Want Impact From My New Tank!

[odannyboy]

got a new tank on the way(4ftx18x18) want the wow factor in my living room.id go for some lovely discus but i dont think i could give them the endless waterchanges they need. (i tend to do changes every two weeks).think i need a few big ish colourful fish to catch the eye. cichlids are ok but what? or community guys.wouldnt say no to malawis but ive never had them so thats a whole new world to me. what would you do? cheers!!!

 

[Miss Wiggle]

i've always found for the 'wow' factor as you've said you can go one of two ways

1 - very cool fish, oddballs like rays, pufferfish etc always catch people's eyes (although be sure to research what is suitable for your set up)

2 - very cleverly chosen large shoals, how many community tanks have you seen with 5/6 different shoals in. I just think it's way too buy and way too much, understock the tank (which will suit your fortnightly maintenance), choose 3 fish you like the look of (I'd recommend two shoals of mid/top water swimmers and one of bottom crew) and get really big groups of each.

what I'd love to do with our 92gal tank and may do soon is an enormous shoal of congo tetras, big shoal of cardinal tetras, big group of cories and that's it. For me seeing a really big shoal carries much more magic than many smaller groups of fish. Choose colours that are eyecatching but contrast well.

 

[loachman]

got a new tank on the way(4ftx18x18) want the wow factor in my living room.id go for some lovely discus but i dont think i could give them the endless waterchanges they need. (i tend to do changes every two weeks).think i need a few big ish colourful fish to catch the eye. cichlids are ok but what? or community guys.wouldnt say no to malawis but ive never had them so thats a whole new world to me. what would you do? cheers!!!

I'm partial to rainbowfish myself. They do have great coloring, and are about 5 inches max (depending on species, but most are in the 4-5 inch range). They're also pretty active fish.

They're generally fine in a community as long as the other fish are big enough so they're not easy, bite-sized snacks.

some nice looking ones IMO are (there are others too):
m. parva (red fins and aft)
m. bosemani (orange in the back 1/2, and blue in the front)
m. lucastris (white belly, green to blue elsewhere)
m. praecox (red/yellowish fins depending on M/F, and silver body and flashes blue)

 

[Ferris]

Mbuna tank - if you don't fancy marine but you want a wow factor, there's nothing better IMO

There's plenty of member's tank pics and info in the African forum to give you an idea of the potential

 

[PufferFishRule]

malawi's! i have a tank setup for them and they never cease to amaze me....or shell dwelers i find them neat

malawi's! i have a tank setup for them and they never cease to amaze me....or shell dwelers i find them neat