Elite
Fish Fanatic
I've had 2 20 gallon tanks with a convict in each for a while. Tey're not exactly "pretty" tanks since they're in my basement and I prefered to concentrate on my ram's tank upstairs. Course that's not gorgeous either because I can't seem to get this algae off at all and it's REALLY irritating...but to the point. I'm moving into my dorm later this month and I *hopefully* will be able to take one of my convict tanks, depending on what my roommate says (I need to call her and tank, haven't met her yet), and I'm also bringing my 2.5 gal betta tank with me. But I figure if I'm going to be having my convict tank in a single room shared with another person that doesn't even have a bathroom...well, I want it to be spectacular.
Right now it has a pretty nice looking peice of driftwood, some rocks, and a couple little plastic plants. The substrate is sand, but I am very tired of how hard sand is to clean. I mean, I even prefer the purple plastic gravel in my mum's goldfish tank to it, lol. I can take out the driftwood and the rocks and plants and everything and start with a clean slate. I know I want a few caves for my con, cause he loves the little ones I've made for him so far. What kind of rocks would you suggest? Should I go with slate? Right now it's some sort of sandstone I have in all my tanks. It doesn't look great. What kind of substrate would you suggest? I was thinking of going with black gravel, I like flourite but it's a little expensive, and I was considering brown gravel...but I really don't want the substrate to be my focal point. I won't even have it more than an inch thick. In my ram tank I have both live and fake plants, and frankly I can't afford good the lighting to make the plants look good at all. So I like plastic, lol. And I don't like the silk ones, because in my experience they fray.
Are there any websites that really show some great, but inexpensive, small new world tanks?
Also, I'd maybe like to get my convict a "friend" (haha, I know). I personally don't really mind having just him, hes my favorite fish and he's completely awesome, but I think it'd look a little better to have at least one other fish. He's not friendly, but he IS the friendlier of my two convicts, or at least the weaker. His friend definently needs to be someone who can hold there own, and preferably also be a new world cichlid. I was thinking maybe a jewel or a midas? Although I would like to get him a mate, there are just enough convicts in this world already and I don't need to add to that, lol. But yeah, he's my special little dude, my favorite of my fish, and I don't want him being nearly killed by another fish again.
I would like to have an algae eater, but when this guy was in with a pleco he never stopped pecking at him. So I was thinking maybe a snail that doesn't reproduce like mad...I remember hearing about apple snails and mystery snails or something like that but I know nothing about them. It's been a while, lol.
Any advice, and definently pictures and websites (with lots of pics, I have a lot of trouble reading large ammounts), would be very much appreicated.
Thanks!
Right now it has a pretty nice looking peice of driftwood, some rocks, and a couple little plastic plants. The substrate is sand, but I am very tired of how hard sand is to clean. I mean, I even prefer the purple plastic gravel in my mum's goldfish tank to it, lol. I can take out the driftwood and the rocks and plants and everything and start with a clean slate. I know I want a few caves for my con, cause he loves the little ones I've made for him so far. What kind of rocks would you suggest? Should I go with slate? Right now it's some sort of sandstone I have in all my tanks. It doesn't look great. What kind of substrate would you suggest? I was thinking of going with black gravel, I like flourite but it's a little expensive, and I was considering brown gravel...but I really don't want the substrate to be my focal point. I won't even have it more than an inch thick. In my ram tank I have both live and fake plants, and frankly I can't afford good the lighting to make the plants look good at all. So I like plastic, lol. And I don't like the silk ones, because in my experience they fray.
Are there any websites that really show some great, but inexpensive, small new world tanks?
Also, I'd maybe like to get my convict a "friend" (haha, I know). I personally don't really mind having just him, hes my favorite fish and he's completely awesome, but I think it'd look a little better to have at least one other fish. He's not friendly, but he IS the friendlier of my two convicts, or at least the weaker. His friend definently needs to be someone who can hold there own, and preferably also be a new world cichlid. I was thinking maybe a jewel or a midas? Although I would like to get him a mate, there are just enough convicts in this world already and I don't need to add to that, lol. But yeah, he's my special little dude, my favorite of my fish, and I don't want him being nearly killed by another fish again.
I would like to have an algae eater, but when this guy was in with a pleco he never stopped pecking at him. So I was thinking maybe a snail that doesn't reproduce like mad...I remember hearing about apple snails and mystery snails or something like that but I know nothing about them. It's been a while, lol.
Any advice, and definently pictures and websites (with lots of pics, I have a lot of trouble reading large ammounts), would be very much appreicated.
Thanks!
