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stocking help

3K views 22 replies 7 participants last post by  fly4awhiteguy 
#1 ·
i have a 40 gallon tank that i would like to setup for some cichlids... I have looked and i really like the yellow labs and demosoni. Are these 2fish compatible together? Can anyone suggest a 3rd breed that is compatible? If so how many could live comfortably in a 40g? Also, i have learned that cichlid tanks have mostly rock in them. Is there a certain type of rock i should be looking for? Thanx in advance.
 
#2 ·
IMO In a 40 gallon tank you would be best to stick to one species or the other, and especially not three. Is it a 40 Gallon breeder tank? I would recommend finding a quality strain of Saulosi. You could put maybe 15 of these guys in say 3-4 males and the rest females. The tank would have the same aesthetics as mixing labs and demasoni for the most part as the males resemble Demasoni (vertical barring wont be as nice or exaggerated on the Saulosi males) and the females are yellow.

If you put a nice coral or sand substrate and used lace rock the tank would look awesome. Just make sure to use double the filtration for a 40 gallon tank. I always like to use two filters that are just above the capacity of the tank, this case if something happens to one filter the other can handle it still.

Demasoni and Labs will work for the short term in a 40 gallon but I wouldn't recommend it in the long run as Demasoni are too aggressive and labs are too large. I currently have a ton of fry of both species as well as some Afra Cobue in a 50 gallon tank, but I will be moving them up to a 6 footer come summer.
 
#9 ·
I love the 'river rock' look with a sand substrate - I ran with that in a 65G and also still in a 20G long.

Just be a ~little~ careful, as your cichlids grow they'll likely start to sift/move the sand around to create their own caves. There's a pretty decent probability that the rocks will then start to move & roll around... and you don't need me to tell you that they're heavy... and glass isn't all ~that~ strong...

Any chance of spoiling us with a full tank shot?
 
#12 ·
I love the 'river rock' look with a sand substrate - I ran with that in a 65G and also still in a 20G long.

Just be a ~little~ careful, as your cichlids grow they'll likely start to sift/move the sand around to create their own caves. There's a pretty decent probability that the rocks will then start to move & roll around... and you don't need me to tell you that they're heavy... and glass isn't all ~that~ strong...

Any chance of spoiling us with a full tank shot?
You should always place your rocks on the glass or egg crate and never on the sand. That way even if the fish move the sand around there is no chance of the rocks falling and breaking the glass.
--
Paul
 
#10 ·
you mean caves like this? lol


here is a full tank shot... the tank is somewhat scratched from the previous owner :(


these 2 pics are from about a month ago... the tank looks the same- but the fish are growing fast. I may go back and replace these rocks with a whole bunch of smaller ones.
 
#13 · (Edited)
Your point is true, Y2K, but I meant the sides of the tank. Eggcrate or not, stacked, rounded river-rock rolls when the underlying rocks are disturbed. Unless the eggcrate lines the sides of the tank too, then the viewing panels are still at risk.

Epoxy might be a fix, but some granites are so smooth that I'm not sure I'd trust that for good long-term adhesion. That's why I removed those rocks from my 65G - before I ran out of luck on problem-free rockslides!

PS: tank looks great - shame about the scratches tho'!
 
#15 ·
Well, i went out today, and bought a gold spotted pleco to clean up algea, he is about twice the size of the other fish...and the minute i cut him loose, all the other fish ganged up on him. So i went back to the lfs, and bought another one, plus an upside down catfish, and 3 clown loaches... Hopefully this will spread out the agression a bit. I will also move around the rocks a bit and kill the light for a bit when i let them go.... Pics coming soon
 
#20 ·
Hey I have been following your updates
Nice job with your tank
And thanks for those 5 saulosi There Doug great even though they all turned out to be males haha

Any way to answer your question
in my opinion NO, because if a male wants to breed he will chase most of the fish into a corner ( even in my 125g)
And then he will breed with the female in his cave or pit and once and a while he will come out and chase again.
I have a female holding for 2 days now and there are 7-8 males in my small 30g tall( temporary) and 4-5 females
And still one make managed to get the job done
 
#21 ·
thanks for the feedback spiro... sorry they all turned out to be males, as time progressed I started noticing more and more males in my tank as well... I finally got them thinned out and now have 2 males to 6 females. the pearlmutts I got young, and out of 5 of them, 4 turned out to be male. if the last one develops an egg spot I will be very dissapointed. I will say though.. considering how many males there are... they are relatively peaceful towards each other
 
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