Suggestions!?!?!

[Massoor]

How do you think these cichlids would do with each other in a 55gallon tank?

Saulo cichlid

Sunshine peacock

yellow lab

Blue cobalt

powder blue

orange peacock

Also how many could i put in there? Or how many of each kind? and suggestions would be awesome!

[fOx]

I don't see any problems with what you are proposing... I have many of those myself ;)

As for how many, it depends on whether you want to overstock the tank (overstocking curbs agression, but also means more frequent water and filter changes).

In my 55 I have had about 15 peacocks, haps, nimbochromis, mbuna's and even one large Fronty, living happily for about three years now. It all depends on the hiding places you provide and how good you are at recognizing agression before it becomes a real problem.

good luck.

fOx

[matt1066]

Fox,

How often and how much water do you change in a tank like that.

What kind of water do you use, do you use any additives, give me the run-down on that tank if you would.

I have a 55 with a Ps msobo deeps male, Lethrinops intermedius, small one eyed leleupi that I cant bear to part with, and a female Exochchromis.
Also a pleco. I'd love to add to it and your set-up sounds great.

Any info would be appreciated.

Thanks :)

Matt

[jonah]

The blue cobalt is the only one I'd worry about. My experience with them involved the deaths of some of my favorite fish. They became extremely aggressive, even more so than my lombardoi and auratus.

[Mbuniac]

Jonah,
By Blue Cobalt, do you mean Metriaclima callainous? I didn't realize they were that aggressive. I might have to rethink my purchase of one. My Kenyi is enough of a problem.
Thanks, Sam

[jonah]

Yes, that's the one, although I still call them Maylandia caillanos. :wink:

[fOx]

well, I do weekly water changes of between 25 and 30%. But I also way overfilter the aquarium. I have two Fluval 204's, two aquaclear 550 powerheads with foam inserts to polish the water and 1 Fluval 200 series in-tank filter that I try to hide (actually, you don't really notice any of the filters anyway)... so the water circulation in the tank is crazy.

I use a buffer (really any will do) to keep the PH up and I keep adding additives in the tank with every water change, right now I am using a Hagen water conditioner to keep the additives where they should be....
I've been meaning to post some pictures in the forum, I'll get to it as soon as I can.

If you have any other questions please ask... I love talking about fish!

fOx

[SGypsyMermaid]

Jonah,
By Blue Cobalt, do you mean Metriaclima callainous? I didn't realize they were that aggressive. I might have to rethink my purchase of one. My Kenyi is enough of a problem.
Thanks, Sam

sam-i-am...the pseudotropheus/metriclima/maylandia caillanos is not such a bad fish, although you can get mean individuals--try him out; it might work. mine doesn't make any trouble at all.(jonah was probably feeding that fish chiles...that's why the fish is so ill-tempered. :twisted: )

[jonah]

Mostly it was eating chunks out of other fish. Ask Sean about it, I gave it to him and he sold it to a guy that wanted a mean fish.

[SGypsyMermaid]

Mostly it was eating chunks out of other fish. Ask Sean about it, I gave it to him and he sold it to a guy that wanted a mean fish.

i think cobalts are pretty much like red zebras as far as temperament goes; it's a crap-shoot--sometimes they're ok, and sometimes you get a mean s.o.b. :rofl:

[Mbuniac]

Not Jonah! He would never feed them chili! Maybe jalepenos.....
So maybe I'll get 6 or so of them and send the aggressive ones to Gypsy. She has enough tanks to isolate them if necessary. If not she can always slip them into her father's tanks. :D

[SGypsyMermaid]

Not Jonah! He would never feed them chili! Maybe jalepenos.....
So maybe I'll get 6 or so of them and send the aggressive ones to Gypsy. She has enough tanks to isolate them if necessary. If not she can always slip them into her father's tanks. :D

they'd definitely have to go into one of my dad's tanks--probably the one that has the one-eyed jewel cichlid(very mean s.o.b.) and the upside-down cats.

[Mbuniac]

:D

[matt1066]

Hi Fox,

Would love to see pic's of you 55g. What is your target for nitrates?

When you say you use water conditioner to keep the additves where they are, what do you mean by that? I thought they where just to remove chlorine/mines and heavy metals.

Thanks,

Matt

What part of the country are you?

[fOx]

I try to keep the Ammonia and Nitrite levels as close to 0 as I can and I keep the nitrate levels somewhere south of 150 mg/L... I'm not anal about this... nitrate is mostly harmless.

I do add water conditioner for heavy metals/chlorine/etc... but I also add additives/conditioner/trace elements that put the same minerals and deposits found in an african rift lake into my tank. There are different brand names you can buy.. if you want to know more let me know. I have a tendency to ramble.

I am in Ottawa....

fOx

[matt1066]

Hi Fox,

I use additives as well Kent products. I purchased some kent trace elements, but I am not quite sure when to add them. I do use chemical filtration, which I know there is some contraversey about.

What are you feelings on the subject?

I also decided today to make some aquarium homes for some of my cichlids. I purchased some PVC pipe and a tube of GE clear silicone sealent. I coated the PVC with the silicone then coated it with gravel.

I called GE and asked if it would be OK to use the sealent once cured, they would not comment either way. They said go to the lfs and buy it there, but the cost was 3'X more expensive. Do you think it will work?

Thanks

Matt

[fOx]

I have used the Kent additives and had some pretty impressive results.

I posted a link in the DIY section about how to make some cheap cave rocks... although it takes some time.

As for the silicone, they say don't use it for their sake, but the bottom line is when I am doing plumbing in my home, or sealing a sink/tap/etc. I use the GE (or whatever) brand silicone that is sold at the store. I hate asking these guys anything. They want me to pay 3x as much for an "outdoor" extension cord even though it is the same gauge, has the same recepticles and is the same length as the indoor cord.
Once the silicone has cured I can't see it giving off anything... it's like rubber for peats sake! I'm not a chemist, but I'd be willing to bet that the sealant they sell at the LFS is the same as the stuff they sell at the hardware store... they just have different prices. Just make sure it has completley dried before you put it in your tank.

Good luck.

fOX

[SGypsyMermaid]

matt--you should be okay as long as you are using ge's 100 percent silicone and not one of those that has additives(like for mildew resistance).

[matt1066]

Yep, pure silicone!

Thanks all, I feel a lot better. Now to go off the subject a bit.

I need more fish. I have a good lfs, however I am not really sure he gets the best stock and knows exactly what he has.

I want to try a breeder, there is one in Orlando, however he has limited availabilty and the choices are nothing to scream over.

I know Armkes and some others are reputable and carry a wide selection of quality, identfiable stock. Now this is the point I have a problem with, SHIPPING. Does anyone have experince with this and can give me the info on this?

Thank you,
Matt

[SGypsyMermaid]

shipping costs a fortune--but it's worth it if you're getting something that you'd never be able to get otherwise. armkes is very good and professional with their packing. there are also many breeders on aquabid who are excellent shippers(there are some who don't pack well, though).

[Boilermaker]

S.Gypsy you beat me to it, the silicone that is check out this nightmare by using the wrong silicone, It's a long read but worth it.
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=8071&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

[matt1066]

Boilermaker,

Good read, sort of like a Greek tragedy. :lol:

Good stuff though.

Matt