Ideas for 40 gallon breeder requested

[aussieman57]

Considered doing the RODI route but would rather not start chasing water parameters at this point and stick with fish that will enjoy my current water supply. That's why I'm currently leaning toward the rainbow cichlid at this point and will be doing Rift Lake Africans in the 90 once it gets set up.

 

[Deadeye]

Unless you want to buy a RODI system I would stay away from South American cichlids I could only breed Central American cichlids. Alternatively you could dilute the tap water with rainwater or tanin water although I doubt the tannins would lower the ph any. That would be a perfect tank for a pair of convicts or even a Jack Dempsey pair if you stay on top of water changes

May want to pass on jd in a 40. Maybe a solo ebjd, but for wild I could see one getting aggressive a 3 foot tank, a male would probably kill a female there.

 

[Kelly_Aquatics]

The pair I had was not active at all and liked to just pick a spot and stay there maybe that’s not the norm though

 

[C. Breeze]

40 breeder with your water you could do blue acaras, small gymnos, Krobia sp, burjuquina sp, might be tight for geoohagus steindachneri complex but probably doable, cichlasoma dimerus and other sp, australheros sp.

Could look into Central American species as well most of the cribroheros would work, as would cryptoheros / amatiania, or thoricthys.

I keep or have kept almost everything I’ve listed in a tank that size with water like yours. There’s way too much stuff to keep well, healthy and breeding in that water to even bother considering RODI

for your plants. You need to get ahold of oyster shells, drill 1/4, or 3/8“ holes in them and stick your plants stems/ root ball down through the holes you’ve drilled. You now have a shield around the plant that they can’t dig up. That’s how I plant my cichlids tanks. Some
Cichlids will still break all the stems off some won’t

 

[C. Breeze]

The pair I had was not active at all and liked to just pick a spot and stay there maybe that’s not the norm though

My pair is in half a 40 breeder where they stay in there cave for the most part and the other half has a 7” male nic

Dempseys are ok but like salvini I find them fairly “self involved “

 

[aussieman57]

40 breeder with your water you could do blue acaras, small gymnos, Krobia sp, burjuquina sp, might be tight for geoohagus steindachneri complex but probably doable, cichlasoma dimerus and other sp, australheros sp.

Could look into Central American species as well most of the cribroheros would work, as would cryptoheros / amatiania, or thoricthys.

I keep or have kept almost everything I’ve listed in a tank that size with water like yours. There’s way too much stuff to keep well, healthy and breeding in that water to even bother considering RODI

for your plants. You need to get ahold of oyster shells, drill 1/4, or 3/8“ holes in them and stick your plants stems/ root ball down through the holes you’ve drilled. You now have a shield around the plant that they can’t dig up. That’s how I plant my cichlids tanks. Some
Cichlids will still break all the stems off some won’t

Thanks for that tip I'm going to try that.

 

[duanes]

To me, a 40 breeder is too small for most Central Americans, the only ones I'd attempt in a tank of that size for any length of time, would be either Amatitlania nanoluteus or Herotilapia multispinossa. Most others mentioned might work when young, but would soon outgrow the tank, and/or in that cramped space would induce intraspecies aggression.
I have kept both the ones I mentioned in a standard 75 gal (very similar to the 40 breeder) and in similar water type as yours.

https://hosting.photobucket.com/albums/i97/dstuer/nanoluteus/.highres/053_zps2cb500d0.jpg?width=450&height=278&crop=fill

Above male A nanoluteus, below female

https://hosting.photobucket.com/albums/i97/dstuer/nanoluteus/female%20nano/.highres/015_zps70671d6c.jpg?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds

Below H multispinossa

https://hosting.photobucket.com/albums/i97/dstuer/multispinossa/Intexspinossa/spawn/20galspawn/.highres/IMG_9318_zpshjopu5ez.jpg?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds

https://hosting.photobucket.com/albums/i97/dstuer/multispinossa/Intexspinossa/spawn/20galspawn/.highres/IMG_9329_zpskunpyow0.jpg?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds

I've also had A HRP spawn in a similar tank, in similar water parameters, but they were quite and small young at the time

https://hosting.photobucket.com/albums/i97/dstuer/cutteri/red%20point/spawn/2nd%20spawn/.highres/IMG_9305_zpsggzjob6u.jpg?width=1920&height=1080&fit=boundshttps://hosting.photobucket.com/albums/i97/dstuer/cutteri/red%20point/spawn/2nd%20spawn/.highres/IMG_9723_zpsglopfmzo.jpg?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds

 

[PhishMon84]

personally, if you are planning on maintaining Rift lake parameters for the 90, I'd stick to similar parameters for the 40b. I've kept pairs/colonies of altolamprologus in tanks that size. I've also kept leleupi/brichardi colonies and other Tanganyikans in that footprint. i realize Tangs require a higher PH than malawi but not as much of a divergence as with SA fish. This would, in a pinch allow you to move fish from one tank to the other ( at least temporarily) if there was a need.

the Tang goby type cichlids are very fun and cool to keep

 

[Joshuakahan]

Considered doing the RODI route but would rather not start chasing water parameters at this point and stick with fish that will enjoy my current water supply. That's why I'm currently leaning toward the rainbow cichlid at this point and will be doing Rift Lake Africans in the 90 once it gets set up.

Smart move, after the cycle, I only concern myself with nitrates. I’m in Phoenix and we have very hard water and rifties and rainbows did great for me

 

[aussieman57]

personally, if you are planning on maintaining Rift lake parameters for the 90, I'd stick to similar parameters for the 40b. I've kept pairs/colonies of altolamprologus in tanks that size. I've also kept leleupi/brichardi colonies and other Tanganyikans in that footprint. i realize Tangs require a higher PH than malawi but not as much of a divergence as with SA fish. This would, in a pinch allow you to move fish from one tank to the other ( at least temporarily) if there was a need.

the Tang goby type cichlids are very fun and cool to keep

I considered this approach which quite frankly would make a lot more sense. I had planned on doing a South American theme in the 90 but the wife wanted Rift Lake Cichlids. Since I spent many years breeding Malawi, Tanganyikan & Victorian Cichlids I really wanted to try my hand at something else, hence the other dirt road for the 40. But you are right this would have been a saner option.