as the title says. i have a 30 gallon tank. 3 foot long , 16 inches or so tall, 12 inches deep. i am moving and can only keep 1 of my 6 tanks. i was thinking of doing a cichlid tank. i have kept many freshwater tanks but never cichlids. i am disabled so the easier to maintain the better. i will admit to not knowing much so i am reading and trying to learn. first the questions.
fish.
what can i keep in a 30 long? is this even feasable? many of the sites i find don't give the actual length of the fish. i love the look of Labidochromis caeruleus yellow kind .i would like to keep a contrasting blue fish if i can. scientific names help.
i only have 2 petshops within reasonable driving distance, and they may not be able to get them so maybe some reputable online dealer references would be nice. again, they screw up orders sometimes unless i give them scientific names.
what should i keep for cleanup/algae eating? i don't want to buy a pleco that will outgrow my tank.
aggression. i would like it if it could be kept as low as possible. having to move rocks around once put in place or catching a fish to isolate it may be hard for me. also what should i introduce and when.
substrate. i want black substrate. i have found these 2 that might help buffer the water.
http://www.seachem.com/Products/product_pages/OnyxSand.html and
http://www.seachem.com/Products/product_pages/GrayCoast.html
would these types of fish need a sand substrate? what are your opinions on these substrates. if i put some crushed coral in a mesh bag in my canister filter would that be enough buffer?
rockwork. i have that covered.
filter. i was thinking of an eheim 2215. i can order a 2217 impeller and stick it in there for a higher gph if needed.
i was going to do a totally different setup but i was inspired by this video. this is basically the look i am going for. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DECOdtYKbGk
any help is welcome. if i don't think i can do this i will go with my original simpler idea.
fish.
what can i keep in a 30 long? is this even feasable? many of the sites i find don't give the actual length of the fish. i love the look of Labidochromis caeruleus yellow kind .i would like to keep a contrasting blue fish if i can. scientific names help.
i only have 2 petshops within reasonable driving distance, and they may not be able to get them so maybe some reputable online dealer references would be nice. again, they screw up orders sometimes unless i give them scientific names.
what should i keep for cleanup/algae eating? i don't want to buy a pleco that will outgrow my tank.
aggression. i would like it if it could be kept as low as possible. having to move rocks around once put in place or catching a fish to isolate it may be hard for me. also what should i introduce and when.
substrate. i want black substrate. i have found these 2 that might help buffer the water.
http://www.seachem.com/Products/product_pages/OnyxSand.html and
http://www.seachem.com/Products/product_pages/GrayCoast.html
would these types of fish need a sand substrate? what are your opinions on these substrates. if i put some crushed coral in a mesh bag in my canister filter would that be enough buffer?
rockwork. i have that covered.
filter. i was thinking of an eheim 2215. i can order a 2217 impeller and stick it in there for a higher gph if needed.
i was going to do a totally different setup but i was inspired by this video. this is basically the look i am going for. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DECOdtYKbGk
any help is welcome. if i don't think i can do this i will go with my original simpler idea.
