What To Do With My Current Stocking

[hanny93]

Hi again.

If any of you have read my journal, you all know i like to change things round a lot, including the stocking.

At the moment I'm edging towards getting rid of the cories and the gourami and leaving 11 neon tetra (OH's babies. he wont let me get rid of them without super persuasion)

I really want a cichlid setup, with either bolivian rams or something called a cockatoo apistogramma, not sure on scientific name i just know they are smallish and rather beautiful! So if anyone can suggest a stocking for this I'd be grateful, or any other cichlid suitable for a 14 gallon

My tank is 14 gallons (64 litre) and is currently housing tropicals.

If i cant keep cichlids in this tank can anyone suggest any biotopes to fit around the neons, although any brightly coloured, even setup would be ace as I'm sure the OH wouldnt be too heartbroken, just his bank account!

Thankyou in advance!

 

[Wills]

Hi yes a 14 gallon tank can house some cichlids with general community fish no problem It is possible that some Apistos (cockatoos) could work but I would probably go for a dwarf acara type as they are much more peaceful and the males are often calmer on the females than Apistos.

I would go for a pair of Nannacara Anomala (Golden Dwarf Cichlid) or Laetacara Curviceps or Laetacara Dorsiger. All of these are great little cichlids and would live well with your neons.

I would probably go for a pair of one of the above and have the 11 tetras and it would work really nice

Wills

 

[hanny93]

Aquatic community suggests a 20 gallon tank for golden dwarf

I do like the dwarf flag cichlid though, i like their little faces, and the same with redbreast!

So its a choice between those two.
Are you sure they'd be okay with the tetras?

 

[Wills]

Your choice on the dwarfs really, Nannacara Anomala stay smaller than Laetacara but upto you IMO. But Laetacara are brilliant little fish and a little more out going than the Nannacara.

South American cichlids in general are not as aggressive as the Africans or Central Americans. They may defend an area if/when they breed but Laetacaras are known as having a small territory sometimes just a few inches of tank floor.

Just as a slight comparison I have been keeping a school of Lemon Tetras with Severums, Geophagus and my Nicaraguan for over a year now and no problems between them. If anything having a schooling fish like neons with cichlids in particularly dwarf cichlids will give them confidence and tell them that its a safe way to be. This situation is called dither fish and it replicates a scenario in the wild where no predators are present.

Upto you with which route you go

Wills

 

[hanny93]

Ah i always wondered what that meant, well i think i'll be going with the redbreast if i do make the change.
Are they shelldwellers or do they do well in planted setups?
Thankyou for all your help by the way, i didnt expect anyone to answer!

 

[Wills]

No probs

No South American fish in general prefer soft/neutral water so avoid all shells and shell based substrates. South American cichlids like the red breasts prefer planted set ups with twigs and caves for them to hide in, I would make a few small caves around the tank including some near the front to make them more confident as they are often a little shy.

Great choice with the red breasts One of my favorites!

Wills

 

[hanny93]

Excellent, I have very soft water which has proved a nightmare with previous setups!

I'll take a trip to my lfs tomorrow and see what they would be able to do for me.

~I've just read, they don't take commercially available foods, and only take live or frozen, is this true? If so is it easy to culture your own live food?

 

[Wills]

Noooo not at all, people keep them on flake all the time - but as ever a varied diet is best. Sometimes live food can help trigger spawning. Cichlids of this size will mainly eat tiny insects and algae. But like I say most people will happliy get them eating on prepared foods.

You could always ask to see them being fed in the shop if possible (which is often a good idea anyway) just to see what they are eating before you get them home

Some cichlids do sulk and may not eat for a week or two but they will start eating. I got a new dwarf pike a few weeks ago and he had his first meal 3 days ago! He was fat when I got him and he has lost a little weight but he was not even eating live or frozen but now he is well near the front of the food queue!

Wills