Looking for Cichlids initial setup advice - Thanks!
- Thread starter Metalspoon96
- Start date
cebosound;4741108; said:
Mbuna would be the very first choice. They get between 4"-6" depending on the specific species, but they're mostly length and no bulk. Also, because of aggression, it's recommended that you overcrowd them a little to spread the violence out. They come in so many colors.
No matter what you decide, be sure to research, research, research. For example, mbuna need a strictly vegetarian diet, or they bloat and die.
Oh, and also, make sure your tank is properly cycled. You might get anxious to have fish in the tank already, but if you rush the most important part, you're just gonna have to deal with headache after headache.
if u get cons make sure their not male female and either all male or female, females look better with the orange but dont get as big, i would suggest a normal male jack dempsey as they "can" be really active and dither fish are a good idea as he is very territorial. a female jd would be better with some femal cons and some mollies or small guppys, though that is not nessicary. also their are pink convicts and marble- same fish
What I was thinking was getting 3 different kinds of fish, so that I don't risk having breeding partners. JD, Convict, Firemouth.... or something like that. I still have about 5 days before I can put any fish in there, but I plan on getting the fish at least a week apart. Do you think that is ok, or should I allow more/less time?
Get a JD and a few Zebras.. Either way go with the JD not EBJD if your a beginner because a reg. JD is a more hardy fish.. Or maybe a Severum.
I also like the JD, firemouth, Con idea. Try to get all females but probably only the Con can be sexed at a small size.
I have cory Catfish with all my cichlids and never had a problem at all. 6 is a nice size group of them.
A bristle nose pleco can go in as well as they stay small. DO NOT get a common Pleco.
A group of 12+ larger Tetras looks great too. I like Columbian and Buenos Aires Tetras. Get all of one kind so they school together.
Petsmart has a big sal on fish till the end of January. Tetras are only $1 each.
GL...Bill
I have cory Catfish with all my cichlids and never had a problem at all. 6 is a nice size group of them.
A bristle nose pleco can go in as well as they stay small. DO NOT get a common Pleco.
A group of 12+ larger Tetras looks great too. I like Columbian and Buenos Aires Tetras. Get all of one kind so they school together.
Petsmart has a big sal on fish till the end of January. Tetras are only $1 each.
GL...Bill
MonteSS;4741800; said:
A regular female Dempsey is easy to spot at a small size. Blue splotching on the gill plates is present often times in fish around an inch. I had 4 females and 2 males. The trick is, seeing the fish in the right light.
Gatorxxx420;4741703; said:
I've been using this chemical for the past couple days, it will be 8 days before I put the first fish in the tank.
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753903
Thanks for the suggestion on the Bristlenose Pleco, I think I would like one of these as well!
Metalspoon96;4742452; said:
With Stability, you can go ahead and add your fish now. It will not harm your fish at all and actually, adding them will help speed up the cycling of your filter. I wouldn't add them all at once, but in groups. Like 3-4 Tetra's this week and then a 2-4 more the following week (you can slip the pleco in at this time as well). Then wait another week and go looking around for a Firemouth, JD and Convicts. I'd suggest 1 of each. But by doing it that way, you wont overload your filter and wind up with parameter problems.
