Which rock and layout for rams

Hi i'm starting up a 4ft 70 gallon tank and i am currently keeping tang and african cichlids. I want to change over to more of a community setup when i get this new tank running. I like to try out rams, preferably the blue rams and maybe golden rams, then stock whats suitable along side of them. I'm thinking about the layout and went to a couple fish places and garden centers to see whats available. I wasn't sure what would look good and was hoping for some ideas and suggestions please for inspiration. Preferably what will the ram and other fish prefer. I don't mind pictures even of your current setup as i'm mostly looking for inspiration and maybe type of rock names.

Thanks for any help in advance.

Wood is the prime aquascaping material for South American fish. A sand substrate definitely. Plants and wood, or just the wood with floating plants, up to you. Rock is not present in most habitats, with some exceptions but these watercourses would not see rams, if you're aiming to be somewhat authentic.

Compatible fish are not difficult here, but one must keep in mind the higher temperatures for the rams, and this can limit other fish species. Water parameters will enter into this too.

Byron.

Thank you. I never knew they needed higher temp than usual. I don't mind using wood but i don't like the tint effect they make. Are there any types to look out for which doesn't leave the tint effect and one that sinks straight to the floor? I was hoping to use a mix of 40% rock, 20% wood and 40% free space. Also rock and wood areas will be planted. I'm not sure as to which rock to get. If i go to b&q or garden centers are all the outdoor tocks suitable for aquaria?

Rocks*

The tannins from wood do aid the fish, and while some wood takes forever (it seems) there is wood that is not as bad for continuing tannins. I use Malaysian Driftwood which is very dark brown; it is heavy so it sinks immediately without have to waterlog (unlike most other wood), and I have found it better regarding the tannins. I never see tinted water in my tanks now, and I have tons of this in my tanks, I will add some photos to illustrate. This is essential with South American fish.

Rock, again is not natural, but no harm in having some. You haven't mentioned parameters yet, but you will want the water soft and slightly acidic for these fish, and that means avoiding calcareous rock. The rock youwould use for your rift lake cichlids is no good here if it is calcareous. "River rock," being rounded pebbles of differing sizes, is usually safe; I have this in my SE Asian loach tank as it is natural to that habitat, but rock in my SA tanks is little or none. I buy my river rock from a landscape/garden outlet.

We will need to know the lighting specs and water parameters to say much about plants. But floating are important in these tanks to not only dim the light (which makes the fish more colourful and less stressed) but they also do a good job of using nutrients like ammonia/ammonium.

The first photo is my present Amazon riverscape, done in a 4-foot 70g tank as you are intending. The second is a 3-foot 40g Amazon flooded forest. Dwarf cichlids were work in either of these (forgetting the temperature issue for the moment).

Byron.

Thanks for your help and great detail of info. That's a nice tank setup. After reading everything you've wrote and seeing your tank pics. I'm not 100% sure if going with rams is best choice for us but i still feel it might work with a bit more advice.

We're looking to keep our pictus and featherfin catfish for this new setup. First of all i don't know if temperature will be an issue for these fish. Since the rams need it high, unless i can keep it high but not too high? That's the first concern.

Secondly. I know my brothers not a huge fan of wood filled tank. We've always had ocean rock pretty much since we been keeping cichlids but i know ocean rock is no good for SA cichlids. I think its my fault though lol since i tried 2 types of wood one that coloured the whole tank and the other which never sunk lol. The Malaysian driftwood sounds like a good choice though.

I would like to accommodate for the catfish and rams if that's pssoble. I know especially the pictus likes to be around some smooth rocky areas. They also like in dim lit areas. I'm thinking having nearly 3/4 of tank dim lit with floating plants, driftwood and more plants and the other half or so more of a rocky area and no floating plants but more sand filled with big pebble beech rocks. The tank is 22" high nd we will only be using a couple of t8 tubes maybe 3 at max.

Now we're getting into problems. Pictus catfish will not work with rams, for several important reasons. Temperature is one, with any warm cichlids, but this pales in comparison to the other issues. Pictus are predatory and will easily eat small fish, and being nocturnal this is easy pickings for sedate fish. The activity of Pictus is also distressing to sedate cichlids. The stronger water flow needed can stress out many other fish. The list goes on, more data here:
http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/pimelodus-pictus/

The Featherfin, presumably Synodontis euptera, has similar traits, more here:
http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/synodontis-euptera/

Pictus need a group, six or more, which will work in your 4-foot 70g. But tankmates will need to be very carefully selected. We had a thread on this very subject a few weeks back.

Thanks, for all of your help. I am looking to add more pictus catfish. Is stocking around pictus easy? I might consider fish like barbs and silver sharks if they are suitable? Any other ideas of something quite unique to add. Also to add i am interested in getting oddball fish like spiny eels if they're okay?

Do you have a link to that thread about pictus thread please?

Thanks for all your help about the rams. I guess i'll have to consider them for another setup. What would you consider mininum for a pair may consider another tank.

I tried to find the pictus thread but couldn't. The issue with pictus is their very active swimming that will stress out sedate fish, plus they will eat small fish. Barbs would work, but avoid the fin nipping species. "Silver Shark" I assume is the Bala Shark, Balantiocheilus melanopterus, which is more a barb than a loach, and needs a tank twice the length you are intending, read more here:
http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/balantiocheilos-melanopterus/

To the ram question. First, males are territorial (like all cichlids) but the Neotropical species are quite different from the African rift lake species you are familiar with. If you want a pair to spawn, you need to select a bonded pair from the tank of rams. A pair could manage in a 29g (30 inch/76 cm length), but two males in this space could mean only one male before long, and just any male and female might end the same with just one of them. You'd want more space for more than just a bonded pair.

Thanks for all your help i really appreciate it