Hmm A Bigger Tank.

[liamt2k6]

ok so i have 4 red empress's and 3 aulonocara ob's, they are all in a 2 1/2' tank which they have resided since they were juveniles,
now i was wondering if buying a 4ft tank would be any better, their is no aggression and i havent lost any fish whatsoever.
infact last month i caught sight of 4 baby empress's swimming round my tank but as you may guess they were eaten.

my current 2 1/2' tank holds 26 gallons, but i have been offered a 6' and a 4' which one would give reasonable space for them but not go over the top.

thanks for your time

 

[dthoffsett]

I'd go with the 4 foot, the bad thing about cichilds is even though everyone is happy now it can change in an instant. The 4 ft should give them plenty of space without them looking lost.

 

[liamt2k6]

Ok thanks for your help.

i have payed for the tank and will recieve it after Christmas,


My next problem is

What would be the best way to move the fish to the new tank,

maybe starting the new tank from scratch and leave it to condition for say 1 month?

Thanks

 

[james41683]

i would go with the 6', the red empress gets about 10" and the ob's around 4 or 5, this would give them plenty of room and any babies that make it. the best way to have the new tank fish ready would be to swap out as much of the stuff in the old tank and put it in the new one, filters, rocks, gravel, decor or you could set up the filter you plan to use on the new tank on the old one and let it run for a while to pick up bacteria from the old tank, then switch everything over. the most time consuming way would be to start a fishless cycle in the new tank, but this could take weeks to be ready for fish. letting the water sit and "condition" for a month will do absolutely nothing.