Need Ideas - Suggestions As To New Set Up Please

[jimbooo]

Hi All,
 
i need your brains as i have a mental block.
 
i have had a disaster in one of my office tanks over the weekend. its a Juwel Rio180 (40G). currently a malawi cichlid set up with lots of rocks etc.
 
the tank split a seam on saturday half way up and dumped 20G on the office floor! needless to say i have to sort this out. 
I am a bit bored with the cichlids so want to start afresh. the fish are being rehomed to the fish store this afternoon so i will be left with an empty tank and over £200 of rock (i went a bit overboard when i bought them!!)
 
i have already got a 100G planted south african cichlid tank and a coldwater goldfish tank in the office so want a new set up but ideally retaining the rocks.
i am open to anything but want something different, if i can keep the rocks it would be better as it seems a waste to chuck them in the garden,
 
so suggestions please for anything i could stock with that will like the rocks. i can change the substrate to sand if needed as its the cichlid coral sand stuff at present.
 
i am also more than open to a single species tank. 
 
but not marine, its in the office and i cant faff about with that - too much work.
 
if you have any pictures to share of rock tanks that arent cichlid tanks that would also be good.
 
thanks all

 

[the_lock_man]

Jimbooo, just so you are aware, the chances are that anyone looking in the Cichlids forum will also be looking here, so I have removed the post from that section which points to here.

 

[jimbooo]

ok no worries. 

 

[Chad]

Would brackish be too much in the office? I ask because I'm thinking a GSP tank would be really striking for people to look at and be something quite unique in an office. 
If not then I suggest a nice riparium. They always stand out so well in an office. People love the plants and are suddenly stunned to find fish in there as well. 

 

[jimbooo]

Hi, thanks for the suggestions. the tank is in the bathroom. we have a 100G planted and 50G goldfish tank in the main office so im more looking for something a bit different for the bathroom one. GSP is a good idea, i have considered that. my only other issue is the tank isnt tended to over the weekends and as far as i know feeding gsp's isnt a case of chucking a bit of dried food in. i can spend a bit of time on water changes once a month and can chuck food in morning and afternoon but cant really enter into any ongoing maintenance or feeding anything i need to go to the shops for regularly if that makes sense

 

[Chad]

That does sound like it rules out a GSP. They can do fine on frozen or even clams on the half shell for a couple of days but that's a pain to auto feed. 
Another thought would be a heavily planted betta tank. A single bright red male would be a stunning show piece against the backdrop of bright green plants. This fish works well for infrequent water changes and skipped meals on weekends and can provide a nice distraction while sitting in the bathroom. A single, slow moving, fish is very relaxing. 

 

[Zikofski]

have you thought about a jungle style tropical tank either with a few species of fish or maybe even just one main species like i am doing, in my sig, maybe go with larger fish than i have to like tiger barbs a nice bunch of them would look cool, they are active so if u want to watch something whilst in the loo i would suggest that, a large school or neons or other tetras or rasboras, i have celestial pearl danio 16 at the moment in my 23gal, and when i get my 32 gal set up in a iwagumi style tank i will have a large school of copper harlequins and shrimp

 

[Ninjouzata]

I'm drawing a blank on any suggestions right now though I particularly like the idea of a single betta. May I ask if the other tanks also only get a water change once a month?

 

[jimbooo]

hi all, thanks for the suggestions. betta tank is an idea. i just really dont want plants to have to prune. im well versed in planted tanks (see my journals in sig) and cant half do it. if i plant it ill end up adding co2 lights, ferts etc and pruning a dustbin load of plants every water change. ive got a 100G planted to look after already.
 
and i appreciate im not helping matters bybeing awkward here - sorry.
 
ideally i think i want something that will happily live in a cichlid rockscape type set up thats not a cichlid. - i do appreciate how stupid that sounds!
 
other idea i had is go planted but use the rocks and do a HC carpet over and in between the rocks. no stem plants at all just HC. its been done before to great effect. and i do have a spare co2 bottle and regulator tucked away doing nothing. - there we go moving back to planted aghhhh i cant help myself.
 
however if i stock with say 40 or so cardinal tetras and a handful of shrimp the maintenance shouldnt be too heavy.
 
hmm, thanks for the input guys thought provoking.

 

[Chad]

I wasn't really thinking overly complicated plants. Mostly tall ones that compliment the betta. Since betta like to sleep on leaves and don't care much about substrate you have more flexibility in what's down low as long as he gets something up high in his zone.
 
Since the rock and substrate of a cichid tank alters the water I'm having trouble thinking of something to go in it. I tend to like South American fish.