Stocking a 26

[JPDVM2014]

Well, i have a 26 gallon bowfront that has some 4 guppies and 5 cories in it. I had platies, but i lost all 3 and some guppies to columnaris. So since i lost a majority of my fish, i'm thinking about possibly rehoming the remaining guppies and cories and restarting. So first of all, do i have to sanitize the tank before adding different fish? And if so, how do i go about doing that? My next question is about the stocking for it. Its a 26 gallon bowfront. I really want some sort of shell-dweller and was looking at maybe having a single calvus to help with the fry. Would that work? Also, what would be some fish that would fill in the upper regions of the tank? Thanks.

 

[Coler]

Hmmm...outbreak of columnaris that went fatal is nasty...but strange because it will usually respond really well to treatment/water changes. Oh well.

I guess if in doubt, strip down the tank and rinse it and all decor in a very mild bleach solution. Rinse out thoroughly when done. Put in a new substrate.

You can have a couple of shellies and a calvuas, or a compressiceps actually (they grow slower possibly better choice)...you'lll get a gaggle of tanganyikan experts along here in a minute after I stick this in the rift lake forum for you

 

[JPDVM2014]

Yea, the ones i lost were before i realized what it was. Once i started treatment and water changes the remaining ones have no problems. I was also looking at the compressiceps, but wasn't sure if they would help with the fry as much as the calvus. And thanks for moving the thread too.

 

[AfroCichlid]

I would go with the Calvus, just because they are more attractive in my opinion. Their behavior is relatively the same.
Everyone has different experiences, but in my 55 gallon setup, the Calvus do not eat my Brichardi fry. I have about 4-5 juvies from 1/4" to 1". The parents were moved to a dedicated tank, so there are no adults to gaurd them. They have grown from free swimmers I couldn't catch to their current size. I have 3 Calvus, none of them have ever made an attempt at the fry. Granted, Brichardi are tough customers, even as fry, but as others will tell you, so are shelldwellers. I wouldn't rely on a predator to keep your fry level down. You may have to remove some as you go. If you start with a small enough colony, you could most likely raise a few to sell/ trade-able size. You would still be culling some though at some point.

 

[rogersb]

Not much choice for a top dwelling cichlid for a 26. Danios are your best bet. And I agree with the calvus being nicer looking than most comps. But if you're feeling spendy, there are a pair of firefin comps on aquabid right now and the bid is only $200

 

[JPDVM2014]

I would go with the Calvus, just because they are more attractive in my opinion. Their behavior is relatively the same.
Everyone has different experiences, but in my 55 gallon setup, the Calvus do not eat my Brichardi fry. I have about 4-5 juvies from 1/4" to 1". The parents were moved to a dedicated tank, so there are no adults to gaurd them. They have grown from free swimmers I couldn't catch to their current size. I have 3 Calvus, none of them have ever made an attempt at the fry. Granted, Brichardi are tough customers, even as fry, but as others will tell you, so are shelldwellers. I wouldn't rely on a predator to keep your fry level down. You may have to remove some as you go. If you start with a small enough colony, you could most likely raise a few to sell/ trade-able size. You would still be culling some though at some point.

I like the look of the calvus more too. I'm not getting it for the sole purpose of eating fry. I just like the idea of having one bigger fish in the tank. But if it does eat some fry, then it is an added plus. I know that either way i'm going to have some fry that i have to deal with.

Not much choice for a top dwelling cichlid for a 26. Danios are your best bet. And I agree with the calvus being nicer looking than most comps. But if you're feeling spendy, there are a pair of firefin comps on aquabid right now and the bid is only $200

I kinda knew that there wasn't any kind of cichlid that would work. Danios are cool. So, i'm planning on getting either 3-4 N. similis or 4-5 multis and 1 calvus. So how many zebra danios could i fit? Would i be able to fit a whole school of 6? If not, is there a smaller danio that would work?

 

[Pittbull]

What i would do is like coler stated clean the tank very well maybe go ahead and get a 20 LB bag of Caribsea aragonite sand for substrate as the shellies prefer that than gravel they love to dig around their shells..

4 to 5 Neolamp Multi's along with a calvus would be sweet.. the zebra danio's are ok and 6 would fit the bill nicely so would 3 to 4 preacox rainbowfish instead of the danio's and the rainbows would add some color to the tank.. your call my friend..

Good luck and have fun..

 

[JPDVM2014]

I love the idea of the rainbows. Is there any black aragonite sand? I'm afraid that since the multis are small and lightly colored that they might wash out against the sand. Also i'm prob. gonna get a black calvus and supposedly their colors show better over a dark substrate. Also, the aragonite will help buffer my water right? Cause my water is a little on the soft side. And how long will the aragonite continue to buffer before i have to start adding crushed coral or something else to help?

Also, for the calvus, i was thinking about taking 1/4 to 1/3 fo the tank and making some slate caves similar to these and then filling in the rest with rocks. Would that be enough rockwork for the calvus?

 

[Pittbull]

Yep preacox rainbows are pretty cool and stay small unlike the regular rainbows which get bigger sometimes twice the size of preacox so keep in mind if you do get them the others tend to get bigger..

As for black sand, Caribsea carries a whole line of sand substrate products for the hobbyist actually just today i bought a 20LB bag of Caribsea arag live Indo pacific black sand it has a salt pepper look to it they also carry a black Hawaiin arag live sand, plus there are others out there like esters sand in 5LB bags here check these sands out http://www.caribsea.com/pages/products/aragalive.html

Also if you like to do that with the slate should be a nice project and i go on-line and buy stuff like that (i am lazy) but here you can check out some nice breeding caves http://cichlidbreeding.com/products.php?cat=8 i have done business with this company many times he always throw in a free bag of food with each order also you can browse his shells for your shellies..

To mention on a side note that black sand will make your shellies pop..

 

[JPDVM2014]

The Hawaiian Black looks perfect! And i think i may swap out DIY caves for some of those breeding caves and/or rocks! Really good prices on shells too. Thanks for those links!! I noticed most of the shells range from 1"-2". Are those suitable sizes for multis?