Would this tank idea work?

Yoemen

Yoemen

In Boogeyman's closet
Nov 2, 2005
765
0
16
Galveston
I have seen some really good deals on some tall model tanks lately, and have been considering an interesting idea.

It would have to be with a larger tall tank as it would need depth, but would this work.

Lining the back of the tank with rocks creating a rock shelf effect with caves throughout it. I would need to use silicone to keep the rocks in place and I am talking about larger cave areas not just small ones, ie caves with a little depth.

The question is, if say I populated it with bumble bee cichlids, yellow labs, or cobalt blues, would they populate the entire shelf all the way up, or would they just stay in the lower areas and my shelf would basically just serve as a cool background.

Just thinking of this because as I have said, I am seeing some amazing deals on tall tanks and would like to find a better way to use the space with an african tank.

IE: by good deal I mean a 50 tall for 60 bucks.
 
that is a good deal. what i used was ceramic pots. stck them up or silicon them in place (with rocks i would) but i put gravel in all of the openings throughout and they made their own caves up and down.
 
when it comes to how many fish can go in a tank, it's surface area rather than number of gallons that's the most significant factor. 'tall' tanks have much less surface area than standard rectangles and thus, hold a LOT less fish. if you're going with cichlids, which are bottom dwellers, a tall tank is pretty useless and thus, no matter how little it costs, is not a good deal at all.
 
hmm

Well, if I were to do this, it would be with some of the African Cichlids that stay little, I know that everyone says they like to swim in caves, so I am simply wondering if the caves went up the back if they would use the higher levels as territories or ignore them.
 
African Cichlids that stay little
Click to expand...
most of the African Mbuna which is what i assume you're talking about, grow to 4-5 inches. a 'tall' tank is definitely not in their best interest.
 
They will probably go for the "prime" real estate first. The ones that can't find a spot near the floor will go higher up.

Nothing wrong with a tall tank, you just have to remember that you're computing your fish load based on the footprint. The extra gallons will dilute the byproducts a bit.

You might want to use a light workable rock like tufa. You would want to cut the backs flat. You might be able to drill the rock and attach it to eggcrate or plex with cable ties in addition to the silicone. Test the silicone bond first- there are some things it does not adhere well to.
 
actually I was thinking something like the following

Julidochromis kipili
Lamprologus ocellatus
Lamprologus stappersi/meleagris
Neolamprologus similis
Neolamprologus multifasciatus

none of those fish get over 3 inches. Several of them don't even get that big.

Again, I am talking a 50 tall, so it is gonna have close to a 4ft footprint anyway.

I don't think I am actually gonna do this(my next tank will be a puffer tank I believe) but am just curious if the theory behind it would work?
 
in theory, it would be great. If you could build your rockwork into the backing, the fish would love it. HOWEVER, mbuna generally like to swim THROUGH caves and won't spend a whole lot of time in them. In that case, a good rock pile would be better than a bunch of closed-ended caves.

In your case, the cichlids you chose do like caves. In that case, they would like your idea very much. Again, good in theory, but the proof will be in the proverbial pudding. If you could make it structurally possible, go for it.

And for the short vs tall tank argument. I always say, why not just get the taller tank? Yeah, the footprint "may" not allow more fish, but the added volume will dilute more waste and keep them happier. There IS a difference between a 40 breeder and a 65 tall, even though the footprint is still 36x18. Especially if you build structure into the top of the tank. The notion that a short tank will do the same job as a tall one is ridiculous. If that were 100% true, you could just have a 5 foot long tank that was only 4 inches deep and hold the same fish as a 2 foot deep tank. Ridiculous when you look at it that way. Can you have twice as many fish in a tank that is twice as deep? No. But, you can have a few more.

The surface area "rule" is just another guideline that sometimes gets adhered to too strongly. Be smart about it and you'll have happy fish.
 
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