matildanz Posted March 30, 2011 Report Share Posted March 30, 2011 We have a cycled 3 foot tank sitting in the dining room, empty apart from a few bristlerats of differing sizes. I've handed it over to hubby ( apparently I'm still in charge of cleaning it... not sure quite how that happened!! ) and he can choose what he wants to put in it. He's ALWAYS wanted a Redtail black shark but we've decided that it's probably not the best of choices seeing as he'd quite like a small community setup! So his next choice is one of the dwarf cichlid varieties......... any opinions/pros/cons of different breeds? OR any other suggestion I can tempt him with?? Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waterlogged Posted March 30, 2011 Report Share Posted March 30, 2011 rainbow sharks can be kept in comunities. i've had afew in with dwarf cichlids, gourami, tetras siamese fightes and they were fine. as long as there are no other fish that look similar to another shark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Posted March 30, 2011 Report Share Posted March 30, 2011 I don't think you should keep red-tailed sharks in a tank that size. What waterlogged says is true, but the sharks can get quite large, so would do best in a 200L-250L tank or something around that size. How high and wide is your 3ft tank? Depending on what species you choose, you could keep a couple or maybe only one. Dwarfs are a bit aggressive, mainly when spawning. I would go for a pair of Apistos, and maybe a couple of pairs of Blue Rams (Microgeophagus ramirezi). I highly reccommend Apistogramma macmasteri, because they are very active and have a great personality, and have such beautiful colours! Hopefully with lots of people trying to breed them they should be availible soon. Dwarf Cichlids do best in planted aquariums. If you just want a low-tech tank, you can use plants like Ambulia, Cryptocoryne sp. (like affinis and willisii), tiger lotus, rotala etc. You can use DIY CO2. Substrate can just be gravel with JBL root balls under the root-feeding plants, which is the crypts and tiger lotus. And for ferts you could just use PMDD or Flourish Comprehensive. For lighting 4x30watt T8 tubes will be sufficient. Other fish that you can keep with them happily are small schooling fish like tetras, and you could also have some larger surface-dwelling fish like gouramis. I think a school of 15 Cardinal Tetras (Paracheirodon axelrodi) and 9 Kitty Tetras (Hyphessobrycon heliacus) will look splendid in a low-tech planted tank with the dwarf cichlids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waterlogged Posted March 30, 2011 Report Share Posted March 30, 2011 on the topic of dwafs, how many would i be able to fit comfortable in a 190L tank? twice the height of thr width. and can you mix rams and others? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Posted March 30, 2011 Report Share Posted March 30, 2011 In that size you could fit quite a bit. A pair of Apistos, a couple of pairs of Pelvicachromis taeniatus or Laetacara curviceps and a pair of German Blue Rams would look stunning. Remeber though that you'll need plenty of retreats in the form of plants and wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waterlogged Posted March 30, 2011 Report Share Posted March 30, 2011 yea was thinking full out planted sth american biotope(ish) but probably just another one for the book lol i should really start writting all these down Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.