Back in business! Help with stocking

[Fishman1995]

So for my birthday i talked mama into letting me set back up my 10 gallon! i need some help with stocking thou, i know i want to do my Neolamprus Multifascuatus cichlids for sure. But i also want something to go with them if at all possible. I was thinking of starting with 4 or 5 of them. The tank will be sand bottom but other than that, im not sure, i have a sunken log and a giant cave decor if i do catfish or something? Any ideas on what will go good in there with my Shellies? IDK when il be setting it up exactly. Probably next weekend so give me some good ideas )))

 

[ryanoh]

You have shells, right?
What kind of sand are you using? Just regular sand, or something like aragonite or cichlid sand that will up your pH?
Is it a real log, because if it is you might want to leave that out so it doesn't lower your pH, especially if you're just going with regular sand instead of a buffer sand.

I don't think you can put much in there with them since the suggestion is to get six, then they'll probably breed on top of that, but from everything I've read a good companion with them might be like a syno catfish, or a dwarf pleco or some other type of algae eater. I've also head that some people like to get fish that will swim along the top, but again, I'm not sure if you're going to have room for that in a 10 gallon.

 

[Fishman1995]

My water is naturally High PH anyway, so i need no other Sand except normal play sand. Its a fake log. And i actually think im going to lower the number to 2 to begin with. I have 2 shells that are pretty good size and an old Hermit Crab shell that is about 3-4 inchs long and 1- 1 1/2 inchs wide. My 2 bigger shells are the cool conch ones but they have some sorta jaggedish edges to them, should i go get some smooth edged one's instead? or something else.

I was doing some work on Aqadvisor and i got it figured out so far to 2 Neolamprus Multifascatus's and 1 Julidochromis Transcriptus. I did have a Neolamprus Brevis in there but i was reading on a cichlid website for them and it says that they are bullied easily by fish such as Transcriptuses. And before i added the fish to the other side btw. I specified my tank size and then hit "Show suitable species" So i know they fit. I want a nothing but Dwarf cichlid tank i think

There are no Syno's that are small enough for my tank except possibly Upside downs and i think even they get to big. There are no Plecos that stay small enough for my tank. Even a Clown Pleco which gets around 4 inchs is too big for my 10. Oto's are about my best bet and there to hard to care for IMO.

I will do MUCH more research before i get my fishy's. Which should i start with? the Multi's or the Transcriptus?

 

[ryanoh]

I think you're going to need a few more shells if you do multis.

 

[Fishman1995]

How many do you recomend?

 

[ryanoh]

I've heard you can never have enough shells for multis. I don't know off the top of my head how many you should get, but I know atleast one for each fish, and probably even two or three for them to choose from.

You should look into escargot shells. From what I hear they're cheap and functional.

 

[Fishman1995]

Sounds good to me. I have my stocking figured out. 88% for 2 Multis, 1 Julido. Transcriptus, 1 lamprologus Ocellatus, and 1 lamprologus Stapersi. Now why does Aqadvisor give you 1 stocking and then at the bottom tell you that the fish may require even more space? that makes no since what so ever. I think i am going to get around 10 shells plus my 2 decorations and plants.

 

[ryanoh]

I think it might be saying that because while you can but multis and occies in the same tank, I think they need to be on opposite sides of a larger tank with something between them to divide their territories. Not like a tank divider, just like some rocks or something. I don't know if you're going to have more luck with them in your smaller tank with just two multies and one occie since I sort of doubt anyone will be breeding, but it still sounds risky. I don't know that much about Stappersi, but if they're shell dwellers as well you're going to need three separated territories, and that might be impossible to pull off in a 10 gallon. I could be totally off, but aren't julies rock dwellers?

 

[Fishman1995]

there Cave dwellers.

 

[Kiara1125]

Ah!! So many abbreviations and scientific names!! I can't take it anymore!!! DX

 

[Thyra]

I have had no problems with otos in any of my tanks. They have been there for about 1 year now. I have two or three in each of four tanks. I am a little worried about putting any in the 30g with the two big angels - they seem pretty territorial. The bettas have done just fine with them. The smaller tanks seem to grow more agae.

 

[ryanoh]

Haha, I know. I spent like a month totally lost on shelldwellers.com before I figured it out.

If its a cave dweller you're going to want to get some sort of rock work for him.

 

[Fishman1995]

why couldnt i just use a cave? Im scared to rockwork cause i dont want it to crack my tank if it falls or something.

 

[Thyra]

Happy Birthday, Fishman. I guess today is the DAY!

 

[ryanoh]

Happy Birthday!

I'm not sure. I've never kept any of these fish, I've just been researching them because I plan on getting them some time in the foreseeable future. The cave might be okay, but it seems like most people give the fish lots of options and let it chose a home it likes.

Again, I think you should talk to someone who has kept all these fish, and probably even kept all these fish together, about keeping them in a 10 gallon regardless of what aqadvisor says.

 

[Fishman1995]

Im fixing to start a thread on Shelldwellers.com and see what they say. From the research threads on there, is said to put the rockdweller in the center to seperate the territories of the shellies. My mother said next weekend we will setup my tank. We may have to go aways, but she thinks she knows where to find some Escargot Shells. If not, il just go by my local craft stores and find something for them to live in. I will update you all on what im doing as soon as i hear something from my other forum and actually Ryanoh, idk if the shellies are available anywhere near you but if my Multi's breed id be more than willing to send you some for free. You just pay shipping and handling, idk how to send them so you'd have to walk me threw it.

 

[ryanoh]

Thanks, but North Carolina and Mississippi are a good ways apart (12 hours actually, I used to have to make the drive twice a summer), and I've never shipped fish before. I've got another year left of college, then I'm moving back to Memphis and I figured that's when I'd start looking for shellies. Thanks again though.

This may have been answered before, but don't you have a twenty or a twenty nine gallon tank? Why don't you set that one up for these guys since you want to mix species?

 

[Kiara1125]

Happy Birthday, Fishman!!! I like Otos, but they are notorious for dying. I had one for 2 months and he randomly died. I found him hanging upside down on my heater. My heater is shock proof and does not burn you when you touch it. Poor thing. His belly was plump when he died to, so idk what it was.

 

[Fishman1995]

My 20 gallon is cracked so its unusuable. It staying unlevel for so long cracked one side. My stocking is still undecided. I may just do some Lamprologus Ornatuses and a neolamprologus brichardi. I really think thats what il do.

 

[pateceramics]

If you are worried about the rockwork, what about something else that has more nooks that just a cave, but is lighter and/or more stable than rocks. Like a jumble of very small terracotta flower pots. They would be light enough that if one rolled off the pile, you wouldn't have to worry too much. Or short lengths of pvc, wide-mouthed glass bottles/jars in dark colors, or those bricks with the holes through them. (They'd be heavy, but they'd be nice and stable since they have flat sides. Or one of those baby's shape sorting toys... the cube with holes of all different shapes that you put different shaped blocks into... A big hunk of driftwood with lots of holes drilled in it with the largest drill bit you can find...