I'm converting my 240g into an all male hap/peacock show tank. I have always kept CA/SA cichlids and oddballs but got the African cichlid bug. I've done a lot of research but cant find a good answer to some questions.
I want all males but I wont have a smaller grow out tank. Any fish I get will go straight into the 240 after adequate time in my quarantine tub. I would like to save some coin and buy the smallest guaranteed males for sale at Snake River or Tampa Bay Cichlids or somewhere else. They are advertised as being 1.5-3 inches in most cases.
1. Is it ok to grow out a bunch of fish that small in a 240 if they grow up together without larger fish in the tank? I will probably start with 10 or so and add more in groups of 5-10 over time. Are there any issues specific to African cichlids I should consider with this strategy?
2. If I buy juvenile fish that small and feed them quality food, do regular water changes, etc. should I expect them to all eventually color up? Or do some individual males never color up? Is that why people buy fully colored individuals at a premium? I don't really know how it works or what to expect.
3. Bc I want haps and peacocks, would it be better to start with all peacocks in my first order of 10 fish to let them grow a bit before buying haps that will eventually get bigger than the peacocks? Give the peacocks a head start I mean.
Please advise.
I want all males but I wont have a smaller grow out tank. Any fish I get will go straight into the 240 after adequate time in my quarantine tub. I would like to save some coin and buy the smallest guaranteed males for sale at Snake River or Tampa Bay Cichlids or somewhere else. They are advertised as being 1.5-3 inches in most cases.
1. Is it ok to grow out a bunch of fish that small in a 240 if they grow up together without larger fish in the tank? I will probably start with 10 or so and add more in groups of 5-10 over time. Are there any issues specific to African cichlids I should consider with this strategy?
2. If I buy juvenile fish that small and feed them quality food, do regular water changes, etc. should I expect them to all eventually color up? Or do some individual males never color up? Is that why people buy fully colored individuals at a premium? I don't really know how it works or what to expect.
3. Bc I want haps and peacocks, would it be better to start with all peacocks in my first order of 10 fish to let them grow a bit before buying haps that will eventually get bigger than the peacocks? Give the peacocks a head start I mean.
Please advise.