|
Post by eve on Feb 27, 2009 17:38:11 GMT -5
the fact and the matter here is that you shouldn't keep more then 1 single species in this tank however, you obviously don't wonna hear it, as you have been told what you want to hear fact and the matter is also, that i'm giving you advice you don't want to hear, hence you transferred your fish from an established tank into a cycling tank, against my advice and a couple of other people which said the same, but because you heard from 1 person what you wanted to hear, you did it fact is also that you have other fish in your tank to consider, which i'm sorry, but jon seems to forget that's correct, they don't have many decorations which will work however, you don't need to buy such a huge decoration for such a small tank in comparison you can easily put 3 decorations in there without any problems as example those are all small affordable decorations, which would look great in your tank, and give a lot of hiding spots you can also use slate as i mentioned before already and build caves
|
|
|
Post by eve on Feb 27, 2009 17:39:30 GMT -5
I guess I am more open to mixing in a tank that size as I have seen it done and work well for people. To me if you want to try it do, but be prepared to un do it if it doesn't work. The key would also being putting them all in at the same time.The Ahli however will be too big...You could try one of these... www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=2292 they don't get huge and they're peaceful and not really teritorial and may work well with 2 female yellow labs. Your tank looks beautiful, but I am not sure if that decor would work either. yes, for an experienced aquarist, absolutely yes but not for a beginner
|
|
|
Post by corycatwoman on Feb 27, 2009 17:40:14 GMT -5
ya i will take it back to the pet store. and ill take pictures of the selections there that i want to get and make sure this time before purchasing it that it will work.
|
|
|
Post by corycatwoman on Feb 27, 2009 17:41:07 GMT -5
i do like that species brenda good choice ill look into information on them and there diet and care.
|
|
|
Post by corycatwoman on Feb 27, 2009 17:43:23 GMT -5
thanks eve some of those were similar to the ones i looked at. and i was also condidering the slate method but there werent any slate at the store i was at just carved marble which was expensive and only had 1 hole in it.
|
|
|
Post by corycatwoman on Feb 27, 2009 17:46:06 GMT -5
im also not aposed to having single species in my tank, i just would like a variety of colors rather then just 3 of the same color fish. there is also 2 peoples opinions on our side. i would prefer a lab and lana would prefer a blue hap but the haps are too big and she doesnt really care for the labs so were just trying to compromise and gather all the information possible and come up with the best solution for us.
|
|
|
Post by eve on Feb 27, 2009 17:49:32 GMT -5
ok, then what color are you looking at there are species which are more then just one colored
|
|
|
Post by eve on Feb 27, 2009 17:51:59 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by brenda on Feb 27, 2009 17:52:45 GMT -5
That is a good point...Why don't you mention colors you'd like and we may be able to put it all together in one species.
|
|
|
Post by corycatwoman on Feb 27, 2009 17:55:00 GMT -5
since the decoration we have in the tank wont work, then what kind of decoration the same size as that would work? and how is our tank to small for that big of a decoration? its a 28 gallon tank so how is that to small for the decoration? and just because you think we are beginners doesnt mean that we wont look up the information or ask other people who work with fish everyday. we take in all the information everyone has given us and done pros and cons with what will work for us and our tank. its just really frustrating for me to go out and buy all of this stuff and then for people to turn around and tell us that it wont work. not trying to be mean or anything but its just is irritating for me. i do appreciate all the information that we have gotten from everyone on the site, dont get me wrong. so um...i do like the help that we are getting but i would just like a variety of different fish in there that are similar in species.
thanks
lana
|
|
|
Post by corycatwoman on Feb 27, 2009 17:56:59 GMT -5
the colors that i would like to have are like yellow,bright blue,purple,dark blue,stripped with either blue with white or blue with black. thats mainly about it with the colors.
|
|
|
Post by eve on Feb 27, 2009 18:02:05 GMT -5
Iana, honestly, at the moment i don't really know what to tell you anymore the beginner remark was not meant as an offense however, you're beginners i love cichlids, they have become my passion what i'm trying to explain to you guys here, is don't make the same mistakes we all made that's the reason i'm so passionate about it i went through a hell of a lot of fish until i found out about cycling and the right maintenance take it slow yes, you did go out and buy stuff, you can also keep this decoration without any problems but you guys are forgetting that you have other fish in there as well which might work with any of the cichlids chosen, which might not nobody knows until it has been tried it might work for 6 months down the road, but all of a sudden it won't just take caution
|
|
|
Post by corycatwoman on Feb 27, 2009 18:17:00 GMT -5
we are planning to transfer the fish out of the 28 gallon tank into a different tank.
my original plan was to move the cory cats into the established 10 gallon tank for the time being while we build our cichlid tank terrain.
i have a feeling that might overcrowd our 10 gallon tank soo i was going to buy a new 10 gallon tank and cycle it and then move 3 of the cory cats and the golden dojo into the new tank and leave the remaining 3 cory cats in with the guppies and the glass catfish.
that would then be 4 fish in a 10 gallon tank after its cycled. and 7 fish in the other established 10 gallon tank.
but for the moment we have not baught any cichlids we are planning to study up on everyones input and choose which cichlids were going to put. and i see no harm in building up the terrain for cichlids with only 6 cory cats and a golden dojo loach in a 28 gallon tank.
once the decor is finished then im going to move to the next step would be to figure out where id like all my fish to be. im thinking ill need to get a new 10 gallon tank for that and cycle it and then transfer who i want into it.
this is going to take few months. and to save money and effort in the future i was going to have my 28 gallon tank already set up for cichlids cycled and established which its already cycled and i just need to get the correct decor for it and then when im ready to purchase whatever cichlids were going to get. i can transfer the fish out to the other tanks i will have. and will be cycled (3 or 4 months from now) and then everything will be set for the cichlids.
if theres any flaws in my plan please let me know. i was just thinking ahead and trying to plan everything as well as possible. and i probably should have mentiond my plans ahead of time so no one would jump to conclusions thinking that im just going on instinct. we have already lost fish due to cycling, disease, and just bad luck. so we have learned alot of lessons and were trying to do whats best and most advised for us to do this time around to not lose anymore fish or money.
James
|
|
|
Post by eve on Feb 27, 2009 18:22:45 GMT -5
james, that sounds much better that's exactly the way it came across, doing it at right away that is a great plan to have ok, i was looking at your colors there is a species which pretty much has all of them you want ever considered kenyii's? here they're www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=798
|
|
|
Post by corycatwoman on Feb 27, 2009 18:31:23 GMT -5
i plan to be very picky with this tank just because we have lost so many fish over the past month, so i would like to get a fish that is going to last in the tank. and also have the colors im looking for and preferably a variety of colors. so that when everything is done ill be able to relax and enjoy the tank and only have to do the water changes and keeping the tank looking clean,and also keep the fish well fed and healthy.
|
|
|
Post by jonv on Feb 27, 2009 18:48:28 GMT -5
I can see how things much seem overwhelming and too much being hit at you at any one time.
The simply pure guts basics I have used over the years is like this.
Tank space and sex almost dictate what you can and cannot do when it comes to Africans. I got out of South Americans not long before I decided to grow out South American Arowana. So I don't have much input to give on the South American aspect, but Bill probably could come in handy on that.
With the Africans, you consider the footprint and space that males would occupy. Too much what I feel is anecdotal information comes out about this Malawi overstocking to reduce aggression, and the rocks and decor. Rocks and decor are nice to have, and can have some limited uses, but when you get right down to it, the secondary factor that drives the aggression in African males is two things, the space, and females. If you take females out of the equation, you can actually dilute the aggression to some extent. It won't take it out all the way, but you'll see heightend colors as well as more activity and aggression in a male that is trying to court females into breeding. Without females, they seem to wander the tank losing sight of things to a small degree.
So to me, I think the thing here is watching your males. Every now and then, you will get an aggressive female, and no one, no matter how many years they've been doing it, can ever predict that. You just have to observe. Sexing them isn't the easiest of tasks either. The pictures Carl put up on the article I helped sponsor are good tools to get an idea of what to look for, but I can tell you from personally doing this in practice, when you actually see the vent itself, it almost never looks as good and clear as those pictures. Some vents are a little large in the males, and could be mistaken for a female, sometimes the vice versa can occur as well. Still, it gives you a little bit better basis to sex them then just sheer size and colors. As I've found out with the yellows I gave John, it only worked out 66% of the fish.
I personally do not see an issue with 2 species, though this is NOT an ideal footprint to work with. Either way, I think the key to your success doing that would be you have to get 1 male only of one species, the other I would not get a male. There are so many species out there to pick from as well. If aggression or deaths are a worry, then I think this indicates, Malawi Mbuna would not be my first choice. Out of the Africans out there, these are probably the highest in terms of aggression. However, you really don't have significant space to grow any larger Haps, so this hampers things.
I would probably advise, based on all the input, to go with the Tangyangikan Shell dwellers myself. The space is ideal and the water is almost ideal. That would be my #1 suggestion. #2 would be something in the Vics, such as the Xistochromis Phytophagus (Christmas Fulu's that myself, Barb and Brenda carry) Very colorful and not the highest of aggressive types. However, these have a higher price tag in most cases, so the Albert Yellow Belly sounds promising in that it has nice color patterns in a bi-color setting in males, and the size they grow to is the 3-4 inch size range. Something like that would be my second suggestion.
For a #3 I would probably try a Mbuna/Peacock mix. In most cases, Peacocks if you get a solo male, shouldn't be an issue with Mbuna, and give you a decent centerpiece fish. The aggression between it and Mbuna should be minimal, but that castle you have in there could distort where a Peacock would normally dwell because that castle projects very high in the tank. That is pretty much why I'd look to this as a third option only.
All in all, I think if you want to jump into something, look at the shell dwellers first. It will give you a starting point for keeping Africans, and it's Africans as well, you don't often see being posted about, and that in my opinion, is an advantage for you. The size and area they dwell in would allow for dither fish to bulk up your count, and your water is just as close to naturally ideal for a Tangyangikan like this as you can get. I hope this helps straighten things out for you.
|
|
|
Post by brenda on Feb 27, 2009 18:52:34 GMT -5
Good work eve!!!! I haven't dealt with as many mbuna so don't always know all the options there. You get the yellow from males and blue w/black barring with the females. I would have never thought of that one. That may even be a better option that mixing species as you will get to see their true behavior which is the best part of having them.
|
|
|
Post by eve on Feb 27, 2009 19:07:16 GMT -5
Good work eve!!!! I haven't dealt with as many mbuna so don't always know all the options there. You get the yellow from males and blue w/black barring with the females. I would have never thought of that one. That may even be a better option that mixing species as you will get to see their true behavior which is the best part of having them. thanks dear i had them myself, that's the main reason they came to mind actually that's exactly the main reason why i wouldn't put more then 1 species the more you can observe about a species the more you learn
|
|
|
Post by murdock6701 on Feb 27, 2009 21:08:31 GMT -5
just a note here on caves - I have cave #3 as posted by Eve in page 2 - the hole you see passes through and is large enough for the male to get into from both sides - that is his cave - need a smaller one as well for the female w/ a smaller hole if that;s route you go....
|
|
|
Post by corycatwoman on Feb 27, 2009 23:10:06 GMT -5
took the decoration back to pet store. posted a bunch of options that the petstore has in stock. on the 28 gallon complete thread that i posted earlier today.
|
|