Interesting Hardwater Options

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soybean

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I'd say about 90% of my tank's current inhabitants were bought when I lived in a more neutral-to-soft water area, but since moving to a hard water area I think it might be time to admit defeat and give up the South American fish I prefer.

Likely setting up a new tank in the new year - OR considering rehoming as many fish I have at the mo as possible to good homes and housing the remainder, older ones in a slightly smaller tank, and adapting my current tank.

I want to do it on the cheap and source things second hand, I'm in no rush, so have plenty of time to look at fish options.

My water readings are:

pH from tap: 8
pH of aged water in tank: 8-8.5 (and that's even with four bits of bogwood in there so potentially higher without all that)
Gh: 200 mg/l
Kh: 130 mg/l

Whether I use my current Rio 180 or get a new tank, I really only have about a gap of about a metre in length to play with in the house.

I don't really want a tank of just rocks and fish although I appreciate naturally harder water areas can have little greenery.

I'm thinking main feature fish with maybe a shoal of one other species to add a bit of movement. Maybe an oddball loitering at the back.

Enjoy cichlid-type behaviour - ie territories, caves, substrate shifting, defending eggs/fry etc - but open to non-cichlid suggestions.


As this will be in a family area, the only stipulation is "nothing too ugly or bland" :rolleyes: so colourful fish would be a bonus.

There must be other hardwater fish available? Any unusual suggestions? Would like a challenge.
 
A few hard water tolerant fish that barely stratches the surface...

Tetras (Blind Cave; Lemon; X-ray; African Tetra like Alestopetersius caudalis)
Barbs (Odessa; Sawbwa [to an extent])
Social Synodontis (nigriventris; flavitinaeniata; multipunctata; petricola)
Semi-social Synodontis (brichardi; alberti)
Other catfish (Brochis splendens; Megalechis spp.; Ancistrus spp.)
Cichlids (Steatocranus spp; Pelvicachromis spp.; CA cichlids [an area of unknown for me])
Livebearers (Ilyodon whitei; Butterfly Goodeids [in a species tank due to nipping]; [many others I know nothing about])
 
Thanks NotG, I'll look into those as a starting point.

Anyone else?
 
Enjoy cichlid-type behaviour - ie territories, caves, substrate shifting, defending eggs/fry etc - but open to non-cichlid suggestions.

Tanganyikan cichlids! they are the kings of interesting behaviour!

you could do a harem of shell dwellers such as lamprologous brevis, ocellatus or multifasciatus (these guys are aquatic JCBs), then some rock dwellers such as julidochromis transcriptus, julidochromis ornatus, or even a pair of altolamprologous calvus.
 
Tanganyikan cichlids! they are the kings of interesting behaviour!

you could do a harem of shell dwellers such as lamprologous brevis, ocellatus or multifasciatus (these guys are aquatic JCBs), then some rock dwellers such as julidochromis transcriptus, julidochromis ornatus, or even a pair of altolamprologous calvus.

I remember looking into these when I had a spare 25G hanging around - they're definitely on my wish list! The only thing I was going for this time was to still try and have a bit of a community feel. If it was just me looking at the tank I'd probably go down this route, but as I'm 'imposing' on the rest of the house with "fish stuff" I have to try and appease everyone else too. I think they might find a shell dweller tank a bit too stark.

It also seems a bit of a waste of a lot of water column and doesn't really allow for any small shoalers - or does it?
 
The character these guys have got is fantastic, and although there may not seem to be as much going on in the tank due to there being fewer fish, once they settle in they are fantastic to watch, even my non-fish enthusiast friends are fascinated when I show them how the brevises share a shell together with the female always going in first and the male guarding the entrance. Mine swim all over the place (although never straying into each others territories!) and use the whole water column in my 29g. Even though there are only 8 fish in there (4 adults 4 fry/juvies) the tank doesn't seem at all empty. They seem much more deliberate in their actions which I like. Its the differece between a tank with lots of pretty fish swimming around ramdomly, which is interesting for a few minutes, to real "pets" you can watch for hours.

Put it this way, my shellie tank has proved so popular that it has just been replaced with a 4.5 ft 85 gallon tank just for tangs as my girlfriend loves their personalities!

I've put some vids up here: http://www.youtube.com/user/lufbramatt
 
Careful, you're convincing me...


What size tank is that and what/how many of each species do you have?
 
the tank in the vids is a 29 gallon (30" x 12" x 18") and there are 4 adult neolamprologus brevis "sunspot" (2 pairs) and 4 babies from when one of the pairs bred.
 
They are rather lovely! Another to keep in mind. Cheers.
 
If it was me I would either look into a Tanganyikan community or go for some interesting livebearers: goodeids as suggested above or some more peaceful livebearer like limia species or Merry Widows. I also find bristlenoses are pretty unfazed by hard alkaline water: mine used to spawn regularly under very similar conditions and I raised several broods. I have endlers, blue limias and evelynae platys with bristlies in a 240 and it makes for a very pleasant and active tank. But if I were setting up a new one, I'd go for the Tanganyikans.
 
i live in a hard water area and i've not found it too difficult to stock a community tank, admittedly it not as hard as your readings. A tang tank would look ace, certainly something im considering for the future.

PS Vallis grows like crazy in my water, its about the best plant i can find that does! :D
 

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