bungholio Posted February 15, 2004 Share Posted February 15, 2004 I have a 4 x 18 x 18, and i dont know what to put in it... at the moment i have a blue ram and 2 mollies and 2 silver tips and a bristlenose or peppered catfish (cant figure out which 1) but they will be going into a different tank, and im going fishy shopping in 2 weeks, i am running a Jebo canister (1200LPH) what should i put in?? I like -Nicaragua -Red Heads -Red Devils -Port Acara -Blue Acara -Severums -Texas -Jack Dempseys -Green Terrors -Uaru -Firemouth -convicts I also like Africans, but i have been told they are fussy but please have your say, thanks alot adam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamsherman Posted February 15, 2004 Share Posted February 15, 2004 Get a pair of red devils, buy yourself about 5-7 fry and let them pair off then give the others to me....lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OziOscar Posted February 15, 2004 Share Posted February 15, 2004 Almost any of those would do fine as a species tank. Don't waste your time on convicts unless you just want to get experience with breeding (they don't call them 'water rabbits' for nothing:D). They're right cute, but they're pretty readily available and in the long term perhaps not sufficiently interesting. Choose something you like the look of and like the known behaviours for and enjoy. Out of that lot, my faves are RD, JD, Sevs and GT. They have personality, grow like mad, are forgiving of errors and if you can get them breeding then you're in luck. Grab 6 of whatever it is you choose, look for a pair forming and sell off (or gift to teamsherman ) the rest. They're pretty low cost per unit as juvis, even at LFS prices. Cheers - OziOscar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishie4me Posted February 15, 2004 Share Posted February 15, 2004 i wouldnt go for red devils as they will get awfully aggressive, but severums on the other hand is a peaceful fish, also very nice looking as well.... i am sure it will entertain you.!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bungholio Posted February 16, 2004 Author Share Posted February 16, 2004 Hi could i mix fish like sevs, cons, red devils, JDs, GTs etc together if there was only one of each and they all were new to my tank? thanks adam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OziOscar Posted February 16, 2004 Share Posted February 16, 2004 The peace would last only a short time... then you could take bets on which out of the RD, GT and JD would beat the cr*p out of each other. Not to mention that you would be quite overstocked. That tank is only good for one 'tank buster', maybe two at a stretch and only if they're good friends. Cons get super-aggro when they're breeding. They will take on just about anything and do pretty well at it too. Powerful little scrappers. It could be done, but it's not a good idea. These fish are all highly territorial and demonstrate their territoriality the only way they know how. After all, they don't yet know how to pee on telegraph poles. With any of these fish you're thinking about, your Jebo is going to be not quite up to the job. They're all messy feeders (comparatively) and as adults you will see food coming out of their gills as they feed. A cheap way to increase the filtration would be to add an AquaClear 500. The AC500 will limit you to using a gravel substrate as these fish blow sand into the intake and that stuffs AC500s like nobodies business. Likewise, think well about adding a common plec or other armoured catfish as the cleanup crew. A regular soft bodied cat like a BN won't last long - they're not tough enough to get picked on by an aggressive cichlid - one good bite and they're done for. The common plec will help keep the algae down and eat the leftovers too. They make a lot of poo when they're well fed, so be prepared to vacuum weekly. Quick question: are you choosing these fish because of their look or their notorious behaviour? Before you decide, go to Lams or somewhere like that which has lots of the big 'uns and get a good impression of how big they really get. I think you will find it an eye opener. Cheers - OziOscar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bungholio Posted February 16, 2004 Author Share Posted February 16, 2004 I chose the list due to their looks, as i think GTs and JDs look awesome as well as severums. I was at a aquarium that had all fully grown cichlids in a 2ft, incl. a JD, RD, GT, Gold Sev, FH, Port Acara and a texas cichlid... i wasnt wanting that much! LOL, i also have a sponge filter (800LPH) i just like the look of the larger cichlids! man i wish their were dwarf GT, RD, JD and Texas' lol, i want to be able to house a few americans though P.S. thanks OziOscar you have been a great help please continue lol. maybe im better off getting an african ah well thats if worse comes to worse. thanks adam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiona Posted February 16, 2004 Share Posted February 16, 2004 I was at a aquarium that had all fully grown cichlids in a 2ft, incl. a JD, RD, GT, Gold Sev, FH, Port Acara and a texas cichlid I must be misreading this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OziOscar Posted February 16, 2004 Share Posted February 16, 2004 Yeah Bung - they're all great. I went American when I started getting serious but had to go African owing to a lack of space. I didn't like the idea of smaller fish at first because I like my animals big and my people small. However, now that I've started keeping Malawis and am learning lots from these forums' esteemed members it's something that I can scarce believe I put aside the first time. If you want good looks and to have a population in the tank, think about the sevs. They're pretty tame and not overly bitey to their own kind and they don't get too huge. Acaras are the same - they don't get much over 7" in captivity. Cheers - OziOscar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bungholio Posted February 16, 2004 Author Share Posted February 16, 2004 yeh they didnt have any room, litterally lieing on top of each other, it was pretty sad, especially when they had a 6ft, housing 4 or 5 small flowerhorns... ironically they all seemed to be calm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bungholio Posted February 16, 2004 Author Share Posted February 16, 2004 Thanks for all that guys, really appreciated I'll post some pics of my fish as soon as i have them, 13 days to go thanks adam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OziOscar Posted February 16, 2004 Share Posted February 16, 2004 Probably shocked and recently transported. It's funny - there are a lot of big fish on the market at the moment and lots seem to be coming from owners who can't take care of them well anymore. If the FH were more than 4", then they need the space else they will tear each other a new one in short order. Cheers - OziOscar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bungholio Posted February 16, 2004 Author Share Posted February 16, 2004 I might call the huy i spoke to and have a chat... because he believes "A 4 footer is a big tank..." "you can put any americans together as long as they arent alot smaller..." and best of all "I'd say you would put 10-15 americans in that tank" i asked if that was ok for fully grown adults, and his reply was should be fine... His suggestion. As follows. For a 4 foot with that filtration. -1 RD -1 GT -1 Texas -1 Port Acara -1 JD -1 Severum -1 Firemouth I was abit sceptical.. and i know crap all about fish, i wonder what he would put in his own tank... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OziOscar Posted February 16, 2004 Share Posted February 16, 2004 He's enthusiastic... and I'm being diplomatic. A 4 x 18 x 18 isn't a big tank. Seriously. If there were 10 - 15 adult Americans of the kinds you have specified, I would call that "the foam box you get fish in from the fishmarkets". Just enough room for the ice. I can give him some nice fish receipes. The stocking list he gave might work. With a lot of luck. It's like choosing to be a single mother. One could do it, but it's not a good idea. Cheers - OziOscar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bungholio Posted February 16, 2004 Author Share Posted February 16, 2004 Just had a thought... if i have heaps of hiding places, what about 1 GT, 1 JD and 1 severum, all put in at the same time, with the severum being larger than the other 2 and have them in my tank and keep it pristine????? hope that could work! would be awesome adam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OziOscar Posted February 16, 2004 Share Posted February 16, 2004 OK... Severum = 6" in captivity JD = 8" in captivity GT = 8" in captivity (Male). F = 6" Severum = peaceful JD = aggressive GT = aggressive Result? Injured / dead severum. Safe formula? Severum and Blue Acara. Risky formula? GT, JD, RD in a 6' x 24 x 18 or larger. Just enough space so they don't get in one another's face too much. The target is to make your fish thrive, not just survive. In all of the above hiding places made from driftwood and rocks (non-calcareous) are needed. You will need to make sure the water hardness isn't too high as these fish like it reasonably soft so artificlly boosting it with rocks containing limestone and the like will be counter-productive. Likewise, pH 6.5-6.8 is optimal. Sydney water comes out at 7.2 - high 8s, depending on all sorts of variables. Want the brat pack? Get a new bigger tank. Want to use the current tank? Go with the safe solution. Sidebar: You know how the JD got it's name? It's called after a famous boxer (yep, those guys that beat the cr*p out of each other for money) who was known to be especially pugnacious. Naming the fish after him was a fair call. It's aggro. If it was a person, it would have tatts, piercings and have done time in Her Majesty's Hotel. Clear enough picture? Have a read of this and this and do a little research here and here. Do some more reading and temper your enthusiasm a little. Trust me on this - take more time making the decision and it will be something you're ever so happy with for so much longer - dollars saved for investment in other projects and less worry about a hobby that is meant to be relaxing, not stressful. I've messed up with all the noob errors from being too enthusiastic and would love to help others to avoid my mistakes and get to know more than I do, faster. Cheers - OziOscar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bungholio Posted February 17, 2004 Author Share Posted February 17, 2004 Hey its so confusing i get different responces from everyone, all fish will be juvies. 1 person said 4 gold severums and 1 JD would be fine 1 person said a GT, JD and a Sev would be fine 1 person said a GT, JD and Sev would be ok, but the JD would kill the Sev 1 person said yadda yadda, Man fish are a very personal thing!! maybe i'll get some severums, blue acara and firemouth. until i found out what i can really keep LOL, I dont know what im doing! adam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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