Dwarf Cichlids

[AquaBarb]

Thanks guys, plenty food for thought here. Ill love the apristo's got some lovely double reds in my LFS

Ill look into Cichlasoma sajica / C. spilurum

 

[Martyn87]

Thanks guys, plenty food for thought here. Ill love the apristo's got some lovely double reds in my LFS

Ill look into Cichlasoma sajica / C. spilurum

You won’t be disappointed but get the tannins in there and they want the water really soft.

 

[seangee]

The reason I got so excited when I saw the tank size is I reckon that's enough space (species dependent) for two females and a male if you have caves at either end. Might be a bit rough on the male if both females are brooding at the same time but if the tank was in 3 zones, with the mid section heavily planted he should be able to sneak in there for some peace and quiet.

 

[AquaBarb]

The reason I got so excited when I saw the tank size is I reckon that's enough space (species dependent) for two females and a male if you have caves at either end. Might be a bit rough on the male if both females are brooding at the same time but if the tank was in 3 zones, with the mid section heavily planted he should be able to sneak in there for some peace and quiet.

I was suprised when i measured it at 90x30 because it isnt a size ive seen much. I think its perfect for dwarf Cichlids. I love all the apristo's tho lol

Im now looking into a R/O unit so i can get a suitable differ specie in with them (although this was meant to be a challenge to myself to do a budget tank so im not sure)

Im planning to build a double tier stand and have the 80 litre above my 55

 

[seangee]

Pretty sure I will end up with one of those tanks. Most likely contenders are a.cacatuoides or a.macmasteri with a group of
nannostomus eques as dither fish. If I can squeeze a second one in that may well be shell dwellers to break the monotony of all these soft water tanks

 

[AquaBarb]

Been watching some clips on youtube today on macmasteri and some shell dwellers. They are stunning fish, the colours on the macmasteri are lovely.

I like Agassizii double reds aswell

 

[Martyn87]

It’s all about lines of sight, put the cave entrances facing away at either end and you want to scape a W shape. In essence the caves are at either end with a refuge for the male in the centre and two plants or logs or both to stop line of sight. My females were always fine with the male size it was just the other females they went nuts for. Saying that all fish are different!

 

[AquaBarb]

It’s all about lines of sight, put the cave entrances facing away at either end and you want to scape a W shape. In essence the caves are at either end with a refuge for the male in the centre and two plants or logs or both to stop line of sight. My females were always fine with the male size it was just the other females they went nuts for. Saying that all fish are different!

Which specie/s did you keep?

 

[Martyn87]

I’ve kept Agassizii and boreli in the past. Giving my RO unit a rest now and trying my hand at Rainbows.

 

[AquaBarb]

Your GH is a bit high for Apistogrammas, especially wild caught, but captive bred might be ok.
Captive bred Apistogrammas do best in water with a GH below 200ppm, wild caught do best in water with a GH below 100ppm.

Central American cichlids should be ok but most of them get too big for that tank.

The GH is too low for African Rift Lake cichlids.
African Rift Lake cichlids need a GH above 300ppm for captive bred stock, and above 400ppm if you get wild caught Lake Tanganyika fish.

If you add a bit of reverse osmosis (R/O) water you could go for Apistogrammas, or add some Rift Lake conditioner and go for Rift Lake cichlids.

Would any of the Rainbows Pseudomugil species be ok with Apistogrammas? @Colin_T

 

[Colin_T]

Yes. Most of the Pseudomugils would be fine with a pair of Apistogrammas in a 3 foot tank.

 

[AquaBarb]

Yes. Most of the Pseudomugils would be fine with a pair of Apistogrammas in a 3 foot tank.

Brill, thanks Colin

 

[AquaBarb]

Hi @Colin_T

Are all Rainbowfish prone to Tuberculosis? I like the Pseudomugils but im a bit wary of having some after my experience with Melanotaenia praecox.

Is the Dwarf neon more prone than others or are all the Rainbow family got the same chance.

Cheers

 

[Colin_T]

Any fish can get TB but the bigger rainbows seem to have it more often than the Pseudomugils. Having said that, any fish from Asia, from a pet shop, or importer can have TB too so it's just luck of the draw if you get healthy fish or contaminated fish.

One way of possibly avoiding fish TB is to get eggs from someone and hatch them out and move the fry as soon as they hatch. That can reduce the risk of them getting TB but it's not 100% guaranteed.

I would be careful about getting anything from anyone until covid19 is under control or gone.

 

[BoningKnife]

Get what you like. Nevermind other people's fears, get what you think you will enjoy the most. Convicts are very interesting and in my opinion one of the most underrated fish in terms of its aesthetic appeal. Also, you should be able to find somewhere to take them off your hand easy enough. You might not get a whole lot in return but who cares, it's fun to raise them.
If it was me personally based on what you've said then I'd go Convicts or shellies. You have a tank size where realistically either can work suitably fine. If you do prefer something with different parameter requirements to your water then that doesn't need to be a big deal, water parameters are pretty simple to adjust.