Tank Nearly Cycled -- Which Fish Should I Get?

[lgarvey]

Hi,

My tank is nearly cycled and I'm sure it'll be ready for some inhabitants in the next 2 weeks.

I really want some mbuna, but my tank is not suited for them. I have a 33 US gallon (125 litre) 3ft tank and I know they need more space. On top of that, I've started off with gravel, plants and bogwood. Not the typical mbuna environment. I had decided to get angelfish, but ... they were not my fist choice and I would much rather house a group of smaller sized mbuna knowing that I'll buy a bigger tank in the next few months.

Money is not a major issue and the reason I went for a smaller tank was because I envisaged water changes taking ages on a larger tank, and other people (not fish keepers) were keen to put me off: it'll damage the floor, what i you move house, it's a bad idea etc.etc.

So what I'm thinking is this... if I pull out most of hte plants, and put some more rocks in there. Currently there is a small gravel substrate, which I know is not ideal for mbuna, but I can upgrade later on. Then I could go for some small demasoni about 12 of them, and say 5 small electric labs. They have them just an inch or so in size at the LFS. In the next few months I'll pick up a 260L to 300L and set it up alongside the existing tank and transfer everything over.

Can you guys see any problems with this?

L

 

[Miss Wiggle]

there's always some 'lively debate' over weather it's OK to put young fish into a tank and plan to upgrade it as they grow.

The two main problems are generally

1 - cash - not many of us have an unlimited supply of it! Can you absolutely guarantee that you'll be able to get the bigger tank in a few months time? If it's hit or miss then don't do it, if something comes up and you can't afford the tank you'll be stuck with the fish rapidly outgrowing the tank and struggling. If you can absolutely definately afford the larger tank, money is really no issue, they why not just buy it now and give the fish a comfortable environment with grow out space etc. Even half way through cycling you can change over tanks no problem, just take the part cycled filter and put it onto the bigger tank, if it's big enough to power the tank by itself then leave it as is and just carry on the cycle from there, if it's not then run it in tandem with another filter, again carrying on adding ammonia. You may find that it doesn't process the ammonia quite as fast as it had been doing on a smaller tank but it'll quickly catch up.

2 - predicting when to upgrade the tank - fish often grow a lot quicker than people expect them too, you should remember that the juvi fish in the shops are often just a few weeks old and within the space of a month or two will be sub-adults. Often stunting occurs before people have even spotted it, you think the fish is growing at a normal rate, in actual fact it isn't and stunting has already started, even when transferred into a larger environment the health problems can still persist. Can you guarantee that you'll be able to accurately judge the growth rate and when the environment becomes too small before problems start? I mean this as no offence to you personally, it's a statement most of us would struggle with and really in my experience the sort of call that should be left to experienced hobbyists or professional breeders.

So for those reason's I'd say if you want Mbuna, then by all means go for it, but get the tank big enough, get it cycled and then get the fish.

 

[lgarvey]

Hi,

Yes, you're probably right. I'm just sick of staring at an empty tank -- and have been for the past 5 weeks! =) Also, it's the time and energy -- I'd struggle to find the time to source, move, and set-up a bigger tank right now, due to work and other commitments. I think it'd be nice to just get started with something. That said, I am looking at a new tank already ... and I like the idea of the fluval osaka 260 or juwel vision 260. I don't want the reverse situation later on where I outgrow my fish, i.e. i've bought a bigger tank but don't want angelfish anymore.

I should of had faith and started with the 260 from the the outset! =)

L

 

[Miss Wiggle]

ha ha people often find themselves in this sutiation

well here's another proposition for you then, you continue with the cycle on the small tank, get some small community fish suitable for the tank size for life and use this as your begginner tank to get used to the routine of water changes, maintenance etc etc

then maybe a few months down the line when you have the time and energy and you've got a little bit of experience under your belt you set up a seperate bigger tank for mbuna, this gives you plenty of time to research and ensure you have the perfect environment for them from the outset. You wouldn't need to go through a full cycle with the Mbuna tank either, you could seed it with media from the little tank then you'd go through the same fishless cycling process, but it'd be more in the region or 1/2 weeks than 5/6.

Then you have a choice you can either strip the small tank down, return the fish to the store or sell/give them away to other hobbyists, then you've got a good spare tank with all the equipment needed so you can set it up as a quarantine/hospital tank as and when you need it. It's really very useful to an aquarists to have some spare tanks and equipment even if just as back up so if your heater broke or something then you'd at least have the one from the small tank as a tempory measure. Or if you've got quite attached to the little tank then just run two tanks

 

[pauly]

I totally agree with Miss Wiggle.

Either stick with your existing tank and get community fish, or completely start again with a bigger tank with Mbuna (great fish by the way).

I would avoid putting in small Mbuna only to have to relocate them at a later date. Get the tank right first, then add your fish. It'll be worth it in the long run.

Pauly.