 Rena XP filters (2 XP2s and an XP3). I just picked up a used Marineland C-220 with a tank today, but haven't set it up yet. I know there are many fans of it here though! If you want to have a power filter, I suggest AquaClear.

If you want to grow plants we would have to know what kind of lighting you have. There are plants you can grow with fairly low lighting, so I'm sure you will be able to get plants to fit your tank.
 
Marineland's Visitherm stealth heaters are great, plus if they ever break, marineland will replace them with no questions asked. Depending on what you plan to keep, HOB type biowheel filters or canister filters are both great options. I'm a fan of eheims, but that is also the only canister filter I've owned. I use Penguin 350s on my cichlid tank and one of those would be great on that tank, provided you aren't using CO2 for your plants. It all depends on what you are interested in keeping.

Glossostigma and Hemianthus callitrichoides are both great carpeting foreground plants, but they like higher lighting, starting around 2.5-3 wpg for the Hc and higher for the glosso. For a lower light tank, Lilaeopsis brasiliensis is great. I had this in my 29 when I started, and it grew very well under low-medium lights. With time, it forms a real tightly knit carpet. What kind of lights do you have/are you planning to get?
 
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dont flush them, thats just irresponsible, especially if you have a septic system. the fish will likely stay alive for some time in the tank, and those tanks are just nasty.

amazon swords do get pretty big, but you can remedy this by just cutting off the outer layer of leaves.
 
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