New Cichlid Tank?

[MissFishy]

Well, I've been getting bored with my 29 gallon "show" tank and was thinking of starting to explore the world of cichlids. I've done the basic rams, blood parrot, but want to do a cichlid only tank. Problem is, I know next to NOTHING about these guys and what they require! So I'm going to send out a flare to you cichlid people for some stocking advice.

Here's my vision: 29gallon tank with one large rock "pile" up to almost the top in the middle with black gravel. No plants. I already have a blood parrot about 4 inches long (dyed blue, see my dyed parrot thread for the story on this one). I also have a crayfish and 4 inch RTS I was thinking about keeping in this tank, all my smaller fish can be moved.

I was interested in perhaps adding some electric yellows and maybe something blue too? My PH runs pretty high, around 7.8-8.0. What options do I have with my current tank inhabitants that I want to keep in there and the size of my tank? I can always shift around my stocking if necessary and obviously take good care of my tanks and their inhabitants in general. Any help and/or advice would be appreciated!

 

[big54bob]

Id move the cray IMO.

 

[SinisterKisses]

Well, that BP won't be able to stay in there for long, he's gonna get too big. And BP's are not rock fish, so the tank isn't suited to him at all. The cray would have to go if you wanted to add any other cichlids, as it will get eaten. Yellow labs get too big for a 29gal tank, you'd have to stick with something like P. saulosi ( a dwarf mbuna) but they won't play nicely with the BP and would likely kill him.

 

[MissFishy]

Hmm, well that is quite the bummer. I know the BP will be getting too big for his current tank. He (I think might be a she) will not be in there for much longer, I will be moving her to my 55 gallon once she looks ready to move.

That is a bummer I would have to relocate my cray, can those tiny fish really just rip him up? He's such a beast! What about the RTS? Would he have to be relocated as well? What if I stuck to younger cichlids then traded them in as they got older/bigger always keeping all the stock the same size/age?

 

[punkrockfish]

you don't want to mix african and south american fish. just bad news. your tank is a good size for some lake tang cichlids. they stay smaller, and a number of species would fit your idea of a rock pile set up, or you could get a nice shell dweller colony going in a tank that size. in order to do this though you need to relocate all of your current fish, because mixing them is not an option.

 

[SinisterKisses]

Hmm, well that is quite the bummer. I know the BP will be getting too big for his current tank. He (I think might be a she) will not be in there for much longer, I will be moving her to my 55 gallon once she looks ready to move.

That is a bummer I would have to relocate my cray, can those tiny fish really just rip him up? He's such a beast! What about the RTS? Would he have to be relocated as well? What if I stuck to younger cichlids then traded them in as they got older/bigger always keeping all the stock the same size/age?

3-4" fish aren't really tiny. And remember, that cray has to molt at some point, and when he does, they will rip him apart. Plus, if the cray is big enough, he'll try to go after the other fish when they sleep, and you could lose a few fish before they finally get him.

Your best option for right now is to leave things alone until you get the 55gal. Once you have that and move the RTS, BP, and cray into it, then you can look into options for the empty 29gal tank.

 

[MissFishy]

I DO have the 55gal tank, the BP has about a 2 inch body and an inch or so of tail. Trust me, I have more tanks than I know what to do with and she will be moved as soon as she looks ready to move, she is fighting off some ich at the moment.

What would be some good varieties to start looking into punkrock? This tank is my "show" tank, so lots of color is probably a good idea.

 

[SinisterKisses]

Lol Tangs don't typically have lots of colour With Tangs, the drawing point is more their personalities and behaviours than colours. There are a few species that are fairly colourful, like N. leleupi.

 

[MissFishy]

I told you guys I have no idea about cichlids at all!!! My current set up includes the above listed fish/cray and a school of penguin tetras and a couple swordtails. If I can't get something equally active/colorful with the cichlids, perhaps I should think about something else? I really don't have room to put a bigger tank where the 29g is now.

 

[SinisterKisses]

Well like I said, if you move the BP, cray, and RTS to the 55gal so the 29gal is completely empty, you do have a few different cichlid options.

 

[punkrockfish]

I love Tangs, and personally think my fish have some good color, but they are rather territorial and the ones in the rocks don't leave much. if you are looking for some very active schooling type fish, Tangs probably aren't the way to go. If you want interesting personalities and interactions, plus a strong possibility of breeding, Tangs are a good choice. You could do a pair of N. Brichardi. Where are Orion and C-Man? This is much more their turf than mine.