[Nobis911]

Hey guys, here is my fish tank... i just redesigned the rocks to help with hiding spots...

here is the first set up... but i figured they needed tighter hiding spots

after that... here is what i have set up right now

now my question is... there allways at the back of the tank... i feel like they are scared of me... but let it be known that its only their second day in the tank... but they rarely come out for a swim... unless i feed them... and when i do... the just quickly take the food and run back behind the tank so they are not visible from the front...

another thing... when they swim they dont swim smoothly. they make sudden speed bursts... is this normal? i guess im just a little worried... any input and inside would be great.

in the tanks i have:

3 demasoni
3 yellow labs
3 red x red zebras

all juveniles so i dont know which is female and which is male.

any input would be GREAT!

 

[Fischfan13]

Very nice.
You're going to need more of each...especially the Demasoni.
The Labs and Zebras have a small potential for crossing, especially if one of the trios is either all male or all female.
Three Demasoni? I'm worried that if you do not crowd them in with each other you will have one left.

Best of luck.

 

[Nobis911]

Thanks man

yes frankly im a little worried my self. the 3 i got... one of them is allot bigger then the other 2... how many demasoni should i have? ill go pick more fish up tomorrow.

also anything about them hiding in the back of the tank alot? maybe there just not used to their enviroment?

 

[xxbenjamminxx]

I would get like a dozen more dems. You will end up removing some ofthem sooner or later.

They could be getting used to the tank yet, but your hiding spots aren't really that. No matter where the go they still can be seen. I found by making piles of rocks so they can completely disappear that they are more comfortable coming out since they can get away if they feel the need too. Id try the "drop" the rocks and leave them where they fall.

Ps- don't literally just drop them in your tank. :wink: also they will get into really small holes so don't b worried about leaving gaps as long as they aren't tight together with no space they will get in there.

Here is how mine is to give u an idea on how close I have them

/

 

[Anthraxx8500]

consider getting a back for the aquarium. i know u dig the see thru look im sure. but maybe its not the best for african cichlids. i know mine wont come out if they dont feel safe with enough hidey holes. GL to ya. maybe consider going the community route with that tank.

 

[Nobis911]

xxbenjamminxx thanks man, i guess ur right, maybe ill re-arrange the rocks and add more rocks to the corners of the tank, for more spots where they arnt visible at all.

Anthraxx8500 the background i have right now is black... u mean add a background with rocks on it?

 

[xxbenjamminxx]

I think anthraxx meant any type of background as it looked like you could see right through it but must have been the reflection of the laptop in the bg.

I thought the same thing.

 

[Nobis911]

i think im going to add some more rocks by "droping" then and letting them naturally build up on one side of my tank.

and by wensday im going to go get about 6 more demasoni, maybe 2 more labs?

what else could i have in the fish tank

i was thinking a clown loach haha

 

[Nobis911]

so here is what the new rock setup looks like. i basically filled the the back side of the glass with a bunch of rocks... i hope they like this better

they seem to be moving around alot now... so maybe its working

 

[pack-rat]

I think you're doing great. When the fish get used to the tank, and feel good about being able to hide when they need to, they'll spend more time out front. Also, they need to get used to seeing you moving around. Mine usually come running when I walk in the room, because I bring them food, but sometimes they get startled by me and in the blink of an eye I am looking at an empty tank. They really move fast when the want to and they disappear completely.

 

[iwade4fish]

Aces, they're going to love it. Good work!

 

[Nobis911]

hey guys, just wanted to say thanks for everyones help.

i had a question... one of my demasoni basically almost has no stripes... the other two have stripes but the third one seems like its just a purple color fish... i understand it comes and goes depending if there nervous or not...

but he hasn't changed all day now.

 

[gatorbaiter]

Your zebras look great :thumb: If your going to get into breeding, you might have a problem with the reds and labs as far as crossbreeding

 

[Nobis911]

thanks man.

i need to add more fish in here anyone have any ideas of some colorful fish? preferably with stripes lol

 

[DJRansome]

You would want to add more of the same fish as opposed to adding additional species. Clown loaches can get to be 13" long and like to be in groups of 6 or more. Their ideal tank would be 72".

Do we know the dimensions of the tank?

 

[iwade4fish]

It's a 60.
When bars are missing, deformed, or just weird looking, this is USUALLY a symptom of too much inter-breeding. Get more of the same, prefferably females.

 

[Nobis911]

hey DJRansome the dimensions are
48width x 12.5depth x 24.5 high

im really in love with my demasonis

thanks iwade, what fish is that in your display pic? looks really nice.

 

[Nobis911]

when i go to the fish store and im buying juveniles, is it possible to tell which one is female and which ones are male?

cuz they randomly gave me 3 of each...

 

[pack-rat]

when i go to the fish store and im buying juveniles, is it possible to tell which one is female and which ones are male?

cuz they randomly gave me 3 of each...

For these fish normally not. The juvies all look alike. A few change color as they mature (dimorphism) but many look the same (male and female) when they mature. For the latter group, the only surefire ways are to observe spawning or to examine their vents, and neither of these apply to juvies.

 

[iwade4fish]

Cynotilapia Afra from Hai Reef. male.