Could I Have Please Have Some Help Setting Up A Biotype Aquarium?

[Mil0002]

hi guys, I got a 2 foot tank a few months ago that is a community aquarium and I have kept that up and running really well, now I want to upgrade to a 4 foot tank and I was planning on setting up a biotype cichlid tank, does anyone have any ideas or pics or even tips on what should be included in a biotype, whatever lake you think would be the most interesting I will probably do, also how hard and expensive are cichlids to keep compared to neons, platys, corys, barbs etc, I am very commited and will spend as much time and money it takes to keep my fish alive,

thanks so much for your help

Daniel

 

[Rick A]

A 4 foot tank will limit the number of Cichlids you can keep - especially if its only 12" wide... You need to go for as decent a size as will fit your room without taking over and that has a decent overall volume: Length x Width x Height.

Which type of Cichlids do you want to keep, South American / New World, African / Old World? The amount of fish you can keep will depend on this. The biotype will also be different for different cichlid types e.g. plants will be a waste of time in a tank full of Malawis and they need a rocky habitat.

Can you handle owning aggressive fish? Many Cichlids are just that, and you will need to do your research on what you can and can't keep with certain fish. You may have to witness a certain amount of fin nipping / lip lock fights / etc and know when to remove beaten up fish / bullies to keep the death toll down...

They are, however, amazing / interesting / colourful / rewarding fish to keep...

There are plenty of links in the Cichlid sections on this site that will give you a good indication of fish types and requirements & compatability issues etc.

You now have some things to start thinking about, and start looking at some of the 'pinned' posts in the Cichlid sections

I'll take another look at this post and have some more time to add some other info in a couple of days or so, when I am less busy at work...

 

[davidblackson]

i would say they are cheaper as they dont die in moments, have far more interesting social behaviour, and the colours kick ass

 

[davidblackson]

i was trying for a mbuna style biotype,. but all plans dont go down the track and i have ended up with many species ( although all malawis ) and mostly mbuna there are some haps and things,. its a large tank so im not to worryed about aggression i think it adds to the interest but of course stop it before it gose to far.,

i will agree you need to be more specific in what you would like being nw or ow ( you'll find with nw you will only be able to keep very few species in a large tank )

at the moment my tank has a large amount of black silica sand with 100kgs of limstone and granite and i belive it looks exactly like the lake,. the fish love all of the caves, nooks and hiding places its amazing to see that when the kingsezei gets angry., EVERY fish ( thats 48 ) totally disapear in the rock work hahahah

 

[Mil0002]

thanks for your replies everyone, I am not entirely sure what I would like to get as I have never had cichlids before, but would like peaceful and interesting species, what do you think would be the best starter fishes for me, I would like to set up a biotype to try and duplicate their natural environment to make them feel less stressed, the tank will be 4 foot x 18 Inches Tall x 14 Inches Wide, I like the idea of a sandy substrate and a lot of rockwork with a bit of driftwood and HEAPS of live plants, also I think that the easist fish to keep would be best for me to start off with and gradually I might add some harder species as I get used to keeping the easier ones, thanks again for all your help

Daniel

 

[bricko]

Hi Mil002,

If you are looking for a tank with lots of plant etc, then most African Cichlids will be out of the equation, also these are usually very agressive fish.

If you are looking for attractive peacefull cichlids with lots of plant then I would suggest some of the dwarf New World varieties available. Some of the most peaceful (but not exclusive) would be German Blue Rams, Cockatoo fish and Keyhole Cichlids. These are all South / Central American dwarf species and are only slightly agressive when breeding. If you had a pair of each in a 50+ G tank I think you would be fine. Ensure you have lots of bogwood and/or rockwork for them to take refuge. If you want lots of plant and a biotope effect then there are lots of variety from the amozon region to chose from. Personally I just go for what look astetically pleasing to me (trust me the fish won't know the difference) and provide shelter for the fish.

Have a look at the link below for my 190l corner tank which is (nearly) an amazon biotope

[URL="http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=249375&hl="]http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=249375&hl=[/URL]

HTH,

Regards,

Bricko

 

[Mil0002]

ok, have been doing a bit of research and these sound like good peacuful starters to me

kribensis and rusty cichlids, are these guys peaceful?