tank overhaul

[jessey]

all right, i know i've had this discussion here before, but my 29 gallon tank is not doing well and i need some advice/suggestions..

the setup for the past 6 months or so has been a pair of convicts, 7 tiger barbs, and a clown pleco. they were doing pretty well for a while, though the cons weren't growing or breeding at all, which seemed strange. as of late, though, the tiger barbs have been dying at an alarming rate. i'm down to only two of them!! admittedly, i've been pretty lax on my water changes, and i need to get better about them.

in the mean time, i'm thinking about getting rid of my current stock, and going with 8-10 saulosi, like i had been considering before i got my cons. if i do so, i'll get rid of a lot of my current decor, and set up a rock structure. i may or may change out the gravel... i'm kinda sick of the blue/purple/green, but it seems like a pain to switch it.

so now...:
-where is the best place to get rocks for an african cichlid tank? i see everyone's beautiful setups and i never know where the rocks came from.
-can someone remind me where i should get saulosi?
-can i keep my clown pleco in with these guys?

like i said... i know these are some questions i've asked before. but i really need some help getting my tank looking beautiful again!! thanks guys. <3

jessey

 

[Cichlid-Man]

-Go with sand, you won't regret it. Changing the gravel might be a pain but its worth it trust me, especially once you see the Mbuna sifting through it.

-Rocks? I get mine from landscaping places out of the big pallets of various rocks.

-Where to get saulosi? Lots of places lol, you talking about online or local?

As for the clown pleco, maybe. I've never had much luck with plecos and mbuna together. The mbuna seemed to just pick at the plecos till they died.

 

[jessey]

yeah, i was thinking about sand, i really do like the look of it. as for local vs online... i'm open to either. trying to figure out which is the better choice.

 

[Cichlid-Man]

Pluses and minuses to both.

Online, probably cheaper per fish, but have to pay shipping. Also might get a few freebies.

Local, chances are no freebies, more expensive per fish but no shipping.

 

[jessey]

bumping this thread, as i went through with my tank overhaul...

i don't have a ton of pictures yet, so here are just a few teasers:

the girls

the boys

(sorry bout the glare )

and a full tank shot

by the way, for anyone wondering, i found a guy selling salousi for $7/each right here in tampa on cichlidforum.com. he was awesome.. his name's haki, and i would recommend him to anyone in the area.

 

[Cichlid-Man]

Nice! Can't wait to see the boys color up more. The sand looks great.

 

[FreshwaterJeff]

by the way, for anyone wondering, i found a guy selling salousi for $7/each right here in tampa on cichlidforum.com. he was awesome.. his name's haki, and i would recommend him to anyone in the area.

That's how I found my pleco & cory breeder here. It's always good to get to know a breeder personally -- both from a knowledge and freebee/discount perspective