New Setup Finally

[Ogertron3000]

I know some people think a 40 gal is big enough for convicts, but most I've kept, got way too big when full grown, hitting at least 6 ", which to me is gargantuan for such a small tank, andbecaue of their high aggression tendency usually makes for a one, fish tank.
It'd work good as a grow out for young ones, for a good while, but eventually its size doesn't cut it, where rainbows would last their lifetime..

Ive heard they get that big but never seen one even close to that size. I think the biggest ive ever seen was around 4 inches which someone had traded in to a LFS. I said in another post that i think it maybe because they are so inbred here or sit in an stressed out overcrowded shop tank for months and months, possibly there are some that big in australia and i just havent seen one. Normally they are sold at 1.5 inches from a tank with hundreds in it for just a few dollars, my thinking was it would be cool to get 2 and give them a nice home and see if how big they actually get. one concern I had is if they kill each other and the survivor becomes dominant in a small tank like this then id have no hope of getting any other cichlids in there without bloodshed.

 

[Gourami Swami]

Ive heard they get that big but never seen one even close to that size. I think the biggest ive ever seen was around 4 inches which someone had traded in to a LFS. I said in another post that i think it maybe because they are so inbred here or sit in an stressed out overcrowded shop tank for months and months, possibly there are some that big in australia and i just havent seen one. Normally they are sold at 1.5 inches from a tank with hundreds in it for just a few dollars, my thinking was it would be cool to get 2 and give them a nice home and see if how big they actually get. one concern I had is if they kill each other and the survivor becomes dominant in a small tank like this then id have no hope of getting any other cichlids in there without bloodshed.

Either way, IMO with central american cichlids, you aren't going to be able to do any type of community tank in that footprint. Your options are pretty much solo male or pair, with dithers. There are plenty of dwarf south american cichlids which are more tolerant of each other, which you could probably get a couple species to live in there. But the centrals, I can't see more than one species of cichlid living in the tank peacefully

 

[Ogertron3000]

Either way, IMO with central american cichlids, you aren't going to be able to do any type of community tank in that footprint. Your options are pretty much solo male or pair, with dithers. There are plenty of dwarf south american cichlids which are more tolerant of each other, which you could probably get a couple species to live in there. But the centrals, I can't see more than one species of cichlid living in the tank peacefully

I meant either convicts or rainbows. I could imagine the bloodbath if I tried to have both in there!

 

[Ogertron3000]

This new lockdown had slowed down my plans for this tank, only 5 weeks to go!
The good news is i just got my essential worker permit so can travel around again and they just changed the rules slightly so fish shops can reopen a few days per week for essentials.
I might sneak out and at least get some plants and a few livebearers to start things off, Its too early to add the main fish yet and I dont think any shops will be well stocked in the circumstances but it will be good to at least have some life in the tank. Its not really what I should be doing but its very tempting.
My thinking is I can keep an eye on the testing/cycle and do lots of water changes if necessary with a few livebearers in the tank as I will not be going anywhere else for a few weeks yet.

 

[Ogertron3000]

Ive just been tinkering with the layout and noticed a small patch of black beard algae on one of the pieces of wood. This stuff must be indestructable, the wood was taken from my old set up in 2018 and has been sitting in a tub in the garden since then. Its been baked in the summer sun, rained onand chilled in winter, sometimes the tub is full of water and sometimes its empty. I gave them a high pressure wash and quick scrub before I put them in. Now after 2 weeks in a tank with the lights off most days it has somehow resurrected itself!
Tough organism, i dont care though. Tomorrow its getting scrubbed off but no doubt it will resurface again.

 

[jjohnwm]

This is going to be a great-looking tank. I love that wood, and although I think the stones need to be rearranged a bit for a more natural look they will be perfect. Generally speaking, stones need to be lying down on their largest surface to look "right" to me; only rarely do you see a stone in nature balanced on end. Softened a bit with plants...maybe some Java Moss for the wood...this will be nice!

The filter is what it is; maybe best to conceal with plants? Hiding a filter with rocks/wood usually ends up drawing even more attention to it: "What's behind that weird-looking pile of rocks in the corner?"

I know you are more or less discounting them, but I am voting for Firemouths; I love those fish. In large community tanks I have owned in the past, I had breeding pairs of Rainbows, Firemouths and Convicts all industriously "being fruitful and multiplying" and IMHO the Rainbows are so docile and non-aggressive that they are almost un-cichlid-like. The Convicts are the exact opposite, a bit too pushy especially in a small tank. Firemouths are the most colourful and display just the perfect mix of gentleness and aggression to make them interesting. Get 5 or 6 young'uns, pare them down to a single pair as they grow, keep them with a small group of Swordtails or other livebearer (I'm a Goodeid fan myself), and you will have a lovely display that should satisfy all 3 people involved.

Having said all that, I have never even seen Nanoluteus or Myrnae and if I found some in a shop might be hard-pressed to pass them up...instead of, not in addition to, the Firemouths. Whatever you choose, stick with only one species of cichlid for this tank.

Tough luck about the Blackbeard Algae; disgusting stuff. I know some folks seem to like it if it's kept under control, but I can't stand it personally. But, of course, I actually kind of like Hair Algae, so...different strokes, etc. Good luck with the tank, I hope you keep this thread updated.

 

[Ogertron3000]

This is going to be a great-looking tank. I love that wood, and although I think the stones need to be rearranged a bit for a more natural look they will be perfect. Generally speaking, stones need to be lying down on their largest surface to look "right" to me; only rarely do you see a stone in nature balanced on end. Softened a bit with plants...maybe some Java Moss for the wood...this will be nice!

The filter is what it is; maybe best to conceal with plants? Hiding a filter with rocks/wood usually ends up drawing even more attention to it: "What's behind that weird-looking pile of rocks in the corner?"

I know you are more or less discounting them, but I am voting for Firemouths; I love those fish. In large community tanks I have owned in the past, I had breeding pairs of Rainbows, Firemouths and Convicts all industriously "being fruitful and multiplying" and IMHO the Rainbows are so docile and non-aggressive that they are almost un-cichlid-like. The Convicts are the exact opposite, a bit too pushy especially in a small tank. Firemouths are the most colourful and display just the perfect mix of gentleness and aggression to make them interesting. Get 5 or 6 young'uns, pare them down to a single pair as they grow, keep them with a small group of Swordtails or other livebearer (I'm a Goodeid fan myself), and you will have a lovely display that should satisfy all 3 people involved.

Having said all that, I have never even seen Nanoluteus or Myrnae and if I found some in a shop might be hard-pressed to pass them up...instead of, not in addition to, the Firemouths. Whatever you choose, stick with only one species of cichlid for this tank.

Tough luck about the Blackbeard Algae; disgusting stuff. I know some folks seem to like it if it's kept under control, but I can't stand it personally. But, of course, I actually kind of like Hair Algae, so...different strokes, etc. Good luck with the tank, I hope you keep this thread updated.

I still love firemouths but its just i have had them before and wanted something new. They probably are close to the perfect fish for what im looking for though.The mymae would be great but ive never seen them for sale around here. For convenience either firemouths or convicts would be easiest for me to source here as they are always available. To be honest convicts are still a front runner, not sure why they are on my mind so much but they are. Its cool trying to do something like a natural/biotope type tank as ive always just had a mix and match setup but there is a bit more planning involved. I guess thats the influence of this website doing its work on me!

I have changed the stones around a bit as you are correct that it didnt look quite right. As for the filter I think you are right again, anything ive done to hide it makes it look like theres just some random sticks and rocks stuffed into the corner. Maybe I will get a sponge filter instead as it will sit on the gravel and be less obtrusive. Im just worried about the buzz of the airpump as the tanks in the living room and it could be irritating. As the tanks cycling now I will leave this one in and will be quicker to recycle if i get the sponge. I guess I will just have to keep an eye on the algae and scrub it as soon as it pops up, probably an eternal battle from now on.

I will keep the updates coming, I really enjoy the feedback and suggestions and it will keep me motivated. Like most people I find the initial set up and stocking fun but a few months later the novelty wears off a bit. Having you guys looking over my shoulders will keep me on my toes!

 

[Ogertron3000]

Bit of a crappy photo but heres the update. Just did a waterchange so its a bit cloudy.
Got some plants in there and a few fish, 1M and 2F swordtails and 1M and 3F guppies. After a few days the male guppy was all beaten up and died the next day, im guessing the male swordtail was the aggressor.
I forgot how much hassle setting up a new tank is, my first experience with a sand substrate is that it looks cool but is a bit more work than gravel. It seems plants float away easier and everytime you do a W/C it clouds up. I am finding im removing a lot of dust every time so possibly this is temporary. The other annoyance is the wood moving around and falling over every W/C too. I think I will have to move some sand and place it directly on the glass. Then add in all the water testing and its been a bit more work than i expected.
Overall its progressing well, still havent decided on or found the centrepiece cichlids. We are still in lockdown so even if i can get to a LFS theres not much around. I wasnt too keen on the standard orange swordtails but got them just to kick things off, I might get a more natural looking type if i see any around. Whats the best ratio? I imagine 3 females for every male? I might get a few more guppies too, hopefully the first male being killed was just a one off, ive never really had an aggresive swordtail before so am wondering if ive just got a mean one or its some kind of territorial thing as there is no bigger or more threatening fish with them so hes taken the chance to become the boss.

 

[Niki_up]

Nice tank setup.
I wouldn’t try the guppies again, guppies are just not fast enough to escape any harassment. Swords and mollies are aholes lol that’s why they work with cichlids.
as for hiding your filter you could try scooting the rocks more to the left and planting tall stem plants in front of it...you could try vals as they grow tall. Another plant that could help hide the filter might be anubias, just tie a larger one right onto the filter lol or angle wood near the filter with anubias tied to the driftwood.

 

[Ogertron3000]

Nice tank setup.
I wouldn’t try the guppies again, guppies are just not fast enough to escape any harassment. Swords and mollies are aholes lol that’s why they work with cichlids.
as for hiding your filter you could try scooting the rocks more to the left and planting tall stem plants in front of it...you could try vals as they grow tall. Another plant that could help hide the filter might be anubias, just tie a larger one right onto the filter lol or angle wood near the filter with anubias tied to the driftwood.

Thanks, I actually got some more guppies today, 2 M and 3F to go with the 3 females that I already had and also some weird platy looking things that were being sold as "wild type mollies". Ive never seen them before but they arent mollies for sure. I will post some pics once theyve settled in and see if anyone knows what they are. Hopefully now there are more fish the swordtail will be able to distribute the aggresion a bit. I must admit i wasnt prepared for aggression from livebearers that were only meant to be the sideshow and not the main event!'
I think I will replace the filter or set up my old cannister soon enough. Everything I have tried to do to hide it just looks dodgier. Ive got val at the other end of the tank and planted some elodea in front of it which may hide it a bit. Ive really only used old equipment and all the decor has been collected for this set up so might be justified in buying a new and more discreet filter one of these days.