sand for yellow labs? questions from a newb..

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
J

Jrob

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Apr 7, 2011
709
1
33
34
Michigan
Ok, before everyone goes on a tangent...and tells me that the tank is way too small. This is why i posted this. lol.
I currently have a 10 gallon tank with 9 yellow lab cichlids in it, all about 1" long. and 1 ghetto peacock cichlid of some sort..that is <1"

I purchased a 29 gallon from petco yesterday for the 1$ per gallon deal (gotta love it)... and am upgrading the 10 into the 29 asap. However, i have some questions.

I want to do a sand substrate in this tank..... i was going to go with the caribsea white sand, for a 1" base of sand throughout the tank. Unless someone has a better opinion or experience with some other brand.. and why..?
1.) Is 1" a good enough base for the tank, or should the deep sand bed rule like in SW be applied where you need 3" or more..
2.) When trying to clean the food and waste off of the bottom, what is the best method to do this?
3.) I will be running a penguin 440 or 400 w/e it is, biowheel on the tank, as well as having a small sponge filter in one of the corners...so it is a bit over-filtered. However, i would also like to have a small clean up crew, what are some viable options i could run with these yellow labs. Something that wouldn't eat yellow lab fry to come at a later date, because the reasoning behind these cichlids, is $$$. I am breeding them, growing them out, and selling them for some change to my LFS.
4.) All of my previous cichlids have torn up any type of plant life i have attempted to put in. So if i do attempt to grow plants in this tank as well, just the basics...java ferns, anarchs, moss balls, and crypts...would the yellow labs uproot, and tear them apart...? If so i have no problem going driftwood, and rock...


Thanks everyone for your expertise and timely response...much appreciated
 
Ok, before everyone goes on a tangent...and tells me that the tank is way too small. This is why i posted this. lol.
I currently have a 10 gallon tank with 9 yellow lab cichlids in it, all about 1" long. and 1 ghetto peacock cichlid of some sort..that is <1"

I purchased a 29 gallon from petco yesterday for the 1$ per gallon deal (gotta love it)... and am upgrading the 10 into the 29 asap. However, i have some questions.

I want to do a sand substrate in this tank..... i was going to go with the caribsea white sand, for a 1" base of sand throughout the tank. Unless someone has a better opinion or experience with some other brand.. and why..?
I like using pool filter sand, it's fine grained, heavy so it doesn't get stirred up easily, and is super cheap so if you lose some during a WC it's not a big deal.
1.) Is 1" a good enough base for the tank, or should the deep sand bed rule like in SW be applied where you need 3" or more..
Stick with the 1", unless you're going to have something to stir the sand regularly then you risk developing pockets of gas.
2.) When trying to clean the food and waste off of the bottom, what is the best method to do this?
If you don't have a python yet then get one, it will make your life much easier. You just vacuum like you would with gravel except you leave the end just slightly off of the sand instead of sticking it down into the substrate. It will take a few attempts to get the method down right for you but if you're using PFS as suggested above then you have room for error.
3.) I will be running a penguin 440 or 400 w/e it is, biowheel on the tank, as well as having a small sponge filter in one of the corners...so it is a bit over-filtered. However, i would also like to have a small clean up crew, what are some viable options i could run with these yellow labs. Something that wouldn't eat yellow lab fry to come at a later date, because the reasoning behind these cichlids, is $$$. I am breeding them, growing them out, and selling them for some change to my LFS.
Malaysian trumpet snails should work, although you might run into the problem of population control if you don't have any method of keeping them in check.
4.) All of my previous cichlids have torn up any type of plant life i have attempted to put in. So if i do attempt to grow plants in this tank as well, just the basics...java ferns, anarchs, moss balls, and crypts...would the yellow labs uproot, and tear them apart...? If so i have no problem going driftwood, and rock...
I haven't yet found any plants that Mbuna won't destroy, unless you go fake. They would be much happier with rocks and driftwood anyways, making sure there are lots of little caves and nooks for them to hide in. This will help curb aggression and can encourage breeding.

Thanks everyone for your expertise and timely response...much appreciated
 
Yeah i have heavily considered using PFS... as i have seen many people on hear use it and not have many issues...

ok..

yeah i have one, i have 2 separate tanks in which i use it as gravel vac...

what would be a viable way to keep the numbers in check?? feeding the bigger ones to clown loaches in another tank? lol

Okay thanks for the help...rocks and slate/driftwood with some silk plants... i guess it is... because thats all i want is for them to BANG BANG BANG haha
 
one thing to think about id that white sand will strip alot of coulor out of your fish as they will try and blend into the surroundings
i would go fo a black sant this will make the fish pop out as there colou darkens
my 2 cents just something to think about is all
 
I will also mention that there won't be tons of money in yellow labs - they are very common fish and therefore not expensive. If you are the only provider (or one of the only providers) for your LFS then you might be able to offset your cost of keeping the tank, but that is probably about it. Not trying to burst your bubble or talk you out of the tank, just wanted to be realistic.

I agree with what Inglorious said, and in my 125g I have PFS. I have yellow labs (along with many other fish) and have no problems with color fading. Black sand would certainly look good, but I think it has more to do with the contrast between a bright yellow and the dark black. Either way, good luck.
 
My lfs told me that they're looking for breeders of any pure African due to its popularity... I would only be able to sell them for probably 5-8 dollars a fish is what they told me... I'm not looking to get rich, I considered doing ebjd to get rich lol... However I just want some sort of return on all the money I've spent... Even if it takes a while... I also though about doing a planted tank and selling plant life... But ive never had plants... Just coral, and they are hurting lol

Sent from my PC36100 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
 
Your LFS will pay you $5-8 each, that's pretty high. Around here the stores have a hard time moving them whenever they get priced above $5. I can only guess what the stores are buying them for.
 
as long as i am talking about the same fish lol in which i believe i am, my lfs says its the easiest thing they have to sell...??? lol i hope im not screwing myself here
 
Well, I would agree that yellow labs (Labidochromis caeraleus) are pretty easy to sell because they are one of the least aggressive mbuna and are very pretty. Also they are monomorphic (meaning females and males look the same), so people aren't as finicky about getting a particular sex. If you have a "guarantee" from your LFS that they will pay you $5-8 a fish that is awesome and best of luck. I also plan to breed and sell to help offset the cost of this wonderful hobby. One thing you may want to check on is what size the LFS is talking about, because buying 1.5" juveniles for $5-8 is very different than buying full sized adults (~5") for $5-8. Also, sometimes they will only take so many at a time, so you might want to be careful how often you allow them to breed because you could get overrun with fry very quickly if you aren't careful.

As I said earlier - Good luck.
 
Jrob said:
My lfs told me that they're looking for breeders of any pure African due to its popularity... I would only be able to sell them for probably 5-8 dollars a fish is what they told me... I'm not looking to get rich, I considered doing ebjd to get rich lol... However I just want some sort of return on all the money I've spent... Even if it takes a while... I also though about doing a planted tank and selling plant life... But ive never had plants... Just coral, and they are hurting lol

Sent from my PC36100 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
Click to expand...

What's the name of the LFS? I have hundreds of fry i can ship them at those prices.....lol
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom