opinion anyone?

[trey88]

hello, My boyfriend and I have had a tropical community tank for a while now with quite a bit of success. I recently picked up another 30 gallon setup and would like to start a cichild tank.
I was reading a stocking book and it suggested starting the tank with a school of 6 tiger barbs to cycle . I was thinking of adding either a pair of firemouths or convicts after, but the book I was reading said that the only way to ensure that you get a good breeding pair is to put a group of 6 cichilds in the tank! this seems like waaaay to many fish for a 30 gallon.
I have done a lot of research on cichlids and am very excited to start a tank with them. I just need a little advice on how to get started and what to put in the tank over all. any help would be greatly appreciated! thank you!

 

[guppymonkey]

The best way to cycle a tank is to do the fishless cycle. It takes a little longer but then you won't have to worry about getting rid of the fish afterwards.

The best way to get a pair of cichlids is to get a group of them when they are young and let them pair off on their own. I made the mistake of buying one male and one female convict and the male killed the female because she wasn't ready. I would suggest getting a group of either of your choices (firemouths or convicts), letting them pair off and returning the rest to the pet store. That way you can ensure that you are getting a pair that will work and not just a male and female that might kill each other!

 

[longhorn13]

only if your lfs works like that. one that i frequent sometimes has a policy that once you take them home, they're yours.

 

[yvez9]

Since you already have a cycled tank, you won't need to cycle the new one

Just take a pice of media from your filter and put it in your new filter for a while.

Instant cycle!

You can add fish right away.

 

[freddyk]

Forget convicts if you hope to keep community fish (tiger barbs) with them, breeding cons will clear out the whole tank for themselves. Firemouths are a better choice.

How many you buy depends on how lucky you feel, but 6 is a good number for the best chances. If you can determine gender, you can start with a male and two or three females. The end goal is to remove the remaining fish and just keep the monogomous couple.