Which fish in a new rock tank?

[Tiggs]

Looking for ideas....

I am done with planted tanks as they take tooooo much wet work! I dont mind canister filter cleaning, water changes and testing....but i am fed up with a wet arm!

So i am getting a Pangea rock background like this -

and adding some matching real rock to form a "rock lagon" look....possible that a few plants will go in but nothing much.

My first thought was Cichlids but im just wondering what else may work well in there? with dark rock and sand bright colours would work well......just looking for some ideas!

T

ohh....tank is 350 litres, twin canister filters and any light commbo thats needed. Money not realy an issue so fire away with ideas!

 

[Ferris]

Perfect tank for a large Mbuna community with loads of options. With a tank that size you could also go for a mixed Hap tank. South American Cichlids would also be a possibility.

I'm struggling to think of anything other than cichlids that have a rocky environment as a natural habitat. A Rainbow fish species tank would look stunning but they are generally kept in well planted tanks. African Cichlids would seem to be the best option.

 

[Tiggs]

i think mbuna may be best.

in very simple terms what are the pros and cons of mbuna V haps?

 

[freddyk]

Haps are more open water - they require less rocks and more swimming space. Mbuna are better if you were looking for heavier rockscaping. Mbuna are smaller and do well in crowded conditions. Haps are larger and better in lesser stocked tanks. Mbuna have a diet that you need to be careful with, haps are more versatile for this. Mbuna tend to all be very colorful, while female haps are often very bland. Mbuna tanks tend to be more energetic and active then hap tanks.

 

[sylvia]

Mbuna is probably the best choice.

Still, many catfish and loaches would also like that sort of tank plus the size would be enough for some of the larger ones too - and large rainbowfish would make beautiful additions as well. You could still fit in some of the more peaceful but still very colorful cichlids - a pair of kribs/pulcher for example. Oh and, if you like that sort of thing, bettas and most livebearers also do fine in a rocky aquascape. You could even combine female bettas or mollies or platies or swordtails with some rainbowfish (I like melanotaenia boesmani and m. lacustris in particular but also the red rainbow) and some cories or something to make a lively community. Most barbs, sharks, danios and some tetras and rasboras would also work fine in the absence of plants. Basically, the aquascape you are planning limmits you a bit but not realy all that much ...

Oh and if it were me I'd do ctenopomas...