Advice For My Tank Please

[Dave26]

Hi, I've recently gone from having four separate tanks to one larger one (well I say one, its actually two, but who's counting ) It's four foot wide by almost 3 foot tall, 15" front to back at the sides and 20" in the middle. I've got an FX5 coming tomorrow. Eventually it'll be home to a green terror and jack dempsey (once I get hold of a male of each), the jurupari (6 but will probably reduce to 3) and the 5 emperor tetra, with the ellioti being given to a friend. My issue is that the tank is clearly very tall and so scaping it isn't easy, plant wise I just don't think it's going to work. I've ordered some black felt for the background, the bin liners were just to give me an idea of how it'll look, four pieces of redmoor root and some java moss that I will attach to the root and bogwood. My plan is to put three pieces of the root at the bottom, and have one attached at the top, the question is, how would I attach it? Also I fancy some plants somewhere, so I'm thinking of having plants from the top and going below the surface, rather than up from the bottom, any suggestions?

Any suggestions, criticisms or ideas are welcome!

Ps please excuse the dirty glass!

 

[GShorty1981]

I would keep the Ellioti, tank will be crowded but will spread out agression (people will say it dont work with sa/ca but i have been doing it for 15 years).

 

[Dave26]

I would keep the Ellioti, tank will be crowded but will spread out agression (people will say it dont work with sa/ca but i have been doing it for 15 years).

My worry was that the ellioti will be very soft in comparison to a gt and jd, wouldn't they be too aggressive?

 

[GShorty1981]

It Depends but my 5-6" Aureus would harass my 10" GT and not the other way round, JDs in my experience are soft as shiz, but will stand up for themselves.

 

[Liam2368]

The Ellioti will not have the tools to back up the gill flaring against a gt for sure and probably the jd, thorichtys are all talk but when it comes to actually lip locking and fighting they are very weak hence why there biggest form of aggression and intimidation is Gill flaring.

If you start the gt and jd as small juvis that are smaller than the Ellioti then that may work or at least for quite a while.

 

[star4]

Its hard knowing what fish are going to work, everyone is going to tell you different. Personally I have kept ellioti with a group of texas & a jd, I have had them in with an oscar too, the majority of the time the gill flaring is enough.

As for decor, get some oak branches strip the bark and clean them up and use the hight of the tank by having the branches running top to bottom, rather than bogwood all over the bottom. If you search ebay for vivarium plants there are some nice silk plants that you can stick onto the glass, these create good hiding areas for fish to go and chill out in.

 

[thereverendturtle]

Say goodbye to your tetras.

 

[Dave26]

Say goodbye to your tetras.

Aye I think they'll have to go when I get a gt and jd, although I was under the impression that dither fish would lessen the aggression? Being emperor tetras they are quite chunky and I'm looking at getting juvenile jd and gt, obviously if the consensus is they should go then go they will, before I get the new cichlids.

Star, are oak branches safe to put in a tank?

Any thoughts on plants for the surface that would dangle down? Want to stick to live plants really.

Slightly ot but I've got my fx5 running (along with my 305 for now) and even after an hour the water clarity has visibly improved.