Biggest tank so far, making it a cichlid tank!!!

[Wackinator]

I picked a 35 gallon tank today, its the biggest tank Ive ever had so far, and its going to be an african cichlid tank.

I know that its not "a big enough cichlid tank" but its the biggest I can get for some time so it will have to do. I want to have more than one type of fish, and I really want Electric yellow cichlids, so I am wondering what else I can put in. I have thought of adding one or 2 Zebra Cichlids but I have read that they dont really get along together? Is this true?

Another Cichlid that I want to have are Rusty Cichlids.

I was planning on setting up the tank with a lot of rock caves, I want most of the footprint to be covered by rocks which I will turn into caves but adding more layers of rocks, I dont know if thats making any sense but I will be on the lookout for good rocks too, anyone know a good place to get them?

My last question is about heating, I have a 150Watts heater in my 10 gallon, would that heater be good enough for my 35 gallon? I do have a 100W heater that could go in the 10 gallon then.

But so far here is my idea for the stocking:

4-5 Electric Yellow

1-2 Zebra Cichlid (maybe Albino, is there a difference in their behavior?)

3-4 Rusty Cichlids

Is that asking for trouble? Should I change their numbers? Should I replace some fish with something else?

Any opinion is appreciated. Keep in mind the only cichlids I have kept other than multies were the poor Electric Yellow and Zebra Cichlid I kept in a 10 gallon for a couple of weeks, then had the brains to go online and give both the fish away to homes with appropriate tanks.

Just in case it makes a difference, the dimensions of the tank are 36 Inches long,12 Inches deep(wide), and 19 Inches High.

Thanks

[Jayba]

oops.....look below this post

Edited April 19, 2010 by Jayba

[Jayba]

What kind of zebra cichlid are you speaking of? There are Red Zebra's, Lobochilotes labiatus, some people call convicts by this name too. Could you give us scientific names, Zebra is pretty vague. The electric yellows and the Rusty's should get along fine. pseudotropheus sp. "Acei"is another hardy fish you may like. If you look on the web for cookie cutter cichlid setups tanks there is some good ideas that can be found there. Here is one link for you. Shelly's are cool, there are some pretty cool fish available out there, but there is never a guarantee certain fish will jive together regardless of what they are supposed to do. Good luck, and enjoy the journey.

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/cookie_cutter_29g.php

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/cookie_cutter_40g.php

[jvision]

In a 35, I'd stick with just the Yellows and Rusties - both quite relaxed as far as mbuna go, and don't get too big. Go with at least 2x required the filtration and get 4-6 1" juvies of each. Lots of rockwork and a BN pleco for clean-up.

I have set up lots of small tanks with young Yellows and Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos, looks nice.

[Wackinator]

What kind of zebra cichlid are you speaking of? There are Red Zebra's, Lobochilotes labiatus, some people call convicts by this name too. Could you give us scientific names, Zebra is pretty vague. The electric yellows and the Rusty's should get along fine. pseudotropheus sp. "Acei"is another hardy fish you may like. If you look on the web for cookie cutter cichlid setups tanks there is some good ideas that can be found there. Here is one link for you. Shelly's are cool, there are some pretty cool fish available out there, but there is never a guarantee certain fish will jive together regardless of what they are supposed to do. Good luck, and enjoy the journey.

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/cookie_cutter_29g.php

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/cookie_cutter_40g.php

Thanks a lot for the links Jayba! I meant red zebra cichlids, I do like the look of the acei but I think I will stick with the electric yellows, rusties, and red zebras if I can put them in there without causing problems. And yes Shelly's are amazing, i have multies in a 10 gallon with atleast 3 different litters of fries.

Thanks again

[Wackinator]

In a 35, I'd stick with just the Yellows and Rusties - both quite relaxed as far as mbuna go, and don't get too big. Go with at least 2x required the filtration and get 4-6 1" juvies of each. Lots of rockwork and a BN pleco for clean-up.

I have set up lots of small tanks with young Yellows and Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos, looks nice.

Thanks Jvision! and so no red zebras? Damn, any other fish that can add more color?

and I planned on a lot of rockwork, just having trouble finding rocks to work with. Does the size of the BN Pleco matter? I had thought about a pleco but wasnt sure if it would work or not. As much as I like the thought of having all those cichlids, would I have to remove cichlids later when they are a bit bigger if I got 4-6 of each?

Thanks again!

[jvision]

I wouldn't do red zebras because they get pretty big and are mean. You may get away with it if you have enough caves, but chances are, the zebras will put the hurt on your Rusties and Yellows. You'll probably have to start taking out the biggest as they start to hit the 3" mark - that's what I do.

[Wackinator]

Thanks Jvision again, and I wont add red zebras then, just a couple of electric yellows and rusties along with a bristlenose, just one question, will they be able to breed in their? are electric yellow or rusties easy to breed? are they both mouth brooders? I didn't really want to take the fish out when they get bigger, so how many can I keep in without having to get rid of them later?

Also another question in my thread was would 150W heater be okay for a tank this big?

Thanks

[rED O]

-roll- I remember when 33 gallons was my big tank. A while ago..

I would skip the rusties and get pseudotropheus acei. They are another peaceful mbuna that mix great with yellow labs. Yes, they should breed in your tank. Just make sure to give them lots of places to dig spawning pits and give them lots of caves for breeding.

[JLake]

agreed i have some yellow tail acei i got from a member and they are a nice bunch, they dont bully anyoone but themselves sometimes

[Wackinator]

-roll- I remember when 33 gallons was my big tank. A while ago..

I would skip the rusties and get pseudotropheus acei. They are another peaceful mbuna that mix great with yellow labs. Yes, they should breed in your tank. Just make sure to give them lots of places to dig spawning pits and give them lots of caves for breeding.

lol unfortunately Its my biggest right now, though dont get me wrong I'm very grateful, a couple years ago I thought I was cursed to only have one 10 gallon tank my whole life, now I got a 20 and a 33 as well, so I'm getting there slowly lol.

I have looked into acei but I would still prefer rusties though I must admit I have never seen them anywhere so if I dont have a lot of luck finding them then I'm going with the acei.

Thanks though

agreed i have some yellow tail acei i got from a member and they are a nice bunch, they dont bully anyoone but themselves sometimes

Thanks JLake but I think I will try rusties first, if I cant find them or change my mind, my next choice will be acei

But thanks again!

[Wackinator]

A couple of questions, do you guys buy rocks or just find them outside to make the rocky caves and everything? and does aynone know where I can buy eggcrate from? I want to put the rock setup on the eggcrate as I dont want the rock to damage the glass in any way.

Also is my heater okay for a 35 gallon?

Thanks

[jvision]

Your heater should be fine. YOu can get eggcrate at Home Depot or Rona, or any home store. I think they call it light diffusor - if you ask for eggcrate they look at you weird. I build ponds, and I often have a few left-over rocks, so I just use those. Feildstone is $.10/lb at Canaar... or you can just pick them up out and about. If you have access to an acid (vinegar will do in a pinch, but muriatic would be better), put a few drops on the rocks you find. If the rock bubbles, it'll dissolve in your tank; if no bubbles, it'll be perfect for the aquarium.

[jvision]

Oh, and Rusties used to be around Edmonton - there was a guy on AA who was breeding them, but I haven't seen Nevin around in a couple years. They were being bought up at the ACE auctions, so I'm guessing somebody should have some; though, I haven't seen them around very much either.

[Boom]

I think you guys are all on crack. (JK)

A 35 gallon mbuna tank is just asking for trouble, especially when you want to start mixing species. They WILL all kill each other, just a matter of time. My red zebra killed everything but the two toughest cichlids in my 55 gallon. Once he realized he was big enough to do so. Any mbuna who decides he wants to be dominant will likely do the same. Yes, even the "peaceful" electric yellows. My dominant male electric yellow used to chase and pester other smaller mbuna as well. Remember, an electric yellow is only relatively peaceful, ie. compared to most other mbuna, not compared to most other fish.

Do yourself a favor from a guy who's "been there, done that" stick with small fish that can actually comfortably live in a small tank. I just got a group of Rock Kribs (Victorian cichlids) for my 55, and I think a smaller group would do fine in a 35 as well, they stay smaller, and really are less aggressive. The bonus is they are really pretty fish. I'm about to post pics in my folder, so keep an eye out.

Boom :boom: