40 long as temp QT tank

[Sinister-Kisses]

*Contemplating* purchasing some juvenile fish my supplier has in stock that I've been waiting on for a while now, but now isn't an ideal time so I'm trying to decide if I can make it work or should just leave things as they are lol. Would my 40 gallon long (so, same footprint as a standard 55 - 4 feet long - just not as tall) work as a QT tank for 1 x SRT, 3 x pearsei, and 3 x argentea juveniles sized about 2.5", for a month? Filtered by 2 Seachem Tidal 55 power filters and 50-60% water changes done weekly. Should I be okay temporarily for that month of QT time or am I asking for trouble?

After the one-month-ish QT, the plan would be to move the pearsei into my 6ft cichlid community tank, the SRT stay in the 40 to grow out some more, and the argentea would move into a 6ft, 135gal to grow out until I chose 1 individual from the group to live solo in that tank permanently.

 

[MultipleTankSyndrome]

AqAdvisor doesn't have all those species so I can't plug it in, but 5 cichlids at around 6 cm each doesn't seem like something it would call overstocked. I think you'll be fine.

Wow, you're lucky you have a 151 liter long for a quarantine tank! Because mine is much smaller, I may unfortunately be playing Russian roulette with it.

 

[Deadeye]

I can’t see that being too much of an issue. Juvies aren’t too mean. Give lots of hiding places and divide if necessary.

 

[Sinister-Kisses]

It would be 7 fish

It's not actually *meant* as my QT tank lol. It's the only tank I have upstairs in my living room where I see it all the time, because all the large tanks are downstairs due to the weight. But I can't seem to find a stock list for it that I like for more than a couple months at a time for the last little bit, so it's been kind of in "flux" for a while. I have a 20 long in storage that is meant to be my QT tank, but with 7 cichlids at 2.5" in size it isn't big enough. So I figured the 40 could act as a QT tank.

 

[Sinister-Kisses]

I can’t see that being too much of an issue. Juvies aren’t too mean. Give lots of hiding places and divide if necessary.

That's what I was banking on...the pearsei I'm not worried about from an agression standpoint, but of course the argentea will be eventually. Hoping at that small size they're still fairly non aggressive...

But I also assumed that when the 6 red texas came in from Thailand last month and I discovered my plan to grow them out together for a couple months before they needed to be separated ended up being within days lol. Hence the little SRT in the 40 as well. They do seem to play well with other species at that size though...one of the 6 had to go into the 8ft mixed tank and he's doing really well with other species as the only SRT. I think I'll chance it with the pearsei and argentea and hope it goes as planned for a month or so...worst case I'll figure out an on the fly plan B

 

[MultipleTankSyndrome]

7 may be pushing it, but still worth a try. Let us know if it works out.

 

[Sinister-Kisses]

Yeah, I keep trying to talk myself out of it because I have a lot of chaos going on right now with a midas spawn growing out and the SRTs growing out...no intention of keeping them ALL, just want to hang on to them long enough for them to fade/peel if they're going to and pick one or two as keepers. But it means a lot of tank space used up while they're growing out...but...I also really want those pearsei, which are proving to be difficult to get ahold of (I've been waiting months for him to get them in, he keeps ordering and they keep being dropped from his order...as it is, he said he ordered 20 of them and finally only got 5 of them in last week). And argentea have always been one of my "must have" fish...the struggle is real, people! lol.

 

[MultipleTankSyndrome]

the struggle is real, people! lol.

10000% this. Couldn't have said it any better.

 

[NCStateFisher]

I think you'd be totally find with 7 small cichlids... at that size the worst they'll probably do is nip a fin or two, just keep an eye on them and keep them well fed

 

[Sinister-Kisses]

Yep, that's my line of thought too. And as hard as I tried to talk myself out of it...I just went and ordered my 3 x pearsei and 3 x argentea juvies, so I will find out shortly lol.